March Favourites, 2012

It's that time of the month again! That's right, it's the last day of March so I'm going to take this opportunity to tell you guys what I've been loving this month!

If I've reviewed the product previously on the blog, it will be linked. Click away to see why I love it so much. If I haven't reviewed it, chances are I plant to!

So, let's get into my favourites!

• NP Set Calming Foundation Primer
• NARS Sheers Glow foundation in Mont Blanc
• Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturiser
• Maybelline Mineral Power Finishing Veil in Light
• MAC Select Cover Up concealer in NC20
• NARS Orgasm powder blush
• Urban Decay Primer Potion
• MAC Bare Study Paint Pot
• Urban Decay Naked palette (stay tuned for a review)
• Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Black (I want to get Eggplant too!)
• Max Factor Lash Extension Effect Mascara
• Clinique Bottom Lash mascara
• Revlon Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake
• Sigma F80 Flat Top Kabuki Brush (click here for link to Sigma)
• Sigma P80 Precision Brush (click here for link to Sigma)

My last two favourites for the month of March are people - 

1. Taylor Swift: Her concert was great (yes, I went) and I was pleasantly surprised by her live performances
2. My nephew - I can't say this enough. He's the best little boy in the whole world and I can't believe he's two in ten days. Far out, little guy.

As always, I'd love to know what beauty products you've been loving this month! I'm always looking for new products and you guys can always recommend the best stuff! Is there anyone you want to send some lovin' to this month? Share it here!

Also, don't forget to enter my GlossyBox competition for a chance to win a 6 month Glossy Box subscription. Wow!

Always look your best,

Sophie

x

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Don't know which beauty box to subscribe to? Click here for my reviews. 

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Foundation Routine

Before and after foundation
Photos were taken a couple of days before video was filmed,
after a week of having my skin play up.
My skin had cleared up slightly by the time I filmed the video

The tutorial side of a Foundation Routine is traditionally posted in a video but I'm not going to do that. Instead, I've posted a video of me applying my foundation (see below) so I'll be taking this opportunity to explain what's being done in the video. 


Firstly, these are the products used in my everyday foundation routine at the moment

Glossy Box COMPETITION!

No, you're not seeing things. Yes, I have a GlossyBox giveaway. Normally I don't upload two posts in one day, I know, but this was too exciting. I couldn't wait another day! So, do you want to win/ a six month subscription to Glossy Box, a monthly beauty subscription box? If so, keep reading!

As you all know, I love beauty box subscriptions. Within that, however, Glossy Box has been my favourite at the moment. I recently compared the two boxes I'm subscribed to, Glossy Box and Lust Have It!, and, although I like box, Glossy Box came out on top. To see the whole comparison post, click here. 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

• To enter the competition you must be following this blog and, yes, I do check 
• To enter the giveaway, comment below telling me what your favourite item in March's Glossy Box was (click here to see the contents) and why 
  
  OR
  Comment below telling me your favourite brand featured by Glossy Box (click here to see the list of brands) and why
• You can enter as many times are you like, however your answer must be different each time. 
• The winner will be randomly selected using random.org 

That's all you have to do. It's that simple. The winner of this competition will win a 6 month subscription to Glossy Box AU (valued at $89.70), with their first box arriving in April.

This competition will be running until Monday, April 9 6.00pm (West Australian time) and a winner will be announced shortly after that on the same day.


For competition queries, email dontstopbuying@hotmail.com 

GOODLUCK

Always look your best,

Sophie

x

Follow me on Twitter @ Born to Buy

Follow me on Facebook @ Born to Buy

Don't know which beauty box to subscribe to? Click here for my reviews. 

Like what you're reading? Follow me.

Glossy Box March, 2012

March's GlossyBox arrived today. Of course, it had to arrive while I had my LUSH Cupcake face mask on but hey, I ran the risk.

Sorry, it's a terrible photo

This box is geared towards a healthy, on the go lifestyle and contains a number of products that are active lifestyle appropriate. The information card lists 18 products, whilst my box contained 5, so it's pretty obvious that there's been a lot of diversity with boxes this month. So of the other products appeal to me a little more but, hey, that can't be helped.

20 000 Views Giveaway Winner

Firstly, a big thanks to everyone who entered the 20 000 views giveaway. Once again, I can't believe I've reached 20 000 views. Wow! I really enjoyed reading all the entries, too, and seeing what you would like to see more of. It's been really helpful! 


I'm so glad I didn't have to choose the winner myself (hello, random.org!), however, as I find decisions like that SO difficult to make.

Anyway, I think that's enough rambling for one day. Let's get to the giveaway winner.

And the winner issssssssssssss...

LUSH Cosmetics Haul

Today I went into LUSH Cosmetics and spent up big! A week ago I post my LUSH Cosmetics Shopping List because I want to hear your thoughts on different products and get recommendations. 

Anyway, I went in today and got EVERYTHING on my shopping list, plus a little bit more. I expected to get more though 'cos, well, I'm a girl and it's what we do. Right? Right!

I was really lucky to have a two fantastic LUSH ladies helping me out for the hour that I was there (yes, I was in the store for an hour and I think I smelt everything in the store) and, at times, we had the store to ourselves!

I bought the following products

I Love This Box March, 2012

My first ever I Love This Box box arrived today. Last month I compared the two boxes I'm subscribed to, Lust Have It and Glossy Box, in an attempt to decide which box I was more impressed with (to see which box won, click here). Throughout the post I stated that, once unsubscribing to one of the boxes I am currently subscribed to, I would move across to I Love This Box.

As of yet, I haven't made the change, however I was lucky enough to be sent March's I Love This Box for review. I know, lucky me! As with all the beauty boxes I review, I Love This Box is a monthly subscription service charging a fee of $14.95 for 4-5 deluxe sized samples. I like a majority of the brands associated with I Love This Box, but these are the ones that really appeal to me.

• Rimmel London (I know it's a 'drugstore' brand, but I don't know much about their products)
• Elizabeth Arden
• Essie
• Smashbox
• Lancome

The layout of I Love This Box is very similar to that of Glossy Box, in that a hard box with the products can be found inside the mailing box. Lust Have It, on the other hand, places their products in the mailing box itself.

LUSH Cosmetics Shopping List

"LUSH produces fresh-made soaps, shampoos, shower gels, lotions, moisturisers, scrubs and other cosmetics for the face, hair, and body using 100% vegetarian recipes. It also produces unique products like solid or dry shampoos, "Shower Jellies", gelatin-like semi-solid shampoo and body wash; "Toothy Tabs", solid toothpaste tablets; and "Bath Bombs", solid balls made of sodium bicarbonate that fizz with difference scents and colours when dropped in the bath tub. LUSH products are handmade in factories around the world, and are made in small batches based on orders from individual stores to ensure freshness of the product. LUSH stores do not sell products older than four months and moth products have a total shelf life of approximately 14 months. In addition to not using animal fats in their products, they are also against animal testing and perform tests solely with volunteers instead."

- Lush (company) - Wikipedia  

LUSH is one of those brands that everyone 'oohs' and 'aahs' over. Well, I think they do! I've only ever had one product from LUSH, some Rock Star soap, and I loved it. Over the past 6 months (give or take) I've been watching reviews of a number of different products on YouTube and decided enough was enough, I need myself some LUSH! 

1 Skin Solution Review

Top: Bath and Shower Crystals
Middle: Vanilla Lip Balm
Bottom (left to right): Vanilla Bean Body Cream and
Lime Thyme Body Wash

I was recently lucky enough to receive four products from 1 Skin Solution, as featured in my Valentine's Day haul. I've really enjoyed all of these products. Keep reading to find out why.

20 000 Views Giveaway!

Ladies and gents, tonight this blog reached 20 000 views. YAY! It's so exciting to know that it's reached so many people since September of last year, wow. It's awesome to know that just over 6 months (my first post was uploaded on September 6) this blog has been viewed over 20 000 times from people across the world. 

Anyway, enough of that nonsense, you're here to win a competition! Back in January I uploaded a haul which included the Bobbi Brown book 'Make Up Manual; For Everyone From Beginner to Pro.'

Lust Have It! March, 2012

Another Lust Have It! box arrived today, which is pretty exciting. I only received this box today, so I'm unable to review the products. Instead, I'll type out the information provided to me so you're able to get some insight into the items. If possible, I'll also include my initial thoughts.

Also, I don't normally talk about me in my beauty box posts but oh well - I've been sick all weekend and I was feeling really guilty about not having uploaded anything which is another reason why I loved receiving my box today. I don't really have to critique anything in beauty box posts, so it's not too strenuous. Haha. Anyway, let's get into it!

Garnier PureActive ExfoBrusher

"Pure Active ExfoBrusher's ultra-soft, flexi bristle head has been designed to provide gentle yet effective cleaning without irritating the skin. Proven to be more effective on hard-to-reach areas than washing with hands alone. Its concentrated anti-bacterial formula contains 2% Salicyclic Acid to remove dead skin cells and unclog pores, dislodging blackheads and impurities in its path. Together with HerbaRepair, a natural skin-repairing ingredient, ExfoBrusher helps fight and fade imperfections and controls spot-causing sebum production to prevent the re-appearance of pimples and marks" - Garnier Website 

You may have noticed that the Garnier PureActive ExfoBrusher has been featured in a number of posts (such as Products I Can't Live Without and my October Favourites). Why? Because I love it. I honestly love it! I'm not sure if I can credit my skin clearing up a lot to this product alone but, regardless, it's certainly been a contributing factor.

I love both parts of this product equally; the cleanser is fantastic and the brush is a great way to work it into the skin. Together they're a match made in heaven, especially for people with combination to oily skin.


For me, this product is fantastic. In my opinion, it makes my skin feel, well, cleaner than any other cleanser has and acts as a great make up removing cleanser. The first time I used the brush with this product, I worked the cleanser into a formation of spots that had appeared around my temple.  By the next day the impurities has drastically diminished in size already.


I really like the cleanser. I find that the formulation of the cleanser is perfect for my combination skin and has controlled my 'oil' quite a lot. The 2% salicylic acid, a common anti-acne ingredient, works great in conjunction with the brush to fight blemishes before they get out of control or prevent them. 


A small amount of this cleanser goes a long way which is fantastic. It's easy to dispense, although squeezing the bottle gets more difficult as the product is used up. The cleanser has a slight odour but, to be honest, I really like it. In my opinion, it just smells like it'll work.

Is it said that the cleanser brush head consists of '180 soft-flex bristles' that work product into the skin, leaving it feeling refreshed, cleansed and smooth. When used in conjunction with the Garnier PureActive ExfoBrusher, I've found my pores have felt a lot less 'clogged' and the overall texture of my skin has improved immensely. 


The bristles are soft. They aren't harsh and they aren't aggressive. Controlling the brush with my hand means I can choose the intensity of the cleanse and level of power, depending on my skin at the time. 


At the end of the each use be sure to wash the brush head thoroughly with warm/hot water. This will ensure that most nasties are washed away to prevent them from transferring back to your face next time you use the brush.


Since using this product, I have rarely exfoliated my skin. The Garnier PureActive ExfoBrusher is nowhere near as aggressive as an exfoliator, but I just deem it unnecessary now. Instead, I give my skin's problem areas TLC (tender loving care) with the brush.


As I'm sure you can tell, I love this cleanser. There's nothing I dislike about it. I've been using this product for at least 9 months now, however, so I've been thinking of switching it up for a little bit. I recently won a Be In Awe cleanser though, so I'll just wait and give that a try instead. 


Would I recommend this product? I would recommend this product to anyone with combination to oily skin. Although I love it, I wouldn't recommend it to people with dry skin. I feel that the salicyclic acid in the cleanser could be drying to dry skin types, making skin worse as opposed to better.


All you combination to oily skinned ladies, GET IT NOW! You won't be disappointed, I promise!


Have you used this product before? If so, what did you think. If you haven't used it before, what's your favourite cleanser?


Always look your best,

Sophie

x

Follow me on Twitter @ Born to Buy

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Head into Priceline ASAP to take advantage of some ridiculously awesome sales. Click here for more information.

Don't know which beauty box to subscribe to? Click here for my reviews. 

Like what you're reading? Follow me.

Just a little update #6

Wow, it's been a while since I gave you all an update on what's been going on. I guess I stopped when I finished Project Pan but I'm keen to get back into keeping you all updated.

Firstly, the blog has reached over 18 500 views. You all have no idea how excited I am. When I started this back in September of 2011 I wasn't expecting anyone to read it but now I'm averaging over 100 views per day. It's incredible.

Anyway, I also have some fantastic things in the works. I need to get writing as I have a few reviews in mind and, as you all would know, I love to tell you all what I think of products. Born to Buy has also recently collaborated with a fairly well known company to bring one lucky viewer something very exciting. Want to know what it is? All in good time.

Recently I was lucky enough to be sent some products from One Skin Solution (as featured in my Valentine's Day haul) to review. Without giving too much away I LOVE them and I can't wait to post a full on review of some fantastic Australian products very soon.

Priceline Sale! #2

Much like my last Priceline Sale post, I was flicking through some catalogues this morning and came across the hot pink Priceline one. Normally I just quickly flick through but there were SO many beauty related sales that I thought it deserved a post. 

Below I'll list all the sales mentioned in the catalogue, along with any information attached

A little tip from me to you!

This tip isn't a mega brain wave but it's saved me a fair bit of money!

For a long time now I've wanted a clamp free hair curler (for example, I've really wanted VS Sassoon's Wave Magic) for some time now. I'm terrible at curling my hair with wands that have clamps and have been looking at investing in a Wave Magic for quite some time. I own a VS Sasson curling wand, the attachment came with my triple barrel curler, but I rarely use it.

E.L.F. Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder vs. NARS Orgasm

If you're a big fan of E.L.F. or NARS you'll know the beauty community has been discussing the many similarities between E.L.F.'s Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder (click here for my review) and NARS' Orgasm/Laguna duo for quite some time now.

When I first purchased the E.L.F. Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder I was fairly impressed. The duo worked well for me for a couple of weeks and, in my opinion, it lived up to the hype. After a while, however, I came into contact with products that just seemed, well, 'better' and I haven't really used this duo much since then. 

I now own NARS' powder blush in Orgasm and, although I don't own NARS' Laguna bronzer (it's on the shopping list though), I can compare the blush in the E.L.F. duo and NARS' individual powder blush.

February Favourites, 2012

A pinch and a punch for the first day of the month. Yay, I won! I can't believe we're in March. Far out. The best bit is it's the first day of Autumn. Bring on winter!

If you've been following my favourites for a while (click here to see my January favourites) you'll know that I decided to change the format of my favourites posts. A lot of the products I feature have been reviewed on this blog previously and, if that's the case, I will link them. If they product hasn't been reviewed, chances are I plan on reviewing it soon. I just think this way these posts will become a lot shorter and easier to read. I am, however, totally open to other suggestions.

So, now that's all out of the way, let's get into my favourites!