Favorite Things - A Little Piece of Bath Heaven

There are two Lush bath bombs that I absolutely love. From the scents to the fact that these are the slow fizzing bombs that leave the water creamy and fantastic, these bath bombs really are - a little piece of heaven!

Photos: Lush.com

SupernovaThis is the same scent as my Christmas LE bath bomb called 'Christmas Party'. The only difference is that the Christmas Party bomb has some really sharp glitter to it, so when it melts it leaves behind a plastic shrapnel that is less than pleasant when you accidentally roll over it in the bath. Supernova has 'confetti' in it - pieces of colored paper that soak up water and just sit there in your tub. Therefore, I 'sock' both bombs - I wrap them in cheese cloth so the stuff doesn't get into my bath water. Even with this slight inconvenience I love Supernova. It is a slow dissolving, lovely bomb, with a fresh clean scent. It leaves the water slightly creamy and slightly pink. This is the perfect bomb on a hot day, or when I'm taking a pick-me-up bath.

Haagenbath
My all time favorite Lush bath bomb! Haagenbath smells like chocolate mint, not my favorite of ice cream flavors, but it makes a lovely bath. Like Supernova, this bomb also leaves your water slightly creamy and pink, but it also has two bonuses. The first is a minty tingle. The second is the fact that this bomb is LOADED with cocoa butter! I LOVE THAT! Plop this one into a nice hot bath and you will be rewarded with the softest, most moisturized skin you've ever had. This is a great bath when the weather is super dry and your skin feels like it's two sizes smaller than your body.

The drawback to these two luxurious bombs is their $6.15 price tag, making them way too pricey for an every day item. But it's certainly worth every penny to treat yourself once in a while with one of these bombs in your bath. And yes, there are many imitations to the lush bath bombs, but scent wise you really just can't beat the original.

Review: Rosebud Salve

Photo: www.rosebudsalve.com

I have heard raves about rosebud salve for YEARS before I tried it. Why bother? It's just another lip balm. Not only that but it's one that's in a pot, and I HATE sticking my fingers into lip products. And to top it off it smells like ROSES - a bona fide grandma smell to me! However, on a recent trip to Sephora I saw these little tins at the check out line, gave it a sniff - not as grandma rose-y as I expected, so I decided to try it out. The verdict: this stuff is pretty nice for a glorified petroleum jelly. It leaves your lips silky smooth. It is not at all sticky and the smell is actually ok. The tin is big enough to stick your lips directly into, hence no need for getting your fingers all yuck.  At only $6 at Sephora for a considerably large tin, it doesn't break the bank. I smelled the strawberry one, but it was too sweet - sickeningly sweet - smelling, so I passed. Another tip: this is a salve, so not only can you use it on your lips, but anywhere else you have dry skin - elbows, feet, hands. Keep in mind that petroleum jelly does not soak into your skin, it forms a barrier.  As such, I use it on top of a moisturizer (after it sets) on dry bits to seal that moisture in. 

Favorite Things - The Magic of the Wet Wipe

Photos: Everyday Minerals, Pampers

I discovered the magic of the wet wipe when I started camping. There is nothing better when you don't have access to a shower for a couple of days! I rediscovered wet wipe magic when Everyday Minerals came out with their makeup wipe. These wipes smell like lavender and grapefruit, and are great to have around. My other fave is the Kandoo wipe by Pampers, available at every grocery/drug store. Kandoo wipes don't smell like baby (powdery, etc), and are a good size, plus I'm attracted to the lime and purple packaging. I use wet wipes for wiping my face after a workout, wiping my makeup brushes after I use them, and even wiping the sink area of residual mineral makeup. I take wet wipes camping, and when I travel. I have even used wet wipes on my dog! Both brands are great smelling, great value, and do the job. Neither will take off makeup very well, especially anything water resistant or water proof, but they're good for just about everything else. The Kandoo wipes win the race by a nose however, because the EDM wipes have to be mail ordered, and the packaging is not very airtight (the seal does not reseal very well), so you have to store them upside down and be very careful so they don't dry out on you. Either way you go, wet wipes are great, so get some.

Friday night Date night

A few fridays ago I went out on a date with this guy. Well, we said it was as friends, but it was pretty obviously a date. He's pretty cute, 27 years old, went to McGill, smart, funny, is from Newfoundland. (No accent.)

I met him at his place downtown. We parked my car and then decided that since it was such a gorgeous day we'd just walk around English Bay and get some gelato and something to eat and drink. We also got the chance to watch a huge herd of people on bikes ride around. That was kinda cool.

He was a total gentleman. He carried my coat around for me, and held it to help me put it on when it got chilly. He paid for everything. He offered my his arm to link while we walked. He held doors and even my chair for me.

I thought we had a good time. We talked about past relationships, how we don't want booty calls, how Vancouver guys are useless and can't even change a tire, he even asked me what I want to name my kids. (His were Cecelia for a girl and some Edjj-a-ma-something after some sports dude for a boy... yah, worst names ever.)

He kept telling me how pretty I was and that I had nice eyes and was like "I don't understand how you are not taken by now." At one point I was looking at him and he was smiling and I was like "What?" and he said "This is going to sound totally cheesy, but I'm just smiling because you are pretty." He also kept touching my arm and hand etc, even after he had said that he isn't a touchy person, unless he likes someone. We had also been writing each other some really long, funny, messages on Facebook, and he was like "You better keep writing me those messages, I love them!"

Later on we decided to grab a bottle of wine and head down to the beach. He gave me a hoodie to wear. (Sooo comfy and it was a snowboarding hoodie so it had these awesome thumb holes in the cuff. I'm easily impressed.) Well the liquor store was closed, so we sat on a patio on Davie and people watched.

Around 1:00 we decided it was time to go. We went back up to his place and grabbed my jacket. He was like "Are you ok to drive, you can stay here for a bit." But I was fine to drive and it was late, so he walked me down to my car and gave me a hug.

I never heard from him again. I don't get it.

Head to Head: Kabuki Brushes

I have two favorite kabuki brushes. One is a synthetic brush from Lumiere and the other is the MAC 182 buffer brush.

Softness
Winner - MAC 182
This is the top criteria for me when considering kabuki brushes. I have used some not so soft BareEssentuals brushes before, and I was happy to give those away when I finally invested in better quality brushes. Though the Lumiere brush is incredibly soft, the MAC brush is the softest Kabuki I've ever used. It's like soft downy feathers dancing on your skin.

Density
Winner - Lumiere
The Lumiere brush is definitely denser than the MAC 182 - when buffing minerals onto my skin, this brush really does a lot of the work for me.

Effectiveness
Winner - TIE
These brushes both apply mineral foundation incredibly well. I especially like the Lumiere brush for a wet application of minerals (load minerals onto brush, spray toner or fix+, buff onto face). I love the MAC brush for dry application, and for blending my blush.

Value
Winner - LumiereI got the Lumiere brush during their pre-buy event for around $20 or less. It is not for sale on their site anymore, but I believe Kim is planning another pre-buy event, so keep your eyes peeled! The MAC 182 is $45!!!! That is the major reason why I hesitated so long before buying it. I hear they sometimes have them at the CCO's (Cosmetic Company Outlets) for around $30. I bought mine on ebay for $15 shipped - mind you I got lucky with both price and the fact that I was not scammed and got the real deal - there are a lot of fakes out there, so be careful!
Other Consideration
The lumiere brush is synthetic, so if you're vegan and/or prefer synthetic brushes, I really believe this is the best synthetic brush out there.
Honorable mention
The Everyday Minerals long handle kabuki and long handle flat top are FABULOUS brushes for their value. These brushes are both incredibly soft and very effective at applying your minerals. Hint: if you get them part of one of the kits, they're even cheaper!



---BOTTOM LINE---If I was stuck on a desert island with a can of mineral foundation and could only take one brush, it would be the MAC 182. This is the best kabuki I have ever used, and it is my favorite face brush.

UTI ?!?

I just saw a commercial on TV for the "Universal Training Institute" or "UTI."

I don't know about you, but if I had a college I'm pretty sure I wouldn't use the same abbreviation as for a bladder infection.

Deal of the Moment

Image: www.beautycrunch.com

Stila Rouge Pots (3 for $15)

I just got these from www.beautycrunch.com. They're great! They go on smoothly, and blend well and the colors are great. Just be careful with these little beauties, a little color goes a long way...so apply with a light hand or you'll end up looking like a clown. The down side to these is that the little pots make it virtually impossible to get a brush in there - so you're pretty much forced to use your finger. I dab them on my face with a finger, then blend a little with my finger, and then finish blending with a kabuki. This technique is serving me well, though I'm not a fan of sticking my finger into the product directly. I wonder if the MAC 188 would do....hmmm....time to go shopping????

Here are the swatches: