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.

Mum's Makeup Collection

Coming from a family who aren’t beauty crazed in the slightest, one must wonder how I became the way I am today. For the record, I’m blaming other beauty blogs for all the obsessions and temptations-good job,guys! My Mum, bless her, has a teensy makeup and skincare collection, the majority of which was bought by me or taken from my stash. She likes to wear a coloured liner once in a while, has just gotten hooked on blush, and uses an Avon lipliner as her tried and true lipcolour. Here is her stash!

 

 

This Savvy by DB blush was originally mine, but Ionce used it on Mum during a makeover and she laid claim to it. I can tell that beauty blogging has changed me, because my excitement at seeing her awesome pan hit was understood by nobody but me! I think this is her first blush, and I love the way it warms up her whole face. It kicks off quite a bit of powder but it is really cheap, and now that I know she will wear blush I can get her something a little pricier to use next time.

 

I bought Mum both of the essence palettes last year when she bemoaned her lack of eyeshadows, and she loves that they aren't crazily pigmented. It makes them easier to use for those who are new to applying eyeshadow, but they are nice enough for beauty lovers to enjoy as well! 

 

 

 

The Face of Australia Impact Curl mascara is one that I have gotten my whole family onto, it really opens the eye up and holds a curl well. The Aromatherapy Associates sample* is something Mum used while on the plane when she went overseas with Dad earlier in the year, and she said she likes the texture. Mum swears by the ultra-cheap Australian Lanolin Oil Night Cream, or indeed most other variations from the $3 Big W range. Her skin is baby soft, so maybe she knows something I don’t!?

What does your Mum keep in her beauty and skincare cabinet? I’d love to see your thoughts in the comments below (Mum is terrified that no-one will like the posts about her on my blog, so show her that isn’t true!)

Nostalgic Scents // Marc Jacobs Daisy

 Smell is one of the most amazing senses that a human has, and has the ability to transport you to a moment in time, or remind you of someone in a split second. Some scents in my perfume collection make me feel strong, some dainty, some masculine and some sexy. The smell of most Lynx deodorants completely reminds me of boys in high school shooting spit bombs at one another. An unknown cheap male aftershave reminds me of my highschool boyfriend (both quite stinky;p) and the beauty below reminds me of my beautiful mother.

Launched in 2007, Daisy is a watery floral with notes of strawberry, violet leaf and grapefruit (according to Fragrantica here) I am not known for my ability to draw out certain notes from perfumes, so to my nose I smell a light floral fragrance, which on my mothers skin is muskier than it is on mine. In my experience, Marc Jacobs fragrances disappear quite quickly on my skin, but on other members of my family the scent is much stronger and longer lasting. That is, of course, the beauty of sampling fragrance in small sizes/at a fragrance hall or store.

Daisy has been recreated in the form of Daisy Eau So Fresh, a much fruitier and more summery scent, in my opinion. The latest release from Marc Jacobs is Dot, a sweet and tropical scent with the cutest bottle ever! My mum has just purchased this from duty free, and I'm looking forward to sneaking a few spritzes and sharing my thoughts with you here once more.

 

Some scents are so rich and evocative of certain people, and even though I don't suit this perfume, it holds a dear space in my heart and makes me smile and think of my Mum every time I sniff it. Every person I know has their 'signature' scent, and I love the connection that can be made between a human and a scent.

 

Do you have a signature scent?

What scents do you associate with the people around you?

 

*This perfume is from my Mum's collection, and smells great on her. Honesty, always.

 

Mums Marvellous Makeover!

I thought that posting these gorgeous shots of my Mama was appropriate considering that Mothers Day is looming (Sunday 13th, in case you were unaware!) Mum rarely wears more than a swipe of liner or eyeshadow, but often asks me to muck around with my stash and make her over as we watch daytime TV on my days off.

I decided to try out a smoky eye look on her, and I don't think I've ever seen her with so much makeup on! She asked if I would do her makeup 'with some black eye shadow, I didn't even know black shadow existed!' She was actually dumbfounded when she saw me open a palette to reveal a black pan! How cute is that!?

I used a few new release products that I'm roadtesting at the moment, including a great smoky palette from bargain Australian brand BYS, which I'll be reviewing in detail next week. Here is a look at the new Animal Instincts* palette...

I used a mixture of all of the shades to create this look, along with the Jane Iredale Mystikol* powdered eyeliner and highlight duo (I only used the powdered eyeliner side for this look) This in part of a beautiful gift set that Jane Iredale has produced in time for Mothers Day, which I will be sharing with you this week.

The Jane Iredale lip plumper in Tokyo is the perfect shade for my Mum, I was elated when I popped it on her! It is also part of the new Jane Iredale gift set, and can be worn sheer or built up for a nice rosy glow on the lips. Mum noticed the tingling sensation after I applied it, but she couldn't decide if she liked the effect or not. I personally love a good tingle in my plumping products!

I wanted to see what Mum would look like with my favourite blush on, and I think it looks fab on her. Covergirl True Plum is a stunner, I've tried it on my sister as well and she looked amazing,too. What a winner of a shade!

I think the look works when Mum pops her glasses on as well, it still stands out and defines her eyes beyond her lenses. I think I will have to bite the bullet and get glasses soon, so it was nice to try out a look specifically for that. I used a bit of powder over her face to set the blush and just provide the slightest bit of coverage all over, as Mum doesn't wear foundation or anything like that.

What do you think of my Mums makeover?!

Do your family members ever rope you in to make them over?

What are your plans for Mothers Day?

(Items marked * were provided for consideration. Honesty, always.)

HIP HIP HOORAY!

It's my Mumma's birthday today!!

The best shopping buddy I could ask for, the best-dressed lady I know (though we do share clothes so it just makes sense;)) and one of the most honest person I have in my life. The kind of person to tell you if you have lipstick on your cheek, she's worth having around. I won't share her age with you, let's just roll with 21 and keep her happy. She raised all four of us kids and I'll be honest, she did a stellar job!

In the past few years she has:

Quit smoking- yaaay!

Joined a gym, and goes 3 times a week without fail

Culled some of her extensive shoe collection (to make room for more pairs)

Planned an overseas holiday to enjoy time with my Dad

Pretty good job, I must say.

*

So here's to you Mum, I love you dearly

At Moomba festival, sporting the mask she made with my neice!

Our 'bestie' woven bracelets ;)

emmabovary xx