Current Blush Rotation

As a self-proclaimed blush fiend I have my fair share of cheek colours, but lately I seem to be rotating the same handful of shades and formulas leaving all others by the wayside. Soon I will attempt to branch out into my collection (perhaps a blush challenge is in order?) but for now, these are the blushes that have been gracing my cheeks.

TOP: Alezane, Golden Sun
BOTTOM: Jersey, In Love

Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blushes in:
260 Alezane
280 Golden Sun
80 Jersey
55 In Love

The Chanel powder blush formula is easily my favourite on the market, and I can even say that Chanel blushes are my favourite beauty product - period! Nothing gives me a thrill quite like adding a new shade to my collection and I've been using my very favourite Jersey (a neutral) as well the coral In Love that Mister bought me for Christmas. Recent additions to the mix are the new Fall 2015 shades which deserve their own post, the shimmery Alezane and Golden Sun. They are so easy to apply, the rose scent is addictive and I highly recommend trying them out if you are a sucker for blushes like I am.

Max Factor Crème Puff Blush in 10 Nude Mauve
Physician's Formula Argan Wear Ultra-Nourishing Argan Oil Blush in Rose

I was apprehensive about these two initially as drugstore blushes find it hard to compete with the likes of Chanel and co, but lo and behold these two hold their own and I'm proud to say I'm a big fan of them. Nude Mauve is my perfect work shade and it brightens my face up with ease, and Rose steps up to the plate when I'm craving a pretty flush of pink for something different.

As you can see, neutral and nude blushes practically rule my makeup life right now! I think I need to dive into my blush drawer and sift through some pans to make room for these new Chanel beauties, but as a blush fiend a clean out is such a hard thing to do...

 

What shades are in your current blush rotation?

What is the best drugstore blush, and which is the best high end you've tried?

-Emma

Currently Obsessed

I've been feeling really good about my makeup collection lately - a few new and exciting pieces have spiced up my routine and have made me enjoy putting on my face each and every morning. I've also rediscovered an old favourite at the back of my stash to pair with the new products which is always a good thing - stash shopping at its finest, amiright?

 

I was looking back over some older blog posts (like this 'The 6 Best Bronzers for Fair Skin') and remembered how intense my love for the Clinique Superbalanced Bronzer* was, so pulled it from the depths of my drawers. Then I did a little hunting around on the internet and I think that it has been discontinued! Isn't it the worst feeling when something you love isn't around anymore? I've been using it flat stick this month and my love for it has grown, so I thought it worth mentioning in case you have it hidden away in your collection, too! I've been pairing it with my new Max Factor Crème Puff Blush in Nude Mauve, which has seriously impressed me and has become my 'work blush' of choice.

Clinique Superbalanced Bronzer
+
 Max Factor Crème Puff Blush in Nude Mauve

Even though I've been loving bronzer and neutral blush lately, my appreciation of the colour pink has slowly been seeping back into my makeup life, too. The first product that really sparked this turn is also the newest recruit to my blush drawers - Physicians Formula Argan Wear Ultra-Nourishing Argan Oil Blush in Rose. Not only is the embossing utterly beautiful, the colour itself is a great pink shade for me and I find that it brightens up my complexion nicely and is buildable, too.

Physicians Formula Argan Oil Blush in Rose

I've also fallen head over heels for a new eyeshadow formula - a cream one at that, which is not usually my fortay! I saw a few whispers about the new Revlon Photoready Eye Art Lid+Line+Lash colours but it wasn't until this post from The Mustard Jumper that I decided I needed one, stat. I went to Priceline when Revlon was 40% off because at the full price of $21.95 it was just too much of a risk for me...turns out that I absolutely adore these! I initially bought Peach Prism because the other neutral was sold out, but I managed to track down Topaz Twinkle at Priceline near my work so I was happy with that. I am considering buying the green version at some stage, but will wait for another sale for that one.

Peach Prism
+
Topaz Twinkle

I love reinvigorating my stash and feel like I'm at a much better place than I was in previous years when it comes to new purchases and shopping habits. I put a lot more thought into the things that I buy (and those that I accept for consideration) and it really shows in my attitude to my collection and how I feel about blogging about things these days.

What are you currently obsessed with?

- Emma

Bright Matte Lips

When I first chopped my blunt fringe, my inspiration was seeing amazing photos of Zooey Deschanel and imagining how easy it would be to pull off bright lips with more hair framing my pale face. I have to admit that I haven't made use of that all too much with my current love for mauve toned or nude/blush lip colours, but I pulled out my fresh tube of Nars Pure Matte Lipstick in Carthage to pair with my (in need of a trim!) fringe and here we go!

Using the taupe shade in the Dior Fairy Golds Quint all over my lids is my current favourite easy eye look; I usually reserve this palette for the festive season but can't help but be tempted to pull it out during the year too. The shadow quality is second to none and I love the fine shimmer in each shade! I lined my eyes with essence LongLasting Liner in Hot Chocolate as I do most days and finished off the eyes with Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express mascara. This mascara is still in trial mode for me after purchasing it on my honeymoon last year - I have only just got around to opening it up...

The beautiful and bright Nars Pure Matte Lipstick in Carthage is definitely the star of the show for this look, and the formula of these is what turned me onto matte lips in the first place. I can still appreciate a bright gloss but the ease of use and wearability of a bright matte is perfect for my lifestyle, and I hope to get my hands on more Nars matte formulas in the months to come. To warm up my features but keep Carthage the focus I used a light dusting of my beloved Clinique Superbalanced Bronzer* and Max Factor Crème Puff Blush in Nude Mauve on my cheeks.

Products
Base:
Face of Australia Face Base Primer
Revlon Colorstay Whipped Crème Foundation
Maybelline SuperStay 24HR Concealer
Rimmel Lasting Finish 25HR Powder Foundation*

Eyes:
MAC Painterly Paint Pot
essence Hot Chocolate liner
Dior Fairy Golds Quint (taupe shade)
Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express

Lips + Cheeks:
Nars Pure Matte Lipstick in Carthage
Clinique Superbalanced Bronzer*
Max Factor Crème Puff Blush in Nude Mauve

I'm really getting into using the Clinique bronzer again, but I have a feeling that this particular formula was discontinued to make way for all of the new cheek products they have been releasing lately. Have you tried any of the new cheek colour from Clinique yet? Do you have any matte lip recommendations for me?

-Emma x

 

*Products provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

May Favourites

It's hard to fathom that winter is already upon us; just yesterday it feels like I pulled down my Christmas tree and begun the new year but here we are, almost half way through 2015. It's been a great year for me so far and May treated me kindly enough - the winter coats were brought out and I began working longer hours so time to play with my beloved beauty products was scarce, so true favourites formed easily and were oft reached for.

 

I'm still enjoying the lip products I discovered recently - the sheer terracotta MAC Hot Tahiti, the wearable essence Cool Nude and the seriously on-trend essence Lip Pencil in Satin Mauve (which was recently ruined down to a stump by an old-school pencil sharpener - whoops!) I've been pairing them each day with my new obsession - the Max Factor Crème Puff Blush in Nude Mauve which deserves a full review of it's own.



Each day has seen me reaching for an essence Long Lasting Eyeliner of some sort - I have every shade available and love them all dearly, but most frequently worn is Hot Chocolate, Berry Merry and Hot Scorch. I've also taken to keeping my rollerball of Elizabeth & James Nirvana White in my purse for daily touch-ups, though I daresay Nirvana Black would also feature had I not misplaced it in my beauty room. The strangest favourite for the month of May would have to be my Invisibobble* - I tie my hair up in a knot around the house while cleaning or lounging around and these are cute and fit my thick long hair nicely.

For special occasions I've been using this sample sized YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils Shocking Mascara* which may be the tube that brings me over to the dark side of expensive mascaras...I've also been using and loving Colourpop Cricket dusted over my lids for a nice deep purple look. I still haven't decided how I feel about my Colourpop goodies yet but I will post my haul for you shortly.

Max Factor
MAC Hot Tahiti
essence Cool Nude
essence Satin Mauve
Colourpop Cricket

 



June looks to be a good month for me - I plan on saving a bit more than usual with increased work hours for the month and a trip to the Myer beauty section is hopefully on the cards for a mid-year pick me up!
-Emma

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.