Maybelline Colour Elixirs | Breathtaking Apricot, Fuschia Flourish and Caramel Infused

I was perusing Priceline before work the other day when I felt my breath catch in my throat. There in all its glory was a full stand of the highly anticipated Maybelline Colour Elixirs, which I had been impatiently waiting for. Since I’m used to waiting an eternity for new product releases to launch here in Australia, I jumped at the chance to grab one of these via a friend who has family in America a few months ago. I chose Breathtaking Apricot as it seemed the most popular shade from the blog posts I had read, and it is a lot more pink than the name ‘apricot would suggest’. Once it hits the lips it becomes this muted neon cross between orange and pink, and I actually really like the shade that eventuates but find it a little less easy to wear than if it were a straight pink or orange. I actually didn’t see this shade on the Australian display, perhaps it isn’t one of the shades made available to us (eBay always makes it possible though!)

I was immediately drawn to Fuschia Flourish, thanks in part to Estee from Essie Button who is one of my favourite YouTubers and is a fan of the shade. It’s a gorgeous bright pink shade that goes on evenly and I feel like it’s the sort of colour that really brightens up my face. I was checking out the blush and rose toned shades next but something about them didn’t hit the mark for me, but when I laid eyes on Caramel Infused I knew I had to take it. It’s along the lines of a MLBB shade with a nude edge and I find it really wearable and pretty. My natural lip colour does affect the colour a bit which makes it appear more pink-toned than in the arm swatch, but it’s still discernable as MLBB when on.

 

 

 

 

The feel of this is quite cushiony as I’ve seen it described, and it’s a soft and tacky kind of finish which I can detect while I’m wearing but it doesn’t annoy me. The colour is easy to apply and you can mix it around with other shades or blot it down, and I find it lasts okay for a glossy lip product. I’m definitely going to consider picking more of these up, but for now I’m really enjoying these 4 beautiful elixirs!

 

Have you tried the new Maybelline Colour Elixirs?

What shade do you have your eye on?

Emma x 

Top 3 Hair Products for Lazy Locks

In the lazy haircare department, I am pretty sure I take out first prize. I have a lot of thick hair, and even taking the time to blow dry it is asking a lot from me. Every once in a while I feel inspired and decide to roll with some product, but generally I am all about the easy to use and fuss free products that make lazy hair something I can step out of the house with. This is what I’m currently rolling with!

Dove Intensive Repair Hair Mask*

Well-conditioned ends are something I strive for and so far this is the best hair mask I’ve found that does the job without weighing it all down too much. I use it as I would a regular conditioner, except it is way better and even though it is in tub form I still find the packaging oddly alluring and sleek. I use this once or twice a week and even though I need a trim badly, it sorta hides that a little bit. I've almost used up this tub and will definitely be buying a new tub, stat!

Pantene Night Miracle Leave On Crème Serum

I’ve used this for years, and find that it lightly moisturises and tames my hair if it’s acting a bit rambunctious. Even though it specifies that it is for PM I use it in the morning more often than not, and think it smells really nice, too.

Girlz Only Dry Shampoo (Dawn 'Till Dusk, but I use any of the scents)

This is a staple in the Bovary household – I have thick and unruly hair that takes a heck of a long time to dry after washing, and sometimes laziness gets the better of me in that regard. I love how affordable this is ($2!) and that it comes in a variety of scents. It absorbs any oil in my roots and adds a nice puff of volume to my hair which is always a nice touch!

Lazy hair is a bit of an artform and my locks sure get in a tangle more than once a week. I love these products for taming back the crazy while still keeping a natural feel to my hair, and I’d love to hear your lazy hair recommendations in the comments below! I’ve just started using a luxe Kerastase hair serum which smells divine so I’ll keep you posted on that one.

Emma x

Garnier Moisture Match Start Afresh Light Softening Cream - For Normal to Dry Skin

As soon as the new Garnier Moisture Match skincare line launched in Australia, I promptly ditched my moisturiser and stepped up to try the new release targeting normal to dry skin (the blue tube!) From day one I knew I’d found something that really worked well with my skin type, which is generally okay but goes through bouts of rough and bumpy skin along with some annoying dry patches here and there.

This particular variation is ‘enriched with blue lotus extract’ which immediately reminded me of the Clarins facial oils, which upped the luxe factor of this affordable cream immediately. I paid around $6-$7 dollars for this tube and love the clean and cute packaging of the whole line. I’ve used this every morning for a few months now and it is still going strong, which means it is definitely bang for your buck. It has kept my face well hydrated, hasn’t broken me out at all and has smoothed out my dry patches making makeup application much more enjoyable than it previously was.

Having said that, a friend of mine was trialling the tube targeting oily skin and didn't get on with it very well. The fact that it is so cheap means throwing caution to the wind won't hurt with this product though, so that is definitely a plus. It's also worth noting that my friend adores some skincare that really doesn't work for me, which emphasizes how different everyone's skincare needs are!

Considering I've been using high(er) end face products for a while, I was so pleased to fall in love with this line so fast. Saving money on my daily moisturiser means that I have more blush money - see how my mind works?!

The Garnier Moisture Match moisturisers retail for $9.99 AUD for 50ml (but is often on sale at Priceline and the supermarket for $6.99!) and is available here.
To view the awesome new Garnier line, click here.

What do you look for in a moisturiser?
Have you tried some awesome high-end creams that have just blown your mind?

Emma x

Trialling and Loving

Sometimes the stars align and thrown a whole heap of ripper beauty products into my lap for trialling! Being a beauty blogger means I am lucky enough to try out new products often, and most of the time before the general public gets a look in. I've been using all of this press-release babies for a while now and thought they deserved a wee puff up on the blog.

Napoleon Perdis - sometimes I adore the brand (they do some ripper makeovers, I went there for my 21st makeup look!) and sometimes they just miss the mark for me. I was initially really hesitant about their new Stroke of Genius Liquid Cashmere foundation*, primarily because of the inbuilt brush applicator. Upon using it however, I've fallen for the texture and the fact that the shade 'Look 1' matches is a 'hurrah' moment indeed!

Another thing I was apprehensive about trialling was the Bare Blossom Mineral Blush sample in Ember Bloom*, the idea of a loose blush powder quite frankly scares me quite a bit. The glow this gives my cheeks though - so pretty! The colour isn't very strong so I've been using this on top of my boring pink cheek powders to give it a bit of oomph, and the 'lit from within' glow everyone always raves about it finally mine!

I'd spotted these Sisley Phyto-Lip Twist lip crayons* on a few blogs and Instagram accounts before I received mine for trialling (some were also press samples, others were in hauls) and the zebra print lover in me literally squealed when I opened the parcel. I have a huge zebra print painting in my living room and it's my favourite thing in the house (bar Mister Bovary and Charlie, natch) and it seems my love for zebra was subconscious but there all along. I've been loving both shades, and the one pictured is 2 Baby which is described as a tender pink shade. These have a full post of their own coming, but suffice to say it is love. 

OPI and the Muppets have teamed up once again and I was kindly sent two nail varnishes to play around with. Looking at the shards of glitter in the awesomely-named Gaining Mole-mentum* just makes my heart happy, as petty as that sounds. I'm sifting through my nail polish stash to find the perfect base shade to wear with this to my niece's communion on the weekend - I think she will appreciate the bling!

Are you using anything that is just blowing your socks off right now?
I'd love to hear about it, new things always spark my interest!

Emma x

YSL Rouge Volupte 12 Forbidden Burgundy Makeup Look

There are times when a vampy lip is necessary to brighten up a drab day, and YSL Rouge Volupte in 12 Forbidden Burgundy was my vamp of choice most recently. Each time I lay eyes on the colour I think of Larie from Eye Heart It and this post from Making up 4 my Age, and I think my adoration of those two ladies brings my feelings for this lipstick up a few notches. Here is how I make a strong vampy lip wearable!

Anytime a deep red or burgundy lip comes into play I tend to neglect my blush for a liberal dusting of bronzer (bring on the #blushfiend shame...) and my bronzer of choice right now is the beautiful Colour Theory Bronzer in Sunkissed, which I bought from an Amcal pharmacy. Even though the brand is a lot more affordable than high end bronzers, I've found that this blends a lot nicer than the pricey powders I've tried! Warming up your features is important when wearing a dramatic lip, especially if you are very fair like I am.

I kept the eyes pretty simple with a wash of a pale shimmery shade from the Wet N Wild Comfort Zone palette and a tiny bit of MAC Mystery run through the crease. I rarely go without eyeshadow if I've got any makeup on, and a bit of subtle definition like this really makes a difference to the overall look. I think a nice champagne shade is a staple in most makeup collections, it is the easiest way to really brighten up the eye area.

I feel much more comfortable in a vampy shade like this than in a true red, and after I took these shots I blotted down the shine with a tissue and the colour lasted all day and well into the night (even after eating dinner with Mister Bovary!) This YSL Rouge Volupte formula is a bit slippery if you don't blot, but having the option to wear it both ways is definitely a great thing with deep wine shades like this. Blotting or dabbing on lip colours with fingers can make them much easier to wear!

Charlie Bovary, photo-bomber extraordinaire, sitting atop my new office couch chair!

Vampy lips for colder weather - I'm in! Do you find dramatic lip colours easy to wear?

YSL Forbidden Burgundy is a certified stunner in my book, do you agree?

 

Emma x

Mumma Bovary + The Perils of Perfume

For me, the Estee Lauder brand was always a little harder to dip into than more youthful brands when I began having an interest in the beauty industry. Their counters always seem so polished and the staff (at least in my experience) are always lovely mature ladies who smell incredible. It wasn’t until recent launches like the Cello shots and the Modern Muse fragrance that I began to understand that mature and fun can coexist simultaneously without too much effort after all. Then I realised that I should have known this all along, because Mumma Bovary is one of the most mature ladies I know funnily enough, yet she is also the most fun to be around and has a wicked edge to her personality. I was elated to receive a Mother’s Day gift idea from Estee Lauder and wanted to share this gift idea with you in case you’ve left gift-buying to the last minute (I often do, but not this year!)

Mumma Bovary has a tendency to put funny things on her head and let us take photos...

 

 

As soon as I opened this parcel (I was in the car with my sister K) we both squealed! The pink and rose gold combination is just breathtaking, and classy beyond belief meaning those who like simply sticking a bow on a present can laze away – EL have the packaging done for you, people! I hadn’t smelt the Sensuous Nude fragrance before, but it is definitely something I could see Mumma Bovary trying. If I were buying it for myself I would probably turn to the Modern Muse set ($130) which is more floral than this scent, but I think this one is a nice one for those who like strong perfumes that aren’t headache inducing. Mumma Bovary can only wear a select few fragrances and even I have to limit my scents when I spend time with her lest I cause a migraine! She loves anything by Marc Jacobs (notoriously light and lovely) and also has a penchant for Stella McCartney and SJP. She recently bought Issey Miyake perfume from duty free, which drove me insane since it was a scent I wore, but it smells good on her that I am happy to share. I think a trip to the EL counter is next on the agenda for Mumma!

 

Seriously, look at that detail!

 

 

Estee Lauder Sensuous Nude is described as a woody musk with notes of bergamot and rose in as well, and is a permanent perfume on the EL roster. The actual Sensuous Nude Set ($120)* with 75ml Body Veil, 75ml Body Cleansing Crème and 50ml EDP spray is limited edition though, so if you have already bought your Mother’s Day gift but think this would make a great birthday or Christmas gift to pop away, I’d hop to it if I were you. They have a big range of sets available if you want to peruse online here, but my pick is the Modern Muse Set (do you think I could vouch for Charlie as my furbaby and swing a puppy-mother’s day gift my way…?)

I love buying luxe gifts like candles and perfume for Mother’s Day, but this year I’ve bought her an adorable floral gardener’s kit and a silver necklace personalised with her nickname. We’re having Mother’s Day lunch at a Thai restaurant on Sunday and I am looking forward to the Massaman! Are you spending this weekend with loved ones?

Emma x

*This gift set was kindly provided for consideration, all swooning is my own and completely honest. Honesty, always!

 

Date Night Chocolate Smoky Eye

I have to admit that most of the Bovary household date nights are mainly coffee dates that are short and sweet, rather than my ideal dinner and movie combo (yes I am that much of a cliché, what can I say my minor at uni was cinema!) This look was created for a night out at China Bar, which is an amazing all-you-can-eat Asian Buffet place that we'd never tried before but ended up really loving! I pretty much ate my body weight in prawns and spicy calamari, but I like the think that my smoky eye added a little elegance to our face-stuffing session!

This makeup look could also serve as a favourites post of sorts, such is my love for many of the products I ended up using. I am a big fan of a chocolate smoky eye and sometimes wish that I felt more comfortable wearing a deep chocolate shade for daytime wear (that way I would get a lot more use from many of my makeup palettes, for sure!) I used a mix of the brown shades from my Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette to create this easy smoky eye, and finished off the look by tapping some of that golden shade onto the centre of my lid to create some depth.

While I was waiting for the Revlon Lacquer Balms and Matte Balms to be released in Australia, I had this idea in my head that I would pick up heaps of them and add them to my Colourburst Crayon collection (which contains almost all of the original shades released!) Then I realised that I only wear my very favourites from the line up anyway, and so the sensible side of me won and I only grabbed one Lacquer Balm to enjoy. Ingenue is simply beautiful, a great nude that I find easy to wear.

Products Used:
Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette
Rimmel Scandaleyes Rockin' Curves mascara*
Covergirl Outlast foundation in 810
Physician's Formula highlighter
MAC Mineralise Skin Finish Natural in Light
Tarte Exposed blush
Revlon Lacquer Balm in Ingenue
Beyoncé Rise perfume*

photographer is obvs a fan of moon face close ups...

Do you have any cool date ideas for us?
What chocolate eye shadows do you love?

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Tribal Summer with essence

Summer it is most certainly not, but I can still feel the tribal heat in my veins as I snuggle under my throw rug using Charlie as a foot warmer! essence have stayed strongly thematic with one of their recent collections, and I think I was suckered into the aesthetic of the Tribal Summer collection more than the actual products...

The major winners from this collection have to be the pigmented and bright lipsticks in Na-Rock* and Waka Waka - yes, even the shade names have gone wild! I adore the sleek black tubes and appreciate the strip of colour around the middle of the tube which tells you which shade you are grabbing at a glance. If you have to grab one thing from this lot, I would push for pink because a pop of fuschia on the lip is perfect for cold Melbourne days (and summer days alike!)

I really wanted to love the Inti Inca pigment, but it isn't as pigmented as I'd hoped it would be and blends out a little too easy for my liking. I still think it is worth picking up and trying out, as it is so much more affordable than other pigments on the market.

Stunning in the pan, but too much shimmer and orange tones for my fair cheeks. Sorry Inti Inca bronzer, it's not me, it's you (but I am going to try you on my lids next to see how you fare)

The Waka Waka liquid blush is a pretty cool release from essence, though I tend to dislike liquid cheek products (Inglot liquid blushes, Benefit tints, they all drive me batty!) Those who love some sheer hot pink cheeks may go mad for this, but I'd recommend the new liquid blush in Glam Me from the essence Metal Glam collection over this one.

Overall it wasn't my favourite essence collection, but my heart is not broken by my haul because everything was so cheap anyway. Hurrah for affordable cosmetics to appease the shopping-obsessed girl in me!

Do you agree that bright lips in winter are awesome? I can see the bright pink Waka Waka lipstick sitting pretty next to my favourite grey scarf!

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty


*Na-Rock lipstick was provided for consideration, I bought the rest of this stash myself. Honesty, always.

The Decoy Purchase

At first I though I might be lemming the new Chanel Joues Contraste blush in Canaille because I haven't had a good shopping fix in a while. The colour is still quite scary in the pan but seeing it on Jessica from Jemorjerrica on YouTube made me want it even more. I decided to find an affordable lemming to test my crave to shop, and picked up the gorgeous NYX Paris in Love palette in Je ne sais quoi.

Mister Bovary bought me the Madeleine's and Macarons palette from the same line up for Christmas and I've been loving it lately, so I spent quite a while swatching all of the Paris in Love testers and thinking about not only what was pretty, but which one contained colours I could wear on a day-to-day basis. I thought I had curbed my shopping urge but then passed by my local Inglot, where I proceeded to swatch all of the blush pans that vaguely resembled Canaille. I almost caved in, but then common sense took over and I saw that it was a sign that my lemming for Canaille was still strong (and a little bit sad when you think about it)

As I write this I'm sitting having a coffee and doing some wedding planning, but my mind keeps drifting back to the Chanel counter. If I'm honest, it's not often that I put a strenuous amount of thought into a makeup purchase, so I'm finding this quite strange. Perhaps this is the poignant moment in my life where my makeup buying habits are changing, or maybe I'm spending too long thinking about a blush.

Emma x

The Relaxation Station

Relaxing - that thing I used to do properly before I became a blogger and had a million tabs opened permanently on my laptop. I was craving a boiling hot bath the other night and so I shuffled into the bathroom with a big stash of PR gifted luxuries to indulge in.

I've had this Jeanne en Provence Feu de Bois (By the Fireplace) candle* for quite a while, often having a sniff of the jar without actually making the commitment of burning it. I take it as a major sign of hoarding that I actually feel my tummy clench at the thought of a nice candle being used up...I have to admit that Dusk had a latte candle once that I loved so much that I quit burning it half way through and was content with using it as decoration so I could sniff it all the time. Am I weird, or has anyone else done this before? Anyway - this candle was lovely, very luxe and made me feel classy in the tub which is always a good thing.

The A'Kin Orange Blossom Body Wash* isn't the sweet orange that some products can be, and I think many people would prefer this bitter orange scent (if bitter is what you could call it - you know me with scents...) I thought this body wash would go well with the heavily scented Lush Golden Wonder Bath Ballistic*, which is something I have always wanted to try out for myself! Little soap stars shoot out of this once you drop it into your bath and it leaves everything a beautiful shimmery blue (but don't worry, it didn't stain the tub!)

I devoured the last of my Malteaster bunnies while reading Margaret Atwood's The Edible Woman, which I've now finished and quite enjoyed! I found the message a little hard to decipher and went looking for some in depth reviews to gauge the public opinion, but the fact that I looked forward to reading it on my lunch breaks meant it was a good 'un. You can suss out my reading style on my Goodreads profile if you like!

 

What are you reading right now?

Are you a fan of baths, or do you think they are too much hassle?

Are there any permanent Lush bath products I need to suss out?

 

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

 

 

*Provided for consideration. Honesty,always.

Goals for May

I'm head over heels for the new plants Mister Bovary placed around our front yard - they sit nicely with the succulents, don't you think? He even planted a baby one outside my office window, too cute.

I've decided that jotting down a few goals each month is a good way to push myself to get things done, and so I've made a list of intentions for the month of May. We have been living in our home for over 6 months now and it still needs some loving touches and decorations arranged, so this month I want to work on creating a more homey environment for us to live in. A few health + mindset goals never go astray either.

-walk 50km
-fill and hang new photo frames
-make up bags of product for Mumma Bovary and my sisters
-book wedding videographer
-read 4+ novels
-keep up my water intake to stay hydrated

What goals do you have this month?

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty