LUSH Madness: The Sequel

Okay y'all, you know I love me some LUSH products. I actually have been meaning to do this post for a while. I ended up returning a few products from my first haul and exchanging them for the above, and again had a wonderful experience in the store near my hometown.

This time I'm much happier with the products I picked up, and I can't wait to go back for more!

T for Toes is much more useful and practical than the foot mask I initially picked up - it's a fresh smelling powder to put in your socks/shoes and it really does work. I've always had a problem with my sneakers and flats getting a little stinky and so this has been a miracle for me. The only downside is if you're like me and you don't wear socks, it will stick to the bottom of your feet. So make sure you clear it out of your shoes before you put them on and then wipe down your feet before you go padding around anywhere.

The Jasmine & Henna Fluff-Eaze hairmask has been good so far. I don't see a gigantic difference in how poofy my hair is, but it does calm down the frizz. The best part is, the great, floral smell stays for a while, even after shampoo and everything. Every time I showered it seemed to re-ignite the smell, and I was really into that. It's 25 minutes on dry hair, then shower off. Easy peasy.

I also picked up Lovely Jubblies which is not pictured. It's a firming cream specifically made for your ta-tas, but I've been also using it on my thighs. Again, it smells amazeballs. It's one of those things that isn't gonna show immediate results, but I don't want my tits to sag later on, so whatever. Firm them babies up.

Bubblegum lip scrub is pretty boss - not only does it work great as a gentle exfoliant, but it also smells great and doesn't taste gross like my favourite Fresh Brown Sugar Lip Scrub does - cuz I mean, it's on your lips. You can't avoid licking your lips or getting some in your mouth. It happens. This lipscrub is actually totally safe for that, and it even says on the back that you can lick the rest off after you scrub. Nice and smooth lips, good aftertaste. What more could you want?

I decided not to pick up either Dream Cream or Dream Wash again - it doesn't make a huge difference with my itchy skin like I was promised, so I was a little disappointed. But I did get a sample of Charity Pot, which is another body lotion. It smells much better, and the proceeds also go to Lush's charitable efforts (read more here ). It's a good lotion, and for a good cause. Another win for Lush.

I decided to pick up 9 to 5 Facial Cleanser instead of Ultrabland, which I found left a weird residue on my face. And okay those thick balmy cleansers are supposed to be great. But I thought it was weird, so I was recommended 9 to 5 instead. 9 to 5 is more of a lotion, it's much thinner and easier to use and leaves my face feeling clean and naked. It smells nice, works fast, gets off all my lipstick and eyeliner, and I'm very pleased with the switch. I think it's definitely a rebuy.

King of Skin body butter is a game changer. It's a bodybutter unlike any other. I actually picked it up because I saw someone on twitter write that it left her skin "so soft it cried at the end of Armageddon", and if that's not a glowing review than I don't know what is. But seriously, this shit works. It's sort of a thick, moisturizing coat on your skin. So you take it in the shower, get it a bit wet, rub it all over (seriously, do it everywhere), and then you're left with smoothy smooth silky soft super touchable. I was seriously going around telling people to touch me. It was probably pretty creepy. Downside to King of Skin is, there isn't enough of it. It runs out too quickly. GIMME MOAR.

Dark Angels is seriously the most badass cleanser of all time. It's a charcoal based product, and charcoal is the new in beauty thing so of course I had to try it. It's kind of hard to use cuz it comes dry and you sort of have to scoop it out of the thing and then mix it with water yourself, but it goes on black and makes you feel like a jungle warrior. It's punk cleanser, that's what it is. It works great, but you do kind of have to scrub off the blackness. I'm enjoying it, but I will admit it's mostly for the novelty factor. It's not the most convenient thing in the world.

All in all, I'm still pretty satisfied with Lush's products, and I want to give a big thank you to the amazing help I got again, so shoutout to Victoria from Quakerbridge Mall!

Can't wait for the next major Lush haul!

Lush Madness!

I've been wanting to try Lush for a really long time. There's something really excited about all-natural products when it comes to skincare - I feel much better about the glop that's going on my face when I can look at the back of the container and see what's actually in it. And Lush has a really great vibe - they're all anti-animal testing and their new campaign for Valentine's Day was all about love and supporting the LGBT community, which is a cause close to my heart. 

I also had a really great in-store experience. My local mall is known for having crap customer service, so I did a lot of research about the products before going in to the store because I didn't expect the girls to really pay attention to me or know anything about the products. BOY WAS I SURPRISED to the point where I wrote Lush an email, which I will excerpt for you here: 

" I usually don't like shopping in stores because the stores are crowded, I don't get enough attention when I have a question, and most of the time the employees don't really know what they're doing. But the girls in the store were incredible. In particular, an employee there named Stephanie was a big help. She saw me staring confused at some products and offered some great advice, showed me how to use everything, and introduced me to new products I wouldn't normally try. All the girls took interest in my story and my blog and were ready and willing to help with expert product knowledge. I went home with a mountain of Lush products to try and review on my blog, and I've never been so excited. As a lifelong psoriasis sufferer, it's exciting to feel like I possibly have miracle products in my hands now. I just want to let you know that you have some great girls there. I've worked retail, I know how hard it can be, and it's rare to get customer service like that"

And an even bigger surprise, THEY WROTE BACK: 

"Thank you for taking the time to contact LUSH! You and I would make the best shopping buddies. I also go online first, get an idea of what I want and then hit the stores. I hate crowds! I'm so happy to hear that you had a fantastic experience at LUSH. I often sit at my desk and day dream about all the action that goes down at the stores. So, hearing about great experiences really makes my day! I think it's the people who used to work in retail that's hard to impress. I'm very happy that LUSH met your standards of good customer service! I will forward your feedback to our friends at the mall location so, Stephanie and the rest of the team will get all the kudos that they deserve. Your blog looks great! I tried to start one years ago but didn't keep up with it. I really admire your dedication. If there's anything else that I can help you with, please don't hesitate to ask."

No, guys, this is for real. An actual response from an actual person. I'm really amazed. 

I ended up with a little bit of everything.

I don't usually do face masks but Stephanie recommended Mask of Magnaminty to help with my blackheads. I've used it once and it really does work - I saw a significant change in the softness of my skin and it did get rid of some of the blackheads. Next time I think I'm going to try it just on my nose - way better than any of those pore strips! Volcano is a foot mask, which is kind of weird because you have to wrap your feet in plastic wrap for ten minutes while it works it's magic, but it's great for winter feet that are trapped in tights and closed toed shoes!

Curly Wurly is a shampoo for frizzy curly hair (read: poofball hair like mine) and smells AMAZING. It's made with coconut and I mean it - real bits of coconut in there. So cool. And my hair is super soft right now (de-poofing is gonna take years, so game on,  Curly Wurly), so I'm loving it.

I love me  a scrub so I actually picked up two - both Ocean Salt and the Sugar Scrub. I've only used the Ocean Salt so far but it's really great. I'm super smooth and it's a way less expensive alternative to my favourite Fresh sugar scrub, and works just as well. The great thing about Ocean Salt is that it's also a facial scrub, so it's like getting two exfoliants for the price of one. Plus my boyfriend says I taste salty. I don't know if that's a good thing or not, but it's better than tasting not good? Right? Right.

Ultrabland is a really thick, creamy cleanser for makeup and dirt removal. When I was in the store, Stephanie rubbed it on my hand and you can really feel the way it pulls everything out of your skin. It's a bit strange at first since I'm used to a really light cleanser, but there was nothing leftover on my face after I used it.

I am always looking for badass moisturizers for my dry skin and Skin Drink has been working really well so far. It smells a bit strange (it's made with sesame oil) and it's kind of a weird brown goop, but it hydrates for the whole day. I'm never left wanting and my skin feels super soft. I'm all about soft, hydrated skin, especially since it's been such a harsh winter.

Stephanie also recommended using both Dreamwash and Dream Cream for my dry, itchy skin. So far they've been working great - Dreamwash smells amazing and is nice and creamy, and Dream Cream is very soothing and I've been lathering it on like a maniac every time my skin gets itchy. I'd heard a lot about Dream Cream (it's their best seller) so I was eager to try it, and so far it's been going very well.

Overall I'm really really pleased with my Lush products and I'm really excited to go into the store and try more, especially after such a great experience. Plus it's nice that I can feel really good about what ingredients I'm putting on my body. Lush products are relatively inexpensive (this huge haul was just over $100) and I really am loving their brand as a whole. Can't wait to try more!

Evil Queen Beauty's Favourites of 2013 Part 1: Getting Naked with Urban Decay & Fresh skincare

Happy 2014, Beauty Queens! It's time for the obligatory 2013 favourites post.

I'm going to start off with the best thing that 2013 had to offer, the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette. The Naked Palettes have been a big hit with the blogger world, but up until now, they've all been too, well, brown. I'm not a brown person, and actually I actively avoid it. All these "natural" palettes are brown and beige and fucking boring. So I haven't really been all that thrilled with the Naked palettes until now. There was a huge buzz when UD announced that they were doing a third version, and I was SO THRILLED to find that it was a beautiful pinky palette. They call them "rose gold" shades, and they range from soft glimmery pinks to more golden colours, and a lovely defining grey and black with red glimmers at the end. It's safe to say I'm in love, and there are so many beautiful combinations that I really feel like I never need another palette again. The colours blend flawlessly and last all day, and the brush that comes with the set is pretty much perfect for creating a multitude of looks. I'm so pleased and it was totally worth the money.

Urban Decay is one of my favourite brands, so the other products I'm putting on this list are the Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup which I use every day and pair with their Pore Perfecting Complexion Primer Potion and I always set with All Nighter Setting Spray. I used to use their cream-to-powder foundation, but since that has been discountinued, the liquid foundation has been serving me well. I definitely recommend using the primer though as I find it wears a little bit by the end of the work day.

The B6 Vitamin-Infused Complexion Prep Spray was something that came in a sample bag and I was a little bit confused as to what it was for, but I use it before I put on my moisturizer and it really helps my skin absorb the moisture and stay moisturized throughout the day. Right after I shower I spritz it on and I never feel wanting for moisture, even with the winter cold. It's really useful if you have super dry skin like me.

Fresh is definitely my favourite skincare brand of 2013. They're a little bit on the pricey end but I really love the products and they've lasted me a good long time, so I don't regret shelling out for them. The Soy Face Cleanser and Moisturizing Cream are part of my daily skincare routine and have never failed me. My skin has never felt softer and smoother.

The Brown Sugar Body Polish works wonders for my skin. I have very dry skin which can get scratchy and flaky, and this stuff makes everything smooth as all get out. The first time I used it at my boyfriend's place, he said I was "all marinated", so it passes the boy touch test! I use the Sugar Lip Polish before I put on my lipstick and it really helps soothe my chapped winter lips so that my lipstick goes on flawless and stays flawless throughout the day. Pretty much is my entire skincare routine was Fresh products, I'd be really happy. I'd be broke, but really happy, and with fucking flawless skin.

Stay tuned for part 2,

Glorificus

I have to admit that what first interested me in Soap & Glory products was the packaging. I'm a sucker for anything retro looking, and whenever I'd see S&G in Sephora, I'd think "Shit, that stuff looks so cool, it must be really good, I have to try it one day." So finally I did, and I'm really pleased about it.

I've had A Great Kisser for a while and it's one of the best lip balms I've ever tried. It's really moisturizing, but not sticky at all, so when I kiss my boyfriend I don't feel like I have to wipe it off (or wipe it off him). It stays for a really long time without drying out, which is awesome. Mine is peach scented, but I hear it also comes in peppermint or vanilla (which I think is the one I'll try next, when this runs out).

Both The Greatest Scrub Of All and Flake Away Body Polish are very gentle exfoliators, for face and body respectively. Last post I talked about the Fresh face and body exfoliators that I have, and in comparison, these are very much lighter and creamier. My skin is very dry so sometimes I feel like I need a really great scrub, but these are good for every day/every other day or if your skin is sensitive. The exfoliating beads are very gentle, and the smell is very subtle and pleasant.

Clarity 3-In-1 Daily-Detox Vitamin C Facial Wash feels much more gel-like in comparison to the Fresh cleanser, and also has little exfoliator beads for a gentle massaging effect. It's cooling and minty which leaves my face feeling very refreshed, which is great after a workout or a long day out when I feel particularly dirty and worn down.

There are a lot of other Soap and Glory products I want to try, particularly their hand and foot creams since everything else I have by them is so moisturizing. But all in all, the products are very gentle and smell great!

x
Christina