Monthly Beauty Favourites | June - August 2014

Being so unwell for so long, I haven't uploaded a beauty favourites post since May, eek! You know what that means, don't you? There are so many bits 'n' pieces I have been loving over the past few months and I have a crap load of beauty products to share with you today. I'm not going to do a big introduction because this post will be long enough so let's just get into it!

Emptying the Trash and Beauty Diet Update // August 2014

This month I thought my Emptying the Trash post would be quite, well, empty because I haven't used much up but then I remembered I didn't upload one last month because I wasn't well. This month I have a collection of haircare, skincare, make up and more! If you're not aware, I'm making a conscious effort to work through my half used products as a part of The Beauty Diet but I'll make more reference to that when I get to my make up bits. 

Urban Decay Naked2 Palette Review and Swatches

Abigail from The Shrinking Wallet went away a while ago (okay, quite a while ago) she asked me if I wanted her to pick me up anything. I had a whole list of things that I would have loved to get but there were two things on the top of that list, the Urban Decay Naked2 and Naked3 palettes!

I've had the Urban Decay Naked2 palette in my possession for quite some time now and much like almost every other palette I own, I felt quite indifferent about it for a while. After making a conscious effort to use this palette a couple of months ago, I fell for it and I found myself reaching for it without even thinking.

This palette has been one of the most reached for palettes in my collection of late and today I want to tell you why!

FOTD // Wearable Pink Eyes and Lips (and Cheeks, just because)

On the weekend I decided I wanted to create a look for a Face of the Day post so I asked my Facebook and Twitter followers what kind of look they would like to see. Along with a gothic or Gatsby inspired look (both of which I'd need a little time to prepare for, I believe) a pink eyeshadow look was requested so that's what I decided to roll with today. 

Creating a pink eyeshadow look can be quite difficult and I find that a lot of people tend to steer clear of it, fearing that they'll make themselves look tired or like they actually have the infamous 'pink eye'. I have a few tips, as well as products, that make the look really easy to achieve and it's something that I've been gravitating towards a lot lately, sometimes switching out the base and outer corner colours a little. 

Keep reading if you'd like to see how to achieve this look!

Kerastase Elixir K Ultime Sublime Cleansing Oil Shampoo* Review

This might sound odd (in fact, it probably will), but I'm really 'into' shampoo lately as you may have been able ascertain from this haul. Shampoo is a product that I tend to 'go through' quite quickly and I like to have options for oily hair days, damaged hair days, coloured hair days etc. I really could go on.

I jumped at the opportunity to try the Kerastase Elixir K Ultime Sublime Cleansing Oil Shampoo* recently because, well, why wouldn't I? Kerastase is such a lovely and luxurious brands that I'd only lightly dappled into in the past and the concept of a cleansing oil shampoo absolutely intrigued me. How well would it wash my hair? Would it leave it oily? So many questions!

After using the Kerastase Elixir K Ultime Sublime Cleansing Oil Shampoo* for a good two - three weeks now, I've definitely formed an opinion on it and today I want to share it with you!

THE BEAUTY DIET // August 2014 Beauty Haul

I think I've been pretty reserved this month. There's been so many pretty things that I've been itching to pick up lately, including a million and one new 'drugstore' releases, but I'm sticking to my Beauty Diet rules and only buying products off my Wishlist as I use things up. Yes, it' has been difficult.

Keep reading to see what I picked up and why.

My Jewellery Story Haul | August, 2014

About a week ago I was on Facebook and doing nothing in particular when I saw an advertisement for My Jewellery Story, an Australian online jewellery store that offers handcrafted jewellery plated in gold, rose gold or rhodium without the excessive price tag. On a whim I ordered a few pieces, not knowing what they'd be like, and I am so impressed by them. 

I think a lot of you will really like this site so I thought I'd show you the pieces that I picked up and let you know how affordable it all is!

NEW RELEASE | Lady Jayne Limited Edition Sports Luxe* Collection

I love hair accessories. Whilst I don't wear them everyday, a good hair accessory can easily turn make a very mediocre hairstyle look a lot more 'put together' and appropriate for the general public's viewing (gold hair cuff, I'm looking at you). I was completely smitten with so many of the products in the Lady Jayne Digital Romance Collection* (which I still see available in store, by the way) so I jumped at the chance to try a few of the products in Lady Jayne's new limited edition collection, Sports Luxe*. 

The Lady Jayne Limited Edition Sports Luxe Collection contains nine boldly coloured hair accessories with gold accents. They have all been designed with an active lifestyle in mind, being made from flexible materials.

Updated Nighttime Skincare Routine | August 2014

A couple of days ago I mentioned that my skin has really cleared up lately and I have to credit it all to my new skincare routine. I feel like a lot of the breakouts I had were actually my super sensitive skin's reaction to the harsh skincare products I was using to combat the blemishes so I've switched things up a fair bit and I'm really enjoying watching my skin clear up.

Two days ago I uploaded my Morning Skincare Routine and now I'm here to tell you want I do in the evenings, including what I use to remove my make up. 

Revlon Gel Envy Longwear Nail Enamel Review and Swatches

Gel nails are such a big deal in the beauty and nail industry these days and, though I have tried both in salon and at home nail treatments, I've never been all that impressed with the results. I think it's a nice concept but I've never found them to be extremely long wearing and, in the words of our UK friends, I've always found the application and removal to processes for a true gel manicure to be a bit of a faff. When I saw a display of the Revlon GelEnvy Longwear Nail Enamel in Priceline recently, I was super excited. A gel type longwear nail polish without the need for curing with a UV light? Yes, please!

I've been playing with the five shades I own, plus the Diamond Top Coat, for a month or so now and today I'm going to share my thoughts with you! 

Updated Morning Skincare Routine | August 2014

I've always had pretty bad skin but, to be honest, even though some of my break outs were hormonal, I think a lot of the blemishes  I had were actually my super sensitive skin's reaction to the harsh skincare products I was using to combat the blemishes, thus creating a vicious cycle. Lately my skin has improved a lot, having switched up my skincare routine a fair bit, so I thought it was time to let you know what I'm using now! 

Piggy Paint* Review, Swatches and Where to Buy in Australia

I've never really given my nail polish much thought; it's paint for your nails but that's about it, right? Wrong. I know it's important to try and buy nail polishes that are 3-free (free of Dibutyl Phthalate, Toluene and Formaldehyde) but, apart from that, I have no idea what the hell I'm putting on my nails. As an adult, I know it's important to keep my hands clean and away from my mouth, especially when I have nail polish on, but what would I do if I had a little daughter (or son) who wanted their nails painted? Would I be happy to apply this to their nails, knowing that I had no idea what was really in it?

A friend of mine has recently become the Authorised Australian stockist of Piggy Paint, a water based, non tonic and eco-friendly nail polish which is free of formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates, Bisphenol A, ethyl acetate and acetone. Yikes, a whole bunch of words that I know nothing about! My amazing friend, Kasey, sent me two beautiful colours, the base coat, top coat and some 3-D Nail Art sticker and, over the past few months I've been playing around.

For more information on the Piggy Paint products, keep reading. 

Priceline 40% OFF Haircare Haul | August 2014

A couple of times a year Priceline treats us by offering 40% off haircare, skincare or cosmetics and last week it was time for 40% off haircare. On the 12th and 13th of this month all haircare (excluding hair electrical, hair accessories and baby hair products) were on sale so, of course, I took the opportunity to pick up a few new bits 'n' pieces, as well as stocking up on a few haircare essentials of mine! 

MAC x Sharon & Kelly Osbourne Collection: My Collection and Top 5 Picks

It's no secret that I was completely smitten with the MAC x Sharon & Kelly Osbourne Collections that were released at the start of June in the US (see haul here). If you're in Australia and missed out on picking up the goodies, there's still hope for you. Whilst the collection was released online and in David Jones stores on Monday, August 4, it won't be available for purchase from Myer stores until tomorrow, August 15. I wanted to get this post up at the start of the month, before anyone released it, however an unexpected bought of sever tonsillitis put a stop to that. Sorry! 

With all that in mind, I thought I'd take the opportunity to talk you through the collection and let you know what I love, what I like and what I'd recommend you overlook.

Lady Jayne Hair Giveaway

A while ago I was approached by Lady Jayne and offered the opportunity to host a three prize giveaway. Of course I jumped. It's no secret that I love hosting giveaways for my amazing for my amazing readers and any excuse to do so, right? Right! 

As I said, there are three prize packs available. Each prize pack will contain the following 
- 1 x Bun Styler Kit

- 1 x Comb

- 1 x Pack of Snagless Elastics

- 1 x The Metal Collection Ponytail Cuff 

NOTE: Size of Bun Styler Kit and colour of comb, Snagless Elastics and Ponytail Cuff may vary from photo shown as each prize pack is a little different

As I've said, I have three individual prizes available. Two of the three will be given to people entering here on the blog using the Rafflecopter widget below. I will also be hosting a giveaway over on Instagram to give the third pack away. If you want to boost your chances of winning, head on over to Instagram and search for me (@Borntobuy). All information on how to enter will be available on a photo I share.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway will be open for three weeks, ending at midnight on September 3, and the winner/s 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 to Australian residents only. 

This post was written in thanks to Lady Jayne who kindly sent me a these products to giveaway to two lucky readers!

Goodluck, everyone. 

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Tarte Rainforest After Dark Colored Clay & Cheek Palette Review & Swatches

Palettes are one of my biggest make up weaknesses so I couldn't help but pick up the Tarte Rainforest After Dark Colored Clay Eye & Cheek Palette up from Sephora when I placed an order recently (see haul here). This limited edition palette is only available for a short period of time so I wanted to rush this review through for anyone considering picking this up.

If you're wondering what I thought of the Tarte Rainforest After Dark Colored Clay Eye & Cheek Palette, keep reading!

Favourite Places to Shop for Beauty Products Online

Anyone who knows me knows that my online shopping addiction is real. I am constantly looking at online stores, comparing prices and adding a million products to my cart before scoffing at the total and exiting, knowing I can't justify another extravagant order! When I want to pick stuff up I do my research and today I'm going to tell you about some of my favourite online retailers to get my beauty fix. If this post doesn't make you want to buy all of the make up on the internet, I don't know what will!

Lonvitalite C4 Coconut Milk Hydrating & Nourishing Facial Mask* Review

I have had the Lonvitalite C4 Coconut Milk Hydrating & Nourishing Facial Masks* sitting in my skincare 'to try' drawer for quite some time now, chickening out every time I thought I'd mustered up the courage to give them a try. The Lonvitalite C4 Coconut Milk Hydrating & Nourishing Facial Mask* is one of five face masks available from Lonvitalite, an Australian skincare brand that specialises in face, hand and eye masks to suite a range of skincare needs and concerns. 

The C4 Coconut Milk Hydrating & Nourishing Facial Mask* is a moisturising face mask, claiming that the coconut milk 'penetrates into the deep layers of the skin to strengthen underlying layers'. It is also said to be good for acne and blemish prone skin. I always have reservations when testing a new mask as my skin can be quite sensitive but recently I threw caution to the wind, tested it out and today, a few days on, I'm here to tell you what I thought of it.

GIVEAWAY ANNOUNCEMENT // Belated 22nd Birthday MAC Giveaway

For the past few weeks I've been hosting a MAC giveaway to celebrate my birthday and today I'm here to announce the winner. Let me tell you, nothing excites me more than hosting giveaway except being able to announce the winner.

Before I get into that, however, I, of course, want to say a bit thank you to everyone who entered this giveaway. I am so grateful for every entry and I couldn't be more excited to have welcomed some new Born to Buy readers in the process. Hello, I hope you like it here. 

Anyway, the winner of this Jaci Walker!

Congratulations, Jaci! I really hope you like these new MAC goodies. I'm sure you will! Please email me on dontstopbuying@hotmail.com within 48 hours to organise the delivery of your prize. If I don't hear from you within this time frame, another winner will be announced.

Thank you again to everyone who entered this giveaway. I really loved reading all your entries and seeing where you'd like to wear the eyeshadow quad and lipstick. Some of the entries were really creative! For everyone who didn't win, I'm sorry. Thank you, as always, for your support of Born to Buy. Remember to stay tuned as I have a few more giveaways in the works. 

What do you think I'll be giving away next?

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Too Faced The Return of Sexy Review and Swatches

I've been having an irrational love affair with Too Faced eyeshadow palettes of late. I've been slowly accumulating them and, I'll be honest, I'm in love with them all. One of the most recent additions to my Too Faced collection is The Return of Sexy Palette (as hauled here), and I really, really like it. 

Sephora Birthday Haul | August 2014

July is my birthday month and after the crappy few months that I'd been having I decided to treat myself/wish myself a happy birthday by, of course, shopping for myself. For anyone who's been keeping up, you may remember that earlier that this year Sephora put a ban on shipping to parcel forwarding services, leaving us Aussie gals with no way to get our fix. Anyway, the ban seems to be lifted, much to every beauty lover's relief, and today I'm here with a fairly substantial haul for you all.

I haven't swatched any of these products as I was starting to lose the sun when I was taking these so let me know if there's anything you'd like to see in more detail!

I was tossing up between a few different palettes but I went with the Tarte Rainforest After Dark Colored Clay & Cheek Palette. I have one Tarte Amazonian Clay blush that I'm not exactly smitten about but I really liked the look of the shadows and I've been wanting to try their bronzer, Park Avenue Princess, so it seemed like the perfect product!