5 Nail Polish Posts to Inspire You!

I'm slowly but surely getting back into a nail polish obsession - I think I'm being influenced by the gloomy Melbourne days and wanting to spice up my outfits with cool nails and peppy scarves everyday! I've been rotating my green nail polishes (obsession alert!) and have some NOTD's in the pipeline to share, but I thought I'd do something different and showcase a few cool nail looks I've seen on other bloggers in the past couple of weeks. I often assume that all of my readers follow the same lot of beauty blogs that I do but am reminded that that isn't always the case, so here you go - some awesome new blogs to check out!

 

1. My true weakness when it comes to nail shades is deep and dramatic, so it's a surprise I overlooked the recent L'Oreal 50 Shades of Grey style release. Vita (Making Up 4 My Age) didn't though, and boy I'm intrigued by this shade now!

2. You have to admit, holographic nail polishes are pretty awesome, right? I think I only own the one from Colour Club but see them often as I peruse nail blogs. I'm a long-time follower of lovely Anna from Beauty by ShortyLegs and love how she styled this holographic polish in this post!

3. One of the prettiest and most honest blogs I follow is Sleep and Water, and her perfect nails always make me envious with each swatch picture. I'd forgotten all about my 2013 Face of Australia nail obsession, and this 'party popper' nail look has made me dig through my stash for this bottle!

4. When it comes to super pretty nail art, you can't go past Cosmetic Cupcake! As soon as I saw these daisy nails I was impressed, and taken back to my childhood days when I was a sucker for a daisy print!

5. I myself have posted about the gorgeous OPI Hawaii collection and have such love for the place, but it was these swatches from All Lacquered Up that really set my heart racing! I can't wait to wear Aloha from OPI, if only it would look so good on my short unkempt nails!

Cosmetic Cupcake // Sleep and Water

Which nail polish is your favourite from these five?
I'm pretty tempted to do a round-up of my favourite blush posts now, as there have been some seriously lemming-inducing ones lately!
-Emma

*This post was not sponsored, just a simple sharing of some brilliant nail posts. Click away and find some new blogs to follow!

Starbucks Makeup Look

One of the benefits of running a beauty blog is having an excuse to have a good play around with different makeup looks (that and being able to use it as a hauling excuse, ahem) I love using Pinterest and other forms of social media like Instagram to grab some inspiration, but it’s also the day to day things in the world around me that spark ideas sometimes! A conversation about coffee with my mother in law sparked this particular look- on our holiday to Thailand and Malaysia a few years back our ritual was a daily Starbucks run, and since that conversation I’ve wanted to do a Starbucks makeup look!

I took my inspiration from the green of the famous Starbucks logo and tied in the brown tones to represent the drinks that are most popular. I find that these shades work beautifully together and create an easy outlet for those who are fearful of wearing green eyeshadow. 

 

 

 

I went with my tried and true Covergirl Outlast foundation, I'm really pushing out the final dregs of this and am hoping it goes on sale soon so I can repurchase. I laid down a base of the Napoleon Perdis Auto-Pilot primer* (as Mister Bovary says, not to prime is a crime!) and set it all with the new Matte Maker powder from Maybelline. 

 

I then ran over my cheek bones with TheBalm's Mary-Lou Manizer for a blinged out highlight (the best kind I have to say) and topped my cheeks with a dusting of the Dolce & Gabbana blush in 25 Caramel. I think a neutral cheek works best for this look, but I am so obsessed with neutral blushes right now that nothing else stood a chance anyway. 

 

Holy shadow choices, Batman! I went with the green shade from the Revlon 595 Harmonious Quad, then layered a bit of MAC High Spirits from the Twists of Tartan palette to add a bit of a brighter green into the mix. I used the mint shade from Covergirl's 715 Majestic Hazels quad to highlight my inner corner then worked on bringing the brown tones into the look. I brought out my Urban Decay Naked 3 palette to use alongside the brown shade in my Revlon Harmonious quad, choosing Strange for my browbone after using Factory on my outer lid to complete the look.

Urban Decay Strange + Factory, Covergirl mint, MAC High Spirits, Revlon quad (brown and green shade) 

 

 I wanted to create a natural lip look to go with the green as I think it ties into the Starbucks idea nicely (no bright red rings on your iced coffee straw!) and I think it kept the look quite casual. I layered some of Barry M's lip gloss in Toffee over my BOE Beauty #23 Better Bare Jumbo lip crayon (a Big W cheapie that I am mighty impressed with!)

 

That completes my Starbucks inspired makeup look- what do you think of it?

Where do you find your beauty inspiration? What drink is your go-to at Starbucks?

 

Emma x

 

 

*Primer sample was provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Salon Melbourne 2014 - experience, make-up + haul

I begrudgingly rolled out of bed this cold Melbourne morning to head into the city for Salon Melbourne, exciting but craving less chill in the air. Having gone previous years I knew what to expect, and needless to say I was pumped for a day of new knowledge with Carly by my side.



 I wanted to put more effort into my makeup for this special event, but reality got in the way (in the form of extra snuggles with Charlie and swiping on a bright lip at the last moment...check this post for details on that) so I ended up rocking the Clinique Neutral Territory 2 palette and my beloved Tarte Exposed blush along with my bright coral lip.

 

Carly buying her hair extensions!

I was quite impressed with the Redken stand this year - a popcorn machine (evidence of me chowing down is above) and a claw game style machine full of colourful Redken samples that I wasn't talented enough to win. Another interesting exhibitor was Klara Cosmetics, which were promoting their Kiss Proof Lips and beautiful looking line of lip products.

Having one of the Klara Kiss Proof Lips applied (matte formula)

the beloved French skincare - I love my Bioderma, Nuxe + Uriage <3

the madness that was the Lime Crime stand

one of the best parts of experiences like this - the amazing and inspiring body art (from Melbourne Polytechnic)

Watching Lorna Evans style some up-do's on stage was definitely one of the highlights of Salon for me - something Lorna said about inspiration really stuck in my mind as I perused during the day. She was 'knitting' a wild and very beautiful hairstyle on a model and mentioned to the crowd that a look like this wasn't for her clients - they were not going to walk in and request this for a night out. This sort of look was for her, to keep her inspired and in turn inspire her clients (and in my opinion, it would also highlight her natural talent for hair at the same time) I realised that I think about makeup in beauty in much the same way, and when I create crazy bright eye looks or an icily sculptured look based on a YouTuber, it is to keep my creative flow pumping and gives me a chance to enjoy the sheer beauty of makeup products.

Food for thought, right?

Lorna Evans inspiring the crap outta me

the effervescent Michael Brown teaching me that it isn't only shimmers and brights that can create beauty - matte taupes and browns can be so stunning!

totally losing out at the Redken sample machine

Klara Cosmetics rocking it on the Launchpad Stage with Klara herself

was so tempted to get a Tangle Teezer - so cute and bright!

exploring the Eye of Horus makeup brand for the very first time

one of my very favourite skincare brands had some strong messages for Salon attendees

Klara Cosmetics, again!

I walked into Salon Melbourne knowing that I wanted to pick up some nail supplies since I have begun doing my own gel nails at home with my Sensationail by Nailene machine. I nabbed Carly's loot so that you could have a peek at two hauls in a single post - don't say I don't love ya, okay?

Carly's haul:
Crown Brushes buffing brush
Artiste Lint-Free Nail Wipes
Lime Crime Geranium lipstick
Klara Cosmetics Kiss Proof Lips 06 (free sample)
Colour Club Winter Affair
Girlee Cosmetics 4pan Palette (shades below)
Hair Extensions + care products from Amazing Hair

in love with the Lime Crime bag

Girlee Cosmetics in Mulberry Satin e/s, Pink Glow Illuminator, Dubonnet blush and another e/s I've forgotten the name of

Geranium!

I am pleased as punch with what I brought home from Salon Melbourne - all things I've been lusting over for a while with some random fun things thrown in for good measure.
My haul:
Crown Brushes shader brush and shadow brush
Gelish Fantastic Four Essentials Pack
Gelish Polish in A Mint of Spring
Colour Club Winter Affair
Colour Club Harp on It
Klara Cosmetics Kiss Proof Lips (free sample)
Artiste Lint-Free Nail Wipes
Girlee Cosmetics 4pan Palette (shades below)

A Mint of Spring

Absolutely swooning over these two

Girlee Cosmetics Mulberry Satin e/s, Grenadine blush, Golden Glow illuminator and eyeshadow I can't find the name of- I promise that Carly and I didn't mean to grab so many identical items, it just happened!

Klara Cosmetics and my Girlee palette swatched (I blame the Grenadine blush purchase on Liz!

I had a wonderful time at Salon Melbourne once again this year. The event provides a great opportunity to socialise with likeminded beauty lovers and industry professionals while also being really inspiring for me as a beauty writer. I'd love to know if you've been to events like this, and what you think of my haul products!

 

This is how I felt after walking around Salon Melbourne all day - exhausted!

 

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

 

*I was invited to Salon Melbourne as a guest of PR, but all opinions are honest as always.

Dot to Dot

Fashion season is upon us, with international shows keeping beauty bloggers busy with new trends in hair, makeup and of course nails. A blog I turn to for trend reports (and just a daily dose of swoon-worthy awesomeness) is ViviannaDoesMakeup, and once again she has her finger on the pulse and recent posts are covering beauty trends from London Fashion Week.

As soon as I clapped eyes on the nail trend she sported in a post earlier in the week, I put down my iPad and set to work recreating the look on my own hands.  A pretty nail trend that even I can manage, this screams class with a neutral base shade and a bit of fun with the metallic accent. I prepped my nails lightly using the funky Aztec Nail Shaper* from Manicare (1.95) I used the upcoming L’Oreal Vernis Color Riche shade in 622 Soft Chinchilla*(5.95) which is an absolutely beautiful grey shot through with mushroom that I find really flattering on the nail. I tried to find a pretty and opaque metallic to dot onto the base on the nail with my splayed out bobby pin, and Australis’ Foil Spoil* (7.95, original review here) fit the bill nicely.

 

A nice and simple bit of nail art like this makes me feel classic but on trend at the same time. Now I’m off to scour the fashion week blog posts for another hit of inspiration…

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