Flushed with Love - Romantic Makeup Look & Product Round Up

I'm in a very loved up state of mind at the moment - I've got the weddings of close friends coming up which I'm very excited about, and after being ill I've come to realise who truly loves and cares for me completely which has been humbling. 

Valentine's Day is usually a pretty quiet affair in our home, Mister and I will either go out for dinner or bring home some takeaway, so the focus seems to be on not being the ones who have to cook! I think it's nice to celebrate love in whatever form it takes in your life, I'll be at home with the doggies all day and plan to shower them in love with healthy treats and lots of tummy rubs - it doesn't have to just be about a romantic partner, you know!

Another thing I'll be making heart eyes at today? My makeup collection. We finally caved and bought an Ikea Alex which Mister lovingly built for me, so it was a helluva lot easier to grab out some romantic makeup to get me in the mood for love! I used some of the products to create a soft and easy makeup look - please go easy on me, it was the first time I had worn makeup in weeks!

Products Used 
MAC Painterly Paint pot
Too Faced Bon Bons palette - shades Almond Truffle, Satin Sheets and Divinity
L'Oreal Infallible Shadow in Golden Mahogany
Max Factor Masterpiece Glamour Extensions Mascara*
Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous Foundation in 810
MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Light
essence Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Highlighter in 01 Lady's Night
Too Faced Love Flush Blush palette - shade Love Hangover
Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet - Don't Pink Of It!

How are you spending Valentine's Day?
Emma x

*Product provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

5 Valentine's Polish Ideas to Romance You

Valentine's Day - the day of heart-eye emoji's, big rose bouquets on Instagram and schmoozy romance all around! I can't say I hate the day but it never quite stacks up with the images in my head/online so I've taken the liberty of organising my own date this year! I've booked a Thai restaurant for dinner and have hinted hard at the sweet mugs Coles supermarkets have out so Mister knows what I'd like most, but I plan on picking myself up something nice just in case ;) Now we all know I love a good theme, so I decided to pick through my nail polish drawers and came up with 5 different 'romantic' polish ideas to share with you.

----------------

Sinful Colors 'Rose Dust' is a pretty shimmery lilac pink shade that was much nicer on my pale skin that I had anticipated. It was super fast to apply and had a nice sheen to it that I appreciated, this would make a great quick and affordable choice if you wanted to try a shimmery polish that wasn't streaky or tricky to apply.

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel 240 'Get It Bright'* is a classic bright medium pink on my skin tone, and I just love it! I didn't use the matching Miracle Gel top coat as it was all about swatching the colour, but my nails get along really well with Sally Hansen polishes in general and Mumma Bovary is a sucker for the Miracle Gel range. I'd say that this shade is the happiest out of my picks today, just looking at it makes me smile.

Rimmel Super Gel 042 'Rock N Roll'* is one I just had to include, a classic dark red crème that is also part of a two-step gel process, but again I only used the shade alone for swatch purposes. Without trying to sound like a broken record I also get along really well with the Rimmel polish line (I am loving the Rita Ora collection right now, so cute!) so this actually tempts me to wear red polish out, which is something I never usually have the courage to do!  

Ulta3 Nail Colour 'Pinot' is something a bit different and I thought the deep wine shade and pretty shimmer said 'romance' (picture me saying that like Sebastian from The Little Mermaid, oui? Got it? Brilliant, ha!) I needed a few coats of this to bring the bottle colour to life but I can see Mumma Bovary's more olive skin tone rocking this colour, so I might just pass this bottle on for her to enjoy...

essie 'Ladylike'* & essie Luxeffects 'A Cut Above' is my favourite combination for Valentine's Day, and is the polish I'm currently wearing - Mister Bovary commented on how nice my nails looked which is a rare occurrence indeed, so I know I've picked a winner! The soft mauve nude (first seen here) is a serious favourite of mine and has brought the compliments rolling in. I jazzed it up with essie's A Cut Above, a rose gold pink glitter topper that I've wanted for ages and only just picked up from the pharmacy when I went in for painkillers for my broken toe - and yes, it worked at perking up my bad mood that day!  

Do you have any romantic plans for Sunday? Even if you're flying solo I hope you plan on treating yourself to a yummy dinner and a relaxing weekend!
-Emma

*Product provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Pretty Heart Blushes

The much lauded day of romance that is synonymous with hearts and flowers has passed us once more, and yet still love remains in all facets of life. Rather than sharing these beautiful product images on February 14^th, I chose to withhold them and celebrate love in an everyday setting- today is just a regular day, and here they are! I am a strong advocate for pretty cosmetics, and blush is just about the prettiest a product there is. Patterned blushes are among my favourites within my blush drawer (yes, I need a whole drawer just for them!) and these sweet choices make me swoon with ease.

Physician’s Formula are known for their interesting powder designs, and this Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Rose ($21.95 AUD) is no exception. Comprised of various shades of pink ranging  from baby pink to neutral and plum toned pink, the overall shade is best described as a hot pink shade. The formula leaves a great glowy look to the cheek, thanks to the multi-reflective pearls within the powder itself. Though I can’t vouch for the plant extracts that are there to produce endorphins to promote a feeling of happiness, I definitely break out into a smile every time I see this pan of hearts so I guess it works anyway.

The Stila Make me Blush powder is yet another stunner that was sadly limited edition from a few years back. The great news is that Stila are definitely on the pretty blush bandwagon, and each year release a new heart designed blush around this romantic time of year. The 2013 offering (a 4 square pale pink pan, check 'emmabovary' on Instagram for an image) is better suited to fair complexions, whereas Make me Blush is perhaps a tad darker than necessary. A light hand is vital for a nice application on Snow White cheeks like mine.  Much more red-toned when compared to the PF Rose, the fine golden overspray imparts a warm shimmer to the cheeks before revealing coral hearts underneath, and the true colour of the blush is definitely coral overall. I use a stippling brush when I wear this, and prefer the shade that sits under the hearts rather than the initial shade with the overspray included. The great thing about the Stila limited editions is that they retail for around $25 AUD, making them much more affordable than the majority of blushes us Aussie’s have at our disposal, pretty or otherwise.

Are you one of those people who love pretty blush pans but don’t actually use them, or are you like me and snap a million pictures before throwing it onto your chipmunk cheeks? What do you think of the over the top heart craze?

*Both of these were purchased by me. Honesty, always.

An Opulent Valentine

Even though my man and I aren’t doing anything fancy for the most romantic day of the year, I am still planning on wearing a nail shade that makes my heart flutter. Without a doubt, the polish that never fails to make me ooh and aah is OPI’s DS Opulence, from the Designer Series. A permanent but pricier nail range, the bottles are topped with sexy silver lids and have a luxe feeling.  I’d say that this shade is my one true polish love, even though the bottle actually belongs to my mother in law. It is a stunning pink with a mauve tone, filled with holographic shimmer. The effect is subtle, but makes the polish something really special.

 

 

 

 

Now it is your turn! Share your one true polish love in the comments below, and we can polishgasm our way through Valentine’s Day together!