Currently Trialling - April '16

I fell off the trialling wagon for a while there while my house was having a run of bad luck, but now I'm back in the game and enjoying all the new bits and bobs that are cluttering up my desk and makeup drawers. A new fragrance, skincare bits and a wonderful new Color Tattoo that I am quite enamoured with.

Maybelline know what they're doing when it comes to that paint-pot style cream product for eyes. I love Bad to the Bronze as does practically everyone I've spoken to about it, but this new Creamy Beige Color Tattoo that I bought on sale while doing the groceries is seriously enhancing all of the powder shadows I've been piling on top of it - nice work MNY!

Another new drugstore release that I'm sure you've seen a review or two of is the Rimmel The Only 1 lipstick* - creamy, very pigmented and colourful! They are a bit more intense and moisturising than I have been going for lately (I'm all about matte everyday kinda colours) but gosh I can see these being favourites for those who sport bright lips all day errrday.

Thanks to my favourite The Belle Lumiere I won a Paula's Choice skincare pack; I finally get to try the brand that everyone raves about! This Hydralight Moisture-Infusing Lotion isn't my favourite for hydrating and is a bit whiffy, I think I need to try something targeted to a drier skin type. Another mascara hit my stash, the Rimmel Scandaleyes Xtreme* which gives me a great lash look, but can tend to smudge on my eyelids and brow bone unless I'm super slow and careful with it....

Something really cool I've added into my routine in recent months is the Australis Banana Powder! Many moons ago I almost picked up Kim Kardashian's favourite Ben Nye Banana Powder but wimped out at the last moment, so to be able to try a similar product for $14.95 made me very happy indeed. I've been using this to set my undereye concealer and haven't decided how I feel about it yet...

 

I'm sure you've seen the new unisex Calvin Klein CK2 fragrance around on social media, I think the bottle is very cool and modern but the scent smells nicer on my husband than it does on me so it has been passed on. The new Sisley products never fail to impress and I'm trying out the new Sisley Nutritive Lip Balm*, which is nice but the Black Rose Face Mask* from the brand is definitely the star product from them at the moment!

Last but not least I am trialling the new Too Faced Born This Way foundation that I shared in my recent haul - I love the high coverage but I need to get some moisture back into my skin before I can totally enjoy this product.

What are you currently trialling?

-Emma x

*Products provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

April Goals / To-Do List

I'm definitely not what you would call an organised person, so setting mini goals and using my Erin Condren Life Planner keeps me on track most of the time. I've been setting weekly routine checklists and making ongoing to-do lists, but I thought I would make myself more accountable by popping up a few things from my to-do list and turning them into monthly goals to post on the blog. I love reading planner and goal orientated posts and find they motivate me quite a bit, so if you have posted anything along those line feel free to pop a link in the comment section so I can check it out!

 

April To-Do List

-Begin Yoga with Adriene

-Mug cupboard clear-out

-Redecorate the laundry

-Walk Winston for the first time!

-Organise a birthday catch-up with my best friend

-Haul some planner stickers

-Keep up with my BioElixia daily routine

 

Do you use a planner and write a million to-do lists like I do?

-Emma x

Too Faced Haul from Mecca Maxima

I've had a longstanding love affair with Too Faced that has been well documented on the blog, seen in this Boudoir look, St. Tropez look, Summer look and timely Gilded Ganache Chocolate look. The palettes just seem to be getting better and better, and indeed the entire product line is becoming more enticing and highly regarded among beauty bloggers and lovers alike. I was mightily tempted by some of the newly released products and after some generous sample testing (foundation) multiple swatch sessions (palette) and a well-timed Instagram post from a friend (Vita, for the blush wardrobe!) I bit the bullet and in two separate hauls, purchased these beauties.

As soon as I laid eyes on the Too Faced Love Flush Long Lasting 16-Hour Blush Wardrobe I knew that I was going to buy it, and thanked fate that I had missed the festive gift pack in December that contained mini's of the Too Faced blushes. I definitely reach for palettes more than I would petite blush pans, and despite owning a full size of one blush shade within the palette (Baby Love) I knew that the $53 price tag was brilliant for the value within the 'wardrobe'. Having featured in my current favourites I can definitely vouch for this blush palette, and have used all of the colours many times over and adore the formula.

The purchase of a mid-high end foundation is definitely a rarity at Camp Bovary - I trial some but ultimately rely on the drugstore for my base products and prefer to save my cosmetic money for palettes and blushes (real talk, I'm a blushfiend, ok?) I had tried two sample pots of the Too Faced Born This Way Oil-Free Undetectable Medium-Full Coverage Foundation and loved how it made my skin look, so I bit the bullet and added it to my online order when I was buying the blush wardrobe. I love how fast Mecca shipping is and the fact that you get to select which samples you'd like (how very US Sephora of them, love it!) I chose samples from Smashbox, Josie Maran and Malin & Goetz this time around. I adore how damn chic the foundation bottle looks - when you're paying that money, you can expect nice packaging, right? As an aside, I could have sworn I paid $58 AUD for this bottle but online it currently sits at $62...I've heard whispers of prices changing around regularly at Mecca, have you experienced this fluctuation?

Onto the most recent TF release in my haul (because I am holding back on the Peanut Butter & Jelly palette...for now...) the glorious Chocolate Bon Bons Palette! I swatched this and really liked the look of it at Mecca, but I was with my non-makeup loving sister who helped convince me that I didn't need it (don't you hate those kind of shopping pals?!) and I figured that I had enough palettes for now and that the colours were just okay. It seemed to stick in my mind for a few weeks though, and then I watched this Earl Grey tutorial and Café au lait tutorial from Mary at aLoveTart and I just couldn't stop myself any longer. The next time I was in Mecca I swatched the palette again and sighed - meant to be, for sure, how in the world did my sister sway me from this beauty?! It also took me into the first real tier of the Mecca Beauty Loop which was a nice bonus, I haven't really shopped for makeup in quite some time so it was nice to 'join the club' so to speak. I have a full review post and some makeup looks coming up with the palette, but suffice to say it's love.

 

You can purchase the Love Flush Blush Wardrobe ($53) here, Born This Way foundation ($62) here and Chocolate Bon Bons Palette ($78) here.

What is your favourite Too Faced product?
Do you have a weakness for a certain makeup brand?

-Emma

Current Favourites - March '16

I've jolted myself out of the funk I've been in lately to grab a few products that have been singing to me for this post. It's a general favourite product post rather than the monthly round up that sometimes causes me to drop favourites in order to gather fresh material - am I the only one who subconsciously does this? I think this strategy should help me carve out a natural rotation with my beauty products, because after all I'm a bit of a magpie who flits between things enough as it is.

 

I've actually stuck to a decent routine when it comes to moisture masks and body lotions - I'm enamoured with the Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask* which I tend to leave on overnight, and the Bath and Body Works Sweet Magnolia & Clementine Body Lotion which smells utterly delightful. A handbag favourite that's been much needed for the generally-unwell Bovary household is the Soap & Glory Hand Maid Antibacterial Cleansing Gel*, which always garners compliments thanks to that famous Soap & Glory scent.

Speaking of scent, the return of my staple fragrance has sparked the thought of ridding myself of a host of other bottles in my collection - there are very few days when I don't want to smell of Guerlain Champs Elysees, you know what I mean? I feel stronger when I wear this, and very mature which I like.

Colorpop's Jellyfish Blush was a last minute addition to my cart and don't those always end up being the best part of a haul? The bright shade is intimidating in the pan but on the cheek it brightens me up with ease, and I love the natural glow it adds to my cheeks. Colourpop Wisp Highlighter has also turned me off some of my other highlighters for the time being and I love how fast I can apply it with my fingers - it looks like it would be too dark for me but it blends so easily and I find it perfect. Last but definitely not least is the amazing Too Faced Love Flush Blush Wardrobe, part of my recent Too Faced haul that has been getting a major workout from me in the last few weeks. I went through and wore each shade in succession before declaring my love for this, and surprisingly I've used more of the shades Love Hangover and I Will Always Love You than Baby Love which I found pretty surprising given my penchant for neutral blushes? Perhaps the tides are turning...

What is your blush love at the moment?

Have you tried any of the Colourpop cheek products?

-Emma x

*Products provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Sew Psyched

I had originally intended on posting my current favourites today, but when I realised I had a nail post ready to go that matched St Patricks Day I decided it must be fate, and reshuffled the schedule. I love murky colours at the moment and this is certainly one of those! There must be something about this khaki green from essie that grabs peoples attention because the compliments came flying when I wore this - even my lady at the nail salon exclaimed that it was a really nice colour!

 

Sew Psyched is described as a "cashmere-soft sage pewter" on the essie website and while I can totally see the sage and cashmere aspect of it, the pewter from the silver microglitter that shines through in the bottle doesn't particularly translate on the nail and it comes off as a nice crème shade instead (which I prefer, so yay for that) I see this as a neutral with a bit of interest, and was so impressed with it that as I was perusing a display of discounted essie polishes I picked it up to look at without realise I already had it on and owned it! A sign of love for sure, wouldn't you agree?

I bought my bottle of Sew Psyched from The Reject Shop and it was from the fall 2010 collection.
Are you a fan of murky colours like this?
What is your current nail obsession?
-Emma

Bali Holiday Essentials

I was known as the go-to villa for all of our friends needs during our recent trip to Bali, and it felt great to have all the products on hand that we needed during our two week stay. The amount of insect repellent and sunscreen we went through was phenomenal, but I think it's the random travel essentials that really get overlooked in the beauty department so here mine are.

Sadly there has been many a time while travelling across Asia when toilet paper was scarce, and even here in Melbourne my Mumma always taught me to have a small pack of tissues in my handbag in case of an emergency. I also highly recommend scented hand sanitiser which is a great thing to use before eating, drinking, after you wash your hands and in a pinch the Palmolive Fig & Coconut  scent worked a treat for me in a stinky Balinese taxi as a personal perfume!

Another great little product to throw into your travel bag is the Manicare Nail Polish Remover Pads, which is a whole lot easier to cart across oceans than a bottle of remover and makes it so easy to switch up your nail colour during the trip. I brought along a particular polish to wear to the wedding we were in Bali to attend and these wipes were terrific for whipping off my bright holiday colour to reapply something more wedding-appropriate!

My current  favourite foundation is sadly housed in a hefty glass jar (thanks Revlon!) so I knew I needed some of these little Manicare travel pots to scoop some out into. It meant that I could still rely on my favourite base product without having to worry about smashing a glass full of foundation during my trip, and it also worked well for my Origins Drink-Up Intensive Overnight Mask and my Lush Ro's Argan Body Conditioner which I brought in my skincare bag.

As always, I had to bring some bits from my stash of French wonder products - a travel sized La Roche-Posay Lipikar Baume AP Body Balm which came in handy for keeping my arms moisturised in the air conditioned villa, and the Uriage Bariederm Reconstructive Barrier Cream which was used as a chafing cream and to prevent sweat rash in the heat.

Do you bring products like this when you travel to a tropical climate?
I'd love to hear what your travel essentials are?
-Emma x

Confetti Manicure with I Scream Nails

I couldn't pass up the chance for a free nail art manicure with I Scream Nails, so when I saw that my local Westfield had a beauty event on to celebrate Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival I jumped online to secure one of the coveted 15 minute appointments. The area was really well presented and was fitted with copper and Acapulco style chairs, as well as a desk space where I entered a VAMFF competition and received a free copy of Elle magazine (with a free hand cream from L'Occitane, very nice!)

I Scream Nails had 4 designs on a card to choose from when you sat down and I didn't hesitate to choose the confetti style nail art, with the gorgeous Blue Heaven nail polish as my main colour. My manicurist was the lovely Zinta who was happy to have a chat and talk about nails with me, something I miss out on when I usually get my nails done at Westfield.

  

 

 

 

 

Overall the experience was lots of fun and I am enjoying the compliments on my cute nail art since the appointment - all of the polishes used (except the top coat) was from the I Scream Nails brand and they seem to be of a really great quality as well as being in super cute ice cream cone form. I'm planning on trying out this nail art idea at home with some other colours since I own some dotting tools, and will report back on how I go recreating it!

 

What do you think of this confetti nail art?
-Emma x