The Sister Makeover feat. Burberry Rosewood

Though I am by no means a trained makeup artist, my family tend to rope me into applying their makeup anytime they have a special event to attend. Indeed, when we are all going to the same event I often spend more time on their face than my own and they end up looking extra amazing (but don't worry, I always take the credit for it!) My sister recently attended a wedding and came to me to pretty up her face - here is the result!

I can't take credit for her side-swept hair (hair stylist I most definitely am not!) but I used some slightly grey-toned neutrals to just subtly define her eyes - she didn't want to go too dark for the daytime ceremony! I didn't manage to capture a photo of her front on without a funny face involved, so here is a picture of the back of her hair which looked so amazing! The plait ran from the side of her head around the back and into the flipped section which was loosely curled, and though I may be biased she looked so good!

I normally use the warmer shades from the Urban Decay Naked Palette on her (as she is quite tanned) but I went for cooler toned shades from other brands this time to mix it up a little bit. I swept Burberry Rosewood over the lid and then defined the crease with Too Faced Garter Belt, before highlighting the brow bone with Too Faced In The Buff. I went heavy with the highlight in the inner corners with Sin, and the look was complete!

Do you have a go-to look when you attend a wedding?
Do you intensify your makeup before the reception, or go all out from before the ceremony?

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

What's In My Makeup Bag - Weekend Edition

Heading away for a top notch weekend with family and friends, and decided to share what I’m taking along with me! Bioderma Crealine H2O* is a no brainer, and this travel sized bottle is perfect for packing away for times like this. I’ll be ‘freshening up’ before the evening events kick off on Friday and Saturday, so having this to give myself a clean canvas to work with is a must. Maybelline’s Dream Matte powder (not pictured, is in my handbag) will be on me at all times, to keep shine at bay and ensure any photos don’t see me appearing as shiny as a new dollar. The new Kiehls Aromatics range in Orange Flower & Lychee is coming with me (lotion & body cleanser*) as I love trying out new scents while staying somewhere new. I have a thing for sheer reds and lip crayons, so naturally a few from each category snuck their way into the makeup bag as well.

 

The usual skincare suspects are coming along for the weekend, as well as some Laura Mercier loves that I can’t stop using. My Clinique Superbalanced bronzer* is a definite favourite to make me look awake when I’m feeling less than perky (planning on some ciders over the weekend, obviously!) and so will my YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat*. I’ve planned my outfits pretty thoroughly and know what lipsticks will suit the looks, so bright pinks and oranges are a must! I didn’t have enough time to really try on all the shades with the looks, so threw a heap from each category in there to choose from on the day. Serial overpacker, but we’re going up on a big bus with lots of room for luggage so I don’t mind!

 

 

 

If you spot any products you’d like a review of or have any makeup look ideas you want me to try, please drop a comment below and let me know!

Do you have any tips on packing? Do you overpack, underpack, or hit it out of the park every time?

 

 

*Marked items were provided for consideration, which wasn’t a factor in them being thrown into my makeup bag. Honesty, always.

Current Favourites

Time to share my current beauty loves with you all!

Illamasqua Blush in Sophie*

 This coral shade has golden shimmer in it which just adds a glow to the skin, without making my cheeks look like chubby glitter pillows! I love the shimmer blushes from Illamasqua, so far they've only made a few shades in the shimmer formula but wow they like to do it right.

 

Dior Amber Diamond

I think everyone in the beauty world knows of this beauty! I love the way this blends so easily into the cheekbones, and makes me look awake in a natural way. I love to pair this with Sophie and the Clinique bronzer to create a pretty, sunny look, even on my fair bear face.

 

Victoria's Secret Amber Romance Body Lotion

I bought this in the airport on the way back from IMATS and BBU, and I am addicted to the scent. I don't think I've tried anything with amber before, and I suspect I may be a fan. The bottle is shimmery and pretty, and I can't wait to keep this on my desk when I set up my new makeup area.

Clinique Superbalanced Bronzer*

Usually not one for bronzer, I've been dusting this on almost every day for the past couple of weeks! I like that it suits my pale complexion, but is also buildable so would work for medium complexions as well. I get a real thrill when I shave off some of this sunshine in a pot, it actually makes me look forward to doing my makeup a little bit more.

 

Urban Decay Naked Palette

I've had this for an age, and go through stages where I use it non-stop and lately, that has been the trend. My favourites shadows from it are (obviously) Virgin, which I use to highlight, and Sin, which I either use all over or in my inner corner. Smog, Darkhorse and Toasted are other favourites that I've been using a heap lately.

 

Laura Mercier Eye & Cheek Palette

Have been obsessed with the African Violet eyeshadow from this palette, but every shade has graced my lids of late. Black Plum is a most beautiful colour for a wee smoky eye of an evening.

 

 

 

What are your current favourites?

Do you wear makeup every day, or just on special occasions?

 

*Marked products were provided, but are honest favourites of mine right now.



Smog // An Urban Decay Face of the Day

It was when I saw this post from Lil Lady Life that I turned my attention to a shadow that had been sitting neglected in my Urban Decay Naked palette. I use the general palette quite often, have almost used up Virgin and wear Sin with Darkhorse far too frequently, but Smog lay unloved amongst the neutrals.

 Apart from the fact that my laugh are out of control in this picture (I must've been very cheerful that day!) I love the way Smog makes my eyes jump out without being glittery, though it is quite a metallic, shimmery look.

I swept Smog over the lid with a flat shader brush, and blended the edges with a clean fluffy brush. I ran some Smog along my lower lashline, which created a sort of foiled effect which I really like. I like to run Sin from the Naked palette along the inner third of my lower lashline and into my inner corner, the shade is perfect for brightening up a look without clashing with any of the colours used. I finished off with Virgin to highlight my browbone.

The mascara I used for this look is the Revlon Grow Luscious mascara in Black Shimmer. I'm not sure of my feelings for this mascara, even though I've been using it for a while now. I'm not sure where the 'shimmer' comes into it, I see no difference in colour between this and my regular black mascaras.

I've been wearing this look quite a bit this past month, and I think the obsession will continue right through October as it is a look that suits all seasons. Running some deep brown liner and adding a more volumising mascara would take this look into a nighttime look, so I'm looking forward to giving that a go as well.

 

Are you a fan of Smog?

What are your most used UD shades?

Malibu Barbie FOTD

                   

When a piece from my cosmetic collection jumps out at me, I tend to base my whole look around it. While getting ready for work I came across my stunning Face of Australia Malibu Barbie lipstick, and I decided to choose products to compliment it.

Bourjois Healthymix Serum is a foundation I use quite regularly, it gives a luminous finish and is easy to apply with my fingers, which is how I applied it for this look. I find that I need to scrub my lips a few times a week to keep them in good condition, and I scrubbed them with Lush's Mint Julips before applying Malibu Barbie to make the most of the gorgeous shade.

The Urban Decay Naked palettes have been out in full force lately, and I used a mixture of shades from each to create a subtle eye look that wouldn't compete with the bright lip. Benefit Hervana was a perfect blush choice to pair with this look, the pale pink shade is very wearable and went well with the essence highlighter in Flamingo Pink, which is a very subtle shimmer powder.

Malibu Barbie is a stunning bright pink shade that I find really comfortable to wear, it is smooth and creamy without being too slippery, which also helps it last quite well on my lips. It is the sort of shade that would look good on most skin tones I think, and it seems to brighten my pale skin quite well. I have a few of the Face of Australia lipsticks from this line and so far I have been really impressed with them all, both in colour and in formulations.

How often do you wear bright pink lip shades?

Have you tried the Face of Australia lipsticks yet?

Malibu Barbie is available at Kmart,Priceline and Big W, and on Fashion Addict here (they ship internationally!)

a golden guest

A make up artist by no means, I still love to slap some of my collection onto other peoples faces for fun. My girl Candice and I were getting ready to go to a hen's night (we had to look good, I was maid of honour!!) and she let me do her up.

Candice's dress had golden tones in it, so we went with a full on eye (compared to what she normally wears, anyway)

I laid out the Urban Decay Naked palette before her and let her have free reign. Half-Baked it was, and I snuck Virgin as her highlight and chose Mercury from TopShop for her crease (amazing colour, post up ASAP!)

I made Candice line her own eyes as I wasn't confident of my capability to liquid line someone elses eye, and she used Maybelline Line Define (which has been discontinued, to her horror) and a Maybelline mascara, too.

I think her eye shape and skin tone works really well with this look, and the smudge of Half-Baked under her eye makes such a dramatic difference to her normal eye look. I'm not sure what made me pair Mercury with the golden tones, but I really like the contrast and it made her eyes really pop. She wore a nude lip gloss with this look, and the face looked just as good on the way home in the early hours of the morning as it did when we left for the hen's night!

You can't really see how nice her eyes look when they're all scrunched up, but you can most definitely see how much of a cutie she is! And don't mind my pose, it comes naturally after a champagne or two! I am super washed out in this photo but I love it anyway, it was taken on the party bus on the way to the second or third club.

What night look do you lean toward?

Are you a bright lip-lover or smoky eye wearer?

The Hunger Games: A Katniss Everdeen Look

The Hunger Games film came out in Australia last Thursday, and I was excited to see how the adaption would turn out! I have read the first two books so far and am holding out on the 3rd 'til uni holidays, but watching the movie has made me want to dive into it right now!
Chris and I went to a restaurant before the movie on Friday night, and I was inspired by The Hunger Games protagonist Katniss Everdeen when I was doing my makeup.

Katniss is quite a natural beauty in both the book and the film, and so I decided to create a healthy flushed look (from running around the forest!) with bright eyes to open my face up. A natural lip look was necessary as Katniss doesn't seem the type to wear makeup anyway, and wears simple balm for most of the film.

Face:

Bourjois Healthymix 52

YSL Creme de Blush in 02

Bourjois Chocolate Bronzing Powder

Benefits Watts Up! highlighter*

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in Cream

Eyes:

MAC Painterly Paint Pot

Urban Decay Sin (Naked Palette)

Urban Decay Virgin (Naked Palette)

Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes mascara

Ardell Clear Brow Gel

Lips:

1skinsolution Vanilla lip balm

Clinique Chubby Stick in Whole Lotta Honey

Katniss rocks quite a few brighter looks in the film when her stylist Cinna takes control over her look, and I can't wait to try some of them out! Cinna's gold liner is also gorgeous, and I will definitely be using him as inspiration in a look soon!

I decided to use my YSL Creme de Blush as I think it gives a great natural finish compared to powder blushes, and it lasts really well which is also part of the reason why it is one of my favourite products. I have an in-depth post coming up on these blushes, they are incredible.

I wore my khaki cargo pants and a long sleeved black top with chunky boots to see the film, I felt a bit funny semi-dressing up but it sure got me into The Hunger Games mood! I also wore my hair to the side with a plait to really channel Katniss' look, and I decided I really like my hair this way.

And now, I leave you with my 'I can't wait to see The Hunger Games movie' face.
 You're welcome!

This look has coincided with a challenge from Sara-May at Makeup Utopia as part of their regular challenges. This round has challenged us (here) to create a look inspired by The Hunger Games- I urge you all to have a look at some of the inspiration there and give it a go yourself! I had this post ready before the challenge but am glad to be finally involved in a challenge- I may give another look a go in the coming week!

Have you read The Hunger Games series, or seen the film?

What do you think of the look?

Are you Team Peeta, or Team Gale?

Do you think the film adaption did the novel justice?

Items marked * were provided for consideration.

Sinful FOTD and Wellbeing Wednesday

I'll be honest- in the morning, the thing that gets me out of bed is the thought of a flat white from my favourite cafe near work. As the sun rises it's the place to be, or so says those who are also there early (one grandfather, and a business man who never seems to be working) On these mornings, I generally can't be bothered with intricate eye looks, and today I willl show you my recent fall-back look. Inspired, as always, by the amazing Jess at The Belle Lumiere, I cracked out my Urban Decay Naked Palette and went to town with one of the best shades it contains:

Sin!

Hello mascara smudges, 'sup

A super classy sheen of a shimmer, no chunky glitter fest here! (Though I am fond of those at times, too) Sin is a beautiful champagne shade that I can't imagine looking bad on anyone.

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A super wearable shade

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Ooh look,sunrise! I jest, this is here to show you how Sin is one of those kick ass shadows that make you look as though you have more than one shade on. It appears darker in the crease which fancies it up a notch, a big win for me.
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Products used:

Bourjois HealthyMix Serum Foundation #52

Sleek Rose Gold Blush

Urban Decay Buck eyeshadow for brows

Ardell Clear Brow Gel

Clinique High Impact Mascara

Nothing on the lips, though I did pop some Korres Jasmine on during the day

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I really love Sin as a wash of colour over the lid as I'm running out the door, and am glad that Jess mentioning it rekindled my love for the shade.

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HOW WICKED IS YOUR WELLBEING?

Mine is going along pretty well, I was uber successful in last weeks challenge so am a happy camper! The group challenge last week was to keep a food diary, and it became a habit for me so I breezed through the challenge. I can now see patterns of eating and the sneaky calories that have been my downfall, and am now working on altering decisions with my food intake. I also found out just how much hommus I really eat! Yowza!
How did everyone else go with the food diary?
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My personal challenge last week was to spend more time with the people I love, and it makes my heart swell to say I excelled at this challenge. More afternoons with my Mum, coffee and shopping with elderly family friends, dinner at a work friends place, city trips with my bestie, my niece's dancing concert as well as nightly walks with Chris meant my vibe meter was skyrocketing! It felt nice to just sit and enjoy their company, without thinking about assignments or work issues.
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I kept up with the previous weeks challenges which involved downing more water and chomping on lots of fruit and veg, as well as getting active at least 4 times each week. This Wellbeing Wednesday initiative has been so good to me!
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Image Source Unknown, let me know if it's yours!

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This weeks Group Challenge is to spend more time with loved ones, and avoid lifts and escalators in favour of taking the stairs. Your tush will thank you for it!

My Personal Challenge is to cut out alcohol for at least 6 out of the 7 days this week (I may have decided to do 6 days because of the upcoming annual MBBE ;) ) and to eat chia seeds each day. I got this great challenge idea from Sabine at Echolife !
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A Bronzed FOTD ft. Illamasqua, MAC and the Naked Palette

Neutrals are my best friends, and this look was created with some of my favourites from brands like Urban Decay, MAC, Illamasqua and Face of Australia.

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Face of Australia Mineral Therapy Liquid Foundation in Beige

Illamasqua concealer

Eco-Tools concealer brush

Essence Shimmer Powder in Flamingo Pink

BYS blush in Candyfloss

Jack Black Balm

MAC lip gelee in Straight to the Head

Urban Decay eyeshadow in Buck (from Naked Palette)

Urban Decay pencil in Zero

Napoleon Perdis brush (holiday collection)

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My base products for this look consisted of Face of Australia's Mineral Therapy foundation which I am in the midst of testing. The shade 'beige' was a little too dark for me, but still wearable. This Illamasqua concealer is one I use everyday, sadly my skin is not in top condition and I have quite a few blemishes that need covering.

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BYS have some great shades in their blush range, and Candyfloss is my favourite. I used this with Essence's Flamingo Pink highlighting powder along the cheekbones to try and brighten up my dull skin.

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Mister Christopher bought me Illamasqua Bronx for Christmas, and when I received the Naked palette for my birthday the next week I assumed I had no use for the shade anymore. Not so! This shadow is a true stunner, and I'm glad we lost the receipt and couldn't exchange it. I layered Bronx over Buck from the palette, next time I create this look I would blend lighter shades up higher for a more intense look. I finished the look with a smudge of Urban Decay liner in Zero, and Benefit's BadGal Lash mascara.

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I originally went with my clear Jack Black balm for this look, before I remembered that I had just received MAC's lip gelee in Straight to the Head from Lilit's blog sale. It's quite opaque and gives a sort of frosted finish, I will be reviewing it in depth soon.

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This look is my version of an 'everyday' casual look. I found it to be pretty subtle but Bronx really made it all pop just that little bit.

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I hope you enjoyed this FOTD, if you have any ideas of looks I should try do let me know.

I would love some inspiration!

emmabovary xx