Gorgeous New Product Alert: Chanel Lipstick and Gloss in Bondi

When I heard that Chanel was doing a limited-edition Aqualumiere lipstick and lipgloss named after the beautiful and famous Bondi Beach in Austrailia...I almost hypervenilated. TMI, but my middle name is Bondi! Yes..Logan Bondi..strange, I know!  It is my mother's maiden name and since my family names children's middle names from last names in the family, I realized this lipstick and gloss was for me the minute I read about it.

Cut to the Chanel counter at Nordstrom's and the lady working Shishedo helping us and not knowing what I am talking about when I go to buy. The anticipation was killing me..stupid Chanel lady off somewhere hiding! Well, eventually the two very sweet ladies did find both the lipstick and gloss for us and my mom and I wound up buying both. And let me tell you, I was more than pleasantly surprised when I saw the color. I was prepared for this thing to be a really fug color, and still prepared to buy it because of the name. Uh, Chanel AND my middle name? I'll glop it on and look like a baby prostitute if I get my hands on this. I don't even wear lipstick, but I was a woman on a mission to spend more money on designer makeup I won't use. Don't dare to stop me!

This wasn't the case though. No fug color or baby prostitute makeup for me. It is a beautiful bronzy, rose, neutral color that really would work on everyone. Both are in the Aqualumiere formula, which is the very  sheer wash of color formula from Chanel. If you are looking for a pigmented option, this is not it. But it is so universally gorgeous, I think everyone  might like the gloss or the lipstick. We bought a lipstick to my aunt (a Bondi) that night as a hostess gift for dinner, and my cousin's and I were musing on how pretty it was. Sure, we were excited for the name, but the fact is that my cousin's, aunt, mom and I range in skin tone from the most super fair blonde hair blue eyes (me) to the darkest Mediteranian skin tone/features, brown hair, brown eyes like my cousin...and everything in between. And playing with the lipstick, we all saw that it would work for all of us. This is one of the few items I can say that many skin tones (not just mine) would really like this color.

My particular favorite is the gloss. Mostly because I am a gloss girl, but also because it is slightly lighter in color than the lipstick. Both are flecked with gold shimmer, and it is especially apparent in the gloss, which really lights up the lips.

Bondi Lipstick

Bondi Beach Lipgloss

NOTE:They are pulling a little more orange or coral to me in the flash than I think they are in person. I see them as more neutral than in my camera. 

Lipstick below and gloss above

Again, they are both sheer washes of color, and the lipstick feels more like a gloss stick hybrid than a creamy opaque lipstick. But I think this would be nice for summer or those that don't care for a heavy lipstick. The lipstick also contains SPF 15, so I see it as a perfect idea for summer. They have a bit more color than the swatch shows up on my hand above though. I will add lip pictures later when I throw some makeup on today.

I was told this was being sold for a limited time until May 2nd or so, but I am unsure if this is true or not, but if you are interested, check this out soon ladies. I think it is not to be missed!

xoxo

Mmmm..White Watches: My Belated Easter Gift!

I was beyond excited when I got a little gift today in the mail. I have been drooling over a white watch for summer, but torn because I didn't want to spend a ton on it (Chanel J12..I still love you..but I don't know if you are a classic for me yet. Also I can't afford you right now. lol ) I also am not really one that wants like tons of bling, crystals or color on it besides the white, so I had a hard time finding one I liked.

Until I tried on the Michael Kors Ceramic one! I fell in love and bought it with the money the Easter Bunny left in an egg in my basket. It came today and I am so excited, it is lovely! Sorry if the pictures aren't the best. Couldn't find my camera quick enough to handle my excitement so I snapped em with crapola cell phone camera again.

Pretty Leather-ish Case

I like it so much that it is falling off my wrist (didn't take links out yet), but I am so excited I am wearing it anyway. It's abusing my Macbook by clanging it with every letter I type..lol This will not leave my wrist all of summer, I know it.

What is your favorite jewelry piece for spring/summer?

xoxo

p.s Thanks for all the love and some new award tags from some of my favorite ladies! It means so much to me you have no idea. Every comment and award really makes me so happy. I will be doing a tag to thank you next. Thanks so much girls! Love you all!

Sneak Peak: Zac Posen for Target

I was in my local Target today milling around the store for some basic cleaning supplies etc and wandered into the back of the store near the clothing. Well in a corner was a hanging rack of clothes (and a certain tag) that caught my eye.

I first will apologize for the a la crap photos. They were from my (horribly bad) cell phone camera and I was snapping away quickly as to not get caught (god knows what I thought would happen if people saw me, I just thought I looked crazy)

Bad photo quality aside..Hello..ZAC POSEN people! I love Zac Posen, and wanted to see what the collection was all about. And since it isn't supposed to be released for two more days, I thought I would share my photos and thoughts about the stuff I saw.

Overall it looked like cute stuff. There seemed to be a black/blue theme with several of the pieces (the black items were trimmed with a very pretty navy) and most of the quality seemed nice for the price. I must say though, I have never bought clothes from Target or any of the Go International lines, so I am not the authority on comparing this line as compared to others in the store.

This was a very pretty dress in person. It was a nice blue color, trimmed with black and grommets. It was a very thin weight, and that made it seem a bit inexpensive when you touched it , but overall I think it would be stunning on. 

This was a VERY cute long slouchy tank top that I think I will have to go back and buy. It featured his logo and I think a tube of lipstick. It was very soft and looked high quality to me. I don't even like tops with writing on it, but this was adorable! 

Out of all the items I saw (they were hard to get to since they were stuffed behind clothing displays), this dress would be the "pass" item for me. I might pick up every item I saw except for this, for several reasons. First, it looked cheap. Sorry, it did. It was one of those "pouf" dresses (which first off would work for a younger person and not me) and made in a material that was incredibly shiny, sheer and somewhat like an inexpensive looking organza. If you are younger or like the style of dress, this might be for you, but it is something I look at and think I can see how inexpensive it is. 

The black pants were cute. Very thin-feeling cotton (but again, I guess you have to consider it is a Target line), but looked nice. They were verrry slim cut and piped in a navy that was really attractive. These are worth a look, although the cut is so straight that I am not sure they would work for my shape. The waist doesn't go in at all, and I have an hourglass. These pants would be too tight in the thighs and baggy in the waist in whatever size I would be, so I passed. Really cute though!

And finally (before I got more strange looks) I picked up what I think is the best item of the whole lot...

I think it is to die for gorgeous in person! Granted, this is a style that I like (a classic pleated black skirt with a higher waist and feminine details..divine), but it also was hands-down the best feeling and quality item of all I saw. It is a very thick, beefy (not in bad way, more a quality, hefty feel) textured fabric and the pleating details made it look like something I would buy in Neiman's, not Target. 

I mean..look at the back of it! The pleating and gathering detail and the large zipper make it look designer. The tag of the zipper even has "Zac Posen" on it. I don't think details like this usually come in such a line, and I was amazingly impressed.  I was actually mad because it looks almost identical to a Marc Jacobs skirt I have that would go for 5-10 times the price. This was $39.99!  I bought the last skirt and took it home and its lovely. It fits high in the waist and isn't too short. I'm so pleased!

From my research, the Zac Posen for Target line drops in stores officially in two days (April 25), and in my opinion, totally worth a look!

xoxo


Post Note: For reference, in the skirt if it helps anyone, I bought a size 5. I haven't bought 1,3,5 sizes in forever, so I have no idea what size I am supposed to be in those, but I am usually a US size 4 in skirts/dresses.  A 3 was a little too small and the 5 was a little big in the waist but I think that is okay since it is a somewhat full-pleated skirt. Also, the zipper is a nice detail, although some of them seemed to be hard to zipper and would snag. Make sure to get one with a good zipper on it, as some of them didn't have that problem to me.

Beautiful Blogger Award

I would like to thank two very beautiful ladies for tagging me for the beautiful blogger award. My gorgeous girls and fellow bloggers Nadia from It's Always Summer on the Inside and Lipstick on the Cup were kind enough to tag me for this award on each of their fabulous blogs. You must check out both of them. Thank you so much girls, each comment, award or visit I get really means so very much to me!

You are supposed to write 7 random facts about you and tag 7 people, but I did this post a while back, and I don't think anyone will want to read any more random facts about me! If you didn't read the first one, my most random fact is I have a fear of sandwiches. Yep, I HATE them. If it has deli meat or something on it...I want to run away and throw up. Omg..I AM SO STRANGE!

I will compile a list of some of the beautiful ladies whose blogs I read and post that very soon though. Ah, I'm horrible with inserting links. It takes me like 20 minutes if I have to copy anything. (Random fact 2)

Thank you again girls. Love you!

xoxo

Contest coming up soon for May..look out for it!

New Product Alert: Urban Decay Makeup Setting Sprays

Oh Urban Decay, you just know exactly what I need for summer don't you...

(Getty Images-I have a profile there for permission)

It's summer (err..almost), and I love summer. But this sun above and my oily skin conspire to make it so no matter how many primers, powders etc I put on, my makeup eventually slides off my face...or it eats it. Either way, it looks a la crap after a whole day of wear, so when I saw Urban Decay was coming out with a new set of finishing sprays I was sold to try at least one.

Are you with me makeup lovers...makeup meltdown is THE WORST! 


Urban Decay said they would solve this through their new setting sprays. Fix + doesn't do much for me to keep makeup meltdown at bay, and breaks me out. I have heard good things about Model in a Bottle, and a makeup artist used it for a job on me once, and I can say it worked nicely, although I find it hard to get.

Back in the dark ages, they also used to spray hairspray (that was the worst) on shoots before these fixers came out to set the makeup and keep it from moving under hot lights. Uh, no thanks. So to keep me from spraying Fekkai's Sheer Hold Hairspray on my poor face this summer, Urban Decay came to the rescue with their new summer line.

There are four of them. The pictures, besides my own, and the claims are from www.urbandecay.com, the companies lovely website. I wanted to be able to show you what all of them look like and emailed them to let them know I was taking their pictures. A wonderful company all-around imo. They don't know who I am (they might know my credit card number..hehe), but wrote back with a lovely response letting me use the images.

Gaurdian Angel Spray Moisturizer-is supposed to provide moisture, even for "acne, oily or sensitive skin" for 24 hours. So they say. It would be nice for winter when I get a little dry.

De-Slick Oil control Makeup Setting Spray-"Gives you 16 shine-free hours"

Dew Me Moisturizing Makeup Setting Spray-Says it holds makeup properly for 16 hours while giving a "glowing,moisturized, brighter-looking complexion."

All-Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Spray-Formulated for all skin-types that makes your makeup last 16 hours.

My View:

Skip to Bottom Line if you don't want babbling..haha

I am really liking it so far. I started by applying a body bronzer on both hands (Duwop Revolotion-great stuff if you are pale and too lazy to faux tan..but we all know any body shimmer/bronzer no matter how "transfer resistant" the claim, transfers a little). I sprayed one hand to see how it felt and worked.(and to see if it gave me ridiculous hives or something) I thought it made the bronzer less transfer resistant and wore longer.

Then I tried it yesterday on my face. I sprayed it after applying my makeup (make sure to shake the bottle) It is a spray that is very fine in nature. Much more so than Fix + for me. It is super fine (first pump, make sure to spray on your hand to get it spraying right), and dries almost in an instant, which is nice. I don't want a sticky, wet feeling on my face for minutes.

Within seconds it dried, and didn't even look like I had applied anything. It dried to a skin's texture or whatever makeup texture (matte, glowy etc) you had underneath it, which is nice. You can't even tell it's there. I also think it did keep me from breaking through in oil and when I looked in the mirror after a long day (you know..where you say "ew..where did my face/makeup go?!), I thought "Oh, makeup is still looking good."

Bottom Line:

 I really do think it made me less oily, made my foundation and face makeup less transfer resistant and overall my makeup last longer. I have to do more research on this, since I only used it twice, and it wasn't a day where I was out for 15 hours, or at a club/out at night sweating my eye and face makeup into something horrifying, so I can't say it is for sure the best thing since sliced bread. But I am really liking it so far. It is oil and paraben free and I can say for sure it didn't break me out, which a lot of those sprays do. And I might be seeing things due to hayfever delirium but I think it made my skin look better after I sprayed it! It isn't cheap. I think its about $28 here in the U.S. but worth a try since it might work for you too since I can imagine this thing lasting forever. Plus anything that makes my makeup last longer is worth it to me!

Again, I will try it for longer and get back and update you on my thoughts, but I know that I often search around for blogs or reviews on brand new products to get some initial reaction ( I was googling this before I bought it and didn't find anything), and I wanted to give you mine!

Hope this helps anyone curious about this product!

xoxo

Note: Oh and just an FYI, I paid for this with my own moola (as I do everything) and UD doesn't know I exist. Wanted to make that clear since I was linking them.  I am simply expressing gratitude at the company letting me use their pictures. Im too much of a B to rave about something I didn't like..haha!

Does anyone here have Twitter?

So I finally gave in (in a moment of sadness and boredom) to create a Twitter account. I am curious to see what it is all about, and I would LOVE to know if any of you have Twitter too! I would love to follow you, or your blog associated with it (if I haven't already).

My Twitter!

Feel free to post yours, I would love to know everyone's twitter if they have one!

My MAC Travel Palette

Sorry I have been a bit MIA recently. My allergies have been killing me! Anyone else suffering recently? The makeup I love to apply hasn't been working much on huge, red, puffy eyes. I stopped working out outside, so that should help. I'll be back to normal in no time!

I thought this could be a post about Mac eyeshadow palettes. I have several, arranged by color, but since I have been traveling recently, I threw the ones I thought I would use the most and could create any eye look, into one palette. Well I have been so happy with having all the eyeshadows I use on a regular basis in one place, I have kept them in the palette as is. I thought I would share my picks for a palette that could last you weeks, or would be a good idea to start a Mac palette if you don't have one already!

The Palette

And the colors are as follows, from left to right:

Top left 1st row, down:

*Gesso

*Naked Lunch

*Blanc Type

2nd row, down:

*Vanilla

*Next to Nothing (LE with a Nordstom's only quad)

*Woodwinked (I totally dug my nail into this trying to lift it up and see if that was it..haha)

From Top:

*Cranberry

*Honey Lust

*Soft Brown (a must for anyone if you have trouble blending out harsh lines. Its a savior!)

1st row, downwards:

*Ricepaper

*Sable

*Espresso

Last row, down:

*Copperplate

*Scene

*Typographic 

If anyone wants, I'll go back and add the finish to each of them. But overall, I think these are great options for starting a palette from Mac. I have been able to do anything from a wash of natural color, to a soft brown or even all the way to a sexy smokey charcoal eye. A few are limited edition, but most are not, and worth checking out to help your eyeshadows get the most bang for your buck! 

Be back tomorrow to say hello to everyone and comment. I know I am behind! Happy Monday everyone!

xoxo 

How I Changed My Skin:Part III

I am obsessed with exfoliation. This post would take up pages if I showed you all the exfoliating products I use, but I am going to just highlight the couple that I use on the regular.


Exfoliation:


If you have acne, congested skin, blackheads, clogged pores, fine lines...just about any skin in my mind, I think exfoliation is the key to having better skin overall. There are two main types of exfoliation:

 1. Physical- What it sounds like. It is the kind of exfoliator that has a physical substance (small round beads, crush almond shells etc) that physically work to exfoliate the top layer of the skin.

 2. Chemical-This is where a chemical or enzyme works to "eat away" or exfoliate the top dead skin cells through a chemical or catalyzed enzyme reaction. There are no literal scrubbers to exfoliate the skin (sometimes the scrub has both), but it is the chemicals/enzymes that do the work.  Usually this is done through AHA's, BHA's (alpha and beta hydroxy acids like glycolic, salycilic or lactic acids), a retinol or retinoid product, or some enzyme like bromelin or something found in pineapple or papaya that dissolves dead skin naturally. There are actually a ton more chemical exfoliators, but this is just an overview.


What I Use:


Most of the time I use a chemical exfoliator combined with physical exfoliation. My skin can handle both, and my pores can get congested, so a combination of both really help me. If you are dry, you may only have to exfoliate once a week. I do it every day and see a great, positive difference in my pores.

Clarisonic-I used to have mixed feelings with the Clarisonic, but after switching to the sensitive head, I can say I really like this. I use it with my cleanser (the Coalface from LUSH as mentioned earlier) and it does provide an additional light exfoliation to me that has really helped my pores become less congested. It is pricey, but finding the right head (from the normal, which was too much for me, sensitive and delicate), really helps, and I wouldn't be without it now.

Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Daily Peel Pads-One of my first posts was about this system. It is what first changed my skin for the better. It is one you use everyday and it takes months to show serious results, but it worth every penny. Here was my experience:

 "I tried one pad on a whim, as it was a sample given in a Neiman's beauty order many, many months ago. I was bored and frustrated with my skin and decided to give the peel a whirl. It is a two step system in which you swipe one pad on your skin (the one with AHA and BHA for exfoliating) ...wait 2 minutes..and then wipe the other pad on your skin (the neutralizing and soothing one with retinal) My skin felt like a baby's butt after this. It was smooth and glowing. Now I can't say it helped my acne or pores after this, but it was so lovely it made me order right on the spot.

I am now two months into the system, and I can say it has shown actual positive results for my skin, acne, post-acne scarring, and pore size/congestion. It took a little while, and I did experience purging, at first (I broke out and had almost worse pore congestion than before in the beginning, so don't freak out if you are doing this regime too..it does get better!) but it was all worth it. My acne is more under control (I don't have that much to begin with but I find I break out less), one particular acne scar I have is actually disappearing (nothing would make it go away!) and most of all my pore size and pore congestion has decreased greatly. I couldn't be more happy with a product, and haven't been at any point in my life."

I am now more than 4 months into this treatment, and it is something I can't live without. Dr. Dennis Gross has never made a product I have tried that hasn't actually done what it says it will. And this has changed my overall skin more than I could ever imagine. I am almost even enough and without spots I can go without makeup outside!  It takes a while to see real difference in pore size or congestion though, but if you get a sample and try it once, your skin feel like a baby's butt, and I bet you will be hooked!

Lush Ocean Salt-This stuff is rough, and I like it that way! It is a pure, physical exfoliator that smells like lemon or lime Margharitas (it has vodka in it..no tequila though..haha) and has a pretty rough texture when rubbed on the skin. If you need a serious exfoliating, I would use this. I love it. But if you are sensitive or dry, I would use it only once a week. Some say its drying (I can see that because of the salt), but I actually find it a little moisturizing (leaves a bit of a film on the skin). If you are looking for a hardcore scrub that really gets your blood flowing, go check this out! 

Honorable Mentions-

Kiehls Pineapple Papaya Facial Scrub-If you are looking for a gentle, enzyme peel, this is a great choice. Its Kate Somerville's ExfoliKate minus the ridiculous price tag. It has small grains to exfoliate, but you leave it on for several minutes on your face like a mask and the enzymes from the pineapple and papaya eat the dead skin cells. I find it a bit moisturizing too, so it would be good for sensitive or more dry skins.

Lush Mask of Magnaminty-It is meant as a mask so I use this once a week or a time I need that extra deep cleaning, but has physical scrubbers that exfoliate the skin too. It works lovely, although can be drying if used too often.

MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator-The perfect combination of small grains that don't irritate but slough everything off to leave you glowing. Too bad it broke me out when I used it. If you aren't as acne prone as me, try and get your hands on this!

I also use a pimple treatment all over my face from Dr. Dennnis Gross to that provides exfoliation through the chemical type, but that is going to be in my "treatment" section next.

I didn't want to keep this post even longer, but if you want any additional pictures or have questions, please let me know!

What are your favorite exfoliators?

xoxo

Spring Break Favorite Things Part II:Accessories make the girl!

Here is the continuation of my "spring break favorite things", and I thought I would highlight a few cute accessories that I bought during my break. I'm an accessories girl, and since I wear often boring solid colors, I love to have lots of accessories to change things up!

Gucci Sandals-

These are little rubber flat sandals that I thought would be so cute with casual cotton dresses for summer (which I basically live in during the warmer months). They seemed comfy when I tried them on, although I am worried about the rubber construction. Is rubber that comfy? I'll let you all know the verdict although I'll probably just suffer for cuteness : )

Chanel Sunglasses and I'm a sucker for bows:

For those of you that read my previous posts, you will remember I posted about loving Chanel sunglasses. I am also a sucker for bows. Put a bow on it and I'll probably want it. Sad, I know.  Well I was looking for a pair of new brown sunglasses since the last pair I talked about are black, and these fit the bill. The darn bows got me!

Tory Burch Flip Flops-

Well, I must have a thing for jelly's this year don't I, because these are jelly material too. They are super comfy, and would be perfect for the pool and with aforementioned dresses. I also adore navy. Blue is my favorite color. I think it often compliments my blue eyes and it looks less harsh on my fair skin than black.

FRINGE!-

Well I might just be a sucker period, but I am also a sucker for fringe. When I saw this bracelet I had to have it. I wore is yesterday and the fringe is so. much. fun! 

The final installment (haha) of the favorites will be a few pictures of some of the clothing items I bought. Be sure to look out for it!

Anyone have any favorite items they bought for the change of seasons? I would love to hear!

xoxo

Spring Break Favorite Things Part I: Operation All Cars Need Massage Chairs

I decided to do a "spring break favorite things" instead of the usual monthly favorites. I wanted to highlight a few nice things I did and acquired during spring break that I am currently loving. I didn't want to do a big  complete haul or anything, since I thought it would be tacky to show every little thing I bought last week. I promise I am not intending to brag here. I was lucky to get a good bit of beautiful items (esp. because I went down a dress size : ) )  thanks to some saving by me and the generosity of my wonderful mom.  It is a long post, so be prepared!

Here are a few of my favorites:

Driving into NYC/Massage chairs in cars-

I actually like driving in New York City. All the hustle and bustle makes me happy and the city has always made me feel at home. I especially like that I grew up, and my parent's still live, in a place that is close enough to drive there. Not much traffic in the Lincoln tunnel (shown), so I was happy! I was also happy because my mom let me drive her car. We drive the same brand (is that the right word?) of car, but she has a different, brand-new 2010 model that has the same massage chair action like you get in pedicure chair!! You know when you go to a salon or sit in one of those fancy chairs that kneeds your back for you? Her car does it while you drive! Kinda distracting at first, but now I want it in my car!

Central Park Boathouse-

We ate there for lunch, and I just adore central park : ) It was a day after three constant days of rain and it was lovely out. The food is good (if you like crabcakes, get it here, I am super picky about not having fillers and only jumbo lump and these were great!) and the setting is even better. It is the only restaurant in the park that is overlooking a lake. For those of you that watch Sex and the City, the episode where Carrie goes to meet Big for lunch and they fall in the water is set at this restaurant.

Bloomingdales Frozen Yogurt-

This is one of my favorite things in the world. I cannot express to you how I am a member of the Bloomie's yogurt cult (I have a card for it even!) This picture was taken on the day we went to The Mall at Short Hills (the mall we always go to outside of NYC in northern NJ) but you better believe we got yogurt at the one in NYC when we were there too. I am on a diet and don't eat sweets, but this is fat-free and amazing. If it wasn't fat free, I would still get it. They have a "plain" flavor (pictured) that isn't vanilla but has the tang of what regular plain yogurt tastes like and its FANTASTIC. If you are ever in a Bloomingdale's or near one...get this!!!

To be continued....

My next post will be some of the fashion items I bought since I think spring clothes are so fun to look at! Be sure to look out for it! The post ran REALLY long, so I am going to break it up into a few parts so I don't bore you all to death!

Thank You's-

I would also like to thank Irene at Lovely Violet for giving me the cutest award! I was so happy to come back to reality with such a sweet sentiment. She is one of my favorite, sweet people in this blog world, you must check her out if you have not already!

A big thank you to Couture for tagging me for the sunshine award. It is hard for me to get back into the grind of work for some reason this week, and such a kind thought really makes my day! Thank you so much : ) She has some beautiful dresses and outfits up on her blog right now, you should go check it out! 

I will be doing a tag for them as soon as I get myself back into the flow of things. Thank you ladies again so very much : ) 

xoxo 

How I Changed My Skin:Part II

Hello everyone! I am back to reality today (boo) as I am back at my place and starting classes again. At least its pretty weather out here. It's finally getting warm out! I had a lovely time at home and in NYC and bought tons of cute stuff. Posts this week on a few things I got are in order : ) 

This post, however, is a continuation on how I changed my skin for the better and virtually got rid of my acne. We are onto step 2, which is after you remove your makeup, is cleanser..and I found an amazing (if not strange) one!

Cleanser

 I have tried every single cleanser on the market practically, and I the promises of what they say they do are mostly crap. I have to say though, that the cleanser I have been using the past couple months actually lives up to the hype Lush sends its way. It has helped clear my pores and literally gives me a glow (not oily kinda glow, but great skin kinda glow) after I use it.  I'm officially in love. 

As you can see above it is a bar cleanser from Lush called "Coalface." It looks a bit pricey there, but as you will see below, I bought a HUGE chunk that will last forever. You can go in a buy a much cheaper piece that will last a month or so too.  But price aside, even if it was this pricey for a small piece, I hate to say I think I would still buy it. For what it has done for my skin, it is worth every penny!

...and yes, its black. And it sparkles. It's officially the strangest cleanser I have ever used. But it is also the best. I don't use bar soap, yet alone a strange black bar soap, but I am really glad I randomly picked it up a month or so ago because it is amazing. It is very soft in texture, and I cut this piece up after I got it easily with a butter knife. When you rub it in wet hands it doesn't lather that much, but once you rub it in your skin it turns white. The black color is said to be due to charcoal and licorice extract, which is supposed to exfoliate and detoxify. From the Lush site:

"If you love the feeling of squeaky clean skin, this is the bar for you. We put in powdered charcoal because it's such an amazing exfoliator and absorber of excess oils. We add in rosewood and sandalwood as a balance to soothe and calm, and softening licorice root decoction. We recommend this lathering, sparkly cleansing bar for oiler skin because it's so great at absorbing excess oils and leaving your skin feeling fresh and clean. Don't use regular body soap to wash your face please; use this instead."


And I gotta say, I buy it, it really does work for me. It gives you a really super clean feel to the skin and has helped my skin become clear and glowing. I would have never guessed it from this bar, but if you have oily or congested skin this might be your holy grail.

Note: I almost forgot to include a really important thing. DO NOT rub this around your eye area like a normal cleanser. This may not happen to you, but I found this EXTREMELY irritating to my eyes. If I rubbed it around them, they would sting and swell up afterwards like I got bopped in the eye. Not a good look. I make sure to use my oil cleanser, or at least an eye makeup remover before this. Be very careful if you use it around your eyes!

Next up is my favorite kind of skincare...exfoliating : )

Missed you all, so happy to be back!

xoxo