Gilded Ganache - Chocolate Makeup Look

Riding that Easter cliché right out with a chocolate inspired makeup look! I’m generally much more inclined to indulge in a nice creamy wedge of cheese before I scoff some chocolate, but when it comes to makeup products I’m all about the rich browns. Around this time of year I do like to partake in the consumption of too many mini Dairy Milk eggs (chocolate for breakfast is alright on the Easter long weekend, right?) so my Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette (that is cocoa scented!) was screaming to be pulled out for a quick and easy rich chocolate makeup look!

 

I basically scrounged in my big makeup drawers trying to pull out shades that reminded me of chocolate, and I figured that since they’d all be neutral they would create a pretty harmonious look no matter what I chose, so the freedom was all mine! I knew I wanted to incorporate bronzer into the look, something I don’t use on a regular basis despite having a horribly large stash of them in my possession. The Colour Theory Bronzer  ‘Sun Kissed’ is really nice and the embossing on the powder certainly suggests a higher price tag than a measly $8 which is what this pan costs.  I like the way it adds warmth and a teensy bit of dimension to my round face – I topped the apples of my cheeks with D&G Blush ‘Caramel’, which I think tied in with the ‘sweet’ theme of this look perfectly! It certainly upped the average cost of the products for this look though, in stark contrast to the bronzer…

 

For this easy neutral look I chose the Face of Australia Lip Crayon ‘Sundae’ for a glossy lip (PSA: FOA is half off here right now!) and Before all of the face colour went on I tried to switch up my standard base for fun. I used the Napoleon Perdis Stroke of Genius Liquid Cashmere Foundation in Look 1* and then went over a few blemishes and my under-eye area with a teensy dot of the Clarins Instant Concealer*.

 

I wanted to use shadows in the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette that I hadn’t given much love to previously, so I swept Gilded Ganache over my lid and some Cherry Cordial into the crease, then blended like mad for soft focus edges. I highlighted my brow bone with the matte White Chocolate, my inner corner with Champagne Truffle. I mixed a few shades in my brush to create a semi-golden look on my lower lashline, and finished it all off with essence Hot Chocolate Eyeliner and YSL Faux Cils Mascara*.

 

I’m off to enjoy the rest of this Good Friday with Mister and Charlie now – I’ve been snuggled up on the couch having some intense laptop time this morning and it’s been lovely! Now I think it’s time for a coffee wander before we head out to celebrate my brother in laws birthday later tonight. What do you have planned for the Easter long weekend?

-Emma

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

 

 

Maybelline The Nudes Palette In Action - Warm Nude Bronze Makeup Look

As soon as I stepped into CVS in Los Angeles in November, I made a beeline for the makeup aisles, bypassing the tempting snack food section with thoughts of US-only makeup firmly in my minds eye. The first thing I picked up was an Essie polish, and the second thing I picked up was Maybelline The Nudes Palette, which I'd first seen on The Dark Side of Beauty who gave it an honest review that didn't deter me from wanting it. I've only used the palette a handful of times, and this is one of the looks I created with it. 

 

I have to agree with Nancy's first impressions of the palette - some of the shades are nice and smooth but others are quite dry and stiff, though still better than most drugstore palettes that are readily available on the Australian market at the moment. If you compare something like this to Lorac, Urban Decay or even Too Faced you will walk away disappointed, so remember the price point of this palette ($13 USD approx.) and judge accordingly. I think the shade range is what deters me from using the palette all the time - the bronze/golden shades are something I'd only wear in a planned look for an event, and the rest of the cooler toned can be a bit flat on my pale skin at times. Having said that, I've only played around with the palette a few short times so my opinions may change once I give it a go with a few more looks. 

Products Used: (clockwise in above image)
-Dolce & Gabbana Blush in Caramel
-Maybelline Dream Matte Powder
-YSL Touche Éclat*
-essence eyeliner in Hot Chocolate
-NYX eyeliner in Silky Cashmere
-Inglot brow pencil
-Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara in Medium Brown*
-Bite Beauty Matte Crème Lip Crayon in Leche
-Maybelline Dream Wonder Fluid-Touch Foundation*
-Maybelline The Nudes Palette

I didn't actually push myself to use mainly Maybelline products for this post (nor is this a sponsored post!) but it's what I'm testing out at the moment, so it worked out well for the palette focus of this post! A few base favourites made an appearance as well as my two very favourite eyeliners - the only other honeymoon purchase to make it into the mix was the Bite Beauty Matte Lip Crème in Leche, which is well-loved around these parts.




D&G Caramel, Bite Beauty Matte Lip Crème in Leche

 

How many neutral palettes do you have to own to be labelled crazy?

What brand do you turn to for a good neutral shadow? Any drugstore offerings I've been missing out on?

- Emma x 

 

Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Festive Five #4 - 5 Neutral Blushes to Wear with That Festive Lip or Smoky Eye

If you’ve logged onto YouTube lately, no doubt you’ve seen a barrage of ‘festive makeup tutorials’ following a similar principle – bronzer, shimmery eye and a big bold red lip! I’m not knocking this trend as its stunning and I love clicking on to watch a few of the videos (though Vlogmas gets my heart beating faster!) but I’m far more interested in what blush people choose to pair with their Christmas look! I’ve rustled up 5 of my favourite neutral blushes (most ended up being luxe brands, ooh la la) that I reach for if I’m wearing a bold lip or smoky eye.

1. Chanel Joues Contraste in Accent

One of the most revered Chanel blushes kicking around Instagram and blogs at the moment, I am so pleased each time I see a snap of it that I added this to my collection! Limited edition of course, this is along the same lines as Chanel Jersey so perhaps you could substitute with that if you’re interested in Accent.

2. MAC Poised

This was posted about here after I’d forgotten I owned this stunner, and it turned out to be one of the most used blushes in 2014 for me. It’s a nice easy to wear neutral that has really impressed me, and because of that I think I’ll be looking into more MAC blushes next year!

3. Dolce & Gabbana Caramel

This took a lot of hunting around for, and it surprises me that hardly any blog posts exist praising this silky smooth luxury blush. I ended up purchasing from ebay if memory serves, and though it isn’t my favourite neutral blush it is definitely a thing of beauty that I’m glad I own.

4. Chanel Joues Contraste in Jersey

This was the only blush I took along on our honeymoon – a serious thing for a certified blush fiend such as myself! I actually think I love this more than Chanel Accent and find it so pretty that I can’t get sick of wearing it. Definitely worth checking out if you are a fan of neutral blushes, or even Chanel blushes in general like I am.

5. Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed

I couldn’t leave this out of a neutral blush line-up – it’s my all-time favourite blush and the one I wore on my wedding day. Need I say more!

 

 

 

 

 

Are you a fan of neutral blushes? Are you sick of the traditional Christmas YouTube videos, or are you loving them like mad this year?

-Emma xx

What's On My Face This Week - Bright Lips and Easy Eyes

I’ve been all about the easy eyes and shocking pink lips lately, and this week I’ve put this look on repeat varying some of the products but keeping the overall look really similar each time. Now that it is beginning to feel like winter in Melbourne (how about that wind!) I’ve reverted back to my love of wearing black to work and nothing pops better against black for me than a bright pink lip!

Mister Bovary making an appearance!

In these shots I’m wearing my Maybelline Color Bloom in ‘Pink Bloom’ which is a clear balm that turns into a bright pink tint once it hits the lips – it was a gift from a friend who travelled to Bali, but I really hope they are launched worldwide because they are seriously amazing and stain the lips so well! I topped that balm with my Maybelline Colour Elixir in Fuschia Flourish and am still head over heels for that packaging. I've pretty much stuffed all of my bright pink lip products into my Muji to rotate and am still mourning the loss of my Nars Carthage (did I lose you? are you hiding? was it something I did?)

Eyes have been the same shadows all week – I’ve rediscovered my Maybelline Bad to the Bronze Colour Tattoo and am back on the bandwagon. I didn’t realise how many Maybelline products I’ve been using lately – promise this isn’t a sponsored post and I didn’t plan it out! I’ve still been using my Too Faced Shadow Insurance underneath, and then sweeping some Too Faced Soleil from the A La Mode palette through my crease. It’s definitely the most used colour in that palette so far! It’s an easy eye look that takes no time at all in the morning and lasts all day for me, so I can see the trend continuing for the time being.

Cheeks are neutral central right now, in this instalment I’m wearing my new and shiny Dolce and Gabbana The Blush in 25 Caramel which is just as lovely as Jessica said it was! If I’m not wearing this powder I have on the Naughty Nude Revlon blush from the newly released Cheek Boutique – love!

What has been your favourite look this week?

I'd love to see you pop your pink lip recommendations in the comments for me to suss out!

Emma x