Scent-sational

It's amazing how much of an impact scent has in our day to day lives, as well as affecting our choices. If food smells not quite right you avoid the dish altogether. Perfumes and colognes trigger memories. In my case, every time I smell Old Spice after shave it reminds me of my dad, TV dinners, babysitters, and Saturday nights as a kid. Every time I smell the Mr. Sketch green apple scented marker I think of my Oma's apartment and the old black and white photo of my Great Grandfather she had on her dresser.

So while today's post focuses on reviewing products with exceptional scents (or "ex-scentional" if you will), I encourage you to think, sniff, and reminisce about the smells in your life.

Lush: Easter Egg Hunt Soap

The scent from this hunk of fruity goodness is so strong that it basically doubles as an air freshener-- fine by me! My whole bathroom (okay so it's not very big) smells like a frickin' fruit salad: sweet and citrusy. Even though Easter Egg Hunt's description notes tones of raspberry, orange, lemon, and violet... I smell pineapple. The psychotherapist in me (I'm not one, I just pretend) says I'm projecting my desire to travel somewhere tropical.

Despite the strong aroma, Easter Egg Hunt is not overpowering on the skin and has a semi-creamy consistency that helps moisturize the skin. Let me be clear, there are more moisturizing soaps from Lush's product selection, but Easter Egg Hunt is fun and perfect for spring.

And just for a treat, here's what it looks like as an entire round:

Photo courtesy of Lush.com

Sultana Soap and Grass Shower Gel

While Lush's limited edition Snowcake Holiday Soap is my favorite to keep my skin soft, Sultana is the creamiest year round bar available. It's a bit fruity and floral, and oh so moisturizing. Have you tried Lush bar soaps? They're incredible.

Grass is aroma therapy in a bottle. It smells like freshly cut grass-- for realz-- and thanks to Neroli, is a mood lifter. Michael bought it for his dry skin since wheatgrass is nourishing, but after using it once in the shower he told me it really lifted his spirits. Then I read the bottle and realized-- BOOM!-- Grass makes you look and feel better.

Versace Signature Cologne & Eau Fraiche for Men

Who doesn't love a man who smells... like a MAN?! Except when you can smell that man a mile away because he marinated himself in Axe Body Spray. 

On a recent excursion to Sephora, we went scent hunting and Michael decided on two by Versace that we both loved. Did you know Sephora will give you perfume samples?! 

Versace Signature Cologne is a musky scent great for every day and driving the ladies (or men) crazy by just walking by. Versace Eau Fraiche has a darker scent for evening and getting a little sumthin' sumthin'

Acqua for Life by Giorgio Armani 

I fell in love with Acqua di Gioia two years ago when I did a scent profile at our Wisconsin Sephora. It's fresh, clean and-- even though it contains jasmine-- isn't overly floral. There's something so grown-up about perfume verses body spray, plus I love the longevity of it. It's nice having another option besides my favorite Elizabeth Arden Green Tea.

What perfume do you accent your looks with?  Is there a cologne your man wears that drives you the good kind of crazy??

I love your face: A Lush Review

In this installment of "Products I've Tried At Lush Because I'm Obsessed" we'll be looking at the products shown below:

Are you excited? No?! WELL COULD YOU GET EXCITED PLEASE?!?!?!

Thanks.

First up we have Jackie Oates-- a color (or "colour" if you're fancy) supplement-- Feeling Younger-- a skin tint that's basically a brightener-- and Eyes Right, the legendary mascara that's part of their new Emotional Brilliance makeup line. The only reason I even tried the first two was because I whined mentioned how I hope Lush creates a foundation & cover-up because I don't like heavy makeup. 

 

The oh-so-sweet sales gal convinced me I could use Jackie Oates to even out my skin tone, and Feeling Younger to brighten the dark circles under my eyes plus I could combine the two to create a lovely glow on my skin. They solved my "heavy makeup" problem because I pretty much look like I'm not wearing any! Talk about sheer coverage. I'll stick with my Smashbox foundation but I still need a cover-up that will handle more than just my dark circles. Any recommendations?

Whoever came up with the Eyes Right Mascara iodine bottle design must not wear mascara because the wand is simply ludicrous. DO YOU SEE HOW SHORT IT IS?!?! Maybe it's terrible eye/hand coordination or maybe it's the stubby top; either way: I get mascara all over my face! I had to shell out another $5 on top of the $18 price tag for a separate wand. While Lush employees will tell you the  price is "a great deal because the bottle contains twice the amount of normal mascaras," they neglect to mention that the coverage is so light you'll actually need to use double the coats... so it's basically the SAME THING.

In the two photos of me above, I'm wearing Jackie Oates, Feeling Younger, and 3 coats of Eyes Right.  

Here I am with my normal foundation and regular mascaras (yes, I wear two different ones):

Overall, I'm not a fan of all three items as I don't feel they work as well as normal makeup. Jackie Oates & Feeling Younger are great to toss on before I run errands, but for a night out or a whole day being at work, stick with a higher quality foundation from a trusted, cruelty-free cosmetic brand. Besides the reasons I mentioned above, Eyes Right comes off easily, so if you really want to try it, I'd suggest picking up lash primer. However, if you prefer a light layer, this is the mascara for you.

Next up we have a couple seasonal products:

The Jack-O-Lantern Soap at Lush is a seasonal item only available thru Halloween, usually sells out within a couple weeks of its October release, and is absolutely wonderful. It smells like a pumpkin spice latte and is moisturizing. Personally, if Lush just made these fellas into plain pumpkins, they could sell them thru Thanksgiving (GENIUS over here!! You can pay me a bonus, Lush, if you go with that idea). Put this soap on your radar for next year!

Twilight Shower Gel, on the other hand, is available through Christmas and is based on their lavender Twilight bath bomb. I know, when you (or me) read "lavender" you (me again) think "suffocating flowery scent!" but I promise the aroma is sweet and relaxing. As you can see, after I tried a little bottle, I upgraded to a giant one because I love it.

For the hair and face:

Ultrabland (the pot on the left) is a facial cleanser that doubles as a makeup remover. Seriously, if you have trouble removing that last bit of eyeliner or you wake up every morning with mascara under your eyes, you've got to try this stuff. The Lush Lady also recommended Ultrabland as a blackhead remover. Michael and I tried the method once-- use Ultrabland on blackheads, massage for a few minutes, then spray on the Eau Roma Water (toner) and wipe with a damp cloth, do this 3 times a week-- and the next day we saw an improvement. I need to get back to that.........

It's a bit greasy so make sure to wash thoroughly. I also use my regular cleanser after removing my makeup because I'm weird.

ANYWAY, I'm skipping over the Dirty for a sec to talk about the bar on the right: Fresh Farmacy. It's a facial cleansing bar that's light, smells great, easy on sensitive skin, and works well for an even, clear face. That chunk you see is a mutha f'in SAMPLE too! (Our Lush loves us) I still break out once a month no matter what I use on my face (...if you catch my meaning) but the bar even subdues pimples when they just won't be stopped.

And finally, Dirty hair styling cream, my go-to now that I'm rocking a pixie cut. The smell is addicting (is it weird that I smell it for fun?) and the hold and lift are great for using a very small amount.  See for yourself:

Overall Ratings

Dirty: 5 out of 5 hair tosses 

Eyes Right: 2 out of 5 winks

Feeling Younger: 3 out of 5 beauty marks

Fresh Farmacy: 5 out of 5 beauty marks

Jackie Oates: 3 out of 5 beauty marks

Pumpkin Soap: 4 out of 5 bubbles

Twilight Shower Gel: 5 out of 5 bubbles

**Please note that I am not affiliated with Lush, do not/have not worked for the company, and while I try almost everything as a sample first, I buy my own products.  I just love Lush that much.**

Lush: Emotional Brilliance

Ever since my introduction to Lush, I've become a complete Lushie and geeked out even more when they released their two-years-in-the-making Emotional Brilliance makeup line the day before my birthday. I mean... could the timing be any better?! (The answer is no.)

Now, I must admit... I've committed a Beauty Blog sin: I didn't take any pictures of the store! I'm still working on my "can I take photos of your merchandise I promise I'm not casing the joint" line, but for this I'm afraid I only have photos of the makeup I bought and me wearing it. You'll just have to make your way over to a store near you.

Anyway, after doing a color reading-- which was completely fun, if not a little strange-- I got spoiled by the amazing salesgirl showing me EVERYTHING and having me try on makeup. Is there anything better? (The answer is still no.)

In store, I sampled their translucent powder (shimmery), bronzer (stayed on nicely), multiple shadows, lipsticks, and mascara.  I almost bought the $19 mascara-- the bottle is short but contains double the amount of regular mascara bottles-- but I had already picked up the travel size "They're Real" mascara by Benefit. In the end I walked away with these:

From left to right: "Happiness" cream eyeshadow, "Fantasy" liquid eyeliner, and "Perspective" lipstick.

Let's go over the gold eyeliner, aka "Fantasy." 

First of all, this was my second time EVER applying liquid eyeliner-- so no making fun of my lines. Okay... you can make fun of me but do it behind my back like civilized people.

As far as "Fantasy" goes, the wand is really fine and stiff so the line remains fairly thin, though I did find that I needed to add more to get the depth of color I wanted. It lasted quite awhile and, in my opinion, is a strong gold.

Usually I'm a chicken boring when it comes to makeup, but I like the gold with the black liner: it's fancy. It compliments blue-gray eyes and stands out on pale skin. Plus my eyes look sexy-- is this the part where my inner goddess does cartwheels?! 

Next up: "Happiness" eyeshadow and "Perspective" lipstick.

"Happiness" is bronze/brown/orange in person, yet it definitely comes out more orange than anything else. The wand is the same kind as the spongy ones found in long, thin tubes of lip gloss (I don't know technical terms, okay?!). 

Here's the thing about the eyeshadow: if you use the wand, it goes on thick and the color is strong. If you use your finger to smear, it removes most of the color and all that's left is shimmer. So you must use the wand which hinders blending. However, the color lasts all day and doesn't clump up in the creases too much.

Now the lipstick, "Perspective," is the BEST. I'm obsessed. I hate lipstick in general because it dries out my lips and never lasts. Not so with this stuff. It's moisturizing-- seriously, they aren't kidding when they say it moisturizes-- without being glossy, yet the color still shimmers. Speaking of the color: AMAZING. It's a soft, rosy pink that goes with every skin tone and would make the perfect accent for natural makeup. If you can't tell, I love it and will cry if Perspective ever gets discontinued. Like... I might protest.

The Emotional Brilliance line is full of deep, BRILLIANT (see what did there?), long lasting colors worth sampling. It even holds up when you make faces. For example:

If nothing else, Get. A. Lipstick.  I'm excited to try their mascara and compare it to Benefit, pick up a black liquid liner, but overall I won't be purchasing any shadows. Down the road, I hope Lush releases liquid foundations, blushes, and more nude eyeshadows. I try to keep my makeup subtle so this line isn't to my particular style. If you are all about colors and experimenting with makeup,  Emotional Brilliance is for you.

Ratings--

Happiness Eyeshadow: 3 out of 5 eyelashes

Fantasy Eyeliner: 4 out of 5 eyelashes

Perspective Lipstick: 5 out of 5 kisses

Emotional Brilliance Line: 3.5 out of 5 smiles

Have you tried the Lush makeup yet? Thoughts? How did you like the gold liner? Do you also make faces in mirrors?!

Lush-ious Living

I've outlined my love affair with Lush both here and here. And the love continues. If a Lush store is near you (and by "near" I mean in the same hemisphere), grab some snacks, pack up the kids and/or dogs, get your girlfriends together, book a hotel if you must, but get yourself to this store!

Bottom line: these are homemade, green, not animal tested products (some VEGAN) in completely recyclable materials. Even the little yellow bags for soap samples are made for your compost pile. Plus, save your product pots (see below) and for every 5 you return you get a FREE needs-to-be-refrigerated-because-that's-how-fresh-it-is face mask. 

Do the products work? Hell yes. Way better than my soy milk spray conditioner or Neutrogena lotion or Dove volumizing shampoo. Those are all good products at cheaper prices but the results aren't nearly as excellent and you need to use more product to get the same amount of cleanliness. I still love my Benefit facial regime (another post for another day) but at heart I'm a Lushie.

Let me outline my favorite parts about the store once again so you know what to expect:

1. Samples of anything that's not in a bottle. 3 per customer. Bring a guy so you can get 6.

2. The face on your bottle or pot is the person who made your product. There's also an 18month expiration date.

3. 30 day return policy. Lush will take back or exchange any product you try, no matter how much you used, as long as you have a RECEIPT. It's the truth: I've done it twice.

4. Ask questions and let the employees try stuff on you. Your first few visits to Lush will be trial and error. Finding what works for you requires talking to the helpful employees, getting samples, and actually using them.

5. You can order online. So let's say you visit the Big City for a vacation, get a bunch of samples from Lush, fall in love (which you're bound to do), but there isn't one near you. Visit their website and order at your heart's content.

I've turned my husband into a Lushie as well and thus we've been trying and buying more products as of late. Here's what he LOVES:

Dirty Shower Gel: smells amazing and lasts forever. Michael still can't get over how much lather he gets from a little bit verses the Old Spice Shower Gel he was using. And his skin feels great. (you see why I encourage this?!)

Curly Wurly shampoo in a pot. Since oil has a hard time reaching the ends of curly hair it gets dry. CW takes care of that and makes curls more manageable.

American Cream conditioner: the second lightest conditioner they have, super moisturizing and helps control frizz. I tried Veganese but unfortunately it made my hair frizzier and limp-- AC is what I like as well.

Ro's Argan is a new product Lush just released. It's a rose conditioner for your skin, so apply all over after using the shower gel. It makes your skin super soft and glowy (new word!). I'm not using it because the scent was too much for me.

Dream Cream Lotion: light, oil-free, and extremely luxurious. I like it better than the Charity Pot.

We've been experimenting w/ Lush bar soaps after noticing how much Bath & Body Works dried out our hands (and that's with the moisturizing soap). When we mentioned this to my mother-in-law, she told us how the kids (her 10 & 11 year old) love using Whoosh as soap. It's for the shower too, but soap is soap and you only need the teeny tiniest bit for your hands; not to mention... it feels like Jell-O!

Michael and I have been sharing Prince. It's a shaving cream that doesn't foam or anything, but is extremely soothing and soft on your skin. Like all Lush products: you don't need a lot, just enough to lightly cover the area that has hair. Also, it smells amazing.

**Note: Because it's so light, Prince is hard to see on the skin. Also, you'll need to do a lot of sluicing as its thickness clogs up your razor.

Here's what I'm using...

Dreamwash is a shower smoothie, aka a creamy, uber moisturizing soap for your skin. Here's the thing about shower smoothies: technically, they're just like shower gels but in my opinion, you need to use a lot more to feel clean. I exchanged the Almond Coconut Smoothie for another bottle of my Daddy-O shampoo, but then Michael told me how bright my skin looked every time I used the smoothie. Dilemma. So I picked up DW-- a lavender smoothie that should help my skin's bumps and redness-- with the express purpose to use it like a body conditioner: sparingly and making it last. So that's my plan.

I know I talked about The Big Tease back in February but I'm still 100% in love with this hair product. It's clean, is my favorite scent of all, and truly boosts my fine blond locks. I've had it since mid-January and look how much is left! I'm just about halfway.

A couple things we had trouble with... The shampoo bars. Michael tried a couple and one, which was meant for cancer patients trying to grow back their hair, overstimulated his scalp so much that his hair started falling out! The second one he tried worked well but didn't produce the results of Curly Wurly. This is why asking questions is key.

Yes, Lush products are expensive up front. But looking at the big picture, they last much longer than normal shower gels. I'm almost halfway thru my $30 bottle of Happy Hippy Shower Gel that I got in December-- I only need a dime sized amount and shower once a day. Fortunately, I have a husband who shares my desire for better living and taking care of our skin now so we look amazing when we're 70. Investing in such products makes me want to invest in myself to not only look healthy on the outside but also on the inside, as well as wanting to do my part to reduce my carbon footprint. These are all baby steps but every penny I put toward products and companies that benefit this world is a VOTE toward more companies following suit.