LUSH COSMETICS

I thought I’d share my thoughts on my current obsession, and it smells delicious and works amazingly well!

I recently ran out of face wash and was on the hunt for a new one. And since I only use products that are not tested on animals, this can turn out to be quite the mission because I don’t have the most cooperative skin.

I was browsing Fashion Valley (huge mall in San Diego) when I spotted LUSH and I thought “duh, you love LUSH why didn’t you think of this sooner.” I blame a lapse in my neurons firing. LUSH is one of my all time favorite stores and ironically enough I discovered it while in the U.K. LUSH products are all hand-made and 100% vegetarian, woohoo!! LUSH takes a strong stance against animal testing, reiterating that animal testing is neither required to ensure safe products nor mandated by law. LUSH tests its products on humans, as I absolutely believe it should be. I mean we’re the ones using the products and I guarantee you my difficult skin is significantly different from our furry friends.

Not only do LUSH products vehemently stand against animal testing, they are also environmentally friendly. Each of their containers boots a “not virgin” slogan. Meaning that the containers are made from recycled materials and if you bring 5 empty pots back to any LUSH store, you’ll get a free face mask, how great is that!

If you’d like to learn more about LUSH products and their story, please visit: http://www.lushusa.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Lush-Site/en_US/Home-Show

So I went into the Fashion Valley LUSH Store and was immediately offered assistance. I was helped by this awesome sales associate, I wish my little goldfish mind was better at remembering names! I explained that my skin is prone to black heads (gross) and is sometimes oily, but is also extremely sensitive and dry. Yep, I got the mother load of facial issues. She assured me that LUSH had something perfect for me and she was right!

She tried the different products on the back of my hand and together we went through my likes and dislikes until I finally settled on two products that I fell in love with. To be fair, I also liked the moisturizer and Tea Tree Cleanser, but alas I haven’t won the lottery yet.

So this is what I ended up with:

“Let the Good Times Roll”– this is a facial scrub. You know to get down into my pores and remove the nastiness that cause blackheads. It smells divine! Like salted caramel, or what I imagine the roaring 1920s carnivals’ popcorn smelled like. I’m thinking Fitzgerald people, I’ve got a vivid imagination. But trust me, it smells great and the results are amazing! My skin feels smooth, brighter, clean, and minimal blackheads. I don’t like my skin to feel oily, but I don’t like the squeaky clean feel either, so this was a perfect match for me. Oh I forgot to mention because these products are made with natural ingredients, some of them have short shelf lives, this one I believe is 2-3 months. But I guarantee you’ll have used it up before the expiration date!

“Ocean Salt” is up next. This also smells divine, but more along the lines of a crisp clean smell versus a sweet scent. It’s the ocean after all. The product is a scrub and it leaves your skin baby-soft! I was instructed to limit my use to once per week because it packs a pretty powerful punch. I’ve sneaked it in twice and seem to be okay 🙂 Ocean Salt is self-preserving so technically it has infinitely long life-shelf, but I’m sure the physicists would disagree. But we won’t even have to engage in a debate, because you’ll also use this right up! A caution to those with even more sensitive skin than mine, it may be a bit too harsh for you because it definitely keeps my skin in check, but it tingles similarly to salt-water.

The sales associate gave me some samples to take home, and I am going back for these little guys asap!

The left one is “Imperialis Facial Moisturizer.“  It’s packed with all these different types of flowers, including lavender which is my other current obsession! The delicate blend of flowers do the dirty work so your skin stays nice and moisturized without becoming oily.

The right one is the “Tea Tree Oil Cleanser” and its name may be somewhat deceiving because you don’t have to wash it off. It’s more like a toner. So you use it after the face wash and before the face moisturizer. This little guy is great and has been drastically helping with those pesky blackheads! You can use it to spot treat or like me, all over your beautiful face!

I’ll definitely be sticking to this skin routine. At 28 years old I think I have to face (get it, haha I know I’m hilarious) it that I can’t get away with soap and lotion. If you’re in need of a custom skincare regime that actually works, I highly suggest you visit your local LUSH! Your skin will look great and you’ll feel great knowing no furries were harmed in the process of making these wonderful products.

Coconut Oil

I recently watched a beauty segment on Good Morning American which fueled my obsession for coconut oil! Beauty guru, Bobbi Brown, the woman behind the cosmetics line Bobbi Brown, and a guest on Good Morning American shared her beauty secrets.

Unfortunately, I can’t use her products because they’re tested on animals, when required by law. This is a tricky clause that most companies use to market their products as animal friendly because it suggests that unless required by law, the company will not test their products on animals. This is a fine line because as we know the law is extremely expansive and broad (plus animal testing is required in China..just stop selling in China!). That being said, Bobbi Brown’s website states the following: “Bobbi Brown fully supports the development and global acceptance of non-animal testing alternatives. To this end, the Company works extensively with the industry at large and the global scientific community to research and fund these alternatives. ” Let’s get there and eliminate animal testing!

Now on to my current obsession, besides advocating for our furry friends. Coconut Oil! Bobbi explained that coconut oil can be used as a make-up remover and night time moisturizer. I’ve tried them for both uses and LOVE them! I bought coconut oil from Sprouts (Trader Joe’s was sold out).

This is what the container looks like:

photo cred.: https://www.sprouts.com/article/content/-/article-details/view/270310/5-creative-ways-to-use-coconut-oil;jsessionid=79A835CE0051EE7A0D0AD2CA60437389

As a make-up remover: Good make-up removers are difficult to find. Either they are too greasy, too watered down, too expensive. However, coconut oil nails it! I put a small dab on a cotton ball and it removes even my water-proof make-up. It doesn’t irritate my sensitive eyes and bonus, it’s cost-effective!

As a night-time moisturizer: LOVE!! I’ve been having a difficult time finding just the right night-time cream. I have combinational skin which just means it’s oily and dry. So you would think the coconut oil would just make my skin even more oily right? Nope, completely wrong. It’s been leaving my skin absolutely smooth, soft, and won’t clog my pores! I cannot rave enough about this. At 28 years old I was lamenting over the tiniest of wrinkles and this has definitely helped keep my face moisturized and younger looking. I put it on at night, the consistency is more creamier than oily. And wash it off in the morning. Oh and bonus you’ll smell delicious!

As a scrub: My bf has been making me body scrubs with coconut oil for the past two Christmases and they’re fantastic! I tried making a coffee scrub once and it was a fail. My current scrub is rose-tangerine and the coconut-oil serves as a moisturizer. My skin is always baby soft! The recipe (I think) is here: http://thekitchenmccabe.com/2014/02/21/whipped-grapefruit-mint-sugar-scrub/ 🙂

As a hair conditioner: It didn’t really work for me, but maybe it’s because I have a ton of hair and it gets oily pretty fast. Perhaps my curly haired friends can give it a go and let me know how it goes!

In the bath with epsom salts: I’ve recently discovered that if you add coconut oil and epsom salts to your bath it’s amazing!! Your skin will feel so soft and moisturized. It’s almost like a spa day. kinda. well good enough until I can afford the finer things in life. However, with water conservation efforts going on and the current drought in San Diego, please be mindful about how often you take baths. I’d limit them to when you’re ultra stressed or really just need “me” time.