Salon Melbourne, Part One

Truth be told I'm pretty pumped for Salon Melbourne this weekend. It's been so long since I've been able to attend a beauty event and I'm craving some quality time with fellow beauty lovers - something that Salon offers alongside some shopping opportunities and inspiration galore. Although it (funnily enough!) targets salon owners and workers more than beauty bloggers, I still find that I learn a lot from spending the day there and always walk away feeling inspired. I'm planning on attending on Monday (10am-4pm) but it is also on Sunday (9am-6pm) if you can't work in a weekday jaunt.

my favourite advertisement at Salon Melbourne 2014 - Dermalogica, you rock!
love the crowds and checking out all of the stalls (2014 Salon)

I had a good scroll through all of the events for Monday and mapped out the main presentations I wanted to see - a lot of the education sessions are quite focused on things like hair cutting technique and how to use certain machines in a salon and that would definitely go over my head, so I'm sticking to things I can use in my day-to-day beauty life like these ones:

Mastering This Seasons Bold Lip with Ali Price (Launch Pad Stage, Monday March 2nd, 11-11:15am)
I am all about the bold lip in theory, but lately I've been reaching for my nude lip colours and 'Kylie Jenner-esque' shades so I'm hoping this will broaden my current lipstick horizons...

Beauty for EDITORIAL & Commercial with Kryolan & Rachel Montgomery (Main Stage, Monday March 2nd, 12-12:20pm)
This sounds like it will be really interesting, and hopefully I'll pick up some new makeup tips too. I am yet to try anything from Kryolan and don't really know where to begin with the brand, so this should show me some of their wares.

Magnifique Music Artists Vs. Movie Stars (Main Stage, Monday March 2nd,12:30-1:15pm)
I love the idea of a sneak peek into the creation of fictional characters, so this sounds like it will be fun to watch. I'm imagining Avatar-esque creations, but I could be totally wrong!

 

Klara Cosmetics, 2014 Salon Melbourne

What is another reason I adore Salon Melbourne...

SHOPPING!
I'm hoping that this weekend will re-spark a 'sensible' love of shopping for me once again, as I seem to be lacking in shopping skills lately...I went to the Exhibitor section of the site to see what possible haulage was in my future...
Crown Brushes
I always like the pick up some affordable makeup brushes at shows like this (IMATS too, always good for a brush!) and this year I want a new blush brush and some more shadow brushes - perhaps something for foundation application, too?
FABY
I just posted about FABY for my Valentine's Day manicure and I really want to see the full range of colours that they have!
Girlee Cosmetics
I always check out Girlee when I hit up Salon (check out the custom Girlee palette I hauled last year!) and I'm thinking of getting my hands on an icier version of Urban Decay Verve eyeshadow from the Naked 2 palette...
Kester Black
Have never seen these in person, only on Cosmetic Cupcake and they look so good!

my haul from Salon Melbourne 2014

So that is the end of my excited ramble...;)
Part Two of this post will show you what I get up to at the event and what I buy on the day, but in the meantime I'll be popping bits and bobs up on Instagram if you're interested.

If you've never been to this expo before or want some more practical tips, check out this recent post Norlin wrote - very informative!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
-Emma

*I attend Salon Melbourne as a media guest, but have not been compensated for this post. I just can't wait for the expo!

Sweet & Simple Nail Art for Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day isn’t the biggest deal in the Bovary household (in fact, I think we are less romantic on that day than any other!) but it’s a nice excuse to share a good meal and there is definitely no harm in that! We’re heading down to the beach house tonight with Charlie in tow, to chill out and hopefully head to a restaurant for dinner tomorrow night. I’m not one for elaborate nail art most of the time as my skills are lacking, but cute simple nail art is hard to beat and I painted my nails with the first design that popped into my head when I thought about love and how simple it should be!

I started with two coats of FABY Valentina’s Day* before using my el cheapo eBay dotting tools to turn three dots of FABY Innocent Fantasy* into a cute love heart on my ring finger! My nails have all broken right down after having acrylics for the wedding, so please forgive the state of them. Valentina’s Day flooded some of my cuticles but I really think that was because I didn’t give myself a manicure before throwing on the colour, the formula was pretty decent and I like that it’s more a strawberry red shade than a straight up harsh fire engine sort of rouge. Innocent Fantasy seemed to be more pigmented than the similar shades I have from essie so that’s always a positive – I haven’t painted my whole nail with it though so I’ll reserve judgement. FABY has only just launched in Australia and I’m happy to have another 5 free brand around!

Mister Bovary was actually really impressed with how quick and cute the nail look ended up being, and I think next time I might try it with a metallic blue shade and some silver or white polish to change it up a bit. I adore my dotting tools, they are so easy to use and being so affordable means I was able to pick my mother in law up a set as well – she goes through stages with polish and has a pretty enviable OPI stash I must say!

Are you a Valentine’s Day lover or hater? It’s my first one as a wife! I have my fingers crossed that cupid hits Mister and he nabs me a sweet mug for my morning coffee…otherwise I might pick myself up a new one in Rosebud!

-Emma

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.