The Mod Mermaid: origins

Let's cut to the chase. I really don't like talking about skincare, which is why you very rarely see it on my blog. It's just something I don't thoroughly understand when it comes to what goes into making it work, but I couldn't not talk about this beaut. It's Origins GinZing Refreshing Scrub Cleanser- and it's that good that I'm breaking my no skincare rule and talking about it. Origins is a brand that never seems to fail. If you can properly identify your skincare concern, you can point yourself to the right product that'll work wonders! My mom actually ordered this scrub for herself and it had come with a small sample of it as well. I snatched the sample because, well, why not? It was love at first scrub. The scent is absolutely so refreshing, a citrusy mix, that when you use it in the morning it instantly invigorates the senses and has you feeling a little more awake. The grains in this scrub as small enough to be gentle and not too abrasive, but not so small that they won't exfoliate and actually scrub the skin. I find that after using this scrub that my skin looks brighter and feels a heck of a lot smoother. Most importantly, you feel clean after using it which is a quality that I feel sometimes gets overlooked! It doesn't dry out my skin and at the same time it doesn't really moisturize, so your favorite moisturizer afterwards is still a must.

The Origins GinZing Refreshing Scrub is $19.50 for 5 fl. oz. of product. It's surprisingly a lot because you don't have to use much of this cleanser. I'm so in love with this scrub that I only feel somewhat guilty for stealing it from my mom. It now holds permanent residence by my bathroom sink and I actually look forward to washing my face in the morning. Oh yeah, it's that nice! After trying it, your skincare routine won't feel complete without it!

Have you tried the Origins GinZing Refreshing Scrub Cleanser before?

What's your favorite scrub cleanser?

That title may be a bit too taboo, even for me. Oh well, it's a lot more eye-catching than the original title which was "Cheeky Mini Haul". Before we get to the haul at hand I must address something that isn't quite obvious (or maybe it is, I need to give you guys a little more credit) and something that took minutes upon minutes of deliberation. Y'know, some people choose to sky dive or backpack across the world to do something out of their comfort zone, but I, instead decide to take my pictures from having 'rounded corners' ... to 'non-rounded corners' *GASP* I know, crazy rebelious, and I'm still a little terrified with all this change but I don't know, let me know what you guys prefer. I'll need to see the finished product before making a final call.

WELL, now that we've got that suspenseful and dramatic introduction out of the way on to some relevant stories. Yesterday my mom and I spent a day in the city just walking around, enjoying the atmosphere and occasionally popping into a shop or two (or maybe three, I lost count) Before we even hit the strip of shops in SoHo we walked into a store called Sabon. Now I've heard of Sabon before. In my days of working at LUSH I'd hiss and howl at this store for being a rip off of LUSH (I feel ridiculous even bringing that up) but the smell wafting out the door enticed me as well as the sand and starfish that decorated their window display. It's really amazing in there and feels 10x more grown up than LUSH (sorry, guys!) It's natural and yet ethereal all at the same time. Price point is about the same but it just looks and feels more luxurious. There was a giant (yes, GIANT) sink in the center of the shop made to look like a well made of rocks and I swear it made the experience of getting a hand treatment that much better. I distinctly remember telling the lovely sales lady that I felt like a Grecian goddess. The products she used on me all felt really lovely and nice but it was my first time in there and I didn't want to go too crazy (okay, I did, but I had some restraint) so I ended up just getting the Mango Kiwi Body Butter. I don't need another body butter but this one felt so smooth and my skin ate it up - plus it smelt like a tropical vacation sans the coconut. I was really happy with my little purchase and even more thrilled when they said that if I got my receipt e-mailed to me I'd get a shower oil for free. Who was I to turn down free shower oil?!

After walking 30 blocks, grabbing some coffee, and having an amazing lunch at Dos Caminos (the guacamole is SERIOUSLY to DIE FOR, not even exaggerating, maybe a bit, nope I'm not) I asked if we could stop at the Origins shop in the Flatiron building. Bravo to me because there was a MAC right next to it and I flew by it. Anyway, so I walk into the Origins shop (my mom firmly plants her toocus in a chair) and I start looking around for the one item on my list which was the Ginzeng Refreshing Eye Cream. I have heard about this eye cream from many bloggers and it seemed like just what I need for my stinkin' poofy under eyes and dark circles! I found it in .5 seconds but that didn't stop the nice man from testing about 5 different creams on my hand. He also didn't hesitate to get my mom in on the ginzeng fun. Somehow he also got me testing a moisturizer that was really good for dry, sensitive, and acne prone skin. When he was talking about it (I really wish I got his name!) I just saw little boxes being checked off on an imaginary list. The Soothing Face Cream sounded like everything I needed! So I grabbed it without seeing the price (it's a doozey :/) We were also going to get my sister the black mask that's supposed to clean out pores but after seeing the price on the cream we were like ehhh ... but he graciously tossed in a HUUUGE amount of samples; two of the Clear Impressions, four Drink-Up masks, and a generous A Perfect World SPF moisturizer. Not only that, but when he found out that my mom was generously buying the eye cream for me and not herself HE THREW IN A FULL SIZE EYE CREAM FOR HER. Same one, same size, same everything. We're still trying to figure out how and if he was allowed to do that, haha!

So it's not much, yet a lot all at the same time! I'd never been in a Sabon shop or Origins shop before in my life and have never tried their products (hence the 'cherry popping') but the excellent customer service in both has me itching to go back and see some more! I really can't wait to try out these new products especially the ginzeng eye cream. Let's see if it lives up to the hype (I sure hope it does!! *fingers crossed*)