Wasted Beauty

We all do it, so just admit it.


There are certain things you ‘save’ for a special occasion, one such occasion that takes a damn long time to come. Whether it be a beautifully embossed eyeshadow palette or an expensive perfume that was a gift from that someone special, these beauties sit alongside the staples waiting for their turn to shine and be wholly loved. If they do manage to get a look in, they are quickly popped back on the shelf for fear of running out (the dilemma of the limited edition item, you see) Whilst I have a long list of things I’m sort of hoarding (Thierry Mugler Angel EDT, travel bottle of Bioderma, Rimmel Match Perfection Crème Gel foundation…the list goes on!) this beautiful perfume set is the one that has made me rethink my ways.

I can’t seem to put my finger on the occasion that this marked (it was a few years ago now, this was released early 2010) but I remember Chris handing it over, impeccably wrapped with a big ol’ grin on his face. I was elated as I always spritzed myself with Tresor in Love whenever I passed a Lancome counter, and now I was free to wallow in the stuff. Fast forward to last Christmas, I mentioned a perfume I had my eye on to the boy… his response was a firm no, followed by a stern word about the wasted gift set that still sat upon my shelf, unopened and pristine.

“Saving things for a special occasion is stupid. Put it on and let’s order Dominos.”

With that, I took it down and since then have been enjoying the fruity sweet rose scent and the love that it was given with. I want to enjoy the things in life that make me smile, the taupe shadows and the discontinued highlighters, the limited edition blushes and the hard to find lipsticks. Life is short, and I am going to enjoy the beautiful things (material or otherwise) while I can.

What are you saving for a special occasion?

Emptied in August

Clarins Eau des Jardins Uplifting Shower Gel

Will be posting a full review on this as I adored it, smells amazing and is PH balanced.

Priceline Round Cotton Pads

You constantly see these in my empties, because I use them for everything! Bioderma, toner, folded in half to fix eye liner. You name it!

Dermaveen Oatmeal Conditioner

The matching shampoo was featured in my last empties, and this isn't much better. Doesn't give my hair enough moisture, but I've used worse conditioners in the past.

Boots shave cream

This is so old the can has rusted, I found it at the back of my cabinet and was repulsed. This is not empty, but a chucker.

Sunsilk Colour Lock Shampoo

A grotty sample that I don't want to put near my head, this is also a chucker.

Shu Uemura Skin Purifying Cleansing Oil

I felt that this took my makeup off well, but did leave a bit of an oily residue. I didn't dislike it, but I can't decide if I like it enough to buy it in the future.

Rimmel Match Perfection Cream Gel Foundation

I really enjoyed this, it really does feel like a cross between a cream and a gel. I found that it sets really quickly so you have to blend each section of your face separately to avoid it feeling mask like. The finish it gives is like real skin, but without major flaws, and I liked wearing this to work or out to lunch on Sundays.

Lancome Tresor Midnight in Love

I love fragrance samples, and this sweet blackberry vial was lovely. It was uber sweet so I tended to wear it at night, but I can see myself buying a full bottle of this.

Australis Lash Length Extension mascara

Reviewed here, I really enjoyed using this fibre mascara and loved how easy it was to remove. In the end up it became very clumpy (in a soft, fibre-y way) but it lasted well past it's proper 'expiry' date (yes, I kept using it because I'm cheeky) Would repurchase. 

 Face of Australia Face Base Primer

I already have another tube of this on the go, it is my favourite moisturising base and it lets my foundation glide on a lot easier. I use this daily and find it helps my colour cosmetics last a little bit longer, but it's more for application help than anything. Have and would repurchase.

What did you use up this month?

What mascara and primer are you using right now?

Empties for July

I thought I hadn't used up many products this month, but it turns out I did alright.

Lancome Tresor Midnight Rose
I love the blackcurrant edge that this has over the other Tresor varieties, it lasts quite well on me but until I finish up some of my other perfumes, I won't be purchasing this. A customer came into work wearing this last week and it smelt so good, which is why I pulled this out to finish it up.

Ardell Sculpting Brow Gel
This still has product left in it but it's so scungy now that it just had to go. It's affordable and easy to find, so I will repurchase after I finish the brow gel I am currently using.

DermaVeen Oatmeal shampoo
I was so excited to try out the sample of this shampoo (the matching conditioner will be in my next empties post) but sadly this did nothing for me but make my dandruff worse. My scalp is still itchy and distressed after using this, I've only found one anti-dandruff shampoo that works (Garnier) so I'm sticking with that one.

Australis 3 in 1 wipes

These are nice enough, I buy them when they are on sale and use them for swatching.

Dove Tinted Moisturiser

I love this TM, Chris' Mum gave it to me but it has started to smell and has gone off. I've repurchased a fresh one!

Ethnique nail polish

I have no idea how I came to own this, but it is pretty much solid now.

Crabtree & Evelyn Nantucket Briar shower gel

I love Crabtree, this was a bit too 'nanna' even for me, but I still liked it.

Impulse Paris body mist

I love this body mist, I use it as a room spray and occasionally as a body mist. It is very similar to Miss Dior Cherie, and I have already repurchased.

Kiehl's Coriander liquid body cleanser*

This was such a strangely enjoyable scent, it was herby but somewhat sweet, and unlike anything my nose has come across before. I don't like it enough to repurchase, though I did enjoy using it.

Face of Australia Gentle Make-up Remover

I remembered loving this more than I now do, I think since trying Bioderma all makeup removers will let me down in comparison. I would still repurchase, as it does a good job and is affordable.

Rexona Girl Free Spirit Deodorant

I usually buy the Tropical Energy version of this (my ultimate fave) but thought I'd see what this version was like. I liked the scent, but not as much as the Tropical Energy one. I would repurchase in the future, just to change it up a bit.

QV Gentle Conditioner*

This was woeful, I am sorry to say. Hardly moisturised my hair and the build up was atrocious. The matching shampoo was just as bad, so this is definitely not being repurchased.

Coles Make-up Removal Pads

Done the job, they fall apart easily but I'm not bothered by that as they are cheap as chips.

Have you tried any of these products?

How much did you use up in July?

February Favourites (Holiday Edition!)

For the better part of February I spend my days lounging around a resort in Thailand, soaking up sun (slathered in SPF of course!) and enjoying quite a few blue cocktails. My favourites have a distinctly tropical feel, naturally.

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My Thailand staple scent has always been MOR's Lychee Roll-On Oil* (review here)so I made sure it came along with me on this trip. I enjoyed Tresor Midnight Rose quite a bit also, it seemed to suit the humid climate better than it suits Melbourne weather for me.

Basic face was all I could muster due to high heat and water activities, so I leant on my sample of Invisible Zinc Tinted Daywear which has an SPF of 30+. I set this with powder as it is quite thick and shiny in appearance, but the coverage was perfect for me and I really enjoyed using this! I scrubbed my face (and Chris') a fair bit so that the residual creams didn't build up and clog pores, and took along my sample of Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant for the job. I am still undecided as to whether I like my Alpha-H exfoliant better as this one smells much more strongly, but it worked amazingly on this trip so it made it into my favourites. The Ardell brow gel was a must, my brows have been nuts lately.

This holiday was definitely all about the lips! I didn't mind having bare eyes while away (which surprised me) but with all the photos being taken of me, I needed a pop of colour on my lips to look alive. I found these shades a lot of fun, and will keep wearing them now that I'm home.

The Estee Lauder Berry gloss came from a travel set that Chris' Mum bought a few holidays ago and shared with me. I wear it all the time, it's so flattering and non-sticky. This is what I wore when I couldn't be bothered thinking. The Hissyfit Lip Service is the bomb, I felt great knowing that my lips AND my face were protected with SPF30+ and Chris used this every now and again too (when the Softlips went walkabout. FYI, he broke two this holiday ><)

Revlon Coral Reef is amazing, but you should already know that. I took Smashbox Overexposed gloss(review here) because it can never leave my sight, I love it that much. Plain lips with a vanillery amazingness is necessary on holiday, ya know.

These mini MAC glosses came from the limited edition Christmas bauble for the season just gone, I am so happy I picked it up. Like Venus Dazzleglass is a sparkly pink gloss chock-ful of pink and golden sparkles, with a distinctly purple tinge to it. Petite Indulgence Cremesheen Glass is a lovely formulation, and a mid tone pink shade which suits me so well, if I do say so myself. Compliments were thrown at me every time I wore this, so it had to be in my favourites.

Topshop eye shadow in Mercury is one that I wore when out at night in Thailand, and it definitely deserves it's own review. In short, it's amazing, and makes me feel like a million dollars when I wear it.

What is your dream holiday destination?

Have you tried any of my favourites?

November Lust Have It!

The sample box phenomena is definitely growing, with a new one seeming to crop up at each turn. The first to be distributed within Australia was Lust Have It! and I have been a subscriber from day dot. Many others have caught my eye but I've been a good girl and have stuck to just this one- though I may ask for a yearly subscription to another for Christmas;) (FYI, great Christmas idea for fellow makeup and skincare lovers in your family-the gift that reappears each month!) So far I've been very happy with the products, some haven't made me swoon but I have still enjoyed trying things I wouldn't have otherwise. Here is what the grumpy mailman dropped into my hot litte hands yesterday morning!

As a sidenote, I would love to see Lust Have It in a nicer box- the underside of this has the address label and other stickers ruining it's prettiness. Other beauty boxes seem to be cuter on the outer.

Squee, I had my fingers crossed for a perfume sample and look what is sitting at the top!



Lancome Tresor Midnight Rose
(Full Size 30ml retails for $79.00AUD)



Two 1.5ml samples of the new Lancome release, Tresor Midnight Rose. I actually tried this on while in Myer the other day and liked it, so was delighted to see some samples so I could give it a better trial. I have been wearing Tresor In Love quite a bit lately, so Lancome have been doing well with me!



Miracle Shine 2 Step Miracle Nail Shiner-Hawley International
(Retails for $6.95AUD)



This arrived a litte scuffed up and dirty which annoyed me, and as I'm not good at maintaining my nails it didn't really excite me. I will give it a go, and maybe the shine of my nails will change my mind. If not, it will become my Mum's.



Lip Liner in Chique Natural Mineral Lipliner by Nude by Nature
(Retails for $14.95AUD)



I am definitely lacking in the lip liner department so was happy to see this little guy. My Mum, however, was ultra excited and fell in love with the colour. If I manage to hold on to it, I'll let you know how I go. If not, I'll make her guest review;)

Complete Lift NEW Technology Daily Moisturiser-RoC
(Full Size 50ml retails for $59.00AUD)

I seem to have misplaced the moisturiser I was about to start trialling, so yippee for these 3 samples which have saved my bacon. Have used it thrice so far, it's quite thick and creamy and I'm enjoying it. Will review when the samples are done.

Nectar Thermique- Kerastase
 (Full Size 150ml retails for $39.50AUD)

I am totally intrigued by the idea that this is an 'ally for dry hair' which works best when heat is applied! I've been curling and straightening my hair quite a bit lately so this is perfect for me. My ends have been fluffy and dry, lets see if this stuff helps in any way.

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Lust Have It! subscriptions are $14.95AUD per month, or $160 for a yearly subscription. Gift vouchers are also available, head to the Lust Have It! site for more details.
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Have you subscribed to any beauty boxes? What new loves have you found in them? Do you like the sound of the November Lust Have It! box?

emmabovary's christmas wish-list!

My first post on this bad boy, and I thought I would share my lust-haves with all who stumble upon my musings. I wouldn't be offended if Mister Christopher jotted down a few stocking stuffers from here either ;)

I have been itching to begin a blog like this for a while now, filled with the things that I buy, the things that I love, and ideas that have no where else to be poured out. I do hope that you enjoy reading, and stop by regularly to see what I'm about!

emmabovary's christmas wish-list! by emmaflaubert featuring crystal watches

emmabovary x