Some exciting news...

So happy to announce that Baby Bovary is due November 2017!

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It has been quite tricky to keep the news on the down low across social media but I'm so glad to be finally sharing this happy news with you all. I have documented so much of my personal life on this blog over the years, from dating Mr Bovary to buying a house and getting married, and this next exciting chapter is one I can't wait to document along the way. I'm now partway through my second trimester and am looking forward to (hopefully!) lots of baby related chats with fellow Mum's on my social media channels - but rest assured, beauty will still feature heavily as it always has. 

Emma x 

Twitter: emmabovaryblog

Instagram: emmabovary

 

Smuggler's Soul Sunday

The new Lush Father's Day collection* is out on shelves and I've been trialling some of the products, despite obviously not being a papa myself. My own Dad isn't the pampering kind at all and wouldn't appreciate gifts like this for his special day (we've actually bought some awesome new décor for his bar!) but I know that when Mister Bovary and I have a child he will be gunning for a big bag of Lush each Father's Day - it's his favourite!

The focus seems to be on citrus and sandalwood for the Father's in our lives, which suits me as I'm fond of both of those scent families. 'Thanks Dad Soap' and 'The Modfather Bubble Bar' are from the citrus side of things while the 'Super Dad Bath Bomb' and Smuggler's Soul range is all based on sandalwood.

I immediately made grabby hands for the Smuggler's Soul Multipurpose Cream and Smuggler's Soul Facial Scrub, which Mister and I are trialling together. Lush says that you can use the Multipurpose Cream as a moisturiser, shaving cream, hair styling product etc but so far we've just used it as a straight up facial moisturiser. It's definitely better suited to a night time skincare routine as it does leave some residue on the skin (which I don't mind for overnight) and the scent is lovely! It's the consistency of runny yoghurt but packs a nice punch in the moisturising stakes!

I have a weakness for facial scrubs and the Smuggler's Soul Facial Scrub is one of the nicer ones I've tried in recent times - it's contains very fine bamboo granules and has a delicious sandalwood scent that is so warm and cozy! I love the texture and it scrubs my skin really well, but I do find with physical exfoliants like this I need to be careful not to be overzealous in case it aggravates my skin.

We've got a jam-packed afternoon planned for Father's Day, we're having a casual lunch out with my side during the day and moving straight onto an early dinner at an Italian restaurant chain with Mister's side - I think I'm going to have to be rolled home after all that food! Do you have anything exciting planned with your family?
-Emma x


*These products were provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Birthday 2016 // Gifts I Received & Casual Celebrations

It's been over a month since my birthday but I wanted to post about the gorgeous little gifts I received and about the day in general, for reflection and a record of my special day. I'm a big fan of birthday shopping sprees but unfortunately I had to work through this year, so Mister took me out for breakfast beforehand which was really lovely. After work our family came over for pizza and cake to celebrate, and we finished off the night, as we often do on my birthday, with some board games!

breakfast with Mister- thick French toast slathered with butterscotch sauce + banana!
my cookie cake!
with Mumma Bovary
playing Logo and snacking

Gorgeous Sue Sensi bracelet from my brother and his family! 
I also received a gorgeous handmade card from my niece, it was gorgeous!

Mister bought me the perfume I'd been asking for, the new Britney Spears
Intimate Fantasy.

Mister knew I was sad to miss out on my usual Doncaster birthday shopping day,
 so he gave me a raincheck and a voucher!

Super cute black patent Colette by Colette Hayman crossbody bag with gold hardware from my sister and her family.

Golden snakeskin passport holder from my sister, also from Colette
I used this on our trip to Bali the next week!

Lisa T for Target rose gold paper bag style plant pot holder, how cool is this?!

Since we were flying to Bali the week after my birthday I received a lot of spending money (which you just know I blew in Bath and Body Works, right?) I also bought myself a new bottle of my all-time favourite perfume Guerlain Champs Elysees with some birthday money and I am so happy to be reunited with my signature scent.

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Do you have any birthday traditions?
Are you a fan of low-key birthday celebrations, too?
-Emma x

 

The Christmas Tag

As soon as I saw this Christmas Tag on Milk Bubble Tea, I knew it was something I wanted to partake in. I absolutely adore Christmas time and all the cheer that comes along with it, and this year I'm not working in retail anymore so I can really enjoy decorating our house and spending family time on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day instead of working!

1. What is your favourite Christmas Movie/s?

I think Home Alone is probably the one that I watch most regularly, but most recently Mister and I watched Arthur Christmas and I thought it was so adorable.

2. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?
Only on Christmas morning! I've never been one to want to peek or open a gift early as it's just not something my family have ever done. I've actually been known to stash my own gifts away to prolong the opening process, as I think my favourite part of gift receiving is the anticipation when you've got a prettily wrapped gift in your mitts.

3. Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?
Each year I would help (aka watch) Mumma Bovary set up the many Christmas trees in our house. She really goes all out!

4. Favourite festive food?
I think it's a combination of all my favourites on the day - my mother in law's okra dish, my Dad's garlic prawns, roast Turkey with vegetables and then eating it all again as leftovers!

5. Favourite Christmas gift?
My most memorable was definitely the year that I received my first mobile phone, from my sister and her husband. I cried like a baby and couldn't wait to start texting everyone despite being in the same room as them, that was a pretty exciting moment for a technologically sheltered child haha.

6. Favourite Christmas scent?
The smell of tinsel! My recent acquisition of Bath and Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel is also pretty festive and smells delicious.

7. Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?
We used to sit around at Mumma and Pappa Bovary's to watch the Carols, but my years working retail put that to rest for me. This year I'm back in the game and am looking forward to having a very relaxing Christmas Eve indeed!

8. What tops your tree?
A sparkly golden star!

9. As a kid, what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you always asked for but never received?
I don't think I was one for crazy or wild gifts - I was more likely to ask for books than anything else and my family normally came through with the goods.

10. What's the best part about Christmas for you?
The general feeling in the air; the excitement surrounding the great food, seeing all of my family and of course, the gifts that are shared (especially all of my niece's and nephews!)

Would love to see your responses to this festive tag - I'm deep into the Christmas spirit at the moment!
Emma x

Mumma Bovary + The Perils of Perfume

For me, the Estee Lauder brand was always a little harder to dip into than more youthful brands when I began having an interest in the beauty industry. Their counters always seem so polished and the staff (at least in my experience) are always lovely mature ladies who smell incredible. It wasn’t until recent launches like the Cello shots and the Modern Muse fragrance that I began to understand that mature and fun can coexist simultaneously without too much effort after all. Then I realised that I should have known this all along, because Mumma Bovary is one of the most mature ladies I know funnily enough, yet she is also the most fun to be around and has a wicked edge to her personality. I was elated to receive a Mother’s Day gift idea from Estee Lauder and wanted to share this gift idea with you in case you’ve left gift-buying to the last minute (I often do, but not this year!)

Mumma Bovary has a tendency to put funny things on her head and let us take photos...

 

 

As soon as I opened this parcel (I was in the car with my sister K) we both squealed! The pink and rose gold combination is just breathtaking, and classy beyond belief meaning those who like simply sticking a bow on a present can laze away – EL have the packaging done for you, people! I hadn’t smelt the Sensuous Nude fragrance before, but it is definitely something I could see Mumma Bovary trying. If I were buying it for myself I would probably turn to the Modern Muse set ($130) which is more floral than this scent, but I think this one is a nice one for those who like strong perfumes that aren’t headache inducing. Mumma Bovary can only wear a select few fragrances and even I have to limit my scents when I spend time with her lest I cause a migraine! She loves anything by Marc Jacobs (notoriously light and lovely) and also has a penchant for Stella McCartney and SJP. She recently bought Issey Miyake perfume from duty free, which drove me insane since it was a scent I wore, but it smells good on her that I am happy to share. I think a trip to the EL counter is next on the agenda for Mumma!

 

Seriously, look at that detail!

 

 

Estee Lauder Sensuous Nude is described as a woody musk with notes of bergamot and rose in as well, and is a permanent perfume on the EL roster. The actual Sensuous Nude Set ($120)* with 75ml Body Veil, 75ml Body Cleansing Crème and 50ml EDP spray is limited edition though, so if you have already bought your Mother’s Day gift but think this would make a great birthday or Christmas gift to pop away, I’d hop to it if I were you. They have a big range of sets available if you want to peruse online here, but my pick is the Modern Muse Set (do you think I could vouch for Charlie as my furbaby and swing a puppy-mother’s day gift my way…?)

I love buying luxe gifts like candles and perfume for Mother’s Day, but this year I’ve bought her an adorable floral gardener’s kit and a silver necklace personalised with her nickname. We’re having Mother’s Day lunch at a Thai restaurant on Sunday and I am looking forward to the Massaman! Are you spending this weekend with loved ones?

Emma x

*This gift set was kindly provided for consideration, all swooning is my own and completely honest. Honesty, always!

 

The Greek Adventure

 

My in-laws recently got back from a trip to Greece and brought back some gorgeous pieces of jewellery back for all the ladies in the family. I love being able to hold beads from a country I've never visited before, it is sort of like I am able to enjoy some of the holiday from the comfort of home almost! When I think of Greece, I think of beautiful beaches, donkeys, salty air and amazing seafood - all of the things my in laws captured on camera for me on their trip (I bugged my MIL to snap shots of EVERYTHING for me!) In terms of makeup, I can't imagine wearing very much when in a hot climate like that. These things I've been wearing here in drizzly Melbourne, but could easily see myself loving in Koroni (where my FIL grew up!)

Everyone knows of the famous Nars Laguna bronzer, right? This itsy bitsy sample has lasted me an age, and was a gift given upon the opening of Mecca Maxima Melbourne back in 2010! It isn't the perfect bronzer for me (I prefer the Clinique Superbalanced grinder* personally!) but the size means it travels really well and seeing the pan each time I open up the compact is a great feeling.

One of the latest concealers I've been trying is the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser, and though it is specifically for the under eye area, I find that it works a treat on my blemishes and red marks as well! I swipe some onto a clean finger or the back of my hand rather than dabbing it right onto spots (I definitely don't need the blemish bacteria to spread and create more issues on my face!) I think this is nourishing enough to be Greek holiday worthy, don't you?
How cute is the packaging of this Suvana Organic Paw Paw + Honey balm*!? I like using this on my cuticles and lightly on my lips, but it is also great for protecting dry spots on windy days. I can picture myself using this as I trek up a Greek hill on the back of a donkey like my in-laws did, can't you?

Lining my eyes is a new obsession of mine, so this Face of Australia Liquid Eyeliner would totally be cracked out for late night feasts or heading to the nightclub near Mister Bovary's uncles place. We are contemplating heading to Greece as part of our honeymoon next year if our budget permits, and I'm often stuck daydreaming of hot nights with Greek music and cold drinks wearing a big cat eye flick of liner!

Have you ever visited Greece, or anywhere exciting in Europe?
What hot holiday staples do you think would work well in this sort of climate?

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

I'm engaged!

Just a quick post to share my happy news with my blog family- Mister Christopher popped the question, and I said YES!

setting the scene

He took me out to dinner on Friday night for my 21st birthday (which was on Monday 2nd) to a chocolate lounge which is also a restaurant. We had the best time eating, chatting and giggling our heads off, and left with a takeaway nougat hot chocolate and some gourmet chocolates. He seemed a little distracted, but I didn't think anything of it, and when we got back into the car he took his time taking off...there were some guys walking to another restaurant nearby and I said to him for us to hurry and go (the nervous nelly I am!) He was about to propose to me-d'oh!We were driving down the main road and he told me he had another birthday present he wanted to give me before we got home, and I immediately thought he was going to buy me flowers! So when we passed all of the florists, I was hella confused. He said 'Oh I don't know when I'm going to give you your present, don't worry' and I was all 'aww but I was all excited for it!' little did I know!



image via pinterest



the proposal

He pulled over on a side street close to home, and leaned in for a kiss. I was all 'whoa, can't we kiss at home' as he's never done that before. He said he wanted to marry me, and I said I did too (not realising it wasn't 'dream' talk, it was 'real' talk!) He fumbled in the side panel of the car door, and pulled out the box. Don't ask me why, but in my head I thought 'ooh, earrings?' That was when I saw the tears in his eyes, and the serious expression on his face, and my heart sped up and I quickly put the hot chocolate into the cup holder. The mushy talk continued, and I was shaking like a leaf 'omg.omg.omg. are you serious?omg.omg.omg' then out it came.

Emma, will you marry me?

Pretty sure the kiss I gave him at that point almost knocked his lips off! Then he opened the box, and there is was- a little circle full of diamonds that has cemented our love. I am head over heels for both Chris AND the ring now!

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just so could see my mani- I will forever love Orly Rage!

We had been looking at rings for a while and both fell in love with this one, but I had no idea he was anywhere near buying it! It's exactly what I wanted, with a thick band, cluster top and brilliant cut stones on the shoulders. My dream ring :)

 He asked my Dad for my hand on Thursday and he said it was much more nerve wracking than asking me was! My dad cried and they had a moment, which was nice. After he slipped the ring on my finger (I asked whether he'd asked my Dad first, aren't I a good girl!) I said 'Can I go to my Mum!?' so he drove me over there. The car hadn't even stopped and I had jumped out and was running towards the back yard as I could hear her there- poor Chris was left behind! I heard her say 'she's here' in a loud whisper and when I turned the corner I saw my parents and Chris' parents sitting waiting for us! So I really was the last to know about all of it, I didn't even suspect a thing! They bought us a cake and we popped a bottle of Moet and had a happy cry together, as a newly formed family. It really was the perfect proposal for us, I had always maintained that I wanted it to be just the two of us and not overly 'romantic' as we just aren't like that. I am so happy and can't wipe the smile from my face, we announced it to my family + friends at my 21st party the following night (post to come) and it was so nice to be able to share it with everyone we knew.

I'm so lucky to have all of my twitter/blog family sending me love and support and congratulations- you all mean the world to me, and I'm so glad we can share this special moment in our lives with you.



a little collage of our lives together thus far



Love you all!



a wonderful christmas

I had a lovely Christmas, despite working late on the eve of and starting at 7am on Boxing Day. I woke early on Christmas day (blame it on the giddiness that survives from my childhood) and spent the morning with my parents and Chris, cooking up lunch and opening gifts. I was more than spoilt with gifts, and I adore every single thing I received. Chris' family celebrates Christmas at lunch as do my family, so we were darting in and out the whole day. Luckily all of our family live only a few streets apart!

The darling mini Christmas tree at Chris' brothers house, where we had lunch. The food at lunch stop number one was incredible, with stuffed tomatoes and okra's in a gorgeous tomato based sauce that Chris' Mum always makes for me. They had a whole lamb on a spit (icky but they were excited) and a lasagne that looked wonderful but as I don't eat red meat I didn't give it a go.

Santa in edible picture form! The desserts were awesome there,too. Chris' sister in law made the most amazing, fresh from the oven lemon meringue pie that had me drooling as soon as I clapped eyes on it. Could go another slice right now, actually... Chris' brother made a cake with sponge and cream that was simple and lovely, and the table was heavy with lots of other sweet offerings as well. Needless to say, moving on to lunch # 2 was a matter of rolling me across to my house...

My niece made me the most gorgeous little cracker, and inside was a little ring she made for me out of red beads and an initial E. She's such a creative little girl, she made my other niece a skirt that matched one of hers so they can be cute twins together :)She's been taking sewing lessons for a while now and has made some beautiful clothes there.

Santa was a sweetheart and bought me the Aussie Monopoly (Chris and I are building a game collection for when we move in together) and a Kindle with 3g and Wifi. My handbag was forever heavy with books, and now I can carry them all with me on this lightweight thing! I also got a ladybug pillow pet, ala Miss Glamorazzi, to go with my panda pillow pet. Still a child at heart! Chris bought me the Nars Danmari palette and they also popped some perfume samples in there.

 Chris ordered me some Revlon Lip Butters from ebay (creme brulee was in my bag at the time of this photo) and nabbed me some L'Oreal Infallible shadows from the L'Or collection- these will be up on the blog soon, they're stunning. Michael Kors Very Hollywood was from my sister :) The shoes were from Santa, and the coasters with French images on them were from Chris' soon to be sister in law as part of my KK.

A French book safe and clock from KK, as well as some chocolate filled gold coins from my stocking! The striped blue square in the background is my new laptop case- Chris bought me a new laptop! I am so in love with it, and happy I can get back to reading all of your blogs.

Work KK was lovely this year, after we stayed late at work setting up we shared drinks and fingerfood and exchanged gifts. I got a gorgeous champagne pashmina and metal and fabric headband from Witchery from one of the new girls. How sweet is the card!

My sister bought me a funky oil burner, a silk dressing gown from Cotton On and these scrabble tile type canvas in my initial, and in Chris'. So cute! The purple scarf was in my stocking, it's so gorgeous I'm sure you'll see a glimpse of it in a FOTD soon.

A present that really warmed my heart was from the incredible Sabine from Echolife, which appeared on my doorstep just after Christmas and surprised me completely! This trio of Weleda products along with a Burts Bees balm was the nicest gesture, and a lovely Christmas surprise. Sabine supported me so much after my kitten Marie passed, and I will forever be grateful to her for that. To have someone who you have never met in person treat you like a friend is one of the best things to come from this blog. My goal for 2011 was to hit 20,000 hits on emmabovarybeauty, and I am so happy to say that I made it all the way to 21,000! This first year of the blog has been amazing, and I enjoy every minute I spend in my little online world.


I adore each and every one of my readers, and hope that your Christmas was wonderful and your New Years celebration was lots of fun. I'll be posting my 'best 11 of 2011' soon, so look out for it. Until then- enjoy this first day of 2012!

Fresh and Innocent- Lara's FOTD

After watching my BareMinerals makeover, my niece Lara asked if I would do a makeover on her! I am always doing up my Mum's face when we're hanging about at home so didn't think anything of it, but I know her Dad (my brother in law) isn't a fan of his little girl growing up too quickly so made sure I kept the look simple and pretty, and appropriate for a 10 year old.
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We went for shimmery eyes (she is a girl after my heart!) and perfect pink lips! I think the effect really enhances her amazing blue eyes and I added the slightest wash of shimmer to her cheeks to excentuate her adorable freckles.

A slighly blurry image but this is here to show you how nice the shimmery eye looks when the light catches it.

I used a thin layer of Face of Australia's Mini Mousse eye colour in Midas Touch over the whole lid, and amped up the shimmer even more by adding the golden champagne shade from the Clinique Strawberry Fudge quad over the top. The quad was a GWP from quite a while ago so I don't know the exact shade, but it can be substituted with any champagne shade you like. I then used Strawberry Fudge itself in the crease of the eye with a fluffy brush to add a little bit of dimension and sweetness to the look. No liner or mascara needed as I think shadow alone is best for this age.

I use these products on myself quite a bit so know that they are really wearable and good quality, so thought they were perfect for my nieces little face.

I've previously reviewed the Face of Australia Divine Shine Lip Plumper, and again you can see how stunning it is! I get compliments every time I wear this and Lara liked that it wasn't too sticky. Rather than being a glittery or sparkly shade, this has a great sheen to it that is natural but in a colour that is incredibly beautiful. For both Australian and International readers, these glosses as well as the rest of the Face of Australia range are available at Fashion Addict for crazily reasonable prices. They have pretty good prices on shipping, including International, so hop over there and check it all out!

Swatches of the products I used on Lara, including:

*Face of Australia Divine Shine Lip Plumper in Sterling Blossom

*Champagne and pink from the Clinique Strawberry Fudge Quad

*Face of Australia mini mousse eye colour in Midas Touch

*BYS loose shimmer in brush (you can barely see the swatch here as it is a very subtle shimmer, but Lara loves this type of packaging!)

How gorgeous does she look?! I believe that young girls don't need cosmetics to be beautiful, but I'll be honest and say I love her fascination with lip gloss and sparkle! She might end up following in her beauty-obsessed aunty's footsteps!

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Do any young ladies in your family share Lara's lipgloss love?

Are you ever roped into doing family makeovers?

emmabovary xx

HIP HIP HOORAY!

It's my Mumma's birthday today!!

The best shopping buddy I could ask for, the best-dressed lady I know (though we do share clothes so it just makes sense;)) and one of the most honest person I have in my life. The kind of person to tell you if you have lipstick on your cheek, she's worth having around. I won't share her age with you, let's just roll with 21 and keep her happy. She raised all four of us kids and I'll be honest, she did a stellar job!

In the past few years she has:

Quit smoking- yaaay!

Joined a gym, and goes 3 times a week without fail

Culled some of her extensive shoe collection (to make room for more pairs)

Planned an overseas holiday to enjoy time with my Dad

Pretty good job, I must say.

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So here's to you Mum, I love you dearly

At Moomba festival, sporting the mask she made with my neice!

Our 'bestie' woven bracelets ;)

emmabovary xx