Daily Wear: Black and Blue

I think I've heard that black and blue are two colors that you aren't supposed to mix but I really like that combination. I think a bright electric blue looks smashing with classic staid black, the way any bright color pops with a neutral. and it doesn't get more neutral than black. Except maybe white of course.



Speaking of white, I like it paired with a preppy kelly green. I like red with brown. So often paired with black, people forget that red is actually a warm color. Especially a juicy tomato red. Orange is a difficult color for me, not one I've had much experience with but I'm trying. I think I would try to tame it's ferocious intensity with a calm tan.



Another favorite is mixing sunny yellow with stormy grey, the opposites in my personality. Or how about serious navy with a gregarious purple? Or olive green with magenta?

Outfit details: Black dress with white cuffs and collar (thrifted), blue tights (DKNY); black maryjanes with ivory piping (payless).

I went to Lush earlier in the week and they had a goodie bag of lovely retro holiday products. Here's my haul, including the things I bought...

Veganese conditioner; Soap Wall set; Fair Trade Foot Lotion; Sugar Babe scrub; Vanilla Fluff powder; Merry X-Mas massage bar; eggsnog lip balm; marzibain bubble bar; Christmas Kisses bubble bar; and Snow Showers bath bomb.

Lush Face Wash Reviews

A couple of posts ago, I included a mini review at the end in praise of Lush's Coalface. Shortly after i realized that I've tried nearly all of Lush's face washes and it might be more comprehensive for readers if I shared my thoughts on all before they chose to invest in one or not. And i don't work for this company, nor am I associated with them in any way except that I'm a customer and they have some products I really like (and some I don't like and some I'm indifferent to).

I have what i would consider normal skin. It gets to be a bit drier in winter. So my reviews tend to be focused on how they feel and how they are used as they are not always best for mu skin type. I try to just describe them best i can and if it sounds like it's for you, even if I hate it, go ahead and try it.

Here's the review i wrote for Coalface:

This is a black bar of facial soap with little bits of scrubby inside. It's meant for oily skin which I do not have but it is still my favorite Lush cleanser. and I've tried all but like one so I feel I can safely say that this one is the best for me. I like it because it does lather a bit but isn't harsh. i rub it between my palms and then wash my face with my hands. i feel like you would benefit from the scrubby bits better if you rubbed the bar directly on your face. After washing with this, my face is clean with no residue and it removes all but the heaviest of eye makeup. a 3.5 oz bar costs $10.95 and lasts a million years. i don't even keep mine safe in one of those tins and it lasts forever. I've been using a tiny sample sliver everyday since mid September and I'm only half way through it.

Fresh Farmacy


This is another bar style facial soap. This soap is recommended for those with sensitive skin. It contains calamine for this and I'm guessing that is why it left a film all over my face. I don't know if sensitive skin likes a film but I do not. I didn't feel clean at all afterward, just kinda sticky. My makeup remained intact, including, get this, my foundation. I consider this one of the worst. $8.95 for 3.5 oz bar

Angels on Bare skin


This is a crumbly textured face wash. It's kind of a cool concept. you just pinch a tiny bit off, and rub it in your hand with a little water til you have a cool cleansing paste. this is their most popular face wash, recommended for normal/combination skin. It's usually recommended for anyone really, as a good place to start in Lush's skincare line. My only problem with it is it doesn't really feel like a cleanser to me. It doesn't remove makeup, for instance. But it is wonderfully exfolient because it is made with ground almonds. I would definitely use this as a scrub and it's gently enough to use everyday if you wish. $9.95 for 3.5 oz "lump"

Dark Angels

This is the newest one to the line up, meant to be a counterpart to Angels on Bare skin. It's another crumbly textured face wash and it meant for those with oily skin or a dull rough texture. This scrub is made of charcoal and black sugar and is an intense exfoliant. You really need rough/thick skin to with stand this. Again, it's not much of a face wash in my opinion, but I might use this as a scrub--no more than once a week. I definitely wouldn't recommend this for sensitive skin. $10.95 for a 3.5 oz "lump"

Herbalism


Another crumbly one! This is for oily, acne prone skin and much like the coalface, i like it despite that not being my skin type. This one is my second favorite. It's the only crumbly one to remove makeup and my skin really felt clean afterward. This one is also gently exfoliating with ground almonds and calming with the added chamomile. Coalface is still my favorite but I would use this again "in a pinch". Sorry, couldn't help the pun. $10.75 for 3.5 oz "lump".

Aqua Marina


Wrapped in seaweed, this looks like a sushi roll. The contents of the seaweed are a pink paste different form the other soaps. This one is for dry, aged skin. It also contains calamine so I had a similar problem as with the Fresh Farmacy. This really didn't do anything other than smell kinda funky and make a mess. But I saved the worst for last. $9.75 for a 3.5 oz roll

Ultra Bland

Should be called ultra traumatic. This is a cream cleanser for dry skin. Made of peanut oil. It looks like Crisco and was worse than rubbing Vaseline into my face. It's sticky, thick, and really really really hard to get off. This should never be used for anything other than a makeup remover. But i'd still take anyt hat I've tried from Clinique, Lancome, and Estee lauder over this because theirs don't leave a residue. I really hate this product, most of any Lush product i've tried. $14.95 for a 1.5 oz pot; $29.95 for a 3.5 oz pot!

I have never tried babyface, mask of magnanimity, or Ocean Salt which are also listed as face washes on Lush's website. I'll let you know if i do. One's a butter bar, one a mask, one a scrub, if you are interested.

Have you tried any of Lush's face washes? what did you think?

Fuzzy sweaters, ramblings, and a wicked cool facewash

My new hobby is lazing about on my new sofa. Pointless, sure. A complete waste of valuable time. But fun! I'm still a little girl at heart and I like to play dress up and I LOVE to play house. Even doing household chores can become a game if you look at it the right way. So yeah, I have vintage aprons that i don and I like to put a fun record on (usually Blondie, not exactly ancient but it gets me moving) and suddenly I'm not an under appreciated housewife silently doing my marital duty (the OTHER marital duty haha). I'm Sharon Tate cleaning up before party guests arrive. Ok, maybe a bad example. But you get my meaning. Housework is just more fun when you're dusting off princess telephones and sudsing up Fire King dishware.



And as per usual I'm not sure where I'm going with all this. i should plan my posts out in my head at least if not in concrete handwritten drafts. I think I was trying to justify laying on a sofa as a hobby by suggesting that I'm not merely resting but actively engaging in the sofa's symbolic and cultural meanings. Are you buying this?

Well, skip it then. here's what I'm wearing: One of my new blue sweaters; the looser fuzzy one with my denim skirt and brown boots. very casual. Oh wait! I just remembered i did have a post planned talking about everything i did this day and it was actually interesting and thoughtful but also last Sunday so I forget everything anyhow. I'm a loser.

Sweater-thrifted, denim skirt-Calvin Klein, brown boots-Franco Sarto, wool thigh highs that at first look grey until you see all the tan marbling-Forever 21.

Mini product review:

Lush's Coalface cleanser




This is a black bar of facial soap with little bits of scrubby inside. It's meant for oily skin which I do not have but it is still my favorite Lush cleanser. and I've tried all but like one so I feel I can safely say that this one is the best for me. I like it because it does lather a bit but isn't harsh. i rub it between my palms and then wash my face with my hands. i feel like you would benefit from the scrubby bits better if you rubbed the bar directly on your face. After washing with this, my face is clean with no residue and it removes all but the heaviest of eye makeup. a 3.5 oz bar costs $10.95 and lasts a million years. i don't even keep mine safe in one of those tins and it lasts forever. I've been using a tiny sample sliver everyday since mid September and I'm only half way through it.

What do you wash your face with?