An old Body Shop haul

I found some pictures of a really old haul from The Body Shop. It actually took place in September already, when The Body Shop had 20 % off from everything and 30 % off from make up products for two days. Since they had a similar discount going on in November, I thought I'd post this haul anyway.

So what did I get and what are the quick reviews?

First, I bought the small, 30 ml Almond hand Cream for carrying around my handbag and the other, Wild Rose Hand Cream just because of the smell. I'm going to do a separate post on hand creams, so I'll just say that these are one of the best I've ever used. I like both very much and need to use them more often, especially now when the weather is getting cold! I'm sorry I can't remember the price of these any more.

The Body Shop shower gels are one of my favourites too. They may seem expensive at first, but the gel is thick and lathers a lot, thus lasting for a long time. The variety of different smells is fabulous too.

The 250 ml Moringa showel gel was free with my purchase. Usually it's 7 euros. I had to actually Google to find out that moringa is a tropical tree. While I wouldn't have picked this one by myself, I still like the smell – it's fresh and woody at the same time.

The last item is the only make up item in this haul. I was looking for a good and subtle, not-too shiny highlighter and that's what the Shimmer Waves 02 Blush totally is! Most highlighters tend to be too glittery or frosty for my oily skin. It is illuminating, but doesn't turn you into a disco ball. It is a safe rosy daytime highlighter that blends well into my skin and I'm quite happy with this. I've worn the “waves” separately on my eyes too, although it is primarily meant for face and cheeks. 

Swatched on NC15 skin. You can hardly see it and that was the effect I was going for.

The minor faults I can find are that the powder itself might have been a bit softer and the compact a bit more elegant, but these are really no biggies.  The Shimmer Waves must have cost around 18 euros prior to discount. This was the most expensive of the bunch, but I don't regret at all!

That's all for this time. I'm sure I'll raid The Body Shop more in the future.

Yours Truly,

Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

See Body Shopi haul pärineb tegelikult juba septembrikuisest allahindlusest, aga postitan ikkagi, sest küllap tuleb neil soodukaid veelgi.

Kätekreemid ostsin lähenevat talveaega silmas pidades ja olen nendega väga rahul. Kavatsen teha ka põhjalikuma arvustuse.

Shimmer Waves särapuudriga toonis Blush olen eriti rahul, sest see on mõnusalt tagasihoidliku tooni ning sädelusega ja kõlbab kasutada ka päevasel ajal.

Moringapuu lõhnaga dušika sain ostuga tasuta kaasa ning see on samuti OK. Ahjaa, tasuta Body Shopi kliendikaardi sain ka ostudega kaasa, aga seda pildil ei ole.

Kokkuvõttes hea haul, Body Shopi poode kavatsen ka edaspidi rüüstata. Body Shopi allahindluste osas täitsa tasub silmad lahti hoida.

Siiralt Teie,

Tolmu Rull

Catrice Iron Mermaiden NOTD

When I first saw this polish in the store, I thought: “Ha, this is one of the polishes people buy for the name only!” I didn't think much of the color there and then and even considered passing it by. But I somehow bought it anyway, must have been the name, the name...

Turns out I was completely wrong about Iron Mermaiden. Yes, the name is hilarious, but it is not the best thing about this polish! I really like the multichrome effects this polish has! In the bottle it looks as if it were a kind of dark grey with some green-blue reflections, but once on the nail it becomes dark lilac with tiny sparkles instead. Yet it manages to reflect dove grey and metallic green at the same time! 

The multichrome effect is unusually strong. All in all I find the polish very elegant on my nails. 

The only downside of this polish is that it is very thin and requires at least three coats to get a decent result. I did four coats. Fortunately this Mermaiden goes on smoothly and is rather quick to dry.

I bought it from one of the DrogerieMarkt stores in Germany. It cost me 1.75 euros.

Unfortunately Catrice is not being sold in Estonia. Now I'm a bit mad at myself I didn't take a closer look at their polishes while in Germany.

Yours Truly,

Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Saksa firma Catrice küünelakk toonis Iron Mermaiden (ha!) valmistas mulle tõelise üllatuse. Pudelis tagasihoidlikult hallikana paistnud lakk on küüntel imekaunis sirelililla, mis erinevas valguses peegeldab ka halli ja rohelist...

Kahju, et Catrice tooteid Eestis ei müüda. Järgmisel korral Saksamaal olles revideerin nende letti hoolsamalt :)

Siiralt Teie,

Tolmu Rull

Estonian beauty trade show haul, part 2

It's time for Black Friday hauls already, but I still haven't posted the other part of my big Estonian beauty trade fair haul – haircare and makeup items. Shame on me, I know … I'll try to fix the problem now.

Tigi Love Peace The Planet is Tigi's eco-friendly line free of parabens, sulphates, artificial colours and fragrances. Unfortunately the shampoos from that line were sold out, so I got two conditioners – Walking On Sunshine meant for daily use and Eco Awesome that should be a bit more moisturising. I haven't tried these yet, so I can't really tell about the effects. We'll see, but the green tubes look very promising and fit well to the color scene of my bathroom. I think they were eur 5 each.

I had more luck with the Some Like It Hot heat and humidity resistant line and got both the shampoo and conditioner. I've been wanting these for some time now and could have really used them at summer. The SA was a bit ironic and asked whether I was going to a tropic vacation soon. As far as I know of, I'm not, but no worries, I shall use them next spring and summer. Tigi discontinues their products quite quickly, so there's a fair chance that these might not be on sale any more next summer. It was only wise to buy them in advance with such a discount, right? Don't remember the exact price, but I think the discount was 50 % from the regular price.

On to the styling products. I have tried Freak of Nature volumizer and thickener a lot already. It's great! Another review to come! I havent't tried Save The Earth Straightener and Defrizzer yet, but I expect it to be as good as Freak of Nature. Control Freak Straightener is an old friend of mine and a repurchase, so naturally I have a high opinion of this. These products were 50 % off, so eur 8 each. This is a total bargain, because Love Peace & the Planets are eur 16.50 and Control Freak is eur 17.90 normally.

Eco Freako Texturizer was THE bargain of the fair. It was only eur 2 a pot, while it's normally eur 16.50! I got two, planning to use the other in a giveaway or as a gift to a friend. I have tried mine and this is good too.

Finally, the make up I got from the fair – Palladio products from Tradehouse. These are Baked Shadow Trio in Pop Idol and eye shadow quad in Tantalizing Taupe. These seemed very pigmented and promising when I swatched them in store. I think the quad was 5 euros instead of regular 8 euros and baked shadows had some kind of discount too.

Palladio Shadow & Liner pencils are my old favourites. They are easy to use, waterproof and stay on very well. So I collected some new shades: Olive, Black Pearl, Silver Bells and Eclipse. I wish there were more shades in the range. 5 euros instead of 7 each.

In case anyone missed my first post about Ilu Sõnum haul, I must say that it is a really good spot for discounted beauty products. You can see the first part of my epic haul here.

Sincerely Yours,

Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies: 

Teie ees on hiiglasliku ilumessi-hauli teine osa. Siirad vabandused, et pole viitsinud seda varem üles panna. Kõiki tooteid pole veel jõudnud proovida, aga olen leidnud uue lemmiku Tigi Love Peace The Planet ökosarjast: Freak of Nature volüümikreemi. Loodan, et sarja ülejäänud tooted on sama head. 

Viimasel pildil on ka natuke meiki Palladio toodete näol. Shadow & Liner pliiatsid on ammused lemmikud oma hea püsivuse poolest. Lauvärvid on alles katsetamisel.

Siiralt Teie,

Tolmu Rull

Yves Rocher Jardins Du Monde Eco – a new range of organic shower stuff

I discovered lately, that Yves Rocher has launched a new series of organically certified shower gels or shower products to be precise. The range consists of three items so far: Organic La Gacilly Mallow Shower Cream, Organic Moroccan Argan Shower Gel and Organic African Shea Butter Shower Cream.

These all have a formula that is certified organic by Ecocert. (Ecocert is an independent organization that promotes organic farming and sustainable manufacture process of cosmetics, cleansing products. etc. Ecocert issues documents which certify that the products or services comply with their very high standards.)

The shower products are paraben-free with no artificial coloring, are pH balanced and have 100 % natural fragrance.

I think these news are very welcome. It was about time that the company that pronounces themselves “the first to offer botanical beauty care” and very nature-friendly in general took a step further and offered some true eco-cosmetics. I am quite astonished that they have been only blabbering about their nature-friendliness and showering us with pointless and unwanted “free gifts” with orders instead of launching anything nature-certified before.

I haven't had the chance to try these in the shower, but I did smell them in the shop. All of the smells were pleasant, quite mild and unisex. I have very much liked Yves Rocher shower gels before and have high expectations for this eco-range too.

The shower products cost eur 2.50 each. Available in Yves Rocher shops, via mail orders & in some countries online too.

Yours Truly,
Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian beauties:

Väidetavalt “loodusliku kosmeetika pioneer” Yves Rocher on hiljuti turule toonud uue mahesertifikaadiga pesemistoodete sarja. Sarja kuulub 3 toodet: Maroko argaaniaõli dušigeel, Aafrika Sheavõiga ja La Gacilly Malvaga dušikreemid. Tooted on kunstlike lõhna- ja värvainete ning parabeenide vabad ja tasakaalustatud pH-ga, neil on Ecocert sertifikaat.


Minu arvates ei ole Yves Rocher postkastidesse poetatava paberipahna kuhja ja soovimatute ning ülikoledate “tasuta” kingividinate poolest, millega mutikesed linnas ringi kõnnivad, just loodussõbralikkuse etalon. Olge normaalsed, milline kingitus on üldse tasuline? Siiski mõned tooted on neil päris head ja kindlasti soetan endale tulevikus ka mainitud dušikad.
Ammu oli aeg, et YR tootevalikusse tuleks mõned “päris” ökotooted.


Siiralt Teie,

Tolmu Rull

Houston, we have a herring problem! OPI Spring 2012 nail polish collection: Holland

This is an OPI promo picture from nowhere :P

Recently, OPI released the promos for their Spring-Summer collection, Holland. It seems a little bit early, while we still have to pass Christmas, but so it is.

I would like to say a few words about this Holland collection. First, the colors are quite average – reds, oranges and a few blues. Nothing new, we've pretty much seen them all.

The names are (L to R): A Roll in The Hague, I Have Herring Problem, Wooden Shoe Like to Know?, Red Lights Ahead…Where?, Thanks a WindMillion, Pedal Faster Suzi!

Bottom row: Did You ’ear About Van Gogh?, Dutch ’Ya Just Love OPI?, Gouda Gouda Two Shoes,I Don’t Give a Rotterdam!, Kiss Me on My Tulips, Vampsterdam.

Oh, and the names! The names have always been the best part(s) of OPI's collections. They are not rude (as a certain company's products' names, fancy a Big O anyone?), but entertaining and funny enough to make a conversation starter. I think these names from the Holland collection are quite weird, but still witty.

Ecxept one. There's a shimmery green-blue that's called “I Have a Herring Problem”.

I have a personal problem with this.

I think for us Northern people (as we are often referred to in this part of the world), it's just too weird. A herring problem?!? Mr. Tolmu doesn't eat any herring whatsoever and would never allow to bring any kind of herring to our home. Could this be referred to as a “herring problem”? Could I sneak in OPI's “We Have a Herring Problem” and wear it without a passionate fight? Remains to be seen...

Anyhow, this collection is just not tempting for me. Please convince me otherhow :)

Do you think a witty name is enough to purchase a bottle of an expensive nail polish? If so, please explain!

Yours Truly,

Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

OPI kevadkollektsioon on pühendatud Hollandile. Minu arvates koosneb see täiesti tavalistest punastest ja ruugetest toonidest, kuhu on huvi äratamiseks lisatud ka paar sinist. Nimed ju muidu toredad nagu OPI puhul ikka, aga norida tahaks sinaka laki kallal, mil nimeks “I Have A Herring Problem”. Et mismõttes heeringaprobleem siis nagu...? Heeringas keedukartuliga on meie rahvusroog ja pole mingit “heeringaprobleemi”.

Siiralt Teie,

Tolmu Rull

Body Shopil on kliendipäevad!

This post is in Estonian only, because it concerns The Body Shop sale in Estonia.

Panen siia The Body Shopi kliendipäevade reklaami. Veel täna on võimalik kasutada päris head allahindlust -- kõik tooted miinus 20 % ja juuksehooldus isegi miinus 30 %. Pildil klikates saate selle suuremaks ja soodustustest täpsemalt teada. Mina igatahes lähen uurin asja. Põnev-põnev!


Siiralt Teie,
Tolmu Rull

A cup of coffee for your undereyes? Garnier Caffeine Anti-Dark Circles 2 in 1 Tinted Eye Roll-on review

 

I've seen this little concealer tube mentioned in a few of other blogs as a favourite or HG item. It's so true -- I fell in love with it from the first time I tried it!

So, what is a tinted eye roll? Basically, it is a small tube that has a metallic roller ball on top and contains some very fluid eye concealer inside. The metallic roller ball is supposed to be cooling and massaging and refresh your tired eyes, while the concealer fluid moisturizes your eye area and covers your dark undereye circles. Caffeine and lemon extract are supposed to stimulate your skin and reduce the appearance of fatigue. A cup of coffee for your undereyes?!? Bit of unbelievable and unreal concept, no?

At first, I was very skeptical about the product. Surely it can't do everything it promises, I thought. Good enough, if it matches my skintone even remotely and doesn't scream "I've done a hard concealing job" to every passer by.

The fact is, it does everything it promises and and even more. While I can't really tell about the positive effects of caffeine, because I have a ritual of using an undereye cream before makeup, the roller ball feels very nice against my skin, although it is not a blending tool, I still need a brush or a finger to blend the concealer wholly.

Once blended, it is quite unnoticeable against my skintone (I use the "Fair" version for my NC15 skin) and really helps to make those dark undereye circles vanish. It's not mentioned in the product description, but it must contain some illuminating particles. The best part is, that once set, it doesn't move anywhere for the whole day and it doesn't emphasize those little undereye wrinkles like some of the concealers do. Believe me, it's one of the best undereye concealers I've ever tried and I have tried quite a few!

I think that it is more than you can expect from a drugstore product. So thumbs up!

The price of this should be around eur 10. I bought it for eur 9.95, but I've seen it being sold for eur 7 to eur 13. Go figure... Anyway, it's totally worth it.

Sincerely Yours,
Tolmu Rull

Heavily swatched...

.. .and blended.

For my lovely Estonian beauties:

Garnier Caffeine Garnier Caffeine Anti-Dark Circles 2 in 1 Tinted Eye Roll-on on juba mitmetes blogides kuulsust kogunud. Sellest on saanud ka minu lemmiktoode, sest umbes 10 euro eest, mis selle silmarulliku eest välja käia tuleb, täidab see nii niisutava-värskendava silmakreemi kui peitekreemi ülesandeid. Kasutan alati enne meikimist ka silmakreemi, seega niisutusomaduste kohta ei oska kommenteerida, ent silmaaluste peitekana on Garnieri toode küll suurepärane! Märkamatu, püsib hästi, ei rõhuta kortsukesi ... Soovitan! 


Siiralt Teie,
Tolmu Rull

Making a face cleanser is very much like making a cake! Lush Angels On Bare Skin review

Remember I promised to do a review of the epic Lush cleanser Angels On Bare Skin in my post about Lush fresh face masks? Here it is!

I must start once again from the fact that my acquaintance with the cleanser began when I went to the Lush mask-making workshop. I admit that I had heard about it before, but was really indifferent and never thought any good about it. How wrong I was!

At the workshop I happened to be in the team that got to make Angels On Bare Skin. At first, all the ingidients were measured out for us. Basically, the cleanser consists of ground almonds, glycerine, powdered kaolin, water and some essential oils. All the ingredients were mixed together in a big bowl like a dough and then kneaded with our rubber-gloved hands.

Pilt on varastatud Lushi FB lehelt.

When the dough was smooth enough, a big rolling pin and a big cutting board were brought out. The thick paste was rolled out like a pastry and some dried lavender flowers were sprinkled upon it. The Lush lady said that the lavender flowers give out their useful ingredients gradually into the dough while being in the mix. I don't know how true it is, but that was the way it was done.

Next step was rolling up the dough like a Swiss roll or a roly-poly cake and cutting it into slices. The slices were fit into those small black Lush jars. Because there were some leftovers we had to fill the jars to the brim losing some of the nice appearance and texture, but what the heck – we got more product to take home with us!

Samuti Lushi FB lehelt.

I think it is unnecessary to say that all of the participants got full sized samples of Angels On Bare Skin made by our team and Catastrophe Cosmetics fresh face mask made by the other team.

I was a bit skeptical when I tried out the cleanser at home, but after a few days using it I was convinced! It really is an angelical product! The almond particles exfoliate my skin slightly, kaolin absorbs ecxess oils, lavender blossoms smell great and relaxing. Frankly, I don't know what the other essential oils do, but whatever it is, they do it great. It is quite savvy too, because I need only a small pinch of it each morning. What matters is that my combination-to-oily skin loves it!

I even bothered to take a small amount of it along to the vacation to Hungary this summer. The temperatures were up to 40 ° Celsius there and it still managed to keep the oilies at bay !

The only fault I can find with this product is that you are supposed to keep it in the fridge. Well, I can't remember to get it from the fridge every time before my morning shower, so I invented a solution – I put a small amount – let's say 3-4 days worth of it – in a small plastic jar I keep in the shower and replace while needed. This way it won't go bad and I have it at hand while taking my morning shower.

Don't know the exact price as I got it for free :) You can find some pictures of the workshop from Lush FB page (and yes, you can see me on the pictures, you just have to do the guessing game :P).

I simply must recommend the Lush's workshops again. If you have a chance to take part, do it, because it's very educating and entertaining as well!

Sincerely Yours,

Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Lushi näopesuvahend Angels On Bare Skin on täiesti suurepärane! Mina omandasin oma esimese potsiku Lushi töötoas, kus valmistasime selle koostisosadest ise. Põhimõtteliselt oli valmistusprotsess sarnane rullbiskviidi tegemisega :P

Toode ise on rasuse või rasusepoolse naha jaoks tõeliselt hea. Mandlijahu koorib kergelt ja kaoliin imab rasu ning vähendab nahaläiget. Võtsin selle kaasa suvisele Ungari-tripile ja toimis hästi ka 40-kraadises kuumuses.

Soovitan igati Lushi töötubadest osa võtta, kui nad neid kunagi veel korraldama peaksid :)

Siiralt Teie,

Tolmu Rull

Jealousy wakes! Are you a bit jealous? MAC Bloggers Obsession Collection review & swatches

I'm happy to announce that I'm a proud owner of some items from MAC's Blogger's Obsession collection! Yay!

I was obsessed with MAC's Blogger's Obsession collection right when it came out somewhere in spring. I mean, not all of it, but one eyeshadow and two lipglosses caught my eye. The rest of it seemed quite ordinary. If you haven't heard of this collection, you can find out more here.

I fell in love with the Sonoran Rain and Evolution Revolution lipglasses from the moment I saw first pictures of them. I liked the Jealousy Wakes eyeshadow for the name (it's a powerful tool, right?), but was a bit doubtful about the shade. I liked all of these even more when I read how they're were born from Christine's and Karen's blogs and The Shades of U. Well, I had never even heard of Sonoran Desert before and now I'm in love with a lipgloss named after it. Hmm :S

I'd never imagined I'd get hold of them, as the limited edition Blogger's Obsession collection was released in North America only. No Europe, not to mention Tallinna Kaubamaja (the only shop MAC's stuff is being sold in Estonia). Besides, LE-s tend to sell out in seconds in North America. I love Blogger's Obsession, but I have to admire them from the computer screen, I thought.

Nope. Enter my secret friend from the glorious country of US & A. Some e-mails, a little PayPal transaction, a bit of waiting time and a trip to the post office somewhere at the end of September and and here they are!

I tell you, they're exactly as good as you'd expect from MAC or even better. I'm quite a novice to MAC, I don't own a lot of their stuff, as I've always considered it too expensive and not worth the pricetag. I officially admit, I was sooooo wrong. Sorry, dear MAC, I will love you much more in the future, I promise!

Jealousy Wakes eyeshadow – a true emerald green – is really smooth and well pigmented. It has an interesting effect of a peacock feather, showing some yellow and blue besides green. (You can click on the pictures to make them bigger). It is really unique and outstanding eyeshadow, though certainly not an everyday shade.

Sonoran Rain Lipglass lipgloss is still my favourite of the collection. It is a bright sexy warm red with tiny flecks of blue, silver and gold in it. It is very pigmented, easy to apply, stays for a long time and the glitter is not unpleasant or gritty on the lips. The shade suits me really well! HG item! Now I only wish I could pay a trip to the Sonoran Desert...

Evolution Revolution is also quite unique lippgloss. It seems to be a natural transparent peachy light pink, but blue, peach and golden sparkles make it really special. My lips seem more full and it can be worn over many lipstick shades. Evolution Revolution works well with a heavy eye makeup – it's not bland, but it's not overpowering too. It is wearable on it's own too for everyday purposes. Love it!
The swatches:

I secretly wonder, whether I am the only girl in Estonia who has Sonoran Rain & Jealousy Wakes in her stash. Am I? Please tell me!

Sincerely Yours,

Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies: 

Armusin täiesti lootusetult MAC'i Bloggers Obsessioni kollektsiooni kohe, kui kuskil blogis esimesi swatch'e nägin. Täpsemalt paelusid mind huuleläiked Sonoran Rain ja Evolution Revolution ning Jealousy Wakes nimeline lauvärv, ülejäänu tundus tavaline.

Arvasin, et minu näpukesed ei saa kunagi puutuda selle ainult Põhja-Ameerikas välja lastud kollektsiooni vidinaid, aga võta näpust! Salasõber USA-st ajas asja korda ja nüüd olen ma ihaldatud asjade uhke omanik!

Olen ma ainus tüdruk Eestis, kes MAC'i Bloggers Obsession'i asjade vastu huvi tundis ja kel need soetada õnnestus? Rääkige, palun!

Siiralt Teie,

Tolmu Rull

Beauty bloggers are bizarre? Oh yes, they are!

While they are doing photos, I can hoard the remote...

Today I read a most hilarious list of weird habits you develop if you become a beauty blogger. It is written by Lily, a 19-year old British beauty blogger with rather good sense of humor and witty tongue. You can see the full list of beauty bloggers weird habits in her blog, Beauty's Bad Habit.

Although I'm a rather new beauty blogger, I found myself guilty of the things mentioned in Lily's list in so many ways. So I thought, it could make a great tag, because it would be fun to find out about other people's bad habits too.

My bad habits are (in brackets are the numbers from Beauty's Bad Habit list):

• (1) I have bought some things for just blogging purposes. And bought some things out of curiosity created by other beauty bloggers;
• (3) Have ditched time management and spent more time getting good photos or composing a post than I planned to;
• (4) Been doing that at night;
• (5) EDIT: At first I thought that I am not obsessed with light, because my blog photos don't rely on daylight. On second thought, taking nice blog photos required buying some new photo equipment and now I'm thinking about new macro lens. Creating good light conditions + good equipment = bleeding money;
• (7) Asked the shop assistants about the collections they've never heard about. Sometimes I have even advised them about beauty products!; 
• (9) Gotten exited about silly things. Yup, I'm curious about this Creme Brule vaseline. EDIT 2: beauty blogging has made me learn German language, as some of my favourite blogs are in German and I want to understand them without the help of Google Translator;
• (11) Thought about upcoming reviews in front of the mirror or in the shower;
• (14) Painted only one hand;
• (15) Keep some of my beauty products in original boxes. No empty boxes though, husband would throw me out :P 
• (16) Kept eyeshadows and lipsticks untouched and hauls intact in shopping bags until I can get a photo. Heh, I've even kept empty bottles for picture purposes. 

There's another point I would add to the bad habits list. I have noticed from many blogs that a lot of beauty bloggers have cats, who can't be kept away from blog photos. 

So point number 19 would be: We develop an unnormally big love for cats.

I would like to tag Liz from Beautyfomliz, Miss L from Eisaamitte, Liis from I.R.Pale, Mari from Beautybymari and Kris from Xofstyle with this. All others are welcome to tell about their bad blogging habits too!

Sincerely Yours,

Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Blogis Beauty's Bad Habit on ülinaljakas nimekiri halbadest harjumustest, mis ilublogijatel välja kujunevad. Ümber jutustama ei hakka, katsuge inglise keelest läbi pureda ja kokku lugeda, mitut neist ise harrastate.

Siiralt Teie,

Tolmu Rull

Food for your skin. Lush fresh face masks review

I find it very hard to walk by a Lush shop without going in and getting at least a peek of the sweet-smelling products. Their fresh face masks were on my radar for a long time already, but it took a while to get round trying them.

Finally, in May I managed to take part in one of Lush's fresh face mask making workshops in their Tallinn shop. We were given the ready measured ingredients and in an hour we had learned how to make a fresh face mask and Angels On Bare Skin facial cleanser (separate post to come!). Then the freshly made products were divided into little black Lush containers and we could take these home for free! Besides that, the kind Lush people gave us some generous samples of other fresh masks, scrubs, creams, etc. So my acquaintance with the Lush fresh face masks began.

What are the fresh face masks? According to Lush, these face masks are made weekly in Lush kitchens, using fresh fruit, veggies, deep cleansing clays, nutrient rich herbs and effective essential oils. They are said to be “food” for the skin. The masks are kept completely preservative-free, that's why you need to store them in the fridge. The concept reminds me of those natural homemade beauty treatments our grandmothers used to pamper themselves with – cucumber slices for the eyes, oatmeal mix for the face, egg yolk for the hair and so on. Only the fresh masks use more expensive and not so common ingredients than our grannies used to :)

They are used as usual face masks: applied on clean skin avoiding the eyes, left on for approximately ten minutes and washed off with water.

The mask we got to make at the workshop was Catastrophe Cosmetic, their most popular fresh face mask. It is said to be calming, freshening, softening and deep cleansing. It contains calamine powder (zinc oxide in another words), talc, fresh blueberries, glycerine and several essential oils. (If you want to find out the exact ingredients and what they are good for, check the links.) Making it was very simple: the blueberries were crushed and then all the ingredients were mixed together well, forming a thick paste.

Catastrophe Cosmetics is not the average harsh purifying mask. The mask feels very soft and smooth on the skin, probably because of the calamine and talc. When it dries on your skin, it begans to crumble off somewhat. The result is exactly like promised – skin feels refreshed, toned and soft afterwards. I'm not sure it helps to heal the pimples as zinc oxide should, but I guess it does. The mask has a faint fresh smell, nothing overpowering.

Overall it is a good product, if you want something versatile and not too drying. I was a bit bothered about big blueberry chunks in it that kept falling off the face, I think the berries should be pureed better or something, but that is this mask's only fault.

Cupcake is a real treat for choco lovers. The deep brown chocolatey-smelling mask contains rhassoul mud, linseed infusion, real cocoa powder and cocoa butter, fresh mint and several essential oils. It deep cleanses the skin, absorbs impurirties and gently scrubs the skin. 

Cupcake was created especially for teenagers, but suits all others too. This is so far one of my favourites for the great smell and purifying but not moisture-stripping action. Funny, but it's deep brown colour does not look off-putting or indecent to me. Maybe because it reminds me of cookie batter, not sewage :)

Ayesha is my other favourite, nothing short of HG status. This is meant for perking up somewhat more mature skins, no age limit though. It is especially good if you want to look your best for a party or some kind of other important event. It makes your skin look brighter and smoother, tightens, refreshes and gives your skin this extra glow and smooth appearance. It really works! I even feel if I use Ayesha before doing my face it makes makeup application easier and smoother.

Ayesha contains fuller's earth (a kind of clay), honey, elderflower, fresh asparagus (one of my favourite veggies!), fresh kiwies and a lot of other things. It looks and smells like some kind of dirt, but it really does miracles to your skin. Recommended!

I have tried Love Lettuce and Cosmetic Warrior masks from Lush too. I can't show you the pictures, as I only had a sample of each and will buy neither in full size. Love Lettuce didn't really have any effects on me. It felt a little bit too grainy, but not well exfoliating at the same time. Weird.

Cosmetic Warrior was outright offputting, I would say the worst of the bunch! It hated it's weird garlick-y smell and hu-uuuge chunks of garlic in the mask that kept falling off my cheeks. I would even say it irritated my skin a bit and would not recommend this to anyone (or maybe only in the case if you need to keep the vampires away :)).

The masks cost eur 7.50 for 75 g. Mask pots last about ten applications for me, even if applied generously. They all are suitable for vegans and not tested on animals (of course!) There are four other fresh masks in Lush range, I'm going to try them as soon as the others run out.

If you want to try these masks or the cleanser without committing to buy, ask the Lush people for a sample. They give out generous samples willingly!

Yours Truly,

Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian beauties:

Olen tahtnud juba ammu Lushi värskeid, säilitusaineteta näomaske proovida. Kevadel osalesin Tallinna Lushi poes maskitegemise töötoas ja avaneski võimalus värskete maskide maailmaga tutvuda (vihje: kui Lush uuesti selliseid töötubasid korraldama peaks, minge! On põnev ja saab palju infot ning tasuta näidiseid).

Värsketest maskidest soovitan eelkõige puhastavat-koorivat Cupcake'i maski, mis on šokolõhnaline ja mõeldud teismeliste ning noorte nahale. Vanusepiiri õnneks pole :) Teine suur lemmik on Ayesha, mis on pinguldava-toniseeriva toimega ja mõeldud jume värskendamiseks enne pidu või ka lihtsalt niisama. Lushi kõige popim mask, värskendav ja puhastav Catastrophe Cosmetics pole ka paha.

Cosmetic Warrior'ist ja Love Lettuce'st hoiaksin pigem eemale. Ei täheldanud mingit mõju ja Warriori lõhn ja suured pudenevad küüslaugutükid näol on lihtsalt jälgid. Sädelevaid vampiiripoisse pole lootustki võluda kui sellist maski kasutad :P

Lushi poest läbi astudes ärge häbenege maskinäidiseid küsida. Oht uusi lemmikuid leida on suur! Vahepeal olid värsked maskid Eestist otsas, aga nüüd jälle olemas.

Kahjuks sulges Lush alates 1. novembrist oma Tartu poe, aga selle-eest saab värskeid näomaske talvekuudel Lush.ee-st ka neti teel tellida. Tavaliselt neid netist tellida ei saa, sest hoiutingimused pole tagatud ning maskid võivad rikneda – värskeid maske tuleb nimelt säilitada külmikus. 

Siiralt Teie,

Tolmu Rull

A NOTD with China Glaze Tarnished Gold

When I saw China Glaze Metallic Crackles on sale at the Estonian beauty trade show, I wanted to try these at once.

I decided to try Tarnished Gold at first and pair it with black polish to go with my black sweater dress. I shopped my stash for the black polish and thought for a moment that I didn't own one. Fortunately I found this ArtDeco one I had completely forgotten about.

To add some interest, I did one accent nail on each hand, trying to reverse the colors. I think that went well. Although Tarnished Gold shatter and China Glaze Midnight Kiss from 2010 holiday collection are not complete dupes, they are close enough to work together with the shatter. Midnight Kiss is a bit yellower and lighter than Tarnished Gold.

The black shatter is from Turkish company Alix Avien. Alix Avien polishes are being sold in L-Cosmetics stores in Estonia, but the shatters are not available here. I bought it from Istanbul last year. It cost arould eur 2. I really like it's quality and have used it a lot.

The quality of Tarnished Gold was a not so nice surprise to me. I found it quite hard to work with, because I had to be extremely careful with the application. If the layer of polish was too thick, the crackles were too big and it clumped. If the layer was too thin, the crackles came out tiny, almost invisible. I had to re-do several nails because of that. I think there are better options out there, but it's still a beautiful polish. I paid eur 4.20 or 4.50 for it.

Here are the polishes I used: (L to R) China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat, China Glaze Midnight Kiss, Alix Avien Nail Deco black cracle polish, ArtDeco black High Gloss Nail Polish number 39, China Glaze Tarnished Gold Metallic Crackle. I didn't use any base coat, as gel nails don't need it really.

Sincerely Yours,

Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian beauties:

Nagu olen juba kirjutanud, nägin China Glaze metalliktoonides pragunevaid lakke müügil ilumessil. Loomulikult tahtsin neid kohe proovida ja otsustasin kuldse tooniga Tarnished Gold laki paari panna esmalt mustaga. Et asi põnevam oleks, tegin kummalegi käele ka ühe aktsentküüne vastupidise värvide paigutusega, kasutades põhjana China Glaze lakki Midnight Kiss ja pragunevat Alix Avieni musta lakki (Eestis minuteada ei müüda).

Kuigi toonid pole 100 % sarnased, jäin tulemusega rahule. Rahule ei jäänud aga Tarnished Gold lakiga, mida kasutades tuleb väga ettevaatlik olla, et lakikiht saaks õige paksusega. Muidu ei jää tulemus ilus, praod tulevad kas liiga laiad või kitsad. Seega, Tarnished Gold lakki ma soetada ei soovita. On palju parema kvaliteediga ja soodsamaid pragunevaid lakke. Ka metalliktoonides.

Siiralt Teie,

Tolmu Rull