Face of the Day // The January Look

I've just sat down to blog after a lovely brunch with a girlfriend from work, and I thought it worth documenting my makeup look since it was primarily based on the products that I wore throughout the month of January (seen here in this post!) I'm about to switch out my everyday makeup drawer to save things getting repetitive, but in an effort to use up some staple liquid products (like primer and foundation etc) I'll be keeping those in rotation so I can use them up. I want to switch out eyeshadows and blushes mainly, since I tend to gravitate towards the same bunch all of the time and I want to show some love to the rest of my makeup collection. I'll have a post up on what I decide to switch out next week, but for now here is the makeup look I wore today for a casual brunch with a friend.

Products:
Face of Australia Face Base Primer (Napoleon Perdis dupe alert)
Revlon Colorstay Whipped Crème Foundation (repurchase, yay!)
Rimmel Lasting Finish 25HR Powder Foundation* (always worn as a finishing powder)
Chanel Joues Contraste 'Jersey' (my true blush love)
Inglot Freedom System Neutral Trio (can't stop using this, argh)
Maybelline Master Graphic Liquid Liner* (finally back into black liner)
Covergirl Full Lash Bloom Mascara (why is this so hard to remove?)
Smashbox Overexposed Lip Gloss* (still a firm favourite for me)

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I recently painfully broke my toe after a spate of bad luck in our household, and so I've been loving Netflix (how good is Making a Murderer?!) and just finished reading Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty which I really enjoyed. What are you watching and reading at the moment? Would love some recommendations!
-Emma


*Product provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

January Purchases & Pick-Ups

THE PURCHASES!

It isn't often that I can fit an entire months beauty purchases into a single photo, but here you have it folks - a total of TWO beauty related items purchased so far in 2015! Perhaps this will be a good thing to look back on once I post my extortionate honeymoon haul for the world to see? I picked up and looked at many a pretty during January, but nowadays it needs to be seriously amazing for me to part with - as it so happens, these two products are indeed amazing so I'm sticking to my new-found shopping mantra quite well! 

I had a Christmas voucher in my pocket and my sister took me shopping at Doncaster for my birthday on January 2nd, so the natural thing to do was finally tick the limited edition Chanel Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadow in 234 Poesie off my wishlist. It originally featured on my pre-USA wishlist but it was sold out everywhere I checked during our trip, so to hear that Doncaster had a solitary palette left was music to my ears! It's actually my first real Chanel eye product so it was quite an exciting purchase for me (normally I beeline for their blushes, you know me!)

My second (and last) beauty purchase for the month was towards the end, during the infamous Priceline 40% skincare sale. I knew I wanted to have a nosy around but didn't feel the urge to pick anything up, until I remembered that I'd been wanting to bring this Garnier Moisture Match Light Softening Cream for Normal-Dry Skin back into my routine as a morning moisturiser. I've previously reviewed it here and the love still stands, this is a wonderful product.

A non-beauty related purchase, but something I wanted to feature because stationary rocks! I am about to order another planner from Personal Planner with a code they provided me, and I'm super excited at the thought of personalising a planner, and using The Belle Lumiere and various #planneraddict Instagram images as my inspiration I hope to pretty it up and get myself organised with these gel pens, stickers and tags.  

PICK-UPS!

This part will feature some of the press samples I received during the month - it's like a little heads up on what may be featured soon on the blog, and serves as a reminder for myself about the new things I'm trialling! Not everything I'm sent will be featured, just the bits and bobs I feel like popping into these posts. I turned down more press samples than usual this month as I've been selective about what I'd like to trial, and so far it's made me far more exciting about all of these new things than I usually would be!



After my recent primer obsession (documented here) it seemed fitting to try out the latest primer release from makeup giants Max Factor! When I first opened this Facefinity All Day Primer ($31.95) I thought it was a super-pale foundation - d'oh!

Dare I say, the most exciting press sample this month? I absolutely adore Urban Rituelle and frequently buy bits and bobs from the brand, so the launch of the new amber based Romance Fragrance Diffuser Set ($36.95/190ml) got me a bit more excited than it probably should have...but once I smelt this thing, I knew my excitement was warranted. HEAVEN! Goodness knows Mister Bovary and I aren't the most romantic (perhaps we will be now that we're married? pah!) so any hint of romance (especially in amber form!) is welcome in our house!

Now this is a step outside of my comfort zone - my scalp is a finicky thing and I'm always hesitant to trial shampoos (truth be told there is a still a chance I will rope in a guinea pig for that and hit the conditioner up solo!) but I accepted this Pantene Colour Therapy Shampoo & Conditioner ($7.99ea/350ml) with the hope that I can move on from my Garnier shampoo and mix things up a little bit. Wish me luck!

Last but not least was some surprise drops from my beloved L'Occitane - the Relaxing Pillow Mist ($30/100ml) looks brilliant and I can't wait to pop it alongside my current L'Occitane Lavande Cologne that I use as a luxe room spray to help me catch some ZZZ's. Also pretty pumped about the Revitalising Body Scrub ($45/200g) (it's been too long since I've used a good one!) and the Immortelle Brightening Essence ($89/30ml)

I think 2015 is working out really well on the product front so far - I'm excited to plump up my bodycare routine and use my Chanel quad a bit more before popping up a swatch/review post! How much did you purchase or pick-up this month?

-Emma x

*Pick-Ups are, as stated above, press samples. If you aren't interested in seeing what I'll be trialling, feel free to skip these monthly posts - I won't be offended! Honesty, always.

Beauty Favourites // January 2014

 

It has been a while since I've done a favourites post, but I decided that I wanted to share some lovely things that I've been using this month.

Face of Australia Bronzer Tinted Tanning Mousse* - For the first time in a long time I've been using fake tan *gasp* and though I still glow like a ghost, I have been enjoying the tiny bit of colour that I've been getting with this. The fact that it does apply with a tint is infinitely helpful to a klutz like me, and the mousse texture is pretty easy to work with, leaving no streaks thus far (though I did miss a patch which was pretty funny!)

Etude House Sugar Cookie Blush in 002 - Glowy pink cheeks and pretty packaging is a blush fiends dream! I bought this (and some other shades) on my last day of teaching placement, so not only is it pretty it also reminds me of a great accomplishment. Blush win!

Savvy Cheek Balm in Blissful Blush - Such a great texture for a cheap $3 blush, I'm very happy with this coral shade and love how easy it is to blend. This was probably my favourite shade from my recent Blush Week post.

Maybelline Color Whisper in Petal Rebel* - Glossy pink lips are my kryptonite right now, and this little beauty along with my Covergirl Gloss Balm in Haute Pink Twist* have been gracing my lips a lot this month.

 

Maybelline Color Bloom Balms in Pink Blossom and Peach Blossom - A beautiful gift from my friend Carly who was recently in Bali! Adore how these apply clear and deepen quickly, and the stain is such a nice thing to wear under other glosses or lipsticks. I really hope Maybelline brings these to Australia, they would sell so easily!

PureTan Pure Moisture Coconut Body Crème* - The smell of this is summer, straight up. I do wish it was a touch more moisturising for my elbows, but it leaves my skin soft and smelling of coconut so suffice to say I am addicted. Love the whipped crème style texture, swoon!

 

Dermalogica Oil Free Matte MediBac Clearing spf30* - I adore this matte sunscreen, it works brilliantly as a primer underneath makeup and I used it while on holiday in Albury as well as anytime I was outside in January. It doesn't break me out and I find that my makeup is always better when I wear this underneath.

What products have you been loving this month?

Please leave your sunscreen recommendations in the comments below, I want to get my next purchase organised with time to read some reviews!

 

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

 

*Provided for consideration, but true favourites. Honesty, always.

 

January Beauty Bag

As well as spending the majority of January curled up on the couch watching Once Upon a Time and painting my nails, I have compiled an updated beauty bag. These are some of the products I’ve been using lately, and my plan is to create a new beauty bag each month to rotate through my beauty stash and make sure I’m only keeping the things that work for me.

 

I’ve been content switching up my lip shade day in and day out, and in heavy rotation are the ones featured here.  MAC Party Parrot is a party starter in every respect, and with the mention of it being relaunched with a new collection, my love for it was reignited. A paler scenario is also tempting me, so I have thrown Rimmel’s Nude Delight and Barry M’s Toffee into the bag as well. Last but not least is a glossy red in the form of Maybelline’s Cranberry Cocktail, which is a beautiful shade but smells awful.

 

I’ve gone out and repurchased my Lush lip scrub, but this time have chosen Sweet Lips, which has a delicious chocolate scent. I’ve also stepped into the world of Grown Alchemist with their new lipbalm in Watermelon Vanilla*…yes, the best mix of scents for a lip balm, hands down.  A glam touch to my beauty bag is the shimmer infused dry oil from Nuxe*. I usually use the regular Nuxe Dry Oil, but have been loving this for a glow on my legs whenever I throw a dress or bathers on. I’ll admit, this doesn’t get a whole lotta loving when I’m in front of the TV with Ginnifer Goodwin aka Snow White.

 

Since the temperature is sitting around 37 degrees here (99 farenheit for my international readers!) I have been preferring a glowy, sunkissed look when I have been bothered to make my face up. Into my January beauty bag I’ve thrown one of my favourite highlighters in the form of TheBalm’s Mary-Lou Manizer. Love the smooth champagne glow this gives me, and it needs more love from me. Eyes will hopefully be just as glowy, with L’Oreal’s Infallible in Hourglass Beige as an everyday shade, and Inglot Pearl 423 for a deeper look.

Do you like the concept of a designated beauty bag each month? I find it pushes me to use things I’ve neglected in my collection, and forces me to create new looks with the basics I choose. I’d love to hear something you’ve been using a lot of this month in the comments!

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

january favourites!

I really enjoyed these products this month, some of them were recently acquired around Christmas time and others were just a result of appreciating the things I already had.

Have been trying to take better care of my skin lately, and have enjoyed using this L'Occitane Immortelle Precious Night Cream* to really hydrate my mug. Have a full review coming up, but suffice to say I'm happy with it.

Now that Melbourne is heating up for summer, I've been reaching for my 'tropical holiday' fragrances. Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess was last years release and I bought it for a steal at the Estee Lauder staff store. It's coconutty and fruity and makes me wish I was on a deserted island. This is Chris' favourite on me at the moment, he loves it. My Thierry Mugler Angel ETD* (review here) is breathtaking, always.

I've been absolutely obsessed with my Bioderma Crealine H20* lately, as the heat has wreaked havoc on my 'can't decide if it's oily or dry' face. It's nice and gentle, and makes me feel a little more French every time I swipe my makeup off.

*

I adore the L'Oreal Infallible shadows, and this shade was one Chris bought me for Christmas. Sahara Treasure is a shimmery neutral shade that is stunning and very wearable. I wore this over my MAC Painterly paint pot with lashings of mascara more than half of this month. For night, I slicked on some liquid liner with it.

I have been loving cream blushes lately, and this YSL Creme de Blush in 2 Powdery Rose is my very favourite. I apply it using a Royal and Langnickel stippling brush, and it sets to a powder finish and smells like watermelon in the pot. I really regret not picking up more of these, but was elated to find them on Strawberrynet for a mere $36 compared to the RRP of more than $60 that I paid. Link is here, hop to it!

I am a massive advocate for MAC paint pots, I use one every day (usually Painterly) and this month I've been daring by adding a few darker looks into my usual faces. I've used MAC Dangerous Cuvee from the Cham Pale collection (haul here) as a base for most of them, it's stunning.

It took me a while to warm up to the new Revlon lip butters,  but now that I know I just need a good lip scrub before I use them (lips are acting out atm) I'm loving them all. Creme Brulee is one of the few nudes I like, it's really easy to wear and suits both the dark and super bright eye looks I've been wearing lately.

Ah, the Naked palette. Seen a million times, and I go through stages where I'm bored of it. I've been using it every day this month, and have highlighted the standout shades. Virgin as a highlight, Sidecar or Toasted as a wash over the lid, and Darkhorse in my crease. The beginning of a lemming for Naked2 may have begun...

What products are your favourites this month?

Have you tried any of mine?

(* denotes items provided for consideration for review, which doesn't affect my love for them or their place in my favourites this month. Honesty, always.)