Happy Christmas!

As usual, most of my family opened their presents late Christmas Eve day. I got a Forever 21 gift card, Brave 3 in 1 blanket/plush/pillow from the Disney Store, some pretty headbands, money, Boo (Monster's Inc.) plush, socks, and a wallet. I'm really looking forward to Christmas morning. We're going back to my Grandma's house and everyone else is going to open their presents. My family has a Secret Santa thing and I got my aunt and I can't wait for her to open her presents! I bought her pajama pants, slippers, and a Starbucks tumbler coffee mug (that can be customized).

Lush Sweet Lips Lip Scrub Review

Today I will be doing a review on Lush's Sweet Lips lip scrub. The scent is like a sweet vanilla/chocolate combo. 

Ingredients: Cocoa Absolute, Castor Sugar, Organic Jojoba Oil, Vanilla Extract, Tagetes Oil, Flavor.

How to use:
Scrub your lips with our sugary Lip Scrubs to make them smooth and tempting. Take a pea-sized amount and scrub your lips soft, then lick off the excess!

I don't know why Lush suggests to lick off the excess. I mean, if you have some on your clean finger, sure, but off your lips? No! First off, you'll have dead skin on your lips that you just scrubbed off. Secondly, licking your lips only makes them drier. I suggest making your lips moist with a bit of water, patting your lips dry, then following Lush's steps (minus the lip licking). Wipe the excess sugar off with some water then pat dry, following with a moisturizing lip balm (I like EOS Honeysuckle Honeydew).

Make sure to store your Sweet Lips scrub in a cool place.

This is how it looks without the lid- a soft cream color.

Put some on your lips and scrub!

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Overall I suggest this! Just make sure you have a trusty lip balm to put on after to keep your lips soft!

xoxo

Mini Lush Haul + Samples!

I went to Lush (among other places) with some friends recently and I had two things I had in mind to buy: Let the Good Times Roll and a solid shampoo (not sure which). I went in, grabbed Let the Good Times Roll, talked to nice sales lady about conditioners, got a sample of Retread, grabbed Seanik, and another sales person gave me a sample of Ocean Salt (upon request).

I purchased the Let the Good Times Roll 3.5 oz tub for $12.95. Because I only bought this recently, I will make a proper review on how this facial cleanser works out. I have tried it twice and lemme tell ya, it smells HEAVENLY. Even if it doesn't work (it's still too early to tell), I will continue using it because it makes my hair smell like Garrett Popcorn!

Let the Good Times Roll

With maize flour, polenta and a popcorn topping, the ingredients listing makes this fresh facial cleanser look more like a festive snack! We combine these ingredients to give you a very soft scrub, leaving your skin bright, clean and smooth. It is gentle enough to use on your entire body, and has a dash of cinnamon powder to warm up winter skin- from the Lush website.

The next thing I purchased was Seanik, a solid shampoo. Now, not many are familiar on solid shampoos and neither was I. After reading several reviews on Lush solid shampoos and watching countless of videos, I knew I had to buy one. It was $11.95. Now, it may sound expensive (it's around the same size as the picture below) but it is supposed to last you from somewhere to three months to an entire year depending on your hair length, how often you use it, and how well your store it. I have yet to use it, but I will review it once I believe I've gotten a good idea of how the product holds up to my regular shampoo (Aussie Moist).

The thing that drew me to it was that it smelled just like Rub Rub Rub! I love that scrub (which I bought for my mom for her birthday) because it smells so fresh, ocean-y, and slightly sweet!

Seanik

Soften tangled locks and add oceans of shine with this mineral-rich, sea salt volumizing shampoo. Like a trip to a blue lagoon, Seanik is made with the best ingredients from the sea; softening Irish moss seaweed, and Japanese nori seaweed to make your hair soft as silk from root to tips, and sea salt to give body and volume to hair that’s fallen flat. One seriously sexy shampoo, we added lemon oil for extra shine, and the exotic far eastern fragrance of sensual mimosa and jasmine oils to bathe you in the heady scent of tropical flora all day long- taken from the Lush website.

Now to the samples... last time I went to Lush I got a sample of Angels on Bare Skin. This time around I got a sample of Retread (a conditioner) and Ocean Salt (a face and body salt scrub). If you've never been to Lush, all you have to do is ask for a sample of something you've been wanting to try.

Retread is a thick conditioner for dry, frizzy, and damaged hair. At the store I put some on my hand and it was very thick- thicker than any conditioner I've tried. The price made me take a few steps back. $29.95 for something that won't last me very long (I'm a conditioner addict)? I'm not very sure I wanted it... so I asked for a sample. I will review it once I've used the small sample. BTW- it smells gross. It reminds me of a certain Mexican candy (can't think of the name) gone HORRIBLY wrong. Ick!

Retread

Retread is our super-smoothing conditioning cream that gives sad hair its shine and bounce back. Use it when your hair is feeling absolutely wrecked. Our richest conditioner makes your hair look better, but more importantly, it feeds your hair the nutrients it needs. We use a blend of fresh natural ingredients starting with our seaweed and lanolin base, with added soya milk for extra protein. Then we blend in olive, jojoba and avocado oils to give a truly deep condition. Together all these ingredients add up to a nutritious heavy weight conditioner. Put a plentiful helping on your hair and let it go about its work- taken from the Lush website.

Next I got a sample of Ocean Salt. It is a sea salt scrub for your face and body and is Lush's best selling product. It's pretty expensive, so I didn't want to purchase it before I tried it. It smells great!

Ocean Salt

Back in 2005, our inventors had come up with a number of fantastic cleansers but there was one category they had yet to conquer: The scrub! A sea salt scrub! With that, they whipped up (our now enormously popular) Ocean Salt. Washing with Ocean Salt is like taking your face on a trip to the seaside for an invigorating splash in the water. We mix in fresh avocado and coconut to hydrate thirsty skin, while the antibacterial effects of lime and vodka is ideal for blocked pores, blackheads or blemishes. The minerals in sea salt soften as it scrubs away dirt and blockages- taken from the Lush Website.

Well, that's all! I'll make reviews when I feel like I've used these products enough! I also bought other things which aren't Beauty related. I think I'll make a post later on today of it (none of the products are for me, they are Christmas presents).

Hair Inspiration

Korean and Japanese girls give me the biggest hair inspiration- whether it's the cut, style, or color.

Akane Sasaki has the prettiest hair. I love her hair color and how it's styled. Particularly in this photo of her I like the wavy hair with curly ends, her bangs, and how it's pulled back with a simple ribbon.

I'm in love with this soft caramel color- I have a similar color but it's a bit more blonde and not as nice as this.

I love the pink highlights and the braids- I want to add pink in hair hair again but more in big chunks like this.

I love the kind of reverse ombre hair with the blonde roots and the caramel colored ends. I was thinking of dying my hair this way.

I really want a big pink sheer ribbon for my hair!this looks so nice paired with her Spank! clothing.

xoxo

Wanted Beauty Products

I've been wanting some Asian beauty products for a while and I've compiled a list of the things I most want but am too cheap to buy! Here are some of the items:

Liese Juicy Shower hair spray (smells like berries, makes your hair manageable)

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Care Kit

KOJI Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner in Black

TonyMoly Petite Bunny Gloss Bar

TonyMoly Green Apple Peeling Gel

Skinfood Black Sugar Mask

xoxo

Nokia Lumia 710 Rilakkuma Phone Case Review

The only phones that have cute cases for them are iPhone's, right? Wrong! I own a Nokia Lumia 710 (Window's Phone) and the only place I've seen decent phone cases for it is eBay, but they were cheap and not really what I was looking for. I wanted something cute!

Sadly, these are all for iPhone's. I've had my phone since around March and would occasionally scour eBay for a cute phone case and I finally found one a couple of weeks ago!

I purchased this from this eBay seller- highly recommended. Got here a few days earlier than expected. Do keep in mind that it does take a while to come over but it is nicely packaged and even comes with a phone strap and in a cute Rilakkuma zip-lock bag that can be reused!

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Lush Mini Haul: Ultrabland, Sweet Lips, and Angels on Bare Skin

I went shopping with my friends last week and I went to Lush! I purchased Ultrabland (facial cleanser), Sweet Lips (lip scrub), and requested a sample of Angels on Bare Skin (a clay-based cleanser).

A hugely popular cult product, Ultrabland is a thick, rich emulsion of essential oils, honey and beeswax to take off any make up or residue that has built up on your face throughout the day. Unlike most make up removers, Ultrabland leaves your skin feeling soft and nourished, thanks to soothing rosewater and iris flower extract. Suitable for all skin types, Ultrabland is a classic LUSH cleanser coveted by staff and customers alike for it’s effectiveness. Not so bland after all, is it? (Taken from the Lush website)

Chocoholics, step right up! Sweet Lips is our cocoa and vanilla infused scrub that tastes like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Vanilla extract and jojoba oil keep your lips moist, castor sugar gently exfoliates, and the rich, deep fragrance of cocoa absolute gives this an irresistible touch. This one is so scrumptious that we’ve received many guilty customer confessions of eating the scrub right out of the pot (naughty people!) Chocolate, vanilla and sugar? We can hardly blame them. (Taken from the Lush website)

For heavenly soft and balanced skin, take a smidge of Angels on Bare Skin, mix with a little water and massage in. The kaolin clay base deep cleanses while ground almonds gently exfoliate the dead skin away. Rose and lavender are added to soothe and help balance out combination skin. It's our best selling preservative-free and packaging-free daily cleanser for all skin types, so if you don't know which cleanser to choose and it's heavenly skin you're after, start with Angels. (Taken from the Lush website)

I will review in another post :)

How To Curl Your Hair Without Heat

Years and years of bleaching and dying can take a toll on your hair. So what happens when you want to curl it or make it wavy? You can't just pick up a curling or straightening iron and curl away- it will damage it even more.
My favorite way of curling my hair is using the headband method:

Now, I've only tried this twice. The first time they came out beautiful and the second time, well, not so nice (they weren't curly, just wavy). I realize now that I was working too fast. You really need to take your time to end up with pretty curls like she does-

(um, excuse the bra strap)