My absence

Some of you may have noticed that I've been MIA for a few weeks.  I wanted to check in and let you know what's been going on.

I've been going through a real rough patch lately.  I've dealt with various forms of mental illness, primarily depression, for many years.  In fact, it probably started in childhood, but I have sought treatment as an adult.

Recently my mood has continued to decline.  I am working with my care team, but as it can be with any mental illness, progress has been slow.

I tell you this because it has affected my writing tremendously.  I have not been able to write anything for weeks until just now, jotting this down on my phone.

This month, I probably won't be putting out some of my usual posts, like Birchbox and Ipsy.  I'll try to post updates about when new content can be expected.

Sorry...

LUSH Haul - May 2015

The kiddo and I went to the LUSH store for the first time last month and came away with a reasonable little haul for the first time.  We had some great help from the sales associates, and once we use these products up, will almost definitely be going back.

What LUSH products do you guys recommend?  Shout out in the comments below!

Our haul included:

·         Whoosh Shower Jelly – This wiggly jelly can be used out of the jar, cold, or frozen, and all over the body and hair.  The Whoosh jelly has a strong citrus smell that totally fills your senses and wake you up in the morning.

·         Charity Pot Hand and Body Lotion – I picked up the small pot of this lotion since I always like supporting charities when I can.  The one I happened to grab supports “Not Far From The Tree”, which harvests and shares the bounty of Toronto’s urban forests per the jar.  It has a nice, light floral fragrance, while the formula is very moisturizing.

·         Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub – This is a salt exfoliator that can be used on both face and body and has a natural, light scent.    The website does say that if you have sensitive skin you might want to use a gentler product, so I will have to see how this works for me.  I may need to resort to using this on only certain parts of my body or not using it at all.

·         Yellow Fun – I had heard of this moldable soap before going to the store, so when I saw the price, I snatched it up.  It is very much like Play-Doh ™ and comes in 5 colors, but I only have the one for now.  Yellow smells like vanilla, and they actually recommend rolling it out and cutting it with cookie cutters as a way to play before using.

·         Jason and the Argan Oil Shampoo Bar – This shampoo bar is a cult classic in two ways: LUSH shampoo bars are loved by many, and this is of the Rose Jam scent that everyone seems to talk about.  I don’t usually go for rose-scented items, but both the kiddo and I fell for this one hard core.  (Maybe the lemon in it tames the rose?)  I also picked up a storage tin.  What is your favorite shampoo bar from LUSH?  What is the best way you have found to store your shampoo bars?

The kiddo keeps asking when we can go back to LUSH, even if it is just to buy more Charity Pots.  She’s also upset I haven’t started using everything yet while I’ve been using up some other items.  That will probably be changing soon.

Empties - May 2015

Sorry for the delay in getting this out.  My family and I have been sick, so I haven't gotten any writing done over the past week.  But I finally got some pictures edited and this post finished, so hopefully things will be back on schedule.

If there are any types of posts you would like to see from me, let me know in the comments.  Thanks!

 Makeup

·Avon Beyond Color Lip Exfoliator – Full Size from Avon.  Honestly, I am so glad to finally be using this up.  It didn’t feel very gritty to me, so I didn’t think the scrubbing was all that great, and this was one that had to be wiped off, not consumed.  It doesn’t appear that this is available anymore, but I would not repurchase this.  Repurchase: No.

·Essence Get Big! Lashes Volume Boost Mascara – Full Size from Ulta.  I picked this up as an inexpensive mascara to keep at home to use as a weekend mascara.  And I must say, as a $3 mascara, this turned out to be pretty darn good.  It gave a good amount of color and volume, and only recently started to flake after many months of use.  Repurchase: Yes.

·Smashbox Photo Finish Primer - Sample size from Smashbox kit received as a gift.  This seems to be a decent primer, and I’m actually still using a bigger size in another location.  I don’t like it as much as the Benefit Pore-fessional, but it’s decent enough to keep using what I have.  I don’t know if I’d buy it on its own, though.    Purchase: No.

 Face Care

·Aveeno Positively Radiant Makeup Removing Wipes – Full Size from CVS.  I had picked these up when I switched all of my face and skin care to Aveeno.  Unfortunately, I was not a huge fan.  I thought the wipes themselves were rough and they weren’t the best I’ve used to remove makeup.  Repurchase: No.

·The Body Shop Camomile Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover – Full Size from The Body Shop.  I picked this up the last time I ran out of eye makeup remover.  It worked well, but I had to be careful not to use too much or it would seriously sting my eyes.  Repurchase: Maybe.

·Clinique All About Eyes – Deluxe Sample from Sephora.  I love this eye cream.  It is moisturizing yet light and lasts all day.  Purchase: Yes. Already have.

·Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream – Sample from Target.  This was a nice face cream, but I didn’t think it was anything overly special.  It was moisturizing but not overly greasy.  However, I do really like Neutrogena products, and they seem to treat my skin well, so I may pick this up in the future.  Purchase: Maybe.

·Yes to Carrots Nourishing Fragrance Free Gentle Cleansing Wipes – Full Size from Birchbox.  I picked this up from the online Birchbox store to round out an order to ensure free shipping.  These were average wipes, though the cloths themselves seemed to be rather rougher than others.  Like other Yes To wipes, these irritated my skin, though less so than others.  Repurchase: No.

 Fragrance

·Boucheron Place Vendome Eau de Parfum – Sample from Macy’s.  This smells like a traditional perfume to me.  It’s not offensive, but it’s also not something I’d usually go for.  Macy’s describes this as “a floriental woody fragrance”, so basically a little bit of everything.  Purchase: No.

·Chloe Eau de Parfum and Chloe Love Story Eau de Parfum – Sample cards from Sephora.  These were actually really nice.  Both were kind of sweet and fruity, and lasted fairly well.  Purchase: Maybe.

·Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh Eau de Toilette Spray – Sample from Sephora.  As I’ve mentioned before, I have enjoyed all of the Marc Jacobs fragrances I’ve used, and this was no exception.  I don’t currently own any Daisy fragrances, but that may need to change.  Purchase: Yes.

 Hair Care

·Circle of Friends Rosa’s Raspberry Conditioner – Full Size from Ulta.  I picked this conditioner up quite a while ago to keep in her swim bag.  I like the idea of this product line, but the conditioner itself was just ok.  Repurchase: No.

 Other

·BBW Pocketbac in Rio Samba Sunset – Travel size from BBW.  Love the product, love the scent.  Repurchase: Yes, if available the next time I need it.

·Degree MotionSense Invisible Solid Antiperspirant and Deodorant in Shower Clean – Full Size from Target.  This is my HG deodorant.  Repurchase: Yes.  Already have.

Giveups

·Shea Moisture Superfruit Complex 10-in-1 Renewal System Shampoo – Travel size from Target.  I received this in my Spring Target Beauty Box.  No matter what I did, no matter how I used this or what other products I used with it, I felt greasy after using this.  Purchase: No.

·Supergoop Advanced Anti-Aging Eye Cream – Sample from Birchbox.  I was really excited when I saw this in Birchbox because I use eye cream twice a day.  I started using this in the morning due to the SPF and really didn’t like it.  My undereye area felt very dry, drier than the rest of my face even though I applied my facial moisturizer after.  I finally just gave up.  This isn’t the first time I have been disappointed in Supergoop products.  Purchase: No.

Did you use up anything good this month that you think I should try?  Shout out in the comments below!

Hello Travel Set

I have really been enjoying all of the Hello-scented samples I’ve been receiving recently in Birchbox.  So when they ran a deal for extra points, I decided to pick up this kit so I could get more, particularly of the shampoo, conditioner, and fragrance.  Have you purchased anything through the Birchbox store?  Shout out below!

Included in the set are:

·         Perfume (purse spray)

·         Body Cream

·         Liquidloofah Exfoliating Shower Gel

·         Shampoo and Conditioner

All of these were travel sizes in an adorable plastic zipper pouch.  Like I mentioned, I knew I liked the perfume, shampoo, and conditioner, and if I could have gotten a set of just those, I may have.  I think I may have also tried out the body cream; I have tried several Harvey Prince body creams in the past and liked them.

I have been using the perfume a lot this month.  I have noticed that I see a significant decrease in volume remaining in the tube each day once I’m done.  I think the nozzle might be bigger than others I’ve used before.

Do you use purse sprays?  Have you tried any Harvey Prince fragrances?  What’s your favorite?

Tarte Mascara Trio

What can I say, I have the best hubby.  During one of his hospital stays, he got addicted to QVC and now buys me all kinds of beauty items when he sees a good deal.  Do you watch QVC or HSN?  If you didn’t know, Tarte has a deal with QVC, so you can grab all kinds of great bargains and exclusive sets and have then delivered directly to your door.

First up is this bargain set from Tarte.  For many, the Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara is their favorite Tarte mascara, and among their favorite overall.  This set came with 3 full-sized tubes of the mascara in a pretty box for a much better price than you would normally get buying them individually.

Last I checked, the trio was no longer available, but there is a duo on the website.  If this is you HG mascara, you can order this on auto-delivery so that it will arrive automatically every 3 months.

Also, if you love Tarte mascara but the Lights, Camera, Lashes isn’t your favorite, check the QVC website because they most likely have what you’re looking for.  A single tends to be about the same price you would find in stores, but multipacks are a great deal.

While this isn't necessarily my favorite mascara of all time, I do find it workable.  I have to be careful that the somewhat wet formula doesn't clump on my lashes, but otherwise this gives a good amount of volume.

What’s your favorite mascara?

Favorites - May 2015

This month, most things I've used have been somewhat so-so; not overly great, but not horrible either.  I was also trying to use up several things that were just OK before moving on, so that limited my selection.  However, here were a few that stood out... 

Favorites

Lips: NYX Lip Primer in Nude – For being a relatively inexpensive product, this has totally changed my lip routine.  I had been having a real problem with bleeding and feathering, sometimes with lipsticks but especially with glosses.  I don’t typically use lip liner, though I’m starting to try more of them.  This goes onto my lips very sheer, but I can definitely tell I have something on.  My glosses then stay really well, even really pigmented ones.  I must say, I’m impressed!  Do you use lip primers?  Are you a lip liner fan?

Eyes: Pixi Mesmerizing Mineral Duo Eyeshadow in Apricot Glow – I have been thoroughly impressed with this eyeshadow.  Good color and NO fallout!  While I haven’t used this a ton (more due to how the colors look on me than anything else), I am so impressed with the formula of these shadows.  What is you go-to eyeshadow?

Face: Benefit Rockateur – Since picking up the small magnetic needle cases, I have been carrying this with me non-stop.  It gives me a nice pink slush, but it’s really hard for me to go overboard even though I’m not overly comfortable with powder blushes.  Right now, when I use a powder blush, this is it.  Do you prefer powder or cream blushes?

Fragrance: Harvey Prince Hello – I picked up a purse spray in a travel set from Birchbox (separate post to come), and have already used up probably a quarter of it over the past month.  I have really enjoyed all of the Harvey Prince scents I’ve tried, so adding more than just a sample of this has been quite fun.

Hair: It’s A 10 Miracle Leave-In Product – This has been great while trying to sort out hair issues this month.  A light spritz of this on shampooed hair let me get a brush through almost as well as an in-shower conditioner.

Book: Eragon series by Christopher Paolini – I know I’m late to the party on this one, but I have really been enjoying listening to this series this month.  I finished Eragon and immediately downloaded the second book, Eldest.  I am glad that I listened to these with how complex the story is, and the reader is excellent.  Have you read any good books lately?  Do you listen to books at all?

Movie: Pitch Perfect 2 – I saw several really good movies this month, but this one came out on top because of the amazing singing.  There were plenty of laughs and an OK story, but I don’t think it was as good as the first.  However, there were plenty of points when I laughed out loud, and the ending made me cry.

TV: Lip Sync Battle – If you have not seen this Spike show yet, you are seriously missing out.  This has become the highlight of our Thursday nights, and we watch the reruns constantly.  My favorite episodes are the Anne Hathaway vs. Emily Blunt and the Jimmy Fallon vs. The Rock.  Go pull up some YouTube videos, then tune in Thursdays at 10pm.

On to the disappointments... 

Supergoop Eye Cream (not moisturizing at all); Shea Moisture 10-in-1 Renewal System Shampoo (left my hair feeling greasy no matter what I did); Caress Adore Forever Body Wash (don't love the smell and doesn't refresh like it says it should)

Shout out some of your May favorites in the comments below, and subscribe or follow so you don't miss a post!