Mister Bovary's Current Favourites

When it comes to my husband, low-key is the perfect way to describe him! Since I've slowly been working beauty products into his routine he has enough of a product pool to pick some favourites for me, so here is his inaugural current favourites post! 

Scent is a driving factor for so many of his favourites, so it makes sense that two of his favourites are aftershaves! His very favourite is Polo Red by Ralph Lauren, but he recently hijacked my bottle of Calvin Klein CK2* that is marketed as a unisex fragrance. It doesn't mesh all that well with me but he loves the oceanic scent on himself so I was happy to let him take over use of the bottle.

Another seemingly random favourite of his? Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist, which smells divine and is another item we 'share' but that he uses more of by far. He loves that it relaxes him and his skin drinks it up, plus I love the cool mist and luxurious scent right before bed every evening.

He hardly ever does anything to his hair (beanies are his newfound love!) but when he does it's all about the MUK Hard Muk Styling Mud, which is a firm paste that tousles his short hair perfectly. I buy him the 2 pack when it goes on special at Hairhouse Warehouse so we always have it on the go for special occasions. Staples in his routine are his beloved Rexona (we share as I prefer the male selection to the floral and sweet female deodorants!) and the Biore Pore Strips - grossly satisfying, am I right?

Is your man into primping or preening? What is his favourite product? Is there anything cool you think I should buy for Mister to try out and review for you?
-Emma x


*Product provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Currently Trialling - April '16

I fell off the trialling wagon for a while there while my house was having a run of bad luck, but now I'm back in the game and enjoying all the new bits and bobs that are cluttering up my desk and makeup drawers. A new fragrance, skincare bits and a wonderful new Color Tattoo that I am quite enamoured with.

Maybelline know what they're doing when it comes to that paint-pot style cream product for eyes. I love Bad to the Bronze as does practically everyone I've spoken to about it, but this new Creamy Beige Color Tattoo that I bought on sale while doing the groceries is seriously enhancing all of the powder shadows I've been piling on top of it - nice work MNY!

Another new drugstore release that I'm sure you've seen a review or two of is the Rimmel The Only 1 lipstick* - creamy, very pigmented and colourful! They are a bit more intense and moisturising than I have been going for lately (I'm all about matte everyday kinda colours) but gosh I can see these being favourites for those who sport bright lips all day errrday.

Thanks to my favourite The Belle Lumiere I won a Paula's Choice skincare pack; I finally get to try the brand that everyone raves about! This Hydralight Moisture-Infusing Lotion isn't my favourite for hydrating and is a bit whiffy, I think I need to try something targeted to a drier skin type. Another mascara hit my stash, the Rimmel Scandaleyes Xtreme* which gives me a great lash look, but can tend to smudge on my eyelids and brow bone unless I'm super slow and careful with it....

Something really cool I've added into my routine in recent months is the Australis Banana Powder! Many moons ago I almost picked up Kim Kardashian's favourite Ben Nye Banana Powder but wimped out at the last moment, so to be able to try a similar product for $14.95 made me very happy indeed. I've been using this to set my undereye concealer and haven't decided how I feel about it yet...

 

I'm sure you've seen the new unisex Calvin Klein CK2 fragrance around on social media, I think the bottle is very cool and modern but the scent smells nicer on my husband than it does on me so it has been passed on. The new Sisley products never fail to impress and I'm trying out the new Sisley Nutritive Lip Balm*, which is nice but the Black Rose Face Mask* from the brand is definitely the star product from them at the moment!

Last but not least I am trialling the new Too Faced Born This Way foundation that I shared in my recent haul - I love the high coverage but I need to get some moisture back into my skin before I can totally enjoy this product.

What are you currently trialling?

-Emma x

*Products provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

January + February Pick-Ups - Haul Post

So far this year I haven't had time off from work and have been constantly on the go, which has been quite tiring. It does mean that I've been able to pick up a few pretties here and there over the last 2 months though! I bought a few other things that I didn't manage to snap a picture of for you (mint sneakers, huzzah!) but this is the bulk of the fun new shinies I've nabbed.

I'm a blush fiend, and isn't it obvious? All of these were on sale, but 5 blushes (okay 6) in a two month span is still pretty full on. Lucky I don't care and adore these new pops of colour for my cheeks!

 I'm yet to try the Sportsgirl Melon and Pink cream blushes but for $3.96 each they won't break my heart if they turn out to be greasy. The Calvin Klein blushes are so pigmented and just absolutely breathtaking in person, though I'm not a fan of the floppy top square packaging. Berry Shimmer and Heather Shimmer are deep and juicy wintery shades that made me want to throw on my grey infinity scarf and cuddle up with a coffee. The Australis LYLAS (Love You Like A Sister) blush from the Neon Crush collection is half-matte half-shimmer but 100% awesome, and despite disliking the names in this collection I actually don't mind the fun packaging.

I feel like it is my duty as a beauty blogger to try out most of the cult favourite products, so I had been meaning to pick up the Maybelline Great Lash for a while now. The Revlon Lash Potion is a great new mascara that is my go-to for everyday lashes, and to be honest the packaging is so rad that I don't mind that it doesn't stretch my lashes out as far as others can.

 

I swatched all of the shadow duos from the Australis Neon Crush collection and the only one that impressed me was this green one, and since I'd been on the hunt for a nice new green shade I was happy with this pick. The new Sinful Colors collection has some pretty awesome glitters, and this bronze and rose gold bar glitter is a stunning shade, so I just had to take it home with me. I snapped up one of the newly released lipsticks from Face of Australia in the pale pink shade Permanently Pink as well, such a nice finish.

 

My friend Carly and I went into Doncaster for the Disney Princess Film Festival to see Beauty and the Beast, and she stopped by T2 to get some fruity mixes to make iced tea with. The staff there are always so lovely (and I can't say no to a free cuppa) and when Carly got her freebies, the lady asked which flavours I was interested in trying. Is it obvious that I'm looking for a dessert replacement with these choices...?



For those who hadn't heard, Kmart have jazzed up their cosmetics sections and popped all of the beauty products into cardboard packaging to keep it sanitary. I'm iffy about the lack of testers, but I picked up some cheap treats from the new brands they have released anyway. Academy of Colour had some great nail packs out, but this $3 set of spotty polishes akin to my beloved Illamasqua Speckled polishes was a no-brainer.

The ELF section was still bare so I trotted over to the vague 'eyes lips face nails' section and saw some prettily packaged lipsticks hanging around. I brought home Naked in the Moisturising finish, and my friend Carly grabbed a matte and a moisturising to test them out. I will keep you updated once I've given mine a go, but the matte berry shade from this line looked amazing on Carly when we went out to a club on Friday night! 

And now, we are on to the luxe side of things. There is nothing I love better than a nice Myer voucher or a post pay day shopping spree, and that is how these two beauties came to be mine.

It has been well documented that I am a sucker for a good Dior collection (Fairy Golds, Bird of Paradise, Exotique, Amber Diamond) and the new Spring 2014 collection had one stand out in particular for me. I quite liked the look of the hot pink Exquise, but it was once I saw Liz's post I was in like Flynn (now I'm starting to sound like Mumma Bovary...) Hot pink jelly goodness to add to my beloved Dior stash, I'm treasuring this one.

Baby's first Hourglass, let this not be the start of an expensive addiction...

I tried a few on my cheeks at Mecca Cosmetica and Carly and I both loved Radiant Magenta over all others. That being said, I can't say I won't end up picking up another one sometime in the future. For now though, I'm happy to stare at this pretty marbled pan.

My last bits and pieces were spurred on by a horribly abusive customer at work and a need to stop myself from crying. Twinings Butter Mint Sensation is a mix of vanilla and mint that I can't wait to try, and the Gloria Jeans Chai Latte capsules are for our new coffee machine. Last but not least, I stumbled across the brand new Rimmel Moisture Renew lipsticks that I had been stalking online and had to grab the nude that everyone has been raving about. Notting Hill Nude is a supposed dupe for Tom Ford's Spanish Pink, so I will have to look into this and let you know what I think about it.

Phew, now that this post is over I actually feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. It's not a guilty sort of weight, it's just that until I share my ideas and new things with you all I just don't enjoy them as much! This year I want to keep up with more reviews and sharing my purchases more frequently, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on how that would go down for you all.

Did you find any of this haul exciting?
What is the last blush you bought?

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

Turning Violet // Introducing A New Sample Box - Violet Box!

A little delayed, but a post musing on beauty boxes is something I always like to read so here it is anyway! Violet Box is the latest subscription sample to hit Australian shores, and I was sent the launch box to peruse and use. Here are my thoughts!

The packaging was nice, the box itself is sleek and black with (not surprisingly) violet branded imagery, and it is sent in a white branded box wrapped around the black which I thought was a nice touch. I was happy to see makeup in the box, as with many other sample boxes I’ve tried makeup is often the lacking component that ruins the experience for me. Of course, a beauty box wouldn’t be complete without an Avene sample (seriously, they are everywhere!) alongside a John Plunkett Glyco Peel that contains 25% glycolic acid. I have had great experiences with the John Plunkett brand in the past and like trying peels like this, but I think if someone not skin savvy were to get this it might be a bit dangerous. It was one of the best inclusions in the Violet Box for me though, and I am looking forward to trialling it.

A perfume sample never goes astray for me, and I’ve not yet tried Calvin Klein Sheer Beauty so that was a thumbs up from me. I know many people dislike perfume samples in boxes they pay for (since technically we can all get them for free…) but I enjoy trying new fragrances in this lazy way, plus it seems more of an add on than a proper item so it’s not too bad. A small bottle of Argania Oil for Hair might be nice for my hair it is looking a little crazy right now and the Lash Control Squeezable Clear Mascara will be designated for brows. I think it is a pretty cool concept squeeze squeeze awesome brows but we will see how we go. The star of the box would have to be the Calvin Klein Gloss Eyecolour which is a glossy + translucent bright blue shade. I would have preferred some of the more neutral shades that other boxes contained, but these sample boxes are all about trying new things so a bright glossy eye it is!

 I am still torn between wanting to save my money to put towards high end products, and the fun of receiving a surprise parcel full of treats in the mail. Do these sample boxes make you feel the same?

What are your thoughts on sample subscription boxes like Violet Box?

Which product is the best from this launch box, in your opinion?

 

This box was provided for review of the launch. Honesty, always.