product review: lush 'sunny side' bubble bar.

so i FINALLY had enough cash (aka, spent some savings) to snaffle up some lush products to review for you guys. almost 70 bucks worth of products to be exact but i must say i've quite enjoyed giving them a go over the past few weeks.

first up for review is the last product i picked up as i was approaching the counter. i'll be honest, the only reason i picked it up is because it was glittery. as in completely covered in glitter. as in gold glitter. so quite obviously, i had to have it.

^ photo property of lush cosmetics (i forgot to take my own beforehand).

anyway the idea is you basically place it under the running bath water for a minute or two until the bath bubbles up. as the bubble bar is yellow, honestly it kind of makes the actual water look like someone peed in the bath (i assure you i didn't). but otherwise it just creates some bubbles like bubble bath would and the gold glitter sits throughout the bath. smell wise, it was a bit sweet. it's not really something i would rush out to buy again but if i was there and had some spare change, i'd get it solely for the glitter factor. plus playing with the glitter kept my childish mind entertained.

the aftermath. the bath definately needed a wipedown.

next up from lush i'll be reviewing their 'rub rub body scrub' so stay tuned.
much love! x

product review: products from sos emergency hand rescue.

howdy guys.
so after a pretty shit and stressful few weeks, i'm back with a quick product review using some goodies i suggested in the 'sos: emergency hand rescue'.

l'occitane on minute hand scrub:
for about $30 bucks, you can pick up a 100ml tub of this stuff. it's basically an oil with organic brown exfoliating sugar. the oil aims to nourish the hands and contains shea while the exfoliating sugar gently scrubs away any dead skin cells. after a little scrubbing, your paws will be feeling pretty damn smooth, however occasionally the oil really likes to do its job (at being oily) and requires a some soap to encourage it to wash away. this stuff doesn't smell the best either, but overall as a hand scrub, it does its job pretty well so it's good for a quick treatment every so often. you'll have hands as soft as a baby's bum in just over a minute.

l'occitane shea butter hand cream:
the 150ml size of this is about $40 bucks, which is a decent price. the cream itself is a best seller (one is sold every 3 seconds) and i can see why. it's super great for nourishing and protecting the hands from becoming dry and contains 20% shea butter. shea butter is basically a complex fat that is sourced from the nut of a shea tree and is used throughout many cosmetic labels thanks to its properties in moisturising, healing and renewal processes. for these reasons, it is found in a lot of l'occitane products. once thoroughly rubbed in, the cream is not oily or greasy and thanks to it's very subtle and almost non-existent scent, it's great for those who don't like or can't use scented creams. i use this every night before bed and i love it!

butter london: horse power - nail fertiliser:
for best results it is directed that you apply one coat everyday for a week, then remove and repeat for the duration of a month, with a months break in between each cycle. i have to admit, i rarely do this for the full month but i find it good for giving my extremely weak nails a bit of extra oomph when i'm trying to encourage them to grow and i also love using it as a basecoat when i'm applying colour to my nails. i picked up my 17.5ml polish for about $25 so it's not extremely cheap but so far, it seems like a little product goes a long way, so it probably works out well in the long run.


sorry again for my brief break, but i'm back and ready to blog.
do you guys have any nail products that you love? let me know, i love trying out new ones.
cheers, x

SOS: EMERGENCY HAND RESCUE.



after returning to work for the week, my day was running pretty smoothly for a monday morning. i'd somehow forced myself out of bed, slapped some makeup across my face, put together an outfit that covered the necessary areas and stumbled my way to the bus stop in a sleepy haze. arriving at work, things were good early on. as i served and placed items in a bag for a customer, we chatted about her plans for the day but i became suddenly confused when i proceeded to pass the kind lady her bag. it appeared it wasn't my hands passing it over, but the severely aged and dry hands of perhaps a ninety year old grandmother who hasn't seen the need to use moisturiser for the past ten years. i panicked even further when i realised these were in fact my own hands and although mine have never been close to hand model standards, i could not believe how much i'd neglected them. my hands have a tendency to completely dry out during the colder weather, while my cuticles seem to enjoy encroaching upon my nails personal space bubble and my nails themselves like to break, peel and show off all signs of weakness.

 

although the entire rest of the day i so desperately desired to stash these 'old lady' hands out of sight (perhaps into a nice pair of woollen gloves), that was unfortunately not appropriate nor practical. i have a feeling wrapping gifts would have proved much more challenging and probably would have tested the patience of many customers. fortunately for me, no one appeared to notice (or felt comfortable enough to point out my mitts needed some serious tlc), so that afternoon i scurried home to give them the love that they truly deserved. after all, the least i could do was primp, preen and polish them so they could face the public eye with a little confidence. they do enough for me, don't they?

 

want some ideas for your own emergency hand rescue? read below.

EMERGENCY HAND RESCUE: for your neglected mitts.

 

1. rescue those nails from encroaching cuticles and tiny bits of skin (the ones that hurt like hell and enjoy bleeding when you pull them). i usually just press the cuticles down with my own nails or 'cuticle pushers' and trim them with nail clippers.

 

2. don't let those nails think they're escaping a little snip here and there. trim into your desired shape. feel free to use nail files but they make me shiver (nails on a blackboard anyone?).

 

3. plop a nice twenty cent piece size of l'occitane one minute hand scrub onto the palm of one hand. get imaginative and pretend those hands are having hanky panky, so rub them together close and vigorously for, oh i don't know, probably a minute or so. once done, rinse and dry those now substantially smoother mitts.

 

4. massage some l'occitane cuticle and nail cream into and around your nails. this is your way to apologise for trimming their unruly 'locks' without their permission.

 

5. encourage those nails to grow long and stronger with some help from butter london's - horse power nail fertiliser. one coat should do the trick (for best results continue to use as the bottle directs).

 

6. once those babies are dry, smother them with love in the form of body shop spa wisdom africa hand and foot butter.

 

7. if you do this a while before bed, before your slumber you can apply l'occitane shea butter hand cream for some extra goodness and if you desire, a pair of moisture gloves to soften those hands all night long.

 

i'll be doing a product review on these products, including prices, over the next few days. until then, i hope you keep your mitts in better condition than i have and if not, that my ideas might give them some much needed relief.

 

 

much love, t&e.


* please note that i am NOT in any way, shape or form connected to any business or company. all products are purchased with my own money and all opinions are my own.

brand exploring: lush cosmetics.

 

lush. the word itself promotes a feeling of abundance and sensual thriving. just reading descriptions of 'lush cosmetic' products makes my skin crave some serious tlc, thanks to the almost orgasmic way they can talk about avocados and seaweed (it just sounds so damn good!). i've always called myself a lover of 'lush', however recently i have rather naively based this adoration solely on the company values (such as their anti animal testing and environmental campaigns), rather than the products in funky packaging they continuously give birth to. after having a scrumptious brunch with a friend who works at my local lush store, i realised how long it has been since i purchased one of their products, which i really don't have an excuse for as their shop front is directly opposite my own workplace. i was suddenly embarrassed. how could i proudly profess my love without being able to remember the last time i set foot in the store, let alone brought a product.

and so it was decided. on my way to work this morning i set off early and eagerly, ready to do my research in that 'store across the road,' before it was too late and i sooner or later exposed myself for the fraud that i really am. i must credit my cheerful experience to the lovely lass working today who constantly chatted too me as i strolled bug-eyed around the store, trying to take in each texture, colour and smell from the many cosmetics covering the tables and shelves. at the end of my visit, she offered me a copy of 'lush times' which i happily skipped away with and spent all day longing to get home, just so i could delve into its pages and see what else my inspiring visit could potentially offer me.

as soon as dinner was over, i spent the next hour browsing 'lush times' page by page, creating a continually growing list of the many products i'd like to try for myself. i figure many of my current beauty products are starting to run out, so this is the perfect opportunity to swap things up and try some new, crazily scented goodies (never mind my prevelant lack of money, we'll just have to work around that). hopefully over the next few weeks i will be able to start bringing some 'lush' product reviews to you, once i can find enough loose change around the house and in the bottom of handbags to support my new endevour.

have you guys used many lush products? do you have favourites you'd recommend or ones that you wouldn't?

cheers, t&e. x

 

p.s. as of today i am now the (both proud and slightly embarrassed) owner of a 'peter alexander' two piece, black velour tracksuit. i've always wanted one so i'm rather excited, however it's a very early birthday pressie so i have to wait another sixish weeks to wear it. boo you whore!