Picking Apart My Best Feature

I don't have many good features. To me my entire body, face, and everything in between just isn't what I want! If I could, I'd change it all in a flash! But I can't sadly and I'm stuck with my lot in life ;)

I have a hard time picking out my best feature but after some careful consideration I have to say my best feature would have to be my skin! My skin is just good, period.

I had fantastic teenager years with it and nary a problem! I had lovely twenties years with it and nary a problem there either! And finally I'm heading into 30 (Hell, I'll go right ahead and blow my own horn here! I don't look a day over 20! Some people think I'm all of 16 or 17! I get carded when buying movie tickets! I stopped at the Clinique counter in Macy's once and had the Makeup Artist ask me where my mummy was and please to not touch the lipsticks!! I'm looking forward to 60 when I'll look 30 hehehe) soon and so far, tap wood, it's a ok!

Now I can't take credit for it at all! My good skin has everything to do with a great skin care products! Some of which I discussed in my video!

My main skincare has been Lush for quite a while now! I used to use Clinique and after that Philosophy (I still am a philosophy girl in some aspects of my cleaning routine)! I've used quite a few products that have never fully worked for me! But I must say Lush has been very good to my skin and I've come out with blemish free, smooth, lovely skin all the way around!

Lush skincare has an adapting period, it's the same with Lush haircare. When I say adapt it simply means your skin has to grow accustomed to a moisturizer/toner/cleanser/etc...that's has some to no preservatives! Your skin will thank you within a month's time of developing a good skincare routine with Lush however it does need to a bit of time to work!

All my Lush is purchased from the Lush UK website! If you have the means to do so I highly recommend you too get it from there as well, shipping isn't as expensive as you may think plus it actually evens itself out as the products UK side are cheaper and by the time you add in shipping you are paying equal or sometimes even less than an order you'd do here stateside. I find the products on the other side of the pond fresher, with a different texture, and just better all around!

MuseTV Presents: A Short Video Of Lush Products



To go over my main skincare routine I'll do a morning and a evening routine for you.

My skincare in the morning consists of:

In the Shower:
Baby Face All over my face
Rinse
Sweet Japanese Girl rubbed on my nose
Rinse
Ocean Salt Scrubbed all over my face (Three Times a Week no Coalface used the days I use Ocean Salt)
Coalface scrubbed all over my face (4 Times a Week No Ocean Salt the days I use Coalface)

Out of the Shower:
Prep Skin with Tea Tree Oil (If it's a humid, hot day)
Prep Skin with Breath of Fresh Air (If it's a cooler day)
Moisturize with Gorgeous (If it's a summer day or hot day)
Skins Shangra La (If it's a winter day)
Apply Makeup
Done

My Skincare in the Evening consists of:
Remove Eye Makeup with Lancome Eye Makeup Remover
Wash Face with Philosophy Purity
Rinse
Angels on Bare Skin Work Into Paste and Scrub Onto Face
Rinse
Follow with Fresh Farmacy
Rinse
Depending on how try my skin is I'll use Skin Shangra La or When Hope is Not Enough as my night cream
Apply Enchanted Eye Cream
Done

It seems like one too many steps but in the end it does pay off! My skin has never looked so good thanks to Lush and I can't begin to say how great the skincare line is! If you're interested in trying it but not buying it you can stop into your local Lush for some samples of the products! They are happy to decant small amounts into tiny containers to take home with you to sample out! They'll also gladly cut you off slices of Fresh Fharmacy and Coalface to try!

If you'd like to try the skincare routine out but not invest a ton of money they have some really cute portable skincare kits!





These kits are 19.99 and include a variety of skincare products to try out in mini size! Two Kits are currently available and they are for normal skin and combo/dry skin!

The kits are available stateside only so if you're placing an order with Lush UK these are unavailable at this time! I'm doubtful Mark (Lush's Founder and Owner) would even consider adding these to the UK lineup as he is big on minimal packaging and very conscious of the enviroment. These use a bit more packaging than the normal range of products which isn't what Lush UK stands for! So..if you love these...you'll need to do an order from Lush NA!

Please keep in mind all products from Lush expire within a years time! All products are very fresh with little to no preservatives added which give them a shelf life of about a year! I store my perishable Lush in a mini fridge I have for Skincare. Some items such as Angels on Bare Skin, Face Masks, and a few other bits are only good for about 4-5 months. I have found as long as you don't get Angels on Bare Skin wet you can keep it around for a good 8 months or more!

Happy Family


Fresh Farmacy Slices


Fresh Farmacy Wet and Lathered Up!


Fresh Farmacy is purchased in any size you want! Soaps and some skincare products are purchased in different sizes at Lush! It's much like walking into a deli and asking for a slice of this or that! Soap is cut to your size specifications, weighted, wrapped and purchased! Fresh Farmacy comes in a large wheel and is cut to the size you'd like! Normally online the sizes are 3.5oz chunks which in my opinion is plenty enough to last you a good 5 to 6 months! When I get my chunk I cut it into slices and use the chunks one at a time. You can use the entire bar but I prefer small slices! Basically I use this as my last step of the cleaning process prior to moisturizing in the evenings! Some people feel that it leaves a film on your face afterwards and they use a toner to remove it but I don't I just apply my moisturize and that's about it! I like the film it leaves behind it makes me feel like it's working! My forehead is somewhat oily and prone to small breakouts this clears it right up! If you have mild, medium, or even severe acne this is a great product for clearing up your woes!

Coalface


Coalface Wet and Lathered Up! See the little grains of coal?


Coalface is something I use on a regular day to day base! I use it more days than Ocean Salt because I find it's more gentle. Ocean Salt is more of a course scrub where as Coalface is more of a gentle exfoliator that you can use daily without feeling like you're over doing it! It does indeed contain really tiny grains of coal in it and the smell may or may not appeal to you! I've grown to love the scent! It seems primitive but it's actually very effective in drying your face up if you're prone to oily skin and it's also wonderful for any minor acne problems you may have! I use it on my entire face to scrub away flaky skin! I works really well but do be careful as it will dry your skin out a tiny bit more than you want it too! This is sold "off the block" and cut into sizes as I explained above with Fresh Farmacy.

Sweet Japanese Girl

Awww she isn't so sweet in this picture is she?

Ahh that's better! Here's what she looks like prior to getting wet :)


She's quite a good piece of skincare for your beauty arsenal! I love nose strips! Use 'em all the time and swear by 'em! However, nose strips sometimes don't always get the really deeply embedded blackheads and clogged pores on my nose! When they fail to lift that gunk away I turn to this sweet little girl to wipe them all away! She's quite simple to use! Best $10 you'll spend in this life! She has two sides, a softer side and a grainy hard side! Basically you swipe her grainy, hard side over your nose a few times you then flip her over and swipe her soft side over your nose rubbing in circular motions to get the grains working into your nose! This loosens any blackheads you may have and those little nasties will wash away with warm water! Presto! Easy as 1-2-3! This takes a bit of work and may even take 2-5 uses before you see them disappear but upon using her day to day you'll notice less and less blackheads! Mainly she keeps to my nose area and the sides of my nose but some people choose to use her all over the face area! She's too harsh for me to use everywhere so I stick to my nose!

Baby Face


Ahh Baby Face! Sweet Japanese Girl's little brother! This guy is the same formula as Sweet Japanese Girl minus the grainy bits! He's smooth and melty and can be used all over your face for some much needed moisture during cold winter months when you skin feels just a little too tight for your face! He's filled with lovely shea butter that melts upon contact with hot water! Some people choose to use him without water I find he melts better with it! This is perfect for rubbing in between my brow area where I get a bit of dry skin from plucking my brows! He's quite greasy and oily but with a little hot water it'll all wash away leaving your skin wonderfully smooth! He's no good for you if your skin is very oily but if you're a combo skin type or a dry skin type he's perfect and he'll love your skin! With Sweet Japanese Girl and Baby Face I stock up about 6-7 of these prior to April. Reason being is the weather becomes warm and these guys will melt pretty fast when shipped over! So be sure to get a nice little stash into your fridge prior to the warmer months!

Baby Face Prior to losing his face to hot water!


Both fit quite perfect in Lush's shampoo tins! When I travel or I'm not using them I store them in one! Be sure you dry them out fully prior to slapping them in the tin otherwise you'll open the tin the next day to a mess!


Mask of Magnaminty




Lush carries several facial masks in store which are very fresh! These masks last for about 2-3 weeks stored in your fridge but no longer! All are quite good! Mask of Magnaminity or MoM to her devotees is the only Mask that has a shelf life of about 3 months, can be stored in your medicine cabinet, and is sold via mail order (no other mask is)! I think MoM is so popular because of the scent. It smells like chocolate chip mint ice cream which makes it hugely appealing to the masses! Personally I've seen very little results in any skin improvements when using it! It is good for scrubbing away dead skin cells but aside from that I've never seen anything more. Some people claim it removes redness from their faces (I don't suffer from this problem), unclogs pores (never did for me), and removes excess oil (nope still oily after use). I do purchase it randomly when ordering but not as a staple product in my skincare routine! I prefer heading to the Lush shop and picking up a Cupcake fresh mask which smells almost the same, rids me of oily bits, clears my pores, and makes my tired face feel refreshed! The only benefits to MoM is the scent because I've never seen it do much for me! Sadly, Lush Fresh Masks are available in store only! But if you happen to live in the UK, as I hope to soon, you can order these online and have them shipped happily to your door! Lush UK does NOT ship Fresh Masks to the US only to UK residents only (anything else it will ship to our little pond but not masks)!

Angels on Bare Skin


Angels on Bare Skin is advertised as a facial cleanser. Personally I couldn't remove make-up with this even if I tried really hard! However, it is a wonderfully gentle exfoliater! I love using this after cleaning my face with Purity! Only a dime size amount is all you need! You take the small amount, add a drop of water, and rub, rub, rub until a paste forms! Apply to your face in circular motions and rinse! Gorgeous skin! This really helps me with any breakouts I have on my forehead and also prevents oily skin on my forehead area! Truly a lovely product! Big thumbs up!

Gorgeous


Gorgeous is Lush's most posh and pricey moisturizer! This costs about $70 per pot! However, it does last a year through, at least it does for me! $70 a year for a perfect pot of moisturizer isn't too much to pay for gorgeous skin! Personally I believe that Gorgeous is perfect for all skin types. It's super light and absorbs very quickly! Doesn't dry skin out, doesn't make your skin oily, it does what it says it'll do which is make your skin gorgeous! It quite smells like Fruit Loops to me which I enjoy ;) I've used plenty of moisturizers and this is by far the best I've come across! Keeps my skin very happy!

Skin Shangra La


Skin Shangra La is Lush's 2nd most expensive moisturizer but far cheaper to Gorgeous! It's quite good as a nightcream but I use it mostly in the winter months because my skin is so tight and dry during the cold weather season! If you suffer from dry skin this is your escape to soft, dewy, blissfully moist skin! It's rather perfect in all ways! But mind yourself and use it sparsely! A dab will do just fine! It's super emollient which can cause mega oily skin if you aren't careful with it!

Ocean Salt


Ahh Ocean Salt quite a multitasking demon it is! It can be used all over your body! Legs, knees, elbows, and all those rough little areas that need a good healthy scrub! And of course, most important of all, it can be used to scrub away dead skin cells on your face! This works a perfect treat for getting your skin into a state of blushing perfection! I normally use Baby Face prior, rinse a bit, and on goes Ocean Salt for a good hardcore Scrub! This may not be good if you have sensitive skin so try a tiny amount prior to a scoopful! This contains all sorts of goodies! Real, fresh goodies! Coconut, Lime, Lemon oh my! It smells just like a Margarita! Prior to using your Ocean Salt I suggest taking a chop stick inserting it into the jar and giving it a nice stir up! The sea salt on top will be mixed in quite nicely that way! Great for clogged pores, minor pimples, oily skin, and more! As I said, quite the multitasker!

Ultrabland


Ultrabland has disguised itself in this little jar! Shhhhh it's actually Baby Face but in a different format completely! Not so solid but creamy now ;) It's advertised as a cleanser and is quite good at removing eye makeup and general gunk from your face but I mostly use it after cleaning my face with Purity! I use it about three or four times a week during winter months to moisturize my face! Take a tiny amount apply to face and rinse with hot water! Smooth beautiful skin! Not recommended for oily folks!

Two products pictured in my Happy Family shot that I haven't taken close ups photos of but are worth mentioning would be Tea Tree Oil and Breath of Fresh Air!

Tea Tree Oil is perfect for getting your skin to behave itself when it wants to be oily! Spray prior to moisturizing and you'll see your skin will be quite matte and wonderful for make-up application! Lasts all day on me and keeps my forehead from becoming a mirror!

Breath of Fresh Air I keep nice and cold in my fridge and I spray it on prior to moisturizing in the winter months! It's perfect for prepping any skin type for moisturizer!

I think that about covers my favorite skin care products and how I achieve a good illusion of near perfect skin! I hope this helps you make the proper purchase for your skin! I strongly recommend trying Lush out for a week or two and see what your skin feels like after!

I want to know what you think! Do you use Lush now? What are your favorite skincare products? My comment box is at the ready!