Products I Love - My Top 5 Favorite Lush Products

I'm a huge Lush fan. All-natural, hand-made, never tested on animals, amazing scents, real ingredients - what's not to love? I can honestly say I've never purchased something from Lush that I didn't like. Unfortunately, the closest Lush store to me isn't all that close, so every time I get a chance to pop into the store I pick up my old favorites and try out some new things as well. I have several Lush products that are a part of my regular routine, and some that I save for special occasions or pamper nights. 

On a regular basis, I use their Breath of Fresh Air Toner. Don't let the word "toner" throw you off - this is basically just a facial mist. It's not at all drying and doesn't have any alcohol in it like a lot of traditional toners. Facial mists are so refreshing; I love to use this during the summer when it's super hot outside. It's made with seawater, seaweed extract, & aloe vera so it's very soothing and moisturizing. I spritz this onto clean skin and then follow up with a moisturizer. 

Another favorite of mine is the Ocean Salt Face & Body Scrub. I keep this in my shower and use it weekly on my body. It's made with sea salt, lime, and vodka so it's refreshing and gives your skin a very deep clean, but it also has avocado and coconut to keep skin moisturized. When my face is feeling particularly dry, I use this as a facial scrub, too. I love the smell of this! Reminds me of the beach.

One of my favorite cleansers to use in the morning is Angels on Bare Skin. I have very dry skin, so while I remove my makeup and cleanse with a more heavy-duty cleanser at night, in the mornings, I like to use something gentle and moisturizing. I don't like to strip my skin of necessary oils in the morning. This cleanser doesn't really lather or foam up like some cleansers, and because of the ingredients and consistency, it gently exfoliates as well. 

My new favorite from Lush is the Ro's Argan Body Conditioner. I picked this up a few weeks ago and I have been obsessed with it since then. This is a shower lotion. Yes, a shower lotion. This is meant to be applied to damp skin while you're still in the shower and then rinsed off before getting out of the shower. This. Smells. So. Good. I could smell this all day. It's made with rose, cocoa butter, almond and Argan oils. I'm pretty lazy when it comes to moisturizing my skin after a shower and this becomes a bigger issue in the winter when my skin is much drier. Slathering this on in the shower and rinsing it off quickly is much easier and it leaves my skin so soft and hydrated. I have used this every other shower and I have not had any dryness at all. It was a little pricey at almost $35 for about 8 and a half ounces, but I will definitely be repurchasing this. It was totally worth the price to me - it feels so luxurious on the skin, smells amazing, and really works. Also, it doesn't take much to really moisturize a large portion. I still have more than half of the pot left and I've been using this for several weeks now. 

My last Lush staple is their Butter Ball Bath Bomb. I love to try out all their seasonal bath products, but this is one that I always pick up to use when I feel like a nice luxurious bath. It smells so good - like creamy vanilla and cocoa butter. This fizzes up as soon as you drop into your bath, makes the whole room smell like warm vanilla, and rehydrates skin that may have been dehydrated by a hot bath. I keep a few of these in my bathroom and they scent the entire room. 

I love making a trip to the Lush store to see what new bath bombs they have and any other products I need to try. Let me know what you can't live without from Lush!

Until next time! xoxo

Favorites: Vanilla Bean Noel at Bath & Body Works

Vanilla Bean Noel Ultra Shea Body Cream & Shower Gel

Vanilla Bean Noel is back!!! This is my all-time favorite scent. I wait all year for this to return at Bath & Body Works and I stock up on all things Vanilla Bean Noel. Candles, lotions, shower gels, oh my! If you haven't tried a Vanilla Bean Noel product, you're seriously missing out and I suggest you run, not walk, to your nearest Bath & Body works to sniff these!

B&BW recently had a sale on all their body creams. $4 lotions? Yes, please. Needless to say, I stocked up on some for myself and also for gifts and stocking stuffers. If you're still doing some last minute holiday shopping or you're in need of some stocking stuffers - these are your answer. The ultra shea body cream is creamy and silky without being greasy and it really hydrates dry skin. I use this as both a body and hand cream. If you've already finished shopping but love this scent (or want to love this scent) I would highly recommend hitting the shops after Christmas. The candles are to die for and I hoard them so I can burn them all year.

I actually discovered this scent on accident. I love B&BW scents and I've always been a fan of theirs, but I don't exclusively shop for candles there - I like a good variety. I stumbled upon some brand new Vanilla Bean Noel candles at Goodwill while I was looking for some vintage thrift items to repurpose. I smelled them (because I can't pass a candle without giving it a sniff) and immediately fell in love. I'm a sucker for anything vanilla but these take plain ol' vanilla to a whole new level. The key notes (according to the back of the lotion bottle) are: fresh vanilla bean, warm caramel, sugar cookies, whipped cream, and snow-kissed musk. Vanilla, sweetness, and musk - a perfect combination. 

As a little side bonus, B&BW does not test on animals. There is always some kind of sale or bundle deal going on, especially online and they are the BEST at sending out coupons. Get your hands on some coupons and hightail it to your nearest store to get your hands on any Vanilla Bean Noel product. You won't be sorry!

Happy holidays! I hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday break.

Until next time! xoxo

The Body Shop: Vanilla Brûlée Body Butter - Review

I recently made an online order at The Body Shop. I have several of their products that I love but I don't have a store very close to me. I can find some of their products at Ulta but I had quite a few things that I wanted to try so I decided to go ahead and place an order online. If you read my blog, you may know that I love The Body Shop face masks. I typically buy them in single-use sachets, but I wanted to order the full sizes and the Chamomile cleansing oil based on an Amelia Liana recommendation (review coming soon). Just before check out, I added the Vanilla Brûlée Body Butter. Unfortunately, I had to add this to my list of disappointing products.

I don't hate this product, but it wasn't as impressive as I had hoped it would be. The smell is amazing - I definitely wasn't disappointed by the that. It smells so rich and creamy and the tub is a good size. I got this on offer for $10 (half price) and I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the tub - I think that's a fair amount of product, especially if it's half-off. It's been cold here lately and my skin is definitely suffering, I've been exceptionally dry and have been trying out various products to see what works best. I was hoping this new body butter would be my new best friend. When I first dabbed into the lotion, I liked the consistency - it's thick and creamy, just as you'd expect a body butter to be. As soon as I began to rub it in, however, I noticed that it doesn't seem to spread very well. It's so thick that it doesn't work into a larger area of skin. I end up needing a huge amount of product for a small area of skin just because the lotion doesn't spread out. It does leave you feeling a bit greasy, but I expected that since it's considered a "butter." I felt like at least that sticky feeling would mean that I would be nicely moisturized by the morning.

The problem was that I didn't feel all that moisturized the next morning. It seems as if all the lotion disappeared and my skin wasn't able to drink up any of the moisture. Especially since it's called a "body butter" I expected this to be an intense hydrator and something to use when I'm feeling exceptionally dry - to perk up my skin overnight even though it may be thick and a little greasy. Those are all things I can deal with if the moisture payoff is worth it. I just didn't feel like my skin had made seen any major improvements overnight, and for the amount that I had to apply, I don't see the tub lasting very long. I may just use this for hands and feet before bed and forget trying to use it as a body lotion. 

In the future, I may opt for a smaller size to throw into my handbag as a hand lotion, but I probably won't purchase this particular product again. I love the smell and the formulation is nice, but I just wasn't that impressed, overall. That being said, I LOVE all the other products that I have tried from The Body Shop and this definitely won't deter me from continuing to try out their products. Everyone's skin is different and just because it didn't moisture my skin as I had hoped, doesn't mean it couldn't work for a different skin type. 

Have you tried a body butter? If so, what did you think? What are your favorite The Body Shop products?

HUGE Fall Candle Haul & Review

I'm a candle addict. I have been on several shopping trips since the beginning of September to stock up on fall (and winter) candles. I love burning candles and making the house smell and feel like Autumn. It can really make you feel more festive. Here are the candles I have recently picked up...

Pumpkin Caramel Latte - I found this at Bath & Body Works. It's part of their limited edition Pumpkin Cafe line. It's sweet and caramel-y with notes of espresso. I'm (not so patiently) waiting for cooler weather to light this one. This scent has gotten rave reviews online - it's a favorite of many! 





Heirloom Pumpkin - This pumpkin scent is more fresh, but still very autumnal - with hints of nutmeg. It's spicy and perfect for fall. I love these mason jar candles; I'm going to clean them out and reuse them when they're gone. Bath & Body Works candles strongly scent the entire room and I've been burning this candle a lot lately and it seems to burning slowly but giving off tons of spicy pumpkin scent.

Artisan Market Mason Jar Candles

Vanilla Chai

This is one of my favorites so far. It smells just like my routine Starbucks order: Vanilla Chai Latte. Notes of vanilla, cinnamon, and those unmistakable chai spices. I can't wait to start burning this one.

Banana Nutmeg Bread Pudding

This smells like bananas. If you're not a banana fan, this one isn't for you. The banana smell is a tad artificial but when combined with the nutmeg and brown sugar scents, it really does smell like banana bread pudding. I'm interested to see how this smells when it's burning. 

Vanilla Snow Flake - This is one of my all-time favorite scents. I LOVE the vanilla variations that B&BW releases. One year, I stocked up on Vanilla Bean Noel so that I could burn it throughout the entire year. This is a very similar scent. It's the perfect vanilla with subtle hints of peppermint that really brighten up the smell. I'm saving these for serious winter coldness (can't wait!). I also really love the packaging and labels on these. The 3-wick candle has the cutest label and snowflake detailing on the lid. 

Espresso Bar - This smells like a freshly brewed cup of espresso. I bought this intending to burn it in the kitchen so it always smells like fresh coffee. It has light hints of vanilla as well. This is a "small candle" that claims to burn 20-30 hours. These are frequently bundled for a good discount. 

Apple & Pumpkin Picking - I love Yankee Candles. They are also very strongly scented and really fill an entire room. I would say they burn at a similar rate as B&BW candles. At 7oz, these are slightly larger than the mason jar candles, and claim to burn 35-45 hours. I've had this burning in my bedroom and I love it. It's sweet with strong notes of crisp apple and pumpkin, without any spice or added notes. It's purely pumpkin and apple - perfect for early fall. 

Pumpkin Patch - This is a swirled mix of Yankee Candle's Harvest and Spiced Pumpkin candles. I've had this burning in our guest bathroom - it smells just like an autumn wreath. It smells of cinnamon, pumpkin, and fall spices. I actually picked this up at Home Goods for a discounted price. I thought the Halloween label was cute for October. 

Hot Cider - This smells exactly like hot apple cider - apples & cinnamon. Again, I picked this up at Home Goods for about $6 and I've been burning it in my entryway. It's from the Yankee Candle Simply Home range. The only thing I don't like about Yankee Candles are the shape of some of them - the tapered opening gets blackened from the smoke and towards the end of the candle, it can get really messy if you touch the opening. You have to be really careful about trimming the wick. However, I love this scent, it makes me crave some cider. 

Baked Apple

Crispy, Warm, & Canny Baked Apple. This was $7 at Home Goods and it's one of my favorites. I LOVE the packaging. The jar is so cute and it's actually made from yellow glass (the candle inside is white). I will definitely have to clean this out and repurpose the jar when the candle has finished. It smells just like baked apples - warm apple with a light touch of cinnamon. I enjoy the smell but the jar is really what sold me. This is a DW Home candle. 

Juicy Cranberry - This is another DW Home candle from Home Goods. I should have known because the packaging is almost as cute as the previous jar. This smells like sweet, tart, and fruity cranberries. No spices or anything else - just cranberries. It's in a red glass cup with a cork lid. Definitely another container I want to repurpose. I've been burning this in our master bathroom and I love the way it smells. 

Pumpkin Spice - Another DW Home candle. I didn't pay attention to the brands when I saw these at Home Goods, and they all have very different packaging and labels, but they're all in really cute jars that you could totally use for other things once the candle is gone. More red glass! This candle is very spicy and autumnal. It smells like pumpkin pie spice - cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin. 

Maple Butter

This makes the whole house smell like pancakes. It's warm, buttery, and maple-y. I've been burning this like crazy since I discovered it at Home Goods. I can't get enough. I could burn this any time of year but it makes you want to get warm and cozy in the fall. I can even smell it from outside the front door sometimes. One of my favorites of this haul. 

Everyday Luxe Candles

I think these are the prettiest candles I've ever seen. They're simple with just a touch of sparkle. I have the butter cookie scent sitting on a stack of magazines on my coffee table and it looks so beautiful. The butter cookie scent is very sweet and smells like you're baking sugar cookies; An ultra-sweet vanilla scent. I almost don't want to burn it because it's so pretty. The sparkling plum smells very similar to grape juice but it's very deep and rich. It reminds me of sugar plums and the Nutcracker ballet, so I'm saving this for December. It would definitely be a lovely coffee table candle - it needs to be displayed!

These last couple candles I picked up for their looks more so than their scents.

Wild Honey Nectar - I initially picked this up because of the jar - it's a cracked mirrored silver jar with a simple white candle inside. I expected the candle to be unscented, but it's actually a really nice scent. Surprise, surprise, it's another DW Home candle from Home Goods. This seems more of a spring or summer scent to me, so I haven't burned it yet, but it looks really pretty on display. 

Pumpkin Tart - I picked this up because the jar is really nice. For just under $10, I would have purchased it if it was just the jar. Having a candle inside is an added bonus. Also, it's HUGE (15.5oz) with a burn time of up to 80 hours. It smells like simple, fresh pumpkin. This is a Laura Ashley candle. 

What are your favorite fall and winter scents? Please share your favorites and where you go to stock up on candles!