Lush Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub

It's only after living in New York City that I understood how dirty air can be. True disgusting fact: last winter I had a bath obsession and took baths at least three times a week. When I emerged, the bath water was gray. It's not that I'm a particularly dirty person or anything, I just can't hide from smoke and smog, and here you can't help but rub shoulders and thighs with strangers everyday. 

For days that I feel particularly grimy, I use an exfoliator for a deeper cleanse. When I was younger I was a staunch champion of St. Ives Apricot Scrub, later graduating to Sabon's Body Scrub. Sometimes I wonder how I ever thought torturing my skin was a fantastic feeling. No doubt I felt clean, but it was as if I had to scratch my skin with a metal scrubber to get there.

I was recently sent a tub of Lush Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub to test and was filled with trepidation at first glance. Those salt particles looked dangerously coarse. But I was told to stir the concoction before first use and what I got was a happy mush.

The lime and grapefruit scents are particularly strong in Ocean Salt, which combined with a salty tang, harkens the image of having tropical punch at an actual beach. The scary-looking salt turned out to be fine* when combined with (what I'm guessing is) the avocado butter and coconut oil, and together they make a soothing combination in the shower – moisturized, scrubbed clean, but not raw.

*I forgot that it's meant for "face and body." For body, I think it's definitely not abrasive as an exfoliator. I agree with shusheshe that it's too rough on the face.

Lush Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub retails for $35.95 and is available at Lush in-stores and online.

The product in this post was provided by the company for editorial consideration

In Which I Get 'Editorial': Lush Emotional Brilliance

Let me preface this by saying it's entirely unintentional that for both my Lush looks I had a wind machine (or an AC unit blowing in my face) and a glossy eye on (which promptly smudged my mascara like crazy in thirty seconds). I don't quite remember what was going on, but it sounds like I had fun.

L-R: Lush Focus, Wise, Strong

L-R: Strong, Focus, Wise

Some time ago, I was sent three random products from the Lush Emotional Brilliance line to review (so, no. This is not a product of the "pick a color" game). I was glad a lip product was included because to be honest, I have never been sold on a liquid eye product. Even Ellis Faas, whose eyeshadow formula I absolutely adore, gets the back-of-the-drawer treatment in my book. Just because liquid eyeshadows are so tricky.

That said, I'll try anything.

L-R: Wise applied with fingers, Wise applied with brush

The foremost question on my mind when using liquid products is how to blend so they look natural. On my right eye, I tried applying the shadow with the doe foot wand, then finger-blending it. On the left eye, I applied with the Shu Uemura #10 synthetic fiber brush. Perhaps it's my lack of expertise, but the result is as you see in the picture above. To its credit, after the eyeshadow dried it didn't crease or budge at all.

"Wind machine" aside, lips: Cle de Peau Enriched Lip Luminizer #1

On the other hand, I definitely get along with liquid lip products. In fact, I was just searching for an orange-red that was orange enough without actually being orange (think about that a minute) when I received Strong. The formula is lightweight and slick, as in when you first press your lips together it slips around. I had no trouble applying it with the included wand, and in my tests it stays on until you have a giant oily meal. My applicator was a little loose at the base, but it could be that my sample was just defective. The only thing that bothered me was there's a sort of plastic taste and smell to the formula. By no means off-putting since I don't intend to eat my lipstick, but good to note.

Glossy eye courtesy of Le Métier de Beauté Magic Lustre Cream

I'm perhaps one of the last bloggers to be writing about this, but I would like to say that we might all be a little hard on the brand. After all, it is their first cosmetics collection, and as much as I won't be purchasing the eye products, I do believe the liquid lipsticks stand a fighting chance in the current market. It's at a relatively affordable price point and boasts a much wider range compared to its more conservative counterparts (I mean, they have one that's straight up purple), so I definitely think Lush is on to something. 

Lush Emotional Brilliance products retail for $22.95 and can be found at Lush stores or lush.com.

The products in this post was sent by the PR of the company for editorial consideration.