Lush Angels on Bare Skin Cleanser Review

I'm relatively new to LUSH I do admit, but I am getting to know their products a bit more, and what is worth buying and what is worth trying. I was intrigued by their Angels on Bare Skin cleanser that got many rave reviews and was deemed one of their "best products". So of course I decided to try it out for myself..

As you can see, there are ground almonds infused in the mixture with lavender oil and rose absolute tones (what is this by the way??). The smell is very herbal which is okay... not unpleasant, but not the best smelling thing in the entire world. I was surprised when I first tried it out, because it came in a huge chunk with a weird texture. You have to take a small pea sized amount of it out and mix it in with water to actually apply it to your face. This is the part that I really don't like... it takes way to much effort for my liking to use it.

You can see above what it looks like once you add the water. It becomes a very thin consistency with the water, but there are still chunks that don't dissolve. Perhaps I have not found the best technique to use it yet, but after you mix it, the transfer is relatively messy. The almond chunks get all over my sink and there is a lot of fall out from the cleanser from the application.

The pros are that after I do manage to exfoliate my face with it and rinse it off, my skin does feel very smooth and refreshed afterwards. I have very oily skin and I think it did lessen the shine for me after I used it so I am going to continue to try it out and update my review if I feel that the effort put into using it can balance out it's effects. It costs $9.95 for 3.5 oz of it which is really good. The amount you get will last you a lifetime, so I do think it is worth the money.

Have you tried this? Let me know if you have and your thoughts!

My Favorite Facial Skincare Products- June

I've always gotten a lot of compliments about my skin being very natural and glowy and questions as to what I use etc, etc. I am not very adventurous with my facial products, most are drugstore which is a good thing so all of you can give them a try for little money! I will start from the left to right as to what the item is and how/when I use it.

1. Neutrogena Oil- Free Acne Wash: I use this in the shower every night or day, whenever I take a shower. It has 2% salicylic acid for acne control and has these little 'micro beads' which exfoliate the skin. I have used this religiously for years.. I've gone through several tubes of this.. and I will continue to purchase it. I put it on after I shampoo my hair and I let it sit and penetrate my skin while I wash my body then I wash it off in the shower. I recommend doing that, because if it's easier to get all the little beads off your face.
   
2. Neutrogena Rapid Clear- Acne Spot Eliminating Gel: This is just a 2% salicylic acid treatment which I just put on pimples and blemishes when they appear. I put it on overnight and by morning I really do see a reduced amount of redness. I usually use the Clean and Clear one, but I ran out and this one is basically the same thing.
3. Murad Acne Spot Treatment: This is a 3% sulfur acne treatment which in my opinion is less strong than the salicylic acid ones. I use this when my face is behaving and just rub it on at night if I feel some pimples coming on.
4. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion: This is the little travel size one. I wanted to try it out before buying the big bottle and I LOVE it. It is my new staple and I'm close to running out. I have been using this as my night time moisturizer for the past month. It's lighter than Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief which I use during the winter.
5. Chanel Activateur Purete- Oil Control Purifying Lotion: This is a bit pricey at $38 but soo worth it. I think I might be using it wrong? I use it after I wash my skin and I dab all over my face with a cotton pad before putting my makeup primer on. It does mattify my skin though, which is the reason why I bought it... but I never really figured out how to correctly use it so help!
6. Vaseline: Duh.. Vaseline! I use this at night and put a dab on my lips to keep them soft.. I heard that they can stop the natural production of lipids or something?? I don't know.. but I've used this at night for years. During the day, my staple is Nivea's Kiss of Moisture Chapstick.
7. Clean and Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer: I've used this for years! Not the Morning Burst one, but the regular one. I honestly can't tell the difference but I love this moisturizer. It is light weight, oil-free and doesn't make my skin too shiny. I use this during the day under my primer or sometimes I mix it in with my liquid foundation.

So those are my seven staple items that I reach for every single day. I have a ton more that I could list, but those 7 I have been using religiously for years so I could honestly say that I recommend them all. Please comment and let me know your top facial skincare products! Thanks girls :)

Dry Shampoo: Ojon vs. Pssst!

Dry shampoo. I finally got on the trend and decided to pick up my first bottle- Psssst! from the drugstore. I was pretty happy with my purchase as it did exactly what it's supposed to do. Refresh your hair and take away the oils without having to wash it. All you have to do is shake the can, hold it like about 6 inches away from your roots and spray. Leave it in for a minute or two and let your hair soak up the product, then brush it out. The only thing that bothered me was that since I have very dark, brown hair, it left streaks of white where I sprayed the product. After about fifteen to twenty minutes, it slowly fades, but you can't just run out of the door after applying it if your hair is dark, because you will look like a skunk! It costs around $6 USD and you can purchase it at any drugstore or here online. For $6, I thought it was a great steal.... until I came across Ojon's Rub Out Dry Cleanser.

Ojon's shampoo is aamaazzingggg. Even though it is smaller than the Pssst!'s size and just a tad more expensive, it is SO worth it. It has the most amazing smell, where the Pssst! one does not have any scent to it. I can't really describe the scent that it has, but trust me it smells amazing. It also does not leave any white streaks or residue in my hair which is perfect, because I can just throw it on if I am in a rush. For comparison, the Pssst! size is 4 oz. while the Ojon size that I purchased is 2 oz. I bought the 2 oz. size from Sephora for$10 USD. The actual full size bottle is 4.5 oz and costs $24 USD. You can purchase the mini one from Sephora here.

At the end of the day, I tend to reach for my Ojon dry shampoo more, but Pssst! is more affordable and you get more bang for your buck... soo it really is up to you what you deem worthy of purchasing.

Let me know if you have tried either and what you think! My fabulous city haul is coming soon, as I had a perfect day today running around in Manhattan!

Summer Essentials: Dove Clinical Protection Deoderant

A good deodorant, besides blot paper and blot powder is probably on the top of my list for summer's most essential item. Those hot days and humid weather are what can ruin a perfectly cute outfit with pit stains. The best deodorant to combat that? Dove Clinical Protection. It might be a bit more expensive than your average antiperspirant, since costs about $8-9 USD but it is completely worth it. There are several scents you can get: Wild Rose, Cool Essentials and the original Solid, Original Clean.

Believe me, I have looked for ages and ages for a good deodorant, as I was blessed with the gene to be able to sweat. Disgusting, I know, but I have found it.


The deodorant twists up and the applicator is shown above. One click will do the trick, two turns is how much comes out in the picture. Two is already too much, so it should last quite a long time.




The deodorant is a strange texture. It's not a gel, but it's not a roll on liquid. It's like a light lotion. The above picture is what is looks like rubbed onto my hand, and then when you rub it in, it almost disappears to flesh tone, but you can see it leaves a really slight, white overtone.

It dries quickly, it doesn't stain my clothing and is little black dress friendly, so I highly, highly recommend this deodorant. It is really everything it says it is. It is stopped me from getting those god awful pit stains and I am not worried about having any body odor anymore. So especially for summer, when B.O. can be at it's worst... Dove's Clinical Protection will come in handy. It is can purchased at any drug store for under $10 USD so I would definitley give it a go!

Stila Eye Trio- Champange and Gold Glow Reviews

I absolutely love these Stila Eye trios. The left one is called Champagne Glow and the right one is called Gold Glow. They are baked to get a "sheer, never chalky application" according to the Stila site. The three shades are supposed to be used as a base, crease shadow and eye liner. All of them can be used wet, but the middle shade on each is the eyeliner shade.

(Gold Glow, click for bigger picture of swatches)

(Champagne Glow, click for bigger picture of swatches)

The color payoff on both is amazing. They are richly pigmented and well worth the hefty price tag of $28 USD. That might seem like a lot, but I don't think I will ever run out of either shadow. I've had Champange Glow for over a year now, and I've only made a slight dip in the middle shade. The stay power is really great also, I use them on top of Urban Decay Primer Potion. If you have dry lids, the shadow could be a problem, because it is baked, but my lids are really oily so I haven't had a problem yet. All in all, I highly recommend both of these trios, and I lemming the third, which is called Bronze Glow. These are honestly, perfect for summer- you don't need a lot of makeup over that gorgeous tan and these shades are the perfect compliment! They can be purchased at the Stila website or Sephora.