LUSH Flying Fox and Celestial Moisturizer

 

Mmm, Jasmine! That is what you smell when you take of whiff of LUSH Flying Fox Shower Gel. This thick shower gel is a sweet honey color, and is made of honey and scents like Ylang Ylang and of course, Jasmine. This shower gel includes the three most popular PMS alleviating ingredients. I get super bad cramps during that time of the month, so I was really drawn to the fact that this shower gel might help my mood and hence my general feeling of ickiness while I'm PMSing. I have heard some people say that they don't like the scent of this shower gel, so I really think it comes down to whether you like the scent of Jasmine or not. It's floral and pretty and rich, in my opinion, and I actually do like the scent. it can take awhile to get used to if you're not used to such a specific scent, but when you lather this shower gel up in your shower and you smell the fragrance on your skin it's really light and pretty. I like the texture of this shower gel and I found that a little goes a long way. This shower gel has a bit of a sexy scent to it, especially since it contains Ylang Ylang which is an aphrodisiac fragrance, and I found the smell to be quite intoxicating. Once again, it all comes down to your scent preferences. I like this though and it makes me want to try other shower gels in the future since I know the shower gel is high quality!

 

After washing my face and getting all clean in the shower, I decided to try the LUSH Celestial Moisturizer. This moisturizer is good for sensitive skin, which is why I chose it. I have a thyroid condition so my facial skin can be dry and even red at times, so I like to use products that are sensitive. This moisturizer is made of vanilla water and almond, and it smells yummy. It has a clean scent but smells a little milky and is fragrant of light almond. I found the scent to be really awesome in a facial moisturizer. The texture is great too, it's light and creamy, and my skin absorbed it quickly. I didn't really notice it leaving a greasy residue behind unless I slathered it on. A little goes a long way with this product, so if you use too much, it can make your skin feel a little greasy. As long as you use this properly, and use a dime sized amount (which is really all you need) you probably won't have that problem. I highly recommend this for those with dry skin. There is oil and moisturizing butters in this moisturizer though, so if you have oily or problem skin, you may not like this product. It hasn't made me break out, nor has it made my skin feel greasy or oily. A lot of times when I sue moisturizers, my face feels dry again after a few hours. This is not so for me when I use LUSH Celestial, it actually made my skin feel hydrated and moisturized hours later. It is a small tub of product and some people might think the container is tiny for the price, but like I said, a little goes a long way. Not to mention, the moisturizing properties are worth it, in my opinion. I'd rather spend a little more money on a product that I know works well, rather than buy a cheaper product that isn't as moisturizing or one that affects my skin badly. I also like that LUSH products are handmade, so each batch is fresh when it is packaged. The sticker on the product that shows who created the batch that your using cracks me up, I like that added little personal touch. My only issue with this product is that I wish it were glycerine and paraben free, which it's not. If LUSH could work on that, I'd be a very happy girly. I really like my Celestial moisturizer, I've been using it for days now and my skin really seems to appreciated the adding love and pampering that this facial moisturizer provides. 

*Special thanks to LUSH for providing me with these samples to try. My opinions expressed in this review are my own.

LUSH Butterball and Vanilla Delite

 

This is my first of two LUSH reviews. This post is going to contain two extremely yummy bath and body items from LUSH that smell like delicious vanilla! These two items go together wonderful, but before I rave about them as a pair, let me tell you a little about my experience with them solo. The LUSH Butterball bathbomb is amazing! This bathbomb is large, definitely the size of a small orange. It's not one of those wimpy bahtbombs that are so small you need to add 4 or 5 of them to your bath water. No way, one LUSH Butterball is so fantastic and big that you could break it in half and use it for two baths if you'd like. I chose to try out my LUSH Butterball by dropping the entire bathbomb in the tub, and watching ti fizz and whirl around my hot bath water. It turned my bathwater a light creamy color, almost like frothy cream soda. The slightly musky and sweet vanilla aroma was awesome! I could smell it as the bathbomb was dissolving in my tub. The bathbomb didn't really make bubbles, since it's meant more for scenting and moisturizing rather than adding bubbly fun. Butterball is a lovely off-white color, and it has tiny little chunks of cocoa butter in it! So as the bathbomb dissolves you will see little pieces of cocoa butter float off of it and slowly melt into the water. I couldn't believe how moisturizing this bathbomb was! I had used bathbombs in the past, but this felt like a bath of royalty. My skin felt so soft and moisturized as I was laying in the tub. I kept getting whiffs of the sublime vanilla scent, and I could feel the skin softening oils and butters in the bathbomb do some serious work on my dry skin. By the time I got done soaking in the tub and got out to dry off, my skin felt renewed. it felt soft and smooth, and I could still feel the moisturizing ingredients on my skin as they absorbed. I am so sold on this bathbomb! Now I know why everyone loves LUSH bath bombs, they truly are awesome! I need to buy a huge stock of these Butterball bathbombs and I definitely look forward to trying other LUSH bathbombs in the future!

After drying off completely and marveling at my new velvety smooth skin, I decided to lather on some of the LUSH Vanilla Delite Lotion. it was love at first whiff with this lotion! It's has a very nice vanilla scent, but a true vanilla scent, not an artificial one. This smells of real vanilla beans and a sweet creme brulee type of scent. It's really a beautiful fragrance! It's not boring old plain vanilla lotion, this is truly like dessert for your skin! it's like a creamy vanilla sugar custard. The light texture of the lotion feels divine, and it absorbs really nicely without making me skin feel sticky or greasy afterward. it's also really moisturizing and full of cocoa butter and softening oils. I love this lotion! I applied it to my feet, my legs, my arms and hands, as the yummy aroma wafted up to my nose. I found this scent to be very relaxing and comforting. No other lotion has made my skin this soft, and I have tried many lotions in the past. LUSH Vanilla Delite is a keeper in my book! I also found that it made my skin smell so yummy paired with the ingering scent of the Butterball bahtbomb still on my skin. I need to stock up on this lotion because at this rate my bottle will be gone in no time. I <3 LUSH!

 

Part II of my LUSH reviewing coming soon...

I'll be reviewing Flying Fox Shower Gel and Celestial Facial Moisturizer!

 

How cute are these lipstick containers?? I adore Urban Decay's lipstick tubes. They're metallic and made of a shiny purple and silver color, and the bottom of the lipstick features a really cute "sword". Simply grab the little dagger and pull, and the lipstick pops out of the cap. LOVE it! So cute, so unique. So Urban Decay! 

I just recently got two shades in Gash, and Revolution. Both are gorgeous red colors. Revolution is a really pretty true red color, and Gash is a deep blood red color, and is a fav of many celebs. Reoltuion is so pretty! It's a really glossy red, it seems to be a true red, as I don't see any overly blue or orange tones. It feels comfortable when it's applied, and it's highly pigmented. You can either blot it down, or build it up for full strength color. This truly is a color that I think is best full strength though. Gash is a dark raspberry type of red, with a little bit of purple tone. It has a semi-metallic finish, and it looks awesome on the lips. It's a different finish than Revolution, but it's equally gorgeous. You can see a quick swatch below, Revolution on top and Gash below it.

Check out the super cute new lipstick tubes and shades at UrbanDecay.com

Surly Girly Cosmetics

Introducing Surly Girly Cosmetics. I found this really fantastic brand straight out of California. A brand that knows that us girls have a multitude of moods and feelings, so our makeup should match that. Some days we feel girly and sweet, and other days we can feel sexy and super sultry. Hence the awesome name Surly Girly! Surly Girly offers lipstick, lipgloss, and eyeshadow. A lipstick collection of both Surly *and* Girly colors, same goes for the lipgloss and eyeshadow. They offer really pretty colors and their packaging is too cute! I just adore their logo, pictured above, too. Cute!!

 

Surly Girly sent me a few of their items to try and I was so excited to get to sample some of their awesome shades. First up, Surly Girly Lipstick. I tested out the Hollywood Scarlet, Inner Rage, and Jealous. All reds, all from the Surly section ;) I adore these colors! It was love at first application. The lipstick formula is very smooth, doesn't dry out lips, and the color is super pigmented. The Inner Rage color is a very warm red, the Jealous shade is a very vivid blue-red, similar to MAC's Ruby Woo. Hollywood Starlet is a very true red, gorgeous color! It's something that really makes your look "pop". When I first applied it, I had no other makeup on, but I found myself sneaking glances in the mirror. It looked good, even without a full face of makeup on. Hollywood Starlet is my favorite shade of lipstick from Surly Girly, and it's my new HG red! I actually liked it better than some MAC red lipsticks, and Surly Girly is $2 cheaper than MAC lippies. Each Surly Girly lipstick is $12 a pop. SO worth it!! Can't wait to try more of their lipstick shades.

Next up I tried a Surly Girly Lipgloss in Derby Girl, also from the Surly collection. Derby Girl is the second shade on the left, pictured above. First off, I love the lipgloss tube. It's cute and I like the SG logo on it. Derby Girl is a semi-sheer gloss that was pinky neutral with a kick! Very wearable, and something you could incorporate into your day-to-night makeup regimen. Definitely hoping to try some of the Girly shades in the future. I liked the feel of the gloss on my lips, very smooth. Each gloss is $14.

I also got to try some Surly Girly Eyeshadow. This time I tried two shades from the Girly collection: Flirt, and Hint of Mischief. Flirt is a very sweet pearly pink color that can be worn night or day, or used on the lid or highlight. Hint of Mischief is a lovely beige color that makes a great lid color. Once again, it's a color that can be worn night or day, as it's very versatile! Each eyeshadow is $9, and comes in either an adorable Surly black container black, or a Girly pink box. Too cute! 

I really like the Surly Girly Cosmetics brand.  Their products are high-quality, affordable, and they offer beautiful colors that offer their consumers a choice. Check out their website and see for yourself! :)

What's Your Virtue?

 

I recently came across this really cute brand called What's Your Virtue? I loved the name of the company and when I found out that they offer a fun line of lipglosses, I knew I had to find out more. What's Your Virtue is a company started by three friends, all of whom believe that true beauty starts from the inside out. They decided that they wanted to offer cosmetics that were inspiring and fun for women/girls of all ages. That's how What's Your Virtue? was born! Tired of seeing beauty products with suggestive names, they wanted to come up with a brand and products that even their teenage daughters could be proud of. That's why all of the What's Your Virtue? glosses each have an inspiring name!

From left to right: Kindness, a pretty peachy color. Generosity, a bronzed color. Wisdom a lovely deep red. Simplicity, a clear gloss for a more natural lip. Devotion, a pretty baby pink. Curiosity a fun vibrant pink. 

I really like these glosses. They come in acute tubes that are packaged in circular plastic containers that look similar to display cases. I also love the inspiration and motto behind this brand. Special thanks to What's Your Virtue? for allowing me to review these glosses for them. I'm smitten! :) You can try your own What's Your Virtue gloss of choice for only $12 a pop over at the What's Your Virtue? online shop.

MAC Dazzleglass swatches + Brigette's Boutique!

 

 

Hey everyone! Long time no post, eh? I've been busy working on some reviews and adjusting to all of the new year stuff that has come along. I wanted to tell you all about this amazing online boutique that I recently stumbled upon. Brigette's Boutique! Brigette's Boutique offers wholesale cosmetics to consumers. Their prices are amazing! They offer fabulous brands such as MAC Cosmetics, Urban Decay, Lancome, Smashbox, Dior and more! I love browsing all of the beauty brands. There are so many great deals! The fabulous folks at Brigette's Boutique were so kind to send me four MAC Dazzleglass glosses to check out. I am so head over heels for these colors! I love MAC, it's one of my fav brands, and I'm a fan of Dazzleglass (Love Alert is one of my fav shades) to begin with, but I was really psyched to try some colors I've never had the chance to check out before.

I was sent: MAC Dazzleglass in Miss Dynamite, Rags to Riches, Money Honey, and Rue D' Rouge. Miss Dynamite is a warm shade with a lot of copper and orange glitter undertones, the actual color of the gloss is semi-sheer, but with all of the glitter, it really makes up for the lack of color in gloss, which actually makes it quite pigmented! Rags to Riches has a silver pink quality that also has a blue/purple opalescence to it. It really "pops" when you apply it to the middle of your lower lip. Money Honey is a neutral pinkish color with a lot of glitter, it's very sparkly and so pretty. You can wear it over a lipstick, but it looks fab on bare lips too. I really like wearing it over a lipstick. Rue D' Rouge is Love Alert's warmer sister. It's a gorgeous pinky red that is highly pigmented, even more so than other Dazzleglasses that I have tried, so you could definitely rock this shade all on it's own. It looks gorgeous over MAC Ruby Woo lipstick too!

Sorry my picture quality is so bad right now! My digital camera seems to be acting up so I had to take these photos on my cell. Please bear with me! Below are swatches of the Dazzleglass colors. From top to bottom: Rue D' Rouge, Money Honey, Miss Dynamite, and Rags to Riches. You can see just how pigmented these colors are! Now that you've seen how pretty the colors are, you might be wondering, how the texture of the gloss feels? The texture of these glosses has the typical Dazzleglass feel, it is sticky and tacky to the touch, but it's not bothersome at all to me. I enjoy the feel on my lips and find that it has staying power. I adore these glosses!

 

Curious to try some of these MAC Dazzleglass glosses for yourself? You can find them all at Brigette's Boutique for $12.50-13.50! Thats a great price since Dazzleglass retails for $18 from MAC. So you're saving a few dollars, which means more cash to spend on *more* makeup! Brigette's Boutique, thank you for your awesome selection and stellar prices. Forget diamonds - *you* are a girl's best friend! ;)

*Special thanks to Brigette's Boutique for sending me these products to review!

Luscious Cosmetics

Luscious Cosmetics Lip Polish & Lip Delites


Lip Polish has nine gorgeous and ultra moisturizing shades to choose from! I love the wear of these, they feel so good on your lips and they smell fantastic! The color is sheer, yet build-able. "Rio" and "Nice" are the two shades I tried. "Rio" reminds me of MAC Lustreglass in "Venetian", it's a very pretty sheer red gloss with golden accents that make your lips look fuller! My lips are already pretty full, but this made them look juicy and plump! "Nice" is a gorgeous pink that warms up your complexion and looks perfect in the day with rosy cheeks and mascara, and complements a smokey eye just as beautifully at night! In my opinion, these lip polishes are a staple for anybody who wants to create a gorgeous "day to night" look!

Lip Delites come in fourteen shades, they apply very sheer and have the prettiest accents in them. "Catalina" has such a gorgeous golden sparkle to it, and these glosses are infused with Maxi-Lip, an ingredient that helps stimulate natural production of collagen in the lips! With regular application (1-2 times a day) for about a month, your lips should look noticeably plumper (about 40%, according to the website)! I haven't stuck with the regular application for a month, but I'll try it out and blog about my results after I finish a month of regular use! However, the plumping properties are only an extra perk...the sheer color and wear of this gloss is impressive enough in my opinion!

check out Luscious Cosmetics!!



-ashley