Olive Green and the Power of Compliments

Years ago when I was an undergraduate at university, I walked into an afternoon tutorial on an average Wednesday rugged up in a big scarf and with my bag heaving with a new stack of library books. The lady running the tutorial at the time is a local author and she stopped speaking to compliment my makeup and ask me where I was heading after class! The quickest and most simple compliment (I was heading home to read after class!) stuck with me for all these years, and subsequently every time I wear olive green or khaki eyeshadow I'm reminded of that moment and it makes me smile. It also reminds me that if you think a nice thought while out and about, it's often worth saying something to the person, it could make their day! I often throw quick (genuine!) compliments if I see someone wearing something lovely and some may think me strange, but I'm happy to take the risk so that they have a chance at that lovely feeling that I had years ago. Here are some of my favourite olive toned shades that I love to wear (not including the MAC shade I was actually wearing for that tutorial, Mink & Sable!)

-MAC Cosmetics 'Grand Entrance' from the Intriguing Scarlet Warm Eyes Palette (MAC Passions of Red collection, 2008)

-Chanel Illusion D'Ombre '84 Epatant'

-Prestige Total Intensity shadow 'Bewitched'

-Inglot Eyeshadow Pearl '419'

-Lancôme Ombre Hypnose 'Erika F'

-Colourpop Super Shock Shadow 'Hammered'

-Rimmel Exaggerate Eye Crayon 'Urban Camouflage'

Swatches! MAC, Chanel, Prestige, Inglot, Rimmel, Colourpop, Lancome

Have you ever given someone you don't know well a compliment? Or have you been given one yourself?
Are you a fan of green shades like the ones I've shared today?
-Emma 

Russian Navy - The Classic OPI Blue I Was Yet to Try

For someone who has a shedload of nail polish, I have to admit that I haven't tried as many of the 'classic' popular shades that most lacquer aficionados so often rave about. For my latest manicure I pulled out the bottle of Russian Navy* that OPI sent me many moons ago but that I was yet to try, because despite it technically being summer here in Australia, the cold winds and rain call for a deep and mysterious colour.

 

Russian Navy is a deep blue that's filled with blue and red shimmers, the latter causing the polish to appear quite purple in the bottle in my opinion. On the nail the fine shimmer seems much less pronounced and dare I say more demure? I wasn't sure if I was keen on the colour but the compliments rolled in and the fact that a dark shade like this is flattering and not harsh on my very pale hands is no mean feat, so I will give Russian Navy props for that.

 

 

 

I'm still on the fence about this colour, but I think the fact that I've not worn a dark shade like this in quite some time has played into my opinion of it and I definitely appreciate how beautiful this appears when the coloured shimmers flash, particularly in low light. After having a look at other reviews of Russian Navy (The Daily Varnish, All Lacquered Up) I learnt that it came out with the Russian collection back in 2007, but was made permanent by OPI so is still widely available today. The more shimmery OPI Ink is still in my mind as a colour to try and this comparison post has kind of cemented my wish to try it on one day - what can I say, I love a fair whack of shimmer in my polishes!

 Are you a fan of dark and mysterious shades like this?
What classic polish shade do you swear by?
-Emma

*Product provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

 

Tiny Drugstore Makeup Haul

I showed quite a bit of restraint during the lastest Priceline 40% sale and really only went for items I'd had my eye on for a while and that I knew I wouldn't shove in a drawer and forget about. I could have gone crazy at the essence stand had it not been wiped clean, but I guess paying full price is still a bargain with that brand anyway.

Knowing how much use I'd gotten from my Max Factor Crème Puff Blush in Nude Mauve (it has flattened out quite a bit and I can see myself using it up one day!) I decided to try out another shade from the range and chose Seductive Pink; terrible name, but my what a shade! It swatched so beautifully and I'm looking forward to busting it out soon now that I'm slowly stepping away from natural blushes back into my brights and my pinks!

Speaking of pinks, I spent an age swatching all of the new L'Oreal Infallible Lip Gloss shades before deciding on the bright pink 109 Fight For It. So far I think I quite like the plush formula and shade but I'm not sold on the 'lip shaped applicator' which collects quite a bit more product than I need for a single application. I really prefer liquid lip products once summer hits Melbourne, I've melted too many lipsticks in my handbag to bother even trying again so this was perfect timing for me and in a great summer shade, too.

Last but not least, my favourite pick from this petite makeup haul - Revlon Photoready Eye Art Lid+Line+Lash in 080 Desert Dazzle! It is the most stunning shade of shimmery khaki alongside a gorgeous golden glitter and I've been trying to find it since I fell in love with my first two Eye Arts here. I plan on rocking that glitter for the festive season, yes I do!



L'Oreal Fight For It
Revlon Desert Dazzle
Max Factor Seductive Pink

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Happy 1st of December everyone! I've got the majority of my Christmas décor up and looking pretty, now to tackle the tree whilst cranking Mariah Carey at full volume. Hope you enjoyed seeing my tiny haul, I'm off to caffeinate myself and finish the last 5% of my Christmas shopping today! x

Rita Ora x Rimmel - Glaston-Berry

I'm quite pleased to see the back of winter here in Melbourne - I'm welcoming spring with open arms and bright poppy red coloured nails! I couldn't stop myself from snapping up this happy coral leaning red shade from the newly released Rita Ora x Rimmel London collection - especially when I caught it at half price from Priceline on my lunch break!

The Glaston-Berry shade is right up my alley - happy and bright but with an edge! I love the formula of these 60 Second Super Shine Rimmel polishes and find them to be really pigmented with a nice wide brush, which I find a lot easier to use than other brands.

I snapped a few of these swatch photos with a Balinese map in the background as I've spent a whole lot of time poring over the travel books my agent gave me...my husband and I have just booked a trip to Bali for early 2016! Our closest friends are getting married there and we can't wait to have a relaxing holiday and explore Bali together.

I definitely give this Rita Ora shade two thumbs up - not only is the bottle adorable and the formula lovely, the shade selection is really fresh and modern, too. I'm tempted to pick up Bestival Blue, Neon Fest and Go Wild-er-ness after seeing this awesome blog post with swatches...

These polishes retail for $7.95/8ml and are available at Chemist Warehouse, Priceline and anywhere else Rimmel is sold!

What do you think of the Glaston-Berry shade?
Where will your next holiday be?
Emma x

essie Bump Up The Pumps + Jiggle Hi, Jiggle Low (Winter 2014)

I know that some of my followers live in countries that are freezing cold in winter, but I can't help but whinge about how frosty cold Melbourne is at the moment! I needed a pop of bright in my life and my dark work wardrobe wasn't going to fulfil that for me, so I looked to my new nail polishes for some inspiration. The latest essie collection* released for Winter 2014 hit that mark for me!

 

Bump Up The Pumps is described on the American essie website as a 'raucous coral mauve' but I don't see any mauve tones and wouldn't jump to the word raucous to describe this happy shade. A super pigmented pink-based coral creme, this jumped out as my favourite in the collection immediately and it was the first to hit my nails! It applied nicely and is the perfect coral shade for chilly weather, and would look just as gorgeous in summer. I can totally see myself wearing this on my toes for summer 2015...

 

Jiggle Hi, Jiggle Low has me a little bit torn - the name makes me giggle and I love the pewter edge and bronze flecks that saves this from being a standard silver foil (which I find pretty hard to wear in general) but it just doesn't seem like the kind of shade I'd reach for often, unless it were for a festive manicure or something like that. It's described as a molten gold but my eyes see more silver than anything else...Mumma Bovary called dibs on this one when we opened the press parcel and I think it's going to live at her house, but I'll definitely borrow it for a festive mani when December rolls around (is anyone else excited about Christmas at this point of the year, or is it just me? It's already JUNE for crying out loud!)

Overall I am really pleased with the quality of these shades and am very much enamoured with Bump Up The Pumps. For another look at all of the shades in this collection, check out this wonderful Ommorphia Beauty Bar post.

-Emma

*This essie collection was provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Getting Back Into MAC Lipsticks

It's been a while since I've given much love to my MAC lipstick collection, which reminds me that I've never actually shared the extent of my MAC lip stash with you...is that something you would be interested in seeing? I am by no means a MAC fan girl and haven't bought from their infamous limited edition collections in a long time, but somehow I have accumulated a rather large lot of the shiny black tubes and some of the colours I have are pretty fabulous if I do say so myself! I recently found myself reaching for these 4 MAC shades and it feels quite nice to be shopping my stash.



For some reason I always forget how bright and pink Lustering is until I open that cap - it's a pink that gives off a watermelon vibe but throws more of a berry tone when I wear it. I think it will work really well when I'm all rugged up this coming winter as it's quite a brightening shade - it's not my favourite shade but I'm going to try and make it work!

A true favourite of late is the rediscovered Hot Tahiti - a literal favourite as shown in my recent favourites post. It's the wearable daytime red that I've been wearing to work a lot lately, it's a terracotta toned red but because it's a glaze finish it's really easy to wear. I think I'm going to have to dedicate a makeup look post to this soon!

One of the best MAC shades I've pulled out of my acrylic drawers is Party Parrot - not only is the shade name awesome, it's the only matte lipstick I own from the brand and I had to hunt it down back in the day (posted about that here if you're interested!) It's a bright red-pink and definitely one for the brave days.

 

Finally, the beautiful MAC Plumful. This one gets a spin more often than all of my other MAC lip products and it's definitely one of the more widely popular colours I have from them. It's a really pretty plum (funny that!) with a lustre finish, which doesn't add much to the lasting power of this but it wears off evenly so it doesn't bother me much at all. The mauve tones that are really popular right now can be hard to wear but I think Plumful is a great transition shade to work your way up to channelling Kylie Jenner lips...

 

Lustering, Hot Tahiti, Party Parrot, Plumful

What is the best MAC lipstick you own?

Are you a MAC fan girl, or are the constant limited edition collections too much for you?

-Emma

Peach Blush Perfection

Getting stuck in a blush rut is pretty frustrating for a #blushfiend - I love so many different blushes but often stick to my neutral loves and neglect the other colour families that should be thrown in every now and again. The ease of a neutral that goes with everything is tempting, but each time I lay a peachy powder across my apples I am reminded of just why these blushes are so darn popular.

All of these are quite pigmented peach shades, all with different shade leanings (some are more pink-toned, whereas orange shines through in others!) The Luma Cosmetics blush in Soft Peach* is the latest to enter my stash but don't let the 'soft' name fool you - this ginormous blush pan packs a punch and needs a light hand to apply without looking a bit crazy. The same can be said for TheBalm's Hot Mama which is the shimmeriest of this bunch, perhaps of my whole collection? (I try to buff the shimmer out for glowier cheeks #HotTip)

MAC Springsheen is the most orange-toned, a rusty sort of peach that I was once afraid of using on my fair skin before true #blushfiend bravery set in years ago. I think the fact that it is a sort-of neutral rusty peach is what redeems it in my eyes, ya know? A shade that needs no redemption is Clinique's Peach Pop*, a shade that consistently impresses every time I swipe some colour from the gorgeous embossed petal pan. More often than not this is the blush that sparks a blush upheaval in the ranks and pushes my neutral blushes aside, which as I mentioned earlier is no mean feat...

Saving the best for last, my beautiful Illamasqua Sophie*. When this hit my desk many moons ago I knew not how hard I'd fall for this stunner - in the pan she appears awkwardly glittery and dry, but on the cheeks she blends and brightens with an ease that makes me sigh every.single.time. It's the pink tones in this that make this so amazing I think, and it really cemented the fact that Illamasqua know how to knock it out of the park with their blushes!

I'm off to scan my blush drawers for more peachy goodness...hit me up with your favourite peach shades, lest I slide on back to my overloved Tarte Exposed...
Emma x

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Festive Five #5 - 5 low maintenance red lippies for Christmas Day

Okay, I know I said I wasn’t going to go down the festive red lip route, but I have to be honest and say that I’m tempted to. I don’t want anything high maintenance (there are prawns to eat, people!) so I’ve been ruminating on my 5 favourite reds to wear as a stain or a light wash on the day. Mumma Bovary buys me a new dress to wear on Christmas Day each year and she is continuing the tradition even though I’m married and in my own home now, so yesterday we spent the day together doing last minute Christmas shopping and having some lunch. I’ll be posting a snap of the dress we chose on Instagram no doubt (@emmabovary) but it’s got flashes of red throughout so I think a red lip would look pretty good with it.

1. essence Breaking Dawn Part 2 Lipgloss in Renesmee Red

This smells so fruity and delicious, and the glittery jelly look of it would look perfect dabbed in the middle of a bright red lipstick. I don’t think it would help with the lip longevity but the glitter is drawing me in…

2. essence Tribal Summer Longlasting Lipstick in Waka Waka*

I’ve not worn this red shade before so it might be a bit of gamble, but it does claim to be long-lasting and the colour is a bit closer to a true red than the others pictured here. It also looks like it would complement the Renesmee Red gloss really nicely…

3. Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Neon Red

The quality of this line of lipsticks is so good and this bright cherry red would be a perfect festive touch to my new outfit. I think it’s a bit creamier than I would ideally like for a day of feasting but still…

4. MAC Viva Glam Cyndi (lustre)

My beloved Cyndi, easily one of my favourite lipsticks and one that I need to use more often lest it go off as I admire it in my lipstick drawer. I have a feeling this shade will win out on the day as the almost coral tint to it makes it the most flattering on my super pale skin, and it’s nice and easy to reapply throughout the day, too.

5. Nars Lipgloss in Babe

This mini gloss came in a set I bought at Mecca Maxima, and I adore the formula of these. I’m yet to try the newly repackaged glosses as I’m unsure whether or not the formula is the same…? If anyone can confirm this I would love to know! This is a nice juicy red shade that I wear by itself but it would also work over a red lipstick on the day.

Renesmee Red, Waka Waka, Neon Red, Cyndi, Babe

 

One more sleep! Thanks so much for following along with my Festive Five series, it was nice to do something a bit different on the blog and your comments were all very much appreciated. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and I can't wait to hear what beauty products you all wore on the day!

-Emma

*Product provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Festive Five #2 - lip crayons to swipe on this season

I do love a good lip crayon, and seeing as they are easy to apply and tote around in your handbag they make an excellent lip choice for festive outings. Even though we're entering summer weather here in Melbourne it looks like it's going to rain on the 25th, so I've chosen 5 suitably Christmas-y shades to showcase today!

1. Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush in 200 Keep Mauving*
These are one of the latest crayon releases to hit my desk, and one of my favourite features of them is the yummy vanilla smell that is in line with that typical MAC scent most of us know and love. This affordable drugstore option is a nice deep MLBB (my lips but better) shade that is a nice choice if you're playing up your eyes with darker shadow shades.

2. Clinique Chubby Stick in 11 two ton tomato
Clinique are bang on trend with their many chubby stick releases, and this shade is from the initial release (rather than the sheer, intense or cheek offerings that they've since launched!) A nice sheer fire engine red shade, this is generally easier to wear than a bold red and the mild plastic smell isn't something that is detectable once it's on the lips.

3. Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 055 Adore
This has to be one of my very favourite lip crayon shades - the dark red is really flattering on a range of skin tones (my fair skin, Mumma Bovary's more olive skin etc) and the minty scent is something I really like about the Revlon crayon range. I frequently push this into peoples hands when Revlon sells for half price, it's a real winner and quite an underrated shade if you ask me.

4. Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 005 Crush
This shade is a nice alternative to the blue-based red shades that are abundant (and gorgeous!) at this time of year. It's a deep berry that is quite wearable and pretty pigmented, with that signature mint scent as I mentioned for Adore.

5. Clinique Chubby Stick in Whole Lotta Honey**
Easily my most-used lip crayon, this neutral shade is MLBB and something I often reach for after smoking up my eye shadows for a dinner date or party. If I can't think of what lip colour to match with a look, this is almost always tucked in my handbag for ease of use.

Have we decided on a look for Christmas Day yet? I'm thinking a nice brown smoky eye with glitter, unless I find a summery dress to wear with a bold lip colour like last year!

-Emma xx

*Provided for consideration but sittin' pretty in my crayon drawer. **I won Whole Lotta Honey in a Facebook competition on my personal FB! 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.



OPI Brazil Collection | Copacababies!

I’m currently sitting on my couch with the heater blaring and Charlie by my side, watching the Croatia v Greece World Cup match on a cold Melbourne morning. I’m yet to see a full soccer match in the tournament and suffice to say I’m not a soccer fanatic, but the Brazil vibes that the contest is sending out is definitely enjoyable for me. My Facebook feed is currently full of holiday snaps of almost everyone I know, but for me the only holiday I have right now is on my fingernails. OPI Brazil collection, the Copacababies*!

Mini packs from OPI are always a great thing, and give a delicious taste of the stars of a polish collection which can often spur on a full size bottle purchase somewhere down the line. I popped all 4 of these Brazilian inspired shades on my digits to share with you.

 

 

Next Stop…The Bikini Zone

“This amethyst-toned pewter suits me just fine.”

This is probably the shade in this pack that I’m least likely to wear, but I can definitely see it looking amazing over a deeper purple base. It’s quite sheer and this coverage took 3 thin coats but it still wasn’t opaque when you looked at it on certain angles. I think any solid crème base under this would really bring out the gorgeous shimmery lilac tones, that is definitely how I’ll be wearing it next time.

 

 

 

 

Where Did Suzi’s Man-go?

“He went to fetch her this delicious mango smoothie.”

This is probably as pale as I can go with an orange nail polish, and this was another winner in Mister Bovary’s book too. I love wearing orange on my nails but have been in such a metallic state of mind lately that I’ve neglected my babies! This would also be a great colour for nail art!

 

Kiss Me I’m Brazilian

“Plant this warm luscious pink on me!”

I actually don’t have too many Barbie pinks like this in my collection and I can see this sort of shade being a big drawcard for this mini-pack! It applied quite thickly but was easy enough to apply overall.

 

AmazON…AmazOFF

“I’m making the switch to this deep jungle green.”

Now this is what I’m talking about – beware of the deep green though, you are definitely going to need a base coat with this shade! This was Mister Bovary’s favourite on me, and I think that with a third coat this will be a ‘next-level’ sort of colour for me. (Did I forget the second coat on my pointer finger? It’s highly likely, haha)

I am really impressed that OPI went for bright and cheerful shades in this collection, and the inclusion of 3 crème shades is a welcome one in my opinion. Now all I need is a trip overseas to complete this tropical vibe…

Emma x

*This pack was provided for consideration. Honesty, always.