Get Thee To Lush... and other upcoming posts

Somehow my husband found himself unsupervised in Lush yesterday. As you probably know the Lush Christmas gift sets get reduced after the big day. This entire load cost £56. That’s 50% off everything apart from the face mask. Bargain! 

Some of the products are permanent so expect reviews on these soon. Also coming up in the near future will be;

·         Best of 2010 (probably a video)

·         Chanel Rouge Coco Mademoiselle review/ swatches

·         Benefit Coralista review/ swatches

·         Some more nail polish round ups

·         Primer reviews including MAC and Benefit

I was thinking about doing more EOTD posts. I’m slowly getting the hang of taking non blurry photo’s of my own face. Now I’m about as talented at applying makeup as I am at art in general (I couldn’t draw a straight line with a ruler) however it is sometimes useful to see what colours actually look like on the eye rather than in a swatch. Any thoughts? What would like to see more of on this blog? I’d really appreciate any feed back xxx

Prepping for the Mistletoe with Lush

It’s Advent! My Mum has very kindly bought my husband and I Stig advent calendars this year. Yes we are big kids, what of it? Anyhoo I’ve been trialling a couple of limited edition Christmas lip products from Lush. If you like the sound of these move quickly, they won’t be around forever! (As far as I know anyway). First off we have Lip Dip. It’s basically a lip scrub which is supposed to be sherbet, cranberry and lemon flavoured. Personally I think it smells and tastes exactly like lemon sorbet. Please excuse the fuzzy photo. I must have been having an off day/ week/ year (delete as applicable).

Unlike the permanent range of lip scrubs this is made with sherbet instead of castor sugar so it’s much more gentle at exfoliating you lips. I personally don’t find the other scrubs too abrasive but if you do this is a gentler option. It’s messy and awkward to use but it tastes so good I don’t care. I find it leaves my lips smooth and flake free though I follow it up with a hefty lip balm. This costs £4.50.

Next we have the infamous Snow Fairy scent in tinted lip balm form. I really like bubble gum scented products and this is no exception. The hot pink in the pan appealed too but unfortunately I can’t get it to show up at all. As a tint it really doesn’t do much. It does have some pigmentation but it doesn't last long on me. If you're after a really bright pink lip I'd suggest Models Own lip balm or Sleek Pount Polish.  As a balm it benefits from being warmed up, I keep it in my pocket, otherwise it’s a bit too hard so it’s difficult to actually get any product. It does a decent enough job of moisturising my lips though. Personally I don’t think I’ll bother with these balms again as I just have so many others that are cheaper and do a better job. It does smell damn tasty though. I’m not entirely sure how much it cost as it’s not on the Lush site as I type this but I know it’s still in stores and I’m sure costs less than a fiver. 

Do I think either of these products are must haves? Well I do need a lipscrub and Lip Dip is by far the tastiest option I’ve ever tried so I’m prepared to put up with the mess. Snow fairy is only a must have for Snow fairy addicts. As a lip balm it’s distinctly meh x

*I bought these myself*

LUSH Catastrophe Cosmetic Face Mask

I’m determined to get my 5 empty pots so I can get a free face mask, can you tell? I’ll be reviewing the other LUSH face masks in due course. This particular offering is aimed at soothing and clearing spotty, congested skin. Perfect then for tackling my monthly hormonal breakout (too much info?).

For your £4.95 you get 75g of pale purple paste. It smells of blueberry mixed with kaolin clay which is unsurprising given the ingredients (taken from the LUSH website);

"Calamine Powder, Talc, Irish Moss Gel (Chondrus crispus), Fresh Blueberries (Vaccinium myrtillus), Glycerine, Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis), Rose Absolute (Rosa damascena), Chamomile Blue Oil (Matricaria chamomilla), Sweet Wild Orange Oil (Citrus sinensis), *Limonene, Perfume, Colour 18050"

"Fresh blueberries are rich in beneficial antioxidants, vitamins and minerals to reduce inflammation and act as a mild antiseptic."

You slap in on and leave it for 5-10 minutes during which it dries like a traditional clay mask. After rinsing it off I do find my skin looks less congested but it feels slightly drier than normal so if you normally have dry skin you might want to be aware that it might make it drier. After the first use the huge angry spots on my chin were a fair bit calmer and less sore. After a few applications they had healed considerably. I’m not saying this is a miracle cure, it’s not, but I’m convinced it did help. 

 

Once again the main downside of these masks is the short use by date. If you have dry skin and no spots (lucky thing) this certainly isn’t for you but for oily/ combination skin with blemishes it’s rather nice. The problem for me is that I wouldn’t need this kind of mask all the time which means it’s only useful for me for one week of the month and the short sell by dates means it would go off by next month. This means I’ve been using it rather generously and often within the space of a week so my skin is feeling a little dry. Because of this I probably won’t buy this particular mask again. If you’ve used any of the LUSH face masks which do you recommend I try next?  x

*I bought this myself*

Lush Love Lettuce Face Mask

Once or twice a week I make a point of getting 30 minutes to myself for a bit of a pamper session. This always involves a face mask and I thought it was high time I tried out one of Lush’s ‘fresh’ offerings. For £4.95 you get 75g of thick green sludge which surprisingly does not actually contain lettuce. Instead it has goodies like: (taken from the Lush website)

“Agar Agar Gel (Gelidium cartilagineum), Kaolin, Honey, Fullers Earth, Glycerine, Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis), Ground Almond Shells (Prunus dulcis), Ground Almonds (Prunus dulcis), Lavender Oil (Lavandula angustifolia), Chlorophyllin (CI 75810), *Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume”

You simply slap it on generously and leave it for 5-10 minutes. It does set a little but it doesn’t go dry and crusty like a traditional clay mask does. It has an unobtrusive scent, half kaolin clay and half like erm.... lettuce actually. Weird. Then you wash it off with warm water in circular motions to allow the ground almond shells to exfoliate your skin. 

Ordinarily I favour masks designs do deep clean my pores. This doesn’t do that however I’m still a huge fan. As an exfoliator it is fanbloodytastic, not to rough but not wishy washy either. My skin looks brighter afterwards and feels smoother. I often find that using masks too often makes my skin feel tight and dry but I’ve used this two days on the trot (I was trying to use it up) with no ill effects. It is certainly gentle enough for my sensitive skin. 

This brings me to the one down side. I like that you have to store it in the fridge. It’s a strange but pleasantly refreshing sensation when you apply it but the very nature of the fresh ingredients and lack of preservatives means you don’t get long before the best before date is up. All the more reason to pamper yourself more often I suppose? Oh and the pot says if you return 5 empty ones you get a fifth one free. I suppose I’d better try the rest of the range then! X

*I bought this myself*

Finished!

I like the last post I did on items that I’ve finished recently. I think it’s useful to look back at a product, even if it’s already been reviewed by me, and ask myself whether I miss it enough to repurchase now that it’s gone. I may love or hate a product after the first few uses but by the end of a bottle/packet/pan you have a much better sense of it. Here are our goodbyes this month: (ones with a * have been reviewed here fully)

Simple Eye Makeup Remover * :
No no no no. I will not be repurchasing. I love many Simple products. This is not one of them. It stung the skin underneath my eyes and did not do a good job of removing waterproof mascara.

Lancôme Bi Facil Eye Makeup Remover * :
Love it! I will repurchase one day but not today. At just under £20 a bottle it’s just too pricey for me. This little sample lasted me a good long while though.

The Body Shop Mango Body Butter:
Mmmm this smelt so good. It was a rich, moisturising treat post bath. The cream is insanely thick and I found it to be very moisturising. I have another body butter on the go right now!

Simple Radiance Brightening Moisturiser SPF10 * :
I really liked this. It was a good, fairly light daytime moisturiser. The SPF could do with being a bit higher but at least it has some in it. It’s super cheap too. I’d be quite happy to repurchase this in future.

Garnier Makeup Remover Wipes * :
I hated these. They did a pretty shoddy job of removing my makeup and pulled at my skin whilst doing it. I won’t be repurchasing.

MAC Brush Cleanser:
The remnants of this are in a spray bottle but I need to pick up another ASAP (and will be back to MAC-ing the bottle once I have 5 more empties!). I love this stuff, I just wish they’d put a damn spray on it.

Boot Vitamin E Night Cream * :
I really liked this too actually and for less than a fiver I’ll be picking some more up in future. I’m currently trying a couple of other things though and when I was last in Boots they were sold out! Evidently I’m not the only one who likes this beauty bargain!

Lush Bubble Gum Lip Scrub * :
No I didn’t use this up. It exploded in my travel makeup bag whilst on a business trip. It took me 20 minutes to clean sugar out of my eyelash curlers... This was always the problem with this product though. It does a fantastic job for a reasonable price but it’s as messy as a toddler with a paint can. For this reason I won’t be repurchasing which means I’m on the hunt for a new lip scrub. Any suggestions?

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder:
Ah my dear, we knew it had to end one day. This thing is so old it’s in the old packaging and all the type has faded off. Look!

I really liked this stuff. I go through a lot of powder in an effort to keep my nose none shiny and this has been an invaluable companion in that quest. The Sam to my Frodo if you will (Ok who let the geek out?) Ahem anyway it’s a fab drugstore pressed powder that I will happily repurchase in all its shexy new green packaging. I need to use up a couple of other powders first but when I have I’ll probably buy it and give it the full review it deserves.

So it’s been a mixed bag. Some hits, some misses, some unnecessary Lord of the Rings similes. I always get such a sense of satisfaction when I finish a product. I prance about waving the empty container in my husband’s face in a triumphant demonstration of “see! I really do use all this stuff!” Do you get the same sense of satisfaction? Xxx

*I bought the above products with my own money. I always give my honest opinion of a product. For further info see my disclaimer in the menu on the left*

LUSH Turkish Delight Body Polish

If you like rose scents and Turkish delight then might I suggest you shuffle on down to LUSH for a sniff? Mmmmmm. It smells of lovely. This is the last of the little pots that I got as part of the Christmas set haul I did on boxing day. Not because it was my least favourite but because I love it so much that I use it sparingly to make it last. Ordinarily it’s £15 for 200ml.

It’s a super thick pale pink cream which does lather if you use a shower puff with it. Without a shower puff you just smooth it into your skin in the shower and rinse off. It leaves my skin super soft, lightly moisturised and smelling delicious. It’s a real treat to use and a definite repurchase for me. Now I’m off to track down some proper Turkish delight... x

*Bought by me*

LUSH Brazened Honey Fresh Face Mask

I’ve been working my way through the range of fresh face masks but I think I’m going to stop here. I’ve just had to accept that I don’t like pulling a chilled mask out of the fridge and slapping it on my face. It’s cold damn it. I also hate having to use it all up within a couple of weeks. I ended up having to throw half of this out and it was just too strong to use frequently enough on my skin to get it used up (and despite some coaxing hubby wasn’t willing to try it out...).  Anyhoo this offering is a bright yellow mask that promises to leave tired skin vibrant and reinvigorated. 

It has a sort of fresh, herbal non descript scent and a slightly smoother texture than some of the other face masks. I still find the lush face masks don’t adhere to the skin well so you end up leaving a trail of blobs wherever you go. I didn’t notice any difference in my skin after using this. The only change I noticed was that if I used it too often my skin became a little red and tender after use so this is definitely not one for sensitive skins. 

Although I’ve liked a couple of the fresh face masks in general I just don’t ‘get’ them. I don’t think I’ll be purchasing anymore although I will occasionally get them free when I return 5 empty little black pots. Sadly this is a big fat fail for me x

LUSH Rub Rub Rub

Let’s imagine for a moment that Glasgow hasn’t been stuck under black clouds and thunderstorms for the last few days and that summer is almost upon us. Any day now we will be shedding the woolly tights and warm jumpers and baring our limbs. If you’re planning on fake tanning, or even if you just want to perk up tired post winter skin, exfoliating is essential. LUSH say:

“Sea salt shower scrub Rub Rub Rub is a bit of a variation on the normal shower gel. Sea salt is gently exfoliating, extra cleansing and mineral-rich. This new blue scrub is startlingly refreshing, with a dash of lemon juice and the tropical scent of mimosa blossom. Smooth it all over your body; you can even use it as a shampoo.”

I was worried that the sea salt would be a bit too harsh for my skin but as long as you don’t scrub too hard it’s actually not as harsh ad I’d expected. This smells salty and citrusy which is very refreshing. The consistency is very thin and gloopy which means that a fair amount of product ends up on the shower floor unfortunately but the plus side is that it spreads easily over your skin. It does a good job of sloughing off rough, dry skin but for goodness sakes don’t use it if you’ve managed to nick you legs shaving... I speak from experience. 

I haven’t tried using it as a shampoo as I’d imagine the salt grains would be a nightmare to rinse out properly. It doesn’t really foam much either which means I tend to use a normal shower gel afterwards (yes I know it doesn’t have to foam to get you clean, it’s just a psychological thing) therefore I don’t really get the multipurpose angle that LUSH try to put on this. It’s just a fairly bog standard scrub that exfoliates well and smells refreshing. You can pick it up for £7.35 for 330g and don’t forget to save up your little black pots so you can take them back for a free face mask when you get 5 empties. 

*Bought by me (hubby) as part of one of the Christmas gift sets*

LUSH Dream Cream Hand and Body Lotion

Anyone else got lizard legs at the moment? No? Just me then. Winter plays havoc with my skin on my body and my legs are prone to being dry even in the middle of summer. This pot appeared in one of the Christmas gift boxes so only contains 100g. Normally you get a 240g pot for £10.25. That might sound like a fair bit of money to those who (like me) generally buy whatever body lotion is on offer and less than a fiver but you do get a lot of product for your pennies and I find that a little goes a long way. 

The cream is thick and off white and contains more essential oils than I’m capable of spelling correctly here. I’ll be honest, I do not like the smell. It’s not strong and doesn’t linger but I don’t go ‘mmm’ like I usually do when I open a LUSH product. I can’t quite pin down what it smells off either which annoys me. 

But does it work? Yes actually. At first it feels a little oily but it spreads so easily over the skin. You don’t need a lot. After about 5 minutes my skin just drinks it up and I’m left with no sticky residue. My skin just feels soft and smooth and importantly not itchy. Now it isn’t a miracle worker, if I skip a day’s use then I’m back to passing as one of my bearded dragons but when I do remember to use it my skin feels so much more comfortable. 

I think I would buy this again once I’ve worked through my myriad of other body lotions although I wish they would make it smell a little nicer. I’m prepared to put up with it though for a lotion that does work and doesn’t leave me feeling like I’ve been smeared in oil for the rest of the day x

*Purchased by erm... my husband actually*

LUSH Fresh Face Mask – Oatifix (like breakfast but on your face)

My mission to try all of the LUSH face masks continues with this strange little number. As usual you get 75g for £5.25 of goop that needs to be kept in the fridge. They say:

“For dry skin that needs a bit of extra TLC, you can't do better than a generous slathering of Oatifix. Oats and bananas are super-softening, and when you come to wash off the mask, you can use the ground almonds in Oatifix to give your skin a very light exfoliating scrub.”

This is a very thick sticky paste which smells exactly like flapjack. My skin has been very dry around my cheeks and forehead recently and I hoped that this might be a treat for it. Honestly though this is the first of these masks that I really haven’t liked. The mixture is so thick that it doesn’t stay on your face properly. You end up leaving a little oat trail around you. Ever seen the film Planet Terror? This makes you look like Bruce Willis in it. 

After use I find that my skin isn’t dried out like it is after clay based masks but it doesn’t do anything for the congested parts. If you have very dry skin and aren’t’ t bothered by having a melting face this might be nice but for me it’s too much hassle for not enough gain. Next!

*Bought with my own pennies*