Holiday Bubble Bar ($6.95 for 3.5 oz.) has a lovely spicy, cinnamon-y rose scent that really blooms once the product hits the water, rather than just sitting on your shelf. A huge plus to this holiday bubble bar is how awesomely it bubbles up your bathwater. Sometimes the amount of bubbles you get can vary from okay to fun, and this one is VERY fun. I only used about a third of the bar for a single serving of 5-year-old splashing fun. The glittery red bits are pretty fine, but you can still see them in the water. The water itself turns a pinkish shade (not blood red!) with a little orange in it. Get yours at Lush!
A Gold Star Bubble Bar ($6.25 for 3.5 oz.) is pretty when you look at it, and it has a strong lemony-citrus scent. It bubbles OK compared to other Lush bubble bars, and I personally found the scent to be just a little too reminscent of Sprite or 7-Up (the sweet lemon-lime flavor) to work for my nose. I don’t mind glittery bits in my bathwater, but this one isn’t overly glittery, so it’s not an issue if you’re really adverse to glitter! The color of your bathwater is a little *ew*, considering it’s, well, a yellow bath bar. But you know it’s just the bubble bar, so there’s no reason to get gross about it 
Get yours at LUSH!
LUSH Angels on Bare Skin Cleanser ($9.95 for 3.5 oz.) has been my go-to morning cleanser lately, because it’s a mild exfoliating cleanser that’s perfect for both sensitive skin and everyday use. If you’re new to Lush, this might be a little more adventurous product type than other products they offer, just because it feels very natural/organic.
It’s sort of a gummy roll of product, which you take a pea or two peas-sized dollops out of. You add a little water, then rub it between your hands until it starts to break down into almost a paste consistency. Then you apply it like your usual cleanser–gentle, circular motions. Rinse, then pat your face dry, and you’re all done. Of course, you can choose to follow up with toner and/or moisturizer if you so desire.
Angels on Bare Skin includes the following ingredients: Ground Almonds (Prunus dulcis), Glycerine, Kaolin, Water (Aqua), Lavender Oil (Lavandula hybrida), Rose Absolute (Rosa centifolia), Lavender Flowers (Lavendula hybrida), *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume. The Rose Absolute is supposed to tone, while the Lavender Oil soothes your skin. I list the ingredient list so you can see what’s in the product, but also so you can have an idea as to why this product has a shelf life of a mere three months. This is not a product to stock up on! That huge chunk of product in the photo will surely last me at least three months!
The scent of Angels on Bare Skin reminds me of going out in the woods or a field–it’s not that compost heap “natural” smell or anything, but more like the invigorating scent of nature. I don’t mind it, though I know a few are put off by the scent of this. I don’t feel this removes makeup 100% (especially not eye makeup–hello, it does have ground almonds in it, aka not going near my eyes), so I prefer to use something else in the PM or else I’ll use something else to remove makeup, then follow-up with this cleanser in the PM.
Overall, I recommend trying this product, because it’s worked well in recuperating from my silicone-based break out. It hasn’t caused any additional acne, and I believe it has helped in reducing inflammation of those stubborn pimples (thus, making them appear less red and making me feel less self-conscious!). I’ll be posting more about my favorite Lush skincare products soon!
Zoya’s 2008 Winter Collection is called Flourish and contains six excellent shades of polish perfect for the season. Zoya’s formula is one of my favorites, because I always find their colors are rich and pigmented and two coats is always enough. Their Color Lock System is my go-to for keeping my nail color long-lasting, durable, and chip-free. I’m so happy to say that Flourish doesn’t disappoint in the least. In fact, Zara stands out so much amongst the pack that it is almost back-up status worthy. (If I didn’t have seventy some-odd polishes and did my nails more often…) Mieko is this delightful strawberry red color–there’s just something about it that really draws me in. I anticipate wearing it beyond winter–probably summer–as well. You can get their sampler platter featuring all six polishes for $36 at zoya.com.
What’s your favorite?
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Essie’s Winter 2008 Collection features six stunning shades of rich jewel-toned polishes. Each polish goes for $8, but you can snag all six as a set for $45. My favorites were Sexy Divide, a gorgeous, deep dark royal purple; and It’s Genius for its softer, lighter magenta-purple tone. Essie polishes have always worked well for me, and this set is no different overall. All of the polishes are pigmented and go on smoothly with the exception of Shifting Power, which I’d probably do three coats of. Because Shifting Power has a more metallic finish, it’s easier to see the stroke lines, too.
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Green by Nature Banana Shea Body Butter ($11.99) is a tropical treat for your skin. It’s 97.6% natural and 100% paraben free (you can see that right on the jar itself). Green by Nature is a brand where every product is 100% free of Parabens, Sulfates, DEA, petroleum, Propylene glycol, Sacchrine, Dioxin, and Phthalate. No product is less than 95% natural, and they deal primarily in body products (lotions, scrubs, etc.). There are three main scents: Almond Cocoa, Banana Shea, and Mint Green Tea.
I’ve only tried and sniffed the Banana Shea scent, which smells exactly like a perfectly ripened banana (not too sweet, not too sour!). The body butter itself is rich and thick, just like a body butter should be, and the moisturization properties keep my legs scale-free all day long. I find the drying time isn’t quick, but I haven’t found that body butters sink in particularly fast. I’d say you just need to stand around doing your hair or makeup for five minutes or so before slipping on your pants/skirt/shorts/what-have-you. Besides, the best time to soften up your bod is immediately after you’ve toweled off!
You can browse Green by Nature products at www.greenbynaturebeauty.com or at Target (psst! this product is on sale for $9.99 right now!).
