Currently Loving - September 2016

I'm all about the neutrals lately, and have really come to appreciate the sculpting that a good contour palette can provide. I never thought I'd see the day that I'd feature not one but two contouring-type products in a post like this but tastes change, and these are the products I'm really enjoying at the moment. 

The Australis AC On Tour Contouring & Highlighting Palette in Lighter Than Light is admittedly a newer addition to my makeup drawers, but I've been reaching for it consistently and find it quite an interesting and exciting product to play around with. The purchase was spurred on by my niece when we were out makeup shopping (so excited that she is into makeup now!) as previously I didn't have any interest in the very popular Australis palettes. It took a few weeks for the newly released Lighter Than Light shade to come back into stock at any Priceline near us, so I was quick to nab two palettes when I saw the freshly restocked shelves before work one day. The other contouring palette was a press sample that I've more than fallen for (and have already talked many people into purchasing!) - the Kate Moss for Rimmel Sculpting Palette in 002 Coral* (full review here)

The eyeshadow palette that I've had a hard time tearing myself away from is the Too Faced Bon Bons palette - the colours just work for me on a day to day basis, and there is enough nuance in there to keep me interested. I used the palette to create this makeup look if you'd like to see it in action!

I've been making an effort to use up products before moving onto something new and I'm almost out of the Rimmel Matte BB Cream in Light*...but I've already bought a backup tube, so that is a clear sign of my love for this base! When it comes to lips I've been loving my Rimmel Exaggerate Lipliner in Addiction which is a deep nude brown and Rimmel 1000 Kisses Stay On Lipliner in Wild Clover which has more of a terracotta tone to it. While I love the colours the formula can be a tiny bit drying so I usually top them with a tiny bit of NYX Butter Gloss in Vanilla Cream Pie.

Quite a few of these products have been featured in favourites posts this year already, but I think that it makes sense to continue using a product if you're loving it - I can feel myself shifting away from always wanting everything to be new and exciting, and I am now appreciating the wonderful products I have a whole lot more.
What have you been loving lately?
-Emma x


*Products provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Spring Skincare Haul

Over the last few weeks I picked up some new skincare products, some to replace things I've used up and others as back-ups or bargains I just couldn't pass by. This may constitute a rather small haul if you compare it to other beauty bloggers and their loot but I'm really looking forward to using these products!

I've raved about the Garnier Moisture Match moisturisers before, but I believe they have now been discontinued as I just can't find the blue version on shelves anymore. I was at a bargain centre recently and came across two boxes heavily discounted so I purchased one for my skincare back up box and one for my older sister who I think this would work wonderfully for. Another repurchase was my beloved La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+, which is a saviour for acne-prone or just generally crappy skin days. A brand new purchase for me was a total bargain at $0.80c and I love the brand - Derma Sukin Daily Hydrating Wash!  I've actually seen some positive reviews on this product and need a bit of hydration at the moment so it was worth a try.

 I've seen quite a few peel off masks on YouTube and the like, so when I saw this Formula 10.0.6 Get Your Glow On Brightening Peel Off Mask advertised in my supermarket catalogue for half price I was mightily intrigued. I've only used this once but gosh it was satisfying to peel it off, and the scent was really lovely so I'm enjoying this.

See that little hole in the top of my Effaclar Duo+ tube? That would be my puppy Winston's doing, he obviously wanted lovely clear skin too! But how can I be mad at this face?!

I'm really drawn to the aesthetic of Aveeno and have had great success with their products in the past (the night cream and unscented body wash, to be exact) so I added this Aveeno Positively Radiant Cleanser to my stash. Now that I'm actually the kind of blogger who finishes up whole products I don't feel too bad about having unopened cleansers around when I know I'm going to use them - does anyone else feel this way too?

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Hope you're all having an amazing day!

-Emma x

Smuggler's Soul Sunday

The new Lush Father's Day collection* is out on shelves and I've been trialling some of the products, despite obviously not being a papa myself. My own Dad isn't the pampering kind at all and wouldn't appreciate gifts like this for his special day (we've actually bought some awesome new décor for his bar!) but I know that when Mister Bovary and I have a child he will be gunning for a big bag of Lush each Father's Day - it's his favourite!

The focus seems to be on citrus and sandalwood for the Father's in our lives, which suits me as I'm fond of both of those scent families. 'Thanks Dad Soap' and 'The Modfather Bubble Bar' are from the citrus side of things while the 'Super Dad Bath Bomb' and Smuggler's Soul range is all based on sandalwood.

I immediately made grabby hands for the Smuggler's Soul Multipurpose Cream and Smuggler's Soul Facial Scrub, which Mister and I are trialling together. Lush says that you can use the Multipurpose Cream as a moisturiser, shaving cream, hair styling product etc but so far we've just used it as a straight up facial moisturiser. It's definitely better suited to a night time skincare routine as it does leave some residue on the skin (which I don't mind for overnight) and the scent is lovely! It's the consistency of runny yoghurt but packs a nice punch in the moisturising stakes!

I have a weakness for facial scrubs and the Smuggler's Soul Facial Scrub is one of the nicer ones I've tried in recent times - it's contains very fine bamboo granules and has a delicious sandalwood scent that is so warm and cozy! I love the texture and it scrubs my skin really well, but I do find with physical exfoliants like this I need to be careful not to be overzealous in case it aggravates my skin.

We've got a jam-packed afternoon planned for Father's Day, we're having a casual lunch out with my side during the day and moving straight onto an early dinner at an Italian restaurant chain with Mister's side - I think I'm going to have to be rolled home after all that food! Do you have anything exciting planned with your family?
-Emma x


*These products were provided for consideration. Honesty, always.