That Blush Sensation with In2It

I love bringing home wearable memento's from trips overseas, and a few years back when Mister and I were in Thailand I picked up this In2It 'Sensation' blush and promptly forgot all about it. I pulled it out last year and have been pairing it with my Maybelline Blush Stick 'Just-Pinched Pink' and my NYX 'Peach' and have loved the effect and the colour, so thought it time for a full post about it.

 

The colour is a gorgeous neutral pink that has enough of a brown edge to make it fit into my 'nude blush' obsession that is still going strong. I started off using it as a mixer blush but lately I've been popping it on by itself and it has made me appreciate just how pigmented this drugstore blush is - much better than other affordable powder blushes I've tried! I use my usual NP Set blush brush and the powder is soft enough to work with while still being firm enough to keep the pretty pattern intact. I find that there is still some colour left on my cheeks come end of the day too, which is quite impressive for a blush that I had low expectations for. The delicate and pretty embossing doesn't hurt things either, does it?

a screenshot of the In2It website

I also wore 'Sensation' in this 'What's On My Face' post if you'd like another look at it. I'm really impressed with this blush - the packaging is lightweight and cute, the small pan means I get to use it up in this lifetime and the colour is right up my alley. My only wish is that this brand was more readily available in Australia so I could pick myself up another shade - oh well, I guess a trip back to Thailand is on the cards then ;)

-Emma

Getting Back Into MAC Lipsticks

It's been a while since I've given much love to my MAC lipstick collection, which reminds me that I've never actually shared the extent of my MAC lip stash with you...is that something you would be interested in seeing? I am by no means a MAC fan girl and haven't bought from their infamous limited edition collections in a long time, but somehow I have accumulated a rather large lot of the shiny black tubes and some of the colours I have are pretty fabulous if I do say so myself! I recently found myself reaching for these 4 MAC shades and it feels quite nice to be shopping my stash.



For some reason I always forget how bright and pink Lustering is until I open that cap - it's a pink that gives off a watermelon vibe but throws more of a berry tone when I wear it. I think it will work really well when I'm all rugged up this coming winter as it's quite a brightening shade - it's not my favourite shade but I'm going to try and make it work!

A true favourite of late is the rediscovered Hot Tahiti - a literal favourite as shown in my recent favourites post. It's the wearable daytime red that I've been wearing to work a lot lately, it's a terracotta toned red but because it's a glaze finish it's really easy to wear. I think I'm going to have to dedicate a makeup look post to this soon!

One of the best MAC shades I've pulled out of my acrylic drawers is Party Parrot - not only is the shade name awesome, it's the only matte lipstick I own from the brand and I had to hunt it down back in the day (posted about that here if you're interested!) It's a bright red-pink and definitely one for the brave days.

 

Finally, the beautiful MAC Plumful. This one gets a spin more often than all of my other MAC lip products and it's definitely one of the more widely popular colours I have from them. It's a really pretty plum (funny that!) with a lustre finish, which doesn't add much to the lasting power of this but it wears off evenly so it doesn't bother me much at all. The mauve tones that are really popular right now can be hard to wear but I think Plumful is a great transition shade to work your way up to channelling Kylie Jenner lips...

 

Lustering, Hot Tahiti, Party Parrot, Plumful

What is the best MAC lipstick you own?

Are you a MAC fan girl, or are the constant limited edition collections too much for you?

-Emma

The Lush Limited

I've been trialling a few new bits and bobs from Lush since before Mother's Day, which is the theme of this new collection of limited edition products. I'm not a huge Lush addict though I do like quite a few of their products, so I was intrigued to see some new scents I'd not tried before. I sadly haven't gotten around to a bath in recent months (seems like a lot of effort, though my achy back sure could use a good soak!) so I am yet to try the Mother Superior Bubble Bar ($9.95/180g) which is scented with cherry blossoms. I aven't had a go at the Rose Bombshell Bath Bomb ($6.25/165g) either, so will have to schedule in some relaxation time stat and use these up!

Let's get an honest opinion out of the way - bar soaps just don't float my boat! I feel like they all leave my skin 'squeaky clean' which I can't stand, even though I know they aren't drying my skin out or anything like that. I definitely prefer a shower gel but was happy to give this floral chunk of Love You Mum Soap ($6.95/100g) a go (FYI, this flower is just part of the larger design, check it out!) and adored the sweet scent of jasmine, mimosa and co...I still didn't love the bar soap feeling though, and so have relegated this to a shaving lubricant and it does a marvellous job at that!

Now I'll move onto the two products I enjoyed most from this limited collection - the Yummy Mummy stuff! I do cringe a little bit with the name of this stuff as I feel a fraud to use it without being a Mumma (does being a furMama to Charlie count?) but the scents are pretty rad! I did think about giving this stuff to Mumma Bovary but I know that the strength of the lilac scented Yummy Mummy Shower Gel ($9.95/100g) would give her an instant migraine, and that would NOT win me any daughter points!

 

My pick of the bunch, though? The Yummy Mummy Body Conditioner, mmm mmm. Of course I've chosen the priciest of the lot at $32.50/250g but man this stuff smells delicious. It's a mix of fresh strawberry and cocoa butter and so it smells like a sweet and moreish butter with a fruity twist. I spread a bit on my arms and décolletage when I apply my hair conditioner and then rinse them off for silky skin and hair - time saver! It unfortunately doesn't stop Charlie boy from wanting to lick the scent from my arms, so it very similar to a traditional body lotion in that respect ><  

 

Do you have any tricks for keeping up with body moisturising in winter?

Isn't is great that they've made an alternative scent to Ro's Argan Body Conditioner!?

-Emma x

 

*All of these Lush products were provided for consideration. Honesty, always!

 

What's In My Handbag, May 2015

I've got a major thing for handbags, and it's been a really long time since I invested in a new one which has me lemming a little gander around online...to stop myself from doing that and to keep myself in saving mode I thought I'd throw up my very first 'what's in my handbag' post! I love taking a peek into what others tote around with them, and although I adore large handbags a recent bout of back problems has made me switch to this old and very loved faux-leather crossbody that fits in (most of) the everyday essentials. I still can't help but stuff it to the brim and I'm known for carrying far too many lip choices around, but the reduced weight is definitely a plus for my health right now.

The usual suspects reside inside - a cheap pair of sunglasses, a coin purse from Cotton On where I keep my main cards and cash and my in-need-of-an-update iPhone.

This is a pretty standard lot for me, but generally accompanied by receipts and a snack which is usually some cheese and cracker Dippits or a muesli/nut bar. I keep all of my loyalty and gift cards in the zip compartment of the bag alongside my work badge, and the latest addition is the Nando's card which was spurred on by Sarah Cooks post! Two of the Rimmel lipliners were only purchased the night before I took this shot (at Chemist Warehouse for half price!) and the rest of the lip products are pretty much always in there as an option. The Laura Mercier 'Sweetheart' gloss and Chanel Rouge Coco Shine 'Boy' are part of my current project so I'm trying to remind myself to use them over all others until they're gone!

If only I had a Mary Poppin's bag that could fit my giant water bottle and a novel inside without adding extra weight to the handbag...#handbaggoals

How much do you keep inside your handbag?

-Emma

5 Nail Polish Posts to Inspire You!

I'm slowly but surely getting back into a nail polish obsession - I think I'm being influenced by the gloomy Melbourne days and wanting to spice up my outfits with cool nails and peppy scarves everyday! I've been rotating my green nail polishes (obsession alert!) and have some NOTD's in the pipeline to share, but I thought I'd do something different and showcase a few cool nail looks I've seen on other bloggers in the past couple of weeks. I often assume that all of my readers follow the same lot of beauty blogs that I do but am reminded that that isn't always the case, so here you go - some awesome new blogs to check out!

 

1. My true weakness when it comes to nail shades is deep and dramatic, so it's a surprise I overlooked the recent L'Oreal 50 Shades of Grey style release. Vita (Making Up 4 My Age) didn't though, and boy I'm intrigued by this shade now!

2. You have to admit, holographic nail polishes are pretty awesome, right? I think I only own the one from Colour Club but see them often as I peruse nail blogs. I'm a long-time follower of lovely Anna from Beauty by ShortyLegs and love how she styled this holographic polish in this post!

3. One of the prettiest and most honest blogs I follow is Sleep and Water, and her perfect nails always make me envious with each swatch picture. I'd forgotten all about my 2013 Face of Australia nail obsession, and this 'party popper' nail look has made me dig through my stash for this bottle!

4. When it comes to super pretty nail art, you can't go past Cosmetic Cupcake! As soon as I saw these daisy nails I was impressed, and taken back to my childhood days when I was a sucker for a daisy print!

5. I myself have posted about the gorgeous OPI Hawaii collection and have such love for the place, but it was these swatches from All Lacquered Up that really set my heart racing! I can't wait to wear Aloha from OPI, if only it would look so good on my short unkempt nails!

Cosmetic Cupcake // Sleep and Water

Which nail polish is your favourite from these five?
I'm pretty tempted to do a round-up of my favourite blush posts now, as there have been some seriously lemming-inducing ones lately!
-Emma

*This post was not sponsored, just a simple sharing of some brilliant nail posts. Click away and find some new blogs to follow!

Current Favourites - April/May 2015

April and May have been a whirlwind of work, health issues and lots of hard days which I'm glad to have survived with my sanity intact! I've been using 'Maui meditation' to get me through those tough spots (aka, dreaming of the times I spend sunbaking in Maui on the honeymoon!) and playing around with some beauty bits to keep me content. I hardly ever reach for purple or mauve makeup bits but it's basically all I've wanted to wear for a while now - what is happening to me?!  

I've become a lot more interested in lip products, instead of forgetting to apply anything in the morning as I often do, I've been lining my lips with my essence lipliner 'Satin Mauve' which is a great wearable yet spunky mauve for me, or sometimes turning to the new nude in my collection, essence 'Cool Nude'. MAC 'Hot Tahiti' is something that I'm currently thrilled with - I was searching for an easy to wear red and didn't realise that it was sitting in my stash the whole time! The glaze finish and terracotta tone makes this a perfect everyday red for me and I think it will cop a beating come winter in Melbourne (though it feels like winter right now, so...)

 

I've been wearing the purple shade from my No7 Smoky Rose Quad, a gorgeous mid-tone purple with golden shimmer that reminds me of Laura Mercier 'African Violet' which is a favourite of both myself and Vita (Making Up 4 My Age) I've been pairing it with a dash of essence eyeliner 'Berry Merry' along my upper lashline and I've been loving it sick - I've finally found a purple look I can love!

I've been using Maybelline Color Tattoo 'Bad to the Bronze' daily in hopes of using it up (I probably should have entered it into my Project Use It Up now that I think about it...) and am appreciating how wonderful the shade is under so many eyeshadows - it could do with being a bit creamier at this stage of its makeup life, but I suppose that is to be expected. A newcomer into the favourite ranks is the Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm, a gorgeously plain and silky balm that has whipped my skin into shape in recent weeks.

 

What have you been loving?

-Emma

Haircare Haul from Priceline's 40% Sale

Two haul posts in one week - what is going on in the Bovary household?!

I wasn't intending for this many of my posts to be shopping related, but as soon as I heard that Priceline were having their famous 40% off haircare sale I knew I wanted to pick up a few bits and pieces that I'd had my eye on. What I really wanted was the full size of the L'Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray (Normal Hold) but unfortunately it was sold out, so I settled for the travel size instead which should keep me going (I first professed my love for this here!) I'm planning on heading out to another Priceline today to try my luck for the full size as it's such a great product.

To console myself after seeing that my regular hairspray was out I grabbed a travel size of a new 'fixing' spray I've not yet tried, Schwarzkopf Taft (Mega Strong Hold) Now that I'm rolling with a high maintenance fringe I'm really enjoying trialling lots of different hairsprays - do you have a favourite I should know about?

The third and final bit I picked up was a spur of the moment thing - I'm always up for trying a new hair mask and my thick long hair tends to appreciate that, so I plumped for the Schwarzkopf Moisture Gloss 10 Days Shine Mask...let's be honest, it was the holographic packaging that pushed me over the edge for this one! I was a bit let down when I returned home to see that the tub itself wasn't all glitzy ocean like I'd expected, but hopefully the formula works for me and makes it worth my while.

L'Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray 75ml $4.99 down to $2.99
Schwarzkopf Taft Fixing Spray 60g $3.99 down to $2.39
Schwarzkopf Moisture Gloss 10 Days Shine Mask 150ml $8.99 down to $5.39

The Priceline 40% haircare sale ends today (Weds 13th May!)
Have you picked up any new hair products lately?
I need good hair mask recommendations!
-Emma

*nothing to disclose! honesty, always

Beauty Haul from RY

It's been a fair while since I've hauled anything really exciting, so the idea of teaming up with RY.com.au and spending a voucher made me shiver with anticipation. I spent an absolute age poring over the different categories and making my mind up - first I went through "cleansers" then went onto "perfumes" and "cheeks" and drooled a little bit at all of the brands on offer...

 

I did consider selecting TheBalm Nude Tude Palette and went as far as to google blog swatches of it, but then my fascination with the Becca Beach Tint Shimmer Souffle took over...I went back and forth on this and was almost swayed by this Reductionista post, but my resistance to add yet another cream blush into my stash (a shimmery one at that!) was too much and I opted out of those gorgeous pots as well. The Clarins Illuminating Cheek Colour in Spiced Mocha was also a strong contender, but as soon as I saw that Ry.com.au stocked Bite Beauty I flailed a little bit and had to have a sit down...

my Ry haul, along with a ModelCo facial wipe sample and RY mini nail file

If you are yet to try the Bite Beauty Matte Crème Lip Crayons - what are you doing?! The formula immediately impressed me after I tried the mini crayons from Sephora on my honeymoon - so much so that I ran back out to Sephora in Hawaii to grab a few more shades for my stash. I was lacking a good red in my stash and was regretting not picking up the holiday mini of Maraschino (#beautyregrets) so decided to check out the red toned shades on offer at RY! No jokes, I stalked Bite Beauty swatches for 3 days before I finally decided on Peche - a warm peach shade that pulls quite red on my pale features which I love!

Along with the Bite Beauty crayon I decided on an OPI shade that I've had my eye on since it launched with the Nordic collection for Fall 2014 - My Dogsled is a Hybrid, an amazing muted and creamy sea green that blows my mind. After stupidly skipping it on my honeymoon shopping trips and then again at Salon Melbourne (seriously, why do I hold back when I know it will eventually happen?!) I was utterly thrilled to have this in my hot little hands.

Overall I was seriously impressed with the brands up on RY (aka Recreate Yourself) I didn't realise how big the range was and the prices were pretty ace as well so I'm definitely planning on heading back when my bank balance is plump for a nice treat or two.

 

Bite Beauty, I'm comin' back for ya!

 

-Emma

 

 

*I teamed up with RY.com.au for this post and was gifted a voucher to spend. Opinions and choices - all my own! Honesty, always. Thanks Ry!

Recent Book Haul

I don't know if it's just the change in weather or a change in my mood, but I'm getting back into reading after becoming a bit slack over the last few months. It's been a while since I've actually bought new books to read (a few grabbed at Savers is about all I've done in the past year) so I was excited to purchase some in the last week, and was gifted a stack of others from my sisters stash. All of them seem quite promising and I'm looking forward to some nice nights curled up on the couch reading with a cup of coffee or glass of wine - that cliché heaven for bookworms, you know?

Everyone's current favourite author features quite heavily in the stack as I've wanted to see what all the fuss is about - Liane Moriarty! I picked up her brand new release 'Big Little Lies' from Big W where it was on sale for less than a tenner, and my sister gifted me 'What Alice Forgot' and 'The Hypnotist's Love Story' from her stack of unwanted reads. Also in the stack from my sister was Caroline Overington's 'Matilda is Missing', and on loan from her is 'The Pilot's Wife' by Anita Shreve which both of my sisters rave about and reread often.

 

What really spurred on this book haul was finding out that my local The Book Grocer store was closing down and had subsequently marked all books down to $5 - I promptly picked up Sophie Kinsella's 'Shopaholic to the Stars' which is the latest in the Shopaholic series (a series I adore!) along with Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop by Abby Clements. I'd not heard of that one before but I love most books that deal with small stores and the lives of those involved with it, plus - ice cream! Last but not least I picked up an eBook after seeing this tweet - Mothers and Daughters by Kylie Ladd. My to-read list has grown so much now and I can't wait to sink my teeth into these. Which should I read first?

 

Have you hauled any new reads lately?

What should I buy next?

-Emma

Hawaiian Skittle - OPI Lost My Bikini In Molokini & That’s Hula-rious

I was so excited about the new OPI Hawaii collection that I decided to start off my swatch-fest with not one, but two of the shades contained in the mini-pack! I've always loved a purple and green combination but it isn't the easiest to incorporate into a makeup look (though I am tempted to try it out now) so I was excited to put these together for this little skittle mani. Loving the Hawaiian daydreams ;)

Lost My Bikini in Molokini* is a stunning mid-tone violet creme, and I'm happy to note that I don't have anything like it in my nail polish collection. It was a dream to apply, needing only two coats for opaque coverage and even on my unkempt and stubby nails I think it's a good looking polish. It's a purple with a bit of an edge, which is just the way I like my purples most of the time. It's definitely one of the nicer shades from the tropical-inspired release, some of them were actually quite dubious like the frosty yellow Pineapples Have Peelings Too! which you can see over at All Lacquered Up.

That's Hula-rious* is a pale peppermint crème that needed quite a few coats to become opaque - I think it took 4 thin coats before I was content with how the shade looked on my nails and all of the bald patches were eradicated. I think that multiples coats are common with pale shades like this though - it definitely has been in the past for me! I can appreciate a peppermint/mint shade like this, but don't think it's a colour that would be worn frequently on my tips as I tend to favour deep and moody shades, or very bright ones!

 

Overall I'm quite pleased with my OPI Hawaiian adventure thus far - if only wearing the shades would really take me back to the islands *swoon* Next up will probably be the mouth-watering Aloha from Hawaii*, so stay tuned!

 

-Emma

 

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

The Repurchased

I've just spent a beautiful afternoon lazing about the house watching Bondi Vet and reading a stack of blog posts, and I have to say it made for a wonderful day indeed! I have a list of my regular reads along the left of my blog >>> and Tiffany from Will Work For Makeup is one of them. She recently posted about the products that she has repurchased (not just the ones she intends to repurchase!) and I thought I'd round up my lot and follow her lead. Great thinkin', Tiffany!

I was initially sent both of these products as PR press samples, and have since bought them a couple of times over with my own dosh - if that's not a good endorsement, I don't know what is! Urban Rituelle 'Cotton Candy' (original posts here and here) is seriously sweet and I keep this purse spray with me all the time nowadays - Mister adores the scent and it sits so nicely on my skin. Something else that sits nicely on me is the Face of Australia Face Base Oil Free Primer  - an affordable primer that has the same ingredients list as the pricy and much loved Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Primer!

Skincare is a tricky one as I am fond of trialling new formulas (typical beauty blogger, right?) but once I find products that really work, I am hard-pressed to veer away from them for good. Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion is the best anti-acne product I've used and I credit it with clearing up my congested forehead; this is my second bottle and I can see myself repurchasing this for years to come to keep congestion at bay. A gentler anti-acne cream is the much lauded La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo (this is the updated + version that I find works just as well) which I've burned through many tubes of, and a nice affordable repurchased product is the Garnier Moisture Match Light Softening Cream (Normal-Dry Skin)

I struggled to find repurchased makeup items that weren't foundation/powder which are frequently emptied around these parts. I came up with MAC Painterly Paint Pot which I repurchased in American late last year, and two colour products that I somehow managed to lose and couldn't be without, which subsequently ended in my making a second purchase to replace them. Nars Pure Matte Lipstick 'Carthage' has still yet to resurface but I'm content with my new tube, while my pot of L'Oreal Infallible Shadow 'Tender Caramel' did eventually show up so now I own two of the gorgeous taupe shade. Losing a bunch of beauty products, you say? Gives you a hint as to the state of my beauty room, doesn't it...

What products in your stash have you actually repurchased?
Have you ever lost or misplaced a beauty product before?
-Emma

*All of these were repurchased by moi, wouldn't you know it. Nothing to disclose! :D