Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Facial Cleanser and Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanseraturals

When it comes to my face, I like to use products that will deep clean my pores, yet won't overdry my skin.  I also like to mix up my face wash a bit (I don't know why, but I do).  I like to use the Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Facial Cleanser as well as the Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser.  I use these products in my morning skincare routine.

Cetaphil has no acne medication in it so I like to use it when my skin has less active breakouts. It's a clear cleanser that feels very milky on the skin.  It does not become overly foamy when wet.  It deep cleans and rinses clean so it doesn't feel like I still have cleanser on my face afterwards.  And it doesn't dry my skin out at all.  This normally keeps my face clear from breakouts, but I still occasionally get a bad breakout every so often.  Usually I'll get a bad breakout if it's that time of month, or if I'm stressed out, or if I have a bad reaction to some makeup.  If this happens, I reach for the Neutrogena Naturals.  It almost feels the same as Cetaphil, but doesn't feel quite as milky.  It also doesn't rinse clean as well as the cetaphil does.  I do like that there is Willowbark instead of salicylic acid or benzoyle peroxide. This makes it slightly less drying then other acne facial cleansers.  I like to use these cleansers with my Sephora Face Complexion brush (because I'm way too poor for a Clarisonic) so I can really deep clean my pores.

LUSH Breath of Fresh Air Toner Water

LUSH's Breath of Fresh Air Toner Water is an absolute staple in my skincare routine.  I initially tried the Tea Tree Toner because I thought it would be great for my combination skin, especially for when I got a few active breakouts.  It ended up over-drying my skin so I switched to Breath of Fresh Air.  I like this toner because it's made for all skin types.  It refreshes and softens my skin as well as gets any residue from my face wash off my skin.  I like to use it when I wash my face in the morning, as well as at night.  I use it differently both times though.  In the morning, I like to spray my face directly after I wash my face and then apply my moisturizer.  At night, I like to apply it with a cotton pad to help remove any face wash residue and makeup residue that's left over.  It has a nice smell, not overpowering at all.  It's made from sea water, roses, and herbs.  I don't necessarily smell the rose but I can definitely smell the herbs, rosemary mostly.

This is definitely worth a try if you have combo skin like me.  If you have acne prone skin, try the Tea Tree Toner.  If you have dry skin, Eau Roma Water might be your best bet.

P.S. A tip I got from the S.A.: Keep the toner in the fridge, especially in the summer.  It will be even more refreshing and it will help keep you skin cool in the heat!

LUSH Skin Drink

My skin has seen drier days the past few months.  It was especially dry during the winter months.  My Vanishing Cream moisturizer wasn't cutting it so I decided it would be a good time to try out another one from LUSH.  I decided to try out Skin Drink, although the SA was heavily pressuring me to buy Gorgeous (I love LUSH but I am NOT spending $90 on a moisturizer that may or may not be good for my skin).  This moisturizer is perfect for dry skin.  It's made with a nourishing blend of avocado, rose petal extract, aloe vera, and sesame oil. I like this lotion because it soaks right into your skin and it doesn't leave your face a greasy mess.

While this was a great moisturizer for me during the past 6 months, it's not so great for me during the midsummer months.  Because it has been so hot and humid in the Northeast, the combination of sweat and this moisturizer has broken my forehead out quite a bit so I  had to switch back to the Vanishing Cream moisturizer.  I'd recommend this for someone with dry to very dry skin.  If you know you only have dry skin during the winter, I would get it for those months but I would invest in a different one for the summer time.  I know I'm definitely looking forward to using this one again once it gets cooler out!

Skin Drink

Buffy Body Butter

I have the driest skin on the planet.  I'll put lotion on, it'll soak in but about an hour later my skin will feel dry once again.  My legs are worst of all.  My mom tells me I have "gator skin".  It gets frustrating.  I decided to get  Buffy (formerly Buffy the Backside Slayer) because it's exfoliating as well as moisturizing.  While the exfoliating is great on the lower half of my body, it's not as great on my upper half.  I feel it's a little too harsh.  The first time I used it I had scratches all over my arms, stomach, and chest.  I was pretty gentle around those areas too.  I'm going to continue using it on my lower half, but I may try Aqua Mirablis on my upper half since I heard that it's less abrasive.  Another thing to watch for is a greasy feeling after you use it.  Personally I don't mind it, but it may be off-putting to some.

To use Buffy, you want to wet the bar in the bath or in the shower and rub onto the skin in a circular motion.  Make sure to keep the bar out of the water when not in use because it will melt!  Store in a cool place.

If you have very dry skin, this is a must have product.  If not, the best product to try would probably be Aqua Mirabilis or You Snap The Whip.

Buffy Body Butter

Maintaining Ultra Soft Lips

 

Soft, kissable lips is on every woman's wish list (I know it's on mine!).  Getting these soft lips has never been easier. There are a number of exfoliators and balm that help to achieve this.  Let me show you what I use:

There are a number of different ways that you can exfoliate your lips.  You can use a wet washcloth or toothbrush and brush away the dry skin.  You can also make your own sugar scrub.  You can either mix olive oil and sugar or honey and sugar.  You can even mix all 3!  Since I don't have a ton of time to concoct my own scrub, I've been using a few lip scrubs by LUSH: Mint Julips and Popcorn.

Mint Julips is my absolute favorite scrub.  I mean, I've been using it for years.  It tastes like mint chocolate ice cream.  I love the way the mint makes my lips feel afterwards.

Popcorn is another favorite of mine.  It used to be available only during the holiday season, but due to popular demand, it is now available year round.  I like that this tastes sweet, yet salty like kettle corn tastes. Another reason I love these lip scrubs is because they are completely edible!  You clean it off your lips by licking off the excess.

LUSH Ocean Salt

Ocean Salt is my Holy Grail face scrub.  I absolutely LOVE the way my face feels after using this.  I love the smell also.  It smells like a delicious margarita! The main ingredients in this scrub are avocado, coconut oil, lime infused vodka, and sea salt.  It is great for oily/combination skin, but I would not recommend this for people with dry skin.  I do have to warn you that it's pretty abrasive, so if you don't like or aren't used to that type of scrub, it's not for you.  It's really important to stir the scrub before you first use it so that you can mix in the larger grains of sea salt.  It's a bit expensive, but I find it a big staple in my skincare regimine as it keeps my skin nice and clear.  I like to use it in the shower after I wash with my Cetaphil.  I highly recommend this product!

Freeman Feeling Beautiful Face Masks

Freeman is a brand of super affordable face masks.  They  make all different kinds of masks.  They make: clay, peel-off, brightening and polishing masks.  My two favorite masks are the Dead Sea Minerals Anti-Stress Mask and the Pomegranate Revealing Peel-Off Mask.

The Dead Sea Minerals Anti-Stress Mask uses both Bentonite and Kaolin clay.  Clay masks are absolutely wonderful for people with extremely oily skin or combination skin (such as myself).  The mask itself is thick and creamy and is easy to spread on the face. It's also a very pretty aquamarine color.  The mask takes about 10-15 minutes to dry, depending on how much of the mask you slather on your face.  Honestly, you don not need to put a ton on your face.  A thin layer will work just as well as a thick layer, and you're really only wasting product as the excess product just sits on the face doing nothing.  Then just rinse the mask off.  Be careful though.  There have been a few times when I thought the mask stained my face blue.  IT WILL COME OFF.  I find that any staining will come off with cotton pad soaked in toner.  My face feels über refreshed after this mask.

The Pomegranate Revealing Peel-Off Mask contains acai, goji, pomegranate, mango, mangosteen, cranberry, noni, and blueberry.  These ingredients are high in antioxidants.  This mask is to help purge to pores of all the gunk that accumulates in there.  It is a thick jelly consistency that has a faint purple tint to it. I find it hard to spread on my face.  Again, the package says to leave the mask on and let dry for 10-15 minutes.  I feel this mask takes a little longer than 15 minutes to completely dry.  If you don't let it dry completely, it will not peel off correctly.  Once dried, it should be easy to peel off.  For me, this mask hurts a little to take off because it gets so stuck to my skin.  It almost feels like you're taking one big pore strip fro off your face.  But it's worth the benefits, because my skin feels very fresh and clean afterwards.

I like to use each mask once a week.  I like to use the Dead Sea Minerals Mask in the middle of the week to calm my face.  I like to use the Pomegranate Peel-Off at the end of the week to detoxify my pores.  These are great products and I'm actually looking forward to trying more Freeman Beauty Masks in the future!

Honey I Washed The Kids Soap

Honey I Washed The Kids was the very first item I ever purchased from LUSH.  I think I first saw this in one of Elle Fowler's (allthatglitters21) videos.  The soap smells of honey, caramel and deliciousness.  And I like the decorative wax honeycomb on top, even though it can be a pain in the ass in the shower.  It's pretty creamy, but it doesn't lather very well.  I'm the type that likes to use a washcloth in the shower and it doesn't lather at all in a washcloth.  DO NOT USE THIS ON YOUR FACE!  This goes for all the soaps except for the Queen of Hearts soap.  The soaps are somewhat drying.  I also suggest cutting the soap into chunks because it melts pretty quickly in the shower.  In the end, it's a pretty good soap and worth a try.  It would make the perfect gift for someone is new to LUSH.

Honey I Washed The Kids

LUSH Herbalism Face Cleanser

Herbalism is my Holy Grail face cleanser.  It is a clay based cleanser designed for oily/combination faces.  It is made with almond, rose, rosemary, nettle and rice vinegar.  It's not the best smelling product in the world but it works absolutely fantastic.  Let me show you how to go about using this strange cleanser.

You need about a pea-size amount of cleanser.  I use just a bit more because it's crumbly and I end up losing a little in the sink.  You then take the cleanser in the palm of your hand and wet it.  Don't wet it too much though.  It should look like a paste.  If you add too much water, the cleanser will be too runny and becomes ineffective.

Some people like to rub it in between the palms of their hands and work it onto their face like that.  I like to cover my face like a mask and wait about 30 seconds before I wash with it

Then after you are done washing, just rinse it off like a normal cleanser.

I love this product because it cleanses the skin without stripping it.  I don't have that extreme dry feeling afterward.  I also love it because the almond shells in it act as a gentle exfoliate.  The one thing I'm not a huge fan of is the smell.  It smells just like what it's called, very herbal.  It's definitely a smell you have to get used to.  However, it doesn't deter me from using this wonderful product!

Herbalism Face Cleanser

Night time LUSH Skincare Routine

I love LUSH's skincare products.  I find that their products have really helped to clear up my skin (although I still get an occasional breakout due to my time of the month).  Their products are natural, many of them vegan.   My night time skincare routine consists of mainly all LUSH Products.  I cleanse with  Herbalism face cleanser.  I use Breath of Fresh Air toner water to get any excess cleanser off my face.  Then I moisturize with Skin Drink, which is a heavier moisturizer. I follow that with Grease Lightning spot treatment on what ever active breakouts I may have.  It's a fairly simple night time routine, but these products have done wonders on my skin.

The only small gripe I have about LUSH is that their products are pretty expensive, but it's definitely worth it if it helps keep my skin looking good!

LUSH USA

P.S. I will do individual reviews on all products and on LUSH itself :)