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October 31, 2013

October Favourites, 2013

This month has been a really exciting month for me. Why? I became an Aunty for the second time. My new nephew, James, is about 3.5 weeks old and absolutely beautiful. My life and house is pretty hectic at the moment (read about it here) so I haven't really been trying anything new out lately. There are a few products that I've been finding myself reaching for daily though so it's time to share them with y'all.

October 30, 2013

Lust Have It | October 2013

On Monday I came home to find that my November Lust Have It! box was waiting for me. Yay! As promised, this month's subscription came in a different box. It's a similar style to the old box with a different design, something more fitting to the brand. I like. The November Lust Have It! box is themed around the Spring Race Carnival and I think a lot of the products are quite fitting. 
To see what I got in this month's Lust Have It! pack, keep reading. 

October 28, 2013

Holiday Gift Guide 2013: Men

Today is a very exciting day for me, it marks the start of a new blog series. For the next four weeks I'll be uploading a different Holiday Gift Guide every Monday. The fifth Monday will mark exactly one month until Christmas so, of course, will mean I'm launching my Christmas giveaway, this time featuring a few of the gift idea items mentioned throughout the series. 

I thought I'd start with some of the most difficult people to buy for, men. No matter which male I'm buying for I find the process extremely challenging and in the end I just give up. I harassed a couple of my guy friends and we managed to come up with a list of presents perfect for any guy you need to buy for this holiday season!


October 25, 2013

TONI&GUY Casual Sea Salt Texturising Spray* Review

For years now I've been on the hunt for my ideal sea salt spray; one that's not too drying, not to too sticky, doesn't dry my hair out too much and, of course, one that doesn't break the bank. Sounds easy, no? Turns out it isn't.. I tried quite a few and had basically given up when the Toni & Guy Casual Sea Salt Texturising Spray* arrived at my doorstep. This sea salt spray has become a haircare staple and completely changed my view of sea salt sprays. 
To see why I like the Toni & Guy Casual Sea Salt Texturising Spray*, keep reading!

October 23, 2013

My Top 5 Everyday Lipsticks

One of my favourite all time beauty/make up products is lipsticks. I absolutely love lipsticks. I go in and out of love with lip glosses and tinted balms etc. but lipsticks are the one lip product I'm always true to, meaning I collect way too many. I have far too many but, of course, there's a handful that I always reach for so I thought it might be time to tell y'all about them.
MAC Creme Cup | Maybelline Color Whisper in Lust for Blush | Yves Saint Laurent's Rouge Volupte Lipstick in #13 Peach Passion | Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Primrose | Australis Go Long Longwear Lipstick in Preppy*

October 22, 2013

Stila Kitten Eyeshadow Review and Swatches

I am a huge fan of champagne eyeshadows so I'm sure it came as no surprise that I added the Stila individual eyeshadow in Kitten to my cart when I was placing my most recent Sephora order. I mean, seriously is there any beauty blogger that doesn't own it at this point? 

October 21, 2013

The Beauty Blogger Tag

I was tagged by my real life friend, Beth, from Crazy Cat Beauty to do The Beauty Blogger Tag. Beth has recently started her own beauty blog and I'm sure she'd appreciate it if you head over and checked it out. I know she'd like the lovin'. 


Rules: 
1. State that the tag was created by The Beau Bow
2. Tag as many beauty bloggers as you would like
3. Title this post the 'Beauty Blogger Tag'

Okay, now that I've followed all the rules, let's get onto the Tag!

October 18, 2013

Marc Jacobs Honey | The newest addition to my collection

When a sample of the Marc Jacobs Honey perfume arrived on my doorstep I was thrilled. The mini sample bottle was absolutely adorable but I was so swamped at the time so I put it in the to-try-and-review-later drawer. Recently I gave this drawer a clean out and found this little gem. Wahoo! 

When I found this bad boy last weekend I put it on, was pretty underwhelmed by it and forgot I had it on. About half an hour later I got a waft of something absolutely delicious and realised that it was the perfume! Clearly I hadn't given it time to dry when I smelt it. Rookie mistake. I instantly fell in love with Marc Jacobs' Honey Perfume and, after only having worn it twice, I bought 30mL of this perfume in the recent 15% off fragrances at Myer sale.

The Marc Jacobs Honey perfume has top notes of mandarin and pear, mid notes of orange blossom, apricot and honey suckle and peach nectar and base notes of honey, golden vanilla and smooth woods. This sweet perfume is definitely floral but it's not sickly sweet or floral and it doesn't smell like you've rolled in a garden bed. Best of all, I feel like Honey by Marc Jacobs is a 'grown up' perfume that still smells very youthful and fun. 

This perfume is $75 for 30mL, $120 for 50mL and $160 for 100mL so it's definitely an investment but, in my opinion, it's so worth it. If you have a chance, head to Myer to have a sniff and see if you can pick up a sample.

Always look your best,
Sophie
x

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October 15, 2013

Life Update and Sephora Giveaway Winner


Before I get into who won my Second Blogiversary giveaway I want to give you all a bit of an update on my life. You may have noticed that I haven't been blogging lately and I'm so sorry for that! I have a bunch of posts that I'd like to write and upload, but I just haven't found the time to take the photos.. 

If you follow me on Instagram you'll know that I recently became an Aunty again. Yay! Baby James is absolutely beautiful and I love him to pieces. My sister, brother in law and their two kids (3 years old and, well, 9 days) have moved in as the house they've built is about a month of being complete. While they're here, I'm taking the opportunity to get all the baby cuddles I can get and spend a lot of time with my amazing nephew. We are baking, fighting ninjas and doing whatever else you want to do when you're a three year old boy. Mr Three is also sleeping in my blog room and I always seem to forget to grab something I need to blog before he goes to bed. Eurgh. It's always the way, isn't it?

So anyway, that's where I'm at. The blogging break hasn't been intentional but it's given me some time to think up some new ideas and hopefully I'll have a chance to catch up on my photo taking after work tomorrow and then I'll be back on track. I'm creating a bit of a running sheet for the next month or so so please let me know if you have any requests!

Anyway, I'm so excited to be announcing the winner of my second blogiversary Sephora giveaway today! Blogging has given me so many amazing opportunities and beautiful friendships and I'm so excited to be sharing the love by giving away some of my all time favourite goodies! 

The winner of my Sephora pack is...

Claire Garvey

Congratulations on winning, Claire! Please email me on dontstopbuying@hotmail.com or Tweet me to arrange the delivery of your prize. 

As always, I just want to thank you once again to every single person who entered my giveaway! I have gained so many amazing readers in the past few months so, in true Sophie fashion, I am in the process of planning yet another giveaway.

Always look your best,
Sophie
x

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October 09, 2013

Sophie's Secret: Top Zit Zappers

Being someone who's quite prone to blemishes, I've tried so many different blemish treatments and I've finally found two that work really well for me. These are the only two blemish treatments I use and I feel that they help to manage any breakouts etc. that I get. I use two different treatments as I find different ones work best for different blemishes, but other people are lucky enough to not get those blasted 'blind' pimples. They're the worst!
To see which blemish treatments work for me, keep reading!

October 08, 2013

MAC Cleanse Off Oil Review

For the past few months I've been using, and loving, MAC's Cleanse Off Oil. This oil based make up remover is perfect for removing all the grit and grime of a hard days work (and, truth be told, it works just as well after a hard of shopping) and leaves the skin ready for a good cleanse. 
For more about this cleanser, keep reading.

October 07, 2013

Using Hop Shop Go as your Parcel Forwarding Service

If you've seen any of my Sephora hauls in the past, you'll know that I use Hop Shop Go as my parcel forwarding service. I've had a lot of people ask me about their service and whether I recommend them so I'm finally getting my butt into gear and blogging about them. 

Before I begin, let me say one thing; I don't have a bad word to say about Hop Shop Go. I think they're absolutely incredible. I've used another parcel forwarding service previous (PriceUSA) but I only used them once as I wasn't anywhere near as impressed with the service and professionalism. 

When using Hop Shop Go, I place the orders myself. I know some people in Australia have issues using their credit cards online with Sephora but, for some reason, mine always works and I'm definitely not complaining. If, for some reason, your card doesn't work there's the option to have them place your order for you. This service is called BuyForMe and, of course, there's a fee that goes with it. The fee is 10% of the purchase price, inclusive of shipping. For primer customers the fee is 7%.

When placing orders with US sites (let's face it, it's always Sephora or MAC), I have it shipped to the US postal address that I got when I signed up with. Once the parcel has reached the address my account is updated. I can see what has arrived and they even upload the invoice to be sure you know what's what! When it arrives I can choose to have it posted or wait until other parcels arrive. If I wait for other parcels to arrive I can have them consolidated. This means that the parcels are shipped at the same time so they're viewed as one shipment, not two or three. Remember, they will hold your parcels in their warehouse for 30 days free of charge. There is a cost after that but I wouldn't know what is it. It'd kill me knowing my stuff was with someone else for that long! 

Once everything has arrived, I can ship it! This is the most exciting bit. Shipping is easy. You just choose what you want to ship, which shipping option (normally there's one or two), pay using PayPal and Bob's your Uncle! Depending on the costs, there's a few different postal services HopShopGo will use and my favourite is definitely DHL. It's incredibly fast, the tracking is soo detailed and I've never had a thing damaged!!

For every Sephora order I've placed I've paid between $40.00 and $50.00US dollars for shipping and I think that's pretty affordable. I don't hold back when I place and order because I want to make the shipping worth it so I feel like it's always a completely justifiable amount and it's always less than I expect!

My parcels usually take 7 days including weekends to get to me in Western Australia after leaving the Hop Shop Go warehouse. That's quicker than a lot of things getting across Australia! 

HopShopGo has an iPhone app (not sure if it's available for Android devices), which I absolutely love. Not only can you ship and consolidate packages on it, but you can access your tracking # at any point so, of course, track your parcels. Fantastic for everyone who's super impatient.

HopShopGo is a great parcel forwarding service and I highly recommend them. I think they're absolutely fantastic. Their website is so straight forward, the services are fantastic and the shipping prices are so affordable.

Do you use HopShopGo? Can you recommend any other forwarding services? 

Always look your best,
Sophie
x

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October 06, 2013

L'Oreal EverCreme Deep Nourishing Masque* Review

When I was offered a chance to try the L'Oreal Ever Creme line, including the Deep Nourishing Masque, I jumped. I find myself using hair masques almost every time I was my hair because they condition soo much better than a regular conditioner and using my favourite, Aveda's Damage Remedy Intensive Restructuring Treatment, every time I washed my hair was getting way too costly.
*Sorry this is so dirty - that's what you get when something lives in your shower, right?* 

"EverCreme Deep Nourishing Masque is an intensive rich treatment that deeply nourishes and restores moisture. The silkening formula instantly transforms dry, brittle hair to soft and luscious" 

To see what I think of think of the L'Oreal EverCreme Deep Nourishing Masque, keep reading!

October 05, 2013

Spontaneous shopping trips are the best, right? | Another Haul

On Tuesday after work I took a detour to the city and did a bit of retail therapy. I wanted to pick up a few new bits, as well as stock up on some things I'll soon run out of. Oh, I just love to shop.

The first place I went was LUSH. I picked up a Green Fun for my three year old nephew who absolutely loves this "bath play dough" and, for myself, I got a small bottle of the Tea Tree Water. I used to use this all the time but I haven't in ages and wanted to give it another shot.

My next stop was, of course, MAC. I don't really go into the city without at least swinging by MAC for a swatch or two.. This time I picked up a new bottle of MAC Cleanse Off Oil and Brush Cleanser, two products I reach for all the time. I also got a sample of the Pro Longwear Concealer in NW20 as I've heard amazing things about it and so far I'm really enjoying it.

Lastly, I had to swing by Kit Cosmetics. There's two stores in the city but the Myer one is my store of choice. Not only do I get Myer One points when I shop there, but the staff are incredible (is it bad that a couple know my name? Shopaholic or just good customer service?). I bought a 500mL bottle of Soap & Glory's Clean on Me. It's a beautiful body wash and I couldn't believe the  $12.95 price tag! I'm quite impressed with the Bare Minerals Original Foundation I have but it makes my oily skin look quite shiny so I grabbed the Matte Foundation formula in Fair and I'm already completely in love. Finally, I repurchased my beloved Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine because I felt incomplete without it.

Initially, I went to Kit to pick up a few bits from the Kardashian Beauty (isn't it called Khroma Beauty in the US?) line but one of the products I wanted wasn't in stock yet so I didn't get anything. Instead I was given a sample of the Kardashian Beauty K24 Golden Makeup Primer Gelee. She said this was like a primer mask so you apply it, let it set for about 5 minutes and wash it off. Who knows..

So that's everything I picked up. It's not heaps but it's a fair amount of damage, especially considering I did it all in about half an hour. Should I be impressed? I'm not sure..

Always look your best,
Sophie
x

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October 04, 2013

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz Skinny Brow Pencil Review

The Anastasia Brow Wiz Skinny Brow Pencil is a super hyped product in the beauty community for good reason. It's amazing. The Anastasia Brow Wiz Skinny Brow Pencil has quickly become my favourite brow product and, given that I hated brow pencils up until I tried this one, I think that's a pretty impressive feat. 

October 03, 2013

September Empties/Rubbish, 2013

I have been putting off this post for a while now because I had sooo many products to take photos of. I don't even know how it happens, to be honest, because I don't feel like I go through that much. This month I did a big product cull as I tried to make some room in my make up collection so I think that's how I ended up with soooo many products.

Let's get started! 
 Target Naturals Toner in Lush Bottle | Clean & Clear Advantage Continuous Control Acne Cleanser | Maybelline Total Clean Express Eye & Lip Makeup Remover | Clean & Clear Essentials Oil-Control Toner
Blush Amour Nail Polish in 56 | BYS Matte Deep Purple | Maybelline Mini Colorama in #120 Urban Turquoise | L'Oreal Colour Riche Le Vernis in #208 So Chic Pink, #210 Shocking Pink and #303 Lush Tangerine | Maybelline Express Finish in #160 Racy Red | N. Peal Crack Top Coat | Coles Nail Polish Remover
Soap and Glory Hand Food | Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque | Dove Pink Deoderant | Macadamia Nautral Oil Luxurious Oil Treatment | Aveda Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair
Dermalogica Multi-Active Toner | BYS Mineral Blush in Gentle Pink | Napoleon Perdis Stick Foundation in Look 1 & Look 2 | Target Naturals Roll On Eye Cream | MAC Studio Fix Powder Loose
Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine | Maybelline Mega Plush Volum' Express Mascara | Benefit They're Real Mascara | Covergirl Outlast Lip Stain (do they still even make these?) | Maybelline Baby Lips in Anti-Oxidant Berry | Max Factor Lash Extension Effect Mascara | L'Oreal Lineur Intense Liquid Eyeliner | Napoleon Perdis Eye Kohl in Charcoal 

That's everything I finished/threw out this month. Yup, I know - There's a lot. I need to do more culls, don't you think? If you have questions about products below, please ask! I'll answer them all!
Always look your best,
Sophie
x

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October 02, 2013

Save Yo' Monies | September 2013 Edition

Last month I wrote a post on different coupon codes and discounts I'd come across and I decided to make it a monthly post. I normally do one about Sigma's discount anyway so this way they're all in one spot. Good thinking, right? I hope so!

For the month of October, get 10% off all purchases at Rouche Boutique using the coupon code BORNTOBUYRouche Boutique is an online beauty store that stocks brands such as Beauty Blender, Lime Crime, Cate Ruby, NYX, Red Cherry, Shadow Shields and more.. 

If you've been following this blog for a while you know that I like tell y'all about the monthly Sigma discounts. Why? Because I think anyone is crazy to pay full price at Sigma! For the month of October, get 10% off all Sigma purchases using the code FALL2013. 

This month, Sarah from More Than Adored is my Born to Balm Beauty Blogger. To read her review of the .... lip balm, click here. During October you can get 15% off all Born to Balm lip balm orders using the code MORETHANADORED. To be taken directly to my online store, click here. Also, if you're interested in being a Born to Balm Beauty Blogger, click here!

I really hope you take advantage of these amazing deals because, well, who doesn't like to save money? 
Always look your best,
Sophie
x

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October 01, 2013

September Favourites, 2013

This month has been a fairly good make up month for me. This month I've become quite fond of a few new products and, as always, I've rediscovered some old favourites. When you have as many beauty products as I do, it's easy for things to get lost in your collection. As always, I really want to share my beauty favourites for you all so please, let's get going! 

Tiny Hand With Heart