Nars And God Created The Woman Set

As soon as I spotted the infamous Nars palette online at Mecca Cosmetica ($79 AUD), I clicked add to cart and made it mine. I've seen many a post raving about the beauty of this teensy palette and the fact that it comes with a mini eye primer and a shadow brush made the decision even easier for me. I have to admit that I am completely enamoured by this, despite not having tried many Nars eyeshadows before, but I did have my reservations when I saw the size in person...

I've been interested in trying out the Nars Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base thanks to Ingrid Nilsen's love for it and so a mini tube was more exciting to me than it probably should have been! I'm yet to try it out (still using my Australis for now) and I haven't broached that strangely shaped brush yet, either. I did a bit of research and found out that they switched out the brush type since this was first launched at Sephora in 2013, and the Australian release also has the shadows in different positions in the palette which I thought was quite strange.

 I have to admit that my heart sank when I first unwrapped my Mecca parcel to see that the giant Nars box was housing a palette closer in size to a credit card...I'm used to my Lorac Pro, Naked Palettes etc so this was an eye-opener for me. For reference, it's a bit smaller than the NYX Love in Paris palettes which are in themselves quite a small size, so those looking for a palette that is easy to travel with might be elated with it's tiny physique. I can definitely see myself hitting pan on these shadows in this lifetime, but the shadow pans fit my brush perfectly so I don't really have any complaints at this point.

A neutral lovers dream, right? I have had a go at all of these shadows and can't say I'm disappointed with the quality of any of them. Despite them looking a bit 'meh' in swatches, once they hit the eye with my Royal & Langnickel brush it's all systems go and smooth sailing!

My favourite shadows from this palette are probably Kalahari, Alambra and Coconut Grove - the latter purely because I've been lusting over the single shadow for years! I went out for Thai on Saturday night with friends and I popped a bit of Night Clubbing into my crease to make my eyes more dramatic, and it was totally better and less scary a shade than I thought it would be.

To see some of the shades in action, hit up these lovely ladies - Tiffany, Alison and Anna.

The Nars And God Created the Woman set retails for $79 AUD and is available at Mecca Cosmetica. They are still in stock at the time of posting but I'm sure it will be one that sells out as it is limited edition, so hop to it! The set contains one shadow palette (6x 1g shadows) as well as an 0.09 oz Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base and the #42 Wide Contour Eye Shadow Brush.

My intense love for a palette isn't a common occurrence despite my love for beauty, and that is a testament to Nars indeed! It has made me all the more excited to check out this mega Nars palette...

Emma x

Bought in May

The first half of May saw some great restraint on my behalf, but the latter half saw a little more indulging on beauty products and I just couldn't help myself. I've tried almost everything I bought and am loving it all, so I'd say it was a good month overall for me and I found that jotting down my purchases helped nip some silly choices in the bud.

The NYX Love in Paris palette in je ne sais quoi has been a nice workhorse palette for me after I became obsessed with hunting down another NYX palette to sit alongside the one I received for Christmas. I grabbed 78 Vanilla Ice Cream from essence for an inner corner highlight, though I feel I am hoarding a stash of essence highlight shades for a rainy day that I am not sure will ever appear...

I've already raved about the gorgeous Maybelline Color Elixir's here, suffice to say I am pleased with these and content to keep Caramel Infused and Fuschia Flourish in my current lip stash to mess about with. I've been tempted to buy more because they're half price at Chemist Warehouse but have so far not made it into a store.

Sally Hansen Glam Fest should totally be renamed to something more circus-y, because that is all I can think about when I look at the silver mixed with the colourful glitter. Moth to flame, no chance of leaving the store without this one.

An awesome purchase in May was these essence Long Lasting Eye Pencils which you wind up and never have to sharpen. I've almost used up one of these in the Hot Chocolate shade and wanted to repurchase a back-up, and Hot Scorch and Berry Merry fell into the basket and have made me very content with my eyeliner options at the moment.

I succumbed to the lure of 3CE and selected one of their Lip & Cheek Creams while shopping with some fellow bloggers in the new Japanese store on Swanston Street. Swatches seem promising and I'm digging the packaging, it's all very kitsch Dior for me. I also picked up some Daiso blushes and a eyeshadow crayon while shopping with the girls, though as soon as I got home Mister Bovary was berating me for wasting money on cheap blushes when we know I prefer luxe brands. It's probably my only regretful purchase for May (but I haven't used them yet and they may turn out to be wonderful, I will keep you updated!)

The beautiful Ling brought back some YSL goodies I'd asked for while she was overseas. The famed YSL Rouge Pur Couture in 52 is something I'm scared to swatch, and the pure Gloss Volupte in 202 Rose Jersey is so pretty in the tube! Another winner was spotting the new Revlon Cheek Boutique and picking up 003 Mauvelous, easily the best shade from the launch. I also bought the Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick In Love with Ginger for half price after seeing it on a few blogs.

A little Mecca Cosmetica online splurge never hurt anyone ;)

 

I also bought a new little Muji storage and some house bits like photo frames and a bronze pear (it was a necessity okay?) and some Orly Cutique cuticle remover which I'm looking forward to trying! A few new pieces of clothing came home with me too but I'm yet to choose my yearly winter coat purchase - I'm thinking a nice navy one would be a good addition!

 

How much did you buy in May?

Do you find that keeping track of your spending helps curb your hauls?

Emma @ emmabovary

 

Korres Jasmine Lip Butter-Review and Swatches

You know those products that you hear so much about but end up a disappointment after the hype dies down? Not so with this baby! I have fallen madly in love with the Korres lip butter, and I let out a sigh every time it's smushy goodness hits my lips. Establised in Greece in 1996, the Korres brand is available through kit cosmetics and mecca cosmetica/maxima in Australia.

 The sturdy plastic pot of this lip butter has survived a drop on my bathroom floor, and because I have only used clean fingers when applying I have no fear of any pot-gloss related nasties forming. The lid for this shade is a pale dusty pink colour that I think is very attractive, and is a twist open style. It is lightweight because it is plastic, but I still find it a hardy enough design that is perfect for the thick formulation contained within.

The top has the brand name and shade in both Greek and English. This lip butter is marketed on the Korres website as:

As you can see in the above image, these lip butters are not clear but have a hint of tint to them. I found it so hard to get a good lip shot of this, so I am sad to say that I do not have one to share with you. I can tell you that Jasmine applies as a pale milky pink tint, a finish which I am generally not a fan of. To counter the milky nature of the shade, I run my finger over my lips once more after applying to really push the product in, and then I am left with a pleasant shade which looks like MLBB (my lips but better) You can see above how thick this baby is, and it really does melt into the lips with no effort whatsoever. With most lip products I own require warming up at time (cold mornings etc) but this never needs it.

What a beauty! Needless to say, the dip in the pot grows more and more every single day. I use it at the beginning of my morning routine to give it a chance to sink in, and I love that it's a little dose of aromatherapy every single time. I use it before bed also, and always wake up with soft and nourished lips in the morning. The Korres lip butter is petrolatum free and you can really feel the softness of the shea butter when using it.

A swatch of the Jasmine shade- please note, you shouldn't misjudge the softness of this and stick your clumsy fingers deep into it like I did. For $18.95 you get a little pot full of luxury for your lips, and I will be running back to Korres for another Jasmine or two when this runs out.

Have you tried the beautiful Korres lip butters?

What are your holy grail lip products?

emmabovary xx

week in review

A random mix up of what I've been up to over the last week or so!

Gorgeous star cookies at my neices 6th birthday last weekend, which had a rock star theme. Stars hung from the ceiling and all the kids got their faces painted (I got a line of flowers up my arm) The weather was perfect and the party kicked on into the wee hours of the night with plenty of dancing and drinking (for the adults, of course!)

Been wearing these studs that are a cross between a cognac and champagne zirconia. Bought them a few weeks back when I visited the Queen Victoria Market, and since I usually wear my gold hoops it was nice to change it up a bit!

I was lucky enough to get tickets to ABC's First Tuesday Book Club taping with Jennifer Byrne (info here) and saw her interview Christos Tsiolkas. I adored his book The Slap, and it was interesting to hear him speak about the book, about writing and how it has changed his life. My best friend Candice came along with me and we had lunch at an amazing little place in Elsternwick (I'll be reviewing it soon) The above image is a blossom she plucked from a tree as we were walking. I'll be posting other photos from the day soon, because Candice looked amazing and I'll be showing you the makeup she had on.

Had an adventure to Doncaster and rocked my bug sunnies which were kindly sent to me from Fashion Addict...I think this is the longest a pair of sunglasses have lasted for me, so I am very impressed! I'm planning on buying some scarves from them soon too, and for all of my international readers the amazing Australian brand Face of Australia is online there for you to purchase too! Hop to it! Have also fallen back in love with MAC Ever Hip, which is on zee lips in the above image.

While at Doncaster, I spent the Westfield voucher I had kicking around at Mecca. A little Mecca hauling never goes astray, especially when it's my first real taste of Nars!
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So that is pretty much the highlights of my week, I spent a lot of time writing assignments and catching up on readings so it was nice to spend time with family and friends (and with Mecca Cosmetica)
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Scent of the week: Bulgari Rose Essentielle
Lotion of the week: Aveeno!
Colour of the week: Chocolate brown
Polish of the week: Coral from Kit and Sportsgirl
Song of the week: Nicki Minaj Super Bass
Book of the week: Heart of Darkness-Joseph Conrad
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Have you done anything exciting this past week, or bought yourself anything?
Let me know in the comments below:)
emmabovary x

My Mecca Wishlist

I've been curbing quite a bit of my spending lately, and so 'wishlist' and 'lust-haves' are the terms of the month(as opposed to 'haul') I only discovered Mecca Cosmetica and Mecca Maxima last year, but the love has most certainly blossomed between us. I think that it's not so much the stellar brands and knowledgable staff that do it, but more that the whole concept makes my obsession with beauty loot seem completely natural! I spent a break at uni perusing the Mecca Cosmetica website, and thought I'd share my cravings with you. Enjoy!Blush is my new fave thing, and this one from Stila is irresistible. Candy conversation hearts, in blush form? Be still my beating heart and flushed cheeks! Available March 7. Ltd Ed.

This NARS Tainted Love set is so pretty, it's quite obvious that pink is my thing right now and so I'd love to overload on it with these prodz. Set contains Angelika gloss, Angelika multiple, and Schiap polish. $135. Ltd Ed.

I had a makeover at Mecca Maxima and these peel pads were used on me...my skin has never felt that soft! I was hesitant at first ('peel pad...?') but these weren't harsh or drying on my skin. I received a sample that I am yet to use, but if all goes well I think I will purchase these. $135 for a 30 day supply in travel sachets. Sherbet inspired fragrance? Comme des Garcons you have me enthralled! It's probably for the best that the one I want most (Rhubarb) is unavailable. Want to sniff these and see if the idea works. $69 for 30mls. Rhubarb, Peppermint, or Cinnamon. Having a love affair with Clinique at the moment and it feels so good. This set is adorable! It's the Ltd Ed Pretty Day Into Night Looks set, and will set you back $80.

That concludes my Mecca wish-list (for now)

Lemming anything from Mecca?

emmabovary xx