Sunday 30 November 2014

A LUSH Christmas

17:00 6

Image from lush.com.au
If you’re a regular KaBOOM! Cosmetics reader, you will know of the very strong feeling I have for LUSH. A quick recap for new readers: I love LUSH….like, a LOT! I always eagerly await the little e-mail in my inbox telling me that the Christmas realeases are out so I can shop to my heart’s content. This year, I got an extra little surprise when I was invited to attend the opening of the new Mt Gravatt store and pick out some complimentary Christmas goodies. Very unfortunately for me, I was away for work (as usual) and couldn’t make it but I did make a special effort to pop into LUSH and check out the limited edition Christmas releases. There are some fantastic new additions to the Christmas line this year and I wish my bank account could have stretched just a leeeetle further but here’s what I picked up this year.


Snow Fairy Shower Gel $9.95 for 100g

This may be cheating a little because I actually picked this up as a Christmas present for someone else (so if you’re reading this and you get Snow Fairy for Christmas, act surprised!) but I couldn’t do a LUCH Christmas round-up without including this. I did buy the 200g size during the Christmas in July release so it totally counts. Snow Fairy is a firm favourite with me, the super sweet bubblegum scent and pretty pink colour complement each other perfectly. A little dash of Snow Fairy in my morning shower puts me in mind of a sweet shop at Christmas time and that is guaranteed to put me in a good mood! 


So White Shower Gel $16.95 for 250g

So White is a new addition to the Christmas limited editions and I already love it! It’s a crisp, apple scented shower gel with a dash of rosewater to cleanse and soothe the skin. The scent is to die for, as with most LUSH products and I think this fits so will with the Christmas theme. It brings to mind warm apple cider and snowy nights but it’s also fresh enough to fit well with our steamy Australian Christmases too.


Golden Wonder Bath Bomb $7.50 for 200g

I tried to pick some of the bath bombs I didn’t go for last year and Golden Wonder caught my eye. It looks like a beautifully wrapped golden gift and inside is a bursting blue fizzer that will turn your bath into a Christmas party in no time. Sadly, my bath bomb didn’t make it safely home from the shop but the effect was still amazing and I loved the citrus scent and how soft my skin felt afterwards.


So White Bath Bomb $6.25 for 170g

I definitely don’t do things by halves so when I saw the So White Bath Bombafter smelling the shower gel, I knew I had to have it too! It shares the same apple and rose scent with the shower gel and has a delightful little rosy centre too. It also contains bergamot, rose and white neroli oil to leave your skin super soft and Christmas scented.


Father Christmas Bath Bomb $6.95 for 200g

Who wouldn’t want a delicious bath bomb with jolly old Saint Nick on it? This happy Santa face paired with the same sweet scent as Snow Fairy is guaranteed to leave you full of goodwill and Christmas spirit. 


Northern Lights Bath Bomb $5.50 for 100g

Another new addition to the Christmas range, this bath bomb is unusual in a number of ways. Instead of the traditional round bath bomb, this new kid is cylindrical and fizzes from both ends creating a spiral, Catherine Wheel firework effect. The jasmine and ylang-ylang scent is very calming and soothing, perfect for washing away all the stresses of the holiday season.


Celebrate Body Lotion $28.95 for 225g

Again, this is a little bit of a cheat as I picked it up during the Christmas in July release but it’s for sale again now so I thought I’d throw it in for good measure. I absolutely adore this thick, creamy, orange-scented body lotion. It’s from the same scent family as the Golden Wonder Bath Bomb so for a double hit of citrusy goodness, take a bath with Golden Wonder then slather yourself in Celebratefor an absolutely heavenly mix. The only downside is that it can be quite an oily body lotion so it's best applied at night before bed to give it time to soak in.


If there’s one more thing I wished I’d picked up, it would be the 12 Days of Christmas Gift which contains 12 of LUSH’s top Christmas products in a beautiful picture book-style packaging. It retails for $84.95 which is quite pricey but not extortionate when you think about what’s inside. Sadly, my budget couldn’t quite stretch to include this but there’s always next year!


You can check out the entire range here. As a tip, if there's anything you especially want, LUSH do a great 50% off Boxing Day Sale but you have to be quick! Have you picked up anything from the LUSH Christmas range this year?


Dani xo
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Thursday 27 November 2014

DIY Lip Balm

17:00 2
Today’s post is something a little different, I’m branching out into DIY! A little while ago, I put up a pic on Instagram of my newly made DIY lip balms asking if anyone was interested. Quite a few people said yes so I thought I would share my super easy recipe to make your own lip balm. It’s quite, simple and easy to customise so you can put your own spin on your lip balm. I’ve been making this particular lip balm for a few months now and I love tweaking the recipe to make slightly different versions.


Ingredients


1. Beeswax– I like to use beeswax as my setting agent but if you don’t want to use animal by-products, you can substitute beeswax for soy wax. I just sourced my beeswax online from eBay through a company called Tanah Body that sells cosmetic grade beeswax.


2. Oil– Here’s where you can go a little crazy as it really doesn’t matter which oil you use, although they will all give slightly different textures and colours. I’ve used avocado oil which I find creates a harder, green balm and coconut which gives a softer, white balm but literally any oil will do!


3. Essential oil – This is the ingredient that gives a scent and a little more moisture to your balm and again, you can go crazy! My personal favourite is pink grapefruit, though I do also like to use vanilla and peppermint but the combinations are endless and it’s completely up to you what you want to use.


4. Containers– It’s completely up to you what you use. You can order little pots or lip balm tubes from eBay at very low cost or you could even upcycle some old containers. If you make too much, you can just pop the extra into any old plastic container and reheat to remould.


A little side note here: as there aren’t any preservatives in this lip balm, the recommended shelf life would be as long as the shelf life on whatever oil you are using. If the lip balm starts to look or smell funny, chuck it out!

Optional extras – If you want, you can add a little colour to your lip balm by using a few drops of edible dye or add a little more moisture with a few drops of Vitamin E.


Method



First things first (I’m the realest…I’m not really, I just couldn’t resist!):


1. Pop the beeswax and oil into a microwave safe container. You can also heat them up on the stove top but I’m sure lazy so I like to use the microwave. Use 1 part beeswax to 2 parts oil so if you’re using 1 tablespoon of beeswax, use 2 tablespoons of oil.


2. Heat up the mixture in the microwave, this should only take a minute or two. The mixture should melt completely, leaving you with a (very hot!) liquid.


3. Add in your desired essential oils, Vitamin E, colours, etc and stir.


4. Pour your mixture into your chosen container and leave to set. This only takes a few minutes but I leave mine for about an hour, just to be sure.

5. Once the lip balm has set, it’s ready to use!

The KaBOOM! Cosmetics Kitchen has churned out many a lip balm recently and now you can do the same! It’s so quick and easy and I love the knowing that the product I’m using was made by my very own hands. Please let me know if you give this recipe a go, I’d love to see your creations!

Dani xo
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Sunday 23 November 2014

Glitter Lips

17:00 5
When I first heard about Glitterlips, I was a little hesitant to try them out. I mean I like glitter as much as the next person, actually probably quite a bit more than the next person but I was really unsure about the concept. I don’t think I’d had that much glitter on my face since the early 90s when I got a makeup kit consisting solely of stacks of neon glitter. Thankfully for me, Glitterlips are several steps up from the makeup kit of my childhood and I was blown away by their product.

The Brand – Glitter Lips (by Beauty Boulevard)

The Glitter Lips brand was born in the UK but have recently made the leap and landed on Australian soil. Beauty Boulevard, an online boutique shopping destination, was founded by Rachel and Paula and Beauty Box Australia is the antipodean extension of Beauty Boulevard. The Glitter Lips brand is exclusive to Beauty Box Australia and has been featured in Grazia and Italian Vogue (!!!) as well as gracing the lips of Khloe Kardashian.

The Product – Glitter Lips* ($29.99 for 3g)


While the price may sound excessive for 3g of product, let me start by telling you that a little glitter goes a LONG way. Anyone who has ever spilled glitter on a carpet can attest to that. Glitter Lips comes in a total of seven shades and if you’re feeling especially brave or creative, you can even mix them up to create your own unique shade. I went for the brightest shade on offer, Molly Dolly, which is a super bright pink but Ruby Slippers (a rich red) would be another stand out shade or Diamond in the Buff (soft peach nude) for a slightly less in-your-face look. Each Glitter Lips shade comes with a bonding agent to stick the glitter to your lips and a little brush to help with application. You simply apply a thin layer of the bonding agent to clean, dry lips and wait until it’s a little tacky then pack on the glitter using the brush and you’re ready to go, couldn’t be easier!

The bonding agent

Glitter Lips claims to last up to seven hours through eating and drinking and is smudge-proof and waterproof, pretty big claims right? Well I put Molly Dollyto the test and was pretty blown away by the results. I applied my Glitter Lips in the morning and went about my regular day of eating, drinking, binge watching TV shows on Netflix, etc and Molly Dolly DID NOT BUDGE! That bitch was stuck to my face like an especially persistent barnacle. I did find the sensation a little strange at first, I’m used to lipsticks, balms and glosses where you can rub your lips together but with Glitter Lips, that feeling is just grating glitter on glitter (think nails on a chalkboard). You do get used to it and by the end of the day, I didn’t even notice it and the compliments were flowing! Glitter Lips definitely didn’t look as over-the-top as I was expecting. 
Lips with just the bonding agent
KaBOOM! Glitter Lips!
I did have a slight issue with removal (stuck like a barnacle I tell you!) but with a good oily cleanser (Ultrabland) and some gentle scrubbing, I was able to get it all off. My lips did feel quite dry afterward but it was nothing a little lip balm didn’t take care of. I wouldn't recommend Glitter Lips for regular wear as I feel like your poor lips would get a bit sick of the removal process but for fancy functions or special events where you don’t want to be running to the bathroom to reapply lippie all the time, this would be perfect!


KaBOOM! Cosmetics gives Glitter Lips:
Have you been brave enough to give Glitter Lips a go yet?

Dani xo

*This product was provided as a PR sample but as always, my opinion is my own.
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