2015 Empties - Second Quarter

Another lacklustre quarter on the empties front unfortunately (see 2015 first quarter here) but I am making headway with a few samples thanks to my #LaidBackSampleProject and I'm making dents in a few makeup pieces too. Hopefully the third quarter will see even more skincare, a few makeup bits and a whole lotta samples via the aforementioned project...I'm currently rounding up a stack of beauty products to give away as I've become even more overwhelmed by my collection in recent weeks, so hopefully the extra breathing space will allow me to focus on half-used products to burn through.

I found the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundation basically empty in a drawer, goodness only knows why it hadn't been tossed but it's in the trash now, and I completely used up the Revlon Colorstay Whipped Crème Foundation despite having intentions of finishing up Illamasqua Skin Base first. I think of the three I'd repurchase the Revlon as I like the high coverage, but disappointingly the lid cracked for no reason (it never left my desk!) and it was a pain in that regard. Other highlights include using up my bottle of Benefit So Hooked on Carmella which was sweet and strong, and the Garnier skincare which was fun to try out. I'm glad to see the back of the Hollister Laguna Beach mist which I ended up using as a room spray to get through it!



As always, Original Source is well represented in my empties - I actually accidently tossed a few other bottles of the shower gel that didn't make it to this photo! The British Strawberry Shower Gel was a hit with Mister and the Lime is a household favourite that we always repurchase, but the most surprising hit out of this lot was the Pantene Colour Therapy Conditioner*. I wasn't totally keen on this one as Pantene can be hit and miss for me, but I loved how light but hydrated this kept my long hair and it lasted a really long time, too!

 

How are you going in regards to using up product?

Any tips for using up makeup and not getting tempted by shiny new/different things?!

-Emma

 

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll Vol. 382

my handsome boy!

Volume 382!
Your latest and greatest discovery? I don't know if I want to use a phrase as strong as 'great discovery' for this but here goes - the highlight of many a work day for me has been a chicken and cheese sandwich with a can of Dr. Pepper! I hardly ever touch soft drink as it doesn't float my boat, but Dr. Pepper is my new weakness and I am loving it hard right now.
Would you ever dye your entire head of hair green? I once rocked a half-head of green in my young-and-thinking-I-was-punk days, but I'm a bit plain with my hair now and leave it long and it's natural colour. Maybe one day I'll rock a nice dip dye as I like how that can look on others, but not for me right now.What's your standby/fallback snack? A slice of tasty cheese or a chopped up apple sprinkled with lemon juice - I take the latter to work with me every day and love it as a sweet treat! Naughty treats? Shapes and rice crackers all the way, but they are a sometimes food for me now.
What makes someone beautiful? A lot of different things can make someone beautiful, inside and out. I don't know that you can break it down to a succinct answer as people can be beautiful in so many different ways.
Road trip! Do you take the direct route or the scenic route? I think the direct route works for me as I hate being late...without a deadline though, the scenic route is always a pleasant option? I haven't been on a road trip in a really long time, the last one that springs to mind was for my best friends wedding in Warrnambool when we drove down with my parents for the weekend.

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I'm super tired this week and have a severe case of wanderlust...I've whittled away a fair chunk of my spare time looking through old travel snaps and Pinterest photos of Maui and that probably isn't helping. Do you have any holidays planned?
-Emma

The Possible Purchase List - Winter 2015

It's been a fair while since I've felt spendy, but it seems like the latest crop of newness on the beauty front is more tempting than usual as I'm preparing my beauty drawers for some new additions...I'm thinking of giving away a few products to lessen the guilt of picking up new bits, and even just considering that makes me feel better about spending overall so hooray for that! I'm not sold on all of these (hence the 'possible purchase' part) but I know that the new Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette will be coming home with me as I love the first three Naked editions and have a lack of smokier shades in my stash anyway. Another absolute no-brainer is the new loot from Chanel - that Alezane blush though! As soon as I saw this post on the Bloomin' Beauty Instagram I was all aboard that Chanel train once more, and I'm even considering popping my Chanel Le Vernis cherry with the dark green from this new Fall 2015 collection.

 

I think the new Too Faced Love Flush blushes are pretty amazing to look at, but it'd be my first from the brand so I'm going to have to swatch them before I say yay or nay for these ones. Of course it's the most natural shade I've popped into the collage, as it's the most gorgeous in my eyes and one I would get a lot of use from. Speaking of cheek products...I love the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes so am betting the Ambient Lighting Bronzer would be pretty amazing too, but I need another bronzer like a hole in the head so...

 

Last but not least on the temptation front are the Surratt blushes - I wouldn't have given them a second thought had I not read this Beauty Reductionista post in which the phrase 'Holy Grail' is uttered, and as luck would have it Surratt is launching at Mecca soon so I'll get a chance to try them out.

 

What is on your possible purchase list right now?

-Emma x

An Easy, Glowy Makeup Look ft. Colourpop and Drugstore Brands

My day-to-day look has gotten just that little bit 'standard' lately, you know? I've taken to snuggling under the doona for a few minutes longer in the morning and skipping eyeshadow, which is something I'd never thought I'd say! Rather than feeling freed about it all though, I've felt less put-together during the day and I feel a general lack of creativity in my life so back into the slap I've returned! It was Mumma Bovary's birthday last week and we went out for lunch and a spot of shopping before a big family pizza night, and this is the easy and glowy makeup look I ended up with after a chilled out session at my beauty desk.

The base was super simple - I wanted to use up this Missha B.B. Boomer which is basically a radiance primer, and I layered up some of my well-loved Revlon Whipped Crème Foundation. I'm glad to have used a sample in this makeup look, a nice piece of evidence to show you in my #LaidBackSampleChallenge

I'm pretty much obsessed with my Max Factor Crème Puff Blush in Nude Mauve - I barely reach for any other blush these days (excluding Chanel and that new Physician's Formula one which is diviiiiine) I've also been hammering the Colourpop Highlighter in Wisp as my 'special occasion' cheek - it's the fastest way to turn my workday cheek to a party cheek ;)

Eyes were easy and glowy for a relaxed lunch; a dab of Revlon Photoready Eye Art in Topaz Twinkle (just the shimmery crème shade, no glitter) with my usual essence Hot Chocolate Eyeliner and NYX Silky Cashmere for underneath the eye. Lips were a mix of Colourpop Lippie Stick in Brink and Maybelline Colour Drama Lipstick in Nude Perfection*. I can't believe I still haven't posted my Colourpop haul for you all to see...or my honeymoon haul come to think of it! I adore reading haul posts but have been feeling funny about writing my own if I'm honest...

 

with Mumma Bovary for her birthday

Do you like reading haul posts?

Have you tried anything from Colourpop yet, or are you tempted?

Emma x

 

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.



Laid Back Sample Project - Update 1

I feel like I made the right decision with this 'laid back' type of project, and it is really working well for me so far. I'm enjoying trying out new things without the commitment of promising to finish them, and it has made me fall in love with the essence of blogging once more - honest opinions about stuff! Hurrah!

Versace Bright Crystal Absolu
I wore this to work and loved how it smelt - quite sweet but I could tell it wasn't a typical celebrity scent and that it came from a luxe brand. I've never tried anything from Versace before and now I'm tempted to check out more of the range!

Lush Yummy Mummy Body Conditioner*
I really like the Lush body conditioner formula, and adore the Ro's Argan scent which was the first from Lush. Now they've released this one which should please the non-rose/jam lovers out there - it's cocoa with a hint of floral and I really enjoyed using it.

Dior Addict Eau Delice EDT
This fragrance sample was all cranberry on me - but sadly it didn't last or make enough of an impact to make me want to buy a bottle. Kinda made me sad because I love the Dior packaging on the bottle, so sleek and elegant.

LaGaia Body Balm
The citrus scent was nice and it seems like a pretty solid brand, but the whole oil balm formula combined with a foil sachet just didn't work out. I think a mini tub of this would've been the go for a trial, but there you go.

-Emma

*Provided for consideration. Which is the nature of all of these samples now that I think about it...

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll Vol.380

Another round of the famous Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll to kickstart my brain! Here is Vol. 380...

a snap I took last week at our lake

1.Describe your typical weekend makeup look.
My weekend look is pretty similar to my weekday look, but if I'm heading out at night on the weekend I tend to take a bit more time doing my eye makeup and it makes the biggest difference to my overall look. I like to rock a bright lip on the weekends just because I can, but makeup choices generally depend on my mood more than anything else. If Mister takes me to a café I like to feel prettied up as it puts me in a good mood!


2. Have you ever trimmed your nose hair (be honest!)?
I can honestly say that I've never trimmed my nose hair - Mister, on the other hand...

3. Mascara primer: totally necessary or totally overrated?
I am yet to try a mascara primer but am intrigued to see whether or not they actually make enough of a difference to my lashes - mine are pretty long and curly as standard so it'd have to really impress me!

4. Gladiator shoes or espadrilles? (P.S. “Neither” is not an option. You have to choose one.)I think gladiator shoes are probably my jam over espadrilles - I'm definitely more of a flats person!

5. 5 random things you’re loving right now?
-Peppermint tea - I seriously can't get enough of the stuff right now
-My Laid Back Sample Project - I'm really enjoying trying out a stack of new beauty products without the pressure!
-Breaking Bad - Mister and I are currently watching the final season for the first time and the excitement in our house is crazy!
-Days off - am totally savouring my days off at the moment, pottering around the house and ticking things from my to-do list feels wonderful
-These hashtags on Instagram: #planneraddict #kmartaus #bathandbodyworks

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This week is shaping up to be quite nice - the new Madame Bovary movie is released on Thursday (check out the trailer!) and I'm hoping to get along to see it soon - can't remember the last time I was so excited for a film! How is your week looking so far?
-Emma

Grey Day

Something about winter is just so lovely; the big pots of peppermint tea, bringing the throw rugs out and snuggling up after dinner to read a book (or play some Trivia Crack on the iPad, let's be real) The dark winter wardrobe I favour lends itself quite nicely to a wide variety of makeup looks - I can flit between a bold blush one day, bright Bourjois-velvet clad lips the next before getting smoky with some dark shadows...for this winterfied palette, I've gone down the fresh grey path when pulling things from my makeup drawers.

Hazy Grey Eyes
When I think winter, I automatically think grey and wearing it on the lids is definitely easier than rocking something like the much lauded Chanel Notorious, don't ya think? I prefer greys with a hint of brown to them to warm it up a notch, and my fall back grey palette is this Lady Grey MAC quad (especially the lower right hand shade, Hazy Day!)

The Classic Grey Mani
I love a good greige mani all year round truth be told, but it's never better than when it's chilly outside and you're all rugged up in a cozy knit scarf rocking the most elegant nails out there. I initially overlooked essie Take It Outside* but I love love love it on the nails - even on my nubbins it manages to look decent, so imagine it on perfectly shaped ones...*sigh* The magpie factor made me throw a coat of essie Hors D'oeuvres* over the ring finger, because bling bling!

Flush of Blush
I'm breaking away from neutral cheek shades for a second to dally in pinks flushes, but nothing screams "hi there I just came in from the cold can you pour me a cuppa?" than a RED flush - so natural on the cheek, yet so scary in the pan! Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Natural Beauty is just that, but the deep red tone of essence Renesmee Red is my personal favourite for a red cheek. Crème blushes aren't really my fortay but the old discontinued YSL Crème de Blush is the bees knees regardless - it's a nice powdered finish that I like in the winter. I've also turned a bit icy this season, with the new essence highlighter Enter Wonderland from the brand new Hidden Stories collection.

What is the best part of winter for you?

I'd love to know what your favourite hot drink is, I'm totally obsessed with big mugs on the couch right now!

-Emma

 

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.