Winter Favorites

The temperatures have dropped (unless you live on the southeastern coast of the US) and people are getting in the holiday spirit. We put up our fake tree and decorated it with care. Candles have been lit, cards have been purchased, and gifts were wrapped. The only thing I haven’t done is watch my favorite Christmas movies on repeat. But I have made a list of my favorite things! Unfortunately, I left bright copper kettles and warm wool in mittens off the list.

1. Hot Chocolate. I try to avoid drinking this year round because it would cause me to have the same figure as Santa, but I think I make up for lost time whenever December rolls around. I get mine with no whip cream because that stuff is nast.

2. Disney’s Frozen. Not to be confused with the 2010 film also titled Frozen which is about 3 college students who get stuck on a ski lift and die grizzly deaths. No, not that one. Disney’s Frozen is a cute, Scandinavian tale about sisters who go on a journey of finding themselves and learning about each other along the way. It’s pretty adorbs and it’s got some great tunes!

3. Faux Fur Hats. I thoroughly enjoy making myself look as Russian as possible during the winter. Basically I just fill in my brows, drink tons of vodka (kidding…or am I?) and wear my furry headband/hat from Club Monaco. It’s the best thing ever and I get so many comps (compliments) on it!

4. Christmas Themed Bath Bombs. Okay, I know I have an unhealthy Lush addiction, but they have so many awesome bath products that come out during the Christmas season that I actually can’t control myself. I liked the Father Christmas one the best because it changed colors from a foamy white to a vibrant green. Very entertaining.

5. White hair. For no apparent reason.

6. The Room App. O my G this app is so entertaining. It’s definitely not Christmas themed, but it’ll keep you company even on the coldest nights. It’s a spooky mystery game that involves a lot of problem solving. I completed the app and now patiently awaiting The Room 2 which should be released sometime at the end of this year. Or so they say…

7. Lotion. During the winter, skin tends to dry out and get kind of gross. I moisturize myself quite a bit. The lotion I use isn’t particularly Christmas-y, but it does the trick. Right now I alternate between Philosophy’s Field of Flowers Wildflower lotion and Bath and Body Work’s Pink Chiffon body butter.

8. Philomena. If you get the chance to see a movie with a parent or by yourself, I would totally suggest seeing Philomena. It’s a true story surprisingly written by Steve Coogan starring himself and Judi Dench. It struck a chord with me. The movie itself is kind of sad because it’s about a woman, Philomena, trying to find her son that was taken away from her when she lived in a Catholic laundry nunnery. But there are many sweet and comical moments too which round out the film well.

What are your favorite things this season?

Lush Review

Because my birthday was at the beginning of the month, I acquired some extra cash to spend entirely on Lush products. Most people would save their money or spend it on something worthwhile, but nope, not me. I spend my money on items that literally melt and fizzle into thin air.

Anyway, I’ve been trying to try some other Lush products besides the bath bombs even though they’re the most fun in my opinion. I’m a big fan of scrubs–face scrubs, lip scrubs, salt scrubs–love ’em all. I don’t have sensitive skin so I don’t get irritated too easily. But I can understand if your skin is problematic that you might not like this product, Buffy. I’m so in love with this one and I’m pretty sure I’ll be repurchasing it. Essentially Buffy is used in the shower to scrub away all your dead skin cells and smooth out all of your bumps. Ground rice, almonds, and beans are used as the grit in this product. The thing I like best about Buffy though is that when you wash away the bits of the product left on you, a layer of cocoa and shea butter is all that remains your skin. It’s so moisturizing and smells like warm oats. I usually lay around in my robe afterwards and let the butter soak in. It’s absolutely amahze.

The next purchase I made was a bath melt called Ceridwen’s Cauldron. I’ve touched on bath melts in past Lush Reviews, but basically they’re solid oils and scented butters that you drop into your bath to help nourish your skin. Ceridwen’s Cauldron is a little different from other melts because it comes in a muslin wrapper that you pop in the bath as well. See, this one has a lot of oats and loose materials to it, so it’s easier if you keep it wrapped up. It will still melt in your bath, but it will leave you with a little packet of oats to use to exfoliate your skin if you like. Or throw it out (if you’re like me). This one is supposed to be infused with sandalwood and lavender to sooth sensitive skin, but I didn’t really smell those scents. This one kind of bored me to be honest. I didn’t feel super moisturized after I got out of the bath and compared to other bath melts, it just doesn’t hold it’s own. 

I was REALLY excited when I went to Lush and saw that they had a limited edition bath bomb for Halloween called Lord of Misrule. It’s green and speckled on the outside and then when the outer shell melts, the inside of the bomb is a deep red which makes your bath have a wine-colored hue. I was nervous that my husband would walk into the bathroom and freak out because it seriously looked like I was bathing in blood. Silky, perfumed blood. I don’t usually go for the spicier scents, but I really liked this one. It has patchouli and black pepper oil in it as well as pop rocks! This bomb was so entertaining. I felt like a child who didn’t want to get out of the bath. I suggest going to your nearest Lush and purchasing one of these before they all disappear! 

Beauty Haul & Review

I started becoming interested in “beauty hauls” when I watched beauty “gurus” on youtube in college. If you don’t understand what that sentence means, you’re most likely not a teenage girl. A haul is basically a vlog/blog/podcast/article/etc. from a consumer talking about the products they just bought usually followed by a review of the mentioned products. I like buying beauty products and I’m also interested in learning what products work for me and the difference between similar items from competing companies. But that’s just me.

I went back to LUSH and bought a couple bath supplies. It’s so fun taking baths when you have some fizzy stuff to throw in there with you. I actually had a really great experience in the store during my most recent visit. Usually I have a problem with the over-enthused sales people, but this time they were totally chill (well, one of them might have been too chill because she was rocking blue eye shadows and feathers in her hair). I picked out a bath bomb called Phoenix Rising.

I was convinced this one would be more sparkly then the last one I chose, but alas, it had no glitter. No glitter=no clean up! Phoenix Rising is the perfect bath bomb/fizz to introduce as the seasons change. With a real piece of cinnamon embedded into it, this bomb gives off a spicy apple scent reminiscent of a fancy boutique or antique store. If dark purple bath water alarms you, then this might not be the bomb for you. But if you like essential oils and silky smooth skin, then I would suggest this one!

I also recently voyaged to my nearest Sephora to check out the new Marc Jacobs makeup line. Yes, you heard me right. It’s just as glorious as I expected. In a moment of weakness and feeling super overwhelmed, I made an unnecessary purchase–lipstick in a warm pink shade (108) called “Have We Met?” It’s perfect. The packaging he chose is so chic I can’t even deal with it. The lipstick tubes have a magnetic seal. It’s so fun and applies with a thin, neat layer that will leave your lips looking smooth with their pretty hues.

I also tried his O!Mega Bronzer which made me glow like never before. And don’t even get me started on the nail polish packaging.

And finally, I also purchased a bath melt from LUSH called Happy Blooming which is the opposite of a fall-time scent. It’s kind of misleading because it’s has the word “blooming” in the title but it’s main scents include cherries and passion fruit. The best thing about this body melt is that you can cut it into thirds and extend the life of your purchase. Not as exciting as bath bombs, melts use cocoa butter to make the water luscious but not colorful. This one in particular has calamine powder in it which does a lot to soothe the skin. I don’t know if I would get this one again simply because it doesn’t excite me. It’s good for my skin, but it’s not fun and I’m basically a child so I need entertaining bath products.

Have you tried any new products lately?

Lush Review

Sorry about all the girly posts recently. Whenever I go through a blogging dry spell I have to find ways to inspire myself over again and sometimes that process involves writing about bath products. You know where the unfollow button is.

I rarely go into LUSH because the salespeople are obnoxious to a severe degree. Like, they will follow you around the store explaining every product they have. It’s the all-time worst. But I do love me some bath bombs so occasionally I have to sacrifice any shred of self-worth I once had and let people talk to me about essential oils and vegan soaps.

While I was there, wishing I had been born deaf, I managed to pick up two items for myself. The first one was a bath bomb called Twilight. It’s a pretty purple-pink color with stars and moons on it and a blue-colored core. I’m usually a fan of the Sex-Bomb bath bomb that’s also a purple-pink color, but it’s more ombre in shade than Twilight. What I’m trying to say is that I like purpley-pink things. Unlike Sex-Bomb though, Twilight has a center full of glitter. Yes. Most people wouldn’t buy a bath bomb with messy glitter in it, but I’m not most people. That’s actually one of the things I like about LUSH’s products. Their bombs are so unconventional–they always have a fun detail about each one.

Twilight has a nice lavender scent and it releases this soothing oil into the bath which makes your skin feel silky smooth afterwards. I was kind of freaked out (in a good way) that the bomb gave off oils in the bath. Usually bath fizzes always seem so chalky and powdery. This one was different. However, I was promised that the glitter inside wouldn’t stick to me and that it would rinse down the drain with the water easily. Not so. The glitter stuck to me a little bit. I mean, it wasn’t that much. A couple pieces here and there, a lot around my neck. And you kind of have to man the bath water as it drains because the glitter will dry against the tub otherwise. But other than that, I really enjoyed it. I thought the glitter and the purple color gave my bath a real magical, intergalactic look. Afterwards I was ready to snuggle into a deep sleep.

The other product I picked out that day was a bath melt–something I’d never tried before–called You’ve Been Mangoed. Bath melts are essentially natural butters and oils in a solidified form that melt in the warm water of your bath. The only qualm I had with this product was that it had Mango in the name, yet it only smelled like lemons. Even on the website LUSH describes it as lemon scented. Why not call it, You’ve Been Lemoned? It still smelled good, and it was relaxing, but not as much as Twilight was. Bath melts are no where near as exciting as bath bombs, but it was still fun to try.

Have you tried any LUSH products?