Bought in August

Another frugal monthly haul is ready for perusal, I did indulge in some drugstore bits but once again I kept away from the Myer counter and was content to cover my hands and arms in swatches instead.

The new Revlon Shadowlinks were definitely an impulse buy after a bad day, as was the Maybelline Chocolate Chip eyeliner – but I’d had my eye on the latter for quite a while so it was going to be mine sooner or later. I’ve got a bit of an obsession with Essie Mojito Madness after seeing it on Larie’s Twitter header, and I bought an essence polish in an attempt at quashing the lemming until I reach U.S shores where I can pick that shade up. I'll have a full post up on that another time!

I bought quite a few wedding related things this month, namely my wedding shoes (squeee!) and gifts for the bridal party as well as a few jewellery contenders for myself for the big day. Does anyone have an online jewellery store recommendation for me for blingy pieces? Would love some help in that department! As an aside, I’m thinking of posting some wedding related things up here, is there anything you’d like to know about at this point? Less than 2 months to go then it’s honeymoon time!

I saw the Revlon Playful Plum blush in the clearance section of Priceline and even though we’re coming into the warmer weather when I’d hardly wear a shade like this, I’m a fan of the Revlon cheek formula (see my post here) and decided to pick it up anyway. The half price Maybelline sale was the cause of the Colour Tattoo in Edgy Emerald, coupled with my obsession with the aforementioned green shade…green bags, green tops, green shoes, green makeup, greeeeeeen!

Mini set of Antipodes at 40% off? How could I say no!?

Cute jewellery pieces on sale from Colette and Equip

A few things  I picked up with the 30% off NYX sale at Target, and my beloved Covergirl Clump Crusher mascara finally went down to $10 at Priceline.

I splurged on some of my favourite Urban Rituelle Cotton Candy purse sprays while shopping at Forever New (full review is here) and some of the Juicy Couture Dirty English mini’s while buying Dad’s Fathers Day gift (Enrique Adrenaline!) – technically a male scent, this discontinued gem is my ‘signature scent’ for winter. My sister in law was so sweet to buy me this Nicole Richie No Rules bottle while we were out for coffee one day, and looking at it now on the screen I can see it was a scent-centred month indeed!

September might have a few splurges at the shops, but not too many...my second iPhone button just broke but I’m hoping it will hold out until we leave for our honeymoon. The rest of our cash is for wedding related activities – can’t wait for my hens and my kitchen tea!

Did you buy anything exciting this month so I can live vicariously through you?

I can’t wait for a big haul in Vegas, it is well overdue!

Emma x

Beauty Tag // This or That

It has been quite a long time since I posted a tag on emmabovarybeauty. Since I am in the mood to ramble about makeup, today is the day! Feel free to copy this tag (which I saw on Thirteen here, and edited to my liking)

Blush or Bronzer? Original post here.

 

MAKEUP:

Blush or bronzer?

Blush is definitely my weakness, even though I'm having a bit of a love affair with my Clinique Superbalanced Bronzer. The biggest chunk of my makeup collection is blushes, and nothing gets my heart racing faster than a pretty blush colour.

Lip gloss or lip stick?

I would have to go for lipstick, glossy types like Burberry Lip Mist's can be just as shiny as some glosses so they have the ability to cover all bases. I definitely wear lipstick more than I wear glosses, so it is a no brainer for me.

Eye liner or mascara?

  I wear mascara every single day, but often neglect eyeliner so again, a no brainer for me. I like the look of my gel liner, especially when I use my essence Midnight in Paris gel pot, or my Australis 10 hr pencil liner in the brown and deep purple shades. To be honest, I'm too lazy to sharpen my pencil liners so I tend to wear my essence gel liner much more often.

Foundation, or Concealer? Original post here.

 

Foundation or concealer?

When I began university my skin went downhill, and even though it is much better now that I've changed contraceptive I am left with a lot of pigmentation and scarring. I need foundation (or at least tinted moisturiser) everyday to feel good about my skin, and because I like to wear fun makeup, an even base is crucial.

Neutral or color eye shadow?

I do wear colour quite a bit...neutral shadows are for lazy days for me, so I think I might go for colours to have more fun! I love trying out new colour combinations, today I tried one that failed miserably but I had lots of fun playing around with it all, and that is the main thing. Even if I just wear it around the house, it pushes me to be creative and makes me smile.

 

Pressed or loose eye shadows?

Pressed shadows are so much easier to work with, I love palettes too much to choose loose shadows. Even though some loose shadows are stunning and the colours are magnificent, a brand like Inglot have pressed shadows that blow my mind on a similar scale.

 

Brushes or sponges?

I don't think I own any sponges, they don't seem clean or useful enough for me. If my brushes are dirty, I'd prefer to use my fingers to warm up product and apply it. 

BODY:
Perfume or body splash?

I only own a few body splashes, and I use them most when I'm working from home and have the opportunity to keep reapplying throughout the day. I like the strength of perfumes, and if a scent fades before I get home from work it makes it harder for me to justify the repurchase. My favourite perfumes are definitely Guerlain's Champs Elysees and the men's cologne from Juicy Couture, Dirty English.

Lotion, or butter?

 

Lotion or body butter?

Lotions are more my thing, though I've just bought a stack of pumpkin butters from Haus of Gloi. I'm lucky enough to not suffer from dry skin on my body, so if I apply lotions fairly regularly my skin stays nice and soft. I'm using the Amber Romance scented body lotion from Victoria's Secret at the moment, it is divine.
 

Body wash or soap?

Body wash all the way, though I do adore the tins and scents from The Scottish Fine Soap Company (get them at David Jones) Body wash is much easier to use and I find them more hydrating, so we buy body wash over soap all the time. I think some soaps make for nicer gifts, whereas it is only pricier body washes or gels that are fancy enough to give as gifts (L'Occitane make for divine gifts!)

 

Lush or other bath company?

Even though I'm only on my first order from Haus of Gloi, I definitely prefer their products to Lush. Lush is often quite expensive (Ro's is $30, and more than I can spend on a body conditioner without guilt right now) and Haus of Gloi comes in stunning packaging. The scents there are so out there (I think) and I love the luxury I feel when I apply them.
 

I'd love for you to leave your responses to this tag below, or do a blog post with it and leave me the link in my comments so I can check it out!

I really like blathering about beauty and skincare, maybe that is why I look forward to blogger meet ups so much!