The Christmas Party



The first of many festive celebrations was on last weekend - Mister Bovary's work Christmas party! Held at a gorgeous venue with views of the sea, I was looking forward to a night of nice finger food, decent company and people watching. I decided to wear a mustard yellow dress with strappy wedges as it was a nice warm night, and naturally I went matchy matchy with Mister Bovary's navy shirt and chose to create a navy smokey eye (my night-time go to!) 

I pulled out a few nude lip options to go with my dark eye look, and in the end Mister Bovary chose for me after I swatched them all for him. I had a few brown toned nudes in there like Revlon Rosy Future* and Clinique Whole Lotta Honey Chubby Stick, but I also had some pink tones like Kardashian Beauty Au Natural Honey Gloss (Kourtney's shade), Laura Mercier Sweetheart, Models Prefer Angel Wings and essence Natural Beauty. Mister Bovary ended up choosing essence Natural Beauty and Laura Mercier Sweetheart.

I had to scrounge for some navy blues as I haven't used them since we moved into the house! The trusty Inglot came out, which houses my very favourite navy shade, but I looked into some of my other palettes from BYS and L'Oreal for other blues to mix in to create a more interesting eye look.

I love palettes in a big, big way...

 I added in some shimmer from the Body Shop*, Clarins Instant Concealer*, Tarte Exposed and my Rimmel Scandaleyes liner and the look was complete! I actually ran out of time before I had the chance to paint my nails even though there are some stunning OPI bottles in this picture - our ride picked us up early so they got a chance to meet Charlie and play with him!

Not exactly a clear makeup look photo, but this is the only blurry snap we managed in the dim light of the swanky bar. We had a great time and I was really happy with my makeup too, I layered my foundation and concealer to really even out my skin tone and it was well worth the effort!

Hope you are all having a relaxed lead up to the crazy part of the festive season - I am almost finished with my shopping and then will be able to practise baking and chill out with the family before my favourite day of the year arrives!

 

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

 

4 Beach Beauty Essentials

Now that Australia has turned the heat to high, I've been reaching for my hot weather essentials more than ever before. Pool parties and beach trips have been happening quite often for me, and these 4 products have really helped me stay fresh in the sweltering weather.

Invisible Zinc's Tinted Daywear in Light* is what I take with me for tropical holidays, and it is also perfect for a light base for any water based action. It warms up my face while protecting it with SPF 30+ and is a physical sunscreen, which I prefer. It does look quite greasy on, so the next product is a must...

Maybelline's Dream Matte powder in Cream is the best powder I've ever used, and I've gone through many pans over the years. It never cakes and provides a matte finish and a little bit of coverage, so it goes perfectly with the Invisible Zinc for daytime.

I'm a big fan of the Stila Convertible Colors, and this mini size is perfect for throwing in my bag and applying with my fingers. The colour I have on at the moment is Lillium, but I have quite a few of these cheek cremes in my stash. They add a touch of colour to my face without looking overdone for the pool or beach, which I love.

YSL Glossy Stains are one of my very favourite lip products, and I love how long wearing they are. You get the best of both worlds with them, as they have the depth of a lipstick with the shine of a gloss, plus they won't melt in your bag at the beach. I pack away my lipsticks during this time of year, in Melbourne it is just too hot to risk melting my favourite shades so I stick to crayons, liquid lipsticks or gloss.

So there you have it, my top 4 summer beauty essentials for trips to the beach or poolside jaunts. What are yours?

Emma x

*marked product was provided, but I had a tube of it previously and have always loved it. Honesty, always.

Flamingo & Party Parrot - Iris Apfel for MAC

MAC seem to be pumping out the collections lately, but this is one I had my eye on from the start. My favourite YouTube ladies Allison (Amarixe) and Ingrid (MissGlamorazzi) had managed to snaffle some gorgeous pieces from the Iris Apfel collection, and I knew what I wanted before the prodz hit Australia.

Party Parrot (bright red-pink) seemed like it would be an excellent bright to add to my collection, while Flamingo (light milky bright coral) would make a lovely pink to swoon over.

Matte formula, my first from MAC.

(Party Parrot)

(Party Parrot)

*

(Flamingo)

(Flamingo)

Flamingo and Party Parrot

Flamingo in top and Party Parrot below, I really like the matte effect of Party Parrot though I was a little worried when I ordered it. I've tried it on and don't find it to be drying, but haven't had a proper go at it so expect a FOTD soon.

I compared the two next to MAC's Ever Hip to compare, you'll see that Ever Hip (last swatch) is much peachier than Flamingo which I'm really happy about. Have been obsessed with pink lips lately, Flamingo is a winner.

Did you pick up anything from the Iris Apfel collection?
What are your favourite MAC shades? I have a voucher to spend and unsure what to choose!

lemon lovely

A few weeks back I hosted a Body Shop party, and our consultant was my cousin, Ruth. My fam came, and a few of my friends, and the eventual in-laws. We got to spend an hour getting scrubbed and moisturised, as I had chosen the party that showcases The Body Shop's top 10 prodz. Standouts for me were the scrubs, I fell in love with them when my sister gifted me her mango tub ages ago(scent was too overwhelming for her) I looove strong smelling prodz, however, and was won over not only by the reminder of fresh mangoes every shower but how gritty the scrub itself is. The grains in it are coarse, and leave me feeling really soft. I had heard about the 'sweet lemon' range that The Body Shop have been rocking lately, but hadn't popped into a store to have a sniff yet. I leapt at it at the party, and ordered it as part of my free prodz (for hosting the party) I also nabbed a wild cherry soap bar, and Born Lippy pink guava lip balm.

Wild Cherry Soap Bar (100G $4.95)

Born Lippy Balm in Pink Guava(10ML $7.95)

Sweet Lemon Body Scrub (200ml $27.95)


If anyone is in the Melbourne area and is interested in hosting a Body Shop At Home party, email me and I can forward my cousin's details. I'd highly recommend it, it's nice to sit with a glass of wine and your girlfriend's when you're trialling prodz!

emmabovary x
(images nabbed from The Body Shop)