Collective Haul: Lush, Shiseido, The Body Shop, more Candles and other randomness.

The Dorothy Bubble Bar in all its earthy goodness is back! Some say that this smells like the Figs & Leaves soap but to my untrained nose, Dorothy smells much better : ) I usually separate the rainbow section and the blue "skies" section to use in separate baths because my bathwater looks prettier that way. I also picked up Love Lettuce- my all-time favorite fresh face mask. Lush face masks require refrigeration and expires pretty quickly but that just means that they are super fresh while they last!

 

Having observed that I love sweet scents, the girl who helped me offered me a sample of the Almond & Coconut Smoothie Soap- she was sure I would be back for more :) It works like any other soap- it's just in a smooth buttery form. Smells divine. Haven't tried it yet though.

Next, I spied the new Shiseido Urban Environment sunscreen out on display @ Bloomingdale's and had to pick one up to take home with me. The Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Cream SPF 55 (the one in the blue tube-see below) is my go-to, everyday, love of my life sunscreen and so a new/different version was a must-try for me. I love the new sleek white/silvergrey tube but the lighter SPF is slightly worrying as I like my sunscreen to be on the stronger side. Still I'm excited!

I don't know if you can tell but the Urban Environment (top) sunscreen is slightly more watery than the regular Shiseido sunscreen. I don't notice a big difference on the face but I haven't been using it for long so we'll see :)

Next, my little loot from The Body Shop. I had stepped into the store to just get the Peppermint Pumice Foot Scrub but once in the store I was lured in by the ubiquitous "buy however many get however many free" promotion and I ended up with more than just the foot scrub. (An after-shave I got for my cousin, who was shopping with me is not photographed.) So here's what I got:

1. Cotton Rounds: So much better than the CVS ones.. argh! I hate those.

2. Vitamin E Face Mist: Kind of random but seemed like a good idea. Spraying vitamin E on my skin seems easy enough. Plus the rose scent is really nice.

3. Banana Conditioner: I loved my first bottle so much that I had pick up another.

4. Peppermint Cooling Foot Spray: Premature but I had summer on my mind that day...

5. and of course the Peppermint Pumice Foot Scrub.

This is what the foot scrub looks like inside: I love this stuff for summer when foot exposure is rampant.

Next, I picked up two new candles from Bath & Body Works, Lemon Gelatto (pictured with a sparklicious yellow infinity scarf I picked up from Charlotte Russe) & Cotton Candy (pictured with the Hello Kitty shower cap available at Sephora). I have to say Slatkin & Co. is really on a roll these days with their awesome candles! I have been burning Cotton Candy nonstop: the scent is sweet but clean cut.

Finally, some random items from here and there (and everywhere).

1. Anastasia Mini Brow Kit: Worst pair of tweezers in the history of tweezers...
2. OPI Teenage Dream: I don't know what I was thinking. It's really sparkly. Not very lawyer-ly... but I think I was mesmerized by all the glitter.
3. Revlon Totally Toffee: Love. It's red. It's brown. It's toffee. who knows what it is. Love.
4. Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Pink Blossom: I've never gotten into Burts Bees lip balms but the fact that the new tinted lip balms have no shimmer and no SPF really appealed to me. (My lips tend to react badly to lip products with SPF...not all the time but lots of times.)

I was kind of worried that Pink Blossom would be a paler pink (better with cooler skin tones) but it wasn't as pale as I imagined and the sheer factor makes it an easy shade to pull off. It's nothing spectacular but it's good for a casual touch up. Texture-wise I prefer something like the Fresh Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Treatment.

And that's all for now! That was a picture-heavy post, but I wanted to include as much as I could because if I didn't procrastination will inevitably come knocking at my door threatening to huff and puff and blow mah house down... ; ) You know what I'm talking about.

Haul: Bed, Bath & Beyond and Bath & Body Works

Hey guys! So this is going to be a quick little drugstore haul-- from Bed, Bath & Beyond!! Am I late on this or did everyone know that some Bed, Bath & Beyonds actually have a drugstore section?! And not like those pseudo-beauty corners in grocery stores but an actual very much legit drugstore- the kind that derails you from your original purpose of bringing home a sturdy cutting board (preferably made of bamboo) and has you wandering through aisles of beauty gadgets and goodies with crazy lady eyes, unaware that the husband has left the store in search of some stronger coffee. Ahem...

... onto the haul.

Here's the shortlist of what I got:
Physicians Formula Eye Boosting Eyeliner + Serum
Maybelline Eyeshadow in Apricot Aura
Maybelline Volum' Express On by One Mascara in Blackest Black Waterproof
Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Blackest Black

Here are the initial impressions of each:
1. Physician's Formula Eye Boosting Eyeliner & Serum- I use the Peter Thomas Roth Lashes to Die For at night but this new item is an eyeliner and eyelash serum in one, so you can use it during the daytime too! Nifty.
2. Maybelline Eyeshadow in Apricot Aura (Limited Edition) - I swatched this already and found the pigmentation to be quite poor. All three shades are frosty and although the frost is not overpowering (you could even call it a sheen) it still manages to overshadow the actual colors. That being said I think it still has the potential of creating a pretty look- just don't expect that coral to show up on your eyelids.
3. Maybelline Volum' Express One by One Mascara in Blackest Black Waterproof - I almost bought the non-waterproof kind because I liked the green lettering of that one better (with the coral tube) than the blue letters on this one. Then I reminded myself that taking chances with undereye smudges was unwise especially when the reward at stake is simply cuter color-coordination.
4. Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Blackest Black- I'm on my third Urban Decay Liquid Eyeliner but I think it's time to go back to gel eyeliner. My first instinct (and most obvious choice) is to go back to Bobbi Brown but I'm really interested in all the new alternatives that have surfaced recently, so I picked this one out on a whim :)

Next, I headed over to Bath & Body Works to pick up some three-wick candles and check out the Carried Away release (I've been hearing good things!) I picked out two candles: Pineapple Mango, and Pink Sangria. I also picked up the baby versions of the Carried Away shower gel, body lotion and fragrance mist. Argh the packaging is absolutely the cutest! The collection smells like plums- and I love plums.

I've already started burning Pineapple Mango and although it doesn't fill the room with an authentic pineapple (or mango) scent it's still a very agreeable fragrance. Fruity and slightly sweet- it's a great candle for spring. Pink Sangria I haven't burned yet but it smells so tangy and delightful I would stick a paper parasol in it and drink it if I could. Don't worry, I won't.
(*Update: I burned Pink Sangria yesterday and I seriously love it!)

On another note, I ordered some Hello Kitty items from Sephora weeks ago but I'm having trouble photographing them properly... if anyone's wondering and I never get the pictures up, I got the shower cap and the rollerball perfume and I'm pretty happy with both of them. Also, my Dermstore.com order should be arriving soon so I'll share that once it gets here.

So that's that! I hoped you're enjoying your week as I am mine :)

O Spring, Where Art Thou?

Oh my goodness- I can't believe how the time has flown by since my last blog post. I have yet to get my mac fixed (I know- my procrastination is beyond reprimand), but I couldn't take it anymore, especially after getting these super-cute spring collection images from Kate Spade in my email this morning, so here I am using The husband's laptop to share a little bit what I've been up to and my latest beauty inspirations!

Numero uno, how delightful is the spring Kate Spade collection? I'm quite fond of winter but I admit, that of the seasons it isn't the most colorful. But spring is all about color- the sky is bluer, the leaves are greener, the flowers have gone crazy and you can get away with wearing whatever funky color and happy little combination you desire... like that hot pink cardigan with canary yellow layered underneath! (top photo) So pretty.

I am also loving these wedges! They're youthful yet have a classy look to them as well. They also come in hot pink (I've seen Karen from the Makeup & Beauty Blog lemming over them :) but I am liking this nude/gold look better for me. I'm so tempted!

Another thing, I've been trying to take better care of my skin which I regret to say I've kind of been neglecting to do this winter. I used to be so diligent in taking care of my skin but recently, I've been totally letting myself go- so I picked up these My Beauty Diary sheet masks (I got the Alice in Wonderland sets in pink and blue) in hopes of getting back on track. And I have to say, I absolutely love them! The best thing about a good sheet mask is the instant gratification-your skin feels so hydrated and soft after use.



So that's all for now- I wish everyone a great week and hopefully I'll get my laptop's hard drive exchanged this week and all will be well with the world again :)