Beauty – Page 19 – Hoots of a Night Al

Lush Loot Part 2

May 28, 2013 1 Comment

Hi everyone! I hope you’re ready for Part 2 of my Lush Loot! In Part 1, I focused on the Bath Bombs I purchased. This loot will be about the Bubble Bars, Massage Bars, Bath Melt, and Face Mask I sampled. Let us begin.

Dorothy

The first Bubble Bar I sampled was appropriately named Dorothy, which claims to “take you far from the rain and grey clouds to somewhere over the rainbow where blue birds fly.” I can’t claim a few bubbles did that for me, but it was a pretty fun experience! You are supposed to crumble these bars under running water and swish them around to create tons of bubbles to enjoy! There were several bubbles, and my bath water turned a beautiful green-blue color that you can see peeking out of the bubbles above. It smelled good before I put it in the bath, but the smell quickly dissipated once it dissolved. I do wish there had been more bubbles that were longer lasting, but this was one of Lush’s smaller bars. I suppose I shouldn’t complain. JUST KIDDING. I can complain all I want…this is my blog after all. I’m annoyed that I didn’t get more bubbles for the price of what I could have spent on 3 bottles of Mr. Bubble at WalMart.

Brightside

YUM! This Bubble Bar smelled like I was walking through an orange orchard or swimming in a pool of Simply Orange! This bubble bar was covered in bright orange swirls, smelled delicious, and was much larger than Dorothy. The Lush consultant suggested this bar be used for up to 4 baths, but I threw caution to the wind and chunked the whole thing in my bath! I’m sure glad I did because the huge bar gave me the mountains I bubbles I was hoping for when I paid way too much for it. The water turned a super fun orange color, and the smell stayed pretty strong even after the bar dissolved. I was so happy to find a product I liked and would buy again. OH WAIT. This was a limited time product for Easter! BOO! They have similar bars (The Comforter and Blue Skies & Fluffy White Clouds), but I have a terrible feeling it just won’t be the same. Why did I set myself up for sadness here?

Mange Too

Ok, I’m not going to lie. I mostly bought this because the consultant used it to massage my hands in the store, and it smelled super yummy and made my hands feel like silk. Her other selling point was that it is edible. Um, stop being gross random sales girl. Mange Too is one of Lush’s massage bars, but I purchased it because it can be used as a lotion/moisturizer as well. I’ve since used it on my hands, elbows, and legs. I really like it! It smells super delicious, but, no, I haven’t licked my hands after I put it on. Because I’m not a WEIRDO. Also, I’m not sure why Lush would name a moisturizing product Mange Too, considering mange is a skin disease caused by mites. Maybe not the best mental image to conjure for their massage bars? Oh well, obviously didn’t phase me.

Bath Melt

I’m not positive which bath melt this is, as it was a sample given to me by my Lush consultant, and I can’t find a comparable one on their website. She tried to sucker me into buying a bath melt, saying that their products only reach their full potential when they are all used together. She suggested using a bath bomb, bath melt, and bubble bar together in ONE bath. Ya, I’m going to spend over $30 on ONE BATH. I don’t think so. She threw in this sample though, probably convinced I would try it once and be hooked forever. Um, nope. It dissolved in my bath water and just sort of made it milky. My skin didn’t come out feeling butter soft and my world definitely wasn’t changed. I’ll never turn my nose up at a free sample, but this one didn’t do anything to excite me. Nice try, salesgirl.

The Sacred Truth

This little gem was also a sample given to me by my consultant. Once I looked it up online at home, I realized this particular Fresh Face Mask (The Sacred Truth) is for aging skin. Here is what the description says: “As you age, your dermis is thinning, losing its elasticity and ability to retain moisture, which can make the skin appear dull or sallow.” OUCH. Thanks a lot salesgirl. That bull ring nose piercing isn’t your best look, but you don’t see me throwing out advice at you. Regardless, I gave it a whirl, and I IMMEDIATELY LOOKED 10 YEARS YOUNGER. I’m kidding. I’m only 24…I dont’ think I need anti-aging products yet? DON’T correct me if I’m wrong. The face mask worked fine though. I did like that their Fresh Face Masks are “handmade with the finest essential oils, fresh fruits and veggies, deep cleansing clays, nutrient rich herbs…freshly squeezed juices, extracts, or whole fruits and vegetables.” They must be kept refrigerated, so they don’t spoil. This is also the reason they are only sold in stores and not online. I probably need to use this face mask a couple more times to give it a fair review, but overall, it made my skin feel fresh and rejuvenated, and it smelled clean and crisp.

Well, I suppose that’s it for my Lush Loot! I’ll be posting another one soon I’m sure! JOKING. While, I semi-enjoyed the products I purchased/received, I DON’T think most of them are worth the money. I’m sure Lush has to charge extra since they take pride in making products as fresh, organic, and chemical free as possible. However, I’m not super picky about that (so sue me), so I think in the future I’ll just buy some bubble bath from the kid’s section in WalMart. You think I’m joking?

I’ll save my trendy cravings for clothes or makeup. Feel free to try out these or other Lush products for yourself though, and let me know what you think! 🙂

Beauty

Lush Loot Part 1

May 22, 2013 2 Comments

Hey everyone! I’ve been seeing lots of stuff about Lush products on FaceBook, Twitter, and various blogs. Basically, Lush is a company that sells overpriced bath and cosmetic items under the cloak of them being all natural and packaged in recyclable containers. However, I am a sucker for anything cute or trendy, so I bought several Lush items to try. I purchased bath bombs, bubble bars, and massage bars, and I was given a free sample of a face mask a bath melt. I figured I would review the products for anyone who is curious about whether or not they should buy into the overpriced trendiness like I did.

One of Lush’s most popular products is their Bath Bomb. I purchased 4 different bombs to sample on my own. Below I have listed each bomb I tried and my thoughts.

Sex Bomb

Yes, you read that name correctly. The first bath bomb I sampled was Sex Bomb. It smelled delicious in the store, and I thought it was pretty. However, both the online description and awkward salesgirl telling me how this was an aphrodisiac made me uncomfortable. Just let me enjoy my bath, people. As you can see above, once the bomb dissolved, my water became a beautiful pink color. Honestly? That was about the coolest part. It only fizzed for about 20 seconds (I’m not sure how long I was expecting), and the smell was almost completely diluted in the water. Also, the “rose petals” were this odd gummy un-dissolving substance that just sort of floated around and grossed me out after the bomb dissolved. Since this was my first Lush experience, I was worried about the money I had spent on my remaining products to try and wondering how big of a waste it all was. Moving on.

Fizzbanger

THIS WAS MY FAVORITE BATH BOMB. Not to give anything away prematurely. 🙂 It was described as having an apple-cinnamon scent, and I LOVED how it smelled! As it dissolved, the different layers turned the water different colors. It started out with a frothy yellow (that honestly kind of reminded me of when algae builds up in a pool…gross, I know), and eventually, a blue foam started erupting. The yellow and blue swirled together and formed a frothy, yummy, fizzy bath. This one took the longest to dissolve and smelled the strongest (and most scrumptious!). Once the foam dissolved the water had turned a beautiful turquoise color. After the bomb completely disappeared a little paper saying “BANG” remained in the water….get it? FizzBANGer. For some reason, I convinced myself it was a centipede and freaked out. No clue why. This one was DEFINITELY worth the money, and I would buy it again!

Space Girl

If I’m being totally honest, I bought this one because it was glittery. It doesn’t show that well in the picture, but it was a really pretty blueish-purple color and covered in gold glitter. The smell was slightly citrus and slightly berry. I was really excited and expected my bath to be an explosion of glitter. That was not the case. As soon as I dropped it in the water, it started fizzing and popping and the water looked awesome. However, it dissolved in SERIOUSLY about 10 seconds, and my water was left a lackluster dull purple. The aroma was almost non-existent, so I think it’s safe to say I didn’t “explore the cosmos in a trail of purple stardust” as the Space Girl page suggested on Lush’s website.

Dragon’s Egg

This was the last bath bomb I tried, and it was pretty lame. It had a really yummy sherbet-y citrus smell, and before I used it the color was white with flecks of blue, yellow and pink. I assumed based on the multiple colors and size that the bomb would last for a good amount of time and turn the water a beautiful color like Fizzbanger. While the bomb did last a good amount of time, the remaining water looked like my sewage backed up into my bathtub. I mean, seriously, look at that picture above and tell me it doesn’t look like sewage water. The smell was mild to almost nonexistent once the bomb dissolved, and, due to what the water color reminded me of, I didn’t linger in the bath very long. To quote the Dragon’s Egg page, “you’ll feel like you’re up and away on the back of your own dragon.” I felt more like I paid $6.25 for a dragon to fly over my tub and crap in it.

As you have read, I only enjoyed 1 out of the 4 bath bombs I purchased. None of them were horrible experiences, but I did feel pretty dumb for wasting money on spheres of powder that dissolve in less than a minute. I have to say, I would buy Fizzbanger again because I loved the scent, and it was one of their moderately priced bath bombs. Come back soon for Part 2 of my Lush Loot to see how I reviewed my remaining products!

Beauty

Beauty Blurbs: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain – Honey

April 22, 2013 9 Comments

I love buying and trying new makeup. The only problem is I have trouble justifying spending lots of money on it just to go to Target or sit in my office where I only interact with warehouse workers. However, I’ve been hearing a lot about Revlon’s Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain , so I decided to give it a try. I researched it a lot first to decide which color I should purchase.

Swatches of several different color options... — Swatches of several different color options…

While I liked Crush and Romantic (as well as Adore, which is not pictured), I ultimately decided Honey was a safe, neutral option for a first sample. I found Honey at Target for only $7.49 (minus .05% since I used my Target Red Debit Card :)) and tried it out for work the following Monday.

Immediately after the "big" purchase — Immediately after the “big” purchase

Here is what Honey looks like on me immediately after application:

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm+Stain in Honey

As you can see, it is basically my natural lip color slightly enhanced. It was very moisturizing like a lip balm. It did rub off a little bit onto my cup, but the color lasted throughout the morning until I went to lunch. After lunch, I reapplied and took some more pictures outside to show the color.

I know I look like a tool in this picture, so sue me.

After lunch, the color lasted at least another 4 hours until dinner. Overall, I’m very pleased with this purchase. When first applied, the balm is very moisturizing. It did slightly dry out my lips once the balm wore off, but the stain stayed on. I think applying Chapstick or clear gloss over the remaining stain would have worked as well as reapplication. The one major downfall is the inner area starts wearing off first, so I was left sort of looking like I only applied lipliner once this happened.

Slight lipliner effect after several hours

However, the pros definitely outweighed the cons for me, and I want to try out some other colors soon. Hopefully, I can build up the courage try something brighter like Crush this summer!

I would definitely recommend Revlon’s Just Bitten Kissable Balm+Stain to anyone who is looking to try a new lip treatment. They have a great range of colors (12) that will flatter all skin tones, and they’re inexpensive enough that you won’t feel guilty for trying out a few different shades! Get your own tube of Honey here!

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