Caramel Cupcake

Before my last nail salon appointment I had a vision of the perfect warm nude colour for my nails - now that my nail drawers are almost all organised it was a breeze to rifle through and search, but it was to no avail when my heart wasn't set on any of my current nude shades! Mumma Bovary and I did some Christmas shopping before our appointment and I searched all over for the right colour, and ended up buying a Barry M shade (did you hear they are at Big W now? YAY!) and this Caramel Cupcake shade from the Rimmel 60Seconds Super Shine range. I ended up going with my sweet tooth for this manicure!

 

It's probably a tad warmer than what I really wanted but I still adore the shade, and the Rimmel formula is easily one of my favourites for nails. The brush is nice and wide and the colours are all bang on, plus I find the bottle design really cute and it makes me smile to see them all lined up in my drugstore nail drawer. I can definitely see why they named this one after a caramel dessert - it's got a rich pink tone to it and it's positively scrumptious to me!


Loving my Hart&Co Japanese Honeysuckle Diffuser, too!

Are you a fan of nude nails?

Mumma Bovary had her nails done in the brightest royal blue I've ever seen, absolutely stunning! The lady laughed at how opposing our choices were!

-Emma x

Shopping my Stash

I've been working diligently on using up some of my staple products over the past few months, but I get antsy every now and again and bored of wearing the same exact look day in and day out. With the hopes of some new makeup hitting my collection over the Christmas season I decided to hold out on buying something new (touch wood!) and instead turn to my own makeup collection - that's right, I shopped my own stash!

As my long-time readers will know I'm a true #blushfiend, and so shopping my blush stash is usually a pretty exciting endeavour for me. It never fails to bring a smile to my face when I revisit an old cheek love of mine, truth be told. I first hauled Cream Soda from the MAC Archie's Girls collection in early 2013 (see the haul post here!) and find it funny that it looks so pale in the pan (even for me!) but on the cheek it makes me look so healthy, and is definitely pigmented enough once you build it up. I admittedly travel through stages with this shade where I wear the heck out of it before returning it to my makeup drawers, and the same can be said for the palette you see above...

I've never fallen head over heels for the Lorac Pro Palette in the way that everyone else in the beauty community seemed to, but I can still appreciate the nice mix of textures and Garnet sure is a showstopper shade in my collection. I keep giving it a go in the hopes that it will grow on me, so we'll see how I go with it this time around. Any tips on colour combinations you use with this one?

Another eye colour I've shopped my stash for is the stunning Chanel lllusion D'Ombre cream eyeshadow in Epatant, once again a product that falls in and out of use with me but that I love using with a matte chocolate shade through the crease for a great 'peppermint chip' eye look (see my representation here if you like!)

Lastly I went for that cliché holiday red with the Revlon Balm Stain in Adore (original post here) which is a gorgeous deep red with a minty kick that I adore. Mumma Bovary wears this shade quite a bit and inspired me to pull mine back out from the Revlon lip drawer and give it yet another whirl as I get myself pumped for Christmas.

When did you last shop your own stash?

Has anything from the 2015 holiday collections caught your eye?

Are you already pumped for Christmas?

-Emma

The Almost Empties

I really enjoy looking at well-loved beauty products when I'm perusing a blog, so when I realised that a stack of my own products were about to be finished at the same time I jumped on the idea of snapping them for a post! I'm sad about finishing a few of these because I'll miss using them in my daily routine, but it's time to move onto other things and continue making a dent in the rest of my beauty stash. Let's look at these 'almost empties' shall we?!

I've committed myself to using up skincare before jumping into something new, and it seems to be working since I'm almost out of my beloved La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo, Garnier Moisture Match Light Softening Cream and the brilliant Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm. I'm planning on switching to some of my back up products (an Avene lotion, Bioderma Hydrabio Serum* etc) that are in my drawers rather than repurchasing just yet - see, I'm learning how to behave like a 'regular' person! I need to find a new cleansing balm to try though, as I will definitely miss one in my routine - does anyone have a recommendation for me?

On the makeup front it's all about that base - I'm almost out of my Illamasqua Skin Base, Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream, Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser and Rimmel Lasting Finish 25HR Powder Foundation*. I've fallen back in love with the Dream Pure BB Cream even though it transfers, and I've been topping it with the Rimmel powder for extra coverage and to set it all on my skin.

Are you almost out of anything in your routine?
Is it just me, or is it really hard to finish colour cosmetics and much easier with bases?!
Emma x

New Beauty Releases

The tried and true products are still well-loved, but playing with the new kids on the block makes me so happy and excited about makeup and beauty again in a big way ('cause they've got the right stuff, babyyyy - points if you get the reference!)

Despite being deep into a Netflix-induced old school Gossip Girl obsession right now, I'm still totally up for trying out new things and the best way I know how is by taking a peek at the new beauty bits on shelves and slapping them on myself for a whirl! My cheeks have been glowing thanks to the new Sisley Phyto-Touche Illusion D'Ete* which is one of those awesome gel powders that fake a really healthy look (no real rays for this fair maiden!) and naturally I'm still stuck on the new Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blushes - the pictured Alezane shade is a serious stunner. I've been popping those over the new L'Oreal Infallible 24HR Matte Foundation in Vanilla* - annoyingly transfers easily but I quite enjoy the finish of this base so I'm sure use up the tube despite that!

New lip releases are a dime a dozen and since my drawers are stacked high I'm picky about what I'll try - the Carmex Green Tea Jasmine Lip Balm sounded too delicious to pass up, the Bobbi Brown Telluride lipgloss in Sunset* is gorgeous (see it in action here!) and may replace my old Nars lipgloss obsession, and the packaging of the new Lancôme Shine Lover Lipstick in Twisted Beige* is definitely the brands best yet. The sheer and shiny finish may not last the longest on my lips, but I like the colour a whole lot and as long as the weather isn't too hot I like toting this tube about in my handbag (not a fan of melted lip products!)

Twisted Beige, Sisley bronzing gel powder, Alezane, Sunset

I'm still loving the first three Urban Decay Naked palettes, but practising my smoky eye game with the fresh Naked Smoky Palette has been a lot of fun and I'm really glad I added it into my UD collection. Something I'm less chuffed about is the new Rimmel Wake Me Up Mascara* - at first I liked the pretty green tube, awesome cucumber scent and wet formula, but it takes what seems like an eternity to dry on my lashes and I always manage to get mascara all over my lids before it sets properly. I'd rather buy a few Rimmel nail polish bottles instead of this, a much better investment I think!

Rounding out the newbies? The Body Shop Italian Summer Fig EDT*, a jolt of strong figgy goodness that I've been wearing a ton of! I just saw in store that they have those cute little gift cubes in this scent for Christmas gift-giving - how perfect is that!? I have to pick up an early KK present this week so I'm going to hit them up for sure. 

 

Tried anything new lately?

What's your best $20 and under KK gift idea for a lady?

What lipgloss formula is your all-time favourite?

Hands up who got the song reference at the start of the post?!

-Emma x

 

 

*Marked products provided for consideration. Honesty, always!

5 November Goals

a beautiful grey Melbourne day

It has been far too long between goal orientated posts on this blog, and since I'm gearing up to have a productive November I thought it best to jot down my intentions in the hopes of sticking to them all. Is it just me, or do you get things done with more efficiency when they are written down and you are more accountable?!

#1- Getting 70% of my Christmas shopping bought and wrapped!
I've already got quite a lot of my shopping done and my thoughts are that a relaxing December would be such a magical thing to enjoy instead of rushing around for last minute gifts. For the first time I won't be working late trade hours during the festive season and the thought of cozy nights in front of the tree with Mister and Charlie sounds fabulous! A few of the older kids in our family are getting gift cards this year so they will be bought in the week leading up to Christmas for them, hence the 70% goal.

#2- Complete my 2015 NaNoWriMo!
National Novel Writing Month is upon us and I've been tracking alright for my first attempt - I definitely need to pump out some more words in the coming weeks though. For more info on what it's all about, check out this link.

#3- Read 6 books
I'm not sure how 6 books will find themselves read this month with all the writing I have planned, but I have to catch up for my Goodreads challenge so I'm going to give it a red hot go! Mister is away on a work trip this week so I should have a lot more time to get stuck into a book.

#4- Head to the cinema with Mumma Bovary!
Mumma B isn't a huge fan of watching movies but The Dressmaker caught her eye, so I'm hoping to make a night of it and head out for dinner as well!

#5- Continue my nail polish purge!
I want to get rid of at least 10 more bottles (because as you will soon see, I've hauled a bunch of amazing polish I need to make room for!)

 

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What goals do you have for November?
When do you shop for Christmas gifts?
-Emma x

October Favourites

I feel like I'm repeating myself with quite a few of these selections, but I'm all for hearing about the top notch products that someone always uses so figured I'd share what I'd been loving for the month of October anyway. I was firmly focused on using up some makeup and skincare during the month as well as purging my nail polish collection so I didn't trial too much in terms of new products, but I did fall in love with a new lip combination, test out a new release foundation and fall back in love with some old favourites. 

I stuck to primarily one look this month, and it was a quick and simple one that had me out the door fast whilst still looking pulled together (I hope!) My main base of choice was a sample pot of the newly released Too Faced Born This Way Foundation that a lovely sales assistant at Mecca Maxima Doncaster gave me - this is definitely on the to-buy list and a little birdy told me a lighter shade is being released in early '16 so am waiting it out for now...eyes were my Inglot Trio Palette which looks quite new despite being thrashed around all the time at Chez Bovary! I then alternated between two lip looks for the month - either a swipe of MAC Vamplify Lipgloss in Anything but Demure*, or a layering of Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner Eastend Snob + Colourpop Westie + MAC Cremesheen Glass Fashion Scoop for a complex but perfect pale pink lip look.

Lovely smelling favourites were my Travalo perfume atomiser which helped me use up a few perfumes and my L'Occitane Lavande Cologne* which is serious bedroom luxury. I was going to sneak in a picture of my new nail polish drawers (I'm seriously obsessed!) but they aren't fully organised yet so I'm going to save that for another day. I also couldn't post a favourites without mentioning the skincare that I've fallen in love with and am sad to be finishing up - Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm, it was love at first scoop!

 

What products did you love in the month of October?

What cleansing balm do you think I should try next?

-Emma

 

*Products provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Haul // Surratt Beauty, H&M, MAC and more

My hauling habits have definitely changed over the past few years; when I once coveted and brought home every little thing I liked the look of, I'm now more sensible and think about if I would actually use the item, and how much I actually want the item as well. I'm sure I'll stumble again as time goes on but I'm enjoying shopping a lot more now, and being selective in my choices means my collection has never been more exciting to me! I recently spent some time in the city for meetings and tacked a round of shopping onto the end of it, and I thought I'd post a collective haul for you all.

A few homey bits made the cut, including a gorgeous foil Kikki K print, H&M Marble Tray and a bronze basket that I plan on using as my 'new product' stash holder on my desk. I also bought some new pens from Kikki K and the pink version of my beloved 'dog scarf' from Ishka - because one dog scarf is just not enough, my friends.

Bits from the new essence Brit-Tea collection made it into my shopping basket as well, and I found some Avene skincare on sale at Chemist Warehouse that I thought would be great to try after I use up my La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+. A trio of Coco-Cola flavoured Lip Smackers were too cute to resist and I finally found the MAC Make You Mine blush I've been searching for since JemOrJerrica started using it in her makeup videos - lemming finally satisfied! Did you know that they've opened up a freestanding MAC counter in Melbourne Central, and that it sells pans just like the Chapel St Pro Store does? I just found that out and am very happy about it!

The crowning glory of my haul? This stunner from Surratt Beauty... 

After reading Liz's post on this silky smooth Surratt Beauty Artistique Blush beauty I knew I had to pick it up. After missing the shade Ponceau online when it sold out, I went to the Myer Melbourne Mecca Cosmetica counter to swatch it and I was immediately sold! Naturally I'm trialling it for a full review so be on the look out for that post soon.

Have you hauled anything fun lately?
Have you changed your hauling habits too?
-Emma