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.

Current Favourites - March '16

I've jolted myself out of the funk I've been in lately to grab a few products that have been singing to me for this post. It's a general favourite product post rather than the monthly round up that sometimes causes me to drop favourites in order to gather fresh material - am I the only one who subconsciously does this? I think this strategy should help me carve out a natural rotation with my beauty products, because after all I'm a bit of a magpie who flits between things enough as it is.

 

I've actually stuck to a decent routine when it comes to moisture masks and body lotions - I'm enamoured with the Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask* which I tend to leave on overnight, and the Bath and Body Works Sweet Magnolia & Clementine Body Lotion which smells utterly delightful. A handbag favourite that's been much needed for the generally-unwell Bovary household is the Soap & Glory Hand Maid Antibacterial Cleansing Gel*, which always garners compliments thanks to that famous Soap & Glory scent.

Speaking of scent, the return of my staple fragrance has sparked the thought of ridding myself of a host of other bottles in my collection - there are very few days when I don't want to smell of Guerlain Champs Elysees, you know what I mean? I feel stronger when I wear this, and very mature which I like.

Colorpop's Jellyfish Blush was a last minute addition to my cart and don't those always end up being the best part of a haul? The bright shade is intimidating in the pan but on the cheek it brightens me up with ease, and I love the natural glow it adds to my cheeks. Colourpop Wisp Highlighter has also turned me off some of my other highlighters for the time being and I love how fast I can apply it with my fingers - it looks like it would be too dark for me but it blends so easily and I find it perfect. Last but definitely not least is the amazing Too Faced Love Flush Blush Wardrobe, part of my recent Too Faced haul that has been getting a major workout from me in the last few weeks. I went through and wore each shade in succession before declaring my love for this, and surprisingly I've used more of the shades Love Hangover and I Will Always Love You than Baby Love which I found pretty surprising given my penchant for neutral blushes? Perhaps the tides are turning...

What is your blush love at the moment?

Have you tried any of the Colourpop cheek products?

-Emma x

*Products provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Minty Christmas

One thing I love about the festive season is the Christmas scents. Being in the midst of summer means our Christmas differs quite vastly from the experiences of those across the pond, we wear summer dresses rather than Christmas sweaters etc. and it doesn't always feel right to indulge in warm and spicy scents as the air con roars. Instead, I like to partake in a bit of peppermint action as I feel like it's a year round winner for me - creamy warmth if it's cold and a fresh tingle if it's hot = perfect!

Presenting to you, my pepperminty Christmas body product favourites!

I have hoarded my Bath & Body Works stash since our honeymoon in late '14 and brought the Twisted Peppermint Body Lotion out for another round this year. The sweet edge of this makes it more like a sweet peppermint lolly than a spicy mint on the skin which is what makes it so wearable in my opinion. I really regret not buying it in candle and body wash form, I think it would have been amazing for that as well. 

Back in October I purchased the Palmolive Peppermint Crush Body Butter Exfoliating Body Wash to squirrel away for use in December and it's something I always sniff when I'm doing the groceries but had put off buying for some reason. It's seriously delicious and lathers up perfectly with a shower sponge - it's very light on the exfoliation however, so would be great for lovers of light, everyday scrubs but may let heavy-scrub-lovers down if they're buying it for that reason.

I'm off to continue smelling like a walking candy cane thanks to these two beauties - hope your December is shaping up to be a great one!
-Emma

September Beauty Favourites

September passed me by quite quickly this year, and it may be cliche to say but I really cannot believe it's already October! Even though we're enjoying the first nice bursts of spring weather here in Australia I'm absolutely loving all the fall videos on YouTube and am dreaming about Bath & Body Works opening in Australia (not long now!) so I can load up on pumpkin spice errrthang! I wasn't sure if I had enough to post a favourites this month but when I looked around I realised I had a stack to talk about, so here we go!

Skincare was a major thing for me this month - not only am I lusting over Paula's Choice skincare and all of the luxe brands I want to try out at Mecca, I needed to dive into my own under-sink stash to save my skin this month! I'm not sure what I reacted to but my face broke out in a major way - cystic acne and small whiteheads on my chin and cheeks, which was painful and put me in a grump. I reached for my Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel and it's a strong one, which suited my situation perfectly. Team that with my beloved La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo and my skin is finally getting back to normal.

I'm so surprised whenever I meet someone who doesn't own a Travalo perfume atomiser...seriously, they are amazing! Mine is filled with Vivienne Westwood's Flirty Alice* at the moment (blog post here if you want to read the notes!) and I love freshening up during the work day with a quick spray. Something I've been spraying on liberally at home is the Bath & Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel Fine Fragrance Mist that I bought in Hawaii - it's a must for any vanilla lover out there, I really hope they bring this one out in Australia as it would be a best seller for sure.

I had my fringe trimmed so wore it down for the majority of the month, and Batiste Tropical Dry Shampoo was a life saver to fluff it up and stop it from separating. I've also begun using the new Tresemme Perfectly (un)Done Wave Creating Sea Foam for Soft Waves. I've so far only used this on dry locks (the directions are to use it damp but I'm a rebel, ha!) but love how soft yet subtly defined my wavy hair becomes when I use it. I'm also rather enamoured by the packaging and colour of this stuff, and bought another piece from the range that I'm currently testing alongside this, so I might have to report back.

I had a few stressed out/lazy eyeshadow-free days this month which is so unlike me, but on the days I was my usual self I busted out my Clinique Neutral Territory 2 Palette which is so beautifully blendable that it takes my breath away each and every time I use it! It does all the hard work for you and the colours are so stunning, it makes me want to invest in more Clinique makeup to be honest. I'm also still loving the Glastonberry shadow single from the new essence Love & Sound Collection that I posted about here and used in this makeup look. For a bit of glamour I've turned to Colourpop's So Quiche which definitely deserves its own post someday - it's grown up glitter done in the best possible way.

Cheeks have stuck to Max Factor's Crème Puff Blush in Nude Mauve despite all the gorgeous blushes staring at me from my drawers, something about it is so effortless and easy to wear and I just can't seem to get enough. I'm currently trying to use up this Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream* since I've had it for quite a while, but I'm definitely going to repurchase this as the pigmentation and finish is even better than some foundations in my drawer (I know right? Madness!) The most recent addition to my makeup drawers is the MAC Vamplify Lipgloss in Anything But Demure* which immediately surpassed any expectations I had for such a pigmented gloss - the colour is divine and it feels so lush on the lips, I'm so impressed by this and I didn't actually think I would like it as much as I do.

I'm really excited for the month ahead, and have a whole lot of exciting things in the pipeline that should make it a great month for me! Mister Bovary and I celebrate our first wedding anniversary at the end of October and have a fun Melbourne staycation planned that I am beyond excited for, so I'm planning to read up on travel packing posts soon to make sure I don't overdo it as I normally would! Feel free to leave links below if you've posted something, or if you've seen a post around that has helped you curb your overpacking habits.

Much love!
Emma

Festive Five #1 - five beauty products to take you through the festive season!

I decided to whip up 5 festive posts to see you through until Christmas Eve, beginning today! Each day will see a new 5 product line up for you to peruse, and today brings you 5 miscellaneous stunners that I personally rely on at the moment for bringing me some nice festive cheer in the midst of some horrible things on the news in Australia.
1. Bath & Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel Fine Fragrance Mist
This scent is all I can wear at the moment, it's absolutely delicious and I love layering it over the matching body lotion (the haul for this is coming soon, promise) The notes are: Fresh Vanilla Bean, Warm Caramel, Sugar Cookies, Whipped Cream & Snow-Kissed Musk and it makes me feel warm and cozy without being too heavy for the Australian summer.

2. Dior Fairy Golds Quint
You all must be sick of seeing me mention this, but I want to write about the things I love and this beauty gets pulled out of the drawer every December! I love how I can wear the champagne shade for an easy day look (or maybe to go with a brighter lip colour) and then deepen up the look at night with the darker or more glittery shades for a night out.

3. Essie Hors d'Oeuvres*
The hype around the Essie Encrusted collection in 2013 seemed to be all about 'On A Silver Platter' but I'm currently wearing the platinum gold Hors d'Oeuvres which is filled with different sized silver glitter and it is seriously off the hook. It's warm and cool at the same time, and I'm enjoying how full on it looks as a full mani!

4. Yves Saint Laurent Volupte Sheer Candy in 07 Sheer Fig
I find red lipstick a bit tricky to pull off, so when I saw blog raves for this sheer and pretty silver bullet I needed to have it. I don't wear it as often as I should (especially considering how pricy YSL lipsticks are!) but when I think Christmas, I think red lips, and this is a mirror-free touch-up kinda shade and that is right up my alley.

5. Skindinavia Makeup Finishing Spray*
I've been testing this for a little while now and I'm surprised to say that I actually think that it's making a difference! I apply in an 'X' motion from a distance (as recommended) after applying all of my makeup (making sure my mascara is dry!) and by the end of the day/night I am shocked to see my face still looking fresh when I peek in the mirror. A miraculous discovery and one I'll definitely be whipping out over the party season...

So there you have it, the essentials for a fun festive season - nice scents, pretty shadows, blingy nails, an easy red lip and something to lock it all into place! Hope you're having a wonderful lead-up to Christmas and that you're fitting in some rest and relaxation along the way!
-Emma xx

*Provided for consideration, but popped into the festive five out of pure love! Honesty, always.