The Royal Blush: July 2010

lush haul & review

>> Saturday, July 24, 2010

I think I may be one of the only people who thinks lush smells HORRIBLE!!! There isn't a lush conveniently located near me so I took a leap and ordered their products online after getting sucked into the hype.

My First Reaction

They looked so yummy!!! Also, I wasn't disappointed with the size of them...but when I smelled them...I think I singed off my nose hairs. Everything had this really musky old-smelling odor except the Two Timing Tart. The Two Timing Tart smelled good, but not something for me to rave about. I thought perhaps they would smell better in the water so I decided to try the muskiest smelling one first - Turbo Bubble. When I opened I was surprised to find that the bar had more glitter than the Cullens on vacation in Florida. I guess somehow the glitter melts in the water though because I wasn't drenched in it when I got out the bath. The smell was more tolerable albeit still unpleasant. Also, I really didn't feel any difference in the texture of my skin. I will say that it Turbo Bubble did bubble up quite nicely, but I think you can achieve the same amount of bubbles using Mr. Bubble :)

side note: Some probably know this already but shower gels can double as bubble baths, just pour the desired amount under running water. They will not bubble up as well as a real bubble bath but the fragrance will stick to your skin better. I highly recommend it.

As for the samples, I haven't tried either of them yet. Gentle Lentil smells surprisingly good for what its called and Ice Blue Soap smells like mouthwash. :/

Here are the pics, sorry they are in poor quality, I took these at night in bad bathroom quality. I'll revisit this post when I try the two timing tart. I'll also take pics of the bath so you can see how well it bubbles

Sex Bomb

Bon Bomb

Two Timing Tart Bubble Bar

Turbo Bubble Bubble Bar

I also received two samples:

Ice Blue Soap & Gentle Lentil Solid Shampoo

I'd really like to give lush another shot, do you guys have any recommendations???

Buxom Lip Plumper in Sandy

>> Friday, July 23, 2010

Here's a quick review on the Buxom Lip Plumper in Sandy. I got this free when I ordered a bunch of stuff from sephora.com. One thing I like about ordering online from sites like that is that you get free samples and/or products as a gift with your order...things that are not offered in store. You just have to search for the coupon codes online. I got the mini version because it was free but if youre interested in purchasing yo can find it by clicking here. This retails for $18.

I havent tried this on my lips yet but I loved the color when I swatched it on my arms. Its a slightly shimmery pinky beige color, perfect for smokey eyes.

Best of all, Buxom is a brand from Bare Escentuals which means that they do NOT test on animals...So animal lovers buy away!!!! I know I will be buying more from this brand. Plus they originate from my hometown - San Francisco, CA :)

Here is the swatch from Sephora.com

Here are my swatches...Excuse the poor bathroom lighting please

Thanks for reading and happy Friday everyone!!! :)

♥ Leah

Possible MAC Costa Chic Dupe!

>> Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Didnt get a chance to pick up MAC's Costa Chic lippie? Great news! I found a possible dupe...I say "possible b/c its not right on like the Girl About Town dupe but its rather close...and it only costs $4.50!

I was swatching some NYX lippies I had the other day and realized NYX's Indian Pink and Margarita look a lot like costa chic except Indian Pink is a little too orange and Margarita is a little too pink...so I mixed them and got a pretty impressive dupe. Both lipstick are about $2.25 or so at cherryculture while Costa Chic is discontinued and sells on ebay for $20+.

Here are the swatches

Left to Right: NYX Indian Pink, MAC Costa Chic, NYX Margarita

Left to Right (as labeled): MAC Costa Chic, NYX Indian Pink, NYX Margarita, NYX Indian Pink & Margarita mixed, MAC Costa Chic

in bathroom lighting

normal daylight

comparison in bathroom lighting

comparison w/ flash

you can see that it isn't an exact dupe, but I think you can achieve the exact color by mixing the NYX lipsticks a little better

In my opinion, Costa Chic isn't really a lippie that I would run around the town looking for. I fell in love with the color when it first came out but don't see myself wearing it everyday. I really dont fancy frost lipsticks on me. I only wore Costa Chic twice since I got it and as for the NYX lipstick, I haven't even worn them yet, only swatched. If I ever have a blog sale these will definitely be up for that

Manly Blush Palette Swatches

Hey everyone! Here is some swatches of blushes that I've been using from a old and forgotten palette I had. Before I moved, I packed mostly all my makeup and just kept this palette and my ELF eyes palette out and used those two for about 2 weeks straight. I've had this palette for a little over a year and barely touched it. My mindset when I bought it was, "Oh! look at all these eyeshadows and blushes, if I buy this, I may never have to buy any blush or eyeshadow color again until I run out!"....After I got it I realized how useless the eyeshadows were to me because 1 - I don't wear bright colors, and 2 - I already have a plethora or neutral and smokey eye colors so there is really no use for ANY color for me in the palette. Also, I haven't really played with the highlight and contour yet, I dont see myself using much of that either. The blushes however, I love! All of the blush colors are wearable and they blend quite well. Very little goes a long way. I kicked myself after re-discovering those blushes for buying so many other blushes that I didnt need...who am I kidding though, I love blush and Im sure Ill keep buying anyway lol

Anyhoo on to the pics....

Sorry its all gross and beat up, this has been stowed away collecting dust for a long time.

Side Note: How unappealing is it that this cosmetic brand is named "manly"??? Its like releasing a men's cologne called "feminista" or something haha

The eyeshadow and blushes are separated by the little purple tab. You can remove the eyeshadow palette completely

Close-up of the shadows

lol sorry I numbered this all weird, I didnt realize until I labeled the pic...it goes by the swatches.

1 through 4 in order

5 through 8 in order

You can click to enlarge the pics for more detail. Overall, I highly recommend the blush palette. I think I got this from either coastalscents or beatutyfactory. If anyone wants the eyeshadow swatches, let me know and Ill be more than happy to swatch them for you :)

Thanks for reading and I hope you all are having a wonderful day today!

♥ Leah

blogger award & update

>> Saturday, July 17, 2010

Soooo happy to be back and reading everyones' blog! My fiance and I moved into our first place almost 3 weeks ago and we just got cable and internet yesterday!!! Finally flying the nest is such a mix of emotions - Im happy, homesick, stressed and anxious all at the same time. My advice to anyone that is moving out for the first time is:

1. SAVE YOUR MONEY. Its been 3 weeks and we still have unexpected expenses flying up outta no where. There will always be something you need whether it be towels, detergent, cleaning supplies etc...

2. If you havent been doing so already, work your ass out! We were sooooo incredibly sore the first week. I was as sore as I was when I went snowboarding for the first time, and trust me, that is S-O-R-E.

Lastly, just be organized and plan ahead as much as you can even if it seems like you're being ridiculously early. I packed all my clothes and makeup that I knew I wasn't going to breaking out anytime soon 2 months before the move. Also, try and set up cable and internet a week before you move, those guys get busy...Ugh I cant tell you how many headaches we've been through these past few weeks. In the end its all worth it though and we are truly blessed and happy to have a place to call our own

Anyhoo, enough of that...heres a blogger award that I got from Carla at vitaminsformysoul.blogspot.com. Check her out and follow her! Shes one of my faves and has the CUTESTS OOTDs!

The rules are:

*Post the award on your blog...check

*Link the person who has given you the award...check

*Pass the award to other 15 blogs you've discovered...yowza! 15?! ugh...check!

*Let these 15 ppl know that you've given them an award...getting to it!

The person who tags you makes 8 questions up that they wish you to answer and once you have finished answering their questions, make 8 up of your own and pass it along to 8 more lovely bloggers.

Here are the questions that was on Carla's blog:

1. What do you see happening in your life in the next year?

getting married, winning the 2011 World Series of Poker :P...

2. How do you feel about marriage?

I feel everyone should have equal marriage rights.

Either than that, I was never the "Oh I want a fairytale princess kind of wedding" type of girl. I just wanna get in, get out, and start our lives together...no use spending down payment money on ONE day when you could be investing in something that lasts.

3. How do you feel about people who give great advice, but cant seem to take it and apply it to their life?

I I do that so I think those people are awesome.

lol, jk....haha but in all seriousness, in order to learn, some people just have to do it the hard way.

4. What is THE most important thing you want to accomplish before death?

a family

5. I forgive, but i don’t forget. Do you?

Yes. I have a very "detached" personality. Im not someone who needs closure or anything so its easy for me to forgive and forget....and if someone really hurts me, I have no problem just doing the forgetting part.

6. How much can you take from a person you love and cant stop loving?

If I truly love them there is no limit to what I can take

7. What would you buy if i gave you $1,000.lol.

I would "invest" it at the poker table

8. What is HIS name?

Nunya...hahah jk.

HIS name is Anthony :)

Here are my 8 random questions for the ladies I tagged :)

1. Why did you start makeup blogging?

2. What is your best kept beauty secret?

3. What do you love about yourself?

4. What is the funniest thing that you ever saw/ever had happen to you?