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Curiously Carmen

Lush Herbalism cleanser review

July 29, 2014

I talked about this briefly in my June 2014 favourites post , but I have been loving this cleanser so much lately that I just decided to write a completely separate post! Back in May, I picked up this sample while I was at my local Lush store with a friend. Initially, I didn’t like this product at all but it grew on me.

I hated the texture of it, how I had to add water to the mixture before applying it on my face, and how messy it was to use! But after a week of putting up with the messiness, I noticed that my skin tone improved and I wasn’t as oily if I used this product the day before. After carefully rationing my sample so that I could maximize the use (LOL we’re all guilty of that, don’t even lie! haha) and careful consideration (sadly I don’t make much money at my part time job and I’m on a student budget), I decided to purchase the full size a month later.
photo 2 (9)I believe I bought the 100 g pot, which was $14. I’m used to buying drug store cleansers, so this was pricier than I was used to. But since I tried it before, I knew that it would be worth the price!
**Read more: Lush Cosmetic Warrior fresh face mask **
photo (1)The texture of the cleanser was something I have not seen before. I took a closeup, because I’m not too sure how to describe it. It is a bit moist and flaky, and a tad bit grainy. I read on another review that you aren’t supposed to get this cleanser wet, or it can start to go bad since it contains natural ingredients.

However, I got my sample size pot wet by accident and I haven’t seen it go bad yet (had it for a bit over 2 months now).
photo 1 (9)Ingredients (as listed on site): Ground Almonds, Kaolin , Glycerine ,Chlorophyllin Water (Aqua) , Nettle, Rosemary, Rice Vinegar Extract, Rice Bran, Gardenia Extract, Rose Absolute,Chamomile Oil, Sage Oil, Fragrance | After reading the ingredients, it makes sense why there is a grainy texture to the cleanser- probably the ground almonds and/or rice bran. I love being able to read the ingredients list and know exactly what most of the ingredients are /how it is derived. 


Steps: As mentioned above, I initially hated the cleansing process with this cleanser. It comes in a moist-ish type of packed clay tub.
photo 3 (7)Step 1: Take a pea sized amount with your fingers, and put it in your palm.
photo 4 (6)Step 2: Take a dab of water and gently drop it into the cleanser, so that it resembles a traditional cleanser. This part can be a bit messy, so be sure to do it over the sink. Then, you transfer the mixture onto your skin and wash. Applying this onto your face can be messy too, as the watery liquid can possibly run down your arm or neck/ aka everywhere it was not meant to be.

Pros:
-Keeps skin oil free, does not over dry
-Controls breakouts really well; I use this more often when I feel my skin breaking out and it usually does a great job in combatting the breakouts or making them not as bad
-Leaves skin feeling very soft and smooth (it is a gentle exfoliant as well)
-I would recommend this if you have oily, acne-prone skin

Cons:
-Messy!!!
-May be hard to adjust to at first
-Pricier than drugstore cleansers
-Since it is made with natural ingredients, they suggest finishing the tub within three months of purchase incase they go bad
-Unpleasant, herbal, earthy smell

Thanks for reading! Leave me a comment and tell me what you think about this product!
-Carmen


Filed Under: body, face Tagged: american beauty, beauty, beauty blog, beauty blogger, beauty routine, canadian beauty, cosmetics, cosmetics review, face mask, LUSH, lush cosmetics, makeup, makeup blog, natural face mask, natural makeup, skincare, skincare routine, UK beauty

Etude House- gradient nail trio

July 17, 2014

The full name of this nail polish is actually Etude House Juicy Cocktail Graduation Nails, but that seemed like too long of a name to

include in my title. The name also doesn’t really make sense, but oh well 🙂 I was over at my friend’s house, and loved the gradient and golden shimmer on her nails. She told me that her aunt got the set for her in Hong Kong, and let me use it as well. The nail polish set comes with three shades, which you are supposed to use in a specific order for the desired gradient effect.
photo 1The nail polish themselves are smaller in size than your typical drugstore nail polishes. After browsing on Amazon, I found that the average price of one set is around $3-10 dollars. The relatively large price window was very surprising to me!

I also came across a review from Youtube beauty guru FromHeadToToe, who had the same set but in different shades. I have attached her picture here because it explains a lot better.
EtudeHouseGradationPeachCrush4Straightforward enough, you start with the translucent polish all over your nail. You can choose to use more than one coat, I used two coats for mine and I will attach a picture of my own nails down below.

After it dries, you apply the second polish, which has glitter to half of your nail – from the tip to the middle, not the base. From there, the third polish is applied which has bigger glitter particles, giving it a beautiful gradient!
photo 2There are also instructions on the back as well (written in Korean but with straightforward pictures).
photo 4Unfortunately, I was only able to wear my nails for one day as I had to work the next day. I work part-time at a coffee shop, where we are not allowed to wear nail polish due to health reasons. This is both good and bad. The good is that I have saved a lot of my money by not buying copious amounts of nail polish.

The bad part, of course, is that I love painted nails and that I miss being able to paint them whenever I want! I apologize for the blurry picture, I was in a hurry to work and quickly snapped this picture. I was having a hard time removing the glitter off my nails. I have yet to find an easy way to remove glitter, if anyone has a solution PLEASE let me know! I know you can wrap your fingers in foil and let it soak but I don’t have the patience to cut up the foil, soak my nails, etc etc etc.
photo 3A better, less blurry picture of my nail. I showed this picture to my best friend and she thought my finger was swollen. No, my nail naturally looks like that,I don’t have “lady-like”  long, slender, and beautiful fingers :(.

Anyways, since I didn’t get to wear this for as long as I hoped (3+ days at least!), I wasn’t able to test how long lasting it was. One thing that I really liked about the nail polish was that it gave my nails a good healthy and natural shine. My nails also looked thicker and healthier with this on, kinda like gel nails but that might have been the top coat I used from my friend. I am hoping to try this polish out again in the upcoming months so I will post an updated review to this current post when I do!
55119

I also found this awesome compilation online of all their various sets! I used the one in the middle, first one on the left. I really like peachy and pink sets in the first row! What about you?

Pros:

  • Love the shade and idea of this!
  • Don’t have to waste time finding three separate nail polishes that will blend well together
  • Gives your nail a healthy shine
  • Many beautiful colours to choose from

Cons:

  • Small nail polish set
  • Glitter was hard to remove (But then again, all glitter polish is difficult to remove)
  • Can’t buy this in Western drug stores or Sephora, best bet is online or in Asia

Update: I wore this nail polish for four days again the week after writing this draft. Most of the polish had chipped off, except for the glittery tips. I noticed that my nails began to chip the second day. After going swimming on the third day, more than half the polish had chipped 🙁 But overall, not too bad! I also didn’t wear a top coat, which probably would have helped!

That’s it to this review! Happy painting everyone!
-Carmen


Filed Under: body, makeup, nails Tagged: asian, asian beauty, asian makeup, beauty, beauty blogger, beauty review, beauty routine, etude house, korean, korean makeup, makeup, makeup blogger, makeup review, makeup routine, manicure, nail design, nail polish, nail routine

June 2014 Favourites!

July 9, 2014

Hello everyone! This is my first time doing a round-up with the Canadian Beauty Blogger network. I am very excited to join this community, everyone is so talented and passionate about beauty products and I hope to bring something to the table as well. I look forward to reading everyone’s posts! Leave me a comment and say hi, I won’t bite 🙂

june favBurt’s Bees lip gloss: I bought this lip gloss due to my search for a lip gloss with natural ingredients. I have been more conscious about what lip products I use, because we directly consume lip product ingredients into our bodies and I would like to minimize the amount of harmful products I consume. I picked this up at London Drugs, and it was around $8. I like how the shade looks on my skin tone, and how non-sticky it is. I haven’t really bought many Burt’s Bees products in the past, but after trying this, I will be looking into more! If you know any lip products that are made with natural ingredients, please let me know!

The Face Shop “Face it”  Oil Cut Pore Balm: I did a separate post on my mini haul from The Face Shop. I use this as a primer in my daily makeup routine, replacing my Benefit Porefessional. I won’t go into too much detail here since I raved about it in a previous post, but I do love this product very much and I’m glad that I found it!

Seahorse crop top: I have never worn crop tops until the past month. I was not comfortable with exposing my navel area, even though my friends have told me that I have a nice belly button which I should take advantage of (?? LOL weird I know). Anyways, on a recent shopping trip, I finally found the perfect summer maxi skirt. I am only 5″2 (5″3 would be pushing it haha), so I either have to cut my maxi skirt to avoid tripping everywhere, or pull it a bit higher. I chose the latter, which finally gave me the opportunity to buy crop tops without feeling super exposed! I absolutely love the seahorse pattern of this crop top, and how loose-fitting and comfortable it is. My maxi skirt and this top will definitely be a Summer staple this year!

London fogs: I am addicted to the Starbuck’s earl grey tea latte, which is the same as a London Fog. The thing that stands out for me with Tazo’s earl grey is the lavender taste. The lavender creates a more rounded and fragrant taste. Last month, I decided to try making my own lattes so that I didn’t have to spend money or waste time going to Starbucks every morning. I bought their vanilla syrup and a milk frother, and haven’t looked back since! The lattes I make at home taste identical to the earl grey tea lattes I buy at Starbucks 🙂 In fact, I am drinking one right now as I type this!

Lush herbalism cleanser: I got a sample of the herbalism cleanser from Lush back in May, and at first, I did not like it because it came in a clay form. You have to break off a bit and wet it with water before cleaning, which was a bit annoying to apply on my skin afterwards. But after two weeks of use (and patience), I noticed that my skin improved and I wasn’t breaking out as much anymore. My skin also became super soft and felt really smooth. I will probably do a separate post on this product because I love it now! I’m glad I gave it a few chances 🙂

Well, that’s it for my June favourites! I hope you enjoyed this post and would love to hear your opinion about these products!

Check out Canadian Beauty Bloggers here!

-Carmen


Filed Under: eyes, face, lips, makeup Tagged: beauty favorites, beauty favourites, beauty guru, beauty routine, crop top, earl grey tea, face wash, lip gloss, makeup, makeup favorites, makeup favourites, makeup routine, soy milk, summer, summer favorites, summer favourites

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Hi and welcome to Curiously Carmen! I am Carmen, the girl behind the blog. You can read more about me here!

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