Mumma Bovary + Clarins, a match made in heaven

It is a common occurrence to see Mumma Bovary nudging me for a ‘wee spruce up’, and of course I don’t mind indulging her in a makeover every now and again. It seems my mind was subconsciously in a ‘Clarins state of mind’ as a whole lot of the products I threw in front of her were from the beautiful brand. Below are the products that she ended up choosing, though I admit that the Lip Perfector was my choice as I have always been curious about how she would look with paler glossy lips.

Of all of the single shadows and palettes I placed in front of Mumma B, the Odyssey Quartet (review here) was the very first thing she grabbed for. The gold leaf shade seems to instantly win hearts, but for this makeover I decided to use the 3 other (quite sheer) shades to define her eyes but keep it naturally pretty.  I then move onto the base, and Mum wanted to try a BB cream for the first time so we left the Ever Matte* (my sisters favourite!) to the side. The Clarins BB Skin Perfecting Cream* is too dark for my uber pale mug, but it is spot on for Mum so that is a plus. It was really easy to blend in and looked good, thumbs up Clarins, though was similar to a tinted moisturiser in my opinion.

Cheeks were ticked off with the Clarins Colour Accents Powder and Blush* –is it a blush, bronzer, or powder? I typically use this as a beautiful neutral blush, and the bronze action helps warm up the face while the palest section can work well all over if used sparingly. This looked oh so sexy on Mumma Bovary, and she was pretty thrilled with how different the neutral shade made her face look. The one blush she owns (a Savvy one she nicked from me!) is quite pink (see it in this post) and this is such a different look on the cheek.

 
I then handed Mumma Bovary the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in Rose, and she was quite dubious about the pale pink shade with a flat sponge applicator. She didn’t mind the way it felt on her lips (they are quite smooth and smell yummy) but the shade ended up being too pale for her, and washes her out quite a bit. I guess it just shows why it is tough to do makeup on others- we are so used to our own colouring and style!

We then switched to the Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Colour in Crystal Coral, and though it took a bit of manoeuvring to get the bright pop of coral even on the lip, it looked beautiful on her! My mum loves bright or dark lip colours like berries and deep pinks, so this was definitely a more suitable lip choice for her tastes.

 

Do you prefer Crystal Coral on Mumma Bovary as well?

What colour eyeshadow do you think we should play with for her next post?

 

*Marked items were provided for consideration. This isn’t a sponsored post and I didn’t intend for it to be Clarins-centric!

Mumma Bovary's Camo Mani

It seems like each time I return home from work or a blog event Mumma Bovary has up and changed her nail colour again! For someone who isn’t into her nails, she sure plays with them a lot (she also says that about Facebook but always knows who is doing what on there!) I recently posted a picture on Instagram (username is @emmabovary) of Mum’s glitter polish haul, and the Savvy Ginger Ale was the first bottle to get a whirl as a manicure rather than a hasty swatch. Mum used essence 65 Camouflage (a shade she nicked from my stash) underneath the sheer glitter, and I am in love with the effect! 

 

I love the way the subtle glitters adds a feminine touch to an otherwise quite masculine colour, and makes it also appear as though it has an interesting texture. I’m very glad I’ve gotten Mumma Bovary hooked on glitter, as it means I will have plenty of shades to snaffle during mani time with her!

 

Does your Mum wear glitter polish? What do you think of adding feminine touches to camo style shades like this one?

The Sheen of Ivy League // Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color

 

When Mumma Bovary sees me holding a bottle of polish and snapping away with my Nikon, she sighs and always mentions how she wishes her nails were painted so she could do that, too. As we were having a Once Upon a Time marathon the other afternoon, she yelped and realised her nails were painted, and that the lighting was perfect for a Mumma Bovary nail of the day! 

 

Mum had been wearing this Sally Hansen shade for almost a week, and as you can see it holds up well to house cleaning and light gardening. We picked up this shade when Priceline had their big sale on, and because Mum is always drawn to metallic green shades like this, the choice was easy for her. I love the Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear formula, and as it turns out Mum does, too.

 

Ivy League is a beautiful shade, and reminds me very much of the infamous nail family that includes Chanel Peridot and OPI Just Spotted the Lizard.  It is much brighter than those shades, and I think that is very flattering on the nail. It works well with the tan my Mum is sporting at the moment, but I have no doubts that it would suit my lily white skin as well.

 

Are you a fan of shades like this, or do you think them too ‘out there’ for you? What are your favourite Sally Hansen nail colours? I am very excited about the new shade releases they have coming in 2013!

 

*This shade belongs to my Mum, who purchased it herself. Hand is also her own! Honesty, always.

Vita's Australian Skittle Mani! (Guest Post!)

I was cheeky and asked one of my favourite bloggers Vita from Making Up 4 My Age to come on over and write her first guest post for emmabovarybeauty! Here is what the polish-obsessed Vita created for me!

I was genuinely excited when lovely Emma invited me to do a guest post on her blog, and doubly excited because this is my first ever guest post!  By way of a quick intro like Emma I’m also from Melbourne, Australia and while I’m obsessed with all things beauty, my longest running (and if you took a look in my collection, my largest!) fascination has been with all things lacquer-y and shiny.  Oh yes, I do love my nail polish!!

 

I’ve decided to do a review post featuring some Australian nail polish brands in my stash to give them a bit of airtime/blog-time, you know what I mean right!?  When I say some I do mean some, not all of my favourite brands are posted here.  I’ve chosen a small even split of department store versus drugstore brands and rather than me going all out doing an exhaustive, wordy and looong (read ‘boring’) post of all brands, if you like this post it may be the first part of a little series. 

Here are my first four choices in no particular order:

L-R:

BYS (Flirty Sparkle)

Kit (Dive In)

Bloom (Claudia)

Ulta3 (Pacific Fever)

BYS -

This unassuming drugstore brand never fails to surprise me with its ridiculously huge range of amazing colours and varying finishes.  Very unassuming it is too as one of its major stockists is The Reject Shop *stifled giggle* but don’t judge – bargain yes,reject no.  With the exception of their jellies which show up tipwear quickly I find BYS polishes last every bit as well on my nails as the more expensive brands.

 Colours/finishes - There are 76 shades in the basic colour range alone.  BYS have 15 different ranges in total including chromes, glitters, mattes, hi-impact (these really are the bomb – I have and love Hi-Impact Blue!), mirror finish, and colour change to list a few...

 3 Free? – I’m unsure.  They are a bit stinky.

 Cruelty Free? – BYS cosmetics are not tested on animals

 Availability – online at www.fashionaddict.com.au and various discount stockists including Kmart, The Reject Shop, Go-Lo. International customers can order through the BYS UK site:  www.byscosmetics.co.uk

 Price – around $4AUD for Australian girls

Kit –

The first of my department store picks, Kit are moderately priced and their shades and finishes are in tune with fashion, featuring regularly released Limited Edition collections.  I love how the core range is lined up on their store wall like the rainbow.  It really is diving into temptation everytime!  The coverage on these polishes is smooth and opaque in two coats and the wear time is good, lasting me through the working week.

Colours/finishes – There are 55 shades in the core line including crèmes in all colours of the rainbow from pastels to brights, shimmers and metallics, plus LE releases

 3 Free? – Unknown

Cruelty Free? - Unknown

 Availability – online at http://www.kitcosmetics.com.au and stand alone stores in Melbourne and Sydney. Also available at Kit Concept stores in Myer department stores nationally.

 Price - $15.95AUD

      Bloom–

 Another department store brand, I love more than just Bloom’s nail polish as they also have a delicious selection of mandarin & vanilla oil scented lip glosses.  It’s all about the polish in this post though, and Bloom is another fashion conscious brand, occasionally collaborating with local fashion designers and performing artists to come up with more edgy Limited Edition shades which are highly collectable and yes I have a few!  I have to be honest and say these aren’t the most durable polishes and are prone to chips after a few days.  You can also see the bottles are virtually identical to Kit but you pay $4 extra which is also a bit of an issue for me – I don’t know how I feel about paying (Australian) OPI prices for a local product, although they are very darn pretty and I am a sucker for pretty colours *sigh*.   Of course there is a way around the price cos if you’re after 2 colours you can get a 2 for $29.95 deal at their online store...

 Colours/finishes – There are over 80 shades in the core line “from sheer,seashell pink to that illusive petrol blue with a slight shimmer – Natalie [Bloom] wanted to create that perfect shade of nail polish that you've been searching high and low for.”

 3 Free? – Yes.  Bloom polishes do not contain Formaldehyde,Toluene or DBP

 Cruelty Free? - Unknown

 Availability – online at http://www.bloomcosmetics.com, Myer and David Jones stores and selected pharmacies nationally.

Price - $19.95AUD or 2 for $29.95AUD at the online store

      Ulta3

 These nail polishes are well known and loved for the fact you can buy a bottle “for less than a cup of coffee”!  I find them sold in the weirdest places including the supermarket, so it’s only too easy to dive into the inevitably messy, disorganised display box of polish bottles and come up with little gem to add to my supermarket bill.  My husband won’t even notice that small addition to the grocery total!  There’s a pretty eclectic colour selection available too so I’ve dug up some pretty interesting shades out of that box.  To be honest I’ve not worn these longer than a few days so I can’t give you a proper opinion on their durability, but their application is smooth, with good coverage in two coats and they have a pretty quick dry time too!   Fun fact:  Ulta3 is Australia’s number 1 nail polish selling over 1.5million units* (based on unit sales, CTFA data 2010)

Colours/finishes – This is another extensive collection with 80 shades in its core line and covers everything from neutrals to brights,including crème, shimmers, foils and glitters. There are also LE collections including a new magnetic line – I just discovered that doing my research so I need to get hunting!

3 Free? – Unknown

Cruelty Free? - Unknown

 Availability – Ulta3 is available at selected pharmacies including Terry White, Blooms and Good Price and supermarkets nationally or online at http://shop.pharmacydirect.com.au

 Price - $2.25AUD

Now to finish off the post here’s a bit of skittle fun using the colours featured above!

I hope you found this post useful.  Thanks for looking! 

Vita  :)

Thank you Vita! I must admit I am very fond of the Bloom and Ulta3 polishes, and love the Pacific Fever shade you used in this mani! I encourage you all to head over to Vita's blog Making Up 4 My Age and click follow after you comment on this post! She posts the most beautiful eye looks and nail swatches that are second to none and you'd be crazy not to love her blog!

get some good karma!

 

This is a well-loved eyeshadow compact indeed! I bought this Australis duo in 'Karma' for my best friend Candice (who blogs over here) a while ago, even though she wasn't huge on wearing makeup. I suppose it is part of my role as a beauty blogger to push products into the hands of those around me, to try and spread the beauty obsession.

I've slowly but surely gotten her into makeup (eyeshadows at least!) and I love seeing what looks she comes up with when we meet for brunch. I found this in a clearance tub and knew I didn't need it, but couldn't pass it up and thought they colours would look great on Candice- I was right!

Candice already has a really nice almond eye shape, but the way she's done her liquid liner really excentuates it.  I often have trouble applying shadow to my lower lash line as it sometimes irritates, but Candice does it all the time and it really completes the look in my opinion.

Candice swept the golden champagne shade from the palette across her lid and popped the turquoise shade in her crease and outer third and along the lower lashline. This is a quick and easy look that is really pretty, and I know Candice can do it in a flash because a little birdy told me it's her fall back look ;P

What is your fallback look?

What do you think of Candice's EOTD?

Vanilla For Everyone- A Guest Post

I follow a huge number of blogs and like them all for different reasons, but there are only a few I follow that focus on perfumes. I find perfumes incredibly hard to write about as my understanding of them is incredibly basic- I know what I like, and what I don't. When I read Su's ravings about scents on My Perfume Diaries, I fall into a daze of admiration and appreciation for the scents she describes. I find her way of writing about scent approachable and less daunting than other blogs I have come across, and that keeps me coming back with each new post. I was a cheeky wee blogger and figured since I didn't want to taint any fragrance with a sloppy review of my own, I would ask one of my favourite bloggers to whip up one for me! I present Su, and her amazing review on all things vanilla!

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When someone says 'You're so vanilla', they mean boring and ordinary. Vanilla is totally the opposite in perfumes. I think Vanilla is the most exciting note used in perfumery. To many people, vanilla perfumes translate to tooth-achingly sweet and cloyingly unwearable fragrances. Let me tell you, Vanilla is so very versatile and multi faceted. If you want to smell chic or like a walking cup cake or like the sexiest vixen/fox or just want to feel relaxed, there is a vanilla for you. So, let's see the vanilla note through a kaleidoscope!

Comfy
The Body Shop: Vanilla Perfume Oil
The beauty of this perfume lies in its simplicity. Warm, cozy and feels like a hug. It always puts a smile on my face. Perfect perfume to wear on a cold winter's night that will be spent curling up on the couch watching TV.

Yummy
Jessica Simpson: Fancy
This one is so yummy, like burnt sugar-caramel-toffee-cotton candy-sweet vanilla, that is made into a wearable perfume with hints of vague florals and fresh fruits. It is gourmand but not cloyingly sweet. It dries down into a sweet laced, chic, floral musk. It is my most complimented perfume, by mostly women!

Fresh
TokyoMilk: Dead Sexy
Whoever said that all vanillas are not suitable for hot weather?! Dead Sexy is a woody vanilla that is so amazingly light and fresh. The sandalwood and ebony add the depth making the combination is really unique. It has that cute but feisty feel to it! This casual perfume is ideal to wear on a shopping day out or for a picnic.

Clean
Ava Luxe: Love's True Bluish Light
Wow, don't you just love the name?! It is a delightful perfume. Imagine the smell of clean skin. Now imagine the clean skin dusted with light vanilla. That's exactly how it smells! Based on just two components, Vanilla and Musk it is simple, uncomplicated and close to the skin. It is one of those 'your skin but better' scents!

Dirty
Guerlain: Shalimar
Shalimar is such an iconic perfume. Even though it is based on the concept of love, it has the reputation of being a 'bad girl' perfume. It is heavy, powdery, animalic, deep, dark vanilla. Personally, it is my all time favourite scent.

Sexy
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab: Snake Oil
This perfume oil is the sexiest and most magnetic vanilla based fragrance that I have even smelt! It is rich, woody, incense-y with a hint of spices, just right! It makes anyone smell smokin' hot! Not to mention, compliments galore when you wear it!

For The Man
L'Occitane: Eau de Baux
This is a little gem from L'occitane that can easily pass off for a very expensive fragrance. It is constructed on creamy vanilla and incense with some mild spices and base of a smoky leather. It is for both his soft side and the masculine side. Don't hesitate to sneak spray a few drops on yourselves ladies, it makes you smell yumm!

Shared
Tom Ford: Tobacco Vanille
Wow, this is a mind blowing vanilla with the highest quality tobacco, green and fresh. It is sexiness in a bottle. If you want your man to smell like the most irresistible thing in the world, buy it for him and share it! It smells awesome, sultry but oh so classy, gender doesn't matter!

Exquisite
Guerlain: Double Spiritueuse Vanilla
The most exquisite and expensive vanilla! It is creamy, smooth and rich with lots of booziness (the most expensive cognac or is it bourbon?) It had the right amount of headiness and comfort with a sophisticated feel! 

I can go on and name many more vanillas because vanilla is never boring! So, which vanilla will you be wearing today?

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A huge thank you to Su for her amazing post, I am so happy to have a slice of perfume heaven on my slice of the interwebz, and on a scent I love like vanilla no less! Please head over to Su's blog and follow her if you haven't already- I'm sure her reviews will have you adding to your perfume wishlist in no time!

Guest Post: Beauty on a Budget

My first real guest post here at emmabovarybeauty! The wonderful Kylie from Kylie Ofiu.com has been nice enough to share with us her tips for staying beautiful and on budget. Enjoy, and feel free to take notes (I know I have!)

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For many of us our beauty budget is often a hot topic. There are particular products we like , we like trying new things and buying beauty items often feels like a little treat. I definitely think beauty is something that should be included in a budget when you set one. Just think about how much you probably spend to look the way you do and you will realise that money should be set aside, so it is there when you need it.
Beauty is not just a section for women either. Many of the men I know have preferred hair products, shower gels, after shave, razors and some men get waxing as well. Women usually spend a lot more than men since they often get waxed, hair colours, nails, make up and more.
When trying to work out your budget write down everything you use in the beauty department and how often it needs to be done or bought. Try not to have a heart attack when you total it.
Now looking at that amount and when various things need to be done you can easily see how much you will need to put aside to cover these expenses. You can’t justify spending that much now you actually know how much you are spending? Don’t worry, you are not alone.
Here are some of the ways I save money in the beauty department:

• Know your colours
Certain colours and looks suit different skin tones and hair colour. Finding out what suits you then sticking mainly to that will save you a lot of money. To find out what suits you, there are many sites online you can play around with or you can get free make-up done at most beauty counters. They are trying to sell you their product, but if you don’t buy, the make-over is still usually free in places like Myer and David Jones. You can get some great advice and tips, plus if you take a picture after each make-over you can see what suits you.
• Do what you can yourself
Not everyone can do beauty things for themselves and that is ok. If you can, you can save a lot. For example learning to wax some areas can save you hundreds of dollars a year. Of course you have to be strong enough to willingly rip hot wax off your own body, which mentally is not easy! And there are areas you are probably better off leaving to professionals, but a pot of wax costs under $30 and will last a long time. Other things you can do yourself are manicures, pedicures and facials. Once you have the products you can use them over and over again saving more money. If you like the feeling of someone else doing it ask some of your friends if you could do a regular pamper day where you do each others nails. Know your limits though. If you are not good at it, just leave it to the professionals.

• Make the professional service last longer
There are a few ways you can make your treatments last longer. If you get a colour and foils, you could opt for just regrowth one time and only have the foils every second time. This will halve the cost of your foils each year. If you need to cover grey or you get a colour that is not lighter than your natural colour there are colour crayons you can purchase at Priceline and many chemist that you simply wet and use to colour in your regrowth. These crayons last a long time. You just redo the colour each time you wash your hair. You generally only need to colour your hairline and part for it to be effective. It can extend your colour for a few weeks saving you hundreds a year. When you get your eyebrows waxed, if you watch them carefully you can pluck any strays as they grow through whilst carefully maintaining the shape. Some people only get their brows shaped once every few months and just maintain it themselves in between.
• Get samples or freebies
Many chemists and beauty counters have sample size products you can try for free. Since companies want you to try their products so you will buy them they give samples out to businesses to pass to customers. Even hair salons get product samples you can request to try. If you don’t want to ask, there are different sites you can go to request samples such as Buckscoop which has lists of offers around. All you do is fill out a form or email companies requesting a sample. You can also enter competitions on blogs, Facebook and websites as well as magazines and radio to try and win free products.
• Make the products you can yourself
There are many beauty items which are easy to make yourself and work out much cheaper. Things such as body scrubs can be made by mixing sugar or salt with olive oil. You can add scented oils to give it the aroma you prefer or just use it plain. Face masks can be made from various mashed fruits, whisked egg white or even oats with lemon juice. Lemon juice and tea tree oil are great for drying out pimples. Olive oil makes a great cuticle or hair treatment and a little olive oil can also be used to smooth fly away hairs. There are lots of natural recipes to be found online, just do a search and try them out.
• Buy on sale
There are some products you just prefer to buy. For those things where we have a favourite brand always make sure you buy them on sale. Most make up and beauty items go on sale throughout the year, often quite a few times a year. Find out the retail price then set out to find the best price. Online offers great prices if you know exactly what you want. You can save as much as 50% regularly by purchasing them on sale or online.
• Know when to splurge and when to save
There are some items which are ok to use cheap products instead of expensive ones. Things such as coloured eyeliner, fashion colour nail polish and lip gloss or anything that is just the latest colour can be bought in a cheap version instead of an expensive brand. You probably will not get full use of the items and if you purchase top of the range, it is just a waste of money. You should, however, splurge on the basics such as a good foundation (one that compliments your skin), mascara and lip stick. These 3 items can make you look complete. Spend more on the products you use a lot, provided they are ones that work well for you. That doesn’t mean you need to spend $70 on a foundation if a $30 works well for you. Just find what works and don’t feel guilty spending on it.

Beauty does not have to cost thousands of dollars a year. With a little thought, planning and research you can save hundreds, even thousands of dollars a year.

Kylie Ofiu is the author of 365 Ways To Make Money. She blogs at Kylie Ofiu.com about ways to make and save money as well as what she is doing to reach her goal of becoming a millionaire by April 2015. This guest post is part of a series she is doing called 31 Days of Money. You can find her on twitter and Facebook too.

emmabovary xx

Mister Christopher's Guest Post!

My man is not the best with words, so I will admit I've fleshed out his opinions on this product so that readers may actually understand them. The product reviewed is the Nivea For Men Deep Cleaning Face Wash! When I met Chris, he was not a face-washer (and didn't shampoo regularly enough for my liking, either!) but over the years I've shown him the light, and he now knows how great his skin can be if he takes a little more care of it. This product is a pretty recent admission to his routine, his first tube came in a giftset at Christmas time, and he's just about finished his second one now.

The lowdown: blue-tinged foaming gel formula, 100ml for $7.99

Blob of the face wash on my hand The gel blob blended over my hand

Claims: "Won't leave skin tight or dry" (confirmed) "thoroughly cleans and refreshes" (agree) This is also soap-free, which is a massive win from me.

Packaging: Royal blue and silver, with green accent. Nice squeezy tube that Chris likes, simple and no-fuss, and manly enough for him to use.

Scent: He said that he liked it, but couldn't work out what it smelt like. It reminds me of the Lynx body sprays, which I think smell great. A very masculine scent, not too overbearing.

Application: Nivea says to use this facial wash twice daily, but my man uses it on average 4-5 nights a week, in shower. Laziness causes the other days, and mornings are out of the question as we are both so fond of sleep-ins. Chris uses a pea-sized amount on his forehead,cheeks,chin and nose before he scrubs away.

Effect: Mister Christopher says that it feels "fresh" on his skin, and also a little bit "minty" (I think tingly is what he was going for here) He likes that it lathers a little but not too much, and that it doesn't leave his skin feeling tight or dry. As a mechanic, he gets pretty filthy at work, and this gets rid of both dirt and oil making him feel comfortable before he settles down to watch Top gear/The Footy Show/Man vs.Food.

Emma says: I can see a visible difference in Chris' skin, his pores are unblocked and his complexion isn't as dull. His face feels soft after use, and looks soothed. It's also helped eliminate the occasional blemish he sometimes gets.As the primary cosmetic buyer for our household (!) I am super-pleased with the cheap price point, as it means I have more moolah to spend at the Myer counter.

Overall this product is a major win, kudos to Nivea for convincing Chris to wash his mug!

xx emmabovary