Melbourne Tea Festival - Review & Haul

Coming from Melbourne I'm a big fan of a good cup of coffee, but in recent years I've become partial to a good cup of tea as well, which is what drew me to the Melbourne Tea Festival! I spotted a mention of it on Facebook and marked it as something I'd love to attend, so at the end of May my husband and I hopped on a train into the city to see what the first ever Melbourne Tea Festival was all about! Keeping in mind that my husband doesn't really drink tea I knew I didn't want to spend the whole day at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, and despite their being specialist workshops available I wasn't interested in spending the extra money on those this time around (entry was $15 at the door, and workshops ranged from $20-$44 each on top of that)

 

We ended up visiting every stall as they festival wasn't a big one, and I spent quite a bit loading up on lots of new tea brands to try. It was a little bit difficult to access each stall as there were people standing around each one drinking tea from the provided tasting cups, but it was still great to see so many Australian brands spruiking their wares. My favourite stall was the Madame Flavour one (they make my favourite choc mint rooibos tea!) because they had lots of different teas to sample, and had the owners daughter serving (seen here!) and she was an absolute star.

catching up with Mum after the festival
Melbourne CBD
Sliders on Tyres
Our sliders!
Tea Ceremony on show

Sliders on Tyres were a highlight of our day, I had The Fisherman which was fried tender calamari, crisp lettuce and lemon mayo, while Mr has The Boss with pork sausage, BBQ capsicum, double cheese, lettuce and aioli. The hand cut chips were way too thick though, next time I'd definitely get a few sliders each and omit the fries altogether. I thought it was clever to have a range of food trucks at the venue with a picnic area set up, as it gave another dimension to the event and provided much needed fuel after sampling so many tea flavours. The hauling was easily my favourite part of the day though...

I definitely didn't hold back when it came to buying new teas to try!
-Madame Flavour Afternoon in Paris tea + a stack of samplers
-Truly Tea Coconut Tea (Byron Bay)
-The Art of Tea Choc Mintea (Tasmania)
-The Dragon Tea Company Doublemint & Moroccan Berber (Bendigo)
It felt great to be supporting Australian companies and I can't wait to try all of these new blends. I love my tea sweet or minty, as evident in the flavours I chose.

Some new tea accessories I bought after attending the Tea Festival!

You can check out their facebook and website if you are interested in the next tea festival (they also hold one in Sydney!) I had a good time but wouldn't be able to spend a whole afternoon there - it was a nice part of a day in the city though, and I think I would go again if I had the chance.
Are you a tea or coffee drinker, or both? What is your favourite thing to sip?
Emma x


*Not a sponsored post, just my thoughts on an experience I paid for myself. Honesty, always.

A Make Up Store makeover with Maria Gabriel

A while back I had the opportunity to get a makeover at the Make Up Store with the inspiring Maria Gabriel, who holds the position of Creative Director and General Manager of the Australia arm of Make Up Store. I was delighted to get a chance to learn more about a brand I wasn't entirely familiar with, and even more elated when I met friendly Maria and my makeover began.

Maria sat me down and we chatted about options for the look she was going to create. I told her that she had free range, but that I'd love to have gel liner applied as it's something I have trouble with.

A sneaky mirror shot, and you can see Maria rushing around behind me snatching up Make Up Store goodies to complement my mug. I mentioned that I did bright eye looks quite a bit so would love her to show me how to do a subdued look, so that is what we went with.

A subdued palette with a splash of purple, a colour that I find hard to use.

Maria began (after removing what I had on already) with the Skin Serum as primer, which glided over my skin and was very comfortable on.

Let me tell you, Maria had her work cut out for her because my skin has been really acting up lately, and she had a ton of bad skin to cover up! She said that my skin wasn't in as dire a shape as I believed it to be, and told me that porcelain skin naturally shows redness and imperfections more prominently than other skin tones so that it seemed much worse than it really was. Morale, boosted!

Maria used Cover All Mix which is a trio of concealer colours with high pigmentation, and can be mixed to the correct colour to hide blemishes, undereye areas and general pigmentation. Maria mixed a little of the Skin Serum in with the concealers on her metal palette in order to get a more fluid consistency for certain areas, which is a tip that I think is golden. She used this under the foundation, and said applying concealer either over or under foundation is fine by her.

She finished my face with Liquid Foundation in Cream and some Wonder Powder in Sahara. Getting to work on my eyes, Maria used a mixture of neutral shades over my lids, with a touch of purple in the outer corners. The chosen shades were Glam Peach, Sibiria, Boeme, Venus and the purple Flamenco.

Maria lined my eyes with black gel liner with brush #103 from their extensive brush range, which is an amazing teensy little brush that I would never think to use for gel liner! Stored that into my wishlist, along with some tips for application that Maria shared with me. I lamented my lack of gel liner prowess, and she said that feathering liner in from the outside inwards is the best way to go about it, as doing it the other way in one go will never work due to the natural squint of the eye! It makes sense when you think about it.

My completed look was subtle, with Maria using Old Rose lip pencil under Plumb lipstick and filling in my brows. I normally lean towards more dramatic looks with my eyes, so was happy to dip my toe into this sort of style.

Forgive the shiny forehead due to flash. This is the look complete with lipstick and brows.

It was a pleasure to have Maria share her wisdom with me whilst making me over, and she was also kind enough to gift with me a few Make Up Store products to play around with at home (I will have reviews of these up once I've used them a little more)

Thank you to Keryn who arranged this makeover, and to Maria for being so lovely. For more information on Make Up Store and to find your nearest counter (worldwide!) click here. They have great classes available as well, you should definitely check them out!

Have you tried any Make Up Store products?

I would love some recommendations! I have my eye on some of their shadows, they look amazing and I adore the sturdy and stylish packaging they are housed in.

Korres Jasmine Lip Butter-Review and Swatches

You know those products that you hear so much about but end up a disappointment after the hype dies down? Not so with this baby! I have fallen madly in love with the Korres lip butter, and I let out a sigh every time it's smushy goodness hits my lips. Establised in Greece in 1996, the Korres brand is available through kit cosmetics and mecca cosmetica/maxima in Australia.

 The sturdy plastic pot of this lip butter has survived a drop on my bathroom floor, and because I have only used clean fingers when applying I have no fear of any pot-gloss related nasties forming. The lid for this shade is a pale dusty pink colour that I think is very attractive, and is a twist open style. It is lightweight because it is plastic, but I still find it a hardy enough design that is perfect for the thick formulation contained within.

The top has the brand name and shade in both Greek and English. This lip butter is marketed on the Korres website as:

As you can see in the above image, these lip butters are not clear but have a hint of tint to them. I found it so hard to get a good lip shot of this, so I am sad to say that I do not have one to share with you. I can tell you that Jasmine applies as a pale milky pink tint, a finish which I am generally not a fan of. To counter the milky nature of the shade, I run my finger over my lips once more after applying to really push the product in, and then I am left with a pleasant shade which looks like MLBB (my lips but better) You can see above how thick this baby is, and it really does melt into the lips with no effort whatsoever. With most lip products I own require warming up at time (cold mornings etc) but this never needs it.

What a beauty! Needless to say, the dip in the pot grows more and more every single day. I use it at the beginning of my morning routine to give it a chance to sink in, and I love that it's a little dose of aromatherapy every single time. I use it before bed also, and always wake up with soft and nourished lips in the morning. The Korres lip butter is petrolatum free and you can really feel the softness of the shea butter when using it.

A swatch of the Jasmine shade- please note, you shouldn't misjudge the softness of this and stick your clumsy fingers deep into it like I did. For $18.95 you get a little pot full of luxury for your lips, and I will be running back to Korres for another Jasmine or two when this runs out.

Have you tried the beautiful Korres lip butters?

What are your holy grail lip products?

emmabovary xx

Scents of September- L'EAU D'ISSEY,Burt's Bees and Yankee Candles

The weather in Australia is generally all over the place, and Melbourne is no exception. Known for having four seasons in a single day, we sort of get the best of all worlds while getting the short end of the stick as our summer dresses are soaked in rain.

I have been struggling to keep up with the constant changes, and my poor skin has been battered. I received this Burt's Bees Almond Milk Hand Creme in a mini pack I hauled a while ago, and it's only now receiving love from me. It smells like yummy almonds and reminds me of biscuits, and is great at coating my hands to keep the elements out. It's quite thick and waxy, but good at its job so I shan't complain.

For those sunny days, I've been loving this L'Eau D'Issey sample. I have no idea how I came to own this baby perfume, but mmm it's good. Chris' brother is a massive fan of Issey Miyake fragrances and it reminds me of him when I wear it. He's pretty awesome, so it's a good connection:) It's a heavy yet light scent, and feels both masculine and feminine to me. I can picture myself wearing this out to dinner or just to the shops, so it is a versatile scent to my nose. It's obvious I am bad with scent description, so just give it a sniff next time you're out and about.

The gorgeous PR for Yankee Candles realised I couldn't attend the Sydney launch as I'm Melbourne based, so was kind enough to fill up a parcel with Yankee goodness and mail it out to me! Was very happy to see scents I might not have picked for myself, and I've been loving Clean Cotton for those times when the rain has gone but the damp feel remains, and you just need something clean and fresh to take over. I've also got the melts in Fluffy Towels which I'm keen to try, and I think the name is super cute.

That rounds up my top scent picks for September, I was lucky enough to receive some perfume samples from Coty at ABBW last weekend so am gearing up to fall in love with them in October. My IMATS/ABBW posts are coming, I'm still recovering from all of the excitement so it's taken me a while to get organised. Let me know what scents you've been loving lately, or if there are any you think I should have a sniff at.

emmabovary xx

Viva La Colour with Kit Cosmetics!

I was lucky enough to be invited along to Kit Cosmetics to get my face made over, to celebrate the Mexican-inspired Viva La Colour collection they have instore. I went along with the beautiful Melissa , who has also blogged about the experience here. Kit is always one of my first stops when I visit the city, the staff are super helpful without being pushy and the range is kept fresh. The store stocks the Kit brand as well as other winners such as Mario Badescu, Smashbox and Too Faced. If you have never been into a Kit before, try and swing by- it's amazing in there!

Products in the Viva La Colour collection

My gorgeous MUA Caitlin was rocking a seriously bright face, including a fuschia lip using a lippy from the collection. I chose to incorporate bright eyes as well, but with a tangerine lip to mix it up a bit.


The empty Kit stand, as we were using most of the goodies!



My skin was cleansed-toned-moisturised before the fun began!



The base being applied.

I have the biggest lemming for the new foundation Caitlin chose for me, the new Mineral Liquid Powder Foundation ($44.95) I was matched to the shade Light, and I found that my flakies weren't accentuated and my skin looked great well into the night. Very impressed with the kabuki that was used, it was so soft I sighed when my foundation was being applied!

Colour was introduced

I was fascinated with the yellow that Caitlin had used on Melissa before me, and so we used that paired with the pink above, and lined the lower lashline with the purple from the top of the image. I don't usually choose purple for my eyes, so was happy that Caitlin had made me branch out.

'Wow Factor' eyeshadow



The completed look!



Caitlin, Melissa and Moi



A dopey face, but how bright is that shadow! Squee!



Flash made me super-shiny, looked much better in person. Was at home at this point, hence the change in lighting.

 

Caitlin and myself, in front of the gorgeous Viva La Colour stand

At the end of my makeover Caitlin asked what my two favourite products were, and wrapped them up for me! I chose the cheek and lip duo I'd been lemming for ages, and the Fire Lighter lipstick.


My beautiful gifts!



Fire Lighter and 'Pretty Cheeky' duo

Overall the whole experience was wonderful, and reminded me that bright makeup doesn't have to be scary and intimidating. With the right technique you can pull off looks you have always dreamed of, but you never know if you don't try! A big thank you to the EGPR beauties, Caitlin and the Kit team for having me.
emmabovary xx

*All images were taken with my camera and belong to me. I was a guest of EGPR and Kit Cosmetics for this event, and though I was kindly gifted two products it in no way affects my review of the experience.