ADIEU

This is the last post on Em Charlie...

I've loved this blog but I just found it too difficult to sway the focus of my content without disappointing you guys. So I created a new blog that will have beauty related posts but also a combination of

+ Music

+ Art

+ Film

+ Photography 

+ Current Events (Internet Related)

+ Design

Basically it's a celebration and community for creative people (and I consider makeup an art form). If you'd like to have a look, the blog is Heya Emily.

I love you all, Go and comment your blogs on Heya Emily and I'll check them out.

E xx

Beauty Brands I Want To Try

Image Credit: Alannah Loves

I'm pretty sure you all know I'm a beauty addict (duh). But there's a fair few brands I haven't explored and would love to try out. Let me know if you have liked the brands I mention.

A Foundation I'm Loving

There's a new foundation in my life, and I'm loving it. I've given L'Oreal True Match the toss, due to it being to watery, pink based, and tested on animals. In its place is the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Full Coverage Foundation (what a mouthful of a name).

Emma Watson - He For She

September 21, 2014. Emma Watson made her He For She speech during the UN Women's campaign. I've always wanted to write about this, and a year on, I think there's no time like the present.

Benefits of Green Tea

My exam block is over, yay! I finally have time to chill out now that it's the holidays. However, constant stressing and studying has taken it's toll, I wasn't sleeping that well and my skin isn't the best either. So, I reached for the secret weapon, Green Tea.

Beauty Inspiration: Hair

        

Part Two! Today it's all about hair, and my number one look at the moment is a textured ponytail. They just look so good. Like last week for beauty, I have a few points about my everyday hairstyle.

1. Keep heat styling to a minimum.

2. Have your hair out of your face.

3. Add a braid to a ponytail for some definition.

4. Use clear hair ties, it makes the look more put together.

5. A little bit of hairspray never goes astray.

6. Go for the messy-chic look.

Beauty Inspiration: Makeup

    

So recently, I've really been looking at my personal style. I figure that I should only buy things/make choices that fit that style, and obviously the place to start is makeup. Makeup is so, so personal and it's amazing that a little bit of 'grown-up-face-painting' can turn a day around.

Priceline Purchases

About a week ago, a pink envelope found itself in my mailbox. Priceline sends out a book of vouchers and a cashback quarterly (maybe annually?) and obviously I had to get over there and pick up a few things I needed.

Goodness Every Morning Moisturiser - Personally I think that if you're only going to have one beauty product, makeup or skincare, make it moisturiser. The Goodness one looked pretty fab, and I love the brand message, no animal testing, bio-degradable packaging and some damn good quality ingredients. So far I've really enjoyed it, it's super lightweight and hydrating ($16.99).

Australis StayPut Eyeliner in Chocolate - Sometimes black is to harsh for eyeliner and you need a softer, more feminine look. I've swapped black for brown for the time being and I like it! Brown liner is better for subtle eye looks, I tried a cat eye but it didn't work too well seeing as it's a pencil formula and not a good deep black. No cat eye doesn't matter, the brown looks so lovely with matte natural shades ($10.45).

Both of the products have worked great since I bought them and for the cheap price, I can definitely see them becoming staples in my beauty routine.

Welcome Back!

Hey there, I'm officially back, yay! I've been away from Em Charlie for 5 and a half weeks, and I've missed blogging quite a lot. So many things have happened since I've been taking a break, I read a few books (Pretty Honest by Sali Hughes is beautiful), performed in my first Shakespeare play, started playing basketball and wrote assignments for senior, sigh. 

Even though I haven't posted anything, I haven't neglected the blog either. I've been working on my photography skills and there's about seven pre-written posts and secret pinterest boards with inspiration and about planning for 30 potential posts in my journal. So, fingers crossed this relaunch goes the distance and I can blog consistently for once!

A Palette I'm Excited About

So I was on the SpaceNK instagram a little while ago and I saw this... Oh My Goodness. This is the preview of this year's holiday palette from Hourglass Cosmetics, a combo of bronzers, blushes and highlighting/finishing powders.

Melbourne Details

Hello Beautiful People! I've just finished a five day trip to Melbourne, and I'm writing this up at the Airport (Shout-out to QANTAS for free wifi). I thought I'd share some of the pictures that I took with you, feel free to Pin them, put them on your Tumblr and enjoy x

Travel Anxiety Tips

Yesterday I jumped on a plane to Melbourne, yay! I'm writing this from my favourite city in the country, and I'm feeling great. 24 hours ago? Not so much... I had a fair bit of travel anxiety, but far less than in the past, so I'm going to share the things I used to make me feel more comfortable up in the air.

Wild Wood by Colin Meloy

First of all, can I just say how happy I am with this photo? Not to spoil the story, but it is focused on light vs darkness, so some symbolic photography is going down.

Wild Wood is the first book in the Wild Wood Chronicles written by Colin Meloy, the lead singer of The Decemberists, a band I really like. I borrowed it from my best-friend Madie's older sister Caitie's friend Felix, so it took a fair amount of effort to get my hands on this one.

To Taylor, Love Em

To Taylor,
I read your tumblr post about a week ago, about Apple Music and the ripple effect it has caused on the company. So, as a young person who'd like to release music someday, I want to say thank you.

The New Em Charlie

Image: Quotev

Check it out everybody! This is the new blog design update I've been thinking about doing for a while now, and I'm gonna have a quick chat about it, along with some other new details you're gonna want to know about.

DIY: INSPIRATION WALL

Hi All! Long time no see, I can't believe it's been three weeks without blogging, it kinda feels like I uploaded my life lately post 3 days (not 3 weeks) ago. But I'm back, and hopefully more regularly.

LIFE LATELY

Hi all! Life has just been extremely hectic lately. All my school work has been due either last week, is due tomorrow or will be due next week, so all of my time has been devoted to my English, Religion, Media and Music assignments. There has been a few things I've been thinking about lately that I thought I should have a chat about.

MAGAZINE LOVE: RENEGADE COLLECTIVE

Personally, I can't stand most magazines. I read so much on twitter and tumblr so I really don't need Famous or Girlfriend to tell me all that, and Vogue's clothing prices make me cry a bit.As a person who wants to pursue something creative, I knew I needed something more from my Sunday reading material (although at the moment it's Romeo and Juliet for Senior English).

TU-LIPS

You may have read my Little Joys post from Thursday, and I have another one for you all, Fresh Flowers. They're just so lovely and seeing as we had some tulips in the house, I thought I'd share my current lip favourite that happens to be a pretty close shade match to tulips.

LITTLE JOYS

Source+

The other day is saw this post on From Roses, and I knew I had to do my own. There are so many little things in my week that I have to share. Comment yours down below, I'd love to see your perspective!

THANK YOU

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This is my 50th post on Em Charlie, Hooray! I didn't think that I would ever be at this point in a blogging run, I can barely update my personal Facebook on the regular. But since January 31 2014 when I opened this blog, I was hooked on sharing my life with this little space of the internet.

YOUTUBE SILVER SCREEN

YouTube is a big, big place, and there are so many amazing content creators out there. I'm sure you've heard of Zoella and Tyler Oakley, and you know my chummy Madie Grace, but here are a few of my lesser known favourites making waves in the vlog-osphere.

ANXIETY: HEART TO HEART

This is a hard post to write, and one I hoped I wouldn't have to. But I've spoken about it before, and I felt the need to. I still have anxiety.

A TONER I CAN GET ON BOARD WITH

So, toners. I've never known what they were for and they seem like a grey area in people's skincare routine. After a bit of research, I've found there is a large difference between the p(r)etty, floral face mist and a real toner.

MY CURRENT CONCEALER

Today I was planning to do a Makeup Look, but I haven't been too well lately and I didn't really feel like throwing my camera in my face. Apologies loves!

A YEAR WITH BRACES

In March 2014, I got my braces put on. Being in Year 10 at the time, I was pretty insecure because most of my friends were finishing up with braces, and I didn't even mention it on here because I disliked them so much.

10 THINGS IN MY DREAM BEDROOM

Hi All! So in a few days I am moving from the biggest bedroom in our house to the smallest. Sound crazy? You might be right, but the other room was quite dark and I'm a big fan of bright, whimsical spaces, so the change has happened!

ETSY WISHLIST

Hello All! I mentioned a little while back that I've been loving to peruse Etsy lately. There's something really therapeutic about seeing products people have worked so hard to create, and these are a few of the things that have caught my eye.

PICKING FAVOURITES #1

Woah, it's been forever since I've done a favourites. But I've collected a few things that have made my life a bit nicer, so here they are!

SUNDAY ITINERARY

Ahh Sunday. I think everyone has takes a breather on this day of the week and I'm no exception. I usually spend it at home and I have a little process to how I use the day, which I'm going to share with you today!

AUTUMN MIXTAPE 2015

SOURCE

Hi all, Hope you're doing well. It's autumn time in the southern hemisphere, so that means it's time for a playlist. These are a mix of easy listening and running tracks, a bit different but I love them all. My current favourite artists are Sia and Angus & Julia Stone, as well as Ben Howard. Enjoy the playlist! (FYI my spotify is @ecphonehome)

What's on your mixtape at the moment?
Em xx

SO LONG PARTNER: NARS SHEER GLOW

I bought Nars Sheer Glow last year in June, because I decided to go high-end after the first two foundations (drugstore) I bought broke me out bad. Now, the beautiful packaging is empty, save a few drops. I loved this foundation so much, it was just that good. So the best thing I could do is let you know my thoughts, and why I'm dreading picking another foundation.
* I took the photo before it ran out, Australian weather is either perfect or horrible.

What I Liked
Colour: I had the shade Deauville (Light 4), which was a total guess but turned out to be perfect for me. Sheer Glow also has a line of 19-20 colours which I think is great, "Good for you Nars-Coco".
Coverage: I'd call it a silky kind of sheer, this foundation is definitely more enhancing than masking. Since my skin is almost completely clear, I loved that it was quite radiant, plus good for photos as there's no SPF (please put on SPF if you're going out though!)
Longevity: As I said, this lasted about eight months and I probably used it everyday, so the value for money is quite good. You only need a tiny bit for your whole face, so I only ever poured out the tiniest bit. I never got the pump, because I went to Mecca Maxima six times over the course of this foundation, and it wasn't in stock, c'est la vie.

What I Didn't Like:

Dry Patches: There's only one thing I disliked about Sheer Glow, and that was that it clung to dry spots around the sides of my nose, however that's more my fault than the foundation's, skincare routine lazy anyone?

Repurchase?

Personally, I would. However, there's so many things on the market, and if you can get better, why wouldn't you? Currently I'm looking at the Urban Decay Naked Skin, Korres Pomegranate and Origins Plantscription Foundations. I'd also like to look at tarte, but there's no way I can buy it at the moment. That being said, if I need nice skin, Sheer Glow's my gal. 

What's your favourite foundation (drugstore or high-end)? Let me know in the comments, and it may be my next HG!

HOW TO FIX BACKLASH

I think we all know the struggle. Every so often our perfectly blended eye shadow is ruined by the mascara wand and we have to start all over again. Well, actually we don't! (also, this wasn't a reconstruction photo, I got distracted and the mascara exploded on me, *cringes*)
I call this backlash, the pun was too good to pass up:

You've got mascara on your eyelid. Dang.

1. Let it Dry. If the mascara is still wet and you start removing it, it will smudge and make it worse.

2. Brush Over it with your Eye Shadow Brush. Sometimes mascara will just flake off, and all you
have to do is dust a little bit of shadow over it and you can keep going!

3. If it's Stubborn: Take a cotton swab dipped in eye makeup remover and start taking off the mascara. It should come away pretty easily.

4. Re-Apply. The makeup remover will take away a bit of the shadow underneath, don't worry! Take the shade that was there before, I had on Sin by Urban Decay, and add a little bit more to finish up.

5. Done!

You can use any products you like, of course, but in-case you were curious, I used:

Eye Shadow: Sin from the Urban Decay Naked Palette
Mascara: Bare Minerals Lash Domination (This is really good, I've gotta get better at putting it on!)
Remover: Garnier Micellar Water
Cotton Swabs: I don't know, any brand will work

So that's all for today! Phew, six posts in a month, challenging to think of content, but I'm loving it so far. Let me know if you get backlash too, and how you fix it. Or share a quick fix of your own,

xx

SNAP HAPPY

As you might have noticed, the images on Em Charlie have become a lot better in quality. I've ditched my iPhone 4s for the Canon 600D with a 18-55mm lens. This baby, took about a year of saving up and I'm so glad to finally have it, and to use it! I've been taking a lot of test shots and working on my technique, so hopefully its onward and upward!

Now, just to clarify, I didn't buy this camera for blogging, nor do I think a DSLR is necessary for blogging (I took the picture of my camera on my iphone). I bought this so that I can start making films, good ones, because that side of creativity has really interested me, and I think I'd like to make some really quality content. I might share a few of my projects on here, would that be something you'd be interested in? Anyway, let me know, and I'll be back on Friday for a beauty post, (finally!).

xx

A TOAST TO ORIGINS DRINK UP

Okay, let me tell you about my skin. It's combination, and it's extremely sensitive. From October to December, I was getting dry patches around my face even though the rest of it was quite alright. But I read (I think it was on That Grace Girl) that your skin can still be dehydrated even if its oily. So, I picked up the Origins Drink Up Intensive Mask and thank goodness I did.

First off the texture is like that of a thick moisturizer. I put a pea-sized amount on right before bed, and it doesn't feel like a clay mask, and there's no film when you wake up in the morning. You're meant to use it twice a week, but I slap it on whenever my skin is feeling a bit sad. Also, it smells like apricot, which I love!

Packaging wise, Drink Up is really, really nice. The tube stand up on its own and it a lovely green colour, a bit lighter that what is pictured. It packs 100ml and considering you only need a tiny bit per application, this should last me for months.

After using it about three times, I noticed a real difference in my skin. It was brighter, I was getting less blemishes and the dry patches were getting a lot smaller. After using it for a month, I have no spots, only some quickly healing scars where they used to be. Personally I think the the mask was the tipping point for better skin, because I have been eating healthier and following my skincare routine better too.

Overall, I love Origins Drink Up. It's done wonders for my skin, and I would say one of my top skincare products. Everyone raise your glasses to nice skin, and let me know what your top skincare tips are!

xx

THE READING LIST #1

Throughout 2014 I only read about ten books, which to me is quite sad as I love reading. So, to fix this I made a resolution to read at least twenty five books this year which I'm hoping I can achieve. These are some of the books I've read so far and some books I'm waiting to read, with mini reviews to boot.

Books I've Read:

The Perks Of Being a Wallflower by Steven Chbosky - 4.5/5
This is the best book I've read in a long time. The writing style is amazing, and I love the way it doesn't fabricate what being a teenager is like. The story sticks with you long after you've closed the book and it's not one I'll forget soon.

Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham - 2.75/5
Autobiographies always captivate me, there's something about hearing someone's life story that just takes the cake. However I felt this was a bit too all over the place, which bothered me a bit.  I also felt there are parts that are very confronting, but each to their own.

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray - 3.5/5
Sci-fi books have never really been my thing, so I was really surprised when this turned out to be a love story. Well it's still a story about space and dimension travel, which is cool, but I was glad there was a bit of romance.

Books To Read:

Tape by Steven Camden
I'm reading this now, and the set up of the book is really interesting. It flips between the two characters but I'm still waiting for the plot to speed up a bit.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
This looks really good and I can't wait to start this book. The plot sounds amazing, and it should be a good read.

The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan
The author of this book is a Yale student who was hit by a car days after graduating. This book is a collection of her essays and stories, and I think this may be the best book of all of the ones in this post.

Books I Want To Read
Emma by Jane Austen
Norwegian by Haruki Murakami
Nobody is Ever Missing by Catherine Lacey
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
More Than This by Patrick Ness
The Program by Suzanne Young
Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson 
The Tourists by Julianne Pachico

So there's my current reading list, comment what book you're reading or want to read and I'll see you soon.

xx

CHATTING TO MADIE GRACE

Hello All!
Today I have something new to share with you. This is an interview series by bloggers for bloggers about blogging! I know a lot of you have your own blogs, so if you'd like to be involved, comment down below or shoot me an email.

My first blogger is the amazing Madie Grace. Madie was the one who inspired me to start blogging so it was only right to start with her. Let's get started!

E: Who are you and what is your blog?
M: I'm Madie and I'm from Madie Grace.

E: Tell us a bit about your blog and what kind of content you create.
M: My blog is basically a representation of me - it's all things beauty, fashion and a sneaky bit of food.

E: How long have you been blogging and what are your goals for the future?
M: I've been blogging for thirteen months now, and my goals are to create better content and just be myself in blog posts and do different ideas instead of trying to fit in with all the other beauty bloggers.

E: What bloggers inspired you to start blogging?
M: Definitely Zoella and PersonallyPaige.

E: What is your advice for new bloggers?
M: Just to start a blog for yourself and put up content you'd want to read instead of doing it because it's in or because everyone else is doing it.

E: So just be you?
M: Yes exactly!

E: If you could pick your favourite thing about running Madie Grace, what would it be?
M: Being able to express my interests and personality into my blog and having people read it and be interested in it is really cool.

E: That's so lovely! Next one, how do you stop yourself falling for blogger's hype?
M: Before buying anything I always read reviews and I always wait a couple of weeks to months and if people are still raving about it I will check it out. If not then I don't bother.

E: What products have you found through blogging that you absolutely love?
M: M.A.C. Lipsticks, The Balm Mary Lou-manizer and Bondi Sands Tanner.

E: And finally, Where do you see yourself in a few years? Are you still blogging?
M: A lot can happen in one year, so in a few years I don't know what will be happening but I certainly hope so!

Find Madie:
Twitter @madieeegraceee
Instagram @madie.grace
Tumblr www.madieeegraceee.tumblr.com
Youtube www.youtube.com/madieeegraceee
Blog www.madieeegraceee.blogspot.com

THE FIRST M.A.C. BULLET

Twelve months of blogging and it's finally happened. Over the Christmas holidays, I was given a gift card and MAC's Syrup was added to the collection.

The lipstick is a lustre finish, so its slightly matte but there's that slight sheen, which I think is really pretty. It feels a lot like a lip balm with one coat, but it can be built up to an opaque finish with three layers. Syrup is really easy to wear, it doesn't look flaky and it stays away from the cracks in your lips.

The colour is described as a 'cloudy pink', which is awesome for me. I like my nude pinks because it stays so natural, its not quite my lip colour but I like it more than my natural one. Like I said, pigmentation is fabulous and its like two lippies in one.

In terms of what eye look I wear with this, usually I'll stick to matte browns to accentuate the lips or a mauve-y smokey eye with liner to bring it back to the eyes.

MAC lipsticks are pricey, especially in Australia ($36!!) so I either want to find some dupes in the drugstore or find someone going overseas to buy them for me.

Have you tried MAC? What are your favourite lipsticks?

WISHLIST #1

I make heaps of wish lists. On my phone, napkins, polyvore... everywhere! This is the current roundup of gorgeous things I'm loving:

First off we have Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow. I mean, just look at it! From what I've heard about its quality, universal shade, and the packaging? Swoon with a capital S! This is what my dream makeup product look like, but the price is a bit of a drawback.

My dream dress at the moment? This Asos dress. It's a shift dress with three quarter sleeves, crisp, minimalist, dreamy. It's so beautiful, and it comes in mustard too, so I may end up with more than one!

Next is the Status Anxiety Phoebe Purse. Not only is it named after the one and only Friends star, it's so lovely. It's got room for all your cards and cash, as well as your phone, plus the colour and design is fab.

Airplants and Terrariums are all over social media, and they look so darn cute! I think it'd be amazing to have some hanging around my desk, and they have mostly no upkeep so it's a win-win scenario.

This one is amazing! Tile is a little disc you stick to your important things so you don't lose things. Considering I'm super forgetful, I'm in need of these babies in my life!

I've heard a lot about the Dr. Jart+ Beauty Balm, and I love the idea of makeup blended with skincare. I've never tried BB Creme, so I think this is gonna be my next base, ( any other suggestions?)

Korres Lip Butters are one of my favourite lip products. They're soft, full of good stuff, and they add a nice wash of colour. Some people think that the pot formulation is a bit gross, but it doesn't bother me. I already own Quince, but I'd really like to try Jasmine or Mango.

So that's my current wish list! I usually revisit them a month later, to see if I'm still as in love with them, and to stop impulse shopping. (a bit of a problem for me!) comment down below what's on your wish list, and I'll see you next Friday.

DIPTYQUE BAIES

Over Christmas, there was a new addition to the ever growing candle collection in our house. I've seen the parisian candles all over social media so I was über excited to have one! Introducing the Diptique Baies Candle:

Smell: 5/5

On the Space NK website, the candle is described as an "enticing combination of red fruits and rose that creates an exquisite fragrance that is both fruity and floral", to which I definitely agree. The rose is very prominent and I think the fruity smell is blackcurrant, so lovely! The smell really fills the space around it, so I'm keeping it where I spend the most time (in bed).

Packaging: 4.5/5

The box and votive are both so minimalist and pretty that I understand why people keep them after the wax it gone. My only pet peeve is that it seems to collect a bit of dust if you leave it out for a few days, but it's not a big deal.

Price: 1.5/5

This is the deal breaker. At $78 for the larger size, it's extremely expensive. I would never buy one for myself, however I might buy one as a really special present. They truly are beautiful, but not everyone can afford to splurge that much on a candle.

Diptyque candles are by far one of the best smelling candles on the market. Their scents are amazing and is love to try more of the range, but maybe the minis are the go!

Have you tried Diptyque? Let me know and I'll see you next Friday!