What's In My Makeup Bag // Weekend Away Edition

I spent the Australia day long weekend with my family down in Albury. Not only were we celebrating living in the beautiful country we call home, but we had some pretty big birthday events to mark as well - a 40th and a 5th, to be exact! 22 family members trucked up there to spend some quality time together, and very early on Saturday morning while Mister Bovary swam laps and wallowed in the steam room, I snapped a few pictures of the makeup bag I've been carrying around with me lately!

The Playboy pouch was a birthday present for my 17th, and it only resurfaced while moving house last year. Playboy isn't really my jam, but the camel/tan colour is and the size is great for popping in my handbag.

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder - a serious staple, this has disappeared from some pharmacy stands but still remains at Priceline. Does anyone know what is going on with this product?

Napoleon Perdis powder brush - I have a stack of the NP brushes as Chris' often buys me the sets for my birthday. This brush is freshly washed and is perfect for the aforementioned powder.

Revlon Lash Potion mascara - I wore not a lick of mascara the whole time we were away, but wanted to have this at hand in case we ended up going out for a nice dinner somewhere. We stuck to having BBQ's by the resort pool instead, which was a much more relaxed option.

Perfume samples (Cavalli, Burberry, Estee Lauder and Katy Perry) - These lightweight scent solutions were perfect for travelling with, and though I used my Victoria's Secret Love Spell body mist more often than these, they always stick around in my handbag for a random spritz.

Clinique Chubby Stick in Two-Ton Tomato- I like to keep a nice sheer red on me in case I need to fancy up a look, and at the moment this summer-appropriate red is my pick.

Revlon Super Lustrous Gloss in Pango Peach- The best shade to wear when you can't decide on a lip colour! It makes your lips look deliciously glossy but still very natural, and I think the name of it is super cute too.

Covergirl Jumbo Gloss Balm in Haute Pink Twist*- My mistake was in thinking this was your run of the mill sheer pink lip crayon - that is why it took me so long to trial this press sample after neglecting it for other shades. This is bright but wearable and packs a mean does of pigment without even trying - I am totally in love with this formula, thanks Covergirl!

Clinique Two-Ton Tomato, Revlon Pango Peach, Covergirl Haute Pink Twist

How many lip shades do you like to tote about with you?
What powder should I try after I finish this Maybelline Dream Matte?

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

It's Love

The thought of doing a favourites post last month totally didn't appeal, so I just left it aside and decided to wait until I had the urge before posting some lovely things. I have been in a bit of a blah mood lately and have been chilling at home makeup-free with Charlie most days, but these have still been very loved by my face tummy and heart!

My recent breakout is still clearing up so I've been wearing my beloved Rimmel Match Perfection Cream Gel foundation with some Maybelline Dream Matte for a bit of extra coverage on the red areas. This has way better oil control than any other powder I've used - and matte crappy skin looks better than shiny crappy skin, in my experience!

I've been absolutely obsessed with my essence Long Lasting eye pencil in 02 Hot Chocolate, run quickly along my upper lash line to give it a bit of oomph. I've been using my Urban Decay Naked Palette (and can't wait to get my hands on Naked 3!) and also this little quad that my beautiful cousin Claire bought me from the U.K. - the Topshop Smokey Eye Palette in Tawny. Lazy days were made for that pale champagne shade, let me tell you!

Estee Lauder Modern Muse - stretching this vial as long as I can, and adore the scent. Lips have been loving the Carmex Moisture Plus in Clear*, which as you all should know is the bees knees of my lip stash. Now come the random loves of late! Slim Secrets Snack-Attack (caramel!) bars are delish, though my favourite flavour is definitely the Craving Crusher which is Cookies + Cream. I sneak these into the grocery basket every single week, and they are great for on the run to stop myself from eating crap at the shops. Having said that...the other day I had a fun size Mars Bar, and it was the highlight of my day! The other highlight of that day? Suffering through a work meeting but being treated to a cute little Christmas ornament at the end of it - woo hoo! And last but not least...

We welcomed our little King Charles Cavalier Charlie into our family almost a week ago, and now I can't remember being without him <3 He is going really well with toilet training and is sleeping through the night which is so good. He is an absolute smooch and a mumma's boy, and his favourite spot is sitting on my lap as I sit on the floor to write blog posts!


What are you loving right now?
Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

Currently Wearing

I normally post current loves and #todaysmakeup on my Instagram page (@emmabovary if you’d like to follow!) but today I felt like babbling a little bit more about what  I have on today.  I’m still on placement, teaching English at a secondary school quite a bit further from our new home than I’d like, and the distance means earlier-than-usual mornings and groggy makeup application. I’ve been pretty boring when it comes to makeup choices, because I have a small selection of beauty products unpacked with the rest locked away. I have had some pretty rad deliveries recently though, one being the new Clarins Instant Concealer* which is for reviving tired eyes that’s me alright. I’ve been using it for almost a week now, and I must say I am pretty impressed with it. Another power packed product I’m using today is the Lush atomiser in Lust*, which is so strongly scented with lovely Jasmine that one spray is about all I need! I made the mistake of spraying it in my office the other day…sorry fellow teachers!

A consistent love of mine is not surprisingly on my mug today, to keep my face matte and helping to cover up some blemishes. Maybelline Dream Matte really is amazing, you should try it! One of the more exciting products today was applied after my morning coffee (from a barista who remembered my order from day 2!) is the new Bourjois Color Boost Lip Crayon in Peach on the Beach. It’s a pale and pigmented glossy crayon that I’ve loved wearing with a peachier blush, and I can see it looking absolutely beautiful on skin tones darker than my own as well. So that rounds up most of what I am currently wearing!

What are you currently wearing?

What perfume or lip crayon have you been using lately?

 

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

A Golden Makeup Look with Laura Mercier + Sunday Riley

 

 

Golden tones can sometimes be hard to make work on my pale skin tone, so I am often dubious when trying a new shade on my eyelids. When this beautiful Gilded Moonlight* pan landed on my desk from Laura Mercier, I was equal parts impressed with the embossed powder and hesitant about how it would look atop my lids. I decided to go for broke and dipped my Royal & Langnickel dense shadow brush into the pan!

Gilded Moonlight is quite a yellow based gold, and I decided to pair the shadow with my Max Factor Colour Elixir Giant Pen Stick in Hot Chocolate as the golden shimmer in the dark nude shade tied in nicely with the overall look. Gilded Moonlight is pigmented but not as buttery as something like Urban Decay, and I can see myself wearing this at Christmas time for that stereotypical festive look! Considering the size of my eyeshadow collection I surprisingly lack gold shadows, with my Urban Decay Naked palette being the only thing that springs to mind for that category, so I am very happy to have Gilded Moonlight nestled in my drawer. 

 

I used a light base as I only had a few errands to run, and my favourite light base is the Dove Tinted Moisturiser topped with a dusting of Maybelline Dream Matte Powder. It gives enough coverage to even out my skin tone and make me feel comfortable, but feels like I’m not wearing much at all which is perfect for a catch up with my local barista ;)

 

I finished off the look with a sweep of my new Sunday Riley Powder Blush in Blushing, which is a very easy shade to throw on and has made me pop a few more Sunday Riley shades onto my wish list (Honeymoon Night, come to Mama!) I think the next time I use this shadow I will anchor down the yellow tone with a slash of black liner and a chocolate brown in the crease, but I'd love to hear what YOU think I should pair this with next?

 

How often do you wear golden shades on your face?

What do you think of beautifully embossed pans like this one?

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

March Empties

Another month, another lot of empties!

The Hair

Garnier Fructis Anti-Dandruff Shampoo ‘Classic’

A staple in my shower, this is pretty much the only shampoo that my scalp will tolerate. Trialling a new fancy brand right now, fingers crossed all goes well but I will always return to this lovely blue bottle.

L’Oreal Elvive Total Repair Restoring Crème Conditioner

Don’t remember too much about this sample sachet, but I don’t remember disliking it so that is a plus.

The Body

Haus of Gloi Twice is Nice Pumpkin Butter

Haul post here! HoG scents are to die for, and this is one of my favourites from the permanent line. I like the sample sized tubs as I get to dabble in a few scents, and this is one I will repurchase later on.

Weleda Citrus Hydrating Body Lotion*

Reviewed here, this was a great moisturising lotion and I adored the tangy scent!

The Body Shop Vineyard Peach Cream Body Scrub*

Reviewed here. A gentle and moisturising scrub, this smelt nice and actually persuaded me to like the gentle scrub side of the spectrum. Straight up peach scent, delish!

The Rest

Urban Rituelle Cotton Candy Petite Parfum

Reviewed here. Seriously, this couldn’t be any better (okay, if it were longer lasting it might be better) Introduced as a PR sample, this particular vial was a repurchase and I am now elated that Urban Rituelle brought this into 100ml bottle form. Hallelujah! Sweet and sugary, this is one of my very favourite perfumes.

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder

I have gone through so many of these, it really is the best powder I’ve come across. Am trialling other brands right now and missing this so much, am staring forlornly at my sealed backup and trying to stay strong and use up others first. Beauty blogger problems!

How much did you use up in March?

 

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