September Lifestyle Favourites



I have a feeling that this is the first time you would have seen a lifestyle favourites on my blog, but I figured that since I love watching them on YouTube it made sense to share my own favourites with you all. The majority ended up being beverages but overall it highlights how chilled (read:boring) my life really is outside of the beauty realm!

writing with my new Kikki K pen // sunny spring days // my planner and favourite pen // my library stack

Kikki K Pen
This pen makes writing about 80% more enjoyable for me, and for that it's a definite lifestyle favourite this month! I hate how it smudges when you highlight over it but the glide is so addictive and I've just seen that they possible have this pen in a Christmas design - be still my heart! I wrote with it to show you what it looks like above and then snapped it sitting on my 2015 Personal Planner* which I'm also loving at the moment!

Sunny Spring Days
My mood has definitely been elevated since the nice weather took hold of Melbourne - it's still light when Mister and I return home from work and we've been enjoying sitting out in the backyard enjoying the sunshine as we wind down from the day.

My Library Card
I'm back on the library bandwagon in the biggest way, and am really enjoying stacking my shelves high with books I don't have to pay for! I've been scrolling through Goodreads stealing recommendations from people I admire and I've also joined the fabulous Look At All These Books book club!

Madame Flavour Mint Choc Rooibos // Jarrah Coconut Hot Choc // Moccona Hint of Caramel // Garlic Prawns with Chicken & Leek Risotto

Madame Flavour Tea Treats - Mint Choc Rooibos
I can't imagine finding a tea that tastes better than this one - it's sweet enough to replace dessert without being overwhelming, it's the perfect mix of choc and mint in tea form, and it makes me happy each night when I drink it in bed reading a book!

Jarrah Coconut Hot Chocolate
I'm definitely not a big hot chocolate fan, but my sister in law gave me a few sachets of this to try and now I'm hooked! I've tried to work coconut into my drinks in the past and always failed, and this was the exact taste I was trying to replicate! Now I just have to convince Jarrah not to EVER discontinue this...

Moccona with a Hint of Caramel
Yet another hot drink - it's clear where my obsession lies, isn't it? This is what I have each morning with sugar and a splash of milk and it's my favourite - sometimes I even choose it over a proper takeaway coffee, and that is saying something!

Garlic Prawns with Chicken & Leek Risotto
I fell into a routine with my dinners through September but this was the clear favourite with juicy prawns sitting on top of creamy and moreish risotto - a definite treat meal that Mister and I really enjoy.

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What were your lifestyle favourites in September?

Any hot drink recommendations for me? I'm seriously obsessed!

Emma x

September Finito's!

Yup, it is empties time again at camp emmabovarybeauty!

I am pleased with my efforts to make a dent in my sample/travel sized products, and I am happy to think that some of these are things I would like to repurchase sometime down the line.

Body Care!

 

Glad to finish the Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash (sample)*, I thought I had already used up all of my samples but this one was found floating around and I burned through it. I am not a fan of unscented body washes, but this didn't irritate so it might be great for those against scented body washes. I would not repurchase.

 

The 1SkinSolution Vanilla Bean Body Cream (travel size)* was a delight to use, these last few months have seen me up the ante with moisturising my body and this was such a delicious scent. It's a runny liquid formulation that is moisturising, I will be repurchasing down the track.

 

The TREsemme Moisture Rich conditioner wasn't very impressive, it wasn't the worst conditioner I've used but it was only passable. I like the feel of Terax too much to enjoy most other conditioners...let me know what you think I should try next?

 

Lush Too Drunk Emotibomb was sadly a chucker, I bought this who knows how long ago and it went bad. I don't partake in baths often enough to make these purchases necessary, so the next Lush thing on my list is Ro's Argan Body Conditioner, as it is shower friendly.

 

Deodorants!

 

Spray Fresh Activ High Energy deodorant is one that Chris and I both used. It isn't too strongly scented but the fact that they leave out the 'e' in active irks me. I find it sometimes stings but Chris says my pits need to 'man up', and he has already repurchased.

 

Rexona Girl Tropical Energy deodorant is my all-time fave, it smells great and does a good job of keeping me fresh. I always have a stock of these in my bathroom cupboard (and already have another emptied for October empties!) so yes, repurchase.

 

Skincare!

 

I find the BeautyCareCo makeup pads to be a cheap option to throw in the cart when I am at K-Mart, but they do fall apart more easily than the Priceline branded alternatives. I am almost done with another pack of these (I bought a double pack) and though I prefer the Priceline ones, I will repurchase.

 

Avene Cleanance Oil-Free Emulsion moisturiser* was something I really enjoyed using during this transitional weather, though I needed something heavier in the evenings this was nice for day use. It made my skin feel smooth and sunk in fast, and I would repurchase this down the track and come back around to using it. It's hard when you change up skincare often, but knowing what I like is a nice feeling.

 

Clinique Turnaround Concentrate Visible Skin Renewer wasn't even mine to begin with, my cousin lived with us for over a year and left this behind. I loved the way it felt on my skin but don't know if Clinique still make this exact formula...I am tossing this because it's been around forever, but I would repurchase (you know how those Clinique GWP's sucker me in!)

 

Kiehls Cucumber Herbal Oil-Free Toner* was another travel sized product I was happy to complete, I used this after cleansing to make sure my skin was a clean slate for my serums. I loved the deep green colour of this liquid, and though I find toners hard to see results from, I think I liked this. It lasted forever!

 

Face of Australia Purifying Cleansing Wipes were a mad sale purchase, I love picking these up when K-Mart are having a $3 off FOA sale and neglect to exclude this wipes. They are thin but sturdy and I mainly use them for swatch clean up and the odd residue wipe off on my face.

 

 

How much did you finish this month!?

 

 

*Marked products were PR samples or sent for consideration, but the fact I used them up speaks volumes. Honesty, always.

 

 



Scents of September- L'EAU D'ISSEY,Burt's Bees and Yankee Candles

The weather in Australia is generally all over the place, and Melbourne is no exception. Known for having four seasons in a single day, we sort of get the best of all worlds while getting the short end of the stick as our summer dresses are soaked in rain.

I have been struggling to keep up with the constant changes, and my poor skin has been battered. I received this Burt's Bees Almond Milk Hand Creme in a mini pack I hauled a while ago, and it's only now receiving love from me. It smells like yummy almonds and reminds me of biscuits, and is great at coating my hands to keep the elements out. It's quite thick and waxy, but good at its job so I shan't complain.

For those sunny days, I've been loving this L'Eau D'Issey sample. I have no idea how I came to own this baby perfume, but mmm it's good. Chris' brother is a massive fan of Issey Miyake fragrances and it reminds me of him when I wear it. He's pretty awesome, so it's a good connection:) It's a heavy yet light scent, and feels both masculine and feminine to me. I can picture myself wearing this out to dinner or just to the shops, so it is a versatile scent to my nose. It's obvious I am bad with scent description, so just give it a sniff next time you're out and about.

The gorgeous PR for Yankee Candles realised I couldn't attend the Sydney launch as I'm Melbourne based, so was kind enough to fill up a parcel with Yankee goodness and mail it out to me! Was very happy to see scents I might not have picked for myself, and I've been loving Clean Cotton for those times when the rain has gone but the damp feel remains, and you just need something clean and fresh to take over. I've also got the melts in Fluffy Towels which I'm keen to try, and I think the name is super cute.

That rounds up my top scent picks for September, I was lucky enough to receive some perfume samples from Coty at ABBW last weekend so am gearing up to fall in love with them in October. My IMATS/ABBW posts are coming, I'm still recovering from all of the excitement so it's taken me a while to get organised. Let me know what scents you've been loving lately, or if there are any you think I should have a sniff at.

emmabovary xx