Le Petite LUSH Haul

Do you know what happens when you try to pay off credit card bills? You can't spend any of your money on things you don't super need. In my case, any sort of beauty product wether it was a make up product, hair care product, or even a skincare product. Do you know what happens when you're cut off from being able to purchase these things and not by choice? You start to realize what beauty products you need to spend money on and what you can live without. Skincare products was one of those things I COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT. Although, I did put up a fair fight and try my hardest. I succumbed to digging through my stash of samples and finding anything that said "moisturizer" regardless of skin type which sent my skin into hell. Notice the lack of make up/face posts? Enough was enough and I couldn't keep treating my skin like this, especially since my skin is parched and dry as the sahara. So off to LUSH I went during a very long break between classes. I hadn't been there in a while and I've forgotten all about it's magical powers of not letting customers leave with just one thing. 

First item on my list, was of course a moisturizer. A moisturizer that wasn't just a random sample, but one that was tailored for dry and sensitive skin. Hallo, Celestial. It was a toss up between this one and Skin Drink, which are both great for dry skin but as Celestial was suited more for sensitive skin and calming redness (and smelled not so rancid), that is the one I went with. I've just applied it to myself and I can feel happiness, pure happiness, radiating from my skin. My face also smells like a milkshake and I totally dig it. Now of course, if you've ever been to LUSH you know their latest limited edition collection always stares you in the face when you come in and I COULD NOT RESIST the cute little Bunny bubble bar and it's small shiny blue eyes staring up at me practically SCREAMING "PLEASE TAKE ME HOME" He's adorable and smells like candy floss, incredibleness. I've hidden him within the depths of my minuscule collection of bubble bars in hopes that I forget he's there. I think if I ever use him, I'll be forever sad and feel like I'm taking a bath in the bubble blood of that bunny, haha- super morbid, I know. Lastly, you always have that one item you don't even know why you needed it but you got it anyway- a small chunk of the delicious smelling Honey, I Washed the Kids soap. Every time I smell this it takes me back to the first time I ever used a LUSH soap because this was it. It's the only one that moisturizes my skin and keeps it smelling yummy for hours. I absolutely used to love it so I'm excited to rekindle that love affair, haha. 

All in all, it was a great trip. I used to take so many trips there that it started to get annoying and I would forget what I loved about all these gorgeous and organic products. It also didn't help that I used to work there and it was just LUSH 24/7. I prefer being a customer so much more and for once, my wallet doesn't feel the least bit guilt. Look at me turning into a shopper with better will power!

Have you picked up anything from LUSH recently?

Julie G Nails

My nails have never looked worse for wear, which you wouldn't think since out of the once a week posts I've been doing lately, they've all been related to nail polish. Guess I'm trying to hide the hideousness of it all with some bright and shnazzy colors that are sure to distract. I'm surprised I haven't talked about the Julie G line of nail polishes from Jesse's Girl Cosmetics. I got them almost a year ago at IMATS at 3 for $10 (tell me you could have resisted!) and they are such wonderful polishes! The line doesn't have a huge array of polishes but the ones that are included sure are fun and unique.

You can probably already guess that Mermaid's Tale is my favorite of the three I have here. It's a stunning and deep blue based polish, mixed in with various blue and green shimmers and holographic goodness. I seriously do not know the technical terms for the amazingness happening inside that bottle, but just now it's magical. I wore it for maybe 3 months straight after I bought it, haha. The next shade is Oh Em Gee, which is a color as obnoxious as it's name. I've got a little small spot for neons so when I saw this I was all over it. The formula on this one is a bit thinner and def. needs a shiny top coat to keep it from looking like a dull neon and it makes the streakiness a bit less apparent, but overall it's a great color, especially for the summer! Super distracting to the eyes if you talk with your hands, though, haha! The last shade I got was Cupcakes & Castles and the polish is as cute as it's name. The names are very spot on with their shades, which I love- adds a nice little quirk! Cupcakes & Castles is a semi-sheer baby pink polish with the tiniest of white and pink shimmers. It's very pretty on the nails and I can see it being great for work or if you're just sick of the more "out there" colors and need something softer. I have to admit though that sometimes I like this color better in the bottle than actually on my nails.

The formula on these polishes is super nice especially when you consider how budget-friendly they are. Aside from IMATS, I've only ever seen them at Rite Aid for about $3.99 a piece- super affordable. You won't be settling for quality. They last as long as your average polish would and it's def. worth a look to see if you can find a shade that you like. Highly, highly, recommend Mermaid's Tale- a unique polish that you're sure to love and not yet have in your collection. Being a mermaid, I'm a bit biased to this shade, but what can you do? ;D I look forward to seeing this brand at IMATS, and if I see some more shades that catch my eye, I may just go rogue from my wishlist!

My (Surprisingly Small) IMATS Wishlist

Hallo, everyone! You're seeing my face less and less on this lovely neck of the web, aren't you? I blame school. I blame sheer laziness after coming home from school and then work. I also blame this mental weather. When the sky looks sad, I become sad. BUT there's always a silver lining and that is that in less than two weeks time I'll be on my way to IMATS in NYC (and then Jamaica *self high-five*)! This'll be my third year going and it's so fun to see how this show is growing in my lovely city. This year super amazing brands like Make Up For Ever, Lime Crime, and even SugarPill Cosmetics are going to be there! It's starting to get so good that the want for LA IMATS is diminishing. Usually I go cuckoo bananas planning a wish list but this year it's on the "smaller" side, for me at least. It's a mix of things I need, like a nice contour blush, a pigmented white shadow, and some new brushes. A lipstick that I don't really need but it's a gorgeous color and c'mon? There's a super holographic unicorn on the casing! Then there's always the glitter and duo chrome shininess (can't seem to pull away from the glitter, gotsa have it!) and the most wacky thing - UV make up, which isn't so wacky because it does happen to be on my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days! I'd only be obliging my own wishes!

Make Up For Ever Glitters // NYX Powder Blush in Taupe // Lime Crime Opaque Lipstick in Geradium // Sugarpill Cosmetics Loose Eyeshadow in Lumi // Sugarpill Cosmetics Pressed Eyeshadow in Tako // Sigma Beauty Brushes // Kryolan Aqua Color UV-Dayglow in Green, Blue, and Pink

So I'm really excited for the day of the event! I'm going with my mama, her best friend, and her daughter! I'm also gonna get to see my friend Andrea from FromInsideMyCloset and meet Coco from TheBeautyMilk, who's also going! It's all very exciting especially when I get the chance to hang out with fellow #bbloggers! I think this time around I'll be doing more ogling and watching than shopping. I know, I know, crazy right? I've been very good with my money as of late when it comes to spending it on makeup and randomness because I'm trying to save up for a gift for my mama and then, of course, my trip to Vegas ;) Anyhway, I've digressed! Are any of you going to IMATS NYC? What's at the top of your wish list? With so many exciting brands to see this year it's going to be hard to choose which line to get on first!

My Love of Barry M

Barry M, Barry M, where for art thou, Barry M? Hahaha, that was lame- really lame. Someone stop me. If ever there was a nail polish brand that needed to be told it was so truly and depply loved through a sonnet, it would be Barry M. No skirting around it, Barry M are probably my absolute favorite brand of nail polishes. Our love is a long distant one because you can't get your hands on them in the States (but you can if you order from their website, I found out, which is super bad for my wallet!) My lovely friend Melissa was actually kind enough to send me these 5 gorgeous Barry M Hi-Shine polishes in colors that positvely radiate spring (although it's supposed to snow today, like WOT?!) 

The Barry M Hi-Shine polishes are the most amazing formula of nail polishes I've ever come across. From application to wear, it's the best I've seen. The formula, on all of these lovely colors, are smooth and pigmented. You can totally get away with one coat, but for a really rich color pay off, two coats is best. It applies evenly and smooth. They dry in minutes which is a super plus because how many times have you painted your nails only to realize you have to go to the bathroom and now need to somehow shimmy out of your pants without using your hands? Don't cringe, you know it happens! The wear on these is also out of this world. Okay, it's actually pretty standard for a great polish but they last for days before I decide it's time to change up the color. The thing I really love about these polishes is that you do not need top coat! They're so shiny on their own and add that with the how fast they dry, these make the perfect on-the-go polishes. As in "dang, I have to leave in 5 minutes but I don't want to have bare nails" One coat or two on each nail (without base or top coat) and you have a pretty manicure no one knows you did in under 5 minutes!

I can't recommend these polishes enough. I want to get my hands on so many more because Barry M have a gorgeous range of colors that I don't yet have. They seriously become a beauty girl's best friend, especially when short on time. That's when you really learn to appreciate these beauts! I'm in love with a nail polish, and I have no shame, haha! Just take a look at the gorgeousness of it all ...

Which Barry M shade is your favorite? Which colors should I get next?

Underwhelmed and Unimpressed

You know that feeling that you get when you get your hands on a raved and loved product? Finally, you get to see what all the fuss is about and join the masses in recommending and raving about said product. That's how I felt when I picked up the Seche Vite base and top coats. Everyone and their donkey raves about the amazing shine and longevity that Seche Vite base/top coats promise. I think maybe one or two people didn't like it and that was mainly due to the fact that after a while it turned to goop in the bottle. No worries, I thought, because that usually happens to a lot of base/top coats when you get down to the bottom of it. I was so excited to try it and there was never a doubt in my mind that I wasn't going to love it. Welp, I'm here to tell you that I don't love this stuff and here's why.

Application is a deceiving breeze, haha. The base coat goes on smoothly and evenly. Makes any nail polish apply nice and even. Then the top coat leaves a shiny and glossy finish on every nail, no biggie. Those are qualities I enjoy in a base/top coat. My issue came along with the wear. My nail polish started chipping almost immediately the next day. It started to crack and chip in big chunks. If it made it past that phase, the top coat started to fade away. You could see patches of nail polish exposed without top coat and I still don't know why that happened. At first I thought it was the polish I was using but applied on their own, without base or top coat, they ended up lasting a lot longer. I spent more time picking at my nails than enjoying my manicure, which blows. 

I don't mean to offend anyone who religiously uses the Seche Vite base and top coats. I was expecting a lot more for such a raved about product but it just fell short. I much prefer the Revlon ColorStayTop & Base Coat, which I reviewed quite some time ago here. The shine and application matches Seche Vite's, but Revlon's longevity far surpasses it. It's also a lot cheaper! I'll continue to use these as to not waste product, but after that I'm def. going back to Revlon.

Have you tried Seche Vite base/top coats? What were your experiences like?