the emmabovary lust list

lust list by emmaflaubert91 featuring a cape poncho

Attempting to save for ABBW2011 as well as the Europe trip I have planned for next year means I've been holding off on some of the things I'd usually buy. I'm being realistic and know that I will eventually own most if not all of this, I'm trying to pace it out and spread out the pain to the purse. First up is definitely the Chanel shadows, the lemming is literally burning my chest and I've got to put out the flame. My world will be complete when I get my hands on one, if only for a moment. Here is the rundown of what has been flooding my mind

*Chanel fall 2011, particularly the shadows. epatant will most likely be the first I pick up, who knows what will hop in my basket after that

*Nars Outremer, because although I have too many bright shadows as it is, this one is such a stunner. Have heard it's hard to work with though, only swatching will tell;)

*Nars Grand Palais, I am in desperate need of some everyday shades and since I'm yet to own a Nars duo, I thought this could pop my cherry

*Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant, simply to compare with my beloved Alpha-H Gentle Daily Exfoliant. My flaky skin needs all the scrubbing it can get, I love it.
*The Body Needs pressing kit, to smush up my loose powders so I can arrange them in a pretty palette. That reminds me that I also need a pretty palette, hmmm...
*Camel Cape from Rachel Zoe's new line! It just hit shopbop and it is right up my alley
*MuLondon White Chocolate Truffle Moisturiser- finally, a way to slather myself in dessert without it being messy and wrong! Jade has got me lemming this, and when I use up a bit more of my other moisturizers I'm going to give it a go.
*Korres lip balm in Jasmine. Pretty pot full of sweet lip soothing goodness, not that I need it but oh well.
*MAC Scene eyeshadow since I'm still lemming a gorgeous grey to pop into my MAC palette which is a little bare right now. I was originally gunning for the grey from Surf Baby but wasn't impressed when I swatched it.
*Orange satchel bag, this one happens to be from Asos but I'm not really fussed where it is from. I actually saw a really nice one is a recent Grazia magazine, which I'm going to try and chase up.

Now, here is the part where you make me feel better and share what YOU are lemming?

emmabovary xx

(lemming: wanting, craving, needing, desiring, do want)

July Empties!

Not the biggest lot of empties, but felt good to get rid of some things I'd been wanting to use up!

*Rexona Deodorant- doesn't do the best job, so will not be repurchasing.

*Clinique Take The Day Off makeup remover-received this deluxe sample as part of a GWP and kept it at Chris' house. While I liked it, I prefer another makeup remover. A review of the two is coming up!

*Steam Cream in Felicity (ltd ed. tin design)-purchased this from Kit Cosmetics, and it expired on the 26th of the month. Lightweight and fluid, I used up most of this and was happy with it. Will be rinsing the cream out and using the pretty tin to store hair clips



looks full but I promise it's not! Only a little left inside

*Priceline wipes- my very favourite, no other has come close (yet)

*Freeman Salt Body Scrub in Guava- review to come, I powered through this so fast



*Revlon Fabulash mascara- kept this at Chris' and it had become too dry to use comfortably, a little too crunchy for my liking towards the end of it's life. Probably one of the best mascaras I've used in quite a while though, drew compliments literally every time I wore it! Another GWP winner for me.

*Covergirl Amazemint in No Care Bare- found this meandering at the back of my drawers, and realised it was empty. Smells like mint and is a nice nude shade, if I didn't have a million glosses I would consider repurchasing!

Have you tried any of these products?

How did you go for empties this month?

emmabovary xx

*As always, products were all purchased by moi unless stated (eg GWP or PR sample)

A Mixed Bag-FOTD,OOTD and day in the life

You know when you have one of those stellar days and nothing can wipe the smile from your face? That's today for me, so I thought I'd throw this post together and show you why I'm smiling!

A very sleepy FOTD

Prodz used: Face of Australia primer*-Rimmel Match Perfection Cream Gel in Ivory*-YSL Creme de Blush in #2 Powdery Rose-Face of Australia liquid liner*-Benefit Bad Gal mascara-Clinique and Essence quad as featured in previous post-L'Oreal Colour Riche Serum lipstick in Freshly Candy-Essence Lipgloss in 'Me & My Icecream'-Face of Australia translucent powder-

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Felt great with this look,I scrubbed my face with my Alpha-H Gentle Daily Exfoliant last night and my skin feels so much nicer. I felt pretty all day, naw



A recent acquisition

OOTD which does not do my new leather skirt justice! It's lazer cut along the bottom with tear drops and a floral pattern, it's perfectly high waisted and not too short. Bought it in Portmans last week while shopping with my Mumma, it was love at first sight! I've paired it with a plain black singlet and my Granny's black cardi today, and some el cheapo Rubi leopard flats that are my comfy walking shoes.

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So as well as feeling great about my outfit and face today, the main reason I'm so happy is because I went to Doncaster with my Mum and my Aunty, who is on holidays from work (rare to see her mid week!) We met my cousin and a family friend there, and chatted while we wandered around and had lunch together. Sadly, none of them are makeup mad, so I didn't get to spend as much time as I normally would in my fave shops, but the day was so lovely it didn't matter.

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Regatta leather loafers

I dress quite old for my age, and I've been looking for a nice leather loafer to wear to uni and to the shops. These seemed really comfy on, and were 50% off the already reduced price in Myer. These look nice on, and more modern once I pair them with jeans and a cute top. They do look quite nanna in the box, but I don't mind :)

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Drink Bottle from Daiso

I was excited to hear there was a Daiso near me in Melbourne, and visited for the first time today. Thought it was super cute, despite not knowing/understanding what a lot of the products were due to the language barrier. I picked up this drink bottle for uni, to motivate me to drink more water! It's plastic, not metal, and I liked that as I'm worried the metal ones would leave a metallic taste in my mouth. My skin is dehydated and my fitness isn't great, so I'm trying the 'Swap It' program the Australia Government has proposed. You make small changes (water over soft drink, walking instead of taking a lift etc) to try to improve overall fitness. Being a lazy ass, this is a much better way for me to attempt to overall my fitness!

Love my body scrubs, and since everything in Daiso is $2.80 I had nothing to lose so decided to try this. Our family friend lives out that way and had tried the Daiso eyelashes too, she said they were really good so I might give them a go next time.


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A Kit Cosmetics goody!

Stopped by Kit to gush over the gorgeous Viva La Colour displays they have up- such a great concept, with a gorgeous hint of Mexican flavour. I'm having a Viva La Colour make over next week so didn't buy everything I wanted, just this beauty. Swooned over it in the tube, and once I saw the gorgeous SA had it on I knew it was coming home with me.



Kit Cosmetics Viva Rose



The stunning Viva Rose



Tried it on instore and my family agreed that it was a stunner. The SA who served me was also the loveliest I've had in a long time (bar Illamasqua Melbourne, who are #1 and awesomesauce) The coral lippy and wine shade they had out looked gorgeous as well, I will probably buy them next week. I have nail swatches from the collection coming up next week, too. Wearing Viva Rose lipstick right now, this is what it looks like on me



Viva Rose

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I also got a few bits and bobs during the week, but I think I'll leave that for another day.

Happy Friday to all, I hope you have amazing weekends! Let me know what you get up to!

emmabovary xx

(*Marked products were sent from PR for consideration or were received free with magazine purchase. The rest were purchased by moi)

Wearing This Week

My skin is acting out like mad this month, but my make up has my smile beaming despite that. I'm really happy with some of the combinations I've found, so much so that I've been wearing them day after day. Here is what I've been reaching for and loving this week!

All of this weeks faves, spilling out of the cute new make up bag I bought. The bag comes in a set of 3 at Priceline for $5 with two other sizes included, a small with the same print and a medium plain black with orange trim. Also comes in yellow and pink-caaayooot!

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I was going to refrain from this post as I thought it too similar to a monthly 'favourites' but then I was like hey! I blog to make myself happy, and that up there certainly does. Plus, I haven't been using the whole lot all month so it didn't seem fair to pop them in my monthly favourites. Here are my thoughts on the prodz!

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Bourjois Healthy Mix #52-I currently have two bottles on the go, one is at Chris'. I think my next will be a shade down, just to see the difference. This goes on like moisturiser, and has a lovely feel and smell.

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Nars Laguna Bronzer- I've been using the tiniest amount of this to try and detract from the deathly pallour I've got-seems to work well!

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Clinique Quad- was a GWP that I adore! Great shades, but the one I've been rocking this week is the bottom left hand corner, which is a gorgeous shimmery pale toned shadow (similar to MAC Retrospeck)

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Essence Quad in Chic-Ly-Again, bottom left hand corner shade is a killer taupe that I've been using to define my crease. Found this and the Clinique shade all over to be a great everyday eye look!

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Face of Australia Liquid Liner- my heart belongs to this, I'd never been able to use liquid liner before this came along. Big review and rave coming up.

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Benefit Bad Gal mascara- Chunky lashes are go!

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MAC Baby Sparks Dazzleglass- I realise that this is in pretty much every favourites I've done lately, and you're guaranteed to see it in my July Faves too. It is the bomb diggity, we're officially an item.

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So that is what has been getting the most use with me this week, now do share-

What have you been wearing this week?

emmabovary xx

Would you rather...

Have a lack of tags in my life, and thought easing myself back into blogging while working and studying was a good idea=)

 

1) Would you rather lose all of your mascaras, eyeliners, lipsticks, and lip-glosses or lose all of your palettes and eye shadows?

I have been rocking a liquid liner lately, and do love my lippies, but my heart will always belong to my shadows! I feel incomplete without them, more so than without a lippy or mascara.

Essence Quad, Rimmel lippy in Hot Gossip

 

2) Would you rather chop off all your hair or never be able to cut it again?

Chop it all off- I hate the crazy long hair look when it's scraggy on the ends, I'd rather start afresh.

3) Would you rather have a coral cheek or a pink cheek?

Oooh I do like to alternate...I'd go a pink, just because it would probably go with more

NYX Peach and BYS Coral

 

4) If you had $1000 to spend, would you rather buy clothes or makeup?

Realistically I'd like to go halves here, but since I'm unhappy with my body at the moment I've lost my passion for clothes shopping, so I'd go with make up!

 

5) Would you rather apply lipstick as eyeliner or eyeliner as lipstick?

I think lipstick as eyeliner, it just seems less scary.

NYX Tea Rose, Urban Decay liner in Zero&Whisky

 

6) Would you rather only shop at MAC or Sephora?

Seeing as I've never been in a Sephora, I was tempted to go with MAC here, but the range and variety at Sephora wins me over.

 

7) Would you rather only use one eye shadow color or one lip color the rest of your life?

One lip colour- I love all of my shadows, it's like choosing a favourite child! I'd go with a lip colour that was MLBB (my lips but better) and then be able to go crazy or classic with the eyes.



MAC French Cuff and Smashbox Flirty



8) Would you rather wear winter clothes in summer or summer clothes in winter?

I always wear summer clothes in winter with tights and a cardi, so I will cheat and go with that.

 

9) Would you rather have dark nails or bright nails all year round?

Dark, more classic and would go with most of my outfit s *looks down at bright nails*

 

10) Would you rather give up your favorite lip product or your favorite eye product?

Ohh I think that though I love my favourite shadows, they are dupable (MAC Retrospeck and similar) but I wouldn't want anyone to take my Maybelline Coral Crush from me.

11) Would you rather only be able to wear your hair in a ponytail or a messy bun?

A messy bun is the sexiest, I love it and think it suits me. Plus Chris likes it better when I wear my hair up *naw*

 

12) Would you rather never be able to paint your nails again or never use lip-gloss?

I am far too lazy to deal with nail polish, and don't have the fascination that other people have with it. I know they can be gorgeous, but a gloss is easier for me.

 

13) Would you rather shave your eyebrows and have none at all? Or sharpie them in everyday?

Shave them- a realistic tattoo with powder could work you know!

 

14) Would you rather live without makeup or nail polish?

I wouldn't be fussed if I didn't have polish, I adore my make up collection.

 

I tag everyone reading this right now, I'd love to see where your loyalties lie with your prodz!

emmabovary xx

Guest Post: Beauty on a Budget

My first real guest post here at emmabovarybeauty! The wonderful Kylie from Kylie Ofiu.com has been nice enough to share with us her tips for staying beautiful and on budget. Enjoy, and feel free to take notes (I know I have!)

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For many of us our beauty budget is often a hot topic. There are particular products we like , we like trying new things and buying beauty items often feels like a little treat. I definitely think beauty is something that should be included in a budget when you set one. Just think about how much you probably spend to look the way you do and you will realise that money should be set aside, so it is there when you need it.
Beauty is not just a section for women either. Many of the men I know have preferred hair products, shower gels, after shave, razors and some men get waxing as well. Women usually spend a lot more than men since they often get waxed, hair colours, nails, make up and more.
When trying to work out your budget write down everything you use in the beauty department and how often it needs to be done or bought. Try not to have a heart attack when you total it.
Now looking at that amount and when various things need to be done you can easily see how much you will need to put aside to cover these expenses. You can’t justify spending that much now you actually know how much you are spending? Don’t worry, you are not alone.
Here are some of the ways I save money in the beauty department:

• Know your colours
Certain colours and looks suit different skin tones and hair colour. Finding out what suits you then sticking mainly to that will save you a lot of money. To find out what suits you, there are many sites online you can play around with or you can get free make-up done at most beauty counters. They are trying to sell you their product, but if you don’t buy, the make-over is still usually free in places like Myer and David Jones. You can get some great advice and tips, plus if you take a picture after each make-over you can see what suits you.
• Do what you can yourself
Not everyone can do beauty things for themselves and that is ok. If you can, you can save a lot. For example learning to wax some areas can save you hundreds of dollars a year. Of course you have to be strong enough to willingly rip hot wax off your own body, which mentally is not easy! And there are areas you are probably better off leaving to professionals, but a pot of wax costs under $30 and will last a long time. Other things you can do yourself are manicures, pedicures and facials. Once you have the products you can use them over and over again saving more money. If you like the feeling of someone else doing it ask some of your friends if you could do a regular pamper day where you do each others nails. Know your limits though. If you are not good at it, just leave it to the professionals.

• Make the professional service last longer
There are a few ways you can make your treatments last longer. If you get a colour and foils, you could opt for just regrowth one time and only have the foils every second time. This will halve the cost of your foils each year. If you need to cover grey or you get a colour that is not lighter than your natural colour there are colour crayons you can purchase at Priceline and many chemist that you simply wet and use to colour in your regrowth. These crayons last a long time. You just redo the colour each time you wash your hair. You generally only need to colour your hairline and part for it to be effective. It can extend your colour for a few weeks saving you hundreds a year. When you get your eyebrows waxed, if you watch them carefully you can pluck any strays as they grow through whilst carefully maintaining the shape. Some people only get their brows shaped once every few months and just maintain it themselves in between.
• Get samples or freebies
Many chemists and beauty counters have sample size products you can try for free. Since companies want you to try their products so you will buy them they give samples out to businesses to pass to customers. Even hair salons get product samples you can request to try. If you don’t want to ask, there are different sites you can go to request samples such as Buckscoop which has lists of offers around. All you do is fill out a form or email companies requesting a sample. You can also enter competitions on blogs, Facebook and websites as well as magazines and radio to try and win free products.
• Make the products you can yourself
There are many beauty items which are easy to make yourself and work out much cheaper. Things such as body scrubs can be made by mixing sugar or salt with olive oil. You can add scented oils to give it the aroma you prefer or just use it plain. Face masks can be made from various mashed fruits, whisked egg white or even oats with lemon juice. Lemon juice and tea tree oil are great for drying out pimples. Olive oil makes a great cuticle or hair treatment and a little olive oil can also be used to smooth fly away hairs. There are lots of natural recipes to be found online, just do a search and try them out.
• Buy on sale
There are some products you just prefer to buy. For those things where we have a favourite brand always make sure you buy them on sale. Most make up and beauty items go on sale throughout the year, often quite a few times a year. Find out the retail price then set out to find the best price. Online offers great prices if you know exactly what you want. You can save as much as 50% regularly by purchasing them on sale or online.
• Know when to splurge and when to save
There are some items which are ok to use cheap products instead of expensive ones. Things such as coloured eyeliner, fashion colour nail polish and lip gloss or anything that is just the latest colour can be bought in a cheap version instead of an expensive brand. You probably will not get full use of the items and if you purchase top of the range, it is just a waste of money. You should, however, splurge on the basics such as a good foundation (one that compliments your skin), mascara and lip stick. These 3 items can make you look complete. Spend more on the products you use a lot, provided they are ones that work well for you. That doesn’t mean you need to spend $70 on a foundation if a $30 works well for you. Just find what works and don’t feel guilty spending on it.

Beauty does not have to cost thousands of dollars a year. With a little thought, planning and research you can save hundreds, even thousands of dollars a year.

Kylie Ofiu is the author of 365 Ways To Make Money. She blogs at Kylie Ofiu.com about ways to make and save money as well as what she is doing to reach her goal of becoming a millionaire by April 2015. This guest post is part of a series she is doing called 31 Days of Money. You can find her on twitter and Facebook too.

emmabovary xx

A Peek Into My Lipstick Collection

I was tagged by the lovely Kirsten Jane of Commander in Chic with this tag- to share with you some lipsticks from my collection. I decided to throw in some that I haven't showcased before, as well as the ones I am always raving about.

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Maybelline Color Sensational-Coral Crush

Australis Colour Inject-Jive

MAC-Costa Chic (Frost)

Clinique High Impact-Citrus Rose

MAC-Ever Hip (Cremesheen)

Revlon Super Lustrous-Fuchsia (Pearl)

Nars Pure Matte Lipstick-Carthage

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 As in the order above:

Coral Crush, Jive, Costa Chic,Citrus Rose, Ever Hip, Fuchsia, Carthage

I will point out that the swatches do not do the brightness of some of these shades justice, esp Carthage and Ever Hip. All of them are much nicer on lip, naturally ;)

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1. When you were a child, did you ever use your mother's lipsticks?
Mum had this amazing ruby red shade that was cased in the most beautiful floral metallic case. I used it more as a stain than a full pout (as does my Mum) but it was my introduction into the world of beauty. I have a post coming up soon where I share my makeup memories, a picture of the lipstick will be there!

2. How old were you when you bought your first lipstick?

I’d say I was probably 15/16? Have no idea what it was, though. The first memorable lipstick was my baby, Coral Crush <3

3. Pink or red lipstick?

 Orange and coral! Though I do adore pinks and reds, I’d say I rock pinks more often just because they are easier and go with smoky eyes for daytime.

4. The most expensive lipstick you have ever bought?

I buy ‘expensive’ lippies from blog sales for bargains, and got my Chanel Rouge Coco Shine from Strawberrynet for $35, so I’d say my most expensive would be my MAC collection.

5. And the cheapest?

My blog sale bargains kill it here, $1 etc for amazing shades. Otherwise, Priceline bargain bins hold some beauties.

6. What's the most bizarre thing you have done with lipstick?

Written on my mirror, I think it looks super cute (though it might look silly in my adult bathroom…) I think there is still a lipstick love heart on my bedroom mirror!

7. If you had to recommend a lipstick, which brand would you recommend and why? 

Maybelline Colour Sensationals! Great pigmentation, can be cheap when on sale, creamy and easy to wear. Coral Crush is my all-time fave, but I’ve recommended some of the pink shades from the range to my best friendCandice (who looks amaaaazing in them!)

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I would love to see more of this tag, I think a peek into a collection can be so exciting!

In particular, though, I tag:

Maddy

Haute and Stylish

Tara

Yolly

emmabovary xx