Currently Obsessed

I've been feeling really good about my makeup collection lately - a few new and exciting pieces have spiced up my routine and have made me enjoy putting on my face each and every morning. I've also rediscovered an old favourite at the back of my stash to pair with the new products which is always a good thing - stash shopping at its finest, amiright?

 

I was looking back over some older blog posts (like this 'The 6 Best Bronzers for Fair Skin') and remembered how intense my love for the Clinique Superbalanced Bronzer* was, so pulled it from the depths of my drawers. Then I did a little hunting around on the internet and I think that it has been discontinued! Isn't it the worst feeling when something you love isn't around anymore? I've been using it flat stick this month and my love for it has grown, so I thought it worth mentioning in case you have it hidden away in your collection, too! I've been pairing it with my new Max Factor Crème Puff Blush in Nude Mauve, which has seriously impressed me and has become my 'work blush' of choice.

Clinique Superbalanced Bronzer
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 Max Factor Crème Puff Blush in Nude Mauve

Even though I've been loving bronzer and neutral blush lately, my appreciation of the colour pink has slowly been seeping back into my makeup life, too. The first product that really sparked this turn is also the newest recruit to my blush drawers - Physicians Formula Argan Wear Ultra-Nourishing Argan Oil Blush in Rose. Not only is the embossing utterly beautiful, the colour itself is a great pink shade for me and I find that it brightens up my complexion nicely and is buildable, too.

Physicians Formula Argan Oil Blush in Rose

I've also fallen head over heels for a new eyeshadow formula - a cream one at that, which is not usually my fortay! I saw a few whispers about the new Revlon Photoready Eye Art Lid+Line+Lash colours but it wasn't until this post from The Mustard Jumper that I decided I needed one, stat. I went to Priceline when Revlon was 40% off because at the full price of $21.95 it was just too much of a risk for me...turns out that I absolutely adore these! I initially bought Peach Prism because the other neutral was sold out, but I managed to track down Topaz Twinkle at Priceline near my work so I was happy with that. I am considering buying the green version at some stage, but will wait for another sale for that one.

Peach Prism
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Topaz Twinkle

I love reinvigorating my stash and feel like I'm at a much better place than I was in previous years when it comes to new purchases and shopping habits. I put a lot more thought into the things that I buy (and those that I accept for consideration) and it really shows in my attitude to my collection and how I feel about blogging about things these days.

What are you currently obsessed with?

- Emma

Monday Poll Vol.378

I've decided to start rolling through the famous Makeup and Beauty Blog's Monday Poll to try and kick start some blogging motivation up in here.
Here is this week's Monday Poll!

1. Walk me through your everyday concealer process.
I can be so lazy when it comes to concealer, but lately I've been forced to insert that extra step into my base routine thanks to some pesky spots that are just lingering and driving me insane. I usually use the creamy Clarins Instant Concealer, but lately have been putting the Maybelline SuperStay 24HR Concealer to work on my blemishes after I apply my liquid foundation. I also dab a tiny bit under each eye to brighten, and then set with a foundation powder.

 2. Would you rather carry a designer bag or wear a pair of designer shoes?
Designer bag, hands down! I'm all about comfort when it comes to shoes but handbags are my weakness and I'll be happy to get to the stage where I own a good few designer ones of my own ;)

3. What are your five favorite stores right now?
Myer is always my number one (beauty counters, come at me!) but Priceline and Kmart are also current loves for a cheap thrill (beauty or household, my two loves) Other random stores I've been into lately have been sneaker based - as I said before, comfort is key when it comes to footwear for me!

4. What was your favorite movie when you were a kid?
Beauty and the Beast was a firm favourite growing up (that library though...)

5. Do you think you’re more book smart or people smart?
I'd definitely fall under book smart rather than people smart - despite being customer service savvy I grew up with my head in a book and would be a professional-student if it were a viable option for our family, as I just love learning!

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I'm looking forward to a pretty enjoyable week - a press event with Lancôme, anniversary dinner with Mister and quality time with mugs of spearmint chamomile tea and some good books. I wish nothing but the best for your week too, hope it's a good one. x

Current Cleansing Routine

Let me share a little beauty blogger confession before I dive into this post - I have become so, so slack when it comes to skincare! Overall it's just the general lack of TLC that I've been missing in my routine, as I've still been double cleansing at night and enjoying it! I need to re-evaluate the treatments/lotions I'm using more than anything - I need to commit to a serum and moisturiser and stop chopping and changing between bottles! Since I'm generally content with my cleansing routine as it stands, I thought it was worth sharing, if only as a record for my own benefit.

I've just finished up a woeful eye make-up remover so am using the new Simple Kind To Skin Micellar Cleansing Water for both face and eyes, and am actually quite happy with how it is performing. I was using the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water which I love, but had seen so many glowing reviews of this that I just had to pick it up when I saw it on sale at Priceline. I pour some on a cotton round and sweep it all over my face to take off the main layer of makeup. I then smear some of the Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm all over my face before jumping into the shower. I work the balm all over my face as the water heats up (I like my showers super hot!) and then take my face cloth to remove it. I finish off my double cleanse with the Garnier Goodbye Dry Gentle Cleansing Milk - I find milk cleansers too mild to use on their own, but enjoy them after a balm or oil cleanse. The scent of this one is amazing, but I am about to finish it up so will be moving onto a new cleanser soon - is it sad that this really excites me?!

What cleansing products are in your routine right now?

Any new cleansers I should chuck into my line-up?

-Emma

 

*All of these cleansers were purchased by me. Honesty, always!

The Laid Back Sample Project

I've been feeling quite restless when it comes to beauty and skincare lately - I've been yearning to try new products but the thought of dishing out the dosh has me feeling hesitant! My thoughts turned to my overflowing stash of samples, sadly spread haphazardly across my bathroom and beauty room...This sample project post (brilliantly titled "Use Up Those Freakin' Samples!") on Rocaille Writes spurred me to think of these sachets and tubes as an opportunity rather than a nuisance.

a gorgeous bunch of samples

An opportunity to review some fresh beauty products is always welcome, and so my plan is to begin my very own sample challenge of sorts. I'm going to pop up Insta-reviews as I use up samples (using Monika's hashtag!) and also compile some review posts for each bunch of products, as a way of recording my feelings about all of the new things I'm trying. For now I'm not setting myself any real targets and will be happy to bid adieu to the various bits and bobs I have lying around, but I want this to be an enjoyable process and so I won't be strict about not accumulating more sample products - hey, if Chanel are happy to throw in samples with purchase who am I to refuse!?

Just a small selection of my fragrance samples, including Bleu de Chanel for Mister that we received last weekend while out window shopping!

primer packets and tubes, oh my!

The main idea is to stop hoarding these little packets away as I am prone to do - I'm looking forward to trying out some new perfumes, pitting the many primer samples against each other and generally having some fun playing around with new-to-me products without any commitment!

 

Have you got a shed load of sample products squirreled away?
What tips do you have for using and enjoying them all?
-Emma

Bright Matte Lips

When I first chopped my blunt fringe, my inspiration was seeing amazing photos of Zooey Deschanel and imagining how easy it would be to pull off bright lips with more hair framing my pale face. I have to admit that I haven't made use of that all too much with my current love for mauve toned or nude/blush lip colours, but I pulled out my fresh tube of Nars Pure Matte Lipstick in Carthage to pair with my (in need of a trim!) fringe and here we go!

Using the taupe shade in the Dior Fairy Golds Quint all over my lids is my current favourite easy eye look; I usually reserve this palette for the festive season but can't help but be tempted to pull it out during the year too. The shadow quality is second to none and I love the fine shimmer in each shade! I lined my eyes with essence LongLasting Liner in Hot Chocolate as I do most days and finished off the eyes with Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express mascara. This mascara is still in trial mode for me after purchasing it on my honeymoon last year - I have only just got around to opening it up...

The beautiful and bright Nars Pure Matte Lipstick in Carthage is definitely the star of the show for this look, and the formula of these is what turned me onto matte lips in the first place. I can still appreciate a bright gloss but the ease of use and wearability of a bright matte is perfect for my lifestyle, and I hope to get my hands on more Nars matte formulas in the months to come. To warm up my features but keep Carthage the focus I used a light dusting of my beloved Clinique Superbalanced Bronzer* and Max Factor Crème Puff Blush in Nude Mauve on my cheeks.

Products
Base:
Face of Australia Face Base Primer
Revlon Colorstay Whipped Crème Foundation
Maybelline SuperStay 24HR Concealer
Rimmel Lasting Finish 25HR Powder Foundation*

Eyes:
MAC Painterly Paint Pot
essence Hot Chocolate liner
Dior Fairy Golds Quint (taupe shade)
Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express

Lips + Cheeks:
Nars Pure Matte Lipstick in Carthage
Clinique Superbalanced Bronzer*
Max Factor Crème Puff Blush in Nude Mauve

I'm really getting into using the Clinique bronzer again, but I have a feeling that this particular formula was discontinued to make way for all of the new cheek products they have been releasing lately. Have you tried any of the new cheek colour from Clinique yet? Do you have any matte lip recommendations for me?

-Emma x

 

*Products provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

essie Bump Up The Pumps + Jiggle Hi, Jiggle Low (Winter 2014)

I know that some of my followers live in countries that are freezing cold in winter, but I can't help but whinge about how frosty cold Melbourne is at the moment! I needed a pop of bright in my life and my dark work wardrobe wasn't going to fulfil that for me, so I looked to my new nail polishes for some inspiration. The latest essie collection* released for Winter 2014 hit that mark for me!

 

Bump Up The Pumps is described on the American essie website as a 'raucous coral mauve' but I don't see any mauve tones and wouldn't jump to the word raucous to describe this happy shade. A super pigmented pink-based coral creme, this jumped out as my favourite in the collection immediately and it was the first to hit my nails! It applied nicely and is the perfect coral shade for chilly weather, and would look just as gorgeous in summer. I can totally see myself wearing this on my toes for summer 2015...

 

Jiggle Hi, Jiggle Low has me a little bit torn - the name makes me giggle and I love the pewter edge and bronze flecks that saves this from being a standard silver foil (which I find pretty hard to wear in general) but it just doesn't seem like the kind of shade I'd reach for often, unless it were for a festive manicure or something like that. It's described as a molten gold but my eyes see more silver than anything else...Mumma Bovary called dibs on this one when we opened the press parcel and I think it's going to live at her house, but I'll definitely borrow it for a festive mani when December rolls around (is anyone else excited about Christmas at this point of the year, or is it just me? It's already JUNE for crying out loud!)

Overall I am really pleased with the quality of these shades and am very much enamoured with Bump Up The Pumps. For another look at all of the shades in this collection, check out this wonderful Ommorphia Beauty Bar post.

-Emma

*This essie collection was provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

May Favourites

It's hard to fathom that winter is already upon us; just yesterday it feels like I pulled down my Christmas tree and begun the new year but here we are, almost half way through 2015. It's been a great year for me so far and May treated me kindly enough - the winter coats were brought out and I began working longer hours so time to play with my beloved beauty products was scarce, so true favourites formed easily and were oft reached for.

 

I'm still enjoying the lip products I discovered recently - the sheer terracotta MAC Hot Tahiti, the wearable essence Cool Nude and the seriously on-trend essence Lip Pencil in Satin Mauve (which was recently ruined down to a stump by an old-school pencil sharpener - whoops!) I've been pairing them each day with my new obsession - the Max Factor Crème Puff Blush in Nude Mauve which deserves a full review of it's own.



Each day has seen me reaching for an essence Long Lasting Eyeliner of some sort - I have every shade available and love them all dearly, but most frequently worn is Hot Chocolate, Berry Merry and Hot Scorch. I've also taken to keeping my rollerball of Elizabeth & James Nirvana White in my purse for daily touch-ups, though I daresay Nirvana Black would also feature had I not misplaced it in my beauty room. The strangest favourite for the month of May would have to be my Invisibobble* - I tie my hair up in a knot around the house while cleaning or lounging around and these are cute and fit my thick long hair nicely.

For special occasions I've been using this sample sized YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils Shocking Mascara* which may be the tube that brings me over to the dark side of expensive mascaras...I've also been using and loving Colourpop Cricket dusted over my lids for a nice deep purple look. I still haven't decided how I feel about my Colourpop goodies yet but I will post my haul for you shortly.

Max Factor
MAC Hot Tahiti
essence Cool Nude
essence Satin Mauve
Colourpop Cricket

 



June looks to be a good month for me - I plan on saving a bit more than usual with increased work hours for the month and a trip to the Myer beauty section is hopefully on the cards for a mid-year pick me up!
-Emma

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.