Very First Ever Blog Giveaway!

That's right folks! I'm holding my very 1st super duper blog giveaway. I don't know about you but I'm very excited.

I wasn't really sure what would be a good giveaway, so I just thought I would include a few different types of products and hopefully you guys like them!

What's in my super duper giveaway?! Well I'm glad you asked, because it contains the following:

1x Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream. This is an amazing product! I have one at home, one in my handbag, one on my desk at work, one in my car...might be overkill but I really can't get enough.


1x Sally Hanson Nail Polish in 'I Pink I Can'. Nothing like a lovely shade of pink nail polish to make a girl feel pretty!


1x MOR hand cream in 'Marshmallow'. This is the most amazing smelling hand cream ever!

1x MOR body butter in 'Snow Gardenia'. Again another amazing smelling MOR product.

1x Australis intensif Eye Shadow Trio. I love these colours and I also love that this is a wet/dry eyeshadow kit. Multi-use products are always a winner.

1x Almay one coat black mascara. Every woman needs a great black mascara.

1x Almay liquid eyeliner in black. You know, to go with the mascara.

1x Almay powder bronzer in 'sunkissed'. To get you ready for summer without the actual sun!

How do I enter this amazing giveaway?! Well it's pretty simple really! You enter by...

1. Following this blog with Google Friend Connect (+1)
2. Following me on Twitter @natee2304 (+1)
3. Tweeting "I've just entered @natee2304 's super duper giveaway. you should too! (add link)" or something along those lines, just make sure you include @natee2304 and the giveaway link (+1)
You get an entry for each tweet as well, so if you are uber-keen you can tweet 1,000 times if you want. Statistically your odds of winning would be quite good if you got an additional 1,000 entries.

Additional Entries
4. Follow Life is too short to buy cheap skincare's Facebook page  (+1)
(link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Life-is-too-short-to-buy-cheap-skincare/208197255919300)
5. If you are really really keen you can also blog about this giveaway (+5)

I've tried to make the entry as simple as possible. So you all really need to do is fill out the form below!

I will be drawing the winner on Thursday 24th November. I will notify the winner on the 25th of November via e-mail (so please leave your e-mail address!).
If the winner doesn't get back to me within 48 hours another winner will be drawn.
I will also post up the winner of the giveaway once the winner has confirmed and their prize is sent away.

Also really sorry for any non-Australians out there, but due to postage it's only open to Australian residents.

Good luck everyone!

Nat xoxo

Brand in the spotlight: Boscia

I recently got a few Boscia (Bo-sha) products from Sehpora and so far I’m really impressed with them.

Boscia was developed in Japan 32 years ago and is the world’s first 100% preservative-free botanically based skincare company. They combine botanical ingredients with Japanese technology that is gentle on the skin. All Boscia products are made without: Preservatives, Ethanol alcohol, Bactericides, Synthetic fragrances, Synthetic colorants, Mineral oil and Animal ingredients.

I really liked the fact that these products don’t contain a lot of the nasties that can cause problems in other skincare brands/products. My skin isn’t overly sensitive, but I do try to use gentle products on my skin.

The three products that I got were the Pore Purifying Black Strips, Luminizing Black Mask and No Pores No Shine T-Zone Treatment.

Pore Purifying Black Strips. Ingrediences are Charcoal Powder, Silica, Witch Hazel Extract, Jojoba Leaf and Willowherb.

These are essentially just normal pore strips, but they also work to reduce the pores that are in your nose area. The strips are also really fine, and apply really well. I thought they worked really well. Some pore strips aren’t that great, but these really got everything out. I also found that my pores did look smaller after using them. 3 days later my pores still look smaller and not a blackhead in sight.

Luminizing Black Mask. Ingrediences are Vitamin C, Montmorillonite Clay, Pine bark extract, Jojoba Leaf and Willowherb.

This is essentially a luminizing mask that makes your skin brighter and smother. It also has antioxidants that help dryness, dullness and wrinkles. I really liked this mask. My skin looked great after and I did notice is was more hydrated and also more luminous. However, peeling this mask off was painful; not fun at all. I would recommend washing it off with warm water.

No Pores No Shine T-Zone Treatment. Ingrediences are Artichoke leaf extract, Silica, Burdock root, Jojoba leaf and Willowherb.

This is a primer like product that you apply after your moisturiser and it helps minimize the size of your pores and blackheads. It also helps matte the skin. It goes on really nicely and it a great base for liquid foundation and powder. I found that it did an ok job of keeping oil away, but it could have been better.

Overall I think Boscia have some really great products and I like their brand philosophies about keeping their products pure and gentle on your skin. It is your largest organ after all so you should look after it.

Nat xoxo

Lust Have It! - October Luxury Lust Pack

Earlier this week I got a surprise in the mail. I got this month's Luxury Lust Pack! YAY!

I think Australia Post must have played soccer with it, but everything inside the pack was in tact (thank goodness). I was really happy with this month's box because we got some different products that I've been interested in.

Lancome’s Genifique Youth Activator – There has been heaps of hype around this serum and I really can’t wait to try it. It’s supposed to make your skin more rejuvenated, soft, smooth and more radiant.

LimeLily Cosmetics’ Cream Blush – I have to confess I’ve never heard of LimeLily before so I’m keen to get to know the brand a little bit more. What I have been told about the brand (since finding out that the LimeLily was part of Lust Have It!) are all good things, so I have high hopes!

Lush’s Honey I washed the Kids (soap) – I love Lush products! They are amazingly good and also smell beautiful. I can’t wait to give this a go in the shower.

Taut’s Collagen Orange Drink – This is something a little bit different. I have heard of this Taut Collagen Drink before but I’m yet to give it a go.

Kerastase’s Resistance Range (Shampoo, Unsure Treatment & Reconstructor Milk) – I love Kerastase products and I can’t wait to give this range a go.

So overall really happy!

I have been really happy with the quality of the Lust Have It Luxury Lust Packs. We have received some great products by some great brands.

If you want your very own Luxury Lust Pack (and for only $14.95 a month, you really should want your own!) pop over to Lust Have It's website.

Nat xoxo

BellaBox – October Box

I'm sure by now you are all very versed in the Beauty Sample Boxes that have launched here in Australia. And this month another box launched...Bellabox! And I got my very own in the mail.

I have to admit that I was a lot a little skeptical that another company was launching, but once I saw some of the brands that Bellabox had on-board I started to take notice. And I'm very glad I did because their 1st box was amazing!

And the lovely products that we got in our box were...

Napoleon Perdis’ Auto Pilot Pre-Foundation Primer – I have used this primer before and I really like it.

A’Kin’s Lavender, Geranium & Jojoba hand and nail cream – I haven’t used any A’Kin products before but this hand and nail cream sounds really good, and smells really good.

Alpha-H’s Gentle Daily Exfoliant – I have been using Alpha-H’s Liquid Gold range and I LOVE IT! (you can check out my Liquid Gold Post here) So I’m uber-excited to try out this daily exfoliant.

Savoir Faire’s Lipstick in Miss You – This lipstick is divine! The packaging is amazing, the color is great and it looks really nice on. It’s also a great texture.

One’s Skin System Daily Hydrate – This luxury sample looked pretty amazing! I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I really can’t help it. I haven’t heard of ONE before, but if the packaging is anything to go by it’s going to be good.

Wines’ Wipes – I think this product is a great idea. It’s a wipe for your lips/teeth when you have been drinking wine to remove the stains! Don’t you hate it when you go to the bathroom during a night out and realize you’ve got wine stains?? I know I do. So really keen to give this product a whirl the next time I’m indulging in a glass of red (which will be tonight actually). But the hard question is Merlot or Pinot Noir?

And that's it folks. I was really so happy with this box and I can't wait to see what Bellabox have planned for their next box.

Nat xoxo

Product Review: La Mer’s Crème de la Mer

I have wanted to try La Mer’s Crème de la Mer because a) I’ve heard that it’s really good b) it has an amazing cult following and c) it’s really expensive! So naturally I would like to try it for the sake of saying I tried it (meh can you blame me?!). And I was lucky enough to get the chance a few months ago. Russh magazine ran a promotion with La Mer for World’s Ocean Day, which gave the 1^st 200 consumers in-store a free 7.5mL sample. Pretty amazing huh??

So what is Crème de la Mar? Crème de la Mar is essentially sea kelp, calcium, potassium, vitamins C, E and B12, citrus oil, eucalyptus oil, alfalfa and sunflower oil. Nothing too special, but it’s what’s done with them that’s interesting. These ingredients are distilled for 3-4 months, which turns them into what La Mer calls their Miracle Broth. This Miracle Broth was created by Dr. Max Huber, who was looking for a cure for chemical burns that he sustained to the greater part of his body during an experience. 12 years and 6,000 experiments later Max developed the Miracle Broth.

My first impressions were really good. The cream itself smells lovely; not too strong and not like perfume, very natural. The texture is also lovely, a very light and soft cream.

You apply the cream by warming it up on your fingertips before you apply it and then pat it on your skin; you don’t wipe it on like normal creams. It was a little bit tricky getting this down at first but after a few uses it was fairly easy.

The results: I found Crème de la Mer very hydrating. I noticed that after the first use. My skin looked plump and healthy. After a few uses I noticed my skin had a really nice radiance to it: all in all a very lovely cream.

The price: is Crème de la Mer worth $250 for 30ml? Well, if I had the money I would be tempted to splurge on this because it is a lovely cream and my skin did look good whilst using it. So I would say buy it if you have the money!

Nat xoxo 

Brand in the spotlight: Mirenesse

I first discovered Mirenesse a few months ago when I got a lip colour in the very first Lust Have It Pack and I discovered even more about it during the ABBW. I told you I would be banging on about the ABBW for a while!

We received a full size mascara in our ABBW Lust Have It Luxury Lust Packs and also got this beauty box of goodies from Mirenesse in one of our amazing goodie bags.

I think this was one of the highlights in the goodie bags because a) the packaging looked amazingly cute and b) the products looked really good. The box was full of Mirenesse’s new range Boutique M. And the products got were a) Rich Girl – Pearl Crush Trio Eyeshadow b) Closer – Tight Liner c) The Buzz – Vibralash 24hr Mascara d) The One – Viva Eternal Gloss e) The Fairest – Invisible Fill Make-up.

Rich Girl – Pearl Crush Trio Eyeshadow (I got Akoyo Pearls)

I have used these eyeshadows and they are great; they are highly pigmented and I also like that you can apply a small amount of water to your brush and the eyeshadow turns into a liner.

Closer – Tight Liner (I got Caviar Black)

This is an amazing eye liners because it’s like a pen. You literally draw on whatever line you want. So easy to use and it’s really long lasting, from morning til night.

The Buzz – Vibralash 24hr Mascara (I got Electric Black)

It’s a vibrating mascara! Pretty awesome huh?? I haven’t tried this out yet because I’m making my way through a few others, including another Mineresse mascara, but I will test it out soon. Mineresse became famous through their Secret Weapon mascara (which we got in our ABBW Luxury Lust Packs), so I’m keen to try this one out as well.

The One – Viva Eternal Gloss (I got Play Bunny)

I love this lip gloss! This shade is amazing, vibrant and not sticky (which is a biggie for me when using lip gloss). The pigment is really great as well so you don’t need to use heaps.

The Fairest – Invisible Fill Make-up (I got Airbrush Line Filling Mattifier)

I really like this product because it’s SPF 10 and has a really great texture. When I used it, it left my skin looking really good and my completion really even.

What I also liked about Mirenesse is that their products are free from talc, alcohol, SLS, parabens, mineral oil, propylene glycol, synthetic dyes, perfumes and they are animal cruelty free. So Mineresse is free from all the nasties. I’ve really started to take more notice of the ingredients in products, and it’s amazing how many of them contain things that aren’t good for you. So it’s great to see brands making “clean” products.

You can purchase Mirenesse products from their website.

Nat xoxo

Product Review: Remington Compact Tribal Tong

If you read my blog I’m sure you know about the ABBW that I attended a few weeks ago. And part of it was going to a Gala Dinner event with Maxted Thomas where we got to try out and take home some amazing products.

One of said amazing products was the Remington Compact Tribal Tong!

I’m not great with the whole hair-curling thing and I was reluctant trying out the Tribal Tong mainly because I thought I would just mess it up, get frustrated and never use it again. As it turns out this is a really easy product to use! All you do is wrap a small piece of hair around the tong at a time, hold for 5 secs and voila! It’s that simple.

The Compact Tribal Tong has 2 different heat settings, which is great if you have fine hair like me. It’s also the perfect size for taking on holidays with you. But the best thing about it is, it's uber easy to use! Even if you suck at hair tools (like me!) you really can't mess this up.

So that’s it folks, the uber-amazing Compact Tribal Tong! I highly recommend for people who want great spiral looking curls but suck at achieving them with any other device. 

Nat xoxo