What's On My Face #1

Summer seems to have finally arrived in Melbourne and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it – the sun is a welcome addition to my life and a great way to put myself in a good mood, but it’s a bit harder to sleep in the heat and puppy Charlie seems to be more lethargic when the temperature rises. It also causes me to be a bit lazy when it comes to makeup experimentation, and so this look has been a go-to for me lately. I’ve been testing out the Maybelline Master Glaze Blush Sticks for quite a while now and am gearing up for a full review which will be live next week! I’ve taken to layering the pink blush stick underneath some of my unloved blushes, especially this In2It blush I bought on our last trip to Thailand which I’ve only just opened this year!

Eyes

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

essence LongLasting eyeliner in Hot Chocolate

NYX eyeliner in Silky Cashmere

Covergirl Clump Crusher mascara

Face

Face of Australia Face Base Primer

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation

Maybelline Master Glaze Blush Stick in Just-Pinched Pink*

In2It Waterproof Blush in 03 Sensation

Lips

Inglot Lipstick Number 51

NYX Butter Gloss in Vanilla Cream Pie

 

A little added bonus for you is the inclusion of my current perfume of choice - Tory Burch!

-Emma x

Makeup Pile Inspired by Fifty Shades of Grey

I’m sure by now some of you have spotted the racy Fifty Shades of Grey film trailer online – I know a few people on my Facebook feed have been counting down and can't wait to see the film when it is released tomorrow! I feel a little hint of shame when I admit that I have indeed read the three books in the series, and am actually rereading the first in the line-up now…perhaps that stems from studying literature for so many years!

The 50 Shades franchise definitely isn’t the best written works I’ve ever read (so far from it that it’s laughable to be honest) but I will step up to the plate and say that I’m planning on seeing the film, if only for curiosity’s sake. Using the title as inspiration, I played around in my makeup and nail stash to grab some of the rare greyscale pieces that live within my drawers.

Eyeshadows in grey are always wonderful in theory, but sometimes they make me feel a bit too ‘rock chick’ unless they verge on taupe or I warm them up with another shadow in the crease. I think it has something to do with having dark hair and very pale skin...

If I ever need a true silver or grey look I reach for my Australis Paparazzi Perfect Palette in Frock and Roll, which I used in this frosted winter makeup look. I also have a few grey and grey/brown shades in my custom Inglot palette, and one of my most loved grey shades is Too Faced Garter Belt from the Boudoir Palette. I’d consider Mercury from Topshop a taupe shade more than a true grey as the purple tones pull through enough on me to make this something a bit out of the ordinary. Two other pops of grey in my stash that haven’t yet been touched are the Bourjois single eyeshadow in 14 Gris Delicat and the Maybelline Charcoal Smokes quad*.

The best way that I know how to inject some smooth grey shades into my beauty routine are on my fingernails – I’m always up for a deep metallic blue, but a grey tone also doesn’t go astray and these are some that are residing in my polish drawers right now. 

For an elegant and simple greige shade, essie Master Plan* is my very favourite – but for a bit of bling essie also brings it to the table with Ignite the Night*! It’s a darker more charcoal sort of glittery colour and I’m thinking it would work perfectly in an ombre nail look. An affordable nail polish comes via German brand essence and their dark metallic grey Movie Star. The final beauty product we have is not technically a grey shade but I'm taking inspiration from the sleek gunmetal tube - Smashbox lipstick in Flirty is a true stunner of a bright pink and one of the first ‘higher end’ non-Priceline lipsticks I ever bought myself. Memories…

I really enjoyed rustling through my drawers to pull colours for this post – fingers crossed I have that much fun watching the Fifty Shade of Grey film at the cinema!

-Emma

*Provided for consideration, honesty always.

January Purchases & Pick-Ups

THE PURCHASES!

It isn't often that I can fit an entire months beauty purchases into a single photo, but here you have it folks - a total of TWO beauty related items purchased so far in 2015! Perhaps this will be a good thing to look back on once I post my extortionate honeymoon haul for the world to see? I picked up and looked at many a pretty during January, but nowadays it needs to be seriously amazing for me to part with - as it so happens, these two products are indeed amazing so I'm sticking to my new-found shopping mantra quite well! 

I had a Christmas voucher in my pocket and my sister took me shopping at Doncaster for my birthday on January 2nd, so the natural thing to do was finally tick the limited edition Chanel Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadow in 234 Poesie off my wishlist. It originally featured on my pre-USA wishlist but it was sold out everywhere I checked during our trip, so to hear that Doncaster had a solitary palette left was music to my ears! It's actually my first real Chanel eye product so it was quite an exciting purchase for me (normally I beeline for their blushes, you know me!)

My second (and last) beauty purchase for the month was towards the end, during the infamous Priceline 40% skincare sale. I knew I wanted to have a nosy around but didn't feel the urge to pick anything up, until I remembered that I'd been wanting to bring this Garnier Moisture Match Light Softening Cream for Normal-Dry Skin back into my routine as a morning moisturiser. I've previously reviewed it here and the love still stands, this is a wonderful product.

A non-beauty related purchase, but something I wanted to feature because stationary rocks! I am about to order another planner from Personal Planner with a code they provided me, and I'm super excited at the thought of personalising a planner, and using The Belle Lumiere and various #planneraddict Instagram images as my inspiration I hope to pretty it up and get myself organised with these gel pens, stickers and tags.  

PICK-UPS!

This part will feature some of the press samples I received during the month - it's like a little heads up on what may be featured soon on the blog, and serves as a reminder for myself about the new things I'm trialling! Not everything I'm sent will be featured, just the bits and bobs I feel like popping into these posts. I turned down more press samples than usual this month as I've been selective about what I'd like to trial, and so far it's made me far more exciting about all of these new things than I usually would be!



After my recent primer obsession (documented here) it seemed fitting to try out the latest primer release from makeup giants Max Factor! When I first opened this Facefinity All Day Primer ($31.95) I thought it was a super-pale foundation - d'oh!

Dare I say, the most exciting press sample this month? I absolutely adore Urban Rituelle and frequently buy bits and bobs from the brand, so the launch of the new amber based Romance Fragrance Diffuser Set ($36.95/190ml) got me a bit more excited than it probably should have...but once I smelt this thing, I knew my excitement was warranted. HEAVEN! Goodness knows Mister Bovary and I aren't the most romantic (perhaps we will be now that we're married? pah!) so any hint of romance (especially in amber form!) is welcome in our house!

Now this is a step outside of my comfort zone - my scalp is a finicky thing and I'm always hesitant to trial shampoos (truth be told there is a still a chance I will rope in a guinea pig for that and hit the conditioner up solo!) but I accepted this Pantene Colour Therapy Shampoo & Conditioner ($7.99ea/350ml) with the hope that I can move on from my Garnier shampoo and mix things up a little bit. Wish me luck!

Last but not least was some surprise drops from my beloved L'Occitane - the Relaxing Pillow Mist ($30/100ml) looks brilliant and I can't wait to pop it alongside my current L'Occitane Lavande Cologne that I use as a luxe room spray to help me catch some ZZZ's. Also pretty pumped about the Revitalising Body Scrub ($45/200g) (it's been too long since I've used a good one!) and the Immortelle Brightening Essence ($89/30ml)

I think 2015 is working out really well on the product front so far - I'm excited to plump up my bodycare routine and use my Chanel quad a bit more before popping up a swatch/review post! How much did you purchase or pick-up this month?

-Emma x

*Pick-Ups are, as stated above, press samples. If you aren't interested in seeing what I'll be trialling, feel free to skip these monthly posts - I won't be offended! Honesty, always.

The Nail Polish Declutter

Following on from my 2015 goal of slimlining my skincare and makeup stash, I decided to also rifle through my ridiculous nail polish stash and get rid of a few bottles. I must admit that I had hopes of trimming it down in anticipation of gaining some new nail polish racks and storage in the New Year, something that the husband hinted at looking into to help get my beauty room looking neater. It sure would help selecting manicure colours, which is often frustrating with my collection being spread out in various storage units in that office!

colours I have given away or am about to

I knew I needed to relinquish my hold on ‘nice colours’ that I would never wear – using excuses about future nail art enterprises and how pretty they looked in the bottle just isn’t going to cut it anymore. I basically know what I like to wear when it comes to nail shades, and yet here I sit with a veritable tonne of baby pink shades that will never see the light of day on my fingertips! I have to admit that it was hard for the hoarder in me to look at beautiful bottles from Australis, Darling and Essie and make the decision to add them to the pile, but ultimately they are too nice to waste away collection dust and the shades will better suit the deeper skin tones of my family anyway.

My plan is to go through and get rid of a few polishes at a time (judging by these photos I'm keeping all of my cool-toned shades, ha!) and whittle down my collection bit by bit, that way it won't feel overwhelming for me. Seriously though, if you saw how many polishes I have...

Charlie being most helpful during my nail polish declutter!

Most of the ladies in my family wear nail polish regularly so giving these away shouldn’t be too hard, and I’m looking forward to displaying my beloved nail shades once we decide on what racks would suit the room best. Would you be interested in a polish storage post when that day comes?

-Emma x

Maybelline The Nudes Palette In Action - Warm Nude Bronze Makeup Look

As soon as I stepped into CVS in Los Angeles in November, I made a beeline for the makeup aisles, bypassing the tempting snack food section with thoughts of US-only makeup firmly in my minds eye. The first thing I picked up was an Essie polish, and the second thing I picked up was Maybelline The Nudes Palette, which I'd first seen on The Dark Side of Beauty who gave it an honest review that didn't deter me from wanting it. I've only used the palette a handful of times, and this is one of the looks I created with it. 

 

I have to agree with Nancy's first impressions of the palette - some of the shades are nice and smooth but others are quite dry and stiff, though still better than most drugstore palettes that are readily available on the Australian market at the moment. If you compare something like this to Lorac, Urban Decay or even Too Faced you will walk away disappointed, so remember the price point of this palette ($13 USD approx.) and judge accordingly. I think the shade range is what deters me from using the palette all the time - the bronze/golden shades are something I'd only wear in a planned look for an event, and the rest of the cooler toned can be a bit flat on my pale skin at times. Having said that, I've only played around with the palette a few short times so my opinions may change once I give it a go with a few more looks. 

Products Used: (clockwise in above image)
-Dolce & Gabbana Blush in Caramel
-Maybelline Dream Matte Powder
-YSL Touche Éclat*
-essence eyeliner in Hot Chocolate
-NYX eyeliner in Silky Cashmere
-Inglot brow pencil
-Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara in Medium Brown*
-Bite Beauty Matte Crème Lip Crayon in Leche
-Maybelline Dream Wonder Fluid-Touch Foundation*
-Maybelline The Nudes Palette

I didn't actually push myself to use mainly Maybelline products for this post (nor is this a sponsored post!) but it's what I'm testing out at the moment, so it worked out well for the palette focus of this post! A few base favourites made an appearance as well as my two very favourite eyeliners - the only other honeymoon purchase to make it into the mix was the Bite Beauty Matte Lip Crème in Leche, which is well-loved around these parts.




D&G Caramel, Bite Beauty Matte Lip Crème in Leche

 

How many neutral palettes do you have to own to be labelled crazy?

What brand do you turn to for a good neutral shadow? Any drugstore offerings I've been missing out on?

- Emma x 

 

Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Thoughts of the Week #1

1. I absolutely gorged myself on Sarah Cooks posts this week - I don't want to think about how many hours I lazed about reading through the backlog of posts and swooning over Melbourne restaurants I've since added to my 'must-try' list. Sarah has this easy way of writing that is beautiful but simple at the same time, and I am utterly addicted.

2. Lots of opinion-filled rants about the news on my Twitter feed this week, which led me to realise that I don't like having strong opinions on current affairs. I know that admitting that is probably quite strange, but I need to allow the terrible or conflicting news to wash over me lest it bring my mood down with it, so my lack of a true opinion suits me just fine.

3. In relation to the above point of not getting really into current affairs, I'm quite content to care about pop culture instead. Still can't stop thinking about Amal Clooney at the Golden Globes and how gorgeous her lip colour was. If only my pale skin tone would rock it as well...

4. The news that Urban Decay is coming to Mecca Maxima from March 27th has me happy - I neglected to pick up a single pan of my beloved Sin eyeshadow (which I've almost used up in my original Naked palette) on the honeymoon but now I have access to it once more!

5. It was my eldest sister's 40th birthday yesterday, we had a nice family lunch at a Thai restaurant and then went to a bar for some drinks low-key. Was so nice to celebrate her special day with her!

6. I've just seen the new trailer for the Madame Bovary film starring Mia Wasikowska and to say I'm excited about seeing it is a massive understatement! Namesake of the blog and all, my all-time favourite novel.

7. I still have a matte red lip product option on my wish-list - I'm tossing up between a Nars Velvet Matte or a new Bourjois one...any recommendations on a matte red for a very pale lady?

8. So happy that the Socceroo's won the Asian Cup. I've never been 'into' soccer but watched all of the Asian Cup games intently so the conclusion was perfect for me!

9. I've added Prix Fixe to my list of possible restaurants for our anniversary in June - yes I am thinking that far ahead, a sort of mental holiday I can take now and again to think about staying in a hotel in Melbourne and eating some delicious food we've never tried before. Are there any amazing restaurants in Melbourne CBD I should be considering?

10. Continuing to impress me daily is the Moccona with a hint of Caramel, it's saving me money as I'm not heading to our local café daily now. I've heard the Hazelnut is amazing as well so will be buying that one next!


Emma x

2015 Goals

Now that we're at the end of January I feel like I'm beginning to settle back into normal life, and I've taken time out to assess my goals and what I'm aiming to achieve this year. 2014 was a big one for me with the wedding, honeymoon and finishing work, so 2015 will be very different and I can't wait to see what it holds for me! I plan on being more organised when it comes to blogging, I'd like to review more skincare this year and post more regularly, too. 

2015 Goals!

-Visit the Melbourne Aquarium
Mister has been promising me he'd take me there since we began dating - we are now married, so I think he needs to get a wriggle on!

-Read 30 Books
I'm off to a great start already, you can check out my Goodreads page here

-Start a herb garden
I've never been a keen gardener so this might be a challenge!

-Book our next overseas trip (Bali 2016!)
Our dear friends are getting married in Bali this time next year and it's so lovely to have a holiday to aim for!

-Make curry paste from scratch
My favourite dish is Massamun Curry and I'd love to make my own paste for it.

-Perfect Greek lemon potatoes
One attempt down so far and it was a success - now to perfect them!

-Buy new furniture for the guest bedroom
I am setting up one of our spare rooms as a guest bedroom and can't wait to decorate it all!

-Eat 6 different cuisines
Using Urbanspoon as a guide, I'm going to try 6 cuisines I've never had before and hopefully find some new favourite restaurants!

-Slimline my makeup and skincare stash (Project Use It Up!)
I think I would enjoy my stash a lot more if it were organised better and only had amazing products in it, so that is my ultimate aim.

-Install nail polish racks in beauty room
Who wouldn't want their polishes displayed so they are easy to reach for? 

What cuisine is your favourite? Anything out of the ordinary that I should try?
Emma x