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.

Pret a Party

I'm at that wonderful stage of the festive season when my shopping is complete and I have the freedom to peruse the craziness of the shops without stress - and sneak an extra present or two under the tree for myself, I'm not going to lie! For those who are also being cheeky or the others who are still gathering gifts for their loved ones, I thought this was a ripper of a gift set that might lead you into Myer for a quick gift purchase. Benefit Cosmetics are known for being fun and cheeky and the holiday release of gift sets definitely embodies that - bright and interactive metal tins filled with their staple products! This Pret a Party* tin contains four little goodies that the brand are well known for which I thought was a good idea.

In theory this tin is an entire makeup look in one, albeit a very natural one (safe to say I pack more on than this each day as a blogger!) The 7.5ml POREfessional to smooth the skin and prime, Fakeup Concealer mini in Medium to cover any redness in the skin, full size They're Real Mascara and full size Benetint for your cheeks and lips! Since I've tried a few of these products and the concealer wouldn't match my pale skin tone I gave this to my best friend Candice to enjoy and trial for me, and she was impressed by the tin and said she'd be storing her makeup brushes in it as a way of recycling which I thought was a great idea. They're Real Mascara isn't one that works well with my lashes so I thought it would be interesting to see how it fared on her lovely eyes, since it seems to be a favourite of almost everyone I speak to online! So far she has used the Fakeup and it was a great match so I want to get my hands on the lighter colour for myself one day, along with Porefessional when I finish my current silicone primer.

The Pret a Party tin retails for $69 and is available from Myer. If these products don't float your boat they have a stack of other cute tins like the Party Hopping Kit with High Beam Highlighter, or the Frisky Six Starter Pack which is my personal favourite.

-Emma x

 

*Product provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Natural Supply Co Gift Guide

I'm curled up on the couch enjoying my day off with Charlie (my Cavalier!) and have spent an untold amount of time scrolling through the Natural Supply Co swooning over how lovely everything looks. This isn't a sponsored post or indeed even one that the lovely owners of the online store know about, but this blog was born from my passion (cough, obsession) for shopping and it's been a while since I've perused an online store to window shop. I actually finished my Christmas shopping back in November but am keeping an eye out for bargains just the same, and here are the best products I spotted at the Natural Supply Co!

Bite Beauty 5 Night Fix For Lips ($19.95)

I think this is such an adorable gift, it contains a deluxe mini Whipped Cherry Scrub Stick (genius idea by the way) and a deluxe mini Agave Lip Mask which is something I've always wanted to try. The jar it comes in is pretty adorable for gifting, too...

Lanolips Lemonaid Lip Aid ($15.95)
I actually have a tube of this and adore it - it really does have that lemonade tang to it and it's a lip balm type of product that is gifting worthy in my opinion. I hardly use this in winter as the balm becomes quite hard in the cold, so it's perfect for warmer weather like we Australian's are currently enjoying (okay, enjoying may be a strong word...)

Murchison-Hume Counter Intelligence All-Surface Spray -Original Fig ($13.60)

Now this may be the housewife in me coming out, but I'd love to try out this well-renowned cleaning brand! If you have friends or family who have just moved into a new place this could be perfect as part of a little cleaning pack for them, I love trying luxe cleaning products and fig sounds like a nice festive scent for December/January cleaning!

Kester Black Nail Polish - Forest ($20)

Swinging back around to beauty, I just had to include a shade from this Australian polish brand! Naturally I chose the Forest shade, such is my love and obsession with owning all the green polishes!

Lavanila Body Butter - Pure Vanilla ($19.95)

I've never tried this brand before but see it constantly on blogs and YouTube videos, and the scents are supposed to be delicious. Despite having enough body lotion and butter to sink a ship I'm always tempted by more, and the scent description for Pure Vanilla sounds lovely (though not pure vanilla...?) "The perfect vanilla, the Pure Vanilla scent combines a warm blend of Madagascar vanilla, heliotrope and soft freesia"

Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil - Tulip (36.95)
I am a true fan of Bite Beauty and am currently turning my beauty room upside down to find my beloved Peche matte lip crayon and it's driving me crazy. I'd love to try more of their stuff and this 'soft cherry red' colour looks very pretty indeed, and would make a delightful gift for a sister or Mum!

Frank Green SmartCup ($29.95)

I'm really lusting over this, the colour combination is stunning and I take coffee to work from home everyday so this would be so handy for me. I'm currently using Keep Cups (which I love!) but I want to share the love around with my Moccona Caramel Coffee, ya know?!

Nilly & Booth Mandarin Chamomile Organic Cleansing Balm ($40)
I've saved the best for last - I've heard so much about this skincare brand and this cleansing balm sounds like just the ticket for any skincare enthusiast - I know it's on the top of my wishlist! I finished up my Clinique Cleansing Balm which is a basic staple, and now I want to try a more indulgent balm and this fits the bill perfectly.

How is your Christmas shopping going so far?

Are you feeling festive or burnt out after a long year?

Which product from this gift guide tempts you the most?

-Emma x

*Not sponsored or organised with the company in any way. Just a bit of fun to scratch my shopping itch, help with gift ideas and also kind of write myself a wishlist haha!

Luxurious Bathing, the gift of relaxation // Gift Guide, Part One

 I am a firm believer in giving Christmas gifts, and I think the best sorts of gifts are the things that you wouldn’t usually purchase for yourself. Being someone who is completely beauty obsessed means that I do tend to indulge in bath and body products quite often, but before I began blogging the only items I really used were those gifted to me. Luxury during a bath and shower can really help someone wind down after a long day at school or work (or shopping!) and these gifts would all make lovely, thoughtful gifts.

Even though I’m not a bar soap sort of person myself, the majority of people I know prefer them to shower gels . The fact that this product is made by the Scottish Fine Soaps Company (my family come from Glasgow!) makes it hold a special place in my heart, and the tins are stunning and reusable. They have tins with birthday, good luck, and other general messages on top, making them perfect as something sweet AND useful! $11.99 at David Jones.

The Clarins Eau des Jardins Uplifting Shower Gel is probably the nicest luxe shower gel I have ever used. The scent is beautiful, but hard to explain, and it lathers up in the most perfect way. The scent is made up of 10 different essential oils, including  zesty ones like grapefruit, right through to rose and cedar. The bottle itself is really cute as well, and the range contains a gift set which would make a beautiful gift. $42.00 for 150ml at Myer, David Jones, pharmacies and Adore Beauty.

 

As well making lovely face products, L’Occitane have a great range of bath and shower products that I really enjoy. I’m about to try the Almond Shower Oil (and am very excited by it!) but something I’ve been using for a while are these two shower gels. Captivant is definitely my favourite from this range, I also have it in cologne form and it makes for a very uplifting scent experience. A wander into L’Occitane is always a good idea at Christmas time, the packs they make are often better value than purchasing products separately. I know when I went to my local store for Christmas drinks I was taken with the packaging and value they have out at the moment! These shower gels retail for $28 for 250ml.

 

It’s no secret I am a massive Kiehl’s fan, and the new Aromatic Blends collection has really impressed me! I have been using my travel size samples of the Orange Flower & Lychee scent for a while now and love it, but I’ve also sniffed all 3 other variations in store and adore them as well! The range has lotions, fragrance sprays and body cleansers, so you can pick and mix to your hearts content. Prices range from $29 for the fragrances to $38 for the lotions, and the collection is available from Kiehl’s counters in Myer and David Jones.

 

I have another of these posts coming up soon as I just couldn't fit all of my bath and body loves into a single post. I'd love to hear your thoughts on whether or not you like to receive things like this for Christmas, or for birthdays or other celebrations?

 

 

 

 

These products were kindly provided for editorial consideration, so I had a chance to personally try all of these products. Honesty, always.

a wonderful christmas

I had a lovely Christmas, despite working late on the eve of and starting at 7am on Boxing Day. I woke early on Christmas day (blame it on the giddiness that survives from my childhood) and spent the morning with my parents and Chris, cooking up lunch and opening gifts. I was more than spoilt with gifts, and I adore every single thing I received. Chris' family celebrates Christmas at lunch as do my family, so we were darting in and out the whole day. Luckily all of our family live only a few streets apart!

The darling mini Christmas tree at Chris' brothers house, where we had lunch. The food at lunch stop number one was incredible, with stuffed tomatoes and okra's in a gorgeous tomato based sauce that Chris' Mum always makes for me. They had a whole lamb on a spit (icky but they were excited) and a lasagne that looked wonderful but as I don't eat red meat I didn't give it a go.

Santa in edible picture form! The desserts were awesome there,too. Chris' sister in law made the most amazing, fresh from the oven lemon meringue pie that had me drooling as soon as I clapped eyes on it. Could go another slice right now, actually... Chris' brother made a cake with sponge and cream that was simple and lovely, and the table was heavy with lots of other sweet offerings as well. Needless to say, moving on to lunch # 2 was a matter of rolling me across to my house...

My niece made me the most gorgeous little cracker, and inside was a little ring she made for me out of red beads and an initial E. She's such a creative little girl, she made my other niece a skirt that matched one of hers so they can be cute twins together :)She's been taking sewing lessons for a while now and has made some beautiful clothes there.

Santa was a sweetheart and bought me the Aussie Monopoly (Chris and I are building a game collection for when we move in together) and a Kindle with 3g and Wifi. My handbag was forever heavy with books, and now I can carry them all with me on this lightweight thing! I also got a ladybug pillow pet, ala Miss Glamorazzi, to go with my panda pillow pet. Still a child at heart! Chris bought me the Nars Danmari palette and they also popped some perfume samples in there.

 Chris ordered me some Revlon Lip Butters from ebay (creme brulee was in my bag at the time of this photo) and nabbed me some L'Oreal Infallible shadows from the L'Or collection- these will be up on the blog soon, they're stunning. Michael Kors Very Hollywood was from my sister :) The shoes were from Santa, and the coasters with French images on them were from Chris' soon to be sister in law as part of my KK.

A French book safe and clock from KK, as well as some chocolate filled gold coins from my stocking! The striped blue square in the background is my new laptop case- Chris bought me a new laptop! I am so in love with it, and happy I can get back to reading all of your blogs.

Work KK was lovely this year, after we stayed late at work setting up we shared drinks and fingerfood and exchanged gifts. I got a gorgeous champagne pashmina and metal and fabric headband from Witchery from one of the new girls. How sweet is the card!

My sister bought me a funky oil burner, a silk dressing gown from Cotton On and these scrabble tile type canvas in my initial, and in Chris'. So cute! The purple scarf was in my stocking, it's so gorgeous I'm sure you'll see a glimpse of it in a FOTD soon.

A present that really warmed my heart was from the incredible Sabine from Echolife, which appeared on my doorstep just after Christmas and surprised me completely! This trio of Weleda products along with a Burts Bees balm was the nicest gesture, and a lovely Christmas surprise. Sabine supported me so much after my kitten Marie passed, and I will forever be grateful to her for that. To have someone who you have never met in person treat you like a friend is one of the best things to come from this blog. My goal for 2011 was to hit 20,000 hits on emmabovarybeauty, and I am so happy to say that I made it all the way to 21,000! This first year of the blog has been amazing, and I enjoy every minute I spend in my little online world.


I adore each and every one of my readers, and hope that your Christmas was wonderful and your New Years celebration was lots of fun. I'll be posting my 'best 11 of 2011' soon, so look out for it. Until then- enjoy this first day of 2012!

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

With Mother's Day fast approaching, I thought I would share some gift ideas. These are things I myself would love to get if I were a mother, and I've also shared what I think my fussy Mumma would like,too.



MOR
Hand Over Heart gift pack
$19.95
A adorable soapette and hand cream packaged in a stunning embossed tin, this screams 'I LOVE YOU MUM' like nothing else. With snow gardenia, ylang ylang, vanilla and sandalwood, I think this is the perfect scent for my subtle-perfume wearing Mumma.Available at DJ's and other selected retailers.





MOR

Dolce Gift Pack in Pomegranate Passion

$29.95

This is my favourite scent from the brand new Dolce line from MOR, which is available at Target stores. It contains a soap, hand cream and candle, with scents of violet, jasmine, pomegranate, raspberry, black currant and sweet musk. These are gorgeous goodies that any Mum would love to receive on Sunday, and are so affordable it would be a crime not to pick something up for yourself, too!

Bush Heritage Australia
A not-for-profit organisation that help preserve Australia's natural wildlife, Bush Heritage have a range of gift ideas that are perfect for Mother's Day. Purchase these 'Seeds of Hope' (seeds imbedded in clay which is rolled into balls) that assist in the revegetation of areas in need. I think this idea is the cutest of all, and the gift of warm fuzzies is one of the best things you could give your Mum this Sunday.
$25 via Bush Heritage Australia







Bush Heritage Australia
If the adorable 'Seeds of Hope' aren't cute enough, check out this little guy! For just $10 you can provide endangered animals just like him with nesting boxes that keep them safe from predators. If your Mum is an animal lover, this is the perfect gift for her!
$10 via Bush Heritage Australia



Glam Beauty Bar.
I am a firm believer that Mother's do not get pampered enough- as my Mum pointed out last week, she's been taking care of her kids for the past 36 years! To recify this, I think a pamper sesh at my favourite beauty bar is called for. I introduced Glam Beauty Bar here and think it's the perfect place for my Mum to relaaaax. Personally, I love the look of one of the Autumn specials they have going right now 'Facial and Feet', but I know my Mum would much prefer the Facial Fantasy Packaged (1 hr. Dr. Spiller Facial, Enzymatic Peel, Neck and Shoulder Massage, Collagen Facial Mask) All for $140 (usually $180) this is a package fit for a queen, and a good excuse to spend time together.

If all that fails, a nice lippy and eyeshadow palette will be the way to go! I've gone in with my siblings to get my Mum something she's had her eye on for a long long time...won't spoil the surprise just yet, in case she's reading;) We're planning a family roast on Sunday (roasted vegies for me!) and I'm looking forward to catching up with the fam and making my Mumma smile.

Love you Mum xxx



Tis the time to give...

and receive, beautiful gifts;) Here I compile the beauty gifts that are floating around this season that I think would be great under your Christmas tree.

Lush Secret Santa
This pack comes in at $9.95, for which you get a Satsumo Santa bath ballistic, and a chunk of the Snowcake soap bar. The beautiful citrus in the Santa and almond in the Snowcake are really nice, and the pack looks much more substantial than the price might suggest=)
Image taken from Lush

Nars mini Multiple set Almost every beauty blogger I know loves the Nars multiple sticks, and I am a convert having felt how smooth these babies really are! The mini version of each shade is a nice idea for someone who is into beauty but not all the way obsessed, a nice way to bring them to the dark side ;)
$89.00
Image taken from Mecca Cosmetica

Benefit All You Need is Gloss

$49
Image taken from AdoreBeauty

This Benefit pack is such great value, as you get 6 shades for just under $50! The pack contains 3 double ended glosses, with a wide variety of colours. (I am digging the gold shade most) This is a perfect gift for a neice or younger sister who is gloss mad, to give her a foot in the Benefit door.

Travalo Refillable Atomiser
$24.95
Image taken from Travalo
These are genius, and if they aren't in my stocking this Christmas I am buying some for myself! I have a few atomisers, and when I first saw Zoe Foster rave about these on Primped I was meh.. But oh how my opinion has changed. Zoe's post got me thinking, the only reason I don't use the atomisers I own now is the hassle of getting fragrances in there! The Travalo utilises a simple, non-messy pump action, and is lightweight (!) cute, and has a panel so you know how much is left before you run out. I spotted these at my local Perfume Connection for $24.95, so you can afford to pop this in with a bottle of perfume and there you go, perfect Christmas gift!


I will most likely post another of these gift guides before Christmas, as they're my favourite posts to write, and my lust list for beauty is lonnnng this year! Hope you are all having a stress-free December, and are getting excited because...

Santa's coming!!