Lush haul!

This is actually a Lush haul from about a month ago. I’ve wanted to pick up a few things at Lush for a while but for one reason or another every time I went to the store they were either sold out, completely packed and all available associates were helping other shoppers, or oddly closed. Evidently fourth time is a charm because after going to the mall to return an item at a different store, I popped into Lush and thankfully the one item I initially went in for was in stock … and after talking to the sales associate I picked up a few other products, plus one I had heard rave reviews about on YouTube.

It’s understandable that Lush is on the pricier side. Their products are hand made, cruelty free, and are made from fresh ingredients and no harsh chemicals, additives, etc. Due to the price of things at Lush I don’t go in there often, but I do when my skin is in need of some extra TLC because I’ve found Lush products have come to my rescue on more than one occasion.

So what exactly did I pick up on this trip?

-          Mask of Magnaminty

-          Grease Lightning

-          Cosmetic Warrior Fresh Face Mask

-          Honey Trap Lip Balm

Klout Perk: Freeman Masks

I was awarded a Klout perk which was featuring Freeman masks.  I’ve tried some Freeman products in the past and have enjoyed them pretty much across the board. There have been a number of Freeman products I have not tried, so I was pretty excited to see the Charcoal & Black Sugar mask in the package I received. Since I have oily/acne prone skin I enjoy the effect charcoal has on my skin … so I’m pretty much excited to see how that mask fairs on my skin.  I’ve tried the cucumber mask in the past, but I have never tried their avocado mask so again, another product I’m looking forward to trying.

These are the few masks I’ve received:

Cucumber Facial Peel-Off Mask. According to the pamphlet, this mask is an all-over face mask for total renewal.  It is a thick gel mask that dries into a thin sheet that you peel to reveal brand-spanking new skin.

Avocado & Oatmeal Facial Clay Mask. According to the pamphlet, this is a great product to use in the T-Zone or any oily spots. It’s supposed to channel old school beauty routines with Freeman’s modern-day clay mask that pulls toxins out of the skin.

Charcoal & Black Sugar Facial Polishing Mask. This product is supposed to be great for dull, dry patches.  According to the pamphlet, the new product starts as a scrub but then purifies like a mask.

QUESTION:

Have you tried any Freeman masks?

REVIEW: The Body Shop Tea Tree Face Mask

I picked up this Tea Tree Face Mask at The Body Shop kind of on the fly a number of months back.  I was talking to the girl that works in one of my local stores (she and I suffer from similar acne problems and have taken similar dermatologist prescribed medications).  So to say I trust her opinion is a pretty solid statement.  She’s even steered me away from purchasing certain things so that’s customer service to say the least.  I was looking for a couple different things and this mask was recommended to me by the girl in the store so I picked it up.  She did advise you can use it different ways, as a mask, as a cleanser, etc.  I even read a few different reviews on The Body Shop website with how people use it.  Some find they like to put it on then get in the shower and then wash it off.  I use it in a combination of ways and each has been pretty positive for me.

PACKAGING & PRICE

The product comes packaged in a round screw lid tub which contains 3.85 ounces of product.  This retails for $15 but The Body Shop is known for constantly running buy 2 get 2 free sales or buy 3 get 3 free sales.  Currently they are running a store and site-wide 50% off sale so this is selling for $7.50.  Groupon also pairs up with The Body Shop to offer $20 Groupons for the store – so you’d spend $10 and have $20 taken off your bill – further reducing your payout.

PRODUCT

The product itself is a bright green moderately thick cream.  It does have a distinct tea tree scent to it, which can tickle your sense of smell if you get close to it.  This is featured in the tea tree line which is geared towards individuals with problem skin (acne blemishes).  This is geared towards being a mask but it can be a multi-use product and everyone who uses it, uses it in different ways that they find works best for them.  The product is a cooling face mask with cleanses, soothes and refreshes the skin.  It aids in removing impurities and absorbing excess oil.  I will say it does all of these things and more.

PURCHASING

This can be purchased from any The Body Shop store location, The Body Shops online website and Beauty.com.  I have also seen The Body Shop products sold at TJ Maxx and Marshall’s locations – but it’s really hit or miss as it depends on what they receive in and how quickly they sell.

OVERALL

As I’ve stated this can be a multi-purpose face mask/cleanser.  According to the product you should “Smooth a thin layer onto pat-dried skin, clean face and neck with your fingertips. Leave for 5 to 10 minutes (mask will not dry). Then rinse off with clean water and pat skin dry. Use once or twice per week, after cleansing.”  I’ve used this as a mask and found the tingling sensation can become all too much for my skin – so I sometimes put this on my face before getting into the shower and I let the warm air mesh with the product and do it’s own thing.  I have also used this as a skin refresher after using an exfoliating face wash (whether by using a product or using a exfoliating face brush).  In this case I rub a small amount of product into my cleansed face, leave it on for a minute or two, and then rinse off.  It can leave my face a little tight feeling, but it’s nothing some moisturizer won’t ease up.

I do know if you use this product and you find it is not for you, or you’ve had a reaction to it the store will allow you to bring it back in to explain your situation and will aid in finding a new product for you that will not upset your skin/etc.

RATING

A-

Shannon's The Body Shop Haul!

This is a belated The Body Shop haul.  After work one day my boyfriend and I went to the mall to pay a phone bill and my stipulation was I needed to run into one store – The Body Shop because I had a $10 off $20 coupon.  When I went into the store the girl that I typically deal with at this particular store was working.  She has acne so we talk about our acne and she’s really honest with me about products.  She leaves me be so I can look around, but when I start asking questions she’s honest with me.  She’ll tell me what she recommends, etc., and since we have some of the same acne issues and she knows what medications I take that are prescribed she kind of guides me in the right direction without telling me what to get.

The fabulous part was I let her know I had a $10 off $20 coupon and I had $40 worth of stuff in my hands.  So she told me she’d give me the $10 off and then give me $15 off $40 (not realizing I already had that amount in my hand).  So she essentially gave me $25 off my order.  She then recommended I spend $4 more so I could get another point on my rewards card – so I did that.

Enough of the rambling, here’s what I picked up:

-          Tea Tree Oil

-          Tea Tree Face Mask

-          Camomile Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover (Travel Size)

-          Seaweed Clarifying Night oil

-          Sample: Hemp Hand Cream

-          Sample:: Tea Tree Pore Minimizer

Review: Freeman Facial Anti-Stress Mask Dead Sea Minerals

I picked up this Freeman Facial Anti-Stress Dead Sea Minerals mask at CVS a few months back.  I actually got this for free because Freeman had little rebate offers on the product, which allowed you to get your money back for the item.  All I had to do was fill out the little bitty form and mail it in with my receipt and I got a check for the balance ($3.99) within 6-8 weeks.

PACKAGING & PRICE:

The product comes in a bright blue squeeze tube that holds 6 fl oz. of product.  The color of the packaging is the same color of the product.  The tube is actually quite eye catching, which is one of the reasons I picked it up – I was looking for the Mint Julep mask, since they didn’t have it, I noticed this and grabbed it.  As mentioned briefly above, this retails for $3.99 at CVS.  The price is pretty standard in all selling locations, but you may be able to get it on sale during select weeks depending on what stores are pushing in ads for the week.  There are also single use foil packages available with .5 fl oz of product in them, but in my travels I have only seen them at Walmart – those I believe sell for $1.40.

PRODUCT:

The product is a bright blue shade and is a rather thick cream – think really thick body lotion.  It’s creamier in consistency when rubbed onto the skin and applies easily.  As the product starts to dry it can be a little harder to work with because it dries into a clay consistency.  You may also find certain spots on your face dry faster than others and if you want to go back over a thinner spot, some product will rub off, so you have to try to cover all skin on first application.  There isn’t a real scent to the product but I would say it’s got a “clean” scent to it.  It’s nothing obnoxious and nothing even remotely overpowering.  It’s advertised as a product to aid in purifying and clearing pores.

PURCHASING:

The Freeman’s Facial Anti-Stress Dead Sea Minerals can be found at your local pharmacy – Walgreens, CVS, or Rite Aid.  It’s also available at Ulta as well as on Drugstore.com & Amazon.  The mini single-use packages are available at Walmarts.  Outside of the handful of these locations, I’m not sure where else they would be sold.  The regular 6 fl oz. bottle is a better bang for your buck, especially when comparing $4 vs $1.40 and the amount of product you receive (6 oz vs .5 oz).

OVERALL:

I quite enjoy this mask.  It goes on smoothly and dries quickly – within 5 minutes or so your mask will be completely dry.  As it dries your face will feel tighter but it’s not uncomfortable, even if you are talking while it’s dried and/or drying.  The texture of the mask gets harder on your skin after dried – which makes sense since the product is made of clay.  I thought it would be a lot harder to wash off but with a few handfuls of water, it rinses off with ease.  You could even put this on before taking a shower and easily rinse it of while showering.  The water and a slight rub of your hands remove it with ease.  I found after use, my skin feels much smoother and softer after use.  I quite enjoy this mask and the results obtained from using it.

RATING:

4 stars

REVIEW: Montague Jeunesse Cucumber Peel-Off Masque

I had hauled this mask forever ago and finally got around to trying it. I was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out considering as I opened it and applied it, I was at first a bit skeptical.

PACKAGING & PRICE:
The Montague Jennesse Cucumber Peel-Off Masque comes in a thin 0.3 fl oz. foil pouch that you rip open to reveal and squeeze out the product. Since the product is in such a thin foil pouch there isn’t a whole lot of room this will take up. That is unless you had about 20 of them then they’d take up some space – but since they are so thin (compared to an envelope) you could tuck them into a basket and they’d be fine. The only downfall with foil pouches is you need to make sure your hands are completely dry before trying to open it. The price really varies, but you can get them on sale for 2 for $3 at Walgreen’s or generally if you are only buying one stores tend to charge you $1.99. Although you can get them for $1.37 at Walmart.

PRODUCT:
When I first opened the product I noticed the slight green coloring to the gel. As I started to apply it to my face (product applies relatively clear looking) I found the scent to be borderline offensive. But now when I say offensive let me explain – I HATE the smell of alcohol (rubbing alcohol). Something about it just instantly congests me and makes me feel as though I can’t breathe. So needless to say I was holding my breath for a moment until I got the product onto my face. I did not notice a cucumber scent, but honestly, the alcohol smell overwhelmed me and I couldn’t smell anything else. As the product was on my face it started to “burn” my skin just slightly, particularly around nose area. Not an uncomfortable burn, but a few waves of my hands near my face calmed that. I do use an acne regiment so I’m sure that was also in part of the burning. As the product starts to dry – roughly 5-10 minutes after application, it starts to show slightly rubbery on the face, while clear in others. You’ll notice it’s drying because your face will feel a bit tight. As you peel the masque off, it reveals your freshly, smooth skin.

PURCHASING:
You can purchase these at any Walgreen’s – but you cannot purchase these on Walgreen’s website. You can find these at CVS and you can also purchase these on CVS’s website BUT you cannot ship these by air service due to the alcohol in them and the regulations associated with shipping aerosols and/or alcohols. You can get these at Ulta stores and Walmart stores (they’re the cheapest as most things are at Walmart).

OVERALL:
Minus the smell I will say this is a pretty stand up product. It made my face feel very smooth and refreshed. After a long day my face feels greasy since I have oily skin but after washing my face and applying this, it felt nice. It did not over dry my skin, didn’t even dry it, or cause too much moisture. I liked the end result and I will be repurchasing at some point!

Big Lots haul

This is a relatively overdue Big Lots haul.  I had popped into Big Lots to browse around one day and ended up picking up some goodies in the beauty aisle (as per the norm).  I was pretty happy to see they had some of the large bottles of Aussie volumising shampoo which is my go-to shampoo at the moment.  Unfortunately they did not have the conditioner so I'm going to have to make a run for Target/Wal-Mart to pick it up since the bottle I'm currently using is just about emptied.  The only product I have not used yet is the mud mask since it was a relatively impulsive purchase.

Here's what I picked up:

- Aussie Aussome Volume shampoo
- Listerine Whitening Mouth Wash
- St. Ives - Intensive Healing lotion
- Mud Mask with Dead Sea Minerals