Okay, before you go dowsing yourself  with kamikazes and cosmopolitans hear me out and read the rest of the post… Then you can plan a night out with your girls if you want. I’ll have a Roy Rogers please!

So we all love Lush, that’s a given. But until recently I’d only loved it online since I don’t live anywhere near a brick and mortar location. Mr. Mo and went over to Seattle to catch a Pearl Jam concert (yes, it WAS flippin amazing, thanks for asking) and in order to burn some time we stopped by the Bellevue Square mall. Just so happens that Bellevue Square has a Lush location inside. Entering  Lush is like nothing you’ve ever experienced. It’s a lovely, soothing experience that even had Mr. Mo tweeting “What is this place? I feel so relaxed all of a sudden”. It was during my divine hand treatment that I discovered Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub.

This scrub has fine and coarse sea salt that makes me love it as a facial exfoliator. It has a tangy earthy smell that comes from things like grapefruit and lime with vodka. Hold onto that thought, the vodka will show up again later. Some of the other awesome ingredients in this scrub: avocado butter, coconut fat, seaweed, violet leaf and lanolin.  These all help to smooth and soften skin, but they don’t leave a slick oily feeling like a lot of salt scrubs. There’s nothing worse than losing your footing on the bare floor because you’re all slippery from the scrub you used, or is that just me?

So why the vodka? As explained by the Lushociate (Lush associate), the vodka helps to brighten skin, and I’m sure the citrus juices help with that as well. Sure enough, my fair skin was practically glowing when she got through with me. The color was much more even and the alabaster tone made me feel like a roman sculpture. I fell in love instantly and scooped up a tub to add to my quickly growing pile of goodies. I would caution you not to use this if you have large blemishes or broken skin since cuts+salt=ouch, but otherwise it’s a refreshing experience. A big tub(8.8 oz for $32.95) is spendy if you plan to use it as an all over body scrub, so I try to limit it to mostly face and upper body. I like to follow it with my new glob of shower jelly, so fun. If you want a special luxe item to really pamper yourself and love a nice tough scrub then this is it!

It’s been a while since I’ve mentioned one my favorite all-natural skin care companies on the planet, suki.  After being introduced to suki’s lemongrass cleanser a few summer’s ago, I included it in one of Mythbuster Beauty’s very first posts.  I also was able to interview the founder and name behind the brand, suki kramer.  Since then, suki’s uncompromising integrity and skin science smarts has led to the development of the sukispa line.

The first product I tried from the sukispa line was their renewal bio-resurfacing facial peel. My face, neck and decollete feels so smooth and soft after using this.  All with no irritation, intense redness or burning like other enzyme masques I have tried. (more…)

I’ve been using the Barielle Deluxe Hand & Body Lotion after I take off my
nail polish, and after my nail polish is completely dried to help keep
my hands soft and supple. This has a soft, fruity scent that’s
definitely pleasing. It does an excellent job at keeping my hands
moisturized instead of dry after I remove my nail polish. My hands
feel very silky after using it. I think it absorbs quickly into my
skin, and it doesn’t leave my hands feeling greasy after use. Some
lotions will make my hands feel so greasy that I end up having to wash
them, which sort of defeats the purpose of using them.

I’ve been using the Yes to Carrots C is for Clean Gentle Exfoliating
Cleanser (more…)

Before I launch into my thoughts on the Garden Girl products, I just want to say that I love the fact that you can host a “Garden Party” in your home as well as simply purchasing these products online.  Just because someone is buying from a home party doesn’t mean they should be handed a bottle full of junk for twice what it’s worth. SO many home sales companies are offering little more than cheap fillers and harsh ingredients and I am so happy to see a responsible product in a setting that reaches so many more consumers. There aren’t too many consultants (yet, if you want in then do it now!) but you can have a sample party and still get some goodies for being a hostess while offering your friends some of this  paraben/petroleum/sulfate/phthalate free goodness.

Okay, that part of my fawning is over with, let’s move along….

I’m definitely not the first to get the word out about Garden Girl products, and Joycey Couture beat me to it over at Bionic Beauty, but I was pleased to read her review today and find that she had the same results I did…lots o’  love! (more…)

So many great beauty reads, so little time!

Jelly Pong: Pong Nude And Improved – Raging Rouge explains how “this handy little pencil isn’t just a primer, but can act as a concealer too!”

Purely Cosmetics – Pure Bionic Goodness! – Bionic Beauty discovers a wonderful mineral makeup line. “The biggest difference when I applied the Pure Silk Mineral Foundation was the feel.”

Sally b’s Skin Yummies – Lemon Sage Sugar Scrub – DecoDiva cannot get over how wonderful her skin smells and feels after using Sally B’s Lemon Sage Sugar Scrub.

CARGO HOLIDAY NIGHTS! SATURDAY AT SEPHORA! – Kate might still be building her wardrobe, but one thing she has down pat, Kate knows a great makeup palette when she sees one!

90s Ladies Week: Clueless About Foundation? As If! – I laughed all the way through this post about the 90’s. Spoiled Pretty’s new favorite, Make Up For Ever’s HD Invisible Cover Foundation!

Sneek Peek: MAC Hello Kitty Part Deux… The Makeup Girl posts about newly announced release dates for MAC’s Hello Kitty Colour Collection and Hello Kitty Kouture! Meow!

New Posts from Mythbuster Beauty:

• Urban Decay’s Urban Essentials Giveaway (hurry, the deadline is 11.26!)
  
• DecoDiva: The Right Tools for Liquid, Gel, or Powder Eyeliners
• FGW: Timelapse Wands, skin smoothing in a stick?
• Sally B’s Skin Yummies: Such a Treat!
• Beauty Bubble: Using your skincare products in the right order.

So Jen waxed poetic about DERMAdoctor’s KP Duty Therapy for dry skin, and since the dry itchies are moving into my area as well I thought I should jump right on that seasonal bandwagon. My remedy of choice was KP Duty Dermatologist Body Scrub ($44). As I may have mentioned a time or 12, I love exfoliating. However, I generally am not a big fan of the usual body scrubs. They typically leave behind an oily feeling that I guess is supposed to be moisturizing, but to me it feels more like I’ve been dipped in baby oil. I prefer a little less fluff and a little more scrub.

KP Duty Scrub is unique in that it is a chemical AND physical medi-exfoliation. Just look at some of the active ingredients: (more…)

It’s pretty rare that you find something you love enough to save up your lunch money for the next 4 months just to get it. It’s also rare that I would ever even THINK of recommending a product that’s got a high price tag. MBBers, meet rare:

Dr. Gary Goldfaden says his career in dermatology was sparked by a skin problem he experienced during his first year of medical school. With 30 years of practice in Florida, Dr. Goldfaden knows what we do; sun, toxins, and poor care generally have a horrible effect on our skin. When he set out to find his own ‘miracle ingredient’, he settled on red tea, thanks to the lovely skin of his rough living mother in law. Goldfaden isn’t the only line touting red tea’s benefits, and it may not even be the best…but man, it’s awesome.

I had the pleasure of trying out 3 Goldfaden products; Daily Scrub, Pure Power, and 3-in-1 Daily Moisturizer.  These items are a few of their “Daily Foundations”, which cover the skin care basics most of us use daily. Goldfaden also offers Daily Complexes, Intensive Treatments, and Daily Body-Care, with a little something for everyone.  A handy drop down menu displays products appropriate to your skin issues without jumping you all over the website.

As a huge fan of manual exfoliators, I wasn’t as impressed with the Daily Scrub as I’d hoped. I found it to be overly rough and gritty in texture, especially for something meant to be used every day. While it’s labeled as “best for dry, damaged, or distressed skin” I wouldn’t be recommending it to friends with distressed or sensitive skin. I scrub the heck out of my skin on a regular basis, and it was even a bit much for me. A basic exfoliator coupled with a $65.00 price tag puts this squarely in the ‘too pricey’ range for me.

The other two items I tried though…wow.

Pure Power ($85) is an antioxidant serum that does a little bit more. In addition to red tea, Pure Power contains hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring component in skin. Hyaluronic Acid (also called hyaluronan) is involved in tissue repair. It’s important to note that excessive UVB exposure causes cells in the skin to decrease hyaluronan production and even begins to increase the rate of hyaluronan degradation, so renewing the hyaluronic acid in your skin is so important in fighting the effects of sun damage.  A fantastic serum for all skin types, this sank in almost instantly and left my skin smooth and comforted. It didn’t even feel like I was wearing anything and there was absolutely no increased oiliness from this product. I noted that the irritated blemishes on my face seemed to heal faster, and I thought I was imagining it until I began researching the ingredients*. I’m 100% sold on the comforting and healing powers of this serum.

Dr. Goldfaden’s 3-in1 Daily Moisturizer ($65) truly stands out amongst its peers. This oil free moisturizing lotion is almost more of a liquid and is incredibly light. More red tea and hyaluronic acid, as well as seaweed extract. Clearly this combination of ingredients was well thought out. I was skeptical as to how well such a light lotion could hydrate but I quickly discovered that there’s a reason I only do this in an amateur capacity. A small amount of lotion goes a long way and leaves me with quenched skin all day long. BUT, it does so without leaving a greasy or slick layer of product on my skin. I have never in my life discovered a moisturizer that does so much and feels like so little.

After weeks of using these products I am starting to wonder how I can live without them. Though they are expensive they aren’t the MOST expensive thing out there, and since it takes such a reasonable amount to feel results your dollar will get adequately stretched. If had the income to regularly purchase this, I wouldn’t hesitate to do so. As it is, I may just save up and treat myself to this for special occasions, like Mondays. My skin is as soft as my baby daughter’s and it feels fabulous. It has been a long time since I walked around all day without thinking about my skin. These products are so light and effective that my skin simply doesn’t cross my mind throughout the day.  It’s amazing how much more fun skin care is when you aren’t feeling greasy OR itchy!

The team at Goldfaden is offering a special discount code for Mythbuster Beauty readers. Type in rtea8 at checkout to receive a 20% discount! 

*I don’t poke around for info until AFTER I’ve had a chance to really use a product and formulate an opinion. I wouldn’t want to be swayed by what I read and I believe you deserve the best, most honest reviews I can give you! XOXO, Mo