Me on The Colbert Report!!

I'm on the bottom far left :)  Best episode EVER!!!

Updated my Skincare Routine page :)

Lush Haul!

My very first video!!

Lush haul!

I am a Sigma Affiliate!

Hey guys!  I am now a Sigma Affiliate.  Basically what it means is that there is a link below (in the 'Links' section) that you can click if you are interested in browsing their selection of makeup and brushes.  If you decide to use the link and purchase an item off their site, I receive a 10% commission on purchases made using my link.   This is a great way to make a little extra money.

Here is my Affiliate link: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=316236

Honey I Washed the Kids Soap

Honey I Washed The Kids was the very first item I ever purchased at Lush.  I think I first saw this on one of Elle Fowler's Lush Hauls (when her videos were watchable. I don't even bother with her or her sister's channel anymore, but that's just my opinion.).  This soap smells of honey and caramel and deliciousness.  And I like the decorative wax honeycomb on the top, though it can be a pain in the ass in the shower.  It's pretty creamy, but I like to use a washcloth in the shower and it doesn't lather all that well.  It still lathers better than some of the other soaps that I've used though.  I would suggest cutting up a bar instead of putting the whole entire bar in the shower.  I find it doesn't melt all at once, but it will turn very mushy over the course of time.  DO NOT USE THIS ON YOUR FACE!  This goes for all of their soaps (with the exception of Queen of Hearts).  Their soaps are somewhat drying.  I find that if it feels drying on your body, then it will feel 10x worse on your face.  This soap is a great purchase, especially for those just trying Lush for the first time.

Ro's Argan Body Conditioner

Ro's Argan Body Conditioner is one of those products that had to grow on me.  I love the way it feels on my body, but the smell was another story.  I had tried it at the Herald Sq. store in April.  The smell didn't bother me too much because I could smell all the other products in the store as well.  I had liked what I smelled and bought the 1.5 oz. container (This was a promotional size, so it is not available anymore.  Sorry!).  When I got home from rehearsal later that night I decided that I was going to take a quick shower and try it.  Oh boy was that smell strong!  I found the rose scent very overpowering.  But my skin felt quite nice afterwards.  I can't use it everyday because of the smell so I use it about once a week, usually on a day where I know I won't have time to lotion after my shower.  If you like the sweet smell of roses, then this product is for you.  If not, or if you are very sensitive to smells, I would skip it.  A 7.9 oz. pot goes for $29.95.

How to Use: After you wash your body, rub the body conditioner on to the skin (while it's still wet).  After application, rinse off and gently pat the skin dry.

hmmm...

Trying to decide whether or not to start a YouTube channel dedicated to Lush reviews and, perhaps, maybe demos.  Think I should do it? :)

Fresh Face Masks!!

Pic via Tumblr

Mask of Magnaminty

I'm a big fan of this face mask.  I like it because it has a longer shelf life (about 3 months) than the Fresh Face Masks.  It is a clay mask which smells of mint and vanilla.  There are ground aduki beans mixed in for gentle exfoliation.  I use this mask twice a week after I wash my face.  I then keep the mask on for about 10 minutes, letting it dry.  Once dry, I rinse it off, making sure to exfoliate with the aduki beans.  My favorite mask will always be Love Lettuce, but this one definitely comes in a very close second!  

The 4.4 oz. pot is $11.95 and the 11.1 oz. is $22.95.

How to Use: Smooth mask onto clean skin.  Wait until mask is completely dry (approx. 10 mins.) then rinse, using the aduki beans to exfoliate.  Recommended usage is 1-2 times a week.

30 Day Lush Challenge: Day 20

Do you typically get you products in-store or through mail-order?  Which do you prefer, and why?


I've only bought items in-store, though I may start buying my go-to online.  I prefer in-store because I get to smell the item and test it out a bit before I contemplate purchasing it.

So I went to Lush in Atlantic City.  It's located in The Pier Shops at Caesars.  It's a nice store but didn't seem as bright as the other stores I've been in.  I ended up buying:

• Ocean Salt
• Buffy
• Miranda Soap
• Vanishing Cream
• Sympathy for the Skin

I also came home with samples of R & B and Lovely Jubblies, which I am very excited to try :)

Lush In Atlantic City!

I'm going to Atlantic City for a few days this Friday.  I've decided, as a birthday gift to myself, to treat myself at Lush located at The Pier Shops at Caesars.  I need to get:

• Ocean Salt (going to get the 8.8 oz)
• Buffy Body Butter
• Vanishing Cream

I'm also thinking of purchasing the following:

• Sympathy for the Skin
• Full of Grace Face Serum
• Porridge
• ?

I want to get another soap, but I'm not sure which one I want to get.  I guess I'll figure it out when I get there :-)

Ocean Salt

This is my Holy Grail face scrub.  I first tried it after I got it as a sample my very first visit.  I never looked back.  My face feels so clean after I use this.  I used to use St. Ives Apricot Scrub and my face never felt as good as it does with the Ocean Salt.  It is slightly drying, so I have to use a moisturizer after.  Since this feels slightly drying on my combination skin, I would not recommend this for dry, sensitive skin.  I like to use this 3 times a week in the shower as it is a little messy.  I also love the smell of this product.  It smells like margaritas!  The 4.2 oz. is $19.95 and the 8.8 oz. is $34.95.  A little goes a long way!  I bought the small one a few months ago and I still have a lot left.  

How to Use: It's extremely important to mix up the product when you first open it.  All the sea salt is on top of the product, not inside.  If you get it in-store, they usually give you a Popsicle stick to stir it with.  Also, this is NOT a gentle exfoliator so make sure you are gentle when applying this to your face.   

Pre-Birthday Celebration!

Spent the weekend in Manhattan with a few of my friends for an early birthday celebration.  We ate some awesome Mexican food and margaritas at Blockheads.  Then we went to Sephora and Lush.  I got my free gift which is the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment and I bought a Smashbox Lipstick in Primrose and an Urban Decay afterglow Cheek Tint in Fetish.  At Lush, I got a larger size of the Breath of Fresh Air Skin Toner and Sweet Lips Lip Scrub.  After that, we went to Saint's Alps Tea House in the East Village where I had the most awesome almond milk tea with tapioca pearls.  Then we went to my friends apartment uptown where we had some drinks, watched The Room complete with Rifftrax.  I also got to open one of my birthday gifts.  One of my friends got me a couple of things from Lush and she wrapped them in a knot wrap.  She got me a Mange Too Massage Bar, a nice size of Honey I Washed The Kids Soap, and a Fizzbanger Bath Bomb.  I absolutely love the smell of the Fizzbanger but unfortunately I don't have a shower :(.  I will be at my Aunt's house for a week in August and she has a shower with a bath.  Maybe I'll use it then.

30 Day Lush Challenge: Day 19

What's your go-to bath cocktail?


I don't have a favorite bath cocktail because I only have a shower :(

30 Day Lush Challenge: Day 18

Lush is extremely notorious for being a very ethical company in terms of their sourcing and campaigning, as well as all the green initiatives they take for packaging.  The fact that all products are 100% vegetarian and 80% are vegan, plus all solid products don't have a preservative attracts many as well.  Are Lush's ethics a reason why you use Lush products?


Longest question ever.  Yes, I love that their products are natural.

Breath of Fresh Air Skin Toner

I LOVE this toner!  I bought it after I had a facial done at Lush.  I was going to get the Tea Tree Skin Toner, but the SA said that it may dry out my skin a little.  This toner leaves my skin nice and soft.  I spray it on right after I wash my face and before I let it dry, I pat on a little of my Ponds Moisturizer (saving up for Vanishing Cream!)  I am definitely going to repurchase this, but I will buy the bigger size instead.  The size I have now is the 3.3 fl. oz. (100ml) which costs $8.95.  The biggest size is 8.4 fl. oz. (250ml) and costs $19.95.  The bigger one would definitely be a better investment since I use it up to 3 times daily.  I may still invest in a small bottle of the Tea Tree toner though just to try it out.

How to Use: Spray directly onto face or onto a cotton pad.  The directions on the website say to let the toner dry first then apply your face lotion.  The SA told me to spray and then apply the lotion while the face is still wet with the toner.  This method works!  My skin feels soooo smooth afterwards!

30 Day Lush Challenge: Day 17

What areas of the products available that you haven't dived into at all yet? (Example - you haven't  tried any of the skincare, etc.)  What's holding you back?


I haven't tried their Henna Hair Dyes or their Color Supplements.  I also have never tried their Bath Bombs or Bath Melts.  I haven't tried their Henna Dyes because I don't dye my own hair, I get it done professionally.  I have way too much make up to even think about purchasing any of their Color Supplements.  I only have a shower so the Bath Bombs and Melts are pretty pointless for me to purchase.

30 Day Lush Challenge: Day 16

Favorite Gorilla perfume that you've tried?


I haven't tried any of the Gorilla perfumes.  I'd like to try Twilight though.

30 Day Lush Challenge: Day 15

What's your must-have-on-hand-at-all-times product that you might die without?  (Okay, dramatic, but not really for Lushies :D)


Ocean Salt is my Holy Grail exfoliator.

WEEP!!

Sorry for the not-Lush-related post, but I'm super excited.  I've been waiting for the new WEEP album to come out and it's finally available for pre-order!  For those of you who don't know, it's Doc Hammer's (creator of The Venture Bros.) band.  This CD sounds very 80's.  Can't wait until it ships in about 2 months!

30 Day Lush Challenge: Day 14

Do you use the designated Lush tins to store any of your products?  (massage bars, solid shampoos, body butters, etc.)


I do use the tins for my products.  I have one tin for my solid shampoo and two tins for my body butters.  The only reason I have two body butter tins is because I bought the Mange Too massage bar and of course it doesn't fit the massage bar tin, so the SA advised me to buy a body butter tin and I did.  Turns out that the massage bar was still too big for the body butter tin.  I was pissed, but then I bought a second body butter the next time I went so I used it for that.  So I guess it wasn't a total waste.

Veganese Conditioner

I picked up a small bottle of the Veganese conditioner the same day as I picked up the Squeaky Green Shampoo Bar.  I have to be honest.  I did not like this conditioner at all.  It didn't do much for my hair at all.  I'm actually a bit surprised that the salesperson even recommended this to me.  I have, as I mentioned before, an oily scalp.  But my hair is very thick.  This is made for people with fine, limp hair.  I also like creamy conditioners and this isn't as creamy as I would like it to be.  The smell is okay.  You can definitely smell the lemon oil and juice.  I can also smell the seaweed.  Since it is a vegan conditioner, it is made with seaweed instead of lanolin.  After using this a few times, my hair still felt tangled and it just didn't have that "silky' feel to it like I do with my normal conditioner.  I'm going to continue to use it until I'm finished with it.  I will not be repurchasing it though.

Edit 7/29/12:  I have cut my hair very short since this review.  I find that Veganese works much better on my short hair than it did my long hair.  My hair seems a little more livelier and it seems to be brightening my hair a bit.

30 Day Lush Challenge: Day 13

Do you use hair masks, foot treatment products, or face masks regularly?  What's your ultimate at home Lush spa night?


I have not tried any of their hair masks or foot treatments (I would like to try the Volcano Foot Mask though).  I do use Mask of Magnaminty twice a week.  I like that mask because I don't have to keep it refrigerated.  If I use a Fresh Face Mask, I like to use Love Lettuce.  

30 Day Lush Challenge: Day 12

What issue of the Lush Times has been your favorite so far?  Do you keep all of your old issues?


I don't really have a favorite issue at the moment.  I keep the current issue until I get a new one and then I recycle it.

30 Day Lush Challenge: Day 11

If you've had a terrible day, what Lush product do you use for a pick-me-up?


I definitely love to use Sandstone soap because of its delicious citrus smell.   Anything that smells of citrus, at least to me, is very uplifting.

30 Day Lush Challenge: Day 10

What haircare products do you love?  Do you use Lush haircare in your daily routine?


I really like the Squeaky Green shampoo bar.  It makes my hair feel so so clean.  I use it every other day with the Veganese Conditioner, which is actually starting to grow on me a bit.

Buffy Body Butter

I have the driest skin on the planet.  I'll put lotion on, it'll soak in but about an hour later my skin will feel dry once again.  My legs are worst of all.  My mom tells me I have "gator skin".  It gets frustrating.  I decided to get  Buffy (formerly Buffy the Backside Slayer) because it's exfoliating as well as moisturizing.  While the exfoliating is great on the lower half of my body, it's not as great on my upper half.  I feel it's a little too harsh.  The first time I used it I had scratches all over my arms, stomach, and chest.  I was pretty gentle around those areas too.     I'm going to continue using it on my lower half, but I may try Aqua Mirablis on my upper half since I heard that it's less abrasive.

How to Use: Wet the bar in the bath or in the shower and rub onto the skin in a circular motion.  Make sure to keep the bar out of the water when not in use because it will melt!  Store in a cool place.

30 Day Lush Challenge: Day 9

Where/how do you store your Lush "stash"?


I keep most of my stash in a Christmas tin that one of my private students gave me.  I do have a bigger storage container just in case it all doesn't fit in there, but I don't like to have too many products because I feel like some would expire before I even got a chance to really use them.

30 Day Lush Challenge: Day 6

Do you have a discontinued or Retro product that you miss more than anything?  (Not Holiday)


No, but I think I would cry if they discontinued Honey I Washed The Kids or Ocean Salt.

30 Day Lush Challenge: Day 8

What Lush blogs do you check frequently?  Do other Lush blogger's opinions effect your decision making when choosing what you get for yourself?


I follow Lushiesunite on Tumblr.  I love her blog because it's really informative and is full of great Lush Porn.  I  not to let anyone's opinion effect my decision making.  I want to try everything and I'll decide whether I like the product or not.

30 Day Lush Challenge: Day 7

If you could give your best friend(s), just one Lush product, which would you pick for them them?


I would probably give them Honey I Washed the Kids.  I'd give that to them because it's a clean and sweet scent.

30 Day Lush Challenge: Day 5

Aren't the massage bars amazing?!  Which one is your favorite?


I've only purchased one and it was the Mange Too Massage Bar.  I might order another one soon though and it might be the Wiccy Magic Muscles Massage Bar.  I smelt it in the store and I liked it and I know it's good for sore muscles which I get a lot from playing my viola.

Testing my mobile blogging

30 Day Lush Challenge: Day 4

Do you use Lush Skincare?  What are your favorite products for your skin and why do you love them so much?


I am addicted to Lush's Skincare!  My hands down number 1 favorite product is Ocean Salt.  I love it because it exfoliates my skin and doesn't dry my face out.

Squeaky Green Solid Shampoo

I was a little skeptical about this product.  I have never in my life seen a solid shampoo bar.  I was about to get a bottle of I Love Juicy when Melissa, the nicest employee at the store in Herald Square NYC, introduced me to these.  I have a very oily scalp so she recommended Jumping Juniper as well as Squeaky Green.  While I enjoyed the scent of the Jumping Juniper, the Squeaky Green seemed a bit nicer smelling to me.  It's comprised of peppermint, rosemary, nettle, and tea tree oil to combat the oil in the scalp and to also soothe it.  I love this shampoo.  My hair has never felt cleaner.  It also smells herbal, fresh and clean.  With regular shampoo, I can barely get through the day without it feeling gross again.  With this shampoo, I can go two days.  By the third day my hair starts to feel slightly oily again.  The one downfall of this shampoo though is having to make sure you rinse out the pieces of rosemary from your hair.  The best thing about the Solid Shampoo bars in general is that it will last you about 60-90 washes (as Melissa told me) which means you wouldn't have to buy so many bottle of shampoo.  You're saving the money and the planet!  It is well worth the $10.95.

30 Day Lush Challenge: Day 3

What's one product that you really want to try but just haven't gotten around to yet?


I would really like to try the Gorgeous Face Cream.  But with a price tag of $89.95 I don't think I'll be trying it anytime soon.  If you buy it from the UK site it's 37.50 GBP, which converts to $58.07.  How does that even work?

30 Day Lush Challenge: Day 2

Top 3 favorite bath products? (Bath Bombs, Bubble Bars, Bath Melts)


I unfortunately do not have a tub, just a shower so I haven't had the pleasure of trying these products out.

In Manhattan Today...

My friend Becky and I decided to go to Manhattan today for ramen.  We went to this amazing place called Ippudo located on Astor Place.  Absolutely amazing.  Then I decided to drag her to Lush because she's never been to there.  She liked it so I was happy.  We didn't leave with that much stuff, but it was nice.  She got T for Toes, Stepping Stone, Sweet Lips Lip Scrub, and Cosmetic Warrior Fresh Face Mask.  I got Herbalism, Ice Blue Soap, Sandstone Soap, Honey Trap Lip Balm, and Aqua Mirabilis.  We also went to Uni Glo and Sephora after we ate Korean fried chicken.

30 Day Lush Challenge: Day 1

How did you find/get introduced to Lush products? How long ago was that? What was the first product you ever used?


I watch a ton of beauty gurus on YouTube and icallitambrosia/87daysbefore raved about Lush.  After seeing her Lush hauls I knew I had to check it out for myself.  So I went to the store in Herald Square NYC and I was never the same lol.  And it was about a year ago.
My very first Lush Product that I ever tried was Honey I Washed The Kids Soap.

30 Day Lush Challenge

I found this on Lushiesunite's blog today.  Definitely going to do this!

Sample Review: Handy Gurugu

Many times at Lush it is possible to score some free samples.  I've heard of a few people getting some free full sized products because they were about a week away from expiring (because they can't sell you something that is about to expire).  This hasn't happened to me...yet (I kinda hope it does at some point), but I've gotten some pretty awesome smaller samples.  I've gotten some samples because I spent over a certain amount of money and I've gotten some samples just so I can try it out at home.  Since I spent over a certain amount of money my last visit, I was given a small but generous sample of Handy Gurugu.  Handy Gurugu is their thickest hand cream.  After just one use, my hands felt so soft and moisturized.  The smell is not my favorite scent but it's subtle.  Beware though.  This cream is made with peanut, cashew, pumpkin, and almond oils so if you have any allergies to those oils steer clear.  If you don't, then definitely give this a try.  I will be purchasing a full size the next time I head to a store.

Video: How I use Lush's Mint Julips Lip Scrub

I apologize for the way I look.  My allergies were acting up like crazy and I had just finished a workout.

Lush Mint Julips Lip Scrub

Lush has 3 different lip scrubs: Mint Julips, Sweet Lips, and Bubble Gum.  I decided to pick up Mint Julips because I liked the idea of mint and chocolate.  To me, it tastes just like mint chocolate chip ice cream.  It exfoliates my lips very nicely and I love that I'm able to lick it off my lips without having to worry about dangerous chemicals.  The price is very nice too!  It's only $8.95.  A lip scrub from Sephora typically goes for $20 so this is a bargain.  And the jar is actually filled all the way to the top of the jar.  Overall, I really enjoy this product!

Welcome to my blog!!

Welcome!  This blog is dedicated to all things Lush.  These are my reviews on the products that I've tried so far.  I am in no way affiliated with Lush and everything that you read is my personal opinion.  Enjoy!! :-)