Saturday, April 24, 2010

LUSH HAUL!!

Yay! So today I finally got to go to LUSH! Man, I just love it there. I find the sales girls to be a tad pushy...not to make me buy things but just try things and smell different scents. Some of the smells make me nauseous and are too strong in my opinion, but some smells there are amazing. Its not too bad, it can just be a little overwhelming.
The best part about LUSH is that you get to try free samples of anything, in store or take home.

They are having an event this Friday, I think I might go :) My reward to myself after this loooong semester. You get a free goodie bag too!

Look for a review on these products soon, after I've had the chance to try them out. These are just pictures and first thoughts! www.lushusa.com

The first thing I was anxious to pick up at LUSH was the new lip scrubs. I usually make one out of sugar, olive oil and an essential oil, like orange. My homemade one works all right but I don't feel that it makes my lips that soft. It is also very gritty and abraisive. This Bubblegum Lip Scrub was a little pricey at $8.95 for a little glass jar but I believe it was worth it. My boyfriend and I both tried it at the store and it was delicious. Did I mention you can eat it? Yes! Totally edible. It actually does taste like bubblegum and it made both of our lips supple and soft. They had 2 other flavors, Minut Julep and Sweet Lips which smelled like brown sugar. All three were yummy but we had to practice self control. 












The next thing we bought wasn't for me at all! My boyfriend really wanted this soap (shh...he likes LUSH as much as I do) because he's a definite mint fan and this smells like mouthwash to me! Its called Demon in the Dark. Its not a bad smell but its not for me. As a body soap anyway. The sales girl, Amy, told us that depending on your body temperature, the soap will either heat you up or cool you down so that will be interesting to try.  The soap is dark green with yellow and black swirls. It was $37.80/lb but we only bought a $5.48 chunk of it. That's one thing I love about LUSH, you can ask them to cut you any $$ amount of soap. Its nice to be able to choose how much you want to buy.













The next soap was one I fell in love with. I've never heard of it before but Amy told me if I love Rockstar soap-like scents, I'd love Godmother Soap. And I do. It smells so yummy I want to bite it. Kind of like a berry scented candle melt. Or jello when its still in liquid form. Its hard to describe but its definitely a sweet fruity type smell. This one was $27.00/lb and I bought a $6.35 chunk. I cannot wait to use it!


The next thing was a repurchase of mine. I'd buy these a million more times. This pink egg is a bath bomb, a Fluff Egg Bath Bomb to be exact.You run your bath, drop it in and it goes to town fizzing away. It turns the water hot pink and smells amazing. A little like the Creamy Candy Bubble Bar-again, candy sweet scent. This is a limited edition bath bomb for spring and there were only 3 left at my LUSH store. :( I didn't check the LUSH inside my Macy's but I should have gotten more!!


Ahh...where to start?? This little box is chock full of goodies that make me want to take a shower right now so I can try each and every one of them out. This Naked Kit is completely vegan and preservative free. The Naked Kit contains mini or full versions of all these products:


Sexy Peel Soap
The website says: "Our delecatable lemon and lime marmelade soap with just a touch of sex appeal." It smells exactly like the Each Peach Massage Bar to me and I love love love that! I think these citrus-y scents are great for summer.






Therapy Massage Bar
This one smells ok. It has lavendar and cocoa butter and smells a little like chocolate. Very moisturizing!!












Fresh Farmacy Cleanser
This soap doesn't really have a smell. Its infused with chamomile so it reduces redness which is wonderful for me. I had the choice of either this facial cleanser or the Coalface Cleanser and I chose the Fresh Farmacy because I felt it would be more gentle on my skin.









Tea Tree Toner Tab
I got a choice of four toner tabs. I chose the Tea Tree one because its good for oily skin but it also won't be too drying...sounds good to me! With these, you put hot water in a bowl, drop the toner tab in and lean over the bowl with a towel over your head to create an in-home facial! I love that you can put that water in a spray bottle and use it as a toner after too!!








Buffy Body Bar
I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about this product so I was anxious to try it. It was just a bonus it was included in the Naked Kit! This bar is an exfoliator and also is supposed to moisturize your skin, Amy washed my hand with this and it was a little rough on the top of my hand but my arm was ok. It did make my hand super smooth though! Too rough to use anywhere above the neck. I think my boyfriend was more excited about this one than I was!







And the last product...
Squeaky Clean Solid Shampoo
I can't describe the smell of this but its in the "fresh smelling" family. You wouldn't think a solid disc that looks like hamster food would lather up but it was like magic. When wet, this looks exactly like a liquid shampoo...I just hope it works like one!








I hope you guys enjoyed this at least half as much as I did! I'll review these products shortly. Any questions...leave them in the comments!! Thanks for reading!

Liz





FTC Disclaimer: I purchased all of these products with my own money and am in no way affiliated with Lush Cosmetics.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Shimmering Bronze Look

Here is a bronze shimmery summer look I created today! I hope you guys like it!! :)


Tuesday, April 20, 2010

20 Random Questions

I thought I'd do a quick tag post before I hit the hay and get ready for a super busy day tomorrow...I don't want to neglect this blog :)

1.Thing you cannot leave the house without
I'd have to say my keys. I have a key for my house, my mom's house, my dad's house and my car. I think that's all I need. I usually have my cell phone but I've left it at home and been fine without it. Maybe once or twice. ha!



2.Favorite brand of makeup
Now that's a hard question. I really can't say. I love certain things from certain brands. I love MAC eyeshadow. I love Urban Decay Primer Potion. I love Revlon foundation. I love maybelline lipgloss. So that's hard. I love it all!


3.Favorite Flowers
My favorite flower would have to be a peony, hydrangea or dahlia. I like big flowers that smell amazing. I also love lilacs :) Who am I kidding? I love all flowers.
4.Fav clothing stores
I love Old Navy and Target. They have cute, affordable clothes that fit a lot of different bodies.

5.Fav perfume
My favorite perfume right now is Vera Wang Princess. It smells girly but not overpowering. I never get sick of it.


6.Heels or flats
I love a nice pair of heels. Not comfortable, of course but they make your legs look great and you just feel sexier in them. Especially if they're tall, pointy or animal print.


7.Do you make good grades?
I've always made decent grades. A's or B's...but this semester I'm [almost done with] Accounting and Economics so...


8.Fav colors?
Pink! I hated that color until I was 19 years old.
9.Do you drink energy drinks?
No! They make my heart hurt and it's not good for my already high anxiety.


10.Do you drink juice?
Yeah I like almost all juice. Except orange and grapefruit. Yuck.


11.Do you like swimming?
I love swimming! One of my favorite things to do in the summer is go to Tennessee to visit my family and swim at the lake.


12.Do you eat fries with a fork?
Only chili cheese fries


13.Whats your fav moisturizer?
For my hands and body I love any St. Ive's lotion. They are thick and hydrating.


14.Do you want to get married later on in life?
Yes of course I do!


15.Do you get mad easily?
I wouldn't say mad but I get annoyed very easily.


16.Are you into ghost hunting?
Ha! Now that's funny. There's a ghost in my house so I try not to make it mad.


17.Any phobias?
I hate spiders and roller coasters. The older I get, the more afraid of heights and speed I become.


18.Do you bite your nails?
Nope.


19.Have you ever had a near death experience?
I was in a pretty bad car accident a few years ago. Luckily my sister and I were ok.


20.Do you drink coffee?
Once in a while. I don't like what it does to my body but if I get decaf its ok. I love the taste especially with vanilla creamer :)

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Product Review/Rave!

I have been trying/buying Wet n Wild makeup since I started having an interest in makeup. They were never my favorite brand, not even out of the drugstore brands, but they claimed a lot of my "go-to" products over the years. If I needed an inexpensive eyeliner or nail polish, Wet n Wild was definitely the brand I checked into first.
But lately, I started noticing small changes in Wet n Wild displays. They have come out with a "natural" paraben-free line of face products, new lip glosses and new eye shadow palettes. I recently saw EmilyNoel83 and VintageorTacky on YouTube reviewing some of the new Wet n Wild Color Icon Palettes. These are so cute, they have a lot of good color choices. There are only four palettes but so far they are each named after one of the seven deadly sins.
The palette I bought was Lust. Its not a color palette I would normally pick out for myself, I'm more of a neutral girl, but for some reason, it stood out to me. I've been very into purples lately, and after buying the Maybelline Eye Studio palettes in Purple Icon, I wanted to try a more warm toned purple.

After trying this palette, all I can say is "wow."
These shadows are so extremely pigmented. Almost to the point where you have to be careful when you apply them because so much product sticks to the brush. Each palette comes with six colors and three of them are matte and three are either shimmery or sparkley. In this particular palette there is a mauve-light pink matte shade, a white sparkley shade, a medium warm matte raisin, a dark black-ish purple with glitter, a dark purple matte and a shimmering charcoal grey. They are all beautiful. This specific palette is so versatile. It's very easy to create multiple day time looks (which I did today-and got a complement on...thanks Jen!) or very dramatic night looks. I can't wait until my makeup ban is over so I can get the other three palettes.




Skin and paper swatches

Day time eye look using the three matte shades plus white sparkley shade for highlight.


I give this palette an A+! :)

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Nail Polish HAUL!!

So just because I'm not allowed to buy makeup doesn't mean I'm not allowed to buy nail polish! I went to Walgreens specifically to buy some new Sinful Colors nail polishes and that's exactly what I did. Well that, and the 3 Sally Hansen nail polishes, makeup remover, qtips, epsom salt and endless amounts of clearance Easter candy. $0.37 for a package of peeps? Sold.

The new "trends" with nail polish this spring/summer season seems to be either pastels or glitter. Both are fine with me. The glitter colors brought me back to elementary school when my best friend Lindsay and I looked at painting nails as a daily hobby. Some of the colors I bought today really impressed me, some fell a little flat :( But I'm not going to let myself be dissapointed yet, I have a bunch of different ideas to try with them over the weekend!




As you can see, I was in the mood for a good pink or purple polish. :) From right to left: Sally Hansen Xtreme wear in #33 Pacific Blue, Sinful Colors #922 Frenzy, Sinful Colors #930 I Miss You, Sinful Colors #102 Purple Diamond, Sinful Colors #830 Pinky Glitter, Sally Hansen Xtreme wear #38 Bubblegum Pink, Sally Hansen Xtreme wear #11 Strobe Light and Sinful Colors #376 Glass Pink.

All of these swatches are taken over OPI Start to Finish Base and Top Coat and the camera flash on.


Sally Hansen Xtreme wear #33 Pacific Blue
This color looks a little too blue on camera. It's more periwinkle in person.
(1 coat!!)

Sinful Colors #922 Frenzy
I had to do 3 coats of this color just to get this amount of glitter to show up on my nails. The glitter is pretty though, multi-colored. I think I'm going to try it over a purple polish.

Sinful Colors #930 I Miss You
I had the same "problem" with this color, expected though, these are basically a glittery top coat. Still beautiful over the right color.

Sinful Colors #102 Purple Diamond
This was one of my favorite colors I bought today! It's a soft shimmering purple. This one has super fine silver glitter in it, it's not as opaque as I thought it would be.

Sinful Colors #830 Pinky Glitter
This one had the most diverse glitter in it. Different shaped pieces of glitter and all opalescent shades of pink. I like this one even on it's own.

Sally Hansen Xtreme wear #38 Bubblegum Pink
I have to confess, this color is not completely new. I bought it a few months ago but had yet to review it. LOVE IT! It is exactly bubblegum pink. Only need one coat too. So cute for spring time anytime!

Sally Hansen Xtreme wear #11 Strobe Light
This color was extremely close to the Sinful Colors #930 I Miss You. Again, would be better over an opaque pink or purple. Or even black, maybe in the fall :)

Sinful Colors #376 Glass Pink
This color is cute. It's not the traditional pale pink because it has some of that super fine glitter in it. The glitter shows up a little more in this one than in Purple Diamond, probably because it's lighter. This is the color I ended up painting my nails for the week. (maybe because it is the last one I swatched?) It's not too eye catching but not too dull either.

All of the glitter colors I tried were a bit difficult to remove. I removed the polish while it was still semi-wet so that wasn't a problem, but the individual chunks of glitter got all over my fingers. I guess I should've expected that with glitter nail polish though, not a huge deal.

Little side note: the Yes to Carrots C me Smile Lip Butters are on clearance at Walgreens right now. They have the Citrus and Melon kinds. Usually when I buy something on clearance, there's a reason why it was marked down. But so far so good with these Lip Butters, they are yummy and moisturizing! Makes me think I'd like more Yes to products? Any recommendations? Comment below!


Thanks for reading!



Sunday, April 4, 2010

Easy spring-time look without liner! :)

First toot! Yay!

Here we go...first step. You want to apply concealer under your eye to cover any dark circles. Here I'm using Clinique Advanced Concealer. Gently dot it onto your eye and pat in using your ring finger.
 









Next, apply a primer to make your shadow last longer and help to prevent creasing. Use your favorite skin tone primer for this look, I'm going to be using Urban Decay Primer Potion.
Make sure to apply it all over your eye lid up to your brow bone as well as along your lower lash line.





Now we're going to use a warm neutral color all over the lid using a flat shader brush. I'm using Truffle by Ulta.
Then, using a small crease brush (mine is from Studio Tools at Target), place a medium brown in the crease. I'll be using MAC's Satin Taupe.

Now it's time to blend. I like to take a shade that is inbetween the lid and crease color to blend them seamlessly together using a fluffy brush. I'm going to be using Private Beach by Victoria's Secret.

Then, apply a highlight color. I love using my Coastal Scents 88 Warm Palette for that. I'll be using the light yellow color 4th column from the left, 3rd row down.

To apply highlight to the inner corner with the same color, I use a lip brush from ELF because it fits perfectly.




Now the fun part! Take an angled eyeliner brush, like this one from Sonia Kashuk.





Spray the brush lightly with MAC Fix + and dab it on to your favorite brightly colored eyeshadow. Some people say this ruins the eyeshadow (though, not in my opinion) so try to use one that you don't normally use dry. I'm using the Coastal Scents 88 Color Palette because there are so many good choices. I chose a turquoise blue color.

Now, I have seen some YT gurus doing this look recently. I have been using a bright eyeshadow as a liner on the top lid for years and I thought this was perfect for spring so it's definitely an inspired look. 
Take the angled brush, starting in the center of your lower lash line and pat the shadow on to create a line. Run the line from your outer corner and stop it where your inner corner starts. Remember to spray the brush again before doing the other eye, it will make a big difference!
Apply a double coat of your favorite mascara on the top and bottom lashes and you're good to go! Beautiful! :)

Final look with NYX blush in Natural, MAC MSF in Perfect Topping, Viva Glam Gaga lipstick and Little Vi gloss...don't mind  puffy yellow cheek, still swollen from a wisdom tooth removal! :) Comment below!