Lush's Mother's Day Treats!

Mothers Day is a week away and if you are anything like me, you never quite have a gift planned ahead of time. This year Kate and I decided that we would sample Lush's special Mothers Day Collection and review it. Mostly because we both like bath products and a little bit because we need gifts for our mothers. So here we go....

First up is the bath bomb Secret Garden. According to the description from Lush, this ballistic is supposed to smell of rose and orange oil, I disagree. When I first dropped it in the tub the scent I smelled was more along the lines of grass, which I liked but not particularly one I would choose for a bath scent. As far as fizzing, the bomb lasted a lot longer than I am used to and I actually ended up speeding the process along. Once the green layer dissolves, the center is a bright yellow filled with wild flowers and did give off a faint floral scent. Again I was a little disappointed. There seemed to be more leaves than flowers in the small amount that was included in the center. Color-wise the water turned a dark green. Overall, I would pass on Secret Garden for my own mother. She would not appreciate the clean up of the flowers or the color of the water.


Next, I tried Wonder Woohoo, a bubble bar, which is the one I was most excited about due to the scent which is orange and sandalwood. However, I was also a little weary about the glitter due to many horror stories I have encountered about the clean-up associated with that particular add in (also I work in childcare and have experience in the persistence of glitter). Luckily, I had nothing to fear! This bar broke down in the water fairly easily, although a part of it was a bit more difficult to break apart than anticipated. The water was a sunny, golden yellow that shimmered prettily underneath a mountain of bubbles. The shimmer is a result of the inclusion of some of Lush's Lustre powder (a favorite of mine) according to the employee who sold it to me. I did have to rinse the tub quickly once the water drained but that was due to the glitter on the outside of the bar and none of it transferred to my person once I was finished. I am planning on making my mom try this one (and buying approximately 5 more for myself), she is definitely not one for glitter but I think she will make an exception this time.

The third item I tried was Rose, another bubble bar. This is probably the most mom-friendly of the three I sampled. The scent is rose and lemon, it's easy to use, and turns the water a pretty pink that is a few shades lighter than Lush's seasonal Prince Charming (I checked). The description online says this bar is intended for two baths and has "glimmer" which I don't necessarily agree with. I can't say that I noticed any sort of shimmer or glimmer when I used Rose. I also don't think that I would have been satisfied with the amount of bubbles that half the bar would create. But this was also an obvious yes for my mom.
--Now it's Kate's turn! xJenna
I also tried rose - I agree with Jenna that I didn't see a satisfying amount of bubbles or glimmer (which I wasn't fussed about), but the scent is really amazing. Apparently, the smell is the same as Lush's Amandopondo which is a part of their permanent collection. I don't think you can go wrong with rose scents for a mother - generally, it's a pretty safe bet.


I think the Mumkin bubble bar is so cute, honestly, which is definitely why I grabbed for it. Of course, pumpkin- themed items aren't very traditional for spring, but I just found it adorable and I knew that the colors would turn my bath a really gorgeous coral color (which it did). As for scent,  Lush describes it as raspberry with bergamot, lemon, and violet leaf. I couldn't pick out any of these scents specifically - unfortunately I found the scent to be extremely subtle. It did smell sweet and fresh, but I wish the scent had been more intense. As with any bubble bar, you want to crumble it in your bath while the faucet is on to get the maximum amount of bubbles. I was pleased with the amount of bubbles I got, but I hated the stem and leaf, which were made out of a material that was very difficult to break down in the tub, so it just lasted for ages.

I believe Madame Butterfly bubble wand was my favorite product that I tried. While the bubble bars retail for about $4 and you can only get one bath out of them max, madame butterfly retails for around $7 and you could get 2 or 3 (if you were being stingy) baths out of this. I absolutely loved the scent - again, the primary scent is rose, but this bubble bar boasts the same scent as Lush's Rose Jam bubbleroon, and Ro's Argan Body Conditioner which is rose and lemon oil. So, if you know your mom loves rose scents, I think it would be a great duo gift to get her madame butterfly and the body conditioner for a nice pampering set! I was hesitant to buy this despite my love for the scent because I haven't had luck with the bubble wands in the past - I swirl them around in the bath and nothing happens. The sales girl at Lush gave me some advice which changed my life - you want to stick the bubble wand under the running faucet as your tub fills up! I tried that, and was amazed at the amount of bubbles and scent I got. I seriously didn't use much of this at all, but I had a bath I really enjoyed. I can't wait to have another bath with it later on, and I think I might repurchase this before the mother's day collection leaves Lush's stock.

We hope that this post gives you some great ideas for mother's day, or even for a pampering night of your own!

Xx Kate and Jenna

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Orchid, the Color of the Year in Blush

2014's color of the year, according to Sephora+Pantone Universe, is "Radiant Orchid." Kate was very excited about this since the announcement while I only realized it was happening about a week before it was released in the store. So naturally, when it was finally in stores, Kate was on vacation and I went to Sephora for concealer but left with the new orchid blush palate and a cute make-up bag that was a free gift with purchase.

The purple blush was to enticing for me to pass up but I was also hesitant about actually putting the palate to use because my previous feelings toward blush had been more of the 'well hopefully no one can tell this is here'  variety. But that is more to blame on my general lack of makeup knowledge than anything else, I have since been introduced to the combined efforts of blushes, bronzers, highlighters, contouring, etc. That being said, this blush is a lot brighter tone than I was used to working with in general.

There was a definite learning curve involved with application, which I should have expected because I also own a bronzer from the same brand and it has to be parsed down before application unless I want to look like Attack Of The Self-Tanner. This is an attempt one morning before work that was a bit brighter than originally planned (but also I tend to apply make-up without glasses/contacts so...) (additionally ignore this weird expression, it was before 6 AM).

This photo is more recent and toned down to a level that I prefer. The times that it is too bright/much for me, it is necessary to remove all makeup and start again because I've found that trying to blend down does not work as efficiently as I would like but does attest to the staying power of the color. That being said, I do really love the brightness of the purple and the level of pigmentation. I find that its really suitable for Spring and a lot more fun than the duller mauve-y tones I had previously be more inclined to purchase. I definitely recommend giving the palette a shot while it is here.

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Hair Must Haves: Fudge Urban for Target

Fudge Urban is a hair company from the UK that I have been dying to try ever since I discovered it a few months back. But like many things that originate in the UK that I am interested in trying, there was no way (that I could find) to get it sent to the US. Then, eureka!, news broke that select Target stores would be selling their products. I was more than excited and made a ridiculous trek to the lone Target in my area that was selling Fudge Urban. Of course the whole Fudge line is not available, including their hair color (is something I am very interested in trying). However, I have been very pleased with what I was able to obtain. I purchased Miracle Ends, Sea Salt Spray, and a hairspray. All products have a very nice coconut scent that refrains from being overpowering but still manages to linger for most of my day, giving off a faint scent burst that never fails to make me long for pina coladas and island lounging.

First lets talk Miracle Ends, the product that I find myself reaching for most often. It is a lotion-like substance with Argan Oil that is supposed to seal ends and add shine to hair. You can use it on dry hair to help de-frizz ends or apply to damp hair prior to blow drying (I tend to use Miracle Ends on dry hair because I only wash my hair twice a week and use the hair dryer maybe once a month). It is great for my second and third day hair when my ends start to rebel and puff out. For my hair, this would not work on a day that I was trying to go for more texture in my hair because it smooths and sleeks my hair too much for a bedhead day.

Next, Salt Spray: The bottle says you can either spray on dry hair and scrunch or spray on wet hair and blow dry for volume and texture. The best use for me is using it as a volumizer/texturizer on wet hair. Volume is something my hair lacks and this definitely adds an oomph. When it comes to beachy texture, I can't say that I get a "beachy" look but that is maybe more at the fault of my hair than the product. My hair is very thick and tends to not hold wave or curl no matter what I do. The spray does give my hair texture which is something I want because I tend to go with the messy, un-brushed look. I've yet to experiment with what happens if I add the Sea Salt Spray to curled hair.

Finally, the hair spray: Fudge Urban boasts a long lasting "48 hour mega-hold". I can't attest for a full 48 hours but I will say that the hold will last at least all day. The spray stream is also nice because it covers large areas and you don't have to spray a lot to compensate for a dud stream or worry about unsightly hard clumps.

So yes, I recommend Fudge Urban. I want to try more of the line and will definitely keep this three as my hair must-haves.

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Hair Chalk Let Downs

I love the idea of abnormally colored hair. Pink, purple, green, teal, blue, yellow, orange, silver, or anything really. That being said, not all colors/dye jobs are created equal. It takes time and commitment to have truly awesome colored hair. Unfortunately a permanent dye job is not possible right now so I decided to look into hair chalk.
Most of the options that I encounter resemble the pastels I remember using in elementary school that inevitably ended up smearing on every surface within an eight foot radius. So, when I saw that Bumble and Bumble would be releasing a limited edition, spray-on version, I was ecstatic. They were offering four colors (blue, pink, light purple, and a minty green) AND it was actually available at my neighborhood Sephora.
It took me a while to decide which color I needed and after a few in-store test sprays, I went with the minty green.

Immediately upon spraying it on my hair, I was disappointed. The smell was horrid and very potent and had definitely NOT been noticed when I had tested it at the store. But, I was willing to overlook the scent, figuring it would dissipate over time. Then the bottle ran out. I had managed to get it where I wanted but had anticipated being able to use it more than once after having spent $20. 

(The expression on my face is a representation of my feelings of this chalk) This was approximately twenty minutes after I had sprayed my hair and already I could see that the color was less vibrant than when I had initially sprayed. Which was a total let down seeing as I hadn't even left my house at this point. The chalk also rubbed off my hair and onto my outfit. :(

This is a picture from the following day, where the color is mostly faded. Unfortunately it still faintly smelled funky and had acquired a weird congealed texture.

I would definitely not reccomend this product to anyone. Despite the reputation the Bumble and Bumble has built with their products, the quality is just not found in their spray-on hair chalk. 

Jenna

xx.

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