LUSH - Love Lettuce Fresh Face Mask

HOLY MOSES JOSES, a face mask that doesn't break the shit out of my face and make me look like an overly blushed Klingon!  To my hyper-sensitive oily/combination cyclic-acne-prone and something more sisters out there, we have hope.

BAM.

 BAM.

yea, that's my clawprint in there.

Ok, so I had long given up on face masks and decided to just suck it up with my Olay Exfoliating brush, until fellow Canadian nutjob, Estée, wouldn't shut up about her Lush face masks and how it's been amazeballs for her... thank goodness.
I picked this up when I went on a platonic date/hoarding shopping trip with R the other day.  Laid my deets (details, for you non-cool joes) on the sales associate (the ones at Lush are weird but super helpful--watch and learn, Sephora).  She recommended either this one or the oatmeal looking one... I've got a weak stomach for oatmeal, so I picked this one.  I think I paid $6 CAD for a small black tub of it.  My local store makes it fresh every Wednesday (you can't buy this online because it's made fresh), and each tub will give about 3-4 masks... even with my big face, I think I can probably generously get 4.

I scoop up a Timbit sized amount and generously smear it all over my face.  There's small bits of green plant looking material--I just spread it around.  It says to leave it on for something like 5 mins?  Iuno, I'm probably making shit up.  Anyway, it says not to let it dry out but I leave it on until it does, cuz I'm a rebel.  Then I just use my hands to wash it off very gently with warm water.  Afterwards, I use my Sephora precison pore cleanser pad to make sure all of it is gone.

Verdict:  THIS FUCKING ROCKS THE SHIT OUT OF MY FACE AND MORE.  I'm kinda outraged by how it made my face so hydrated and oil-balanced.  I think I texted R right away with something like:  "my face is fucking glowing."

- M

LUSH - Turkish Delight & Rose Queen

Get ready for some LUSHious business here

LUSH turkish delight

I like the fresher rose scent, and it feels nice going onto my both... very smoothie-like indeed.

It's supposed to be hydrating, which I don't find it particularly.

I'm not as scaly anymore, but that could just be because I've stopped cranking the heat as the weather's getting warmer.

It's ok... but not worth $32.95 for a 7 oz tub.

The good thing is it's paraben-free, unlike Flying Fox which has methylparaben... I was going to get that one at first because the scent is just pure sex.

LUSH rose queen

I love my rose scents, what can I say?  Decided to treat myself to a luxurious $5 bomb.

♥ M

Some other random shiz that M bought in March

Holy shit, I bought a lot of stuff in March -- So much for being broke!

THE BODY SHOP tea tree oil

It seems like it works the same way as my Burt's Bees, but the Burt's Bees is all natural.

The two's price points are the same, too.

So, I'm gonna call Burt's Bees the winner of the dupe challenge.

THE BODY SHOP nutriganics drops of youth

Still trying it out.  It seems aite?

MAYBELLINE 24 hr color tattoo eye shadow (35 tough as taupe)

AMAZING.  Very little is needed for pigment.

I would never wear makeup for 24 hours, but the shit stays on as long as I need it to, without primer!

It's a gorgeous matte mushroom taupey grey.

I got it at London Drugs when they had their 30% off all Maybelline products deal, so it was only $6.29 CAD!

JOSIE MARAN organic argan oil to go

I bought this because R raves about the thing.

My skin doesn't soak it up nearly as crazy as hers thought.

I use it for my hair tips, and it's awesome possum.

It's good for random dry patches too.

I wish I had this with me when I was in Calgary!

 BOURJOIS 10 hour sleep efflect foundation (71 abricote clair)

I can't wait to try this out tomorrow, because all of my in-store and home swatches have been incredible.

My beautyblender and it will be making love all over my face tomorrow!

It's oil-free!!!  The watery consistency could become my new HG over my Almay clear complexion!

I bought this in Shopper's Drug Mart for $26 CAD (holy mark up!).

Oh, an update from my last post about the Sephora VIB haul:

I returned the TARTE emphaseyes brightener, and got the MUFE aqua eyes eyeliner (champagne 23L).

The TARTE one was smooth on my hand, but on my waterline, it was so chalky and inconsistent.

This MUFE one is amazing, but less beige-ness and more pinkness.

I swatched it with my Bourjois above.

Aaaaannnd the biggest purchase of March:

It's APRIL already?!

- M

*Cue Britney* I'm a slaaaaaaaaaaaaave for you

Sephora rang the bell and I came crawling... R, too.  She went to one of our local stores even earlier than I.
Not that, that, makes me any better...

Anyway, I had to get my hands on that sample package and umbrella, especially if it was during VIB 15%!

(The umbrella has officially become my car umbrella, so it's already taken its righteous place - Sorry, forgot to take a photo first).

Here's my shiz!

The sample package included:

• MUFE smoky lash extra black mascara
• SEPHORA full action extreme effect mascara
• GIVENCHY mister light
• BUMBLE AND BUMBLE thickening shampoo
• BUMBLE AND BUMBLE thickening conditioner
• JUICY COUTURE viva la juicy spray

Cashier gave me another sample:

• OLEHENRIKSEN truth is in the eyes

There's stuff I actually paid for:

TARTE amazonian clay 12-hour blush (Exposed)

Ohhhhh yeaaaaa I did... I can't wait to use it tomorrow...

I plan to do some mixing with my Dollface one. It'll be gorgeous.

TARTE emphaseyes brightener

For days when I want something less stark than UD yeyo

BEAUTYBLENDER

I wanna see what's with the hype.  For the price, it better shit on my QUO sponges.

SEPHORA precision pore cleansing pad

This shit is bananas.

It's sooo gentle.

I like to put my Purity on it and use it to massage my face in the shower.

Lately, I've been using the La Roche-Posay purifying gel with it.

It has a suction on the back so I stick it next to my shaver. 

What did you buy?

- M

Acne HG Products

My skin's been hating me lately... with my lack of sleep and off-balanced hormones.  Since I understand the frustrations of acne or hyperpigmentation, I wanted to share my HG products - maybe, it'll be of use for you.

BURT'S BEES Targeted Spot Treatment
It directs you to use it in the morning and night after cleansing--DONT.  Only use this at night when you're definitely not going out until the day after, because it smells like shit.  Even washing your hands with soap won't get rid of the smell.  The smell is so revolting, but the product works amazing.  It's a spot treatment acne product.  I basically use my finger to dap it onto the pimple and just around it.  The skin soaks up the product immediately with 0.75% of Salicyclic Acid.  If I use this, a fresh pimple will disappear within 2 days with no dark marks or scarring (unlike a lot of other acne spot solutions that end up drying the shit out of the pimple and leave you with a dark mark).  The all 100% natural is a plus.  It's a HG, until I find one that does the same stuff without the odour.  (I bought the Body Shop Tea Tree Oil as a possible dupe.  I'm currently trying it out, and will do a full comparison soon).  I get mine for $9.99 USD at Walmart.

A brand that I really depend on is LA ROCHE-POSAY.  In particular, I use their Effaclar line:

It's great for my super sensitive and acne-prone skin.

Thank you to Sandra for introducing the brand for me!


LA ROCHE-POSAY Effaclar A.I. Targeted Breakout Cream Corrector
An awesome spot treatment for individual outbreaks.  Maybe it does an awesome job cleansing or something, without seeming to, but I find that I don't get reoccurring pimples in the same spots anymore.  I like using this on pimples that have already broken out.  The formula like a lotion, white in colour.  It has a super light floral scent.  I usually hate scented products, but I don't mind this one.  The scent resembles the smell of Chanel moisturizers.  I get mine from London Drugs for $20 CAD.

LA ROCHE-POSAY Effaclar Duo

To me, this is a less intensive spot treatment than the A.I.  According to the website, this Duo actually replaces the A.I., but both products are constantly restocked in my local London Drugs.  I find that this is a much lighter formula than the A.I.  I like using it when I can feel a pimple coming soon, and not necessarily when it's already broken out.  It's also great for redness and hyperpigmentation spots.  It is a semi-translucent white gel-type of lotion.  It has the same super light floral scent as the A.I.  I get this for $25 CAD at London Drugs.

To my Canadians:  Tons of LA ROCHE-POSAY packages are currently on sale at London Drugs!

The full sized Duo comes with a free 50 mL tube of the Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel.  The regular price of $25 CAD is marked down to $17.50 CAD, and when it ran through the register, it was only $12.50 CAD!  On the website, the kit is $35.95 USD.

Remember to be extra diligent with your skin cleansing and moisturizing routine when you're experiencing troubled skin!
What do you do or use when you're struggling with your skin?

- M

UPDATE:  July 18, 2012

I've written an updated post on my HG acne products - Read it here.

Sunny-Side Hair (All Natural Hair Mask)

It's so not sunny where I am... the groundhogs lied... it was snowing yesterday and freezing today.

Anyway, I wanted to share how you can keep your hair amazingly soft and shiny for weekS with this hair mask method of mine.

I don't like doing store-bought or professional salon hair masks, because a) they're a waste of money, b) they look and feel synthetic, c) the results aren't that great, and d) the shine and softness doesn't last much longer than two days.

What you need from the kitchen:

• 1 large egg (2 medium eggs if you have thick or long hair)
• 1/2 teaspoon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (2 tablespoons if you are using 2 eggs)

Put all within a bowl:

and, whip it real good.  It should look something like this:

Now, you need:

• 1 disposable shower cap
• 2 attached kitchen paper towel sheets
• 1 or 2 bobbypins
• 1 hair tie

Scoop the mixture onto your head with your hands or a spoon, primarily coating the entirety of your hair stands, as you would with conditioner.  I would recommend doing this in the washroom.

Once you have used up all of the mixture, tie your hair into a high bun.

Fold the kitchen roll sheets, such that, they are a thick strip, and wrap it along your hairline.  Make sure the ends overlap above your forehead.  Fasten the strip at your forehead, with bobbypins.  The purpose of this paper towel strip is to catch any liquid that may run from your scalp heat.

It's important for you to leave the two sheets attached; otherwise, good luck trying to keep both on your head, lol...

Finally, put on the shower cap.

Leave the mask on for one hour, then shampoo.  You will have no need conditioner for at least three weeks!

When I did it a month ago, I did it with a nose strip.  What better time to stick shit on your nose than when there's egg in your hair?

Cheers!

M.