lush: the wuss

So, I've had a very painful and trying weekend/past week. Ask me about it in person, I'll dish. Basically losing friends and dignity sucks (intrigued, right? Yep).

Anyways, this called for me ordering things online while having no pants on, and that meant I spent WAY too much money on Lush stuff (again), but it's kind of OK because they had my favorite cleanser again and I jumped on that shit immediately.

I also splurged on like a million Retro bath treats. Cause the only things that really calm me down on campus, that are legal, are baths and tea - and I go to the Lush store by me like all the time anyway, so I figured if it was an online-order, I'd stick to Retro.

LITTLE DID I KNOW that 2 of my favorite things ever would be in the Retro section: the wuss, and Hot Milk (also Ice Hotel, but I already knew this).

I didn't take any pictures cause I was TOO BUSY ENJOYING THIS

You guys - oh my God - I love man-smells, I love the smell of coffee. I hope coffee grounds are still in my hair from the bath. I hope the martini scent never goes away. I sat there until all the bubbles went away before washing my hair - to enjoy myself and take in the scent (and listen to Vessels) - and they lasted like 30 minutes. The smell, every time I caught a strong whiff of it, made me sigh. It was absolute heaven. I don't know what's so wrong with me that I like the "weirdest" Lush bubble bar, but I DO AND IT'S GONE AND I WANT MORE ),:

If you have any information on the whereabouts of the wuss, please, PLEASE let me know. It's my new favorite thing. Get it for me. Please. 

Reviews of Hot Milk and Ickle Baby Bot are coming! <3 you for being patient.
xoxo, hshb,
candy


PS: Check out this blog I wanna make some of the recipes she has they look like delicious fun.

PPS: My parents are coming with me to a formal Friday.

PPPS: My top Lush products, in no particular order:

1. Let the Good Times Roll Cleanser
2. The Smell of Weather Turning Perfume
3. the wuss bubble bar
4. French Kiss bubble bar
5. Hot Milk bubble bar
6. Oatifix/Cupcake fresh face masks (equally great, only available in-store)
7. Ice Hotel bubble bar

Get me these as presents thanxxxx

cubicle essentials by candice

I like alliteration.

Serious work getting done in my cube.

Happy Friday everyone!! I thought, since I'm not working today, that I'd post a bit about why I wouldn't mind working Fridays. So - cubicle essentials time!

I practically live at work for this summer. I work out here, I eat two meals a day here. Since my car crapped out I have to get here super early, so I'm here when it's dark out. I blog here (breaks, people! Stop freaking out :P), I shower here. I should organize my desk a bit more, but everyone knows how messy creative people are, right? Yeah, let's go with that.

I've come up with a list of essentials to not have be in a bogus mood for my work day. They're split up into stuff I keep at my desk, locker at the gym, and my office kitchen.

Things I've got at my desk (that have nothing to do with the work I do) consist of:

• Emergency blueberries
• Emergency granola bar
• 2 Emergency water bottles
• Tissues
• Stack of napkins for soup-consumption and writing notes on
• Makeup removing towelettes by Garnier
• Toner Spray (Tea Tree Water by Lush)
• Backup Pen
• 3 Sweatshirts of varying sizes for layering
• Marc Jacobs' Honey perfume sample

Things I have at the gym:

• Workout clothes (sports bra, Sick Nasty Standers T-shirt, running shorts)
• Brooks running shoes
• MIT tote
• Fresh farmacy cleanser (Lush)
• Sea Vegetable soap (Lush)
• Daddy-O Shampoo (Lush)
• Conditioner (I'm using up the last of a conditioner that I hate from a brand that I hate, so no link here)
• Emergency Haynes Underwear (hell yeah sexayy)
• Grease Lightening spot treatment (Lush) [CAN'T FIND THE LINK OMG IS IT GONE I WILL DIE]
• Dream Cream lotion (Lush...SEEING A THEME HERE**)
• Flip-Flops
• Big-Ass Towel
• Dove Deodorant

Things I have in the office kitchen (including the fridge):

• Lunch Tote
• Gallon-Storage Ziploc bag
• Tupperware filled with Raisin Bran
• Ceramic Bowl
• Soup Spoon
• Half-gallon of Flax Milk
• Half-gallon (that's now half-used after lunch today) of Imagine Creamy Portobello Soup [it's dairy free!]

And I need more. I want back-up dishware, and more cereal, and another half-galloon of Flax/Almond milk, and back-up soups in case I forget to bring one into work. And a lot of dish towels for carrying hot soup around. And more emergency snacks, cause you never know.

It just makes my life so convenient if a lot of my stuff is at work! I can reach for a cleansing towelette if my face feels oily, I don't have to worry about putting on perfume before I leave home, and I can eat breakfast while working at my desk.

So I know it's a long list, but those are my work-life barebones essentials. What are yours? Or am I missing anything?

xoxo, hshb,
candy

**I'm a big proponent of Lush, because I'm a hippie who believes in good-Earth stuff and whatever, and also because I have very, very sensitive skin and the all-natural products work with me. It's a tad expensive when compared to something like Clean & Clear, but with Lush products, I get no irritation, and I've always found their products to work.

beauty review: Bumble and bumble's surf wash shampoo and conditioner

listening to: Boy by Ra Ra Riot

It's summer, which means everyone is obsessed with the beach, not just me - cause mermaids & the ocean are like my life-long thing. And as a long-time devotee to Bumble and bumble.'s Surf Spray (it got me through a BAD hair stage...and helps out when I feel flower-crown-y/hippie-y), I was a little intrigued when they came out with their Surf Foam Wash Shampoo and Cream Rinse Conditioner, and the rest of the freakin' world was ecstatic too. When I ordered my fake tattoo stuffs from Sephora, I got the option to sample the hair set, and of course I said I wanted to. I want to see if the products live up to the hype.

 



Samples post-use. And yes, that is my toilet.

 

So I jumped in the shower and tried the stuff, in my usual way - there wasn't much product at all in the samples - I have relatively short hair, and I used up all of both of them in one wash, and honestly I could've done with more shampoo. I like a big lather, and to play around with the soap bubbles in the shower...while singing along to whatever almost-indie stupid stuff that's on my Spotify. But I dealt with the small lather, rinsed, and applied the conditioner. I usually do my hair routine first in the shower or tub, because then I let the conditioner sit on my mostly-bleached-out head while I wash up for a few minutes, and then rinse before I get out. This fit perfectly with the Surf Cream Rinse Conditioner, cause the instructions said to leave it in for about 2 minutes before rinsing.

The first thing I noticed was the pretty awesome scent. I love ocean-smelling things, and it was really strong in my shower with the Shampoo. The conditioner was less scented/noticeable, but I hoped it would stay in my hair.

The conditioner was pretty thick/creamy, but it rinsed out easily, which I'm a big fan of. I hate rinsing out conditioner for too long, cause I get all hot and waterlogged, and my neck hurts from leaning it back for too long. Plus my hair falls out and it freaks me out, even if my hair is pretty thick and I could stand to lose a few (haha, weight loss joke. Ps...defs gained weight over the weekend. Boo.).

After I got out of the shower, my hair felt pretty normal. I was able to get a brush through it wet with minimal tangles/pulling. It felt decent, but not like super-awesome wet or anything. I did my nails and let it air-dry, like I do when I use the surf spray (slash all the time because blow drying is time-consuming and also would fry my already fried bleached hair). I used no styling products, so that my hair could really reflect just the use of the shampoo & conditioner.

When air-dried, my hair was wavy and felt almost like I had swum in the ocean for a few minutes that day. Almost. I've yet to find any product that recreates that look perfectly. It was also a little voluminous, because of the sea salt I assume was saturated in the products. The scent was there, but not as noticeable as I would've liked - you'd have to use the Surf Spray in addition to the shampoo & conditioner for other people to comment on how awesome your head smells, I think.
Overall, the full-sized bottles are pretty expensive, and I think, useless. I mean, the effect was nice, but literally I can get the same result from just the spray and Suave's Ocean Breeze Shampoo & Conditioner. I really don't understand why someone would pay $50 for less product than less than $5 can get you.



2 bucks of genius.

Result/Recommendations: Splurge on the Surf Spray ($25), and if you're really dedicated to the #oceanlyfe, get some Suave Ocean Breeze products from your local drugstore/CVS.


xoxo, hshb,
candy

my beauty routine, aka my attempt to save my skin

I stated yesterday how awful my skin was looking, which is why I ran to Lush to get stuff for my face. I want to look good for the boy this weekend, sue me.

BEFORE. Gross.

So I got a few things, because for the past week my skincare routine has been just Dove beauty soap and some old Salicylic acid crap I had in my medicine cabinet. And clearly (or not so clearly...lol acne joke), this routine was not working.


I was a big fan of Lush's Let the Good Times Rule cleanser back before it was discontinued, and since then I haven't found a good replacement. My skin is kind of sensitive, breaks out sometimes, and my cheeks will get dried out occasionally. I always have a hard time explaining my skin type to people, but I tried, and a nice worker at Lush recommended either Fresh Farmacy or Herbalism as a cleanser, then Mask of Magnaminty, then Tea Tree Water. I don't use mosturizer when I'm in DC, it's so humid here that I don't need it. I use Cosmetic Lad when I'm in Boston. I choose Fresh Farmacy over Herbalism because I can't put things on my face that smell not-awesome, and Herbalism smells like garlic. I couldn't deal with it.
Anyway, after "working out" (I was so sore I could barely move) today, I hopped in the shower to try my bunch of new Lush products. I washed with Fresh Farmacy and it felt really good - smooth going on, and then my skin felt tight and clean after I rinsed. When I got out of the shower, I put on Mask of Mag, and immediately I could feel the mint. Like, it was Listerine for my face. SO INTENSE. My skin was tingling, and I wondered if that was ok, but I figured I'd stick it out for the sake of my 3-day-old blog, so I left the mask on for 5 minutes. (I did the lower limit because I already knew my skin is sensitive, and way back when I tried Brazened Honey, it was too harsh and made me break out.)

I'm so cute in my little robe.

Well, at the end of the 5 minutes, I literally thought: "GET THIS HELL-SPAWN OFF MY FACE," which is funny, because of this blog's title. And then I rinsed, and it felt so good to rinse off - like I was peeling off the outer layer of my face and exposing my skin to the elements. Now that it's off, my skin feels awesome, clean, soft, and smooth. I followed up with a few sprays of Tea Tree Toner, and that made it feel even better. 

After the whole thing. Still in the robe.

So right now, I'm a fan of these products. We'll see if they help my little breakouts or make it worse, I'll update you in a couple days!

xoxo, hshb,
candy

beauty review: lush's new beach box

Yesterday I ran to Lush at Pentagon City Mall, because of aforementioned skin sadness. While I was there, I had to pick up their brand-new Beach Box as a gift for K, who I'm visiting this weekend. And the darn little box was so cute I just needed one for myself too. Don't judge me, I have a shopping problem when it comes to sea-related products.

It's a way of life. #oceanobsessed

The Beach Box is a small, about-clutch-size cardboard box with 5 Lush products inside. Each product is 
a "mini" version of the full-sized product, so bigger than a sample size, but smaller than any standalone product they sell in-store.

It's like opening another package, I love it.

Clockwise from top: Sea Salt Spray, Dream Cream, Ocean Salt, Sea Vegetable Soap, and Seanik Solid Shampoo.

What I also think is super cute is that they printed directions for every product on the inside of the box.

Solid Shampoo: it's like soap for your head.

Really, the box is adorable. It's a little pricey at around 25$, but it has 5 products that people would actually use, so it makes a great gift - especially in the summer or for people who love the ocean. 

Ill be review the products one-by-one next week, but they're all basics (shampoo, body scrub, lotion, soap, that sea salt spray everyone's dying for), so overall the Beach Box gets a 5/5 from me!!

Get it here when dying for a gift for your best girlfriend.

happy friday!

xoxo, hshb,

candy

BEAUTY REVIEW: marc jacobs' honey perfume

I freaking love opening packages.

I got a bunch of stuff in the mail from Sephora yesterday, so I'm reviewing it all throughout the upcoming week. Keep in mind, these reviews are from the perspective of a 20-year-old college student/engineering intern, and not a perfumist or beauty expert. But I'm going to be brutally honest about all the products/how I'm going to use them.

 

So, with that little pseudo-disclaimer out of the way, let's start criticizing perfume!!

 

One of the prettiest bottles by MJ, no doubt.

 

Marc Jacobs is kind of a perfume genius, in my opinion. I got the big bottle of Oh, Lola! as a gift, and it always got me attention from boys (and compliments from girls, but that's honestly not why I wear perfume). I had the rollerball too, and I actually used it all up. But I'm not a perfume-diehard-loyalist to any brand/fragrance besides one (which I'll probably praise review later), so I didn't get another one and continued jumping around with which perfume I use. I've also given Daisy as a gift to many girls for their birthdays, and it's always appreciated, but I've never gone beyond just a quick whiff of Daisy - it just wasn't "my type" of fragrance. I tend to go for either sexy-sultry scents, or very natural, makes-me-feel-like-a-hippy all day scents.

 



Look at all the stuff I have to try!! Actual Honey perfume sample is in the top-right corner. (AS IF with the cellulite cream though, amirite)

So, when I got the opportunity to order a sample of Honey from Sephora, I thought "FUN let's try it!" And if I like it, I might splurge on the rollerball. I'll update you accordingly (:

 

Honey starts out with a SUPER clean scent, sprayed right out of the bottle. I would liken it to cutting into a green apple, the first scent it gives off - that's the vibe I got first from Honey. I don't usually wear very clean/fresh smelling scents, but every time I put my wrist to my nose I would smile. It's a really happy scent, and I heard they tried to make the scent smell "yellow," which is the feeling I got from the first notes of the perfume.

 

A couple hours later, the perfume smelled more floral, but not your grandmother's floral - like a farmer's daughter floral, if that makes sense. I liked it - it was another really happy scent that made me smile even though I was late to work and in all kinds of traffic.

 

 

Unfortunately, I don't know if I didn't spray enough (I used two sprays on my neck and two sprays on my wrists) or something, but the scent faded very quickly today, and was almost not noticeable in a couple of hours. I intentionally didn't spray as much as I usually do, because I wanted my sample to last the weekend, so that could've been the case. I'll let you know later on if the scent lasts with more sprays.

 

Overall, the perfume reminded me of that one really nice girlfriend you have, who doesn't make fun of you when you've spilled something on your shirt at high-school lunch, and lets you borrow her sweater to cover it up. Always cheerful, happy, smiling. Wearing it actually made me feel less angsty this morning. I don't know if it's a perfume standard for me, or if I'll invest in the rollerball, but I think it would be a great birthday gift for that type of girlfriend you have. As with all Marc Jacobs perfumes, the bottle is absolutely gorgeous, and that girl would probably thank you a thousand times over for getting you a perfume that exactly matched her personality.

 

So that's Honey by Marc Jacobs!! I'll be reviewing more Sephora stuff throughout the week (:

 

xoxo, hshb,

candy

 

LOOK WHAT I DO FOR THE SAKE OF BEAUTY RESEARCH

And the phone hides the worst of it. Gross.

 

My hair is dying. I only washed it with Lush's Daddy-O shampoo today, no conditioner, no products, no styling, no blow-drying. Basically I made myself hideous so that I can test out Bumble & bumble.'s Surf Foam Wash Shampoo & Conditioner tomorrow.

I'M SO UGLY PLEASE APPRECIATE THIS BEFORE PICTURE ALSO NOTE THE ACNE THAT I'M TRYING TO TAKE CARE OF BEFORE I SEE MY CUTE-AS-ANYTHING SUMMERBOY TOMORROW OMG