Spring Peaches

It finally feels like spring is actually upon us, and I've been taking advantage by spending as much time as I can outside with the dogs and soaking up some much-needed Vitamin D! Being heavily pregnant has meant walks are short and very tiring so I've just been popping a chair in the garden and letting the boys run around while I relax- never have I appreciated our front fence more! The fresh air has been lifting my spirits and I've also gotten some reading done which has been lovely. I was also inspired to dig through my makeup drawers a little and came up with some products I haven't used in a while to freshen up my everyday look - I was very much drawn to peach tones! 

The Too Faced Sweet Peach palette has a lot of mixed reviews from what I've seen online, but I really like it and appreciate that there are some easy to wear neutral shades in it that I can just throw on when I'm tired. I do wish the green shade shone through more when I put it on my lids but it's still lovely and I've been getting a fair bit of use from it lately. I also pulled out my favourite peachy gloss Revlon Pango Peach which I adore as I don't need a mirror to apply it, which makes it so easy to reapply while I'm out and about. Possibly the most exciting additions to my routine are MAC Paint Pot in Rubenesque (which never fails to remind me of Ingrid Nilsen aka Miss Glamorazzi, who introduced me to the shade on her YouTube channel!) and MAC Springsheen Blush which is a darker orange-peach shade. I haven't bought anything from MAC in the longest time but have been enjoying exploring my old favourites from the brand - such a throwback! 

Have you thrown anything new into your routine with the change in weather? When is the last time you purchased from MAC?

-Emma 

The Sculpting Cheek Palette

 

I know that it would take a tonne of people from Kim Kardashian's squad to transform my chipmunk cheeks into anything resembling a sculpted face, but this is as close as I've come with ease to having anything resembling cheekbones, so lets just let me indulge for a moment. When this product hit my desk I thought it was cute, but didn't think much more if I'm honest. I'm not one to wear bronzer everyday, I prefer my highlight more intense than the daily average, and trying to pry a Chanel Joues Contraste blush out of my hands is a task in itself - but I'm happy to report that my cheek look lately was done with a single palette, from the drugstore!

Kate Moss for Rimmel London has created this sculpting palette in 002 Coral Glow* that is adorably packaged, and actually brings the goods when it comes to pigment and lasting power. For my first few uses I neglected the blush shade and used the aforementioned Chanel pan, but during the second week of use I figured that if I liked the contour and highlight shade that much, I should probably give the seemingly plain blush a red hot go. It turns out that Rimmel know what they're on about when it comes to cheeks - the easy to wear blush colour is a winner and I featured it in my recent favourites post!

pretty neat guide on the back of the packaging

I knew I needed to dedicate a post to this when I caught myself raving about it to my Mum, sister and nieces when they asked what I was wearing, and a few have since bought it for themselves on my recommendation. I use the very tame 'day appropriate' highlighter first on the tops of my cheekbones (or where they would be if you could see them) and then the contour shade underneath the cheekbones. I'm not game enough for a full on contoured look like Kim K (and this shade has some slight shimmer so I'm sure diehard contour fans wouldn't approve anyway!) but this blends with almost no effort to give my face a bit of shape, and I take it up through my temples and the top of my forehead which warms up my very pale complexion without looking like Snooki circa 2009.

A helpful photo if you've forgotten where cheeks are...LOL

This palette gets two thumbs up from me, and if you follow me on Snapchat (emmabovaryt) I'm sure you've spotted this product quite a few times in my flat lays and get ready with me shots! It's a bargain at $16.95 and my niece sent me a Snapchat saying she scored it for half price at last week, so keep your eyes peeled at the usual drugstore haunts (Priceline, Woolworths, Coles etc)

Emma x

*Product provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Current Makeup Storage - The Everyday Products

I adore posts that allow me to take a sneaky peek into the makeup drawers of others, and since my ‘daily tray’ has now expanded to take up an entire drawer I thought it was time for me to share it. I used to store my most reached for products in a Muji-style open top container on my desk but found that the overspill was becoming unsightly and looked messy, so I rearranged my desk drawers to allow myself the freedom of a whole top drawer for my most loved/most reached for/most awesome beauty goodies.

I use white plastic baskets to separate and add order to the jumble of products within the drawer, though I am contemplating removing the long basket that currently holds brushes as it isn’t the easiest thing to find the brush you need when they are laid out flat like this. The drawer at the front holds some of my most used base products, including my Smashbox primer sample, BB creams and tinted moisturisers. The next drawer over is a bit of a mix, holding my daily mascara and eyeliners as well as my MAC Painterly Paint Pot and EOS lip balm.

I’m not sure where I’m going to put my aforementioned Muji style containers so for now I have one inside of the drawer housing my fuller coverage face options – Illamasqua Skin Base, Maybelline Dream Wonder foundation and my Clarins concealer. It also holds my two Maybelline tinted brow gels and my setting sprays (MAC Fix+ and Skindinavia Finishing Spray) I’ve sat my current favourite Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation next to this along with some perfumes and the products I’m trying to use up at the moment – full post on this new challenge to come soon!

On the far side of the drawer I have some larger palettes as well as an old Glossybox box which holds my current go-to blushes (Chanel JC's and some Thailand purchases) as well as products I want to play around with or have just purchased. All of my Bite Beauty products are here because they are too beautiful to be slipped into the regular old lip drawer, is that a bit sad or what? I like having my babies close, what can I say!?

Ultimately I think that this style of makeup storage is working for me – I can slide it shut to conceal mess and can sit on my comfy desk chair when I want to rotate products in and out of my routine as it is within easy reach. I still find myself lusting over an Ikea Alex 9 Drawer to store the bulk of my collection but at least I’ve found contentment with my every day products. As an aside, if you’ve spotted something you’d like a review of don’t hesitate to mention it in the comments – I’ll take any blogging inspiration I can get at the moment!

How do you store your daily products?

Do you have any makeup storage tips I should know about?

Emma x

The Bovary Christmas (Makeup, Nails, Our Day + Gifts I Received)

I absolutely love hearing about the Christmas celebrations that everyone else enjoyed, so here is my day.

Charlie ran around in his Santa suit on Christmas eve when I returned from a late shift at work.

Protecting his gifts on Christmas morning.

...and I was protecting mine!

I will admit that I bought this and put it under the Christmas tree for Mister Bovary. There is no way he would enter a Chanel boutique without me, so it seemed like the easier option.

Doing the right thing by Santa.

Another cute shot of Charlie because I can't help myself!

One last shot of the Christmas tree full of gifts before we took the gifts around to Mumma Bovary's.

The beautiful gifts I received this year! We didn't have a big Christmas gift wise as we've just bought the house and brought Charlie home, so low key was the go this year. Along with my beautiful Chanel Accent blush Mister Bovary bought me some NYX makeup, Disney Princess lipbalm set and an EyeTab palette.

The Chanel sample I wore on Christmas Day.

The contents of my stocking at Mumma Bovary's! Always contains a gold coin and some fruit, it's our tradition.

The Coconut lip balm ball from Colette Hayman, which is supposedly more moisturising than the EOS ones (I haven't tried those so I can't compare, but this one is lovely!)

80 colours in faux iPad form - wicked idea! Will have to test the colours and see how they fare.

The amazing tree ornament that we received from our family in America!

The stars of my Christmas Day face! NYX Butter Gloss in Vanilla Cream Pie, Chanel Accent blush, Dior Amber Diamond and Dior Fairy Golds palette. I've been wearing Fairy Golds almost every day in December, such an amazing palette.

Bovary's! I rocked that Santa hat all day long.

Mister B is pretty impressed with the gift my parents bought him!

Nails of the day weren't your traditional festive fare, but matched to my Tokito City dress. OPI Hey Baby! from the Gwen Stefani collection and Which is Witch as an accent nail.

Charlie and my family dog Senga!

A lovely tree from my sister, this flashes all different colours - I'm happy to have another decoration for our place. Mister B's family do a KK for Christmas and so my sister in law bought me a Pandora glass charm and Taylor by Taylor Swift (which was on my later list!)

Pink lips and big smiles for Christmas!

 

I would love to hear how your Christmas was?

What gifts did you receive and what blush did you wear?

 

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

beauty week at a glance #1

When I saw the concept of beauty at a glance on Larie’sblog, I knew it was a series I would love to install on the blog. After getting the A-OK from Larie (whose posts I adore whole heartedly!) I began snapping pictures of the main players for a week’s worth of makeup looks. This won't be a weekly series, but will occur when I feel like sharing some makeup shots with you. I hope you enjoy seeing what I wore during the week!

 

Monday:

Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronze Universel, Tarte Exposed, Face of Australia Lychee Crush*, L’Oreal Metallic Lilac, MAC Moth Brown, Face of Australia Impact Curl, Barry M Toffee lipgloss.

Loved the combination of purple toned eyes with a flush of natural bronze cheeks! I am still getting the hand of the Chanel Bronze Universel, it is so unlike anything else I own. 

 

Tuesday:

TheBalm Mary-Lou Manizer, L’Oreal Metallic Lilac, MAC Moth Brown, MAC Sheen Supreme  Asian Flower, essence I like Candy gloss, YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat*, MAC Rosy Outlook, Poison Apple Apothecary White Rabbit (thanks Dee!)

Really loved this purple look, the lips didn’t compete too much with the eyes, which I think was thanks to the blush which tied it all together. 

 

Wednesday:

Sally Hansen Complete Care*, Illamasqua Freak*, L’Oreal Infallible Endless Chocolate, YSL Touche Eclat*, Rimmel Scandaleyes in Nude, Rimmel  Nude Delight, Barry M Toffee, Sportsgirl Give some Lip in Stardust.

Nude central today, I adore the L’Oreal Infallible’s and don’t give this chocolate shade enough love. Barry M Toffee is such a winner as well.

Thursday:

essence Asian Sensation blush, MAC Painterly paintpot, essence quad in Dreaming Under a Cherry Tree,  Inglot teal shadow, Urban Rituelle CottonCandy*, Maybelline Dream Matte Powder, Face of Australia Impact Curl mascara, Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Rendezvous.

Was quite obviously trialling out the new essence products I bought on this day, and I ended up really loving the warm and pretty coral look. Rendezvous needs to come out in Australia, it is an amazing shade! For the eyes I used the taupe shade from the essence quad all over the lid, with the peach and the coral blended into the crease. The teal Inglot shade was a lower lashline colour to tie the look in with the dress I had on.

 

Friday:

Guerlain Champs Elysees, Revlon Balm Stain in Rendezvous, Face of Australia Impact Curl mascara, MAC Painterly paint pot, Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze, YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat*, BYS Fierce Fuschia, Face of Australia Loose Powder in Outback Translucent*.

Finally getting around to using my Color Tattoo, and am really enjoying the ease of it all. The Guerlain is my favourite perfume, such a stunning scent and I’ve gone through bottle after bottle of the stuff.

***

I really enjoyed taking some quick snaps after I finished my makeup in the morning, and I hope you enjoyed taking a peek into my beauty week!

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

Mum's Makeup Collection

Coming from a family who aren’t beauty crazed in the slightest, one must wonder how I became the way I am today. For the record, I’m blaming other beauty blogs for all the obsessions and temptations-good job,guys! My Mum, bless her, has a teensy makeup and skincare collection, the majority of which was bought by me or taken from my stash. She likes to wear a coloured liner once in a while, has just gotten hooked on blush, and uses an Avon lipliner as her tried and true lipcolour. Here is her stash!

 

 

This Savvy by DB blush was originally mine, but Ionce used it on Mum during a makeover and she laid claim to it. I can tell that beauty blogging has changed me, because my excitement at seeing her awesome pan hit was understood by nobody but me! I think this is her first blush, and I love the way it warms up her whole face. It kicks off quite a bit of powder but it is really cheap, and now that I know she will wear blush I can get her something a little pricier to use next time.

 

I bought Mum both of the essence palettes last year when she bemoaned her lack of eyeshadows, and she loves that they aren't crazily pigmented. It makes them easier to use for those who are new to applying eyeshadow, but they are nice enough for beauty lovers to enjoy as well! 

 

 

 

The Face of Australia Impact Curl mascara is one that I have gotten my whole family onto, it really opens the eye up and holds a curl well. The Aromatherapy Associates sample* is something Mum used while on the plane when she went overseas with Dad earlier in the year, and she said she likes the texture. Mum swears by the ultra-cheap Australian Lanolin Oil Night Cream, or indeed most other variations from the $3 Big W range. Her skin is baby soft, so maybe she knows something I don’t!?

What does your Mum keep in her beauty and skincare cabinet? I’d love to see your thoughts in the comments below (Mum is terrified that no-one will like the posts about her on my blog, so show her that isn’t true!)

Clarins Enchanted Colour Quartet and Liner Palette // Swatches, Review, Photos

Clarins have taken inspiration from traditional Indian sari's for their new Enchanted collection, and seeing the eyeshadow palette design for the first time truly impressed me.

The outer casing has beautiful detail on it, matching the prints on the shadows themselves which I found to be a lovely touch.

One thing I don't covet is the inclusion of miniature brushes- many companies do this, and I know a lot of consumers would prefer a slimmer palette as they have brushes they prefer using in their collection already. Some may like to have these on hand though, it is just personal preference. The mirror is definitely a great inclusion,even if it is never used it is always handy to have an extra mirror around!

As you can see from my swatches the shadows are not incredibly vibrant, which I think lends to them being easy to work with and once they are on the eye, they are really nice and give enough colour. This palette is an example of something really beautiful, but also something you could get use from at work and on weekends- a win win purchase really!

The sheen of the golden shade from this palette is outstanding, I've been regularly wearing this on my inner lower lashline to add a bit of oomph to my looks, even when the look isn't created with other colours from this palette. Although the purple is sheer in swatches, it is so good for a lower lashline colour, ever since my Kit Cosmetics makeover I've been searching for this and now I'm content.

The shadows are quite shimmery and give a nice glow to the lids, though they are much sheerer than palettes I normally go for. I have a face of the day coming up tomorrow so do be sure to check that out. I haven't really delved into the deep chocolate liner in the palette yet, but that purple and gold have really taken a hiding over the past month!

 

The Clarins Enchanted palette retails for $55 AUD and is available from Myer, David Jones and Adore Beauty.

 

Do you find it hard to dip into beautiful palettes like this?

Have you tried Clarins makeup before?

 

 

*This product was provided for consideration for review. Honesty, always.