THE BEAUTY DIET // June-July 2014 Beauty Haul ft. MAC and Laura Mercier

I've had to control my beauty shopping lately and, given the shitty time I've been having, that's been pretty damn hard! In saying that though, two products out and one product in system from The Beauty Diet has meant that I've been able to practice some self control in a time when I just want to buy all of the things. If you read this post you'll know that my recent product cull and routine empties has meant that I'm allowed to buy 17 (yes, 17) new beauty products. Over the past two months I've picked up couple of beauty bits 'n' pieces and today I'd love to share them with you all.

Once again, I'm really sorry about the quality of these photos. If you follow me on Facebook you'll know that my camera is in camera hospital at the moment (sad face) so I'm using my iPhone because I was busting to get back into blogging!

Priceline Nail Haul | July 2014

When I was released from hospital a few weeks back I was itching to shop. I had money to burn, guys and girls! Given that I'm participating in The Beauty Diet I wasn't allowed to buy make up so, of course, I went quite nail polish crazy. Two brands, Sally Hansen and Revlon, recently released gel nail polishes that don't require a UV light and I knew I had to jump on the bandwagon. 

Before you see what I picked up, I need to say two things. 1. Don't judge me. I bought quite a few nail polishes, yes, but I was on a post hospital high and, really, I just wanted them. 2. I'm really sorry about the quality of these photos. If you follow me on Facebook you'll know that my camera is in camera hospital at the moment (sad face) so I'm using my iPhone because I was busting to get back into blogging! 

xoBeauty Brush and Lash Haul with First Impressions of Store

Make up brushes are one of my many weaknesses. I love trying brushes from new brands and have far more than I need, though I do like rotating them so I don't need to wash them as often. Lazy, huh? xoBeauty is a brand of brushes that I've been wanting to try for a while now. The brush and eyelash line was developed by Shannon Harris (Shaaanxo on YouTube) and I really like the idea of supporting a fellow beauty blogger/vlogger. 

Shannon recently reached 1 million subscribers on her YouTube channel and, to celebrate, had a 10% off code for her brand. I took the opportunity to pick up a bunch of the brushes I've been lusting after, plus a few pairs of eyelashes, and today I'm going to show you what I bought. I also had a really great experience purchasing from xoBeauty which I'll talk about at the end in case you've been thinking of buying some brushes.

Belated 22nd Birthday MAC Giveaway

It's no secret that I'm a shopaholic, especially when it comes to buying beauty products. Whenever I'm shopping for myself I have my amazing viewers in the back of my mind and, of course, I like to pick up a few bits 'n' pieces for giveaways where possible. If you saw this collective MAC haul you'll know that I've done some hardcore MAC shopping recently and I couldn't resist picking up two goodies for a reader at the same time.

To help celebrate my 22nd birthday (which was actually on July 8) I'm giving one reader two MAC products, the Kelly Osbourne eyeshadow quad in Bloody Brilliant and Matte Lipstick in Pink Plaid, a dirty cool toned pink. Swatches of all the products can be found here. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway will be open for three weeks, ending at midnight on August 6, and the winner will be announced soon after. If you're under 18 years of age, please get the permission of a parent or legal guardian before entering as you will have to provide me with your address if you win. This giveaway is open internationally. 

Thank you so much to all the amazing people who've been a part of the Born to Buy journey. Thanks also to everyone who wished me a Happy Birthday as I sat in hospital last week. Bleurgh. I'm so glad to be out and can't wait to have belated birthday celebrations sometime soon.

Goodluck, everyone. 

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | BlogLovin' | Pinterest 

FOTD // My Go To Winter Look

Though I really like experimenting with lip colours all year long, winter really is the time to amp things up and get a little more daring. Given that I almost always wear neutral eye looks, I tend to opt for bolder, brighter lip colours all year round and today I thought I'd show you one way I like to wear a bold lip colour! 

Where Have I Been? Life and Health Update

Hi, everyone

Firstly, I hope you're all doing really well! It feels like it's been forever since I've just sat down in front of my computer and blogged and, let me tell you, I really missed it! I missed you all. If you're a regular reader of Born to Buy you may have noticed an absence of late and, for that, I'm really sorry. I recently became quite unwell but, after a million tests and a procedure or two, I'm finally on the road to recovery. Huzzzah!

It was my birthday on July 8 and I'm now 22. Old, I know. Anyone who knows me knows I absolutely love birthdays and, I'll be honest, I was devastated to be spending mine in hospital, especially because I knew the birthday giveaway I'd been planning wasn't going to go live for you all. Sad! 

I exhausted all my prewritten content whilst I was unwell so I'm going to try my best to get back on track, however it may be a week or so until I get back into the routine of daily blogging. I can't wait though as I have so much to share with you all. The next few days will be spent organising the blog, planning what I want to upload and, of course, preparing for my belated birthday giveaway. 

Anyway, that's pretty much it. I just wanted to check in and apologise for a lack of posts, lack of updates and lack of just, well, being around. If you do want more regular personal updates I'd highly recommend you follow me on Facebook or Instagram because, by the nature of them, I do seem to update them more regularly. I also love to chat with you all there, of course.

Enough about me - How have you been? 

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | BlogLovin' | Pinterest