Wednesday, July 28, 2010

How to Enjoy LUSH on a Budget + Lolita Sales

Today I will be talking briefly about my most fave place to buy soap and shampoo in the whole wide world--LUSH! :]

And I would also like to mention I am selling a lot of my lolita stuff here:
http://community.livejournal.com/egl_comm_sales/11729601.html

If you mention this blog post I can give you a $5 discount from whatever you want to buy assuming it's over $10 itself. xD

Click the button below to read more about LUSH...





So freshman year of college (2007) is about when I discovered the LUSH and all it's glory! My roommate owned a bar of their buttercream soap, Skinny Dip (since discontinued...BOO!) and one day when I was taking a shower, I was curious about it so I picked it up and sniffed it. It smelled GOOD. I asked her about it, and she told me to try some...so I did! And VOILA. A LUSH maniac was born! Seriously, though. O.O; It's scary what sniffing one bar of soap can do to a person....sniff with caution! xD

I soon discovered a store that might as well be called "land of magical wonders" because each time I go in there, I find something new and delightful to add to my skin, hair, or bath routine. :D I've gotten quite a few friends and family addicted too hah.

The unfortunate part of all this is...well...Lush = expensive. One trip to that store, I can spend up to $100, and maybe even $50 for a few items! So how does one who is new to LUSH or just wanting to budget shop there??

Here are my tips!

(1.) Samples. Samples samples samples. Obviously, though, if you go into any store that does this and ask for 10 different free samples w/o buying anything is going to look tacky or rude. Or just plain cheap! So make sure you buy at least one thing, even a small thing before asking for samples. Or if you aren't sure, ask for help. The shop girls (and guys!) of LUSH are sooo very friendly, at least most all of the ones I've ever met. So don't be shy! Ask for help! :]


(2.) Smaller = cheaper. It's so true! While some of the large sized bottle of stuff are a better deal because you're paying less per ounce or w/e, it's definitely cheaper to buy a small bottle than a larger one, esp if you aren't sure if you really like it or not yet. Even if you've tried a sample, it's hard to see long term results with a small size of product. For instance, I got a tiny sample of Rub Rub Rub and I really like it but not enough to buy a gigantic bottle of it. So I bought a small one, tried it, loved it, and now I buy the larger sized portions!
This goes for soaps and other products as well. Because it takes me FOREVER to use up my Fresh Farmacy cleanser (it comes in big slices) I always ask for a smaller slice about $4.50 worth or so, and that usually lasts me for MONTHS. Because LUSH products are handmade and fresh, each item has an expiration date on it. The expiration date is usually a good indication of when the product should be discarded. You don't have to throw it away or use it up by the specific date on the jar or bottle, it's kind of a guideline. But if you wait way longer after that date, you will notice your product will lack punch! So get the most bang for you buck and pick something that is small enough for you to use up fast enough! :D

(3.) Giftsets. I cannot stress this enough. Giftsets ROCK. For example...I wanted to try a moisturiser called "Gorgeous." It's a VERY expensive product, too, you only get 1.5oz in a tiny little black pot for $89.95!!! Crazy right? Well there are a lot of expensive ingredients in it. I wanted to try it so badly because $90 must = good, right? Well a tiny little sample of it comes in the "Gorgeous" giftbox along with some other products I haven't tried yet plus two of my all time faves--Sakura bath bomb and a Rub Rub Rub body scrub. :D

(4.) Recycle. If you bring in 5 empty, clean black pots or bottles you can get a FREE fresh face mask. The fresh face masks can be seen on display near the register, at least at my local LUSH, and they are in little metal bowls with spoons so you can pick some product up and sniff it. It's a great way to experience their face masks before choosing a free one. :)

(5.) Promotions. Every so often LUSH will do a promotion! Sometimes it's "buy $50 worth of stuff, get a free full sized whatever!" Or sometimes it's a mini cardboard box filled with anywhere from 5 - 7 mini sizes of their regular products. These are an excellent way to try a lot of LUSH products for one low price usually like $15 - $25!

The only other way I could think to save money is to befriend a LUSH store employee and use their awesome employee discount, haha, but that's a little bit extreme. One of my friends used to work there but she moved away. If she still worked at my local store I might politely ask if she could buy me something with her discount and then give her money for it later. Probably not legal somehow haha but whatever. As long as you don't hardcore abuse it, I do this with a friend who works for MAC too. xD



And here are some of my favourite products. I sadly cannot list all of them because it would take up sooo much time and space and you'd probably get bored reading it! Hehehe!


Soap: Ring of Roses

It smells heavenly. This paired with the "Grass" shower gel makes you coming out of the shower smelling like a rose garden! If you really want to get into it, use their new Mud cleansing bar in the shower for full garden effect. :D


Shower Gel: The Olive Branch

Tried and true! The Olive Branch smells...amazing! But that's what I say about all of their products! Boiled vine leaves, fresh olive oil, and mandarin orange juices go into this luscious shower gel!! You have to shake it so the oils and juices are reunited since they tend to separate.


Bath Bomb: Golden Slumbers

It smells like lavender and it has little tiny sticks of lavender that float out when it fizzes in your tub. It's best for before bedtime because the lavender is calming, soothing, and overall relaxing. :)



Bubble Bar: Bathos

It smells like VIOLETS and turns your bath water PURPLE! SUCH a wonderful bath bomb, I usually get 2-3 uses out of mine! It also fills your tub with TONS of bubbles!! :D


Shampoo: Big

I cannot recommend it enough! It smells like fresh dryer sheets for your laundry and it has real piece of sea salt to make your hair shiny, fresh, and clean! It really gets the grease out! I have oily skin and greasy hair so this works wonders!



Conditioner: Retread (liquid) and Jungle (solid)



Retread smells AMAZING and it makes my hair feel amazing too! Jungle smells equally amazing, like the rainforest!! :) It is solid too!! Less packaging = less environmental damage.



Cleanser: Ultrabland (paste) & Fresh Farmacy (solid)


Both of these products are beyond wonderful. My skin is SO oily. I start with Ultrabland. I smear this paste all over my skin and eyes. Its primary function is to remove pollution, dirt, dust, and grime off your beautiful face! It can be used alone but since my skin is soooo oily I followed up w/ Fresh Farmacy. The ultrabland is also marketed as a safe makeup remover! :)

Fresh Farmacy has both chamomile and calamine in it to sooth your face. If you have REALLY oily skin, Coalface might be a better option since it has charcoal in it and it's a bit more abrasive. If your skin is both oily AND sensitive, Fresh F. is the way to go. LUSH also makes little crumbly cleansers you can add water to to make a paste but I find those are pretty messy (think Herbalism, Angels on Bare Skin, Dark Angels, etc.) and are best left for shower cleansing!


Toner: Tea Tree Water

This stuff is pretty awesome. You mist a few pumps onto your face after you cleanse. It removes the excess cleanser and helps your skin's pores absorb the moisturiser which goes on next! :D


Moisturiser: Vanishing Cream

This special cream costs about $37 and it's worth every penny! Throw that old Clinique shit away, those drugstore creams, etc. You might even pay more for a moisturiser from Sephora. Well, don't! Buy this stuff instead! (Or a similar LUSH moisturiser for your skin type! They range from normal to combo skin to oily and sensitive skin!) If your skin is oily, Vanishing Cream is for you. It's got witch hazel, lavender water, rose water, and I think tea tree. It's perfect because it literally "vanishes" off your face and absorbs into your skin rapidly without making your face feel oily or greasy!!


I hope that was helpful to some of you gals (and guys!) who are interested in trying LUSH but not sure how to afford it or what to buy!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Brief Update!

I added a flag counter which you can see to the right on the side bar. It looks like people are actually visiting my blog. O.o; unless they're just spam bots or something, haha.
That would be a shame.

I know I'm not a beauty expert or a pro fashionista or anything, but I love getting comments, so if you just surfed on randomly from a loli or gal comm or maybe a make-up comm, feel free to drop me a comment! I'm going to be getting a shoutbox soon too if some people prefer those, IDK. I love getting random comments, so if you're not a spam bot, feel free to comment away! xD

I'm glad that FUR is a winter trend. Why? Well, I ordered a pair of Jesus Diamante fur boots! I am sooo excited to get them. They're my first piece of JD brand. LOL *commence brandwhoring!* Not only that but they look super WARM! :D And STYLISH! Wow cute and functional? Epic awesome! I shouldn't rejoice too much just yet because, well, (a) not sure if they arrived yet though I am pretty sure one of those two packages, the one w/o tracking number would be the boots and (b) not sure if size L can fit me or not but the previous owner was bigger than me and they barely fit her feet so....maybe there is hope for me yet plus I don't necessarily need an insole. Anyway!

I wish I could make my blog more like Mitsu's but unfortunately I am terrible at both coding and stalking Shibuya 109, haha. Well I guess her living in Japan part time does help. But I am definitely downloading the latest issues of Popteen, Ageha, Egg, and all that stuff, so I will try to post some trends I've been noticing for all you gal people!

For the lolitas, I would like to share with you that I just scored a magnificent deal from Angelic Pretty's website: Powder Rose OP in yellow! It was HALF OFF. O_____O; seriously. Good deal! I can't believe I snagged AP for so cheap. I wonder how long they've been doing that for. (The online sales on English webshop that is.) Either way, yay! And I can't wait to get it soon. :3

I've also got an Innocent World Pullip waiting for me at home in St. Louis. :3 I am on vacation right now in Florida and I will be seeing a good friend later on today, and then we're going to Orlando. :3 Yay Sephora, hah. Yay shopping in general.

I got some make up a little while ago. Click the read more button below to see photos. :3



For all you cosmetics obsessed on here, I recently snagged this palette from Too Faced:

Glamour to Go Palette only $19.50 at Sephora. :D

(And by recently I mean like weeks and weeks ago, sorry I am so slow with updates!)

It is a really great value for the price! You get 8 eye shadows and 4 lipglosses (which I almost used up!) and 1 big chunk of blush! Has a little mirror, great for traveling! :3

The other item I got was Too Faced Natural Eye Palette:


A lazily snapped pic, sorry for terrible lighting! D:
$34 at Sephora, a bit more expensive but I use this DAILY so totally worth it. Great for working professionals!! If you have a job that requires conservatively done makeup, the top row of shades is best for this. No sparkles, no glitter, just lovely, delicious, matte finish! :D I wish Too Faced would release more of these matte shade. I have TONS of sparkly eyeshadows, now I want some plain ones! :)

Well that is pretty much it. I did but a few other things but I figured I'd update with my favorite items for now. >D

I will post some updates after metrocon with my lolita coordinates. Sadly not going to be wearing gyaru though my suitcase is loaded with gal esque stuff, I just dunno if I will go full out gal or not. We shall see! :3

PEACE OUT!

Monday, July 19, 2010

PoupeeGirl Closet!

Ever wanted to keep inventory of your closet? Well being a girl who travels between 3 different states most of the time, I have found it quite hard to keep track of all the cute stuff I own!

So I decided, a while ago, to make a poupeegirl account. It's a website which allows you to upload photos of clothing, makeup, and jewelry that you own and everytime you do this, you get virtual clothes for your poupee girl "doll" or avatar. Then you can dress her up.



here is the link to my closet!
http://pupe.ameba.jp/closet/ZIXiH6wxgcPk/


I finally got a mannequin so from now on I may be using lots of mannequin pics in my poupee closet to better display my clothes haha.

You can also put photos of make-up and jewelry on there as well as hats, hair accessories, bags, and shoes!! It is a ton of fun and can be very addictive! It's also a great way to stay in touch with long distance friends and talk about clothes and fashion! :) You can see how your own closet evolves over time, and it's a great way to see how much stuff you actually own! >_<; hehehe!

So I will leave you with a photo of my mannequin all dressed up! :)





Sunday, July 18, 2010

Stationery!

Do you like to write snail mail letters? Have a penpal or two or three or more?! Well, I am pretty obsessive about my stationery. I have a vast collection. I guess this post will be me showing off said collection! :)

Most of it I obtained from either Kawaii Gifts, a local shop in Pittsburgh where I love to go after eating lunch at Sushi Too (Walnut Street in Shadyside) or the Ross Park Mall location.

It started out as a small shop selling cute stuff from Japan. They've since expanded. Someday I would love to own a little shop like this that sells not only cute items from Japan but pink stationery sets with cute characters on them, and maybe even lolita or gyaru clothes. >D

Hehe I can dream can't I? Anyway. I have a few penpals I like to write to. Some are from overseas! It's a great way to stay in touch with friends you met in your travels as well.

So without further ado....!

Oh and a lot of it came from my trips to Japan, gifts from friends, and also from the Sanrio store in Orlando. :o)

Kawaii Gifts has a website you can visit here.
http://www.shopkawaii.com/

Happy shopping! :)





My entire collection! This was taken a few months ago and I got a couple of new ones but not too much more.


Banao! He is so awesome, haha. My dad got me some of these. He is a huge fan of Banao the Banana Business man too. OR should I say Business Banana(man)?!


Little Witch Town stationery sets. Oops I left a price tag on one! As you can see it's not cheap but totallllly worth it. It's so cute. I use these sparingly though! :) They remind me of my favourite Hayao Miyazaki movie - Kiki's Delivery Service! :D


Hello kitty and Charmmy kitty! SO Cute and SO pink!


BtSSB Stationery Set! :)


MORE! :)




Notepads. :)


I am also a huuuge fan of kawaii/cute stickers. Here is part of my vast & growing collection! :D


My dream stickers so to speak. They have liquid in them!! SO CUTE! I will never ever ever use these! xD haha. Sometimes I just collect and not use!


The cuteness of these stickers will make your head explode!


Don't forget your stamps!


One last over-head shot of my epic collection.


And as a bonus...my graphing calculator! I never leave home without! I wanted to deco it but I think all of the rhinestones would fall off so it got stickers instead! :D


Well that is all folks! Hope you enjoyed my stationery collection picspam haha. BTW I hosted these all on my tumblr.com account so I hope they stay up!!!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Sugar Waxing - Beauty Recipe / Home Remedy!

Yesterday night, I learned how to make a simple home-made wax that is safe and natural for your skin. Click below to learn how I did it. n___n;





You will need:

- candy thermometer
- 1/2 cup of white sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon (approx) of honey or molasses

- cornstarch (for later)

Mix all the ingredients together in a microwave safe bowl. Prepare your candy thermo. Put the bowl in microwave for about 2 mins or so. Take the temperature. You want it to be at "firm ball" consistency. 244 - 248 degrees F, if memory serves me. Once it reaches this consistency (you CANNOT go under or over this temp range or else it's soft ball or hardball and both of those won't work too well) you can let it cool down.
Although one advantage of using hardball is that....over time when you are working with a ball of sugar, your body temp will slowly heat the ball up, thus melting it and making it temporarily un-useable. If it is firmer and more solidified, you can work with it longer although you will have to work it in your palms a little bit first before using it or else it will be too hard to rip off any hairs!

Let your mixture cool either in a fridge or on the counter. It should be about room temp when you go to apply it to your body. Do NOT apply HOT sugar to your skin. This is definitely not like normal "waxing" you do at a salon. In fact, you can really burn yourself if you do this! So please be careful! I am not responsible for any burned body parts. >___<; lol.

BEFORE you apply your sugar.... take a hot bath to open your pores. (IMPORTANT!) Disinfect your areas to be waxed with antibacterial soap or scrubber. Relax. Light some candles or incense. Take about a teaspoon or less of cornstarch, depending on how large the areas you want to wax are...and rub it into your skin where you will be waxing. This prevents you from being sweaty/moist/wet in the area you want waxed. And it also prevents the sugar from sticking too much to your skin, which can be painful. When you are ready to go, grab a clump of sugar and ball it up into a ball. The ball should be sized according to the area you want to remove hair from. You won't need a very large one for eyebrows, but maybe for your legs, a bigger ball.

Take the ball and smear it against your skin, pressing down a little. RIP the ball off in THE DIRECTION OF YOUR HAIR GROWTH. Do not rip against the direction of your hair growth. The follicles should come right out if you are doing it correctly.

Do not take a hot bath or have oral sex for at least 24 hours after you wax. (Obviously the oral sex part referring to if you waxed your genitals.) This works for BOTH men AND women. I know because my boyfriend was the one who discovered it in a local salon. (TMI? LOL.) And he found this recipe and tried it on me last night. It hurt a lot to get waxed down there, so I think I am just gonna stick with my bikini line for now.

If you plan to do your genitals with this, take 1 painkiller an hour or two before you wax, OR drink a lot of alcohol and get sorta drunk. The pain won't be as bad!! Trust me! :o)

I hope this post was useful. Feel free to comment if you want to add suggestions or personal stories. :)




Friday, July 9, 2010

Miss Ohio Vintage Casting Call Recap

I had a really great time on Tuesday at the casting call party!

The owner, Lindsay Patten saw me wearing gal fashion at a local bar a few weeks ago and said she liked my style and wanted me to model for her. So I showed up at the casting call wearing gyaru again. :o)

Click the Read More link for photos!

I also went to LUSH and Sephora yesterday! Yay! I got the following:

LUSH

- "Grass" body wash, mm smells like fresh mowed grass haha.
- "Brimstone" body scrub, with sulfur (!) and jasmine. I can't wait to try it!
- "Big" shampoo
- "Retread" conditioner (my fave)
- "Charlotte Island" tanning product. I adore it.
- "Brazen Honey" facemask, for free because I recycled my pots. :3

Sephora

- "G" mini spray thing (since I am almost out of my old one and I LOVE IT)
- Kat Von D brown eyeliner (I lost my black one of hers, daaamn. I almost bought YSL eyeliner but it was $35 !! D:)
- NARS blush in Orgasm (a cult classic apparently)
- Tokidoki Blue Mascara, mmm!

Photos in my next post, promise! :o)



OK here are my pics! Enjoy! :P








Me and Erik. ^____^


And again, hah.


Thanks for looking! Next post is loot post, I promise! :3

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Cute things!

Package from Mai came in the mail today! Yipee! I am so glad! I wanted my cancan hat in time for the casting call tonight. :3

I actually ended up getting two cancan hats. One is from a Korean seller which I actually like a LOT more than the one Mai got for me on Yahoo Japan Auctions so I may be selling my extra one in my little shop thingy which you can access from the right hand panel of the blog.

Among the loot from Mai:
- More Liz Lisa towels (*squeeee!*)
- Cute Liz Lisa Eco Tote that came with the towels. I am gonna put groceries in it. :3
- 10 boxes of chocolate candy +jewelry from Kabaya, the same company that makes the Seven Stars necklaces. I got bracelets, rings, and a SUPER cute necklace, omg omg omg. xD so lucky! I feel like a little kid opening my Pokemon booster packs. >D I think the jewelry is perfect for fairy kei! :3
- CanCan hat from Y!J Auctions
- Free gifts! A cute keychain from sanrio now on my camera and a super cute hello kitty wind chime thingy that I hooked on my fan cord. >D



Pics!

Kabaya Loot:


I got SO many cute things omg. I got duplicates of the butterfly pearl ring and the multi color star bracelet, if anyone wants to buy them! Or I may give them as gifts to my friends, heehee.

Empty boxes....hehe.


Ring!


BEAUTIFUL necklace!


Liz Lisa Catalog:


Boater/Cancan hats!


Liz Lisa towels:


Free presents from the wonderful Ozawa-san:


I also got some goodies from Amazon.com but they were totally not-exciting things like cookie cutters in the shapes of card suits (for making cookies for Erik and his magic night gatherings) and a pastry wheel, and a pastry mixer. :D I am a whore for baking what can I say? :3 I even made an American Flag cake for the 4th of July!! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday if you're from the US! If not, hope you had a good weekend anyhow!

Until next time.... :3


Thursday, July 1, 2010

Liz Lisa GET! MA*RS GET!

OMG! Can barely contain my excitement! Today a package came in the mail from my wonderful friend Emma in Chicago. She just got back from Japan recently and was able to purchase a few things for me from some Japanese gal brands! :3

GAL LOOT:

- MA*RS Tote Bag
- MA*RS Perfume
- MA*RS Wristwatch (I want another one now!)
- MA*RS Heart sticker! :3 (Saving for when it's time to deco my new phone, or may stick it on my pink laptop!)
- Liz Lisa White Pearly Purse (SO beautiful...!)
- Liz Lisa Pink Floral Hand Towel
- Liz Lisa White Logo Bath Towel

...and I have two more towels on the way from Mai. Oh man. These towels were ON SALE and they are suuuper nice! They are still available according to Liz Lisa's website, so definitely check them out! :o) They're from their new line called Chambre a Coucher which is pretty much household type items like bedding, tissue box covers, towels, notebooks, flower magnets, pencils and other such items!
http://e-coma.jp/lizlisa/category/61/

I had wanted some cute MA*RS tights but they apparently weren't stocking them yet? Or maybe they were sold out because I think two of my gal friends already own a pair of them so they must have had them at some point! Maybe they were so popular that they decided to bring them back? Who knows...!

After class I will be editing this post with links to each item on each store's online shop so you can see.

Also I realised I have a ton of stuff I never posted anywhere online yet or did reviews for like especially make-up and some shoes and clothes, so I will be back to blogging pretty much the rest of the week since I only have class Mondays and Wednesdays! Weeee!

Click below for my photos and videoooo!