Wednesday, November 25

Lush: Santa's Lip Scrub


Every year I look forward to the Christmas Collections at Lush. Yea sometimes I feel like I'm a bit too old for Magic Wand Bubble Baths and Santa Bath bombs, yet I can't seem to stop myself from buying a few bits to spark that holiday spirit. I often make my own lip scrubs using some honey and brown sugar, maybe add in some coffee grounds, and thought that would be enough to get the job done. 

I picked this up on a whim since it said it was Cola flavored.. and it was the only one left at the counter and my shopaholic sense kicked in and I had to have the last one. The scrub tastes exactly like Cherry Cola and it is very strange at first. I loved how well it exfoliated and left my lips super smooth. It is a bit hard to get out of the pot at first since it is a very dry consistency. Beware that this does have red dye in it. I felt like a vampire with the dye running down my chin as I was washing this off. There are cute little plastic glitter hearts in the scrub but other than sticking to my bathroom sink, they had no good use and became more of an annoyance. 

Overall the Santa's Lip Scrub is adorable and a nice treat for the holidays. This would make a perfect stocking stuffer, definitely check it out before they sell out! They also have a lip balm in the same flavor for those who can't get enough of the Cherry Cola flavor. It is also one of the few things that doesn't have parabens from Lush, which is always a plus. 

Monday, November 23

Will Sunday Riley solve all your problems?



I think everyone who has any interest in skincare is very familiar with Sunday Riley by now. The brand is used by celebrities and bloggers who rave about the amazing results that these products provide. They are definitely splurge products and not something you just decide to pick up without furiously researching for a couple of weeks, like I did. Let's say I had high hopes and was ready for a luxurious skincare routine. 

The scents aren't necessarily putrid but they are memorable and distinct. The Luna Oil smells like warm licorice candies to me, which during the night can be soothing. It takes some time to get used to and when I used it on the first night I could still smell it 4 hours after applying it. It leaves a blue tint on the face but who really cares when you're about to go to bed anyway? The Good Genes treatment smells like I'm applying Lemon Pledge onto my face, it doesn't linger but doesn't make the process very pampering. It absorbed extremely quickly and I didn't even need a moisturizer afterwards it was that hydrating. You can use both together with the Good Genes underneath the Luna Oil, to get "amazing result". But if you're using the Good Genes with a different oil the good genes should go on top to maximize absorbency.  

My final thought is that they're nice, nothing more. They made my face feel incredibly soft and glowing, like all retinols and AHA's (lactic and glycolic acids) do. But for the price I expect visible results I can't get from treatments that are half the price. The Ren Glycolic Acid mask has been my HG for 4 years now and it gave me the same if not better results. Plus there is still some doubt about the retinol that the Luna Oil treatment uses. The trusty Paula's Choice Beautypedia states that the Luna Oil uses trans-retinol ester, which has a slightly different chemical makeup than traditional retinol. It's basically a lighter version, which won't provide the quick results that traditional retinols promise. I didn't see the Luna Oil do anything that traditional oils can't, but I've only been using it for a couple weeks. I have to say it does look pretty in the jar. 

Currently I'm simply including these products every other day into my daily routine in hopes of extending the time I get to use them since they weren't cheap! Even using the Good Genes maybe 4-6 times I have already used up a good portion and don't see the treatment lasting longer than 2 months, for $105 that makes me cringe a bit.