The Autumn Transition - Lips



I think I may have slipped into a wintery state of mind while I was picking these lip shades, but if I'm honest, I've been cherishing every icy wind Melbourne has thrown at me lately so I can't say that it is a big surprise. Since I'm quite fair (ghost white, perhaps?) plum and wine shades tend to suit me, or at least they do in my opinion. A nice blush and a shot of sheer dark lip gets me pumped for cooler weather and I've pulled out some colours to inspire my autumn palette.

 A mix of high and low-end products eventuated from my rummage through the newly built makeup drawers (sadly not an Ikea Alex, but just as loved by me!) The effort to push myself into using my unloved lip products is also highlighted in this lot, with the book-ends of the line-up being practically brand new in condition.

For a juicier lip look I grabbed out my YSL Glossy Stain in Mauve Pigmente and my L'Oreal Shine Caresse in Lolita*. I haven't used the Shine Caresse's all that much despite being hyped for their release for the longest time, and the YSL Glossy Stain is a shade that sometimes streaks and is a bit dark for most of my daytime looks. Luckily I quite like wearing these out at night (lasting power and such) so this slots nicely into the line-up. 

YSL Mauve Pigmente - Revlon Berry Smoothie - Natural Compatibles Berry - L'Oreal Lolita* - MAC Plumful - Maybelline Lust for Blush*

In what seems to be an alarming trend now that I'm looking at it, yet another lip range that I own but don't use often is the Revlon Lip Butters - yes, those infamous sheer balm type products that often don't pack enough punch for me! Berry Smoothie seems like a good shade to ease myself into using these (important considering I own pretty much the entire original shade line-up!) Same goes for Lust for Blush*, which I have heard so many great things about but I was too love struck by Petal Rebel* (<3) to give it so much as a decent swatch.

The serious ball players for autumn? Natural Compatibles Berry*, my beloved matte lipstick that makes me feel a million dollars and that I would hate to be without. Every year when the air chills I pull this stunner out and swoon over how amazing it is to have a lipstick make me feel this way *love letter to Berry, over and out!* Another true lip love of mine is MAC Plumful, which in my opinion is the perfect shade to ease anyone into plum or wine lips.

So what do we think of my lip picks?
Do you have any nice plum, berry or wine toned lip shades I need to swatch?

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty


*Marked products were provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Thalgo Rejuvenating Pure Velvet Cleansing Cream

I am a firm believer that cleanser is one of the most important steps in my skincare routine, and I find that using a great cleanser makes a noticeable different to my facial skin overall. I've been interested in cream cleansers for quite a while now but find that some are often too lightweight and others feel quite heavy on the skin, so I was pleased to see the term 'pure velvet' on this Thalgo offering as it sounded promising.

The Thalgo Rejuvenating Pure Velvet Cleansing Cream* is a thick cream that indeed feels really velvety on the skin without moving into silicone territory. I use it after taking all of my makeup off with the new Garnier micellar water, as a first cleanse before my Guinot Cleansing Gel Milk* (see my skin care post here if you're interested!) I find that the velvet cream textures cleanses my skin really thoroughly and the cleansing milk at the end just tops it all off and makes sure my face is ready for my serums and moisturisers.

This cream cleanser is heavily perfumed so those who aren't a fan of strong scents might not like that aspect of it, but is dissipates quickly and I find the scent pleasant and makes the product seem more luxe - which we know is always a good thing ;)

(ingredients are listed at the end of this post!)

This is targeted at mature skin according to the Thalgo website, which is something I generally like in skincare as it leans toward being more nourishing and comforting to the skin. Despite the parfum inclusion in this cleanser it never broke me out, and in conjunction with the rest of my skincare has kept my face pretty happy overall. I sometimes use a cloth to remove this but even when I use water it never leaves a film on my skin, and doesn't accentuate any oiliness despite being so nourishing. I'm almost at the end of my tube and will be moving onto trying new things, but I'd happily buy this cleanser in the future!

Thalgo Rejuvenating Pure Velvet Cleansing Cream retails for $59 AUD and is available from Adore Beauty (where it is on sale regularly!)

Do you like using products targeting mature skin?
What cleanser are you using right now?

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty


Ingredients:
Aqua (Water)
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
Glycerin
Butylene Glycol
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil
Glyceryl Stearate
PEG-100 Stearate
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)
Cera Alba (Beeswax)
Cetearyl Alcohol
Phenoxyethanol
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Chlorphenesin
Squalane
Polyacrylate-13
Parfum (Fragrance)
Xanthan Gum
Polyisobutene
Ethylhexylglycerin
Mangifera Indica (Mango) Fruit Extract
Polysorbate 60
Benzoic Acid
Gelidium Sesquipedale Extract
Sorbitan Isostearate
Dehydroacetic Acid
Polysorbate 20
Sodium Hydroxide
Sodium Citrate
Citric Acid
Potassium Sorbate
Sodium Benzoate
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Hexyl Cinnamal
Butylphenyl Methylpropional
Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde
Hydroxycitronellal

The Autumn Transition - Cheeks + Eyes

I can definitely feel the chill approaching despite some random hot days in Melbourne, and autumnal colours have begun to creep back into my makeup choices already. This season is probably my favourite of all, with the weather cool enough for boots and cozy knits but not as rainy and miserable as winter can sometimes be. Cracking out my fall makeup picks is something I adore doing, it is probably the season best represented in my stash anyway.

I love palettes, I just can't help but adore the ease of opening one lid for all of the shades I need and they often push me into pairing colours that I might not normally try. I threw some of my most autumnal MAC shades into my iPalette, like Mink & Sable, French Cuff, Outre and Satin Taupe.

 I really haven't gotten as much use from my Chanel Accent blush as I had first thought I might, but now that autumn has technically arrived I think I will enjoy this sheer and sparkly beige shade a lot more. Even if I use this as a highlighting sort of topper for Tarte Exposed, I will be a happy camper and have no regrets about this beauty coming into my blush collection. A direct comparison to my pricy Chanel love is the bargain Calvin Klein blush in Heather Shimmer, a rich shade that will be perfect at giving my cheeks a flush (and would suit my beloved leopard scarf too, non?)

More bargain blushes in this line-up, not intended but there you have it. LYLAS (love you like a sister) from the recent Australis Neon Crush collection is something you could probably still get your hands on, and is a beautifully large duo making it easy to mix shades or use either side individually. I quite like the matte shade for a nice berry toned burst on the cheeks. A cheapie that you most likely won't be able to nab (sorry!) is the Home Sweet Home Knits for Chicks shade from essence that is so pretty in the pan and equally as pretty on the cheeks!

This transition into autumn has spurred me on to use things that I haven't gotten much use from, and the much lauded Lorac Pro Palette definitely falls into that category! I continually see this in favourites posts and makeup looks, but I just haven't had much of a play with this and as yet it hasn't truly grabbed me. This season I'll be pushing myself to give this palette a red hot go!

I'm pretty tempted to add some new things into my autumnal stash (Revlon's new scented polish in Autumn Spice seems fitting, non?) but with the wedding coming ever closer we will have to wait and see if I can splurge on beauty or not. Pretty certain that MAC Cranberry  eyeshadow will be coming home with me as soon as I hit a Pro store though...

Do you feel inspired with the change of seasons?
Why is Melbourne in the 30's despite it being April?!

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

Getting Back on the Spotty Nail Bandwagon

 

shown with my 'Naked' lipstick that I bought on the same day

I've been using my at-home gel nail system for a while now but before that I indulged in one of the new Spotty Nail Polish kits from Academy of Colour that are available at Kmart since they relaunched their beauty section. The boxed set contains two cute little bottles of speckled nail paint, one a taupey beige and the other a robins egg blue. I fell so hard for the Illamasqua Speckled offerings when they first launched, so was pleased with this purchase that came in at $4 AUD.

The pale blue shade needed a few coats to achieve an opaque look, but I didn't find that each coat muddied the speckles underneath all that much so the effect was quite a nice one. I don't want to succumb to a cliché, but this has Easter written all over it and I don't care what anyone thinks!

My local discount chemist has the new Ulta3 range of Easter specific speckle polishes on sale in their catalogue (think shades like Hot Cross Fun + Hippidy Hop!) so Mister Bovary and I are planning on making a detour home soon to grab the whole lot - better than a chocolate egg, I say! This may signal that my speckled polish collection is getting a touch out of hand, but what is a beauty lover to do...

Are you a fan of the speckled nail trend, or have you moved onto textured polishes?

What nail colour or trend is your weakness? Blues? Nudes? Gimme the goss!

 

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

The Limited Edition MAC Face

It wasn’t until I looked through my iPhone photo gallery that I realised how often I use my MAC collection. The bits and pieces I’ve picked up over the years seem to have accumulated into a rather sizeable stash, and some of the limited edition items I’ve procured have remained staples in my collection, often outshining other brands and products when I drowsily select my face for the day before my coffee each morning. Some of the permanent shades are well loved (holla at ya Girl About Town lipstick…) and some of the limited edition stash are just too good to be forgotten.

 

Of the many limited edition collections churned out by the mega-brand, the Disney collection is probably one of the most memorable in the beauty community. I actually bought the Disney Villains Bite of an Apple blush from a blog sale and the scarily bright coral-red shade is right up my alley. The matte finish isn’t that flat on the face and actually seems like a satin one it hits the cheek, and I love the way it ties in with my limited edition lip shade…

As many of you might know, the Viva Glam lipstick campaign raises money for HIV/AIDS fund for MAC. I was happy to throw my money at Viva Glam Cyndi a few years back, which was championed at the time by Cyndi Lauper. This is one of those shades that I really regret not nabbing backups for, and every time I read a Viva Glam post I hold my breath in hopes of a re-release scenario. Akin to the aforementioned blush, this is a coral-red shade that is juicy, fades evenly and flatters my (in my humble opinion) to no end. A mention of how much I hate the nature of limited edition collections wouldn’t go astray here…

 

One of my very favourite MAC collections would have to be the 2012 Hey Sailor launch, not only for the beautiful imagery and packaging but for the pure beauty that is my Jaunty eyeshadow. A shimmery light beige shade, this is the perfect all over lid colour for me and is something I return to time and time again for a beautiful and effortless eye look (here is my original post on it!) I love pairing it with MAC Coquette in the crease (best crease shade ever!) and I find that it is simple but flattering, especially when paired with a brighter lip colour.

nails are my new favourite shade - Sensationail Gel in Taupe Tulips!

Sometimes MAC can go overboard with their packaging but I adore it most of the time - I love the red glint over the silver in my MAC lipstick drawer, love how fun the Bite of An Apple blush looks and the navy of the Jaunty eyeshadow just owns my heart.

What limited edition products would you love to bring back?
Are you a MAC lover, or think they're overrated?

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

Salon Melbourne 2014 - experience, make-up + haul

I begrudgingly rolled out of bed this cold Melbourne morning to head into the city for Salon Melbourne, exciting but craving less chill in the air. Having gone previous years I knew what to expect, and needless to say I was pumped for a day of new knowledge with Carly by my side.



 I wanted to put more effort into my makeup for this special event, but reality got in the way (in the form of extra snuggles with Charlie and swiping on a bright lip at the last moment...check this post for details on that) so I ended up rocking the Clinique Neutral Territory 2 palette and my beloved Tarte Exposed blush along with my bright coral lip.

 

Carly buying her hair extensions!

I was quite impressed with the Redken stand this year - a popcorn machine (evidence of me chowing down is above) and a claw game style machine full of colourful Redken samples that I wasn't talented enough to win. Another interesting exhibitor was Klara Cosmetics, which were promoting their Kiss Proof Lips and beautiful looking line of lip products.

Having one of the Klara Kiss Proof Lips applied (matte formula)

the beloved French skincare - I love my Bioderma, Nuxe + Uriage <3

the madness that was the Lime Crime stand

one of the best parts of experiences like this - the amazing and inspiring body art (from Melbourne Polytechnic)

Watching Lorna Evans style some up-do's on stage was definitely one of the highlights of Salon for me - something Lorna said about inspiration really stuck in my mind as I perused during the day. She was 'knitting' a wild and very beautiful hairstyle on a model and mentioned to the crowd that a look like this wasn't for her clients - they were not going to walk in and request this for a night out. This sort of look was for her, to keep her inspired and in turn inspire her clients (and in my opinion, it would also highlight her natural talent for hair at the same time) I realised that I think about makeup in beauty in much the same way, and when I create crazy bright eye looks or an icily sculptured look based on a YouTuber, it is to keep my creative flow pumping and gives me a chance to enjoy the sheer beauty of makeup products.

Food for thought, right?

Lorna Evans inspiring the crap outta me

the effervescent Michael Brown teaching me that it isn't only shimmers and brights that can create beauty - matte taupes and browns can be so stunning!

totally losing out at the Redken sample machine

Klara Cosmetics rocking it on the Launchpad Stage with Klara herself

was so tempted to get a Tangle Teezer - so cute and bright!

exploring the Eye of Horus makeup brand for the very first time

one of my very favourite skincare brands had some strong messages for Salon attendees

Klara Cosmetics, again!

I walked into Salon Melbourne knowing that I wanted to pick up some nail supplies since I have begun doing my own gel nails at home with my Sensationail by Nailene machine. I nabbed Carly's loot so that you could have a peek at two hauls in a single post - don't say I don't love ya, okay?

Carly's haul:
Crown Brushes buffing brush
Artiste Lint-Free Nail Wipes
Lime Crime Geranium lipstick
Klara Cosmetics Kiss Proof Lips 06 (free sample)
Colour Club Winter Affair
Girlee Cosmetics 4pan Palette (shades below)
Hair Extensions + care products from Amazing Hair

in love with the Lime Crime bag

Girlee Cosmetics in Mulberry Satin e/s, Pink Glow Illuminator, Dubonnet blush and another e/s I've forgotten the name of

Geranium!

I am pleased as punch with what I brought home from Salon Melbourne - all things I've been lusting over for a while with some random fun things thrown in for good measure.
My haul:
Crown Brushes shader brush and shadow brush
Gelish Fantastic Four Essentials Pack
Gelish Polish in A Mint of Spring
Colour Club Winter Affair
Colour Club Harp on It
Klara Cosmetics Kiss Proof Lips (free sample)
Artiste Lint-Free Nail Wipes
Girlee Cosmetics 4pan Palette (shades below)

A Mint of Spring

Absolutely swooning over these two

Girlee Cosmetics Mulberry Satin e/s, Grenadine blush, Golden Glow illuminator and eyeshadow I can't find the name of- I promise that Carly and I didn't mean to grab so many identical items, it just happened!

Klara Cosmetics and my Girlee palette swatched (I blame the Grenadine blush purchase on Liz!

I had a wonderful time at Salon Melbourne once again this year. The event provides a great opportunity to socialise with likeminded beauty lovers and industry professionals while also being really inspiring for me as a beauty writer. I'd love to know if you've been to events like this, and what you think of my haul products!

 

This is how I felt after walking around Salon Melbourne all day - exhausted!

 

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

 

*I was invited to Salon Melbourne as a guest of PR, but all opinions are honest as always.