Tropical Skin Storm (Vegan Body & Skin Care Reviews)

Spring has sprung. A day on the calendar does not help determine that for me. Nope - my skin breaks out in tiny blisters and I itch like I am a bug buffet, that is how I can tell spring is here. So I wanted to get myself a few skin soothers and ended up with a nice mix of tropical scents.

So not everything is heavily scented on my list but this Pacifica Cactus Water Micellar Cleansing Tonic is refreshing and has a load of feel good tropical flower extracts. It really removes stuck on makeup and oily grime. I use it after taking my makeup off with coconut oil and my skin feels cleaned and refreshed not dry and itchy.

Pacifica Pore Refine Deep Detox mask is loaded with stuff I like to eat in my fruit salad: berries and lemon. It helps get rid of clogged pores and shine - things to consider as the weather starts warming up. The texture is very runny and the formula is clear something I  did not expect with a mask but it is not bad. The smell is light but fruity. It dries pretty fast and once rinsed off my skin felt soft and refreshed. This is a good mask - one I will go back to. Masks are something I have been missing out on - either they leave my skin to dry or do nothing for me. This feels like it will keep my skin happy.

This Hempz body lotion in  Goji Orange Lemonade is amazing! It smells like a melted Popsicle on a hot summer day. It is sweet and refreshing at the same time. The lotion moisturizes nicely and does not leave a greasy residue on my skin. Plus I do not get chest breakouts like I have in the past with other highly moisturizing citrus lotions. It is cooling and light but leaves you soft and smelling great! This is a limited edition scent - get it while you can!

I walked into Lush and noticed the new Yuzu And Coconut Shower Cream and walked out with the big bottle. It smells good - like a tropical cocktail. It is moisturizing but not greasy and the scent lingers on your skin.  The bright yellow color makes me think of happy warm days and flowers in bloom.Sometimes cream products make me feel oily after I wash them off but this left behind nothing but soft skin.

If you try any of these products and like them let me know!

Lush Face Masks Review

I recently took in a stack of black pots to Lush and claimed two new fresh face masks to take home and try.

Don't Look At Me has to be my favorite. It's bright blue hue and scrub-y texture is fun to use. Rice gives the mask a gentle scrubbing effect while the silken tofu and lemon leave skin feeling soft and clean.

Cranberry is a seasonal mask with cranberries as a main ingredient (duh!). This is a lovely mask that feels calming on the skin and smoothing as well as soothing.

While looking at the fresh face masks I glanced up and noticed more new products!
  
Cup O' Coffee smells amazing and after one sniff  I wanted to bolt out of Lush and find a coffee shop to grab a drink or two. I have used this both on my body and face. I prefer body because man is this stuff sticky! It is loaded with agave and once you smear it on you feel like you have been bathed in glue. Not my fave out of the three - mostly due to the stickiness and the coarse coffee grounds in it but again the smell is nice!

Lush Kalamazoo Review

I went into Lush armed with a gift card, my 'leave me alone face' to ward of the super eager all over me staff and looking for some new to me treats. My skin has been freaking out this summer, I get these bumps - not acne more like blisters and I blame the heat. Everything feels to harsh or drying even on my normal-oily skin.
So I saw Kalamazoo and though it was dubbed a beard wash it said it could be used as a face wash as well. The creamy texture, the you know it comes from Lush clean-herbal scent and the newness factor had me buy a tub. I have been using it for about a week and really like it. I notice my dry patches are not so bad, inflamed areas less inflamed and it is gentle enough to remove the stubborn black trails my mascara leaves down my cheeks after getting some sleep.
Kalamazoo is packed with gentle cleaning stuff like almond oil and grime busters like citrus oils. If you like a cold cream type texture for your face you should give this a spin. I bought the small $9.99 size but will splurge on a bigger size next time to share with the beardless but sensitive skin boyfriend.

[Vegan Mofo] Good Enough To Eat - Kaia House & Apple Cider Vinegar

You know I love a good scrub - pair that with a mask and I am sold. I picked up 'new skin exfoliating mask' by Kaia House from a coupon deal. I tried it over the weekend and here are my thoughts. I scooped a bit out, the scent is lemon custard like and the texture reminds me of dried rice in Vegenaise - odd but not so odd feeling. The mask felt cool and refreshing - I need to use it some more to see any more benefits - this was a quick trail run.

More of a DIY beauty person. Well - read on!

So I use a lot of hair spray and straitening gel on my hair - these can leave a gross buildup on your strands and dull the shine. For the last month I have been using apple cider vinegar to degunk my hair! 1 part ACV (I say like 3 tablespoons) to 2 parts water. Place all of this in a plastic bottle or cup/mix or shake and hop in the shower. After shampooing your hair pour the mix over your scalp and rub it in for a few minutes - keep your eyes closed - this stuff can burn them! Rinse your hair and move onto conditioner. My hair is so shiny after doing this! Don't worry about the smell - your strands do not stink afterwards!

New Lush Products Review

I used to not like Lush - I blame it on some of the products I tried not being truly suited for my skin or hair type. Over the years I have come to know my skin and hair therefore knowing what works. Now when Lush comes out with new products and a new catalog I get super excited!

The last few months Lush launched some new vegan products that I bought and sampled for the purpose of fabulous skin and to review!


Ultrabalm: This is a nice soothing balm that takes care of a lot of problems. I use it to remove stubborn mascara and as a lip balm at night. Lately my boyfriend has used it on a rough dry patch on his hand and once applied it instantly looks a lot better! I was afraid it would come to me in a melted mess - even on a extremely hot day it arrived safely!


Summer Pudding: I am a sucker for anything fruity and pink and Summer Pudding is both. It is a soft scrub soap - I like that it is really gentle but it does not lather well and the scent is not fruity enough for me to want to nibble at it.



9 to 5: This has a classic clean smell to it that I enjoy. You have to wash a little more than normal to remove all traces of makeup but this is gentle and makes my oily skin feel refreshed and clean, not tight or dry. Some creamy cleansers have the tendency to break my skin out but this has not done any damage so far. I like this a lot on the days I am not using a scrub and will buy it again.

Quick shout out to kathleen - she won the cupcake contest and should get the book shortly!