A Tub of Beauty

April Use it Ups

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 23:55:00 +0000

~~Karma Bath Melt~~
~~Champayne Supernova Bath Bomb~~
1/2 Haagenbath Bath Bomb
~~1/2 Sex Bomb Bath Bomb~~
Karma Bath Bomb
~~2/3 Karma Bubble Bar~~
~~Black Pearl Bath Bomb~~
~~1/2 Hollywood Bubble Bar~~
~~3/4 Humango Bath Bomb~~
H'suan Wen Hua Hair Mask sample
Pot of Randy Buttercream
Therapy Massage Bar (old formula)
~~Tval Banana Puddin' Soap Sample~~
Keep It Fluffy Soap
1/4 Butterball Shower Gel
1/5 Tub Whoosh Shower Jelly
~~1/5 Tub Snowshowers Shower Jelly~~

Another Lush Haul

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 22:08:00 +0000

Ooo, I'm way overdue to post this. I placed this order around March 11th or 12th and I received it on the 17th! Wow, another fast shipping! This one was from the UK too!

My package came wrapped in plastic.

And this is why. My package was busted.

Yay! Finally got it unwrapped.

Oooh, a new Lush times!

Mum Still Life Bath Bomb x2
Mum Candy Fluff x2
Mum Sakura x2
Uluru Bath Bomb
Hot Java
Space Girl
Melomint
Happy Chick
Dreamtime Temple Balm

Close up!

Got samples of: Bare Naked Lady Dusting Powder, Saving Face, Full of Grace, and Turkish Delight

March Use it Up Update

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 21:58:00 +0000

I've been making good progress using up products this month! So I'm going to do an update. From now on, when I post my monthly use-it-ups I'm just going to cross them out on the previous posts, instead of crossing out used items on the new post.

Karma Bath Melt
~~1/2 Prince Bubble Bar~~
Champayne Supernova Bath Bomb
~~Haagenbath Bath Bomb~~1/2 Haagenbath Bath Bomb
~~Sex Bomb Bath Bomb~~1/2 Sex Bomb Bath Bomb
Karma Bath Bomb
Karma Bubble Bar
Black Pearl Bath Bomb
~~Hollywood Bubble Bar~~1/2 Hollywood Bubble Bar
~~Aqua Mirabilis Bath Melt~~
Humango Bath Bomb
H'suan Wen Hua Hair Mask sample
~~1/2 Ma Bar Bubble Bar~~
~~1 Pink Easter Egg Half~~
~~1/2 Flosty Gritter Bubble Bar~~
~~Star-shaped Godmother Soap~~
Pot of Randy Buttercream
~~1/3 Bottle Rub Rub Rub~~
~~Slice of Lily Savon Soap~~
~~1/2 Too Drunk Emotibomb~~
Therapy Massage Bar (old formula)
~~Tval Lavender Vanilla Foaming Mineral Bath Soak~~
Tval Banana Puddin' Soap Sample
~~Cynthia Stout Shampoo Sample~~
~~Coulaulin Conditioner Sample~~

I'm going to continue crossing out this list in the month of March, and will post a new one in April.

Lush Easter Haul

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:15:00 +0000

I placed my order last Thursday, March 4th and I received my order today, March 10th! Wow, this is the fastest I have ever received a package from Lush NA!

Canadiana Giftset - Contains a small Canadian Maple Soap and a matching Massage Bar called Mountie
Canadian Maple Soap - This soap is HUGE!
Happy Chick Bath Bomb - Limited edition Easter item, supposed to smell like Hippy Happy Shower Gel
Honey Bun Bath Bomb - Limited edition Easter item, smells like Honey I Washed the Kids. This has the same scent as last year's Honey Bun but a different shape
Ickle Baby Bot Bath Bomb - Omg, this bomb is so cute! It's supposed to replace the old Ickle Babies
Dorothy Bubble Bar - Supposed to smell like Figs n Leaves soap, not sure if this is limited edition or permanent

Wow, I got a free Frothy the Snowman Bubble Bar! =] Thanks Lush! They must have tons of these left from Christmas since many people seemed to have hated it.

Look at how big that Maple Soap is!

I also got samples of Temptation and Pineapple Grunt soaps. The Canadiana giftset and Maple Soap are on sale right now, if you guys are interested in getting them. I missed the sale by 3 days!!

Invasion of the Pee Water: A Review

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:01:00 +0000

I know I haven't been doing any reviews lately. All of my posts have been hauls xD So here is a review on the bombs that turn your water yellow. Many people do not like the yellow water because it reminds them of urine, but I actually don't mind. I feel like I am bathing in hot Mountain Dew. The only thing I don't like about yellow water is that it leaves a ring around my tub. Let's start.

Vanilla Fountain Bath Bomb: Vanilla Fountain is a decadent desert bath made with vanilla absolute (the posh stuff made from pods) and rich tonka absolute. Inspired by lavish English deserts, it's comforting and deeply sweet, with notes of burnt caramel that last on your skin and waft through the house so you can enjoy it for hours. Simon Constantine invented this delicious new fragrance; we loved it so much we just had to have an entire fragrance line, and we got what we wished for! Layer on the vanilla!

Vanilla Fountain smells really good dry. The black stick sticking out of it is actually a vanilla pod. I usually take it out and throw it away before using the bomb. Some people like to take it in the bath and squeeze all the goodness out of it though. I initially used half of this bomb and once it hit the water, the scent totally disappeared. So I ended up using the whole thing. This bomb is not very moisturizing, and the scent that lingers on your skin is not the vanilla scent, but the burnt caramel. This bomb isn't bad, but I probably won't be buying it again.

Honey Bee Bath Bomb: Honey not only smells delicious, it's very soothing and moisturizing on the skin. This is the bath to take if your skin's giving you trouble; we add aloe vera in with the honey, and hand-press a stripe of rhassoul mud through the centre of each bomb. Your skin will be calmed, soothed and so will your disposition as you inhale the delectable fragrance of honey and caramel, similar to our best-selling Honey I Washed the Kids soap.

Honey Bee has the same scent as Honey I Washed the Kids soap. It smells so so good, and you will definitely like this if you like the soap. I only like to use half a bath bomb, and I tried to break Honey Bee in half, but it just would not break. I ended up using the whole thing. I expected the smell to be stronger, but it was pretty faint once it hit the water. It turned the water a golden yellow color, even brighter than Vanilla Fountain. What I don't really like is the rhassoul mud because it just sinks to the bottom and ends up being gritty on your bottom. After you drain the water, you get left with a kind of gross brown residue. It easily gets rinsed down the drain though. I actually like the Honey Bee bomb that's in the big Easter egg. I think it smells better and the mud actually dissolves in the water.

Harvey Bath Bomb: Our Harvey bunny bath bomb becomes invisible as he disappears in a fizzy froth of soothing yet refreshing jasmine, orange, mint and carrot seed fragrance. (You may wonder about the scent of carrot seeds, but this essential oil is very costly and beautifully fragrant and it is used in expensive perfumes; how easy do you think it is to get oil out of carrot seeds?) In the film Harvey, the bunny disappeared for a while and although everything seemed normal everyone missed him. It was just like that at LUSH, so we brought him back and put him in Retro.

Isn't Harvey cute? NOT! Looking from the picture, he looks a bit cute, but when I actually used him I thought he looked a little conniving and perverted. Yes, a perverted bunny! He has a cherry for a nose, and I read on the Lush forums that some people like to eat his nose, but I wouldn't dare to. When I sniffed him in the beginning, I only got floral notes. When dissolved in the water, I was like, "...ahhh..." That's the sighing, relaxed "ahh" by the way. Harvey's scent in the water was a lot more complex than it was dry. He smelled floral, fruity, sweet, carrot-y, and creamy. How can a scent be creamy? Strange, isn't it? I can't describe what creamy smells like, but it's something you have to experience yourself. That's Lush for you, and that's why I love Lush!

March Use-it-Ups

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:56:00 +0000

I'm just going to cross out the ones I used in February and the ones I didn't cross will be my March use-it-ups.

Karma Bath Melt
~~Prince Bubble Bar~~1/2 Prince Bubble Bar
Champayne Supernova Bath Bomb
Haagenbath Bath Bomb
Sex Bomb Bath Bomb
Karma Bath Bomb
Karma Bubble Bar
Black Pearl Bath Bomb
Hollywood Bubble Bar
Aqua Mirabilis Bath Melt
Humango Bath Bomb
H'suan Wen Hua Hair Mask sample
~~1 1/2 Yellow Easter Egg Halves~~
~~Ma Bar Bubble Bar~~1/2 Ma Bar Bubble Bar
~~Hexagon-shaped Honey I Washed the Kids~~
~~2 Pink Easter Egg Halves~~1 Pink Easter Egg Half
~~Flosty Gritter Bubble Bar~~1/2 Flosty Gritter Bubble Bar
~~Star-shaped Rockstar Soap~~
~~Small piece of Pumpkin Soap~~

Adding to the list:
Star-shaped Godmother Soap
Pot of Randy Buttercream
1/3 Bottle Rub Rub Rub
Slice of Lily Savon Soap
1/2 Too Drunk Emotibomb
Therapy Massage Bar (old formula)
Tval Lavender Vanilla Foaming Mineral Bath Soak

Lush Haul

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:48:00 +0000

Last Saturday, February 20th, my Lush store was having a party for their 1 year anniversary. They said they were giving away and selling Retro products, so how could I resist?

Lets's Get Fizzical, which contains miniature versions of their 9 best-selling bombs: Butterball, Blackberry, Think Pink, Avobath, Honey Bee, Big Blue, Sex Bomb, Street Party (limited edition), and Bon Bomb (Retro).
Golden Slumbers
Turbo Bubble Bar
Street Party x2
And I got a Happy Birthday Bubble Bar for RSVPing.

For spending more than $45, I got a goodie bag that contained another Turbo Bubble Bar, some Miranda soap (ick), and a Honey Trap Lip Balm. Honestly, when I read the description of their party, I actually thought they would have more Retro products, but the only one they had was Turbo. I didn't really have anything to buy either since I already have everything so I ended up buying the Let's Get Fizzical. I knew I should have waited to get the B Electro. I was just too afraid that they would be sold out, but they weren't. Oh well.

Lush B Electro Limited Edition Shower Gel

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 06:15:00 +0000

Okay, I was going to wait until the 20th for a Lush store party to purchase this, but based on the raves on Lush's forum, I just could not wait because I was too scared it was going to run out before the 20th. It is limited edition, after all, and you guys know what that means. It'll probably be gone forever once it's sold out. I'm probably not even going to open this bottle until a few months later once my shower products start dwindling down.

By the way I have noticed that I have gotten myself 2 new followers since the last time I checked. Whoohoo! Thanks for subscribing guys!

Oh, and if anyone is interested, I have a 500ml bottle of Butterball Shower Gel to either swap or sell. Oh, and some Snow Fairy too. Leave a comment if you're interested!

Look at that bright neon green color. Isn't it just beautiful? The picture on Lush's website makes it look even brighter, like it's radiated.

A Tval Haul and a Lush De-Egging

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:00:00 +0000

I got my Tval package like 2 weeks ago, and yes again I was too lazy to post it here. I missed the sale they had, but I managed to get one Christmas edition soap for 75% off.

Oil-free Lotion w/ Strawberries and Salicylic Acid
Cleansing Milk
Grapefruit Mandarin Cupcake Soap
Gingerbread Soap (Christmas edition)
Buddha Eye Cream
Chocolate Orange Tub o'licious
Samples of: Granite Mineral Eyeshadow, Lavender Vanilla Body Butter, and Pink Cotton Candy Hair Mask

The Gingerbread soap smells so darn good. It smells just like Gingerbread cookies.

It's almost Easter this year and I'm just unwrapping my Easter eggs from last year xD

Here they were when they were freshly bought.

And de-egged almost one year later.
Inside the yellow egg: Ma Bar and a hexagon-shaped Honey I Washed the Kids. I used half of the half of the Easter egg already.
Inside the pink egg: Flosty Gritter and a star-shaped Rockstar

The inside of the pink egg looks moldy, but I think it's just from the moisture. The bottom of the Ma Bar, on the other hand, does look a bit moldy, so I'm just gonna cut those parts off when I use it. It's almost been a year, but the scents are still really strong! Yay!

February Use it Ups!

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 02:43:00 +0000

I'm just going to cross out the ones I used in January and the ones I didn't cross will be my February use-it-ups.

~~1/2 First Seal Bubble Bar~~
Karma Bath Melt
~~Magic Egg Bath Bomb~~
Prince Bubble Bar
Champayne Supernova Bath Bomb
Haagenbath Bath Bomb
Sex Bomb Bath Bomb
~~Happy Pill Bath Bomb~~
Karma Bath Bomb
Karma Bubble Bar
~~1/2 Ice Hotel Bubble Bar~~
Black Pearl Bath Bomb
Hollywood Bubble Bar
~~1/2 Bathos Bubble Bar~~
Aqua Mirabilis Bath Melt
~~Creamy Candy Bubble Bar~~
Humango Bath Bomb
H'suan Wen Hua Hair Mask sample
1 1/2 Yellow Easter Egg Halves
Ma Bar Bubble Bar
Hexagon-shaped Honey I Washed the Kids
2 Pink Easter Egg Halves
Flosty Gritter Bubble Bar
Star-shaped Rockstar Soap
Small piece of Pumpkin Soap
~~Tval Sandalwood Vanilla Soap~~

Lush New Items and Valentine's Day Haul

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Oh boy, it's almost been a month since my last post. I have lots of stuff to share and they are coming up! I have some reviews. I have to post my February use-it-ups. And here is my Lush haul from the UK:

Into Thin Air Massage Bar - This looks like Wiccy but it smells like old formula Therapy! It contains mung (green) beans instead of red. For any of you guys missing the old Therapy, get this! I haven't used it yet so I can't tell you whether it works the same though.

Mint Julips Lip Scrub - New item! I thought this scrub was going to be a bit watery but rather it's like packed sugar. When I first opened the jar to smell it, I didn't really like it because it smelled kind of artificial. After I used it though, the mint chocolate scent came out and it made my lips so soft. The directions say that you can eat it after scrubbing, but when I did this I already brushed my teeth so I just rinsed it off. Even if I hadn't brushed my teeth, I'm a bit disgusted by the idea of eating my dead skin cells. Think about scrubbing your body with a sugar scrub and then licking it clean xD

Magic Mushroom Bubble Bar - This is the Valentine's day limited edition item. It is so darn cute! When it arrived at my door, it came in two pieces: the stem and the hat. The top part is supposed to smell like Yummy Yummy Yummy and the stem is supposed to smell like vanilla. I can't wait to use this.

Happy Blooming Bath Melt - This is one of the new items, only available right now from the UK. Sometimes it smells like cherry candy and other times it smells like nail polish. This melt is good for 3 baths. Yay for a new melt (finally)!

Schnuggle - This is the 2nd bar I ordered because I really like how it feels. It's not too oily like the regular massage bars and it leaves my skin soft when I wake up in the morning. The first few times it put me to sleep with ease, but I'm not sure about now.

Love Soap - Another Valentine's Day item. I heard that last year's version smelled like apple, and I was really excited to try it this year until I heard that this year is Sex Bomb scented. There's nothing wrong with the Sex Bomb scent, I just wanted to try something different. I actually thought the whole soap was covered in glitter, but it's only the top.

Ex-factor Bath Bomb - Oh Em Gee, this smells sooo good. This smells like Butterball but it doesn't have the cocoa butter bits. This is called the ex-factor and shaped like a person because you're supposed to imagine that it's your ex and then dunk its head into the water. Hah! Take that!

I also got samples of:
Creme Anglaise - This is also a new item. It's a lotion that comes in a black pot. It's supposed to be very luxurious and even thicker than Sympathy for the Skin. It's supposed to smell like a vanilla creme dessert, but when I sniffed it I didn't think it smelled too good. It smells kind of weird. It did make my hands soft though, but which Lush moisturizer doesn't?

Temptation Soap - This is a retro soap. It's supposed to smell like apples, but it doesn't smell like apples. It smells a bit weird too, kind of floral, kind of fruity. Too perfumy. Maybe it'll smell better once I use it.

Cosmic Dreamcatcher - First time getting a sample of a Massage Bar! Yay for Lush UK! It's irange and the chunk they gave me looks like cheddar cheese! It smells kind of medicinal and incensey. I'm not so sure if I like it.

Ooh and it looks like I got 2 new followers since the last time I checked. Thanks guy for subscribing!

January Use it Ups!

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 06:43:00 +0000

I just organized and labeled all of my Lush products according to dates that I bought them. I will be using up the ones that I bought towards the beginning of 2009. The ones in the picture are from March, April, and May of 2009.

1/2 First Seal Bubble Bar
Karma Bath Melt
Magic Egg Bath Bomb
Prince Bubble Bar
Champayne Supernova Bath Bomb
Haagenbath Bath Bomb
Sex Bomb Bath Bomb
Happy Pill Bath Bomb
Karma Bath Bomb
Karma Bubble Bar
1/2 Ice Hotel Bubble Bar
Black Pearl Bath Bomb
Hollywood Bubble Bar
1/2 Bathos Bubble Bar
Aqua Mirabilis Bath Melt
Creamy Candy Bubble Bar
Humango Bath Bomb
H'suan Wen Hua Hair Mask sample
Yellow Easter Egg
Pink Easter Egg

I probably won't be able to use all of this up in January, and it'll go into February, but I will update the list when February comes. Wish me luck because there will be new items for Valentine's Day.

December Let's-Use-It-Up Update

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:16:00 +0000

Now that it's January, it's time to update on what I have used up in December. I made a list of the things I wanted to use up, and here are the ones that I did:

Tval:
Pink Cotton Candy Shower Sundae sample
~~Strawberry Rhubarb Shower Sundae sample~~
Pumpkin Marshmallow Skin Smoothie sample
Banana Puddin' soap sample
Pumpkin Lavender soap sample
Coffee soap sample
Lavender Vanilla soap sample
Lavender Fig soap sample
Pink Cotton Candy Skin Smoothie sample
Gingerbread soap sample
Morning Dew soap sample
Neroli Cedarwood soap sample
Blueberry Verbena soap sample
Cranberry Biscotti Bath Treat
~~Shine Solid Shampoo Bar~~
Goatsmilk, Oat, and Molasses Cake Soap

Lush:
~~1/6 Blue Skies and Fluffy Clouds Bubble Bar~~
~~1/2 Temple of Truth Bubble Bar~~
~~Slice of Quinquereme soap~~
~~Bathos Bubble Bar~~ 1/2 Left
1/2 First Swim Bubble Bar
~~Harvey Bath Bomb~~
~~Butterball Bath Bomb~~
~~1/6 Comforter Bubble Bar~~
Tiny sliver of Miranda soap
~~Slice of Snowcake soap~~
H'suan Wen Hua Hair Mask sample
American Cream Conditioner sample
~~Joy of Jelly Shower Jelly~~
~~Emperor of Ice Cream Buttercream~~
~~Therapy Massage Bar~~
1/3 Tub of Dreamwash
Pumpkin Soap
Small Piece of Milky Bar Soap

Pumpkin Soap, Milky Bar, and Tval's Goatsmilk Soap are currently on my soap dish and they are slowly diminishing. I'm thinking about using all the Tval soap samples as hand soap because I'm not really a big fan of using small slices of soap in the shower. I like to use the whole big chunk! Also, because I have so many big bars of soap! And shower gel! I've used the American Cream Conditioner twice already when I went on trips, and I only have a bit left so that should be pretty simple to finish up. I've also worked on the Dreamwash, but for some reason, I'm having a problem finishing that up. I've come to not like it much anymore as it feels very drying for my skin. I think the pot is pretty empty anyways, but I'm just too lazy to clean it out haha.

I'll also be posting my January use-it-up list soon!

Lush Boxing Day Sale Haul

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:39:00 +0000

I have been so busy (and lazy) during the holidays that I haven't really had time to post my most recent haul from the Christmas Sale at Lush! So here it is! I went to the stores on the 28th of December and most of the Xmas bath bombs were already so out! I so wanted more Cinders, So White, Jingle Spells, Christmas Party, and Snowshowers Jelly too!

People were staring at me when I walked out of the Lush store with two big ass bags, one in each hand.

These are the gifts I bought from the sale, which was buy 1 get 1 free.
Happy Christmas x2
Christmas Star x2
Christmas Party x2

Christmas items and soaps were all buy 1 get 2 free!
Here I have:
Snow Fairy Shower Gel x3
Mr. Butterball x6
Lil Lush Pud x3
Candy Cane Bubble Bar x3
Snowcake x3
Porridge x3
Angel's Delight
Figs n Leaves
Honey I Washed the Kids

Group shot!

I spent about $197 but I got $260 worth of free stuff! Pretty good huh?

Lush Haul Again

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:54:00 +0000

I admit, I've been lazy again. Why? Because school's over!! Yay!! I'm late to post these pictures since I received my packages last Thursday, but I have posted pictures on the Lush forums. So here they are!

I had 2 orders, one from the NA Fragrance chat party and one from a Lush store in Texas placed by phone order.

The one from Texas contained these goodies:
Almond Buttercream, Skinny Buttercream, and samples of: Coco Lotion, Snow Fairy Shower Gel, Alkmaar Soap, and Silky Underwear Dusting Powder! I order the two buttercreams because they are discontinued and I wanted to try them before they become nonexistent.

Samples were filled to the brim!

Guess what else I got?

A freakin' note from the SA I talked to on the phone named Sherry!

Closeups!

Almond Buttercream looks so gross here, haha. It looks like a piece of dung. It doesn't really smell that good to me at dry sniff. It just smells like soap.

I like the scent of Skinny Dip. It's spicy, and I can smell like a hint of a gingery undertone. I'm not even sure if there's any ginger in Skinny Dip. I can't wait to use this in the showa!

Oooh, the goodies from the chat party!

Here I have: Honey Lumps, Flying Saucers, Green Green Bath of Foam, Rainbow Worrier, Gold, Frankencense, and Beer Shower Jelly, Frothy the Snowman, Christmas Morning, Bon Bomb, Mr. Butterball (this was a replacement of Twinkle because Lush called me and told me they were out of stock!), Christmas Massage Bar, Chocolate Santa, Star Melt (this was from the stocking stuffer promotion)

Samples I got were:

Honey I Washed the Kids, Red Rooster, and Pineapple Grunt

I also requested a gift message this time just to see what it looked like.

Maybe next time I'll put a poem or something. Merry Christmas everyone!!

Lush Haul and A Gift Dewrapping!

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:47:00 +0000

Today my neighborhood Lush store had a party, and for some reason I could not resist. And there's a chat party tomorrow on the NA site! Now that I bought some stuff today, I don't think I'm going to be ordering anything from the chat party tomorrow because none of the items really intrigue me. And the Retro items are available from the UK whenever. Anyway, I think what intrigued me about going to this store party was that if you donated a food item, you would get a free Mr. Butterball. Also, you get to pick a prize from a box if you spend $45. These goodies and I thought if I spent over $50, I would get a medium-sized Snow Fairy Shower Gel. Oh, was I disappointed when I got there. They didn't have the Snow Fairy promotion anymore! Darn! I also smelled the Snow Fairy in the store, and decided that I didn't like it anyways. So here is what I got:

Floating Island
Ceridwen's Cauldron
Soft Couer
Each Peach
Sexy Boy
Sakura
Free Massage Bar Tin
The Mr. Butterball I got for free when I donated a can of Clam Chowder. My clam chowder was more expensive than the Mr. Butterball, but it's okay since it's for the hungry.
When I reached into the prize box, I was feeling around in there and I was deciding which one to get. I felt a black pot, some bombs in a bag, and a couple of small boxed giftsets. So I picked out a giftbox and got Blossom. Oh boy, I was disappointed again!! Because I just bought a Sakura!! Damn it! Yeah, I know..I should be grateful that I am even getting any freebies.

Then when I walked out of the store, I forgot to ask for samples!! Damn it again! I really wanted a sample of Coco Lotion :(

Okay, enough of the ranting. Two days ago, I finally decided to open my Hello Sailor gift that I got from the NA site when it was on sale because it was getting discontinued.

The gift came with a Too Drunk Emotibomb, a small Rub Rub Rub, a tattoo, and an EXPIRED 15% off coupon. Seriously, Lush it's not the end of 2009 and the coupons are already expired. Come on!! Anyway, I opened this gift because I wanted to use the Rub Rub Rub as a shampoo, and I am loving it so far. It's like using a blue colored Big :)

My Daily Face Routine

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 08:33:00 +0000

I know you guys have been waiting for me to post my face routine, so here it is! First of all, let me tell you a little about what type of skin I have. I have very sensitive skin. And I have acne. Usually by the end of the day, the areas around my nose are the oilest, so I either have to blot or retouch my makeup. Most of my acne live on my chin and I'll occasionally get them around my nose too. I also have a lot of dark spots on various locations on my face due to scarring from the pimples. I didn't really have any pimples when I was in high school, but since two years ago my face has erupted with volcano spots. You see, I get the huge under-the-skin ones that stay uninvited for weeks, sometimes even months. In high school I used Proactiv and it seemed to work, but for some reason I stopped using it. Maybe it stopped working. I don't really remember.

Then one day, I was looking up on Youtube for acne solutions, when I came across a brand called Lush. People raved about their facial products and the wonders it did for their acne, so I immediately went to Lush's website to see if they had any stores around me. And yes, there it was, in San Francisco. I went to the store the same day and grabbed Fresh Farmacy, Tea Tree Water Toner, Vanishing Cream, Sweet Japanese Girl, and Mask of Magnaminty. I used these products for about two months, but I could not continue using Fresh Farmacy as it burned my face. Then I resorted to Coalface, but it seemed to dry out my skin too much and caused my pimples to get worse. Ahh, and then there was Herbalism. Which did not work either.

I then resorted to the dermatologist, who prescribed me with Tretinoin topical and an antibiotic called Doxycycline Hyclate. After the second week on the Doxycycline, I got so sick. The first time I got nauseous, I threw up in class! After that I would get nauseous every time I took the pill, so I just couldn't take it anymore and stopped taking it completely. I really haven't felt the same since.

Then another day, I was looking in the Lush forums in the "Other Companies You Love" section, when I found Tval's skincare. My first order from Tval were mostly bath products, but I decided to order some samples of their skincare products. I got samples of the Deep Cleansing Oil, the Oil free Lotion w/ Strawberries and Salicylic Acid, the Raspberry Exfoliating Toner, and the Sweet Cheeks Face Mask.

Boy, did I see some improvements on my face! So I ordered full sized products, including the Cleansing Milk with Geranium.

This is everything I use in a day.

In the mornings I use:

Step 1. Deep Cleansing Oil with Mandarin and Cedar
I pump the oil in the palm of my hand and apply the oil to a dry face with my fingertips. I massage the oil all over my face, and then I rinse it off with warm to hot water in the shower. After showering, I splash my face with cold water. I think this step is very important because it helps close your pores and it tones your skin at the same time. Ever since I've been doing this last step, my acne has improved as well.

Step 2. Raspberry Exfoliating Toner
I pour some toner (only a squirt, a little goes a long way) onto a cotton pad and wipe it all over my face, concentrating on the areas that have more acne.

Step 3. Olay Total Effects Eye Transforming Cream
I take a dab of cream from the jar with my pinky finger and dab it on my upper lids and around my eyes.

Step 4. Oil free Lotion with Strawberries and Salicylic Acid
In the above picture, I show the full sized product, but the first time I only ordered the travel size with the pump. Since I find the pump more convenient, I transferred the lotion from the full size to the travel size container. I only use one pump and it's enough to moisturize my whole face.

Step 5. Makeup
I normally use the Bare Minerals foundation, but just a few days ago, I have decided to switch to the drug store brand that I used in high school. Since I didn't have any acne in high school, I am trying to see if this foundation will work again. It's the Neutrogena Microclear Foundation. It's supposed to prevent and treat existing acne, and so far so good.

At nighttime before bed:

Step 1. Neutrogena Eye Makeup Remover
I use this to remove my eyeliner first before using a cleanser.

Step 2. Cleansing Milk with Geranium
The directions do not tell you to use it on a damp or dry face, but like the deep cleansing oil, I use it on a dry face. I use one full pump and massage it all over my face. I rinse with warm water, either in the sink if I am taking a bath or in the shower if I am showering.

Step 3. Sweet Cheeks Face Mask
I don't use this mask as a full face mask. Rather, I use it as a spot treatment. After showering/bathing I dab this clay mask on all my spots. Actually I just cover my whole chin and my nose. I keep the mask on while I am putting on body lotion and then rinse it off in the sink with warm water. After rinsing, I immediately splash my face with cold water. This mask either helps my pimples come to a head the next day or it completely stops the pimple from growing/forming. It takes a few days for the stubborn ones to go away, but with Sweet Cheeks, it definitely speeds up the process.

Step 4. Olay Eye Transforming Cream

Step 5. Oil free Lotion with Strawberries and Salicylic Acid

The last 2 steps in my nighttime routine are the same as the ones of my morning routine. Ever since using Tval's skincare products, my face has cleared tremendously and even keeps it glowing. My mom used to always complain about my acne, and she's been complimenting me on how much better my skin looks. When your face is clear and smooth, your makeup even goes on smoother. If you use concealer it's even better as it doesn't leave that dry, flaky residue on top of your pimple.

Another UK Lush Haul!

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:03:00 +0000

Whoohoo, I got my Retro Christmas items! I placed my order last Tuesday and I received it today! I am so impressed with UK's shipping. Got it in less than a week! Here goes!

Avobath x3 for the mother
Star Bath Melt
Wee Harry Bubble Bar
Randy Buttercream
Orange Spice & All Things Nice Soap
Bob Soap
Hot Toddy Bubble Bar
Snowdrops Bath Bomb
Christmas Carol Bath Bomb
Schnuggle Massage Bar
After 8:30 Massage Bar
Free Massage Bar Tin
And 6 samples!:
I requested: Strawberry Santa Jelly, Vanilla in the Mist, Noubar, and Father Frost. They also gave me 2 more: Angel's Delight and Angels on Bare Skin!

This is why I love buying my Lush from the UK!

Anyway, the Randy Buttercream smells so darn boozy, I'm not sure if I can stand it. People say that the booze smell fades in the shower, and I really hope so because I don't want to smell like a drunk! I'm excited to use the Schnuggle because I heard that it's so relaxing and it'll put you right to sleep. The Christmas Carol is so cute! It has wings! I wonder how that'll turn out in the bath...

Close ups:

So the other day I went to Walmart and bought these two tiny travel containers for lotion for a buck! So guess what I did?

plus

equals

Yep, you know the two lotion samples I received from Tval that I posted in my "Let's use it up" post? I put them in the pots so I can carry them in different bags and use them up!

Here's a comparison with the black sample pots Lush gives.

Temple of Truth Bubble Bar

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:47:00 +0000

"Sometimes to hear the truth we need to relax in a meditative bath and listen to what's going on inside us. The Temple of Truth contains sandalwood, rosewood and guiacwood oils to quiet mental chatter and help you relax so you can contemplate nothingness. Next time you feel overwhelmed, need to relax or are looking for a solution to a problem you're unsure of, find the answer in Temple of Truth's deep frothy waters."

Surprisingly, I really liked Temple of Truth. You see, I'm not really a big fan of bars that do not color the bath water, and Temple of Truth is white, so obviously, it was not going to color my water. I read the reviews on the Lush website and some people said that it turned their water into a milky froth, so I was a bit excited because I am intrigued in bathing in creamy milky water. But no, it did not turn my water milky. There was a bit of froth like what you get from bath melts, and there were TONS of bubbles. Maybe it didn't turn out so milky because I only used half the bar. Still, the smell was super soothing and I felt really relaxed afterwards. The bath was calming and I just laid there, breathing deeply in the relaxing scent of Temple of Truth.

Lush to use up!

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:13:00 +0000

I've been organizing my Lush and there's some stuff that I want to use up! I also saw some people on Youtube that's been doing the same thing. So I bought a little basket from Walmart for $3 to put the products I want to use up in there. I'm setting my deadline to the end of December because I want to clear some stuff up before the Christmas sale at Lush! I highly doubt that I would be able to finish all these sample soaps though. For those of you who are doing the same, please post a comment on what items you guys are trying to get rid of! Including your deadlines!

The items to use up by the end of December:

Tval:
Pink Cotton Candy Shower Sundae sample
Strawberry Rhubarb Shower Sundae sample
Pumpkin Marshmallow Skin Smoothie sample
Banana Puddin' soap sample
Pumpkin Lavender soap sample
Coffee soap sample
Lavender Vanilla soap sample
Lavender Fig soap sample
Pink Cotton Candy Skin Smoothie sample
Gingerbread soap sample
Morning Dew soap sample
Neroli Cedarwood soap sample
Blueberry Verbena soap sample
Cranberry Biscotti Bath Treat

Lush:
1/6 Blue Skies and Fluffy Clouds Bubble Bar
1/2 Temple of Truth Bubble Bar
Slice of Quinquereme soap
Bathos Bubble Bar
1/2 First Swim Bubble Bar
Harvey Bath Bomb
Butterball Bath Bomb
1/6 Comforter Bubble Bar
Tiny sliver of Miranda soap
Slice of Snowcake soap
H'suan Wen Hua Hair Mask sample
American Cream Conditioner sample

And the ones I currently have in my shower that I want to use up are:
Pumpkin Soap, Tval Shine Solid Shampoo Bar, Whoosh Shower Jelly, Joy of Jelly Shower Jelly, Emperor of Ice Cream Buttercream, 1/3 Tub of Dreamwash, and a small piece of Therapy Massage Bar.

The Lush bath bombs and bubble bars should be fairly easy to finish up by December, but the soaps and jellies and stuff are a lot harder to use up since I use only a little bit at a time. I've been using my pumpkin soap under the water so that I can use it up quicker, but since I don't use it everyday it's hard to finish. I've been switching it up with the jellies and Butterball Shower Gel.

Wish me luck guys! And remember to post your lists!

Mermaid Water

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:44:00 +0000

These two items have been sitting in my drawer with the rest of my Lush items for the longest time. I finally took the courage to take them out and use them. In a hotel tub. Because I was afraid I would have to clean up a mess at home. Anyway, you must be asking: What is mermaid water? And which two items make mermaid water? For you long-time Lushies, I'm guessing you already know. Mermaid water is actually pretty famous and I even see the SA's in the Lush stores advertising with mermaid water. Now let me show you the enchanting mermaid water and what it is made of:

Here is the first item: Sunny Side Bubble Bar. Lush says: These glamorous bars turn your bath water into liquid gold. Sink into the glowing white bubbles and revel in the sparkling gold water while inhaling blissful sweet orange, lemon and tangerine essential oils. This glorious bar will help you see the sunny side of things even when you're feeling gloomy. Emerge refreshed and revitalized.

This picture does not show what it looks like in real life. Hopefully, you can see the gold swirls in the picture, but in person it looks like molten gold lava. I usually break my bubble bars in half, but I just used the whole thing for this bath because I didn't really feel like saving it, and for once I wanted to go all out!

I picked up some of the bar that didn't melt all the way and smushed it in my hands. Looks like gold paste.

And here's the second item to make mermaid water: Big Blue Bath Bomb. Lush says: "If only the whole ocean smelled as good as the Big Blue bath bomb, how fragrant and pleasant the world would be. We sprinkle each bomb with Atlantic sea salt crystals and infuse them with seaweed to soften and nourish the skin, giving you a beautiful beachy glow. The combination of its intoxicating lavender and lime smell, bright blue color, and soothing sea salt and seaweed make you feel as cool and collected as if you're on a beach vacation listening to the waves and watching the sunset."

Well, I don't know if it gave me a beachy glow, but because I only had half instead of a whole, it turned the already gold water greenish instead of blue. Here's what happened when I dropped the thing into the water:

When I showed my boyfriend these pictures, he said, "Eww, sewage water!"

And here is mermaid water without flash:

With flash:

Isn't that gorgeous? With a whole Big Blue bath bomb, the water should have been a more turquoise color, but even with half, it's still beautiful. It really is like bathing in an ocean with the sun shining down on you. The scent is pretty strong and it definitely stays on your skin after the bath. It smells kind of floral-ish with hints of citrus. The water was so, so silky. With all the glitter in the Sunny Side Bubble Bar and the seaweed from the Big Blue, I was afraid that I would have to clean up a mess at home, which is why I took it to a hotel.

This is what the tub looked like after the water was drained. Surprisingly, the glitter just rinsed right out with the shower. I definitely want to buy the Big Blue again just to try it by itself. The half that I used was a sample I received from a goodie bag at a Lush store party.

Another Tval Haul and Update on The Blonde

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:34:00 +0000

I mentioned in the previous post that I was waiting on my Tval solid shampoo bar because I was out of shampoo! Now it's here! Actually, my main purpose for purchasing is because Tval was having a special for Halloween. If you spent over $30, then you get a limited edition Licorice Marshmallow Tub o'licious, and also you get a chance to get a $30 gift certificate. They pack one in every 24 packages. Too bad, I wasn't the lucky one. The other reason for me ordering so quickly is because I am almost out of the Sweet Cheeks Face Mask which I use every day as a spot treatment.

Here I have Sweet Cheeks, Shine Solid Shampoo Bar, Pink Sugar Bath Treat, Strawberry Rhubarb Bath Treat, Apriot & Banana Tub o'licious, Licorice Marshmallow Tub o'licious, and samples of Raspberry Exfoliating Toner, Gingerbread Soap, and Strawberry Rhubarb Shower Sundae.

The shampoo bar is a lot smaller than what I expected, but it also smells better than I expected. This is my first time ordering a Tub o'licious and I can't wait to try it. The cool thing about them is that you can use the bag as a washcloth.

The Blonde update: I just finished using the sample of The Blonde I received from the UK, and I know I said it in the previous post in my review of this shampoo, but I'll say it again. It's great. It leaves my hair soft and conditioned, gives my hair some life, and it has not lightened my hair. I know you probably have to use it for a long time before it can lighten your hair, but this tiny sample lasted me about a week and a half. So for those of you who have dark hair, don't be afraid to use your sample of The Blonde! I might be purchasing it after I see how the Tval shampoo goes.

Lush Solid Shampoo Bars [4 reviews]

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:47:00 +0000

Before finding Lush, my favorite shampoo brand used to be Herbal Essences. It wasn't until I started using Lush's bath products that I discovered the solid shampoo bars. Before this discovery, I did not know that solid shampoo bars existed! See, when I examined these shampoo bars, I was wondering how would these tiny bars could last for months. They aren't cheap either! Meh, so I decided to pass since I still had bottles of unused shampoo at home, and let me tell you, bottled shampoo lasts a long long time.

Then came the discovery of the infamous shampoo that smelled like Butterball Bath Bomb. I love the smell of Butterball, and what's even better, a shampoo that would fragrance my hair this lovely sweet vanilla scent. Too bad this product is only available online as a Retro product. I don't know why they always discontinue the good stuff! So I ordered it online during one of the chat parties in May 2009. I couldn't wait for its arrival, and when it came, I sniffed it, and wow it smells almost exactly like Butterball! Oh, Gentle Lentil, where have you been all my life!

Lush says: "There's not a great deal to tell you about Gentle Lentil that isn't completely obvious from its name. It's gentle and we make it with lentils because that's what Indian women traditionally use to keep their long hair in good condition. Lentils are very rich in iron and protein. Great for fine hair, it's also very good for children because it's so mild. You can even use it to wash the dog because it's so much easier when you don't have to close a lid on a bottle."

My chunk of Gentle Lentil did not look like this picture. It was more round-shaped and a lighter color. It also had tiny pieces of brown stuff in it, which is probably the beans. I have really long, thin, fine hair and by Lush's description I thought this shampoo was perfect for me. The first time I used it, my hair got so much volume! I loved it! I kept the bar in a container, and after about two weeks use, with the heat and condensation of the bar inside the closed container, the solid bar turned into a mushy paste. This was even better because it was easier to use. I just took a dollop of it and spread it in my hair. I wash my hair every day because my hair usually gets oily by the next day already and I found that washing my hair every day with Gentle Lentil made my hair oiler. Probably because of all its moisturizing properties. Some people say that they don't have to use conditioner with Gentle Lentil because it's so moisturizing but I found that I still needed to. I would definitely buy this again, but I might need to alternate shampoos with this one because it made my hair too moisturized. However, for some people this may be a good thing. I was sad when I finished this bar.

After using Gentle Lentil I was intrigued into trying the shampoo bars from their regular line. With Lush's buy 2 shampoo bars, get 1 free shampoo bar tin offer, I had to buy 2, so I got Seanik and Godiva. I picked these two because 1) they smelled the best, and 2) I wanted volume in my hair and these two are notorious for giving volume.

Lush says that "Godiva's luscious blend of exotic oils and cocoa butter leaves tresses so beautifully conditioned, silk would be envious! Though the legendary beauty who rode naked through Coventry is the inspiration for this bar, please exercise restraint if you find yourself a bit carried away and tempted to give a similar performance. (Though, a naked horseback ride would be quite a novel and somewhat environmentally-friendly way to dry your hair...) Horse not included."

Godiva smells strongly of jasmine. It reminds me of these white flowers that used to be grown on the front yard of my old childhood house. The bar pretty much looks exactly as it does in the picture, with all the colorful chunks in there. There's also chunks of cocoa butter in there that surprisingly lathers too. I really wanted this to make my hair more volumized, but I found that Gentle Lentil volumized my hair more than Godiva did. Even though it smells lovely, the bar is used up pretty quickly. Luckily, the brown stuff inside this bar does not get stuck to my hair. Once I run out of shampoo again, I may try Godiva again.

As for Seanik, I got off to a rough start with it. Why? Because it got stuck in the shampoo bar tin! The darn shampoo tin was so hard to open too! Once I pryed open the tin, I found that the bottom of Seanik had melted and was stuck, so I had to use my finger and dig it out, while denting the bar in the process. Now Seanik became dark blue and gooey. Yuck. Besides that darn tin, I actually like Seanik. It didn't give me the big hair I wanted, but I still like it because it makes my hair look nice. Seanik smells a bit like coconut, with lime and sea salt. It also has pieces of seaweed in it, and be careful because they can end up in the corners of your tub, and when you find them you hope they're not some kind of bug, like I thought. Then I looked closely and saw that they were pieces of seaweed. After the shampoo tin nightmare, I stored this in an empty Dreamwash container, and it lasted pretty darn long. I just finished using up Seanik last week, and now that I am out of shampoo, I had to dig through my stash and look for that small sample of shampoo I received from the UK as I am waiting for a shampoo bar I just ordered from Tval.

Lush says: The excessive chamomile packed into The Blonde keeps natural blondes blonde naturally. It also makes bottle blondes feel like they grew it themselves. If you want everyone to say, "Wow, you've just gone blonde!" this is not for you. But if you want "I know I haven't seen you for a few months but wasn't your hair darker?" then buy a bar and wash daily. Chamomile flowers have many lovely properties and one is that it will slowly but surely lighten your hair.

Let me make one thing clear first: I am not blond. And guess what? I like The Blonde. I naturally have black hair, but it's dyed light brown. My hair has grown out a lot, so from my ear up, my hair is black and from my ear down, it's brown. I was a bit unsure whether I should use this shampoo bar or not. When I received it as a sample from my UK order, I protested by saying, "But I'm not blond!" Now that I'm out of shampoo and I finally took this sample out to use, I found that it makes my hair look and smell good. It actually smells like Big shampoo, but better. I've only used this for two days so far, and I'm not seeing my hair getting any lighter, but we'll see after I finish using this small piece, but I bet this small slice will last a long time. If I end up liking the results from this bar, I actually may buy it even though I'm not blond!

Tval Skincare Chocolate Mint Bath Treat

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 05:25:00 +0000

Tval says that "this is the perfect blend of mouthwatering rich chocolate and peppermint. A more decadent bath is hard to find!" This bath treat even looks like a chocolate brownie. The one that I got did not have a butterfly on top, but it came dressed with green glitter on top.

The smell is a rich chocolate scent with the mint being very apparent. It smells like the After eight chocolate. I only used half of this bar and it turns the water very silky and smooth. The water turns a little murky color, but that's to be expected. As long as it's not brown! But then again, if it was a nice brown color, it might be like bathing in hot chocolate! I didn't see any glitter in the bath water, but as I was slathering on lotion after the bath, I could see that the glitter actually stuck to my skin, which I thought was super nice since it's not a lot of glitter, but just a hint. A spot here and there. The scent does not linger on your skin though. The thing I really like about Tval's bath treats is that they're not as expensive as Lush and they have a lot more scents than Lush. I am actually disappointed that Lush has so little bath melts to choose from and they cost seven to eight bucks for one. Tval's bath treats are only like three bucks! But yeah, if you like chocolate mint scents, this one is for you.

The (Great) Pumpkin Soap

noreply@blogger.com (Sally) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:45:00 +0000

Our spicy Fall soap warms you up when you're chilled to the bone - limited edition

This limited edition soap is pumpkin-colored and shaped affair with a scent borrowed from our lovely and rejuvenating Spice Curls. So endearing that the headless horse man has tried to steal it for himself to wear around town! It's only around for Halloween so get yours before All Hallows Eve.

Ahh, what fun! This soap is so cute that I didn't even want to use it! I really wanted it to smell like pumpkin pie, but no, it smells like Wrigley's Big Red gum. It smells spicy and cinnamony with a hint of something else too. I ordered this soap during the Fanfare chat party and since it's almost Halloween, I've decided to use it. I could tell that it came really fresh because it's soft and yummy looking. I think this is made with the new palm base, and since I haven't tried the palm based soaps yet, I didn't know what to really expect. It has a yellow-orange creamy-ish sort of lather, not the foamy bubble kind. The scent doesn't linger though, but if you like foody scents or if you like the smell of Big Red gum, you will like this Pumpkin soap.