My Christmas Stash- Product Review

Happy Holidays, everyone! I got some great beauty gifts for Christmas this year and wanted to share them with you. I also gave the makeup studio walls a makeover with my sister-in-law Corine, check them out in the video below! Special shout out to Youtube for always choosing the ugliest photo stills of me for each vid. lol

PRODUCTS

Chantal's Lush Gifts

Comforter Bubble Bar

Blackberry Bath Bomb

Ro's Argan Body Conditioner

Allyson's Gifts

NYX Lip Liners

Urban Decay 24/7 eye liners

Urban Decay Naked Palette

My Purchases

Beauty Blender Sponge

Lise Watier Base Miracle Pore Minimizing Primer

Lush Haul

 Can you tell it was recently my birthday? My sister now works part time at LUSH. My first thought when she got the job was-- HOW LUCKY AM I?! Needless to say, she hooked it up on my birthday, and hasn't stopped hooking it up since. She has TONS of stuff at home that she never uses, and guess who gets to have the unused goodies? ME!! This is just a portion of my Lush goodies, but I thought it was a good place to start. 

This Bubble Bar smells wonderfully clean and turns your water a pale blue. One bar is enough for 3 baths.

Blue Skies & Fluffy White Clouds bubble bar

This solid shampoo smells horrid. I would liken the smell to ear wax and vomit. No joke. I got it because it's supposed to be good for dry, dandruffed scalps and even though it does a decent job, the stench is just too much to bear. Sad story.

Soak and Float Solid Shampoo

This lip scrub is the bomb dot com. Plus it tastes great. I use it nightly after I brush my teeth. Rinse off the product, then apply lip balm and I wake up with soft lips.

Bubble Gum Lip Scrub

This foot lotion smells like peppermint and really relieves tired, aching feet. My boyfriend was hesitant of the pink color, but he loves this stuff.

Fair Trade Foot Lotion

This hair styling cream (not yet out in stores) promises great hold for those who want "a sleek wet look" Since I don't want my long hair to look "wet," I gave this to my boyfriend, and he uses it daily. He is happy to report that it does the trick. A little bit goes a long way and the hold lasts all day. So, if the man in your life is looking for a new styling product for his short hair, drag him into your local Lush store stat. Lush is coming out with a whole line of "Dirty" items, can't wait to try the soaps! Side Note: I am ADDICTED to the smell of this! It's so amazingly refreshing and woodsy. I can't stop following Dylan around sniffing his head lol.

Dirty Hair Styling Cream

This Colour Supplement is Lush's answer to tinted moisturizer. This particular color is too light for me, so I'm saving it for a pale customer/friend who would like to try it.

Jackie Oates Colour Supplement

This Cleanser is more of a scrub. GREAT for oily skin! I just dampen my skin with warm water, the take one or two of the crumbles you see in my hand there and mix it with water. It turns into a thick, scrubby paste that I rub all over my face and let sit for about 2 minutes. It does a great job exfoliating, and smells like licorice. Word of advice: if you have sensitive skin, stay away from this type of product.

Dark Angels Cleanser

 This soap smells like apple and spearmint and leaves a cooling feeling on your skin. I love using this with a loofah in the shower after a sweaty gym session. Great way to wake up in the A.M., too!

Demon in the Dark Soap

 I'm ashamed to say I haven't tried this mask yet (Chantal gave me 2 fresh-made Lush masks that go bad if you don't use them in a certain amount of time, so I've been busy using those first). Apparently you can use this on your whole body (backne, anyone?) and has loads of kale in it.

Mask of Magnaminty Face

This bath bomb smells like a citrus-y sherbet. Here, I've cut it in half so I can use it for two baths, instead of just one. It melts into a foamy, marshmallowy goo and turns your water a variety of colors. The center has gold shimmer, and it's sooooo pretty in the water!

Dragon's Egg Bath Bomb

This stuff is pretty rad. It's a mask that you must keep in the refrigerator and will last you about 5-6 times. Due to the fact that it's perishable, Lush does not sell these online. The presentation of these masks in the stores are so fun. Usually, they are in metal bowls in a bed of ice, surrounded by real berries, vegetables, nuts and whatever else they have used to make them. I like to think of Love Lettuce as a "beginner mask." It's great on all skin types, with it's soft little beads to gently exfoliate. The clay in the mask dries down after about 10 minutes, removing all the impurities. Leaves no redness behind.

Love Lettuce fresh mask (in store only)

This new hand lotion has got to be the cutest thing I've ever seen. In the shape of a hand, and smells like Marigold and Vanilla. You can already see in the photo that it melted a bit onto my hand. That's basically how it works: you hold it for a few seconds, then rub whatever's melted off all over your hands (and feet if you like). No plastic bottle to throw away when it's done, either.

Tiny Hands Hand Lotion

This bath bomb is one of my all time favorites. It fizzes and crackles to life in the tub. It smells like...spring. And the sea salt helps your skin glow.

Sakura Bath Bomb

Lady C's Skin Must Haves

Welcome to Part II of the Four Part series for Lady C's Must Haves! Below are the products I use almost daily on my skin.

Crest Extra White with Scope Outlast - Ok, I know this isn't technically a skin product, but I love it so much I had to mention it first. You know those toothpaste commercials where the people go about their day smiling and "feeling fresh all day long?" This toothpaste gives you that fresh feeling for at least 3 hours. NO KIDDING. If I could give one product to each American, it would be this hands down. I give it two Blackberry Messenger thumbs up! Oh if everyone could have fresh, minty breath!

Purity Face Cleanser- I buy this in bulk from Philosophy's website. I have the 32 oz. bottle with a pump sitting in my shower as we speak. Its mild formula is wonderful for all skin types and still strong enough to remove makeup. A quarter-size amount does the trick. I use it every night in the shower (the hot water opens up your pores and allows for all the dirt/oils to come out easier.)

Fresh Sugar Face Polish -- Two words: Ob.Sessed. Okay, one word. But still. The wild strawberries and brown sugar make this smell --and I'll admit-- taste yummy. The grainy texture really polishes the skin without feeling rough.
Rub Rub Rub -- with citruses like lemons and orange, floral components like Jasmine and sea salt, this body scrub doesn't mess around. I stir it up to mix the salts at the bottom and dab a dollar coin-size amount on my loofah and scrub-rub-rub away about once a week. This is great to polish your skin and get it ready for any self-tanners you may use.

Neutrogena Micromist Sunless Tanner- I lightly mist myself with this after rubbing in some of Loreal's Sublime Bronze tanner into my skin. I like the combination of using a gel tanner, then misting with this spray tanner to get overall coverage and a deep, glowy, natural color.

Loreal Sublime Bronze Clear Self-Tanning Gel - I wasn't the biggest fan of the Sublime Bronze line of tanners from Loreal. Most of them left me glittery- getting sparkles all over  my clothes- and splotchy. Worst of all, my skin looked patchy as it wore off. HOWEVER, the GEL product is great. The light clear formula dissolves into your skin and mixed with the Neutrogena mist above, gives great color payoff, without getting splotchy or patchy.

Victoria's Secret Heavenly Mist- I have really bad allergies, and I usually wake up feeling pretty nauseaus so I stay away from heady, strong perfume. I love the Heavenly body spray-- call me old school, but it does the trick and the scent is, well.... heavenly. The boyfriend likes it too.

Bubble gum Lip Scrub-- Any flavor of Lush's lip scrubs do the trick. It's got jojoba oil and castor sugar, so it's not honey-like or sticky. I stand over the sink after I brush my teeth at night, and crumble the little crystals all over my lips. I wash the extra off and dab on my lip balm, which is coming up...right below.

Fresh Lip Balm -- This product is so worth the $22. I have the clear one for night time and the Plum shade for day that I wear under my gloss.

Creme de la Mer -- I don't want anyone thinking I'm a big spender here, because I'm living off of a sample of this stuff lol. In a perfect world, Creme de La Mer face cream would cost $10 a jar, and I would slather it all my body. *Sigh

When Hope is not Enough Serum  -- Can't get enough of this anti-aging serum! I squeeze two drops onto my fingers and pat it onto my skin like I'm playing the piano. Safe to use around the delicate eye area. I top off with a moisturizer like Creme de La Mer or Philosophy's own Hope cream.

St. Ives Replenishing Mineral Therapy -- This is a great basic lotion for hands, feet and all over. I particularly love the smell...it smells like a soapy rain forest, if you can imagine that. It's one that the boyfriend and I share, so I call the scent "man-friendly."

Lady C's Hair Care Must Haves

This is Part 1 in a four part series! Many of you ask me what  kind of beauty products I use across the board (not just makeup) so let's start with my hair must-haves.

Side Note: I've decided to stop dying my hair, especially since I've basically been dying it the color that grows out of my head (pointless.) I want to enjoy my natural color before the grays start kicking in! I've got millions of products I receive from people and try, but I've decided to stick to the ones mentioned below as I use them almost everyday.

SHAMPOO- Lush's Karma Komba Solid Shampoo: This stuff is amaze-balls. A couple of swipes on your hair is all you need to lather up to a bubbly full foam. It smells absolutely divine, and the delicious-ness lasts the whole day. Made with all natural ingredients, I actually bathed my doggy with this the other night, and he smells like the rainforest now. I also noticed he isn't scratching like he used to, which leads me to believe this has softened his dry, itchy skin.

SHAMPOO Option 2- Head and Shoulders: I have the worst itchy, flaky scalp ever known to mankind, and I simply adore the Dry Scalp Care line. I use this about once a week to keep my dome in check.

CONDITIONER- Loreal Eversleek Sulfate-Free Conditioner: I use the "Smooth" collection, and it keeps my hair shiny and bouncy, without extra chemicals. I also use conditioner to shave my legs! I just smooth on a thin, filmy amount all over and WHAT A DIFFERENCE. You get a smoother, closer shave and your legs are softer than a down comforter afterward. I haven't used shaving cream in years.

MOUSSE- Goldwell Flexi-Whip: This has a flexible hold, so I can still whip my long Armenian hair back and forth without losing style or volume.

SHINE SERUM- Joico Shine Serum: One tiny pump into my fingers and I smooth it over the ends of my hair to lock in the moisture and pump up the shizzine

HAIRSPRAY- Elnett Hairspray by Loreal: I really only use this when I'm curling my hair or pulling it into a high ponytail and need to control the flyaways. But it's pretty amazing for the price.

HAIR THICKENER- Kerastase Lipo Recharge: Don't worry. Just because there's "lipo" in the word doesn't mean this product is fattening. Back in January, my mom kindly pointed out the fact that the hair around my forehead is thinning due to the fact that I used to bleach my bangs white-blonde years ago (don't ask). She handed me these cute little bottles. I apply a few drops to the parts that are thinning and there is major improvement. Just be sure to wash your hands afterward (I'm always afraid hair will grow on my fingers if I don't, haha). If you have hair that is falling out, or thinning due to hormones -or like me, damage- I highly recommend this stuff! Totally worth the price.

ROUND BRUSH- I have a simple, big wooden round brush with boar's hair bristles for blow-outs. What's great about this kind of brush is that there is no metal on it, so it doesn't overheat and damage your hair. The boar's hair bristles distribute your scalp's natural oils evenly so you end your blow-drying session with Pantene Pro-V commercial-worthy, shiny-smooth hair.

I think I have a problem...

A LUSH problem! Their holiday stuff is out. Here's what I got:

• Holiday Bath Time Favorites tin, which features 9 baby bath bombs: Butter Ball, Winter Bath, Sex Bomb, Avobath, Honey Bee, Big Blue, Cinders, Li'l Lush Pud, So White. Trust me, it's a better deal.

• Candy Cane Bubble Bar (left)
• Christmas Eve Bubble Bar (purple with the moon)
• Gingerbread House (cupcake lookin')
• *Not pictured: Rub Rub, a tub of ocean-scented body scrub. 

May I suggest Cinders bath bomb and a touch of Gingerbread House? It was honestly the most scrumptious bath I've ever taken. Not too sweet and just spicy enough. MMMmmmm I love the holidays!

LUSH at Universal

Ok, I have finally jumped on the LUSH train. Why did I ever go to Bath and Body Works or Body Shop?! Not only does this company have amazing products, but they use all vegan, organic and animal byproduct-free  ingredients. I think we all sometimes forget how incredibly important it is that we pay attention to what goes on our skin, and how it's our responsibility to keep products as natural and as cruelty-free as possible. Below are descriptions of each product I purchased after going crazy at the Universal City Walk store in L.A.

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Big Blue Bath Bomb (top left): Atlantic sea salt crystals, seaweed,  lavender and lime. Apparently it also turns your water BLUE!

The Comforter Bubble Bar (top middle): Blackcurrant fragrance. This one is big enough to be broken in half for two baths.

Flosty Gritter Bubble Bar (top right): Swirls of glitter,  pink sparkles and fluffy white bubbles. Vanilla with lavender.

Sultana Soap (bottom left): Olibanum and bergamot oils. Topped with dried apricots, dried currants and dried cranberries. I rub this on my loofah and might I say I don't even need lotion when I get out of the shower!

Alkmaar Soap (bottom right): Jasmine and Honeysuckle, can't wait to try it!