New on Shelf - April 2016 Edition

It may be well and good to love decluttering and ridding yourself of great chunks of your makeup and beauty stash, but for someone like me who adores trying new things (and spending money in general) I have to balance my purging efforts with a good window shop (or in most cases, an online beauty shop where I don't check out my cart!) I've spotted some new products that have hit the shelves in April and wanted to share my window shopping bounty with your eyes - feast, my friends!

 

I don't know how I managed to do it, but I've misplaced my Violet Candy Styler from ghd straightener and my VS Sassoon set that had lasted me over 10 years has finally carked it. I am struggling without a straightener for this crazy mop, and thinking of a new VS Sassoon since the quality is definitely there. The VS Sassoon Goddess Ultimate is mighty pretty and sparkly ($142.95AUD)

I have such a soft spot for Bobbi Brown, and after seeing Jessica on YouTube rave about the Art Sticks I'm lusting over the new Bobbi Brown Art Stick Duo ($80AUD) The colours seem so pigmented and they look like a fancy version of my beloved Maybelline Color Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencils.

Dermalogica always knock it out of the park and I'm eyeing off the new Hydrablur Primer ($70AUD) I'm a fan of primers that blur pores as I have some large areas around my cheek and nose that could do with some spackle before I apply foundation!

I've been waiting for Garnier to release an updated anti-dandruff shampoo as my stockpile of the discontinued blue bottles is running low! Grow Strong Anti-Dandruff Shampoo ($5.95AUD) looks like it is worth a try, and I might pick up the hair mask from this release to give it a whirl.

Kiehl's Turmeric + Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque ($58AUD) is reminiscent of the Peter Thomas Roth masks, and goodness knows I do love a good face mask! I have my go-to moisture masks and a great clay mask from Kiehl's for spotty days, but radiance is always a plus and I love the turmeric aspect of it most of all.

I had to include something for Mister as I scrolled through the new beauty bits for the month, and he's in need of a good moisturiser for his flaky cheeks and he likes the L'Oreal Men packaging. L'Oreal Paris Men Expert HydraPower 48hr Moisturiser ($15.95) sounds like a safe bet to grab for him at Priceline, so he can stop stealing my products!

I also liked the look of the new The Body Shop British Rose Collection so I may have to sniff that in store soon...

 

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I love being able to chat about new product releases without buying each and every one when they're released - are you like this as well, or does it frustrate you not to own all of the exciting beauty goodies that are out now? How do you maintain a balance in your makeup and beauty collection, do you purge frequently or limit what you buy?

 

-Emma

 

*Not a sponsored post, just an honest window shop for you to peek at!

New Beauty Releases

The tried and true products are still well-loved, but playing with the new kids on the block makes me so happy and excited about makeup and beauty again in a big way ('cause they've got the right stuff, babyyyy - points if you get the reference!)

Despite being deep into a Netflix-induced old school Gossip Girl obsession right now, I'm still totally up for trying out new things and the best way I know how is by taking a peek at the new beauty bits on shelves and slapping them on myself for a whirl! My cheeks have been glowing thanks to the new Sisley Phyto-Touche Illusion D'Ete* which is one of those awesome gel powders that fake a really healthy look (no real rays for this fair maiden!) and naturally I'm still stuck on the new Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blushes - the pictured Alezane shade is a serious stunner. I've been popping those over the new L'Oreal Infallible 24HR Matte Foundation in Vanilla* - annoyingly transfers easily but I quite enjoy the finish of this base so I'm sure use up the tube despite that!

New lip releases are a dime a dozen and since my drawers are stacked high I'm picky about what I'll try - the Carmex Green Tea Jasmine Lip Balm sounded too delicious to pass up, the Bobbi Brown Telluride lipgloss in Sunset* is gorgeous (see it in action here!) and may replace my old Nars lipgloss obsession, and the packaging of the new Lancôme Shine Lover Lipstick in Twisted Beige* is definitely the brands best yet. The sheer and shiny finish may not last the longest on my lips, but I like the colour a whole lot and as long as the weather isn't too hot I like toting this tube about in my handbag (not a fan of melted lip products!)

Twisted Beige, Sisley bronzing gel powder, Alezane, Sunset

I'm still loving the first three Urban Decay Naked palettes, but practising my smoky eye game with the fresh Naked Smoky Palette has been a lot of fun and I'm really glad I added it into my UD collection. Something I'm less chuffed about is the new Rimmel Wake Me Up Mascara* - at first I liked the pretty green tube, awesome cucumber scent and wet formula, but it takes what seems like an eternity to dry on my lashes and I always manage to get mascara all over my lids before it sets properly. I'd rather buy a few Rimmel nail polish bottles instead of this, a much better investment I think!

Rounding out the newbies? The Body Shop Italian Summer Fig EDT*, a jolt of strong figgy goodness that I've been wearing a ton of! I just saw in store that they have those cute little gift cubes in this scent for Christmas gift-giving - how perfect is that!? I have to pick up an early KK present this week so I'm going to hit them up for sure. 

 

Tried anything new lately?

What's your best $20 and under KK gift idea for a lady?

What lipgloss formula is your all-time favourite?

Hands up who got the song reference at the start of the post?!

-Emma x

 

 

*Marked products provided for consideration. Honesty, always!

New on Shelf

I’m totally guilty of snapping pictures on my iPhone as I peruse the shops, and love popping them up on Instagram or just looking back while considering which pieces I’d like to purchase. I find this to be helpful if you’re unable to regularly visit your Priceline or Myer as it gives you an insight into the ‘shiny and new’ things without you having to run out and buy each and every one. There are some pretty neat new things out that caught my eye on recent outings, and after noticing just how many I’d snapped I thought it only fair to share their ‘newness’ with you, too. Enjoy!

I made an attempt to buy the Covergirl Ready Set Gorgeous foundation while in Hawaii but they didn’t have my shade in stock – it just launched in Australia last week and was half price at Woolworths so I snapped up one in the shade 105. Trialling at the moment and so far, so good!

Out of the two new essence collections, Good Girl Bad Girl definitely contained the products that tempted me most. Out exclusively in Priceline, the shimmery star-embossed ‘Good Girls Wear Peach’ is stunning and I can see the lipsticks selling out fast in shades of dark vampy purple and bright fuchsia.

essence have also rolled out another collection exclusive to Target, Like an Unforgettable Kiss which is whimsical and romantic looking. The nail polish shades are quite nice and the duo heart blushes seem like a matte, pale version of the Too Faced blushes that are popular.

Always fond of a new Australis nail polish, I have to admit I chuckled a little bit when I looked at all of the names of these- well done Australis! I definitely want to check out the bright pink Mexican Madness in store and Swagger Like Us purely for the name…

Quite an impressive display for the Revlon Ultra HD Lipsticks, don’t you think? I remember watching this video and thinking they sounded alright, but I think a re-watch is in order to help me decide on which shades I should try!

An ultra-affordable new release on shelves now is the bath and body range from Kmart! I’ve heard good things about the body scrub and the fragrance mist in Jasmine smells wonderful, very similar in quality to something like Victoria’s Secret from what I can gather. I have enough fragrance mists to sink a battleship but I have a feeling these will still come home with me…

 

Enchanting Nightbird sounds so enticing and it definitely suits the winter theme for Bourjois 2015. The crème 24hr shadows are supposedly really nice but I’m all about those new lip crayon shades – Sweet Macchiato, come to your coffee-loving Mama!

A new player in the affordable micellar water realm is fine by me, and I like the packaging of the new L’Oreal Skin Perfection 3in1 Micellar Cleansing Water !

 

I’ve actually heard that the new Max Factor Crème Puff blushes are akin to the Hourglass Ambient Light Blushes…that has definitely made me want to pick one up even more!

 

Speaking of Hourglass, the new Modernist eyeshadow palettes have launched at Mecca and are pretty stunning! I wasn’t too sure about the joint shade idea and overall look of them at first but the shadow texture is quite impressive and the shades all seem quite lovely.

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So there you have it – a round-up of lots of new goodies on beauty shelves right now! Have you bought any of these yet? Which of these looks most tempting to you?

-Emma

 

 

Hauling New Releases

There have been quite a few exciting new products released onto the Australian market in recent weeks, and the other day I popped a few of them into my basket in an attempt to update my makeup stash! Brands like essence and Face of Australia regularly have new collections to sift through, but this time Maybelline joined the folds with some very cool new products.

 

When Maybelline discontinued my beloved Dream Matte powder, I think I felt my heart break just that little bit. I still have some backups stashed away, but am saving them for desperate times so decided to grab a pan of the new Maybelline Matte Maker mattifying powder to see if it is of the same quality as the original. The packaging is similar to the Rimmel Stay Matte but with a screw top plastic lid, but I’m already missing the addition of the sturdy plastic and large mirror that Dream Matte had. Will keep you posted on this one…

 

I posted a snap of the essence Dark Romance collection on my Instagram here, and showed restraint in only buying 3 pieces from the new launch. I couldn’t walk away from the Velvet Mousse Blushes despite there not being a tester, and I was pleasantly surprised with how they felt and swatched once I got them home. There are two shades available- 01 Painted Love and 02 Red Romance. I am yet to try them on my cheeks but they are already better than some of the other limited edition essence products I’ve bought in the past! I also bought the eyeshadow quad in 01 Mystery Glam, which I was drawn to primarily because of the wine shade in the top left hand corner. I’ve used this quad once so far (sweeping the taupe shade across the lid and the blue through the crease) and I absolutely loved the quality of the shadows!

 

Another dark and mysterious collection has popped up in Priceline from the budget beauty brand Face of Australia – The Dark Side nail polishes! I had seen posts on this nail collection and love the idea of it all being based on popular villains, and I have to admit that I was tempted to buy almost every bottle on the shelf…but I managed to select two shades that I just couldn’t resist. Jafar is an oxblood red that is so on trend this winter, and Wicked Witch of the West is a dark green crème that I think is so pretty! It was the swatches on the FOA blog here that really suckered me into this collection – Michelle from CosmeticCupcake is one of my favourite nail bloggers and she showed off this wintery nail selection so very well.

 

I had heard about the Maybelline Pure Pigments briefly a few months ago, but hadn’t seen them around many blogs and so they slipped from my mind until I spotted a new section on the Maybelline shelf at Priceline. I chose the shade Downtown Brown which swatches so beautifully! There were some nice brights as well as easy to wear neutrals, but considering I hardly ever reach for my loose pigments I didn’t want to buy too many in case they went to waste. The last things I grabbed in my haul were lip products – the new Nivea Fruity Shine Peach lip balm (peach!) and my first Revlon Matte Balm in Showy (not shown because it was in my handbag!) I’ve been sorting through my makeup recently and the amount of crayons and lip balms I have in my stash is unbelievable, but I just can’t seem to stop myself!

 Have you hauled any new releases lately? International blogging friends, what do I have to look forward to?

Emma x

*All of these products were purchased by me! Honesty, always.

4 of the Best New Blushes To Try

If you are a long time reader of this blog, you should be well aware of the fact that I am a blush fiend. Nothing gets my heart racing faster than a new blush pan and my blush collection spans more than one drawer, which I am not ashamed of in the slightest. Lately some new blushes have been released that have been really interesting, and in the interest of blush swooning I thought it pertinent to round them up and show you!

essence really hit it out of the park with their new Blush Up Powder Blush in the shade 10 Heatwave. It came along with a range of new products and is definitely the best of the bunch, and also the only new cheek shade from the German brand. The coral and deep pink ombre finish is luxe and the packaging is slim and sleek, and being able to customize your coral-to-pink cheek shade is a fun little addition. I tend to dust my NP Set blush brush in the centre of the compact to create a stunning pop of coral on the cheek, and the lasting power is on par with my Chanel powders.

Hourglass created a huge storm with their Ambient Lighting Powders, but the Ambient Blushes are what really had me grinning from ear to ear! I purchased the brightest shade Radiant Magenta and I adore the marbled look that is captured in the sleek gold compact, but the best thing about these blushes is how they look on the cheek! Lit from within doesn’t even do this blush justice, because this makes my cheeks look healthier than any other blush can. Considering I own quite a few, that is no mean feat!

Clinique have also knocked glowy blushes on the head with their adorable ambossed Cheek Pops, in which I own the shade Peach Pop*. I was initially expecting all of the wow to be from the look of the petals, but the colour and formula itself is truly very lovely. I find this great for those who like a subtle flush, but I can build this up easily to a dash of peach loveliness on my cheeks with no problems. I’m tempted to grab the other 3 shades but I’m enjoying Peach Pop so much that it has satiated my appetite (for now)

You can really blame my Chanel obsession on Pink Sith (I adore her way of thinking and her amazing love for ChanelJ oues Contraste blushes!) Pictured is the most recent Joues Contraste release, the magenta Vivacite which I posted a review of here. These powders have a rose scent that I adore and the lasting power is really impressive, and I suspect that the interlocked C’s also have something to do with my passion for this range. I am happy to be labelled a Chanel JC collector, and despite only being a beginner I use this range more than any of my other blushes.

What blush formula do you swear by, or are you in the market for a new pan?

Are you a blushfiend like me, or do lip products get your heart racing?

Emma x

 

Maybelline Colour Elixirs | Breathtaking Apricot, Fuschia Flourish and Caramel Infused

I was perusing Priceline before work the other day when I felt my breath catch in my throat. There in all its glory was a full stand of the highly anticipated Maybelline Colour Elixirs, which I had been impatiently waiting for. Since I’m used to waiting an eternity for new product releases to launch here in Australia, I jumped at the chance to grab one of these via a friend who has family in America a few months ago. I chose Breathtaking Apricot as it seemed the most popular shade from the blog posts I had read, and it is a lot more pink than the name ‘apricot would suggest’. Once it hits the lips it becomes this muted neon cross between orange and pink, and I actually really like the shade that eventuates but find it a little less easy to wear than if it were a straight pink or orange. I actually didn’t see this shade on the Australian display, perhaps it isn’t one of the shades made available to us (eBay always makes it possible though!)

I was immediately drawn to Fuschia Flourish, thanks in part to Estee from Essie Button who is one of my favourite YouTubers and is a fan of the shade. It’s a gorgeous bright pink shade that goes on evenly and I feel like it’s the sort of colour that really brightens up my face. I was checking out the blush and rose toned shades next but something about them didn’t hit the mark for me, but when I laid eyes on Caramel Infused I knew I had to take it. It’s along the lines of a MLBB shade with a nude edge and I find it really wearable and pretty. My natural lip colour does affect the colour a bit which makes it appear more pink-toned than in the arm swatch, but it’s still discernable as MLBB when on.

 

 

 

 

The feel of this is quite cushiony as I’ve seen it described, and it’s a soft and tacky kind of finish which I can detect while I’m wearing but it doesn’t annoy me. The colour is easy to apply and you can mix it around with other shades or blot it down, and I find it lasts okay for a glossy lip product. I’m definitely going to consider picking more of these up, but for now I’m really enjoying these 4 beautiful elixirs!

 

Have you tried the new Maybelline Colour Elixirs?

What shade do you have your eye on?

Emma x 

NYX is at Target!

Imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon this pristine NYX stand while browsing at my local Target! I have tried a few things from the brand (their powder blush in Peach is my top pick!) and have always wanted to have a good swatch of the whole line, so I over them moon to see them in Target! I adore the gloss in Beige (which is really a lovely pink colour) and really like the look of those butter glosses too!

The prices are quite high compared to NYX online and overseas, and the range isn't as extensive either (a handful of blush shades as opposed to the whole range) but having a new brand in the market is still a lovely thing to see.

I've got the jumbo eye crayon in Milk (a plain white shade) but overall I've heard some pretty negative reviews of that so i don't think I'll get another. I do like the look of the softer coloured eye crayons that I've never seen before, so perhaps they will make their way into my stash instead.

I think the first things on my 'to try' list will be the cream blushes, another powder blush, the Love in Paris palette and some of the lip glosses. I'm going to try not to dive in too fast though, I have so many other things in my stash that are sitting unloved. All in all though, I am elated to see that we now have access to a brand like NYX! Hopefully these stands will roll out across all of the Australian Target stores so that we all have access to the new products! I also love that their are testers for every product, it means I can really look at the colours when I'm deciding to buy. I have my fingers crossed that the stands stay well stocked and neat, but we'll just have to wait and see.

What would you pick up first from this stand? Have you tried any great NYX products you would recommend to other readers?
Emma @ emmabovarybeauty x

Sugar Coated Candies

Sweet as sugar nails aren’t always my thing, if I’m going to be honest about it. You’re more likely to see my tips a shade of orange or a metallic deep blue (like my very favourite polish shade, L’Oreal Color Riche in LuxembourgGarden) than something pastel or baby pink. That said, when I was making a cheeky haul at Chemist Warehouse I saw the brand new Sally Hansen Sugar Coat display, and Cotton Candies leapt out at me immediately.

The perfect medium shade of pink, this definitely needs two coats to get the perfect ‘sugar crystal’ effect that you are going for. This feels a little different to the OPI Liquid Sands for me in that OPI’s formulation sort of glides on as per usual, before drying to a sandy finish. This is more like crystals captured in the polish itself, but ultimately the ideas are quite similar to one another. I really like the sweet and girly take that Sally Hansen has with their collection though, and I have my eye on the white variation which is something I never thought I’d go for.

The textured finish can be a little scratchy, particularly if you’ve not tried the OPI Liquid Sand formulas or the other textured finishes on the market yet. I find that this doesn’t last any better on my nails than regular polishes and still flakes off, but that happens with every one of my polishes so I know that it is my nails and not the formula to blame. I’ve heard great nail bloggers mention how hard wearing these formulas are, so I definitely think you should take my experience with a grain of salt. Having a textured finish to the nail is really on trend at the moment (and a little more natural than caviar on your nails…just sayin’!) and is a bit more subdued for those of you who don’t like ‘in your face’ nails and nail art. They are also crazily easy to apply, so they are wonderful for any little girls in your life who adore painting their nails! My nieces would be all over Cotton Candies!

Ultimately I’m a fan of this new release from Sally Hansen, and plan on picking up the white ‘Sugar Fix’ and perhaps the black ‘Lick-O-Rich’ as well. (Okay, I’m pretty much eyeing up the whole range because I really like the look of the minty ‘Sour Apple’ also – I have polish problems!) They are quite affordable at $9.95 a bottle and they are regularly on sale, so I highly suggest you check them out.

What colour appeals to you the most when it comes to textured nails?

 Emma @ emmabovarybeauty