Converted Lushie

I am officially LUSH obsessed. It may or may not have gotten to an unhealthy level. Only outsiders will be able to distinguish that. The obsession came to me so randomly. I used all lush skincare when I was in middle school. A couple of cleansers, moisturizers and a toner, oh and a shampoo. I loved the stuff but just started trying out other things. And then about a week and something ago I just decided to get back into it. It started with wanting to have some fun baths and then I decided to treat my hair and skin to some natural yummy-smelling goodies. I decided it was all I wanted for Christmas and so I made a huge list. But I couldn't wait till Christmas.

So this is what I got.

Party Popper bath bomb. My first bath bomb! Cannot wait to use this and have a party in my tub. Lol cheesy joke. $5.95

Snow Fairy shower gel. My favourite scent from LUSH. Smells like yummy sugar-bubble gum-cotton candy-vanilla. It lathers nice too and cleans well. Too bad it's only around at Christmas time :(
I have the biggest size for $27.95

Sweetie Pie shower jelly. Such a cool idea and it lathers really, really well. It was affordable and I really liked the smell and the fact that it has small glitter pieces in it. I like to change up my shower scents a bit so when I need a break from Snow Fairy stuff, I'll break this out. 

I have the smaller size for $5.95

Godmother soap. This soap is the year long scent for Snow Fairy. I'll be stocking up on boxing day when it goes on sale. I like washing and shaving my legs with LUSH soap.

Ocean Salt face and body scrub. I used this today for the first time on my face, neck, and back. So far I am absolutely loving it. It's really exfoliating so it leaves your skin super soft. It has fresh avocado and coconut which is what moisturizes and makes the skin so soft. It also has vodka and lime which anti-bacterializes and fights blemishes. And of course the salt chunks are the scrub part. Definitely something to try.
I have the biggest size for $35.95

Buffy body butter. I use this on my thighs and "behind". It exfoliates and gets rid of bumpy, dry skin. I don't think I'll ever be without this again.
I have the smaller size for $11.95 plus a tin for $3.95

BIG shampoo. Best. Shampoo. Ever. Don't knock this till you tried it. It took me a couple of tries to get used to putting chunks of sea salt in my hair and I was worried my hair wasn't getting cleaned. Man, was I wrong. This cleans like no other. It pretty much defines a clarifying shampoo. It cleanses all the gunk, dirt, and product out and your hair is left feeling fluffy and clean. I was worried salt would dry it out but instead I was left with shiny, silky soft, hair. My hair also stayed clean for 3 days, something that has never happened to me before. Oh and it also makes your hair smell like fresh laundry. Too amazing.
$26.95

Karma Komba solid shampoo. A little bit unconventional and non-typical shampoo but truly a gem in disguise. I wasn't too sure about a shampoo bar, but when I heard these little guys were good for 80 uses I had to try one. I definitely believe that now. Once your hair is wet, you swipe this along your hair once and your left with a beautiful lather of bubbles to wash your hair with. It's going to take me forever to use one up. I chose Karma Komba because I heard it was good for tangled hair and I'm really, really liking it. I use this as my regular shampoo because Big is probably too stripping to use every time. Karma Komba smells great too and it'll be perfect for traveling because it's so small and spill resistant.
$11.95 plus the tin for $3.95 (I like the square tins because I find they get stuck in the round ones)

Dream Cream hand and body lotion. Love this lotion. It doesn't have the best smell but it's not offensive either. I love it for the effects. The LUSH website describes it the best, and I'll post what they say because I can vouch that it is completely all true.
p.s. I use it on my neck and chest, not my entire body.
$26.95

Honey Trap lip balm. I love the smell of this, it's like vanilla and honey and it's super moisturizing.
$7.95

Cosmetic Warrior fresh face mask. The first LUSH product I actually hated. I wish I returned this right away. I was feeling spontaneous and like trying a new face mask. This smells like rotten garlic. It made me nauseous while wearing it. And I didn't notice a difference in my skin. I'll definitely only be purchasing my true and tried Cupcake and the blueberry one from now on.
$6.95

I also got the Ro's Argan Body Conditioner. I heard amazing reviews and thought the idea of a body conditioner was cool. (It's used the same way as a hair conditioner, just for your body. You wash and then rinse, apply the conditioner, let it sit, and then rinse, eliminating the need to apply moisturizer out of the shower.) It made my skin soft, but nothing out of this world. For $32.95, I just didn't really see the need so I exchanged it.

And the last item I bought was actually online. LUSH had something called a "forum party". I would explain it if I knew how... Honestly all I know is that for one day, LUSH had 6 limited edition-online only fragrances. I heard about it on someone else's blog and when I saw that one of the 6 perfumes was the Comforter, I had to find out more. Basically, they chose 6 of their popular scents (from bathbombs and bubble bars and shampoo etc) and made perfumes of them. I only bought the Comforter but they also had Creamy Candy, BIG, Twilight, Rose Jam, and Snowcake. The forum party was the confusing part. I'm not sure how I found it, but it basically looked like a group MSN convo (anyone remember MSN? lol). It was a bunch of lushies talking about lush. And there was an admin asking trivia question for prizes every so often. Not many people knew about this, but it's much better than other years where orders had to be made via phone call with their number constantly busy and blocked. I'm excited for my LUSH perfume but I do wish I picked up Creamy Candy and Big as well.

I've also gotten a few samples. Two of the products I love so much, I'll be buying the full size in the very near future.

American Cream conditioner. This made my hair smell like fresh laundry and strawberries. The wonderful smell lingers all day and also made my hair really soft. Can't wait to get it!
$9.95, $19.95 and $32.95

Angels on Bare Skin cleanser. I think this is one if not their top selling cleanser. I'm so glad I got a large sample, I've been using this non stop. I've had perfect skin days every day since using this stuff. It's just simply amazing.

And then some other products still on my wish list.

Two bath melts and two bubble bars that I have selected after a lot of smelling around the store. So excited for them all!! I know I got the Comforter already and I'll be stocking up on the limited edition Candy mountain on boxing day for sure.

Seanik solid shampoo. This is probably number one. Apparently it's like the convenient solid form of the BIG shampoo that I adore so much. Cannot wait to try this! 

$11.95 plus a tin $3.95

I really need a spot treatment and this guy seems like he could be my new best friend. 

$13.95

I'm also curious about some foot or hand lotion. hmmmmmm..... :)

Anyways, I hope everyone is having a wonderful and jolly holiday so far. I'll probably not post till after Christmas so Merry Christmas everyone!! All my love to you and your families. 

xoxo V

Best and Worst MAC Products

MAC has some truly amazing products, and there's a few that really don't impress me. I won't include brushes in this post, I'll just focus on the makeup.

10 Great products:

1. Blacktrack fluidline
I'm pretty sure this is my all time favoutie MAC product... and definitely in my top 5 of all time favourite makeup products. It's just simply amazing. Best eyeliner- so easy to apply, so pigmented, stays put, and is just so crisp. It also has the dual use of using it as black lid primer for a smokey eye. This is definitely something to purchase!

2. Mineralize Skinfinish Natural
I have this in medium-deep and use it as my setting powder. It mattifies my t-zone, can be layered without looking cakey or even showing at all, goes over foundation really well or can be worn alone, and gives skin a really beautiful and natural finish. I'll never be without.

3. Studio Fix Powder
My go-to powder. I just love it. Another item I'll never be without.

4. Eyeshadows!!!
I adore, adore, adore MAC eyeshadows. In my opinion, they're the best. I like my Urban Decay naked palettes but I'm obsessed with my two MAC palettes. I recommend picking up All that Glitters, Ricepaper, Nylon, Carbon, Saddle, Woodwinked, Electra and Bronze. ...and all the others. I want them all. Yup. I'm obsessed.

5. Easy Manner blush
This blush is absolutely gorgeous. It's currently out in stores with the latest holiday collection, so if you can find it, I recommend you pick it up. It's a satin so it has good pigmentation and a subtle but pretty sheen. I loved it so much upon first application that I went out and bought a back-up. It's a very natural and pretty pink and has made me want to try out other satin blushes. I do own some other great permanent-line blushes but I thought this one deserved the spotlight.

6. Cremesheen lip glasses
This is my favourite lip gloss formula ever. I've had a few of them and currently own Fashion Whim and Boy Bait. They're gorgeous nudes that just look creamy and perfect on the lips. I love the non-stickiness of the formula but am not a fan of how short they last on the lips or how little there is in the tube. Boy Bait, in particular, is a gloss I know I'll continue to repurchase.

7. Cultured lip glass
This is my go-to gloss. It's sticky, as are all the original-formula lip glasses, but it lasts and I love the colour. I always have to have one on me.

8. Lipsticks
I will always recommend MAC lipsticks to people. There's just always something for someone with such a huge array of colours and finishes. The vanilla scent is amazing and I personally love the packaging. My collection continues to grow but 3 lipsticks that I adore and think could really suit a lot of people are: Hue, Rebel, and Blankety.

9. Pro Sculpting powder
I have this in Shadester and it's just a great contour. I just wish it came potted.

10. Pearl cream colour base
I use this as a highlight under my brow. I like it so much better than using eyeshadow and I will absolutely continue to purchase this, as it's perfect for that task.



10 products I regret purchasing:

1. Face and Body foundation
I really like the natural and dewey coverage this gave. It also came in a very generous-sized bottle. I was not a fan of how sticky this felt and worst of all, this ended up breaking me out. I didn't want to believe it, so I tried multiple times, but sure enough every single time I used it I was left with some nasty spots.

2. Studio Fix liquid foundation
I just found this really cakey and unnatural looking.

3. Trace Gold blush
This colour was so sheer and light that it just did not show up on my cheeks. I layered and layered it on and it didn't even provide that "glow" to my cheeks that it supposedly is supposed to give.

4. Glorify Extra Dimension Skinfinish
It's just so dark and gold that it doesn't work as a highlight, and so sparkly that it doesn't work as a bronzer either. I like the formula, so I really wish I got this in Superb or Whisper of Gilt.


5. Retrospeck eyeshadow (and every other from the Lustre formula).
They just have no pigmentation. With barely any colour appearing, what's the point?

6. Mineralize concealer
This did absolutely nothing for me. I felt like I was wearing concealer but instead of covering, I actually feel like it EMPHASIZED flaws and gave me creases I didn't even know I had. This is probably the worst MAC product I've tried thus far.

7. Mascaras
When I just said that the mineralize concealer was the worst product I've tried, I completely forgot about their mascaras. I've tried several, and they were all disasters. I mean, clumpy, cheap-looking messes. I don't know how they failed so bad at these but at this point I've given up trying them because I already have too many full tubes in my back-to-mac pile. On the plus side, I guess they brought me closer to a free lippie. Stay away!

8. Bronzers
Just not a big fan of any of them. I found the pigmentation to be a bit blotchy and the colours to be a bit muddy. I would say they are pretty much all ideal for NC20, but not for my skintone. I much prefer what Sephora has to offer as far as bronzers go.

9. MAC concealers
I've been unimpressed with all the MAC concealers. The best one of them is the prolongwear, which I mention in the next category below. However, the studio fix I found way too cakey and like a worse version of the Bobbi Brown concealer. And the select cover-up was too thick for under-eyes and under-achieving at covering spots, leaving it useless.

And I haven't seen this done before but I wanted to mention some "neutral" products. Products that were neither great nor horrible. I'll continue to use them occasionally, but won't be repurchasing any of these either.

1. Fix +
Meh. That pretty much sums it up. It hasn't broken me out like many complain of,  it definitely feels refreshing, and it does help with cakey foundation. On the same token, it appears to separate foundation a bit because it becomes wet and then blotches. In conclusion, this works well for some rare occasions and areas of the face.

2. Prolongwear concealer
This concealer is raved about, and when I purchased it, the MAC girl even said "you'll never try another." Well... I have tried others... and liked them better. This concealer is good, does the job, but it's definitely not worth the hype. Worst part about it is the pump. It's so hard to control and you end up wasting so much product.

3. Penultimate eyeliner
This is a great eyeliner. However, after using it only a few times, I'm already seeing it dry out. I also think it's not much better than other cheaper liquid eyeliners.

4. Powerpoint eye pencil
I got this because it was supposed to be their waterproof eyeliner. It was ok... I much prefer the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on pencils.

5. Paint pots
Now, maybe this is only because I bought the two most boring paint pots, but I don't see the hype. I own Painterly and Soft Ochre which are so similar. I love how they both even out the eye and cover up the "veins" but I don't think they really work as primers. I don't see a difference with creasing or eyeshadow sticking. I much prefer the Urban Decay or Too Faced eye primers. I will probably repurchase only one of these since they are so similar, and possibly an interesting colour.


So there are my MAC best and worst. I ended up making that wayyyyy longer than I intended, but I hope there is some helpful information in there!

Until next time,
xoxo V

Stocking Stuffers for Girls

I love love love this whole concept! I mean it's just so fun! I think this is really an area where you can put a lot of effort but so little money in gifts. With $20 -$30 alone you can really do a lot. And in honour of it being December 1st, I think this is the perfect post!

Here are some of my ideas for your gal, but even all of these can be personalized.

#1 CANDY! or chocolate!

every girl has a favourite, find out what her's is :)

it's thoughtful and like what? $2 for a couple?!

#2 Hand cream

A lot of girls already have a favourite which you've probably seen her pull out of her purse every day, but if she doesn't here's two of my favs:

Soap & Glory hand food- $5 at Sephora, Shoppers Drugmart

(smells like marshmallows)

EOS hand lotion- $5 at Ulta, Chapters, Walmart, Target, Walgreens, Canadian Super Store

(smells like: green=cucumber/ pink=berries)

P.S. girls are huge suckers for cute packaging like this. it is pretty much always a safe bet to choose anything with cute packaging...

just remember to pick something small and travel-size for a purse, and maybe try choose one that has her fav scent (vanilla? mint? strawberry? coconut? etc)

#3 Bath and Body Works anti-bacterial things

For $5 here you can get something great.

Their anti-bacterial things are super popular and a personal fav of mine. 

They have a ton of different flavour soaps, just flip the cap open and choose a fav. This is my favourite.

Fresh Sparkling Snow.

They have 3 different kinds of antibacterial soap: moisturizing, deep cleansing, and foaming. If she already owns these and only buys one kind, check the bathroom. If not, then she probably won't be picky so just pick up any.

Or you go for their ever popular travel hand sanitizers. These are pretty much always 5 for $5.

There's literally about 50 flavours so if that's too overwhelming, they also have bundles for $5 like this one. 

Alone each of these is $1.50 so there's always the option of just buying one. 

#4 Cute bath things

LUSH is perfect for this! Girls love cute soaps or bath bombs, but it's not something they really buy for themselves. This makes it a perfect gift. Unless your girl isn't in to or is sensitive to scented things then there's a guarantee she'll love this. 

Try Lush bath bombs and bubble bars range in between $4-10 and are all-natural and deliciously smelling.

They also have limited-edition Christmas ones like this "Magic Wand" which has my personal favourite scent of the Snow Fairy collection which only comes out for Christmas.

If you don't have a LUSH near you, try other bath/body -esque places. As long as it's small and cute, you're good to go!

#5 "Costume" jewelry

Don't take this term too literally!! "Costume jewelry" is just the term for inexpensive jewelry- something trendy but not real gold or silver or diamonds etc.

Right now stackable rings and bracelets are in. 

You can find really trendy and inexpensive jewelry like this at Forever 21, H&M, Topshop, Etsy, eBay, Aldo Accessories and even little boutiques in trendy areas of the city. Anything from $2 to $15 will get you something like this. 

#6 Lip balm

You can never have enough lip balm. Girls use and loose these like crazy. Again, maybe she already has a favourite but if not, here are 5 popular ones:

EOS lip balm- adorable packaging but not the most moisturizing. 

around $4 at Walmart, Shoppers, Ulta

Say no to carrots lip balm- these are great and the melon one smells amazing.

around $3 at Target 

Jack Black lip balm- tried this once and it was amazing I want to get it.

$7.50 at Sephora

Burt's Bees lip balm- I love the pomegranate one.

$3 at Walmart and pretty much everywhere

Rose bud salve- Not the biggest fan of this but it's somehow everyone's favourite. 

$6 at Sephora

#7 Air Freshener for her car or room

Car air fresheners are everywhere but since we're already taking a trip to bath and body works, I'll show you what you can get from there.

They sell these "car clip backs" for $3.50 and you can fill it with a multitude of scent refills each for $3.

If she doesn't have a car, then you can always pick up a little candle. They have tons of yummy Christmas ones!

This is my absolute fav!

The mini ones are $3.50 or 2 for $5

The small ones are $10 or 5 for $20

The large ones are $20 or 2 for $30

If you're feeling like being a little more ambitious you can always throw in a roller-ball of her favourite perfume, or her favourite lipstick, or something she's about to run out of. It will give your stocking a bit more "umphh", however she's bound to love everything else in there too. :)

And just another idea- but wrap each of these things in tissue paper, that way when she looks inside everything isn't immediately visible and each item can be pulled out and unwrapped. It's just a lot more fun :) 

I hope that helps, happy Christmas shopping!

Until next time,

xoxo V