Review: LUSH It's Raining Men Body Wash

Image from beaut.ie

I'm sure most of you have heard about this shower gel/ shampoo by now. Normally, I'm not much of a Lush person. I've bought from them twice in my entire life, and though they are a lovely brand, it's super expensive and not easy to get ahold of, not to mention quite a few of their smells (mostly the florals) tend to ignite allergic reactions in me (i.e trouble breathing, headaches, nose irritation). This body wash however, I am extremely glad I took the plunge and bought as it is a little slice of heaven in a body wash.

The large bottle cost me about $30 CND (ouch) which is way way more than I normally would consider buying for a body wash. It's also a colour I normally wouldn't be attracted to, but it does lok soothing like honey and milk blended together. However, the smell! Oh the wonderful smell! Though Lush says that it is the same scent of their Honey I Washed the Kids soap, it isn't in my opinion. Yes it has a honey base still but then it has a bloom of beautiful sweet florals that don't irritate my allergies. To die for great! Like what I think a summer garden that inhabits fairies would smell.

On top of this smell (that I literally couldn't stop using- I washed my hair with my normal shampoo than again with this so I could have lingering scent in my hair after the shower- didn't work but was worth a try), this lathered really really well. I used a dime size amount on a loofah for almost my entire body. I needed very little to get amazing suds in my hair too. It's almost indecent how wonderfully this lathers, but I love it! Plus as my skin has been pretty dry lately, the honey (which is the first ingredient and therefore the largest amount in this product!) is a great addition, my skin doesn't feel nearly as dry coming out of the shower, yet I'm still really clean (no residue!). I still need a moisturizer after the shower, but my skin doesn't feel as tight as it did normally. Also to take into account, it does have a foaming agent in this, which personally doesn't bother me (I like foaming things!) but I know that others of you out there don't, so it is something to keep in mind. With how little I need of this (and the bottle is full to the very top!) it's going to last a really really long time, which makes me feel better about the price. As a bonus the name is catchy, so much so my poor roommate had to hear me singing the tune in the shower. (I'm part of the Facebook group "Why yes, I do frequently burst out into song", I know strange, but I can't help it!).

In fact I love this so much I want it as a perfume. Like reallllllly badly. And a moisturizer. A candle would be nice too, but firstly a perfume. PLEASE!

Overall rating: 9/10- Only one point off due to price. (I adore the scent, the lather, the amount, and the fact it's vegetarian.)

Would I buy it again? Yes I totally would, but since it's Limited Edition I don't think I'll be able to, which sucks. (Check your local LUSH store if you get a chance- mine had a bunch of bottles left so it's worth a look!).

Mac A Tartan Tale Sneak Peak

So for the last couple months, ever since I saw the promo picture for this collection, I've been collecting photos and information like a magpie with shiny things. You've probably already guessed but it's: A Tartan Tale for this Holiday season.

Yep, thats the largest image of the Promo picture I can find. Bleh.
From Prettyaspeaches.blogspot.com

However, being a die-hard lover of my Scottish background, Scottish history and tartan in general (particularly my family one), I feel I have an excuse. 


Here's some of the product names:
Dazzleglass Cream- Radiant Jewels, Soft Dazzle, Gone Romancin', Passing Fancy, Lightly Prancing
Lipstick- Cut a Caper, Deepest Wish, The Faerie Glen, Courting Lilac, Full Fuschia
Pigment- Later, The Family Crest, Moonlight Night
Powder Blush- Her Blooming Cheek (bright medium pink), My Highland Honey (Peach)

A photo of another Promo image (so its bad quality) at the Venomous Villains debut in Taiwan.  This image is to give you a better idea of the actual colours of the palettes a bit as they differ between images.  From http://blog.fashionguide.com.tw/BlogD.asp?Num=25385&from=sn2

From Specktra.net member iheartmakeup. L: Moonlight Night, R: The Family Crest

From Specktra.net member Hergreyness, the centre hot pink colour is called Irish Red.

All three of the above pigments are described as having a smooth texture and a golden shimmer to them. Here are some swatches of them (same source for images as above):

Of these pigments they've been described by Hergreyness as a Glimmery Fuschia (Named Irish Red), a Bronze with gold shimmer and a black base, and a Purple with gold shimmer and a black base. There was another red mentioned as well that wasn't shown.

The blushes (note, I'm fairly positive the dates on these pictures are wrong, these are the correct items):

From Specktra.net member bbgillian. Her Highland Honey Blush.

Her Highland Honey Blush swatched.

Her Highland Honey blush is swatched above on NC25 skin, bbgillian mentions that it gives a lovely peachy glow but would be best on quite pale skin.

Also from Specktra.net member bbgillian, Her Blooming Cheek.

On the other hand, Her Blooming cheek is said to be the brightest hot pink blush we've seen to date from Mac, well pigmented and bright enough for any skin tone.

bbgillian swatch (NC25 skin)

bbgillian swatch of Her Blooming Cheek on hand, blended slightly.

Lip Products:

Gone Romancin' Dazzleglass Cream (Image from bbgillian)

Swatch of Gone Romancin' Dazzleglass Cream (bbgillian)

Cut A Caper Lipstick (bbgillian)

Cut a Caper is described as a candy pink, between this picture and the next you can tell that lighting plays a big part in how this colour appears (I'm quite excited to see it in real life!)

bbgillian's Cut A Caper in daylight.

UK Vogue shows The Faerie Glen lipstick off beside similar colours of other brands.

I'm thinking The Faerie Glen might be a nice Fall neutral colour but that all depends on how brown it appears on me in life.

The Sets (All from Musings of a Muse Blog):

From Specktra.net (Sorry I can't remember who translated/found this information) here's some more information on the sets.  All prices are estimates based off last years holiday sets. The main colours are pink, and tan for these.

• Each Pigment set has four pigments and one glitter vial, last year the price for a pigment set was $32.50 USD.
• Each Lipgloss set has 5 inside, they previously were sold for $29.50 USD
• Each eyeshadow palette has 6 shadows, the only name I can remember is the bottom left one which is called Tartan. They will also have a mini 213 brush with them. Cost should be around $36 USD
• Each Lip Bag will have a Tartan patterned bag, a full size dazzleglass lip gloss and a full size lipstick. Costs are estimated between $22.50 and $36 USD
• Mineral sets will come in the cute tins and contain a full size paint pot, a full sized mineralize eyeshadow, a full sized lip glass and a sample size zoom lash. $59.50 USD
• Each Blush palette has three blushes, a sheertone shimmer, a beauty powder, and a normal blush. $38 USD
• One brush set comes in a cross shoulder strap bag containing a small 275, 212, 227, 190 and 129 brush.
• The other brush set is in a similar tartan cross-shoulder strap bag with a small 209, 219, 252, 168, and 187 brush.
• The eye bag includes, a mini 209 brush, of course the neat tartan bag, a full size fluidline, a full size pigment jar and a sample Zoom lash mascara.

So, I hope you benefited from this, I don't know about anyone else, but I'm truly excited to see more swatches and I'd love to see more photos of some of the lip products (like Courting Lilac). What are you thoughts? Digging the Tartan look?

Just Because It's Pretty

Just Because It's Pretty: Honey Edition!
I don't know about anyone else, but I love honey. I love the smell of honey, the taste, the pattern of beeswax and honey comb and the moisturizing/ antibacterial benefits it can have for your skin. So, today, I present two honey comb themed items for the Just Because It's Pretty series. (I was going to upload a review, but I left my iphone cord at home, so I can't upload the multitude of pictures I've taken. I'm going to be writing up reviews/posts and posting a bunch when I get the cord back in a week.)

First Up: Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca Eau de Toilette

Image from Sephora Site

I chose this due to the unique top of this perfume. The lovely gold honey comb really brings to mind hazy summer days and meadows. It's also why I chose this particular scent from the line, as Sephora describes it as: 

"Herba Fresca is like a barefoot stroll on a summer morning through a garden wet with dew, the scent of fresh cut grass filling the air with each step. A touch of mint, a sparkle of citrus, and a tingle of wild flowers, Herba Fresca evokes a feeling of pure freshness in direct contact with nature."

Sounds lovely to me! This retails for $58 USD, and holds 2.5 oz of liquid.

Second is: Mac's Naked Honey Hi-Light Powders in Honey Light (lighter shade) and Golden Nectar

Google Images

*drool* These beautiful shades came out in a previous limited edition Mac collection, but they are still lovely to look at! In a warm golden brown and a beige both colours came with a honey comb pattern imprinted on them and a gold sparkly overspray. Both have a pearl-esque effect to them to create a subtle shimmer/ highlight when worn. Honestly these pictures make me want to smell it, in hopes it is scented like beeswax!  Heres some more pictures.

Honey comb on honey comb lol! Here you can see the true colour of the powder without overspray in the centre. 

The Mac image, showing both powders without overspray.

When they were released these powders retailed at $29.50 CND, and holds 10 grams of product. I think the lighter of the two would work for all skin tones, and the darker, would be great for medium to darker tones as a bronzer or contour shade.

So, what do you think Honey? (Sorry I couldn't resist the pun! :P)

Alice is Back! (For a little while anyways)

For those of you who loved Alice and Wonderland, but missed out on the Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland there still is a chance for you to pick one up if you live in the United States. Urban Decay is offering an Alice's Favorite Things collection for a whopping $211 USD. All hope is not lost though if you do like Urban Decay; because they certainly make it worth while with the sheer amount of other products they included.

Besides the 16 eyeshadow palette, the mini Sin Primer Potion and the two travel size 24/7 eyeliners in Burbon and Flipside there is also full sized:
- Honey Body Powder; a gold sparkling body powder with poof, that looks smells and tastes like Honey (They are designed to be edible)
- Eden Primer Potion; a matte yellow nude finish primer potion based off the original- despite being matte it has a lovely uplifting effect I found once sheered out on my skin when I swatched in store
- Heavy Metal Glitter Liner in Midnight Cowboy; A gold chunky glitter liner (I've never tried it, but by the size of the glitter in the picture I think this would have issues with fallout)
- Kirk Pocket Rocket Lipgloss; A sheer nude colour with an adorable picture of a guy named Kirk on the top. From one angle he's casually dress, from another he's in rather fetching blue underwear :D
- Razor Sharp Ultra Definition Setting Powder; A translucent powder that is Urban Decay's answer to a HD setting powder. It comes with a sponge attached to the lid.
- De-Slick in a tube; A clear matifying gel that is designed to control oil both under and over make-up.
- Big and Fatty Mascara; A black thickening mascara.

When the prices of all the products are added together (including the original price of the palette when it was first released) the worth of the kit comes to exactly $211 USD. Which means Urban Decay is selling everything to you for full price, which in my opinion is a bit stingy on behalf of the company.
All in all if you feel you must have the Alice in Wonderland palette and you like Urban Decay products, (which are usually nice quality) go for it. However, if you're someone like me who already has several shades in the palette as well as a setting powder, opened mascara etc., it's not really worth my time. (And even if I was interested there are some palettes being sold at or around the original price on ebay).
If you're interested to see the details click here for a link to Urban Decay's page:
Here!
Rating: 6/10