My Own Little Pot Of Happiness!

Ok, so maybe the Lush posts are getting a little rediculous, but I went in yesterday to check out the new Holiday line, with high hopes of seeing a comeback from my favourite Lush product, Santa's rice Porridge Fresh Face Mask.  Made with brandy and cranberries, this mask was detoxifying while nourishing my tired, snow-stricken face, and I looooved the smell, so you can only imagine my disappointment to see that they decided not to bring it back this year......but........

I present to you: Buche De Noel, Lush's newest Limited Edition Facial Cleanser.  Now if you've been reading my blog posts for a while, you might remember my rave about Angels on Bareskin, my absolute fave facial cleanser by Lush. [ click here if you haven't seen it yet: http://deanne5253.blogspot.com/2010/03/lush-angels-on-bareskin-cleanser.html ]  This is very similar in concept, but they have created it entirely around the basis of the Santa's Rice Porridge face mask!  It smells like cherries and almond (LOVE), and applies exactly like Angels On Bareskin [again, click the link to see the application in more detail].  I've only been using this for two days, which is usually enough for me to decide if it's going to irritate my skin in any way, and it's unreal.  I do suffer from a lot of redness in my skin, and find that this cleanser works better with my skin than products i've tried that are geared toward roseacia, including the clinique redness solutions.  HIGHLY recommend, based on scent alone.  OH and also, if you create a concauction of this stuff using more product and less water, i.e. more of a thick, paste type consistency, you can smear it on and leave it for about 5 minutes for a makeshift face mask :) LOVE! 



5 Tips for Lovely Lush Face Masks

I am fully aware that I create a written blog post about once every 2 months, and they are almost always about skincare. Weird. However, as I was scraping the last of my Catastrophe Cosmetic out of its little black jar the other day, I thought, I wonder how many people only use these face masks as a face mask? These things expire so quickly, are people really putting 3-5 face masks on their faces in the span of a week? Any why wouldn't they? Labels like that can be so restricting on our creative minds.  Here are a couple of tips and reminders on how to use your Fresh Lush Face Masks!

For reference, my faves are Catastrophe Cosmetic, Oatifix, and the LE Santa's Rice Porridge.

On my dislike list; Love Lettuce and Ayesha (only because of the smell, couldn't stand to keep these on my face for more than 3 minutes...but I know many people LIVE by love Lettuce.)

1. Body Mask

This is probably the most obvious second use, but looking at that large jar and the quickly approaching expiry date, slap it on....allllllll over.  Some of these face masks including Love Lettuce have little tiny granules in it that will also serve as a nice exfoliant.  I love to use them on my legs....you can either stand around in the bathroom over a towel as it dries, or use it in the tub while leaving your arms/legs out of the water to dry. Or if all of this is a little too much for you, a simple rub on and rinse off in the shower will do just fine!

2. Spot Treatment

Don't reach for expensive drying serums or spot treatments! Lush Cupcake face mask has to be one of the best spot trreatments I've ever used.  I dont get zits often, but when I do they are the kind that I can feel growing deep beneath my skin, without showing any surface evidence.  I love to jump in a bath or open up my pores with some warm water, then use this mask as a little on-the-spot treatment.  Cupcake is a wonderful thick mask made with cocoa which actually pulls impurities out of your skin, although I have not tried any other face masks for this purpose, I'm sure there are many others which would serve just as well!

3. Pack it on, Grind it off

Some of these babies can be prettttttty thick; and coming from a history of store-bought, paraben-filled face masks, you will be tempted to be extra cautious and apply a thin layer of the thick Lush goodness.  In order to achieve full results, you're going to want to apply a thick layer to a clean, prefferably open-pored (i.e. use warm steam or water to open the pores prior to applying) face.  The tough part about this can be taking it off....many Lush masks can include blueberries, almonds, cranberries, etc.  and can be a b!tch to cram down your bathroom sink.  I recommend taking early measures to get a strainer, use a face cloth you aren't emotionally attached to, or even remove it over your garborator in your kitchen sink to avoid any unnecessary clogged sinks.

4. Face Wash

This is a tip you sensitive-skinned girls will love.  I, myself, suffer with a lot of redness on my skin, and anything that foams up too much or has a high soapy content, my skin will tomato-ize in a matter of seconds.  The nice thing about these face masks is they really do get your skin nice and clean, while nourishing it and not leaving any residue behind.  I reccommend using a face wipe or makeup remover prior to this, as you should avoid your eye area and definitley not rely on this to remove eye makeup. The granuled masks also serve as a great exfoliator, although with ingredients like almonds, they can be a little harsh to use more than once a week on your face.

5. Five = Free!

 Possibly the best part of this whole ordeal! Now that you know how to use your Lush face masks, and you'll be whipping through a new one every week, remember to keep all your little black pots! Save 5 of them and bring them back to the store to get a new fresh face mask for FREEEEEEEE!!!!

Clinique Redness Solutions?

I am confused.  A week ago I picked up the Clinique Redness Solutions cleanser after long dealing with redness and splotchiness in my skin, and recent despiration to aquire some clinique skincare.  I have a large hunch that the redness Clinique aim to solve is that of irritated, sensitive skin.  Skin that burns and itches from products, environmentals, and allergens.  Well I am none of the above,  but redness in my skin is something that I have srtuggled with for quite some time, and my next option is high end skin care, hence the purchase. 

Oh great, sideways photo. Well you get the point nonetheless.

It is an oil-free, fragrance-free gel cleanser that is suitable for all skintypes.  Melts away makeup and impurities. bla bla bla. Calms persistent and reactive redness.

Well I will tell you that I also purchased the Sephora face brush with this product, to really massage it into my skin to get the "full monty".  I mean, I want this redness GONE. FOR EV ER....FOR EV ER.....(sandlot? anyone?)  This is how I've been using it and this is how I've found my experience thus far...

I take a Blob...yes that is very technical makeup artist terminology...on my little sephora face brush, as shown.....and massage it into my dampened face all over for about 60 seconds.

Smiling like an ass the entire time...yes there's no other way to do it! Then a simple rinse with warm water and a pat dry.

Well anyway I'll let you know here that my hugest disappointment, which you'll plainly see in this photo, is that the product does not foam up.  It is indeed a gel cleanser.

On a positive note, it does slightly, not significantly, but enough that I am happy with my purchase, reduce some of my redness, But I do feel that the brush helps the product really get into my skin, and feel that if i were to only use my fingers, it would not penitrate and affect my deep redness but would only help with light surface redness.

The product may also be used similar to the likes of Lush's Ultra Bland, just rubbed onto fdry skin and wiped off or rinsed off, which just left me feeling icky, so that was a bust personally for me.

This product definitley does seem like it would cater nicely to all skin types, as it moisturizes and strips oil in all the right spots of my combination skin.

I do only use this product in the morning, as I do not see the point on using it before I go to bed, especially at about triple the price of what I spend on my night time drugstore cleanser.

As an alternative for this, I would recommend the Aveeno ultra calming line, although I find personally that the moisturizer is too thick (I use it as a night cream) and the face wash does not remove makeup very well.

So all in all I am satisfied with the purchase, but do believe that there might be something even better out there.  For now, I will continue to use, and maybe repurchase, this product until the HG redness removal cleanser is found!

What do you use to remove redness from your skin pre-makeup?

Nail Polish Mixology

I am a huge fan of mixing my makeup.  Blending eyeshadows, nuding out every colour lipstick that I own, and layering mascaras to get my perfect lashes....well more recently I have moved into the nail polish realm, and  I tell you there is no turning back.  After proving to be an extremely difficult find in pre-made form, my most recent mix is a gorgeous light grey colour, similar to the eyeshadow likes of MAC's Copperplate.

Now since I could not be bothered to worry about bottling up a batch or making enough for more than I need at the time, I do have to make a new "batch" every time.  Basically I take some form of plastic or non absorbent material, plastic wrap or disposable shot glasses work really well, and start by pouring out a few drops of the lightest colour in my mix (in this case, white).  Then I take the brush from the darker colour (always do this, it will rarely affect the colour of the darker polish, but always will for the lighter polish)  and mix in whatever comes out on the brush in with the lighter colour (in this case, black).  I also like to add a drop of top coat or nail hardener to elongate the lasting power. mixa mixa and you have your new polish! this works great with colour, as well as adding subtle glitter to existing flat polishes.

These are the polishes I used to achieve this look, from left to right; Borghese Bianco White Tip(6 drops), Mac Nocturnelle (1 drop), Sally Hansen Mega Tuff (1 drop), Sally Girl Silver Glitter on ring fingers (as top coat)

Have you ever experimented with mixing nail polishes? What are your favourite colours to mix?

Lush Angels on Bareskin Cleanser

They Say:

For heavenly soft and balanced skin, take a smidge of Angels on Bareskin, mix with a little water and massage in. The kaolin clay base deep cleanses while ground almonds gently exfoliate the dead skin away. Rose and lavender are added to soothe and help balance out combination skin. It's our best selling preservative-free and packaging-free daily cleanser for all skin types, so if you don't know which cleanser to choose and it's heavenly skin you're after, start with Angels.

Dee Says:

This is totally unlike any other cleanser i've tried.  The clay was a bit hard to work with at first, but now i lather up and cleanse like a pro! I have normal skin with a sensitive eye area, and blotchy red tendencies, but this beauty keeps me normalised and adds a magic little touch to my skin that almost seems to take it a step further than cleansing.  The way i see it, it's clay based, so it simulates washing your face with a clay mask, so it is very purifying and calming.  It has little granules in it that gently exfoliate, and leaves my skin cleansed, toned,and even.

Grab a little chunk off (this is a bit larger than what i normally use)

Add some warm water...not too much!

Smush in in your hands to create a paste

Massage it into moistened skin

Rinse off and reveal a bright beautiful clean face! hahaha cheeeeeesy!

This stuff has actually changed my skin entirely.  I use tis as a daily cleanser with St.Ives Apricot scrub twice a week as an exfoliator.  and at $10.50/100g this stuff is an affordable luxury that i will continue to use for years and years :) YAY!

Have you tried a clay-based cleanser from any other companies?

Lush Ultra Bland

They Say:

"With a peanut-oil base, this cream cleanser takes off makeup in an instant without leaving your skin feeling parched. It's soft and gentle, but deep cleansing as the oils reach down and pull out every trace of dirt and makeup (even the thickest of eyeliners!). Rose, beeswax and honey soothe and moisturize the skin. Give yourself an Ultrabland facial massage each night, then remove with a warm cloth and your skin will feel soft and smooth without any scrubbing at all."

Dee Says:

Ultra Bland is an absolutely amazing, thick, creamy, luxurious makeup remover.  I use it to remove my eye makeup, then follow up with my facial cleanser.  It leaves my eyes feeling hydrated and taut instead of irritated, pulled on, and red like SO many makeup removers do.  It's like a richer version of an oil-based remover, so if you're an oil fan, this is right up your alley! careful though, it's made with peanut oil so it is a no-go for all you peanut allergy carriers :( $14.95 for the 100g container shown here.

Before: a very tired smoky eye

During: use about a fingertip's amount and gently masage into your eyes

Wipe away with a tissue or cotton pad (don't try to rinse it off, the water won't remove this oily product)

After: a clean, eye makeup-free face, with no traces on black or leftover mascara the next morning (don't you HATE that!?) And a happy Deanne :)....

Love the product, the price is definitley something I'm not too keen on, but it does last quite a while. Check out your local Lush for a demo, and if you're lucky, a take home tester!

Facial cleanser review to come...and yes it's Lush :)

What is your favourite oil-based makeup remover?

The Hair Bug

No no no no no, I'm not talking about lice or any of that nastiness.  I'm talking about the hair bug...the urge I get once every 6 months to do something crazy to my locks.  Cut it short, dye it a crazy color, get a fringe, or the like.  Here are some of the photos that have my mouth watering and my leg twitching to dupe on myself.

 

Jessica Sutta  (yep, the redheaded pussycat doll).  This has been a go-to photo of mine for a loooong time coming now.  I am always apprehensive about adding red to my hair, because my face gets really red and splotchy sometimes, and i thought, this hair change will only bring it out even more. Regardless, I lust after these gorgeous auburn long locks on a daily basis. 

Miranda Kerr....and for that matter, most VS Angels.  They always have the most perfect shade with the most perfect highlights.  If I could splurge on one hair appointment, it would most definitley be with whoever highlights Miranda, Adriana, and Gisele's hair.  Never stripey, never orange, always gorgeous.  Anyway, this color would be very easy for me to achieve, just a brightening of my highlights and a touch up of the brown in my hair, and i'm there! Seems so simple....decisions decisions.

 

How is it possible that Disney always manages to find the most awkward looking 12 year old actresses around, and they always bloom within 3 years into the most gorgeous people on google images? This shade of blonde is what I had intentions of going to the last time I lightened my hair, but after 2 sessions of highlights, I caught the hair bug AGAIN and went back down to Megan Fox brown. But of course, there has to be a shade of barbie blonde in my array of hair color lusts....it just wouldn't be complete without an ashley, a melissa or a carrie.

 

speaking of Megan Fox....I was browsing the internet and found this gorgeous photo of her with sun-kissed brown hair.  A bit of a change from her usual chocolate brown locks, this look is not so harsh and much more adaptable for paler skin like mine.  Unfortunatley my city only gets about 4 months of summer so the risk of my hair lightening from the sun is very very low, so if a dye job happens to be too harsh, i'm usually stuck with it for at least 75 shampoos.

 

Jennifer Aniston.   Enough said.

Who are your lusted-after celebrity hair icons?