Sunday, February 28, 2010

Product of the Week: Lush's Candy Fluff Dusting Powder ♥

Last time i went into Lush, the lady that was helping me showed me this product.  It was on my wishlist, but i didn't think of buying it at that time.  Well, i did anyway :)
The product is Candy Fluff Dusting Powder.  Dusting powders are like baby powders, but with a better scent, so any way you would use a baby powder is how you could use a dusting powder.



Scent: Candy Fluff is an amazing sweet, candy/bubblegummy scent.  It's sooo wonderful & whenever i smell it i can't help but smile!  If you like the scent of Rock Star, Snow Fairy (review HERE), or Creamy Candy bubble bar (review HERE), i'm certain you'll love this.
Texture: This powder is pretty finely milled, so it blends into the skin really nicely
Durability: This scent lingers for SUCH a long time!  I shower at night and put this onto my body & when i wake up in the morning, i can still smell it :)  It lasts all day as well
Glitter: There are tiny bits of glitter mixed in & it's noticeable on the skin.  I would say if you work at an office job or something that is a bit more serious, or you're older, you wouldn't want to wear this, but if you don't work at that type of job or you're going out at night or something, it's awesome!
Packaging: I've heard of people having problems with the packaging causing a bit of a mess, but i haven't really had that problem!  I shake a bit into my hand & then use it however.  One the top, there's a sifter on one side & a wide hole on the other side, so you can choose which side you'd like to use
Price: Candy Fluff is $11.25 or £6.10 & that's seriously a wonderful value :)



Uses:
♥ after showering & applying lotion, rub this into your skin
♥ after styling my hair, i sometimes dust a little bit of this on, it makes it smell amazing
♥ if you have greasier hair & you don't feel like showering, you can rub a bit of this into your scalp & it'll help to soak up some of the grease & leave your hair smelling delicious
♥ i haven't tried this yet but i read that you can dust a bit of this into your underwear drawer, or on your bedsheets, & such!


Overall
I'm definately going to be repurchasing this product again, and again, and again...xx
I recommend Candy Fluff Dusting Powder to anyone that loves sweet, candy scents :)

5/5

Don't know how to take a proper Lush bath?  HERE's my recipe for a perfect Lush bath :)


Saturday, February 27, 2010

NOTW: Switching it up a bit :)

top - with flash
bottom - without flash
sorry for the messy-ness :)

Instead of reaching for OPI's Got a Date To-Knight, (a light pink, girly color) like i always do, i decided to go for something a bit different.  I landed on Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Blue Me Away.  My sister bought this polish a long time ago & i hadn't tried it before today.

I hate to sound a bit cheesy, but i was really blown away with this product!

This is one coat.  ONE COAT!  It was a bit gooey going on, but it was really easy to neaten it up.  I always have a problem with waiting for nail polishes to dry, especially with OPI.  The nail polish will be 'dry' but it'll still be tacky and i'll always end up getting a dent from nicking them, getting fingerprints on them from testing to see if they're dry, or getting 4302 lines in them from going to bed with them still tacky!  This product was un-tacky within one hour!  For me, that's amazing.

Next time i go to Wal-Mart i'll have to have a look at these.  I'm really curious to try out other colors from this line :)

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Lush Review: The Godmother Soap


I got a big chunk of Lush's The Godmother soap in a recent haul & after using it for about a week, i decided to do a review :)
The Godmother soap is marketed as more of a hand soap, but it can be used as a body soap, and that's what i use it as because i prefer anti-bacterial soap for my hands.

First of all, the scent..it smells exactly like Snow Fairy Shower Gel from the Christmas collection..SO DELICIOUS!  I smelled them side by side & they do smell exactly the same, but if you are feeling very particular, i suppose you could say Snow Fairy is a tad bit sweeter than The Godmother, although TG is still very sweet.
You may be wondering why i bought The Godmother if i already had Snow Fairy, if you read my post on Snow Fairy, you'll find out link HERE.

If you've ever used a Lush soap before, you'll probably agree that the scent doesn't linger for very long on your skin, but it is a really nice aromatherapy while you're washing with it.  Although The Godmother isn't any different, i do still like this soap.

I found that compared to Rock Star (my favorite Lush soap :), The Godmother isn't very moisturizing.  Rock Star is quite moisturizing and leaves my skin feeling soft & moisturized (let's count how many times i say "moisture" in different forms ;).  That's really the only downside to this product.

The Godmother i find lathers very well & you can get many uses out of one bar.

I would reccomend this product to anyone who loves Snow Fairy but can't wait till Christmas-time, and also to anyone that likes Rock Star but doesn't want to scoop the extra couple $$$.
(Rock Star is $7.95 per 3.5 oz [£2.90 /100g], The Godmother is $5.95 [£2.65 /100g]).

Overall:
3/5 & i will most likely be repurchasing Rock Star before i repurchase The Godmother, just because it leaves my skin feeling more moisturized :)


Don't know how to take a proper Lush bath?  HERE's my recipe for the perfect Lush bath :)

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Lush Review: Butterball Bath Bomb



I purchased the Buttercup gift set from Lush, & this bath bomb, along with the famous Honey, I Washed the Kids soap was included :).  For good measure, i'll tell you that this is the second bath bomb i have ever tried, Jacko being the first.

I absolutely adore Butterball & much prefer it over Jacko (although Jacko smells amazing).  At first i really didn't like the scent, but as all Lush scents seem to do, it grew on me & especially during the bath it was very relaxing.
So after i filled the tub, i hopped in it (well, carefully stepped in :) & dropped this wee ballistic into the bath.  Before it even disolved completely, my skin felt softer & my jaw dropped!  I knew this bath bomb was moisturizing, but it was even better than i imagined.
(PS: the reason the bomb makes your skin so soft is because cocoa butter is one of the ingredients :)

I'm not a big bath bomb girl, i love bubbles :D, but i would definately reccomend this product to you lovelies & repurchase it for myself again and again.

The Buttercup gift is $9.95 (£6.95) & Butterball individually is $4.85 (£2.25).

Overall:
4.5/5

Don't know how to take a proper Lush bath?  HERE's my recipe for a perfect Lush bath :)


Saturday, February 13, 2010

Valentine's Day Treats to Myself :)

Today i went shopping with my mama & one of my sisters and we did some serious damage (my wallet totally hates me this week).  This post will just be about the lovely cosmetic things i purchased, clothes will be in a later post :)
My excuse to spend so much money?  A Valentine's Day treat to myself ♥
(PS i'm excited for my date with Ben & Jerry tonight ;)

First i stopped off at Lush & actually ended up buying more than i intended...isn't that how it always is?
I got a piece of The Godmother soap which smells exactly like Snow Fairy!
I also got Candy Fluff dusting powder (mmmmmmm!) & the Buttercup gift set, which i am soo excited to use :)


The Buttercup gift set contains:

♥ a Butterball Bath Bomb
♥ a mini slice of Honey, I Washed the Kids Soap
♥ a card with an explanation of the products (not pictured)
♥ a 15% off card (which i totally wasn't expecting :)

The $9.72 chunk of The Godmother soap i got - pretty decent size!

I got 2 things from MAC & the lady working at the counter was kind enough to give me a sample :)

♥ Studio Finish concealer in NW15 (embrace the pale!)
♥ Matte - yes, that's what it's called, but it's a basically a primer
♥ sample of Prep + Prime Face Protect SPF 50

At the Clinique counter, my sister got a skincare kit & i got makeup remover (that big purple bottle in the picture above).  Right now there's a promotion going on that when you spend a certain amount of money you get this really cute gift - a makeup bag containing:

♥ sample of Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 in "Kissyfit"
♥ sample of  High Impact mascara (review HERE)
♥ sample of Liquid Facial Soap Mild
♥ sample of All About Eyes eye cream
♥ little angled face brush
♥ blush in "New Clover" (with such cute packaging!)
♥ lipstick in "Pink Spice" (i think..)
♥ a really cute floral makeup bag :)

I have two of these gift bags from two different shopping trips, so i gave my mom the things i already had :)


Hope you all have a lovely Valentine's Day, single or taken :)
Expect reviews on the MAC & Lush goodies!!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Perfume Collection & Storage ♥

Welcome to my perfumery!  ♥
In this post i'll be showing you lovelies my fragrance collection, with a brief description of each perfume, & how i store it all.
It's by no means a huge collection, but i like it, & i think that's all that matters :)
I simply keep of my perfumes all on top of my (super crowded) bookshelf.
I like to have them on display because it's easy to see them all when i'm in a rush, & of course it looks pretty :)

PS - on the right there's a gold frame (from Goodwill) with a collage i made, & on the right, a photo of Elvis my sister got in London - i added these to make the space look even prettier

Back row, left to right:

Bath & Body Works "Fresh Cucumber" Body Splash
I got this stuff a couple years ago for free when i was shopping with my mom.  It smells fresh & clean, but i don't wear it that much as it doesn't last that long.  I'm also more into feminine & sweet scents than fresh & clean (which you'll notice as you read this post :).  I'll probably end up putting this in my gym locker.

Victoria's Secret "Amber Romance" Silkening Body Mist
This scent is very sweet & very feminine.  I like it, but too much of it can give me a headache.  I got this a while ago (brings back memories whenever i smell it!), but i believe Victoria's Secret still sells it, just in different packaging.

Victoria's Secret "Blossoming Romance" Refreshing Body Mist
I got this as a gift a couple years ago (i see a pattern here lol).  It's not my favorite, but if i'm at home & feel like i smell bad, i'll just spray it.  Mainly just to use it up...haha.


Middle row, left to right:

Romance by Ralph Lauren
This stuff is sooo old.  I got it from my sister, Samantha, & although it's a decent scent, i don't wear it all that much, because i prefer to wear my favorites.

Princess by Vera Wang
I'm sure you've all heard of it because it's very popular - & with good reason!  This scent is probably my favorite that i own.  I got it for my birthday last March & i was trying to preserve it for the longest time, now i use it almost everyday!  It's so feminine & sweet, it really does make me feel like a princess :)

Parisienne by Yves Saint Laurent
This is the newest fragrance that i own, & also one of my favorites - although if i had to choose between Parisienne and Princess, i would probably choose Princess.  This is still soo delicious!  When you first spray it, it kind of smells like "cheap" perfume, but it turns into this really sophisticated & feminine smell and it's amazing!


Bottom row:
This are all samples that i got from Boston Store or Sephora - i have 3 Ralph by Ralph Lauren, 1 Hypnôse by Lancôme, 1 Diamonds by Emporio Armani, & 1 Kim Kardashian by Kim Kardashian.


What are your favorite perfumes?

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Lush Review: The Comforter Solid Perfume


As you may have seen in a previous post, i went into Lush the other day & picked this up after just taking one whiff of it.  Mistake!  I thought i'd make a quick post on it because i wanted to inform you all on this :)

Like a majority of Lushies, i LOVE The Comforter Bubble Bar & when i heard that was a solid perfume of the scent, i was ecstatic!  So i went into the store & took one little sniff.  It smelled exactly like the bubble bar (at first), so i bought it.

When i was in the car on the way home, i smelled it again & was like, oh goodness, this doesn't smell like the bubble bar all at, but more like wax.
I then went home, same thing.  I've been smelling it occasionally everyday, hoping it will magically change into the scent i know & love.  It no longer smells like wax to me, but it still doesn't smell like the bubble bar.  I honestly don't even like the scent.

I really, really wanted to like this scent, but i just couldn't.  On the positive side, i've heard many good things about the other solid perfumes & i'm willing to try those out.

Overall, i will not be repurchasing this product, i actually ended up returning it :O
Have you lovelies tried out any of the solid perfumes?

Friday, February 5, 2010

Review: Urban Decay's Alice In Wonderland Book of Shadows

I'm sure you've heard SOO much hype about this product, & if you've had enough, i'm sorry. I just wanted to share with you guys my view on it!
Time to reveal what was in the box! I hope you guessed right, though i did give quite the subtle hint ;)
As you saw from the title, i got Urban Decay's Alice In Wonderland Book of Shadows!!!!

I also recieved some fragrance samples - Ralph by Ralph Lauren, Be Delicious & Red Delicious by DKNY, & Kim Kardashian's new perfume, Kim Kardashian (great name right....).
Oh just a quick note, i sprayed Kim Kardashian & at first i liked it, but after a couple seconds it smell like straight up public restroom o_o

Oh...look!  :D
I have to say, i really don't like the excess packaging Sephora uses.  There were two huge layers of tissue paper surrounding the Book of Shadows.  I know that they don't want any of the products broken, but it just kinda bothered me.

A close up!  The packaging is soo gorgeous.
I can't believe i forgot to take a picture of the 3-D display on the top :O.
Here's a LINK to a picture - it's soo cute!

Here's an overall view, all 16 sparkling shadows (names below), two mini eyeliners (Zero & Flipside), & a micro bottle of the famous UDPP :)

And here are the shadows, they are all either frosty, or glittery.  I'm not going to be posting the swatches because every post seems to have them!  If you want the swatches, i would Google it :)
Here are the names & they're original names (from left to right)

Row 1:
Underland = Flash
Alice = Painkiller
Oracculum = Baked
Queen = Last Call

Row 2:
Chessur = Chopper
White Rabbit = Polyester Bride
Wonderland = Maui Wowie
Curiouser = Grifter

Row 3:
Muchness = X
Mushroom = Mushroom
Midnight Tea Party = Midnight Cowboy Rides Again
Vorpal = S&M

Row 4:
Absolem = Homegrown
Drink Me Eat Me = Sin
Mad Hatter = Twice Baked
Jabberwocky = Oil Slick

-------------

The Packaging
Okay, you have to admit the packaging is, well...AMAZING!  A 3-D pop-up display on top of a magical drawer of Urban Decay products?!  In the words of Rachel Zoe, BA-NA-NAS.
It's not only visually awesome, it's also functional.  The drawer is easy to open & close, & i don't really use the mirror that's on top, but it's soo cute anyway!

Review On the Shadows
First off, pigmentation.  The pigmentation is amazing, what you see is really what you get, & it's also buildable.  They are very easy to blend & last all day, without fallout, as long as you tap off the excess on your brush before applying.
You get such a big range of colors, making the possibilities endless.  You can create smokey, neutral, colorful, & more looks with this one palette alone.  I hate to sound like a salesperson, but what i say is the truth! :)
Although if you aren't a shimmery/frosty/glittery type of person (which i honestly wasn't until i got this) then you probably won't like this, but who knows, you may change your mind, like me!


Review On the Liners
In the palette, you get 2 of Urban Decay's famous liners, Zero, which is black, & Flipside, which is a bright turquoise.  I've only used Zero so far, & i absolutely love it.  It goes on soo smoothly & it's the only black liner i've ever used on my waterline that stayed all day.  When i run out of this, i'll most likely be purchasing the full size.  Flipside goes on smoothly as well & probably has the same staying power.


Overall thoughts
This palette is $52 & honestly, it's worth every penny.  It's my first Urban Decay purchase ever - besides the Primer Potion - & it definately won't be my last.  (Jeez, i'm really sorry that i sound like such a saleswoman!).
If you own any of the other Urban Decay palettes, you probably won't need to buy this one since all of the shadows are repeats, but if you're just starting to build up your makeup collection, you just want to try out some Urban Decay products, or you just plain love Alice In Wonderland, this should definately be on your list.
I'm soo happy that i have this in my possession, seeing as it will last me a long, long time, & i now have SO many new shades to play with!


Lookout for & Requests
LOTD's using this palette, i already have one lined up!  If you have any requests for looks using any of the colors in this palette, go ahead & leave me a comment or e-mail me, & i'll happy do them :)