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LUSH Buy One Get One Sale Haul

by / Hauls, Skincare / 23 Comments

LUSH Buy One Get One Sale

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Who doesn’t love LUSH products?  They’re fun and colorful, smell good, and work wonders on your skin.  I just love LUSH products.  If you haven’t yet anything from LUSH, the perfect time to have picked up some of their [seasonal] bath and body products was during the annual LUSH Buy One Get One Sale, which still going on both online and in stores.

Since these LUSH Buy One Get One sales are extremely rare, and happen only once per year, usually after Christmas, things sell out quickly, especially online.  Fortunately, I was able to pick up a few of my favorite LUSH products, and pick up items I’ve wanted to try, too.

It seems like all of the shower gels are 3.3 fl oz, which is the smallest size available, and are $9.95 each.  I honestly didn’t pay attention to the sizes when I was adding things into my cart, and was a little disappointed at how small the shower gels are.  .:Grrr;. I have no one else to blame except my overly enthusiastic self.  The soaps cost anywhere between $6.95 and $7.95.

Keep reading to check out my LUSH Buy One Get One sale haul.

Favorites

Hot Toddy Shower Gel 3.3  fl oz

I had to stock up on it during the LUSH Buy One Get One Sale.I have the large, 16.9 fl oz bottle of Hot Toddy Shower Gel. It’s amazing!  It reminds me of an oldie discontinued item, and favorite of mine, Glogg.  Both are reminiscent of fresh cinnamon sticks. The aroma is warming, making it perfect for use during cold weather.

LUSH Buy One Get One _ Hot Toddy

Rose Jam Shower Gel 3.3 Fl oz

Rose Jam! I reviewed this a while back. I absolutely love this scent, especially when combined with the Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner.

LUSH Buy One Get One Sale _Rose Jam

Trying something new

So White Shower Gel

This was new for the 2014 holiday season. It was created after the LUSH holiday favorite, So White Bath Bomb. It is a fresh, gently cleansing apple infusion, soothing rose water and uplifting bergamot oil, thus making it perfect for morning showers.

LUSH Buy One Get One Sale _ So white

Snowcake Soap

This is another holiday favorite. Snowcake Soap, if you held it in your hands, and took a whiff, you’d honestly want to bite into it due to the sweet, vanilla, almond icing fragrance.

LUSH Buy One Get One _Snowcake Soap

Yog Nog Soap

Most of my fragrances have some sort of spice element to them, which is why I picked up Yog Nog Soap from the LUSH Buy One Get One sale. It smells exactly like eggnog, and has a dusting of nutmeg on top. The soap is very creamy, so creamy that I have to keep it in the refrigerator.

LUSH Buy One Get One _ Yog Nog Soap

When I received my items, LUSH included a sample of Gold Fun. I guess they read my mind because I wanted to pick up that as well, but it was sold out.  My daughter has been using that, plus her Pink Fun. Both are lovely.

As I mentioned previously, a lot of items sold out online super quickly, like the bath bombs, fun, gift sets, and other items; however, I’ve heard through the grapevine that some LUSH stores are still running the LUSH Buy One Get One sale, and have a few gift sets and other products on sale, so I suggest either calling ahead to your local store to find out whether or not they have anything you’re interested in picking up.

Did you pick up anything from the LUSH Buy One Get One Sale? If so, what?

The Beauty Council: Winter Beauty Staples #TheBeautyCouncil

by / Skincare, The Beauty Council / 41 Comments

The Beauty Council Winter Beauty Staples
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I’m a member of this awesome group of beauty bloggers, The Beauty Council, which means I will be linking up on some informative and fun beauty-related posts.  This time around, The Beauty Council is dishing on our Winter Beauty Staples.

Winter has shown her ugly face this past week in New York City.  One day, it was a balmy 60 degree day, and then the blistering 30 degree and below temperatures hit.  And, just recently, we had snow.  Right now, my heat is turned up high, and I’m bundled up like baby Jesus in the manger, and I’m keeping my winter beauty staples close by.  The combination of heat and the cold winter weather can wreak havoc on your hair, skin, and nails so it’s imperative that I have an arsenal of products that help combat the dryness and dull-looking skin that is associated with winter weather.

Winter Beauty Staples for Skin

Cleanser

Face: Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Hydrating Cleanser (creamy Formula).  I reviewed the foaming formula of this cleanser, but, since then, I’ve switched to the creamy version.  Both formula’s are great for my skin; however, the cream formula has become a winter beauty staple since it’s a lot more hydrating, is gentle and there’s no fragrance.

Body:  Right now, I’m using Hot Toddy shower gel from LUSH.  It’s the perfect combination of cinnamon and patchouli perfect for a warming experience while showering.  It contains aloe vera gel to aid in hydrating and healing dry skin.

Exfoliant

Face: Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant is one of my favorite exfoliating products to use because it’s gentle enough to use daily without causing harm and extra dryness to your skin.  You can read more about it in my review.

Body: I guess you an say that I exfoliate my body daily because I use mesh shower gloves. I just don’t feel clean without them; however, I do have days when I take an extra step to include a body scrub because I love having soft, smooth and glowing skin.  It an either be one of my homemade sugar scrubs, or the  Teadora Beauty Nourishing Body Polish I just reviewed.

Moisturizer

Face: I haven’t quite found a hydrating serum to add to my winter beauty staples, but, I still make sure my skin is well moisturized both during the day and in the evening.  During the day, I use Dermalogica’s Age Smart Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF50.  Even though it’s winter, it’s still important to wear SPF products during the day.  At night, I use the Valentia Vitamin Even Glow Serum along with one of my favorite moisturizers, Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentrate. For my lips, I  religiously use Carmex.  I seriously should own stock in the company.

Body: For my body, I normally alternate between various products.   During my lazy days when I don’t want to slather on moisturizer all over my body I reach for my LUSH Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner.  In doing so, I know my skin will be well moisturized and lightly scented with a hint of roses.  My other options include the Derm Organic Hand & Body Lotion, and Kiehl’s Creme De Corp.

Foundation: Lately, I’ve been using my MAC Face and Body foundation (C7).  Winter weather and indoor heating can dry out your skin.  The MAC Face and Body Foundation is hydrating, lightweight, user-friendly, and it gives my skin a nice dewy (not oily) look.  To remove some of the shine from areas I don’t want to highlight like my big ole forehead, I apply the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish or the CoverFX Matte Setting Powder (Dark).

Concealer: Whenever I need to hide my dark circles, I grab my IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer.  I use the waterproof formula, and it’s hydrating.  This concealer helps with hiding my dark circles while keeping my delicate eye area moisturized.  To cover up a blemish, my best friend is the LA Girl Pro Concealer (I use Toffee and Fawn).

Winter Beauty Staples for Nails

Hand Cream: Essence of Beauty Lemon Verbena Hand Cream. I actually love the entire Essence of Beauty body care line (review), but, the hand cream is something I tote around in my purse and I also have a tube sitting on my desk at work.

Cuticle Treatment: Avon Nail Experts Instant Gel Cuticle Remover gets rid of my dry cuticles in seconds. I apply the treatment to my cuticles, push back with an orange stick, and then follow up with clipping the dry cuticle skin, which essentially comes off by itself.

Cuticle Cream:  I’ve been using this MAVALA Penetrating Cuticle Cream for about two years now.  It’s my favorite cuticle cream to use at night.  During the winter, if I don’t take care of them, my cuticles get so dry and hard, and sometimes they peel. The MAVALA Penetrating Cuticle Cream is like magic, reversing the damage, thus leaving me with soft cuticles.  The scent, which reminds me of men’s cologne does take getting used to.

 

 

 

 

 

Which Winter Beauty Staples are a part of your arsenal?

DIY Body Scrubs: Easy to Make & Perfect for Gifting

by / Skincare, Tutorials / 36 Comments

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DIY Body Scrubs
Homemade is the best made, especially when it comes to food, drinks and sometimes skin and beauty treatments.  At least when making these things yourself you know exactly what’s going into the item your making, and it’s also cost effective. This year, to give away as Christmas gifts, I decided to make some DIY Body Scrubs.

DIY Body Scrubs make great gifts because they’re customizable, and made with love. Plus, they’re easy to make.  Besides, during the winter when people suffer from dry skin the most, a little exfoliating can bring dull skin back to it’s brighter days.  The oils used leave your skin moisturized and smelling great if using an essential oil like lavender with it.

Prior to making my DIY Body Scrubs,  I asked everyone on my list to let me know out of these scents: Vanilla Brown Sugar, Lavender, Lavender Vanilla, and Lemongrass that they would prefer.  Lavender and Lemongrass were the most popular scents chosen. Personally, I love the smell of lemongrass. It brings back memories of when I was taking private lessons at my violin teachers home;  she’d have lemongrass oil or incense burning.  It smells so good!

 

 

Gifts made with love … Chocolate chip cookie mix and lemongrass sugar scrub made by my sister Kim @makeupbykimporter @beautyandthebump. Black cake with the right amount of rum Haa… Made by my sister Shani @71atechef #handmadegiftsarethebestgifts #madewithlove #holidaygifts #DIYgifts

A photo posted by Kinda (@bksfinest73) on

Supplies for making & packaging DIY Body Scrubs

I ordered a 12-pack of 1/2 pint mason jars from Amazon (shouts out to Amazon Prime!) to package the scrubs. From Amazon, I also ordered my Lemongrass, Lavender, and Bergamot Essential Oils, Sweet Almond Oil, and Coconut Oil.  Here’s the kicker, before we moved, I had a few of the essential oils I needed to make the DIY Body Scrubs, and I think I threw them away. I had to repurchase them.  .:Womp Womp:.

I created 3″ circular labels on vistaprint, for under $2. And since it’s the holiday season, which is known for lots of baking, a lot of baking items like the sugars I’d need were on sale. For the freaking win!

Below is the base recipe for the DIY Body Scrubs I made

1 cup granulated sugar (or dark brown)

1/4 cup sweet almond oil (or coconut oil)

1 tbsp honey

10-15 drops essential oil

1 tsp Vitamin E oil

Combine all of the ingredients into a bowl, and mix well. Make sure you massage all of the ingredients evenly into the sugar. Massage is like you’re getting the knots out of your significant other’s back.  Give it some love. When you’re gifting it, you want the person using it to feel the love that went into making this lovely scrub.

Note: The consistency of the DIY Body Scrub should be that of wet sand. If it’s too dry, add more oil.  Too wet, add more sugar.

 DIY  Body Scrub Recipes

Vanilla Brown Sugar Body Scrub

1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

1/2 cup Dark Brown sugar

1/4 cup Sweet Almond Oil

1/4 cup Virgin Coconut Oil

2 tbsp Honey

1 tbsp Natural vanilla essence

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Vitamin E Oil

 

Lavender Sugar Body Scrub

1 cup Granulated Sugar

1/2 cup Sweet Almond Oil

1 tbsp Honey

10-15 drops of Lavender Essential Oil

1 tsp Dry Lavender pods (they smell so good!)

1 tsp Vitamin E Oil

 

DIY Body Scrub Lavender
Lavender Vanilla Sugar Body Scrub

1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

1/2 cup Sweet Almond Oil

1 tbsp Honey

10 drops of Lavender Essential Oil

1 tsp Vanilla

1 tsp Dry Lavender pods

1 tsp Vitamin E Oil

Lemongrass Sugar Scrub

1 cup Granulated Sugar

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup Sweet Almond Oil

10-15 drops Lemongrass Essential Oil

5-10 drops Bergamot Essential Oil

1 tsp Vitamin E Oil

 

 

Teadora Nourishing Body Polish: Rain forest at Dusk & Rainforest at Dawn Review

by / Reviews, Skincare / 14 Comments

Teadora Nourishing Body Polish
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One of the perks of being a beauty blogger is being able to try new brands and products, and then introduce them to our readers. Take for instance Teadora Beauty, which a natural and organic beauty line featuring body, skin, and hair products that are available in two scents:  Rainforest at Dawn and Rainforest at Dusk.  For the last month I’ve been incorporating the Teadora Nourishing Body Polish into my body care routine, alternating between their two scents.

Who is Teadora Beauty?

How sweet! “Teadora” in Portugese means adores you.  Did you know that?  I didn’t either! That goes to show that there’s always a lesson in beauty.  Teadora Beauty uses both natural and organic ingredients found in the Amazon rainforest. According to Teadora’s website, they state, “Our products let you experience the bounty and magic of the Amazon – while helping to improve the lives of the communities where we live and do business.”

My Thoughts on the Teadora Nourishing Body Polish

Normally, I go for the more “scrubby” kinds of body scrubs, but, the Teadora Beauty Nourishing Body Polish, which uses Açaí Seeds, is not at all scrubby.  Don’t get me wrong here, I don’t say that to discredit the effectiveness of the body polish because after using it, my skin is left soft, smooth, and all glowy.  And usually after showering, I’d slather on lotion; however, after using the Teadora Nourishing Body Polish, I realized that I don’t have to.  I’m giving credit to Teadora’s Hydration Elixir, which is a combination of five oils: Buriti, Babassu, Brazil Nut, Rose Hip Seed, and Maracujá oils, which leaves my skin super hydrated.

Buriti contains the highest concentration of natural vitamin A among fruits and vegetables.  It is also rich in Vitamin E, Vitamin C and antioxidants and has been used for generations as natural protection against UV rays. Its amazing anti-inflammatory properties also help to promote skin healing.  Maracuja Oil (Passion Fruit) is known for it’s skin brightening, moisturizing, and healing properties.  Brazil Nut Oil, is a great moisturizer with healing properties for the skin, hair and face.

Teadora Nourishing Body Polish Swatch
I already talked about the texture of the polish.  It’s smooth, not too grainy/scrubby, which makes it perfect for people who are sensitive to more coarse scrubs.  I also noticed that the Teadora Nourishing Body Polish lathers/foams just a tad, too.  I wonder if anyone else noticed that?

You’re probably wondering about the scent?

 

Teadora Nourishing Body Polish Rainforest at Dusk
During the day, I use Rainforest at Dusk, which reminds me of a walk through the woods during spring when the all of the flowers are in bloom.  It’s a nice light scent, and I like that whatever fragrance I’m wearing for the day doesn’t have to compete with it.  The Teadora Nourishing Body Polish Rainforest at Dusk  scent smells exceptional during the shower, but, the scent doesn’t linger long afterward, which could be a plus or negative aspect of it depending on who you ask, but I don’t mind that it doesn’t linger.

Teadora Nourishing Body Polish Rainforest at Dawn
 

The Teadora Nourishing Body Polish Rainforest at Dawn scent is what I use at night.  To me, this was a strong herbal scent.  It seemed more like a masculine scent, which is what I usually prefer in most of my fragrances anyway.  Using the Rainforest at Dawn body polish at night seemed to help me relax after a long day.  I like how the scent of this one, although light, lingers on my skin for a good hour or so after using it.  I go to bed smelling nice and yummy, and I’m also relaxed.

Overall, I’m impressed with the performance of the Teadora Nourishing Body Polish.  For a fine-textured body scrub, it definitely does the work of other, more scrubby scrubs I’ve used, and with less product.  Plus, the two scents that it comes available in are awesome if you’re into earthy and herbal fragrances.

Teadora Nourishing Body Polishes retail for $34.00/ 6 oz ($10/ 1.5 oz).  It sounds like  a lot of money, but, Teadora uses funds made from purchases to help stop rainforest deforestation.  Your purchase also helps to fund a philanthropy exchange between the US and Brazil that promotes youth education, leadership development, and health, which Teadora calls, ‘EARTH FOR YOU. YOU FOR EARTH.’

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Have you tried the Teadora Nourishing Body Polish?

What do you think?