Spring Peaches

It finally feels like spring is actually upon us, and I've been taking advantage by spending as much time as I can outside with the dogs and soaking up some much-needed Vitamin D! Being heavily pregnant has meant walks are short and very tiring so I've just been popping a chair in the garden and letting the boys run around while I relax- never have I appreciated our front fence more! The fresh air has been lifting my spirits and I've also gotten some reading done which has been lovely. I was also inspired to dig through my makeup drawers a little and came up with some products I haven't used in a while to freshen up my everyday look - I was very much drawn to peach tones! 

The Too Faced Sweet Peach palette has a lot of mixed reviews from what I've seen online, but I really like it and appreciate that there are some easy to wear neutral shades in it that I can just throw on when I'm tired. I do wish the green shade shone through more when I put it on my lids but it's still lovely and I've been getting a fair bit of use from it lately. I also pulled out my favourite peachy gloss Revlon Pango Peach which I adore as I don't need a mirror to apply it, which makes it so easy to reapply while I'm out and about. Possibly the most exciting additions to my routine are MAC Paint Pot in Rubenesque (which never fails to remind me of Ingrid Nilsen aka Miss Glamorazzi, who introduced me to the shade on her YouTube channel!) and MAC Springsheen Blush which is a darker orange-peach shade. I haven't bought anything from MAC in the longest time but have been enjoying exploring my old favourites from the brand - such a throwback! 

Have you thrown anything new into your routine with the change in weather? When is the last time you purchased from MAC?

-Emma 

The May Makeup Bag

May felt like a whirlwind for me, and I relied on a stack of beauty products to keep me looking somewhat presentable as I tried to stay awake without taking a nap everyday! While in Queensland I kept my makeup low-key as none of the family on my husband's side indulge in beauty products, but the other three weeks it was business as usual with a lot more concealer piled on out of necessity.

I'm still testing out the Morphe 35T palette despite receiving it as a gift for Christmas last year...some days I adore it, and others I'm frustrated that the shade in the pan is nothing like what the shadow actually looks like on my eyelids! I'm also fond of palettes with named shades which this lacks, but I still think this bad boy was worth the money and have been dipping into new colours almost every morning on top of my MAC Painterly Paint Pot. I've also been using my sample of Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara that came in a Beauty Loop box from Mecca Maxima - love how long those little tubes last!

Base seemed to be the usual suspects in May - I've repurchased my Rimmel Fix & Protect Makeup Primer and always have a tube of Rimmel BB Cream Matte on the go (both were originally PR samples that ended up in my permanent rotation, love when that happens!) I've moved onto a new pressed powder to use up, the Maybelline SuperStay 24HR Waterproof Powder* which gives a bit of coverage on top of my liquid base which I like. My saviour in May was definitely my Clarins Instant Concealer*, my pregnancy hormones are out of control right now and I'm spottier than I've ever been so layering this high coverage concealer is making me feel less self-conscious about my skin. It's still driving me nuts though!

I've been rotating my blushes fairly well recently but my most used shades in May were definitely from this Too Faced Love Flush Blush palette - I've been loving how pigmented they are and I have been trying out a denser brush laid on the side to apply them, and I'm digging the effect! How Deep is Your Love and Love Hangover might take the cake as my favourite shades right now...

Lips have been pretty low key as they've been quite dry and chapped (and I had a horrible pimple followed by a horrible cold sore all in the one fortnight - thanks weakened immune system!) I've been using balms but have also had a stack of nude/MLBB lip liners stashed in my bag for a bit of definition - the ones pictured are Savvy by DB and essence but a whole range of others were worn in May.

So that's my May makeup bag done and dusted! I'm looking forward to throwing some new things into my June makeup bag to spice things up a bit.
Emma x

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Glowy Natural Makeup Look with YSL, MAC & Too Faced Bon Bons Palette

I've been absolutely smashing my beloved Too Faced Bon Bons palette lately, so last week I snapped a few pictures of my mug and the products I used for this easy, natural everyday makeup look. I've been using the Bon Bons palette as my go-to as I adore the mix of matte shades with the shimmery options, and the crease shades really suit my complexion so it's a one-and-done kind of palette for me!

EYES
~MAC Painterly Paint Pot as my eye base
~Too Faced Bon Bons Palette (Molasses Chip all over the lid, Malted in the crease, Satin Sheets for my inner corner and Divinity for my brow bone)
~essence LongLasting Eye Pencil in Hot Scorch
~Max Factor Masterpiece Glamour Extensions mascara

FACE
~Rimmel Fix&Protect Makeup Primer SPF25*
~Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Touche Éclat foundation*, which really does give that glowy base that so many beauty girls love!
~MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural 
~Maybelline Master Hi-Light Hi-Lighting Blush in Coral* 

LIPS
~MAC Prolongwear Lip Pencil in In Control*
~essence Velvet Mat 23 Lipstick

 

I've been loving simple looks like this lately, but have also been pushing myself back into bright lips so perhaps my next makeup look will have a bright lip front and centre...any colour recommendations to inspire me?

-Emma x

 

*Marked products provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

May Favourites

All it takes to reinvigorate my love for beauty is a few new products to trial, finding an old favourite and seeing beauty products through someone else's eyes. A few weeks back my niece asked me to do her makeup for a party she was going to, and it was fun to rifle through the beauty drawers to find products that would suit a 15 year old, and that I was confident enough to use on someone for the first time. The star of the show for that makeover (apart from my gorgeous niece, obviously) was the Rimmel Kate Moss Sculpting and Highlighting Palette* - a surprise favourite of mine, since my typical cheek choices are distinctly mid-high end. The bronzer is what really sold me on this one, buttery and pigmented, and blends without effort which is what I need for my fair skin.

In terms of other base products I've returned to my half-full tube of Rimmel Matte BB Cream in Light*, which has impressed me so much that I recently purchased a back-up tube during the half price sale at Chemist Warehouse. It has the coverage of a foundation with the ease of application that a BB Cream would typically provide, making it a morning routine go-to when I've spent too long hitting the snooze button on cold mornings. The other face product that made it into the top tier for May was the MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural, which I'm much more enamoured with now than when I first trialled it. It gives a healthy glowing finish to the skin rather than the stark matte base I typically lean towards, which is quite refreshing for this cold weather and my dry skin seems to appreciate that.

Eyes have been done up with either my Too Faced Bon Bons palette or my Revlon Photoready Eye Art Lid + Line + Lash in Peach Prism with a slash of Maybelline Master Graphic Liquid Liner*. I'm loving how the addition of a jet black liquid line can really frame my eyes, and I can apply it really quickly with this sharpie-esque liner which is just what I was after. Lips have been pretty low-key (read; lazy) with my NYX Butter Glosses getting a workout - possibly my favourite gloss formula of all?

NYX Butter Gloss
Revlon Peach Prism (lid colour + glitter liner)
Rimmel Kate Moss palette - highlight, bronzer and blush

Last but not least we have the sweet Britney Spears Intimate Fantasy perfume, which I alternate with my staple Guerlain scent and genuinely adore, and my very first Kate Somerville sample which I was immediately impressed with. I received the Exfolikate Cleanser sample in my Mecca Beauty Loop Box (post here) and loved how luxuriously it cleansed my skin - it's been placed onto my running to-buy list for when I work through my backlog of skincare products (so I might get a chance to buy it in the next 5 years, ha!)

Emma x

Currently Trialling - April '16

I fell off the trialling wagon for a while there while my house was having a run of bad luck, but now I'm back in the game and enjoying all the new bits and bobs that are cluttering up my desk and makeup drawers. A new fragrance, skincare bits and a wonderful new Color Tattoo that I am quite enamoured with.

Maybelline know what they're doing when it comes to that paint-pot style cream product for eyes. I love Bad to the Bronze as does practically everyone I've spoken to about it, but this new Creamy Beige Color Tattoo that I bought on sale while doing the groceries is seriously enhancing all of the powder shadows I've been piling on top of it - nice work MNY!

Another new drugstore release that I'm sure you've seen a review or two of is the Rimmel The Only 1 lipstick* - creamy, very pigmented and colourful! They are a bit more intense and moisturising than I have been going for lately (I'm all about matte everyday kinda colours) but gosh I can see these being favourites for those who sport bright lips all day errrday.

Thanks to my favourite The Belle Lumiere I won a Paula's Choice skincare pack; I finally get to try the brand that everyone raves about! This Hydralight Moisture-Infusing Lotion isn't my favourite for hydrating and is a bit whiffy, I think I need to try something targeted to a drier skin type. Another mascara hit my stash, the Rimmel Scandaleyes Xtreme* which gives me a great lash look, but can tend to smudge on my eyelids and brow bone unless I'm super slow and careful with it....

Something really cool I've added into my routine in recent months is the Australis Banana Powder! Many moons ago I almost picked up Kim Kardashian's favourite Ben Nye Banana Powder but wimped out at the last moment, so to be able to try a similar product for $14.95 made me very happy indeed. I've been using this to set my undereye concealer and haven't decided how I feel about it yet...

 

I'm sure you've seen the new unisex Calvin Klein CK2 fragrance around on social media, I think the bottle is very cool and modern but the scent smells nicer on my husband than it does on me so it has been passed on. The new Sisley products never fail to impress and I'm trying out the new Sisley Nutritive Lip Balm*, which is nice but the Black Rose Face Mask* from the brand is definitely the star product from them at the moment!

Last but not least I am trialling the new Too Faced Born This Way foundation that I shared in my recent haul - I love the high coverage but I need to get some moisture back into my skin before I can totally enjoy this product.

What are you currently trialling?

-Emma x

*Products provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Face of the Day // The January Look

I've just sat down to blog after a lovely brunch with a girlfriend from work, and I thought it worth documenting my makeup look since it was primarily based on the products that I wore throughout the month of January (seen here in this post!) I'm about to switch out my everyday makeup drawer to save things getting repetitive, but in an effort to use up some staple liquid products (like primer and foundation etc) I'll be keeping those in rotation so I can use them up. I want to switch out eyeshadows and blushes mainly, since I tend to gravitate towards the same bunch all of the time and I want to show some love to the rest of my makeup collection. I'll have a post up on what I decide to switch out next week, but for now here is the makeup look I wore today for a casual brunch with a friend.

Products:
Face of Australia Face Base Primer (Napoleon Perdis dupe alert)
Revlon Colorstay Whipped Crème Foundation (repurchase, yay!)
Rimmel Lasting Finish 25HR Powder Foundation* (always worn as a finishing powder)
Chanel Joues Contraste 'Jersey' (my true blush love)
Inglot Freedom System Neutral Trio (can't stop using this, argh)
Maybelline Master Graphic Liquid Liner* (finally back into black liner)
Covergirl Full Lash Bloom Mascara (why is this so hard to remove?)
Smashbox Overexposed Lip Gloss* (still a firm favourite for me)

-------------------

I recently painfully broke my toe after a spate of bad luck in our household, and so I've been loving Netflix (how good is Making a Murderer?!) and just finished reading Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty which I really enjoyed. What are you watching and reading at the moment? Would love some recommendations!
-Emma


*Product provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

What I Wore // January 2016

For a chunk of January I was away with friends in Canggu, Bali having the time of my life and enjoying a bare face, but when I have worn makeup after the new year ticked over, this has been the face of choice. I have been enjoying playing with some other blush shades and will have a post up on those soon, but in general these were the staples I relied on during the month of January!

Inglot Freedom Palette Trio - perhaps the best fluke ever, these colours are utter perfection and were just chosen on a whim at Inglot after they applied my makeup for an event. January saw me using the third and lightest colour all over the lid, and the matte chocolate shade thrown through the crease if the need arose for something a bit more 'done up' 

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Crème Foundation - I caved in and repurchased this after seeing that it was half price at Chemist Warehouse, and I don't know how I managed without it for so long! I'll have to drum up a full review of this at some point as it's just so good. 

Chanel Jersey Joues Contraste - Chanel, need I say more? But in all seriousness, this has become my favourite go-to blush and I took it away on both of my recent overseas trips as it goes with every look you can think of!

Covergirl Full Lash Bloom Mascara -  I usually only have a mascara or two open at any given time and right now this is the one I'm trying out. Love the cute packaging and it works quite well with my lashes, but it does seem a bit harder to remove than some of my other mascaras so I'm still undecided about it.

Maybelline Master Graphic Liquid Liner* - This is a surprising winner in my books, and has gotten me back into liquid lining, and black liner in general after my long stint with chocolate eyeliner crayons. It has a slanted sharpie-esque tip that I find really easy to manoeuvre, and I'm finding it faster to apply than my Face of Australia brush tip liner, so that's a definite plus.

Inglot Trio &
Chanel Jersey Joues Contraste

I have a heap of new goodies to play with after our holiday as well as my usual trial products, so I'm looking forward to changing things up and getting creative with my makeup again. I'd love to know what eyeshadow/palette you've been loving this year, too, so let me know!
-Emma

*Product provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

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

The Weekend Vibe



Is there anything more delicious than a lazy Sunday morning? I can’t think of anything I enjoy more than a cheeky sleep in, a big (and I mean BIG!) mug of coffee and nothing on the agenda for the day but tidying up the house, watching Catfish with Mister and perhaps a sneaky trip to Masters! Often I’ll roll around on the Sunday bare-faced, but other times I feel like playing around with makeup (or we’re heading out to the local café for breakfast and I need to look alive!) I’ve been really enjoying throwing my new and shiny products in with old staples to simultaneously put a dent in some pans and spice up my routine for the weekend! Here is my weekend face…

 

 

A major trim fringe occurred during the week by the way– still a bit springy but I’m loving the way it frames my face differently than before I had it chopped! So back to the makeup – I’m still working on my bottle of Illamasqua Skin Base (which is part of my Project Use It Up) and I’m getting a bit frustrated that I can’t see how much more I have to go before it’s done, but I’m persisting and teamed it with my forgotten tube of Maybelline SuperStay 24HR Concealer – this stuff really packs a punch when it comes to coverage! For eyes I went with my current go-to team: Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze + MAC Jaunty + MAC Coquette – long-lasting and a fallback when I’m focusing on the blush colour over all else!

I picked up the Hourglass Ambient Blush Palette when I first hit up Sephora in Las Vegas, and I was so excited about making the purchase that the kind sales assistant opened up each and every palette so that we could select which variation of the marbled blush shades would best suit me (Sephora, I heart you big time) When I landed in Australia I promptly avoided using it as I sometimes get this crazy fear of disappointment - #beautybloggerproblems? It turns out I had nothing to worry about, the quality of this blush formula is insane (see Radiant Magenta in my 2014 Favourites here) and I’m loving the way Incandescent Electra is a glowy and easy to wear orange shade for me.

What is involved in your perfect Sunday? Does it pain you to think about the weekend on a Monday, or does it help you push through the week like it does for me?

-Emma xx

Bleached Neon Skittle Manicure

(I am off on my honeymoon until December so this post is a scheduled one. Would still love to read comments and feel free to hit me up on Instagram @emmabovary to see holiday snaps along the way! - Emma)

 

The idea of a bleached neon really appeals to me for some reason - I think the toning down of a trend as strong as neon is quite a cool thing. I had seen the Maybelline Bleached Neon* range around on US blogs and Instagram accounts for quite a while before these polishes hit my desk, but as soon as they did I popped them on! I couldn't decide on a single shade so whipped up a quick and easy skittle manicure for you, but left out Chic Chartreuse to do a full manicure with at the end of this post. 

Coral Heat is a pretty pale coral shade that looks brighter in comparison to the softer shades within this limited edition collection - next to the regular coral and oranges in my stash it definitely seems more muted. Of all of the 4 shades this one was definitely my favourite, and it applied easily enough (two coats shown)

 

Sun Flare is what I would call a 'creamsicle' colour, a pale washed out peach shade that was my least favourite of this collection. I could see this looking a whole lot better on someone with a darker skin tone or even a summer tan, but on my pale hands it just looked horrible and so I'll be passing this on to someone else to try out this summer.

 

Tropink is a nice mid-pastel pink shade that isn't anything too unique, and the formula on this one wasn't as easy to work with as some of the other polishes. For the effort I have better quality pinks in my stash to use, so this is another one I'll be passing on.

Chic Chartreuse was obviously one that I quite liked, as I saved it to do a full mani with after my skittle. It's a tad more lemon-toned that other chartreuses I own (yes, I own more than one!) but I don't mind the look of this on. I think this colour would also look a bit better on a tanned hand, but for now I'll be keeping it in my stash and will rock it during summer.

 

Overall these polishes were hit and miss as some were streakier than others. I would definitely recommend Chic Chartreuse and Coral Heat over the others, but I think all 4 shades would look great used with my dotting tools for a cool bleached neon patterned nail. I think Maybelline are stepping up their game when it comes to innovative releases so cheers to that, and the colours are quite affordable at $5.95 each here.

 

"Turn up the heat this summer with bold, bright nails! colour Show Bleached Neons contains ultra-pure neon pigments combined with a white layer to wash out the neon colour. The result? Pastel nail colour with an electric kick!

Chip-resistant formula, easy-flow brush, and formaldehyde, DBP and toluene free."

 

Emma x 

*These polishes were provided for consideration and all opinions are my own. Honesty, always.

Baby Lips Electro Neon Lip Balms from Maybelline New York - Now Out in Australia!

The buzz around these gorgeous tinted balms is pretty insane, and after trying them out for myself I can totally understand why! The Maybelline Baby Lips Electro* ($3.95) range feel a lot silkier and smoother than the original Baby Lips here in Australia, and the tint on them is more noticeable on the lips than what I had expected, which was a pleasant surprise.

 

My pick of the three is probably the watermelon flavoured Pink Shock, which is bright on the lips from the very first swipe. All 3 smell delicious but the best by far is Oh! Orange!, which smells just like a Lip Smacker I had back in the day and it totally brings me back in the best way. The berry flavoured Berry Bomb is a full-on purple in the tube but on the lips gives a nice natural flush to the lips that I think makes this one the most wearable for those afraid of colour.

Even though these feel nice and silky smooth on the lips, I don't find them to be much of a moisturiser compared to my overnight lip treatments. The stain left behind with Pink Shock is a bonus, but these are easy to apply without a mirror and are a nice easy balm option if you feel like injecting a bit of colour into your makeup look. 

 

 

Are you planning on picking one of these Electro lip balms up?

Which shade tempts you the most for $3.95?

 

Emma x

 

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.



Maybelline Colour Elixirs | Breathtaking Apricot, Fuschia Flourish and Caramel Infused

I was perusing Priceline before work the other day when I felt my breath catch in my throat. There in all its glory was a full stand of the highly anticipated Maybelline Colour Elixirs, which I had been impatiently waiting for. Since I’m used to waiting an eternity for new product releases to launch here in Australia, I jumped at the chance to grab one of these via a friend who has family in America a few months ago. I chose Breathtaking Apricot as it seemed the most popular shade from the blog posts I had read, and it is a lot more pink than the name ‘apricot would suggest’. Once it hits the lips it becomes this muted neon cross between orange and pink, and I actually really like the shade that eventuates but find it a little less easy to wear than if it were a straight pink or orange. I actually didn’t see this shade on the Australian display, perhaps it isn’t one of the shades made available to us (eBay always makes it possible though!)

I was immediately drawn to Fuschia Flourish, thanks in part to Estee from Essie Button who is one of my favourite YouTubers and is a fan of the shade. It’s a gorgeous bright pink shade that goes on evenly and I feel like it’s the sort of colour that really brightens up my face. I was checking out the blush and rose toned shades next but something about them didn’t hit the mark for me, but when I laid eyes on Caramel Infused I knew I had to take it. It’s along the lines of a MLBB shade with a nude edge and I find it really wearable and pretty. My natural lip colour does affect the colour a bit which makes it appear more pink-toned than in the arm swatch, but it’s still discernable as MLBB when on.

 

 

 

 

The feel of this is quite cushiony as I’ve seen it described, and it’s a soft and tacky kind of finish which I can detect while I’m wearing but it doesn’t annoy me. The colour is easy to apply and you can mix it around with other shades or blot it down, and I find it lasts okay for a glossy lip product. I’m definitely going to consider picking more of these up, but for now I’m really enjoying these 4 beautiful elixirs!

 

Have you tried the new Maybelline Colour Elixirs?

What shade do you have your eye on?

Emma x