The May Makeup Bag

May felt like a whirlwind for me, and I relied on a stack of beauty products to keep me looking somewhat presentable as I tried to stay awake without taking a nap everyday! While in Queensland I kept my makeup low-key as none of the family on my husband's side indulge in beauty products, but the other three weeks it was business as usual with a lot more concealer piled on out of necessity.

I'm still testing out the Morphe 35T palette despite receiving it as a gift for Christmas last year...some days I adore it, and others I'm frustrated that the shade in the pan is nothing like what the shadow actually looks like on my eyelids! I'm also fond of palettes with named shades which this lacks, but I still think this bad boy was worth the money and have been dipping into new colours almost every morning on top of my MAC Painterly Paint Pot. I've also been using my sample of Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara that came in a Beauty Loop box from Mecca Maxima - love how long those little tubes last!

Base seemed to be the usual suspects in May - I've repurchased my Rimmel Fix & Protect Makeup Primer and always have a tube of Rimmel BB Cream Matte on the go (both were originally PR samples that ended up in my permanent rotation, love when that happens!) I've moved onto a new pressed powder to use up, the Maybelline SuperStay 24HR Waterproof Powder* which gives a bit of coverage on top of my liquid base which I like. My saviour in May was definitely my Clarins Instant Concealer*, my pregnancy hormones are out of control right now and I'm spottier than I've ever been so layering this high coverage concealer is making me feel less self-conscious about my skin. It's still driving me nuts though!

I've been rotating my blushes fairly well recently but my most used shades in May were definitely from this Too Faced Love Flush Blush palette - I've been loving how pigmented they are and I have been trying out a denser brush laid on the side to apply them, and I'm digging the effect! How Deep is Your Love and Love Hangover might take the cake as my favourite shades right now...

Lips have been pretty low key as they've been quite dry and chapped (and I had a horrible pimple followed by a horrible cold sore all in the one fortnight - thanks weakened immune system!) I've been using balms but have also had a stack of nude/MLBB lip liners stashed in my bag for a bit of definition - the ones pictured are Savvy by DB and essence but a whole range of others were worn in May.

So that's my May makeup bag done and dusted! I'm looking forward to throwing some new things into my June makeup bag to spice things up a bit.
Emma x

*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.

Goals for May

I'm head over heels for the new plants Mister Bovary placed around our front yard - they sit nicely with the succulents, don't you think? He even planted a baby one outside my office window, too cute.

I've decided that jotting down a few goals each month is a good way to push myself to get things done, and so I've made a list of intentions for the month of May. We have been living in our home for over 6 months now and it still needs some loving touches and decorations arranged, so this month I want to work on creating a more homey environment for us to live in. A few health + mindset goals never go astray either.

-walk 50km
-fill and hang new photo frames
-make up bags of product for Mumma Bovary and my sisters
-book wedding videographer
-read 4+ novels
-keep up my water intake to stay hydrated

What goals do you have this month?

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

Favourites for May

Left my favourites for a little later in the month, just because I could. Here is what was and is rocking my socks!

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The Kiehls Midnight Recovery eye cream* is a relatively new product that I've been absolutely loving this month! Winter sees my skin dry up that little bit, and I've been treating my undereyes to this slightly lavender scented delight each night. Packaging is clean and attractive, and I find the scent really luxurious.

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I threw in Benefit's Dallas blush when I hauled from the US Benefit site as I wanted to try one of their blushes (along with Hervana, which was the reason for the haul!) and this one seemed to call out to me. Good job it did, I am head over heels for this neutral blush that goes well with bright eyes and bright lips. Genius!
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I often get obsessed with a colour and let it flood into every aspect of my life, and right now chartreuse is it! Halfway between a yellow and a green, Poison* from Femme Fatale Cosmetics is a mind blowingly beautiful eyeshadow. I am currently trialling a bunch of the FFC shades and am impressed, and this is the star in my eyes. Have been wearing this so frequently, bright eyes were abundant in May!
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Though it is winter, I've been running around like mad organising the engagement, working and finishing up my final semester of uni, so this Rexona Clinical Protection* deodorant was an important product for me.
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Juicy Couture's Dirty English is one of my staple scents that I'm worried has been discontinued, but have been using regardless. It's spicy, addictive and great for colder weather, and is actually a male cologne that I bought for Chris years ago. It never sat well on him so I claimed it, and a few bottles later here this one lies.
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Sad to say that my skin has seen better days, and so the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion was out in full force this month! I whack this on the spots at night and rinse it off in the morning, and it stops them erupting into large, sore blighters!
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Following along the lines of FFC's Poison, MAC's Bitter was a frequent star in my eye looks during May. My favourite was wearing both Bitter and Poison together, to create a lemon/lime sort of idea (my Mum adored the look, which helped!) This shadow is great with a slick of black liner, and is good for brightening up dreary winter moods!

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Speaking of black liner, the essence Midnight in Paris gel liner is my favourite right now! The formula is long-lasting and easy to use, and I use my NP Set* liner brush to apply it. I now find it easier to create flicks and wings, and I have been enjoying playing around with this little pot.
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Of course YSL is making an appearance in my favourites, they are my brand of the moment and this Rouge Volupte in 01 Nude Beige was a perfect pairing with my brighter eye looks. Can't rave about these enough, this is an amazing lipstick.
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One thing I have been consistent with this past month or so is treating my face to a replenishing mask. Mask of choice? Jurlique's Intense Recovery Mask, which was inside a beauty box and is a large sample tube. Chris likes this one as well, and I find it really calming and I like that it is a green shade, the funnier my face looks when a mask is on the better.

What rocked your socks last month?

*These products were provided for consideration, which does not sway my feelings about them. Honesty, always.