Lush Holiday 2013

Oh Lush...  I lust for Lush.  My best friend introduced me, and then we moved to PA where I am still sure that one of the main perks is I am within 45 minutes of a Lush!  Nothing makes my heart sing like an email from Lush introducing new products, or the return of favorites.  When I got the holiday email, I made myself an impressive online cart.  You know, dream shopping.  That's a thing, right?

Instead of doing the online thing, I dragged my poor husband to the mall with me, where we could smell everything.  I thought it would minimize what I bought.  Ummm, no.  Everything smells so delicious.  And their sales people are just amazing - side read that will make you laugh, and completely explains my life, by Meghan O' Keefe.  In fact, I read this on the way home and had tears because I was laughing so hard reading what I had literally just put the husband through.

Anyway, this is getting long already.  I went in wanting Santa's lip scrub, Star Light Star Bright, and Cupcake face mask, all of which were out of stock.  You can see what I left with...

Luxury Lush Pud
This fun little guy smells really good, like holidays.  How's that for vague?  The little color spots are supposed to pop out and shoot happy rockets of color throughout your bath.  How could you resist? There's holly and color pops.  I'm in!

Father Christmas
This is just my favorite for the holidays.
1.  IT'S SANTA!
2.  There is red glitter (glitter!!!!!!!) and a sweet green color, so it's pretty much Christmas in a tub.
3.  It smells like ridiculousness amazingness. 

Bombardino and Cinders
Bombardino is a fun little bath bomb that smells like butterscotch.  He's so cute, and his white swirl has golden glitter in it.  The guy at my Lush recommended pairing it with Cinders, a favorite bath bomb from last year.  I love how it sounds like a crackling fireplace, and the spicy scent leaves you feeling warm.

The Christmas Penguin
I am a sucker for buying things just because they're cute.  Hence half of what I own from Lush!  This little bubble bar smells very fresh (Lush says orange flower and bergamot glaciers), but either way was coming home.  His nose!

Secret Santa
This is absolutely what I went in for.  While mine is missing the cute roof snowflakes shown on the Lush website, it's described as smelling like a Lush shop; I would say that's pretty accurate.    It has a surprise inside (supposedly a miniature Father Christmas), and is three bombs in one.  Knowing that, will I still use them all at once?  Absolutely!
 

Snowcake
This soap... Evey time I touch this soup I think it's a massage bar.  It literally begins melting in my hands.  This makes it so amazing for winter skin - I always feel so moisturized and soft once I use Snowcake.  And the smell?  It's like an almondy sweet scent that I LOVE!  Topped with golden glitter, what could be more perfect?

 

Mint Julips
This smells so minty and fresh, I just love it!  Since I am in holiday mindset, I am calling it peppermint to make myself happy.  I've never used a lip scrub, and decided I would try Lush's before attempting to make one myself.

Gold FUN 
The salesman told me that this is basically bath playdough for kids.  And then handed it to me...  How did he know!?  This can be used as a shampoo, soup, and bubble bar.  I'm not all about washing myself in gold, as tempting as it is, and I'm not really feeling the sparkle highlights in my hair, but rest-assure I will be breaking this bad boy into chunks and using it for bubbles!  The biggest question is, what shapes?  It smells like caramel, and a small demo revealed very fun and swirly gold water, much like the Sunny Side bubble bar.

So, that's everything!  On our way home I was catching up on my YouTube and saw Fleur DeForce's latest Lush video.  She had the cutest idea for displaying her Lush.  Keeping it out on a platter in her bath vs. keeping it under the cabinet.  She said it would help her to use it more; so clever!  Not to mention, my bath now smells heavenly!

Tonight is a long night for us, and when I come home it's Golden Slumbers and Vanilla something or other for me!

Have a great night!

Bite Beauty Collector's Edition Review

Things have been busy while I finish up with one job and begin the next!  However, in the middle of busy days and nights, my doorbell has been ringing; Sephora Haul!  One of the things I was looking most forward to in this latest haul (more on that in another post), was the Bite Beauty Collector's Edition Lip Set.

I've been wanting to try these lip colors for awhile, but couldn't settle on one color.  I'd heard how creamy, and long-wearing they are, but besides the shade "Fig" didn't want to commit to any full-sized product.  When I saw this set, I looked up each color, fell in love, and made a million excuses as to why I just had to have it.  After crying a little bit over the price, it went right in my cart. Being extremely pale, and fairly new to/conservative with my makeup, I didn't think I would like the many bright shades.  But, why note try them in sample form?  Little did I know, these would become my favorites!

Without further ado, here are swatches and then each shade, on my lips (please forgive my highly-stressed, very broken out skin, and instead just enjoy seeing the colors in action)!  With each name, is the description Bite gives for the color. 

The paleness in all it's glory.  Pre Bite-mazing

Swatch Set 1

Swatch Set 2

Retsina (light pink beige)

Cava (nude lilac)

Pepper (dusty rose)

Quince (deep magenta)

Ganache (cool pink)

Quinta (rosy pink)

Fig (light pink)

Vidal (raspberry pink)

Lilac (bright fuchsia)

Pomegranate (candy apply red)

Apricot (warm red)

Salut (nude almond)

Shiraz (soft plum)

Mulberry (wine)

Tannin (poppy red)

Cin-Cin (tropical coral)

Violet (vibrant purple)

Lavender (light purple)

Vento (sheer bubblegum pink)

Palomino (vibrant magenta)

 
Awesome, right?  I know some of the pictures aren't the best quality (and my favorite: in some I missed part of the lip, HA!) but I was rushing to get these all in before the sun set.  The amount of work that takes is underrated.  I have a little more sympathy for reviewers who opt out now :)  Side-rant: I also like how some of them look "dewy" yet neither my camera, nor myself made them that way. My last post did that too.  The picture, on my computer, and in the "picture loading area" of Blogger, looks fine.  Once in the post, it's almost soft?  Like the Vidal and Mulberry pictures.  They don't look like that on my files.  Only once I publish the blog.  Interesting...

I love a lot of these I didn't think I would.  The really nude colors do nothing for me, and I'm not a huge fan.  Out of the nudes, my favorite would have to be Salut, but it's still so faint and eh.  I adore the classic colors I knew I would, such as Fig, Vidal, Shiraz and Mulberry.  Surprisingly, I'm also really enjoying a lot of the brights: Quince, Lilac and Palomino.  I always struggle with bright reds, so while Pomegranate would probably be amazing on someone else, I will keep my distance and if I need some red love, canoodle with Tannin. 

As for the wear, they go on very easily.  Too easily for a novice painting her uber white face with some serious color!  My lips had some fun, squiggly, defining lines a few times, and you can see in some of them where you (and I) are all, "girl you NEED a lip liner!" But, the color payoff was amazing.  As I've been wearing them over the past two weeks, I have noticed that after lunch these suckers are gone.  My lips are a tiny bit stained and all, but for the most part, doneskies.  Luckily it didn't smear all over my face, but I did need a new coat afterwards.

After the new coat, and with regular use, these lasted well into the afternoon.  Loving these!  Have you tried Bite lipsticks?  What is your favorite color? 

GLAMGLOW Gift Sexy

I am writing this and our Halloween curtains are billowing from the windows, the cats are howling and the wind is crazy.  What a creepy night!?  I kind of feel like I should be celebrating by watching a witchy movie and sipping orange cocoa.  Instead, I'm going to share something equally horrifying - my pores!

One of the things in my box today was the GlamGlow Gift Sexy.  This awesome little kit from Sephora includes the Super-Mud Clearing Treatment and the Youth-Mud Tinglexfoliate Treatment (which I haven't used) from GlamGlow.  Now I will be so honest, I hadn't even heard of these until one of my favorite beauty bloggers purchased it the other day.  After hearing her description of the product, I was more than a little obsessed and began reading up on it, watching videos, etc.

The Super-Mud is meant to help fight common skin concerns including breakouts, discoloration, and black/white heads. The mud draws out dirt and congestion while brightening and softening skin.  I was more than excited to order this, until I saw the hefty pricetag of $69.  Generally just the Super-Mud is $69 so I figured great way to try two for one.  And, I completely planned on returning it if I didn't like it after the first try.  I mean, for $69 you have one shot to wow me!

What pretty packaging!

As soon as the box came in today, and I had properly swatched my little heart's desires away, I got right to tackling these pores of mine.  Warning, the below is kind of gross.  I mean, it's my skin and I was even feeling icky about it.

Oh pores, why are you so enormous?!?

The packaging is not only sleek, but also feels substantial.  I will admit, the jar isn't tiny, but it isn't big for the money so I was wondering how long it would last.  The package says to expect 17 full masks or 1,000 spot treatments in one jar.  The mask does try very quickly, so you will need to work fast and don't leave it out drying.  It does feel thin, but still gives complete coverage.  

I was able to cover my entire face using just what was on the lid!

Once the mask is on, you let it sit for 5-20 minutes.  The neat thing is, and you can see below, the mask starts out dark grey.  Once it dries, it begins to turn a light grey and tightens around your face.  Then it begins pulling the oogies from beneath the depths of those cavernous pores and little black spots of grime begin to appear.  This is where you learn that your Clarisonic Mia isn't a super cleaner (although it is amazing) and girl, you needed a mask ages ago!

This is the point where I feel like I have way more impurities than other reviews I have seen!

 Once it's dried (about 5-20) minutes and mostly light grey, you wash it off with warm water. The result?  Some pretty sweet, clean, soft skin.  Like, really soft.  I am so in love, no way this baby is going back!

So soft and clean!

And just for comparison, after just one use, a before and after.  I really notice a difference on the tip of my nose, and my pores look less deep on my cheeks.  This is going to become a favorite, I can tell!

You can click the picture to zoom and see a difference.

Happy Friday!

A Warm Welcome

I should probably preface this saying I am not a beauty expert by any means.  I am just a girl who accrues way too many points at Sephora and Ulta, who is fumbling her way through making her eyebrows look ah-mazing.  Following blogs and watching tutorials, I've managed to take myself from awkward teen to semi-presentable adult in 10 short years (ha)!  Please note I did say semi - that eyebrow thing?  Uh yeah, not yet. 

I am starting this blog really just to post pretty pictures and my ramblings about makeup that I just "need." If anyone reads it, that's even more amazing.  But, start small!  The following reasons may also play a teensy part:

• I have the biggest, most beautiful box coming tomorrow and need a place to show swatches, etc. Especially this amazing Bite Beauty lip set from Sephora... I quite literally have no patience waiting for that dreamboat. 
• I get really sad when beauty bloggers buy these amazing shadows and blushes and lip products and then only swatch them on their arms!  Who does that (or more like who doesn't)?!  I love bloggers who take the time to swatch product where it's worn.  It honestly makes such a huge difference! 
• Why not?! 

So, here it is, Tallulah Grace.  The name is in memory of the most special little tullah bug who ever graced my world, and is celebrating her 77th watching over me tomorrow.  Miss her, and just loving a name with meaning.