Anniversary Weekend Away : The Makeup Bag

I have to say, this may just be the proudest I've ever been of my weekend away packing efforts! If we take a look back to the ridiculousness that was 2011 in Rye, a family trip in 2012 and the pink craze that happened mid-June 2014, I think it's safe to say I've toned down my packing and am happy to report that I used almost every piece that came into the city with me for my wedding anniversary! I brought the foundation/base basics, some easy to wear eye colours, my current favourite highlighter, a good selection of lip shades and the most impressive part? Only one blush!

We were out and about for the 4 days we were away and I wore neutral eye shades the whole time, sometimes topped with a glitter or a duochrome to add a bit of pizazz to make me feel dressed up. I felt it worked well because I didn't have to think too hard about what lip colours I wore with everything, I had some pinks to layer, nudes to throw on and the 'showstopper' shade in the form of Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Frambourjoise for our anniversary dinner on Saturday night.

The staple blush I brought along was also the only shade to come on our honeymoon last year, the gorgeous and very wearable Chanel Joues Contraste Blush in Jersey! I brought along the Colourpop Highlighter in Wisp primarily for our special dinner, it never fails to make me feel just that bit more glam than I otherwise would!

If you have any questions about the contents of my makeup bag or would to know specific shade names/how I feel about a certain product, feel free to ask in the comments as I'd love to chat makeup with you!

How do you think I went with packing this time around?
-Emma

Anniversary Nails; Rose Cashmere with Razzle & Dazzle

When it came to choosing a nail colour for our anniversary weekend away, I knew I wanted to choose a feminine looking shade that would push me outside of my comfort zone a little bit. As soon as I saw Michele1218 wearing a chic neutral in this video I decided to go down that route...what I eventually decided on was much more pink in tone but I was still happy with the dusty nature of the shade and how the glitter made it a little more festive for our mini-break!

I'm definitely happier with how this looks on my newly applied acrylics, my nails are too weak to polish so I like to get clear acrylics and be able to enjoy my nail polish collection properly! I chose L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche Le Vernis in Rose Cashmere, which is a dusty pink mauve crème that screams chic to me, almost like a grown up Barbie colour? It's pulling a bit more purple in these photos than it looks in reality, I definitely recommend checking out this L'Oreal range in store as most of my favourite shades come from this line and can be hard to capture on the fly!

I topped my last two fingers with a coat of Savvy by DB's Razzle & Dazzle which is way prettier on the nail than the bottle would suggest (check out this full mani I found online, it's stunning!) I love the way the fine gold shimmer and pink hexes tie in with the base shade perfectly, I can't wait to see what this topper looks like on top of other manicures, too!

When you wear a glitter accent, which fingers do you paint?
What is your favourite feminine nail shade?
-Emma x

Anniversary Weekend Away : Curated Travel Skincare

Mister Bovary and I returned last night from a long weekend in the city to celebrate our first wedding anniversary - it's amazing to think it was a whole year ago that I walked down the aisle and celebrated with all of our family, and so funny to think that I've not yet posted any wedding snaps/details here on the blog! I wonder if that is something you would find interesting? But I digress; I wanted to share with you the curated travel skincare I brought along with me for our 3 night stay in Melbourne, as I am quite proud of all of the travel-sized and mini products I saved up for the occasion!

Quite a simplistic routine was on the agenda for a busy weekend of sightseeing, romantic dinners and the like, so I brought along a few bits for makeup removal and the basic staples for everything else.

• Neutrogena Make-Up Removing Cleansing Towelettes
• Bioderma Crealine H2O 20ml
• Bioderma Sebium H2O 10ml
• Chanel Gentle Biphase Eye Makeup Remover 10ml
• Bioderma Cotton Rounds
• Dermalogica Precleanse 30ml
• Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel
• Bioderma Sebium AKN Purifying Corrective Care
• Origins Drink-Up Intensive Overnight Mask (decanted into pot)
• OPI Avojuice Coconut Melon Lotion

I had been squirreling away my baby skincare bits for this trip and another we have mid-November, and it made such a difference to the weight of my overnight bag! Mister was very impressed with my restraint and thought the stash very cute, and I was pleased that I used everything I brought with me bar the Chanel remover (used Bioderma instead!) and the Bioderma Crealine (the 10ml Sebium sachet lasted the whole trip so I didn't need to reach for it) I have another post detailing the makeup I brought along with me forthcoming and I must say I did very well with packing for this weekend away.

 

How do you fare when it comes to packing for short trips?

What is the most romantic date you've ever been on?

-Emma

The Grey Nude

I don't need much of a push when it comes to buying new lipsticks, and when the one you're lemming comes in at a measly $4.70 it's hard to feel guilty about the whole situation. I initially saw essence Come Naturally from the new nude lip collection on Angela's blog, and after subsequently spotting it on Sleep and Water I was sold hook, line and sinker! I had already purchased Cool Nude from the Nude Longlasting Lipstick release (seen in this favourites post) but I didn't think I would be able to pull off the purple and grey tones of Come Naturally....



Nosy Charlie wanted to know why I was taking so many photos of a tube of lipstick!

One thing I really like about the essence nude lipstick release is the packaging - the different tube colours make it easy to identify a shade in my overflowing stash and I think the embossing on the bullet itself warrants a higher price tag than the small sum these actually cost. The finish is satin and wears well, and being nude it doesn't give me any hassle as it wears off throughout the day, making it a wonderful work day shade for me. The thin black band around the tube is quite chic and the closure is really secure, which is worth noting if you often tote your lipsticks in a handbag pocket as I do.



essence 'Come Naturally'
essence 'Cool Nude'
Chanel Rouge Coco Shine 'Boy'
Lancôme Shine Lover Lipstick in '212 Twisted Beige'*
Colourpop Lippie Stix in 'Lumiere'

As in order above

to show the difference in finish and pigmentation

As it turns out, Come Naturally is a very wearable trend shade! The purple tones mix in nicely with the grey cast and I find the overall colour quite flattering on my pale complexion - it's neutral enough to wear with most any look, but is different and interesting at the same time. A lot of my nude lipsticks lean brown and the 'my lips but better MLBB' shades lean quite pink, so I feel like having this taupe shade really rounds out my neutral lip stash quite nicely. It's definitely a nice affordable way to dip a toe into the trendy pond of Kylie Jenner-esque/90's lips, that is for sure.

What do you think of neutral shades like this?
What neutral lippy is your all time favourite?
-Emma x


*Marked product was provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Laid Back Sample Project - Update 5



Feels quite good to have finished some larger sample sized products for the fifth instalment of my Laid Back Sample Challenge - sachets are nice to use up but getting to toss a larger product always brings a bigger sense of satisfaction for me!

Marc Jacobs Oh Lola!
I have this in a solid ring form and love it, but for some reason the actual perfume disappears on me almost immediately! Such a shame as the scent is seriously lovely, and the bottle is stunning.

Thierry Mugler Angel EDT (travel size)
This reinvention of the classic Angel fragrance sat so well on me that I'm lusting over a large bottle of this one, perhaps as a Christmas gift? It's gourmand and has an edge to it that I adore, and the fact that it lasts on my skin is a rare treat for me.

Benefit Foamingly Clean Facial Wash
I went in expecting to hate the foaming aspect of this, but it actually puffs up and lathers rather than foaming, and it feels so decadent on my skin that I actually enjoyed using this! It wasn't as gentle as a milk or balm cleanser but I felt like it really cleansed my skin well.

Kiehl's Orange Flower & Lychee Skin Softening Lotion
I mentioned in my empties post that this was one of the nicest lotions I'd ever used, and I stand by that! I can't seem to find this particular scent on the website though, which alarms me slightly...has this been discontinued?!

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

A few future purchases were noted from this round of samples, but I'm content to have a running list of quality products to lust over while I continue to churn through my collection, donating or using up products I no longer need in my stash. I know it may seem like decluttering is a bit of a trend at the moment but I think learning to love (and use!) what you have is always a good thing, trend or not, so I'm all up on that wagon and riding it towards a neater house and neater mind!

 

Previous updates!
Original Project Post
Update 1ft. Versace, Lush, Dior and LaGaia
Update 2 ft. Balenciaga, Biore, Mario Badescu and Missha
Update 3 ft. Benefit, L'Oreal, L'Occitane and Smashbox

Update 3 ft. Aveda, Lush, Estee Lauder and YSL

 

Emma x

Kryolan Event Recap @ Emporium + Jazz Lip Stain Swatch

Kryolan have always been a brand I take a peek at when I'm attending IMATS and other trade shows (like Salon Melbourne when the brand teamed up with Rachel Montgomery!) but the crowds have always stopped me from really learning more about the high quality and world renowned makeup brand. Lucky for us Melbournians a new store has opened up at the flash Emporium in the CBD, so we can now access the famous Kryolan anytime it suits us! (I've heard whispers that Sydney-siders will be gaining a store soon, too!)

 

Earlier in the week I went along to the official media launch and snapped some pictures to share with you. Make-up artist Becca Gilmartin was on hand to share some Kryolan-centric tips with us and I was really impressed with how warm and funny she was! I've got my eye on the customisable palettes now (like a fancier Inglot perhaps?!) and possibly a blush because we all know I'm a #blushfiend!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had a really lovely time at the Kryolan event, it was nice to catch up with blogging friends and spend time learning about the 70 year old brand. I'm quite an introvert and don't attend as many events as I used to, so I was glad to come out for a brand like Kryolan. Nowadays I'm selective with brands overall and stay true to my interests and it makes for a much more enjoyable blogging experience for me. I'm looking forward to testing out the samples provided on the night too, I wore the above Jazz Lip Stain* for a grocery shopping trip and thought I'd snap a quick picture to share before I really test it out and decide how I feel about it.

 

Have you tried any Kryolan products?

What is your favourite brand to check out at beauty trade shows?

- Emma x

 

*I attended this event as a media guest, thanks to the PR for having me along. Honesty, always.

The Current Bedside Situation + Routine

One of my favourite parts of the day is winding down with a book and a cuppa in bed, and the lazy girl in me also likes to combine the end of my skincare routine with this ritual. I have a little one-drawer bedside table from Kmart that Mister put together and it's filled with my nightly skincare options; some anti-acne bits to deal with the breakout I'm currently struggling through (Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion + La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+*) my eye cream (Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye*) and the new moisturiser I'm trialling (Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar Dry*)

I keep my room mists and pillow sprays on my bedside table to remind myself to use them, they're both from L'Occitane and my favourite is most definitely the Lavande cologne* which settles me into my PM routine nicely. Every night I bring a steaming hot mug of Madame Flavour Mint Choc Rooibos into bed with me (or a Jarrah Coconut Hot Chocolate if I'm feeling crazy!) and either watch some YouTube videos with my headphones in (planner videos or nail polish ones like this are my favourite at the moment!) or read a good book. Right now I'm reading The Other Side of the World by Stephanie Bishop which is a 2015 release and so far I'm really enjoying it - her way of writing is very beautiful and feels quite melancholic to me, so I'm glad I picked this one up at my local library for something different.

I'd love to know what you keep in your bedside drawer and what your nightly rituals are? Is it common for people to apply their nightly creams in bed? Do you watch TV or YouTube before you sleep or does that hinder your sleeping?

Emma x

*Products provided for consideration. Honesty, always!