Grey Day

Something about winter is just so lovely; the big pots of peppermint tea, bringing the throw rugs out and snuggling up after dinner to read a book (or play some Trivia Crack on the iPad, let's be real) The dark winter wardrobe I favour lends itself quite nicely to a wide variety of makeup looks - I can flit between a bold blush one day, bright Bourjois-velvet clad lips the next before getting smoky with some dark shadows...for this winterfied palette, I've gone down the fresh grey path when pulling things from my makeup drawers.

Hazy Grey Eyes
When I think winter, I automatically think grey and wearing it on the lids is definitely easier than rocking something like the much lauded Chanel Notorious, don't ya think? I prefer greys with a hint of brown to them to warm it up a notch, and my fall back grey palette is this Lady Grey MAC quad (especially the lower right hand shade, Hazy Day!)

The Classic Grey Mani
I love a good greige mani all year round truth be told, but it's never better than when it's chilly outside and you're all rugged up in a cozy knit scarf rocking the most elegant nails out there. I initially overlooked essie Take It Outside* but I love love love it on the nails - even on my nubbins it manages to look decent, so imagine it on perfectly shaped ones...*sigh* The magpie factor made me throw a coat of essie Hors D'oeuvres* over the ring finger, because bling bling!

Flush of Blush
I'm breaking away from neutral cheek shades for a second to dally in pinks flushes, but nothing screams "hi there I just came in from the cold can you pour me a cuppa?" than a RED flush - so natural on the cheek, yet so scary in the pan! Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Natural Beauty is just that, but the deep red tone of essence Renesmee Red is my personal favourite for a red cheek. Crème blushes aren't really my fortay but the old discontinued YSL Crème de Blush is the bees knees regardless - it's a nice powdered finish that I like in the winter. I've also turned a bit icy this season, with the new essence highlighter Enter Wonderland from the brand new Hidden Stories collection.

What is the best part of winter for you?

I'd love to know what your favourite hot drink is, I'm totally obsessed with big mugs on the couch right now!

-Emma

 

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Festive Five #5 - 5 low maintenance red lippies for Christmas Day

Okay, I know I said I wasn’t going to go down the festive red lip route, but I have to be honest and say that I’m tempted to. I don’t want anything high maintenance (there are prawns to eat, people!) so I’ve been ruminating on my 5 favourite reds to wear as a stain or a light wash on the day. Mumma Bovary buys me a new dress to wear on Christmas Day each year and she is continuing the tradition even though I’m married and in my own home now, so yesterday we spent the day together doing last minute Christmas shopping and having some lunch. I’ll be posting a snap of the dress we chose on Instagram no doubt (@emmabovary) but it’s got flashes of red throughout so I think a red lip would look pretty good with it.

1. essence Breaking Dawn Part 2 Lipgloss in Renesmee Red

This smells so fruity and delicious, and the glittery jelly look of it would look perfect dabbed in the middle of a bright red lipstick. I don’t think it would help with the lip longevity but the glitter is drawing me in…

2. essence Tribal Summer Longlasting Lipstick in Waka Waka*

I’ve not worn this red shade before so it might be a bit of gamble, but it does claim to be long-lasting and the colour is a bit closer to a true red than the others pictured here. It also looks like it would complement the Renesmee Red gloss really nicely…

3. Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Neon Red

The quality of this line of lipsticks is so good and this bright cherry red would be a perfect festive touch to my new outfit. I think it’s a bit creamier than I would ideally like for a day of feasting but still…

4. MAC Viva Glam Cyndi (lustre)

My beloved Cyndi, easily one of my favourite lipsticks and one that I need to use more often lest it go off as I admire it in my lipstick drawer. I have a feeling this shade will win out on the day as the almost coral tint to it makes it the most flattering on my super pale skin, and it’s nice and easy to reapply throughout the day, too.

5. Nars Lipgloss in Babe

This mini gloss came in a set I bought at Mecca Maxima, and I adore the formula of these. I’m yet to try the newly repackaged glosses as I’m unsure whether or not the formula is the same…? If anyone can confirm this I would love to know! This is a nice juicy red shade that I wear by itself but it would also work over a red lipstick on the day.

Renesmee Red, Waka Waka, Neon Red, Cyndi, Babe

 

One more sleep! Thanks so much for following along with my Festive Five series, it was nice to do something a bit different on the blog and your comments were all very much appreciated. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and I can't wait to hear what beauty products you all wore on the day!

-Emma

*Product provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

essence Breaking Dawn Part 2 Collection // Photos, Swatches, Review

While I'm not up to speed on the Twilight films, I have read all of the novels and am a fan of most of essence's limited edition collections. I picked up everything from the Breaking Dawn part 2 collection, bar the glitter eyeliners.

 

This blush in the shade Renesmee Red seems a little scary in the pan, but when swatched it is sheer (in a good way) and stunning. A coral toned red shade, this is definitely one of the must-haves from this collection in my opinion.

 

The definite stand out must have from this collection is the well priced highlighter in the shade 01 Bella's Secret($5.95) I have already coerced my best friend into adding this to her collection, as it adds a diffused glow which is impressive for such an affordable powder. If I were to recommend anything from this collection, this would be it.

01 A Piece of Forever is a lipstick loaded with fine golden shimmer, and though I'm sure some people would be unsure about this, it is stunning by itself to add a sheen to the lips or over a red lip stain. I often use the Tread Gently Tendertone from MAC to add yellow shimmer to my lipsticks, but this is a wonderful cheap alternative.

The lipglosses seem on the watery side when compared to the Stay With Me lipglosses from the permanent line, which are housed in the same style tube. The colours themselves are also on the glassy/watery side in swatches, though I am yet to wear them on my lips so cannot comment too much at this stage. Both shades contain beautiful shimmer, 01 Alice Had A Vision - Again is a dark purple shade that matches the nail polish of the same name. 02 Renesmee Red is a candy apple red shade, matching the blush from this collection.

 

Four new pigment pots have been released with this collection, and though the swatches for 2 of them are promising, I'm finding it hard to make them work on the eye. They blend away to nothing quite easily, so I am planning on trialling them with a few different primers to see what works. 01 Jacob's Protection is a black base filled with multi coloured shimmer, and swatches are deep and pigmented. 02 Alice Had A Vision - Again is a blue toned black base filled with purple and navy shimmer, and swatches beautifully as well. 03 A Piece of Forever is an attempt at a champagne pigment that was incredibly difficult to swatch, and lacks colour and depth. I am unsure as to how I am going to make this work on the eye. 04 Edward's Love is supposed to be a black base filled with multi coloured glitter, but the colour literally falls from the skin and the glitter is actually rough and hurts to swatch. Would not recommend pigments 03 and 04.

 

The polishes from this collection are all really beautiful, there is a colour similar to the upcoming MAC Everything That Glitters (Sunday Girl swatches that here) and I am going to have swatches of these in a separate post during the week.

 

I like the high quality of the powders from this collection, and the matching names for certain shades is also a nice touch. Overall I think essence have done well with the theme of this collection, most shades seem well thought out and I adore the blush, highlighter and lipstick overall.

 

Each piece is priced below $6 AUD, with the highlighter being the most expensive.

Will you be picking up anything from the Breaking Dawn Part Two collection?

Have you been swept up with the Twilight phenomenon?

 

 

*I paid for all of these items myself. Honesty,always.