2017 Quarterly Empties - Quarter One and Two

I'm forging ahead with my quarterly empties efforts but have two lumped in together for this post, covering the first half of the year. Being pregnant threw off my brain a little bit but I kept all of my empties for this late post! I'm definitely buying a lot less than I used to and finishing/giving away products more often so I think a pared down stash is becoming more possible for me than ever before.

 HAIR

Still very boring in the hair stakes over here, I'm loving the Cedel shampoo as it really does soothe my scalp and I'm planning on stockpiling it for later on. I also really liked the L'Oreal conditioner as it left my hair really soft and the packaging is gorgeous.

 

Would repurchase: Batiste Tropical Dry Shampoo, Cedel Anti-Dandruff Medicated Shampoo, L'Oreal Elvive Volume Collagen Conditioner

Probably wouldn't repurchase: Garnier Fructis Instant Melt-In Mask, Awapuhi Mango Moisturising Conditioner

  

MAKEUP 

I'm really pleased to have finished the MAC MSFN and enjoyed using it, but I'm interested in trying out other powders once I've rotated through all the ones I've hoarded in my makeup drawers over the years. Right now I'm back onto an old Maybelline Dream Matte powder (remember those?!) that needs to be finished and is showing some major pan. The gel eyeliner dried up and the lip crayon sadly fell apart soon after purchase, and I'm not going to bother trying to depot it or anything like that so out it goes. 

Would repurchase: MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural, essence Gel Eyeliner, Skindinavia makeup Finishing Spray, Max Factor Masterpiece Glamour Extensions Mascara*

Probably wouldn't repurchase: Face of Australia Sundae Sheer Gloss Lip Crayon

SHOWER

Those Palmolive body butter body washes are decadent and smell amazing, despite the confusing name. Peppermint Crush is just stunning and I want to get a bottle to use in the festive season this year! I made an effort to pull out some travel sized shower gels to show them some love rather than hoarding them away - I used the Sweet Magnolia and Clementine while in Queensland and it was lovely. The Body Shop Fuji Green Tea collection was nice to use, and while the Grown Alchemist Pearl, Peppermint & Ylang Ylang body exfoliant comes in a stunning metal tube but I just found it a bit too tricky to squeeze out each time I showered.

Would repurchase: Palmolive body washes, Original Source shower gels, Bath & Body Works shower gels, The Body Shop shower gels, Priceline Body Scrub (sadly discontinued)  

Probably wouldn't repurchase: The Body Shop Fuji Green Tea Body Scrub (not scrubby enough for me) Grown Alchemist Pearl Peppermint & Ylang Ylang Body Exfoliant

 FRAGRANCE 

Loved everything Mr and I used up in this category - both of the male products were nice and didn't annoy my sensitive pregnant nose, and I thoroughly enjoyed using the body spray as well as the beautiful Vivienne Westwood perfume (that packaging though, swoon!)

Would repurchase: Old Spice Denali Body Spray, Ralph Lauren Polo Blue*, Bath & Body Works Wild Madagascan Vanilla Fragrance Mist, Vivienne Westwood Flirty Alice perfume*

 SKINCARE

I was impressed by so many of these products - the L'Oreal moisturiser was so luxe and reminiscent of Lancome products in so many ways, and I unexpectedly fell for the La Clinica Anti-Aging Cleansing Oil which my skin just adored. It smelt quite strongly of a florist which put me off at first, but the effect on the skin was unbeatable and I will definitely be looking into buying this product down the line. I used up the small tub of The Body Shop body butter as my first foray into tummy moisturisation after purchasing a gift set at a thrift store (hence all of the Fuji products in this post!)

Would repurchase: L'Oreal Skin Perfection Moisturiser, La Clinica Anti-Aging Cleansing Oil*, The Body Shop Body Butter (probably in a different scent next time though) Origins Modern Friction, Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Purpose Dry Oil

Probably wouldn't repurchase: Dove Go Fresh Face Cleanser*, Burt's Bees Radiance Facial Cleanser with Royal Jelly*, Neutrogena Makeup Removing Wipes*, Josie Maran Pure Argan Milk

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Glad to have finally posted these empties, now to continue making my way through some more products to whittle down my stash and try new things! 

Emma x

*Products provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Week In Perfume - March 2015

It wasn’t until I switched my beauty room from one spare room to the other that I realised how many perfume bottles I actually own (hint: a ridiculous amount!) What makes this fact even worse is that more often than not I forget to apply a spritz from a bottle before I head out the door, relying on my Travalo purse atomizer to keep me smelling sweet throughout the day. At the moment it’s filled with Vivienne Westwood’s ‘Flirty Alice’ so that is getting a good workout, but I thought it was time to rotate and show some love to other scents in my fragrance wardrobe. Here are the scents I wore last week!

Saturday 21^st March - Vivienne Westwood 'Flirty Alice'*

“Embodying the flirtatious charm of the Westwood heroine, this composition begins with fresh and sparkling citrus notes of bergamot accented by aquatic shades of green tea. Its feminine heart captures the scent of rose buds that are ready to bloom. Vanilla and blonde woods blend in the carefree base of the perfume.” (Fragrantica notes)

This is definitely my fallback perfume at the moment, it’s light and easy to wear but still has a bit of spunk about that I think comes from the citrus tones in the fragrance. I feel as though my nose can tell this isn’t an affordable fragrance and that it’s been made by a designer brand, which I also tend to really like. Despise the name but adore the perfume!

Sunday 22nd March - Elizabeth and James 'Nirvana White'

“Both [Nirvana] perfumes are described as sensual, edgy and mysterious. Nirvana White is a musky - floral fragrance composed of peony, lily of the valley and musk…” (Fragrantica notes)

This is a strong, sexy floral scent that reminds me of many of the Stella McCartney scents that Mumma Bovary wears. It’s a punch of fragrance and I love it for that, just wish I had’ve bought the full bottle on our honeymoon! If you follow me on Pinterest you might have noticed my undeniable obsessed with the Olsen family – they can do no wrong in my eyes!

Monday 23^rd March - Benefit ‘So Hooked on Carmella’

“So Hooked on Carmella by Benefit is a Oriental Floral fragrance for women... launched in 2010. Top notes are grapefruit, amalfi lemon and rhubarb; middle notes are tiare flower, peony and cyclamen; base notes are sandalwood, amber and vanilla.” (Fragrantica notes)

This is all about the vanilla and amber for me – my two favourite notes in any fragrance! This induces headaches almost immediately in Mumma Bovary so I can’t wear it around her, but Mister and I love a good strong sweet vanilla scent so I adore this cute perfume.

Tuesday 24^th March – 'Lolavie' by Jennifer Aniston

“Lolavie by Jennifer Aniston is a Floral fragrance for women. Lolavie was launched in 2010. Top notes are citruses and rose; middle notes are jasmine, violet and lily; base notes are musk, sandalwood and amber.” (Fragrantica notes)

Back again with a white floral amber, I just can’t seem to help myself when it comes to scents like this. I originally had this on my wishlist after seeing Allison Andersen (Amarixe on YouTube) talk about it in some videos and I ended up buying this little travel bottle in Vegas and wearing it through our whole holiday. I love how scents can bring back such strong memories with ease!

Wednesday 25th March - Ralph Lauren 'Midnight Romance'*

“Passions are awoken by raspberry, Italian bergamot and juicy litchi in top of the composition; the heart encompasses seductive peony, sambac jasmine and freesia warmed with a sexy blend of black vanilla, ambroxan and iris absolute.” (Fragrantica notes)

I’m not sure that this sweet and fruity scent awakens passions in me, but I can see where they were going with it. This reminds me of Lancome Tresor Midnight Rose which also has peony and vanilla, but in this Ralph Lauren scent I feel like a bit of blackcurrant comes through alongside the litchi/lychee aspect of the fruit notes.

Thursday 26^th March -Demeter ‘Daffodil’*

“Daffodils come in many types and variations. We chose the Poeticus Daffodil for the heart of Demeter's Daffodil, creating a light, almost playful floral scent with hints of greenery. Very feminine and slightly sweet, Daffodil is in the tradition of other Demeter florals that are inspired by the living flower, not a concentrated, perfumed version of Daffodil.” (Demeter Fragrance Library notes)

Mumma Bovary’s favourite flowers are daffodils and mine are jonquils, so it made sense to choose this fragrance to test from MU Australia when they reached out to me. I definitely sense the ‘greener’ aspect of this and it doesn’t really smell as strongly as a jonquil flower (which is probably better for most people as they find it too strong, but the scent happens to be my all-time favourite natural scent!!) I love how original and inventive Demeter fragrances are!

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I found changing up my perfume everyday a really positive experience, it was great to use unloved bottles and it has made me notice trends in my scent wardrobe which I think will be helpful when I decide to buy another bottle of the pricy juice. My favourite picks from the week would have to be ‘Nirvana White’ and ‘So Hooked on Carmella’ – the sweet and strong prevail, it seems!

What perfumes have you been wearing this week?

-Emma

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

2014 Beauty Favourites

I often find it a hard task collating my ‘favourite’ products each month – the pressure for rounding up an entire year’s worth is therefore quite a daunting thing! I guess the finality of the end of year matches a post like this though, so here I go with my favourites for 2014.

Skincare

It seemed I either adored supermarket cheapies or products tipping the other end of the scale this year – the new line released by Garnier blew me away, but the pricy Lancome Dreamtone serum* also made a mark in my skincare drawers (or rather, it faded some of my marks!) I switched out my Bioderma for the Garnier Micellar Water and it’s quite hard to look back now – the quality is excellent and the cheap price point is welcomed in my limited beauty budget (I picked this huge bottle up for less than $10 on sale!) so much so that I already have a backup bottle waiting in the wings. I also tried out the Garnier Moisture Match moisturiser (not pictured as I used it up) when it was first released and can’t remember the last time I liked a facial moisturiser so much – it softens my skin and is easily absorbed, the only thing I dislike about it is that I run through a tube quite fast (a small niggle considering it retails for $10…)

Lip Products

Bourjois knocked it out of the park with their Rouge Edition Velvets this year, and I adore the 3 shades that I picked up when they first launched (Pink Pong, Ole Flamingo and Frambourjoise) If ever I’m in need of a peppy bright lip I can rely on these babies, and I love how long-lasting but comfortable they are on the lips. For a more casual lip look I loved the Chapstick Cake Batter lip balm (even though it contains some nasties) or the gorgeous Maybelline Colour Elixir in Caramel Infused. My 2013 Christmas gift also got a good run, the NYX Butter Glosses which I now have in Tiramisu, Vanilla Cream Pie, Crème Brulee and Éclair. Anyone else hungry for some sweets right now…?

Eye Products

For all the palettes I loved during the year, this was the only one to really jump out as worthy of this post. I’m yet to wear this custom Inglot Palette without receiving a compliment and I am always chuffed with how my makeup looks when I use this, all sure signs of a stellar product. Another true love of mine is something I wear every day and couldn’t imagine being without – the essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil in Hot Chocolate, which I run along my upper lash line every morning. I added a lower lash line shade into the mix this year with the NYX Retractable Eye Liner in Silky Cashmere and all year long I loved how it ‘finished off’ every eye look for me with ease. I threw my all-time-so-far favourite mascara into the mix of favourites (Covergirl Clump Crusher) as well as the Australis Cray for Colour Eyes shadow pencil in Soiling the Fun. Terrible name aside, this is something I should’ve used more often as it’s lovely and such a pretty shade!

Scent & Nails

Every time I spray this I wish it wasn’t associated with the word ‘flirty’, but nevertheless one of my most loved fragrances this year was Vivienne Westwood’s Flirty Alice* which is lovely and fresh and something different from the rest of my scent stash. Another brilliant discovery in 2014 was the Elizabeth & James fragrances (Nirvana Black and Nirvana White, only one pictured as the other has gone walkabout) which are strong and sexy, which is what I often need to feign confidence on some days. Nails were a tricky one as I switch up my nail colour so often, but the shade that made the most impact and one I look forward to wearing is definitely the beautiful Essie Ruffles and Feathers*.

Face/Cheeks

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder would forever make this list had it not been discontinued, but thankfully I hoarded two pans in anticipation of the wedding and now I get to enjoy my favourite powder for a while longer. Blushes are my favourite thing to read about/discuss/hoard and so I stretched it out to 3 even though my Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush in 80 Jersey easily won the top prize (and was the single blush I took overseas with me!) It’s followed closely by MAC Poised which I’ve mentioned quite often this year and I wore the heck out of. It was all about the nude and neutral blushes in 2014, they really were my obsession for the year. A brighter blush did manage to sneak into the line-up though, mainly due to the incredible formula…Hourglass were a big player in the beauty world this year and I enjoyed my pan of Ambient Lighting Blush in Radiant Magenta! It gives my skin that cliché ‘lit from within’ look that no other blush I own has managed to capture, and I’m looking forward to ripping into my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette in the new year!

 

Sending out best wishes for your NYE celebrations and for the year ahead – 2014 was a big one for me with the wedding and a big honeymoon, so hopefully 2015 will be relaxing and productive!

Cheers! Emma x

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

The Sniff List - Top 5 Scents to take a Whiff of for Summer

Each time we reach the end of the year, I begin thinking about which perfume I'd like to pop onto my wishlist. Since my birthday is but a week after Christmas, I pretty much need to make a monster list to make it easier for my family to cross me off their present list. I perused my fragrance stocks (some are still boxed away, woe is me!) and pulled out 5 awesome scents that would make lovely gifts for somebody else, or for yourself!

I don't really know much about Vivienne Westwood, so thought 'cute bottle' and not much more when Flirty Alice* hit my desk. One spritz and I was hooked though, this is probably my top pick from this bunch. It smells citrusy with some vanilla somethin' somethin' going on, and a quick check of Fragrantica says it also contains some green tea, rose buds and blonde woods (though I prefer brunette, ha!)

 The latest Marc Jacobs just had to be included, if not for the scent then the adorable bottle alone! Marc Jacobs Honey* is a soft and floral honeyed scent which is something Mumma Bovary would go crazy for - she likes it a bit sweet but most perfumes give her migraines, so Marc Jacobs is her go-to for soft and wearable scents.

Michael Kors Very Hollywood was on my wish list for the longest time, and was a gift from my beautiful sister for my birthday two years ago. It is a strong white floral, and I love the pink/coral and gold accents on the bottle. A great light summer fragrance is Clarins Sunshine* - you know I adore this brand, and so a orange bottle of their juice was bound to be a hit with me! It smells sweet, floral and citrusy, perfect for hot weather!

 

Last but not least is a great 'out for dinner' perfume that is super strong - Paco Rabanne Black XS. I nabbed this from Mumma Bovary who bought it duty free after loving the scent of it on my cousin when she lived with us, but it is too strong for her so I scored big time! I am also eyeing off the Kim Kardashian bottle she bought at the airport, as I've already finished my bottle and would love another!

 

How often do you spritz on a new scent? Are you a fan of commercial scents, or are a die hard indie perfume fanatic?

 

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

 

*Provided for consideration - honesty, always!