Last Friday, I received my second order from Verbena Custom Blends consisting of a body scrub, a hair conditioner and a leave-in hair conditioner. I had already tried their conditioner and liked it enough to go and get more. The scent I chose before was Lemon Verbena. I love this scent so much, it is so refreshing and zesty. I recently found out that my husband has been using the shampoo in the same scent cos he too loves it. He didn´t know it was a shampoo though so he had been using it on his body as a normal shower soap, lol. Thankfully I had used up the conditioner else he might have mistaken it for a body cream. I did try their body butter creams but they weren´t rich enough for my ultra dry skin.
All products are freshly made from scratch. Paraben and SLS free.
Here´s what I got this time. First up, a Whipped Cream Soap Sugar Scrub in Orange Cranberry Fragrance. I have not used this yet so I can´t really say if i like it or not but the smell is alright, kinda sweet but not sickening sweet. It reminds me of orange flavoured chewing gum. I can´t stand those overly sweet scents. I prefer fruity, minty or floral scents.
The Deluxe Detangler Body and Shine hair conditioner, Coconut-Lime scented comes in 5.6 oz jar. I wish these come in a larger size, preferably in a pump bottle so I don´t get water in it in the shower. I used up the previous conditioner in about 3 weeks. I wash my hair everyday/every other day. Besides, who knows if my husband was using it without me knowing. Yikes, I can´t imagine him using hair conditioner! This is the man that used to wash his face with just water and no cleanser whatsoever.
Next is the Leave In Hair Conditioner and Detangler Spray also in Coconut-Lime scent. I figured if I was going to spray this after washing and conditioning my hair, I wouldn´t want to have clashing scents. I have yet to try this so I´m not sure how strong the scent would be nor how long it would last on my hair. The product itself looks like a smoothie. I´m not sure why it is a different colour than the other conditioner, the list of ingredients on both are pretty much the same and I didn´t request for a specific colour. Perhaps Tina (the seller) had decided to add colour to it. It doesn´t really matter to me. I´m excited to try this one out. I have, or used to have before I cut my hair 3 days ago, very dry and tangled hair.
Tina was kind enough to include some freebies, a cute little jar of Whipped Yogurt Body Cream in Cinnamon Sugared Banana Marshmallow. Quite generous freebie size if you ask me. Too bad, I simply DESPISE the scent of Cinnamon. To my surprise though the smell of this combo is not that revolting. I was ready to gag the moment I took a whiff but it was not that bad. However, I am not going to use this one partly (a large part) because of the cinnamon and also because their body cream doesn´t do anything for my skin. So this one I will be giving away.
... and then there were these 3 little piggies, a Whipped Cream Soap in Pink Sugar Buttercream scent and two Whipped Yoghurt Body Cream in Pineapple Jasmine scent.
Here are two of the items I have left from my previous order.
Cream Soap in Gardenia fragrance. I really like this scent. Very mild and pleasant. As its name suggests, the texture is creamy. It lathers up nicely when used with a mesh shower sponge. Left the skin feeling soft and smooth to the touch. I´m not quite sure if it is the most moisturizing soap I´ve used however.
The shampoo in the very popular scent (at least in my household), Lemon Verbena. This came in a 4 oz. bottle, less product than the conditioner in the jar. Shampoos tend to last longer for me as I have a few that I alternate between - a couple of anti-dandruff ones & Trichomania from Lush that seems to last forever. Anyways, I find that the VCB shampoo works pretty good. It is SLS free. Not too drying on the hair. It´s not the most foamy shampoos so if you like a thick lather this one may not be for you.
Oh, in case you were wondering (which I highly doubt), we are remodeling our bathroom and the gray mosaic tile "featured" on this post is most likely going to be on our bathroom floor soon. It´s made of quarry stone so I think with heated cables underneath, this will feel so nice and warm to step on. I can´t wait! No more shivering in the bathroom in the wee morning hours for me!
Time is just flying by like nobody´s business! Shops have already started displaying Christmas items. Too soon in my opinion. Christmas shopping madness will be in full throttle soon and I am so not looking forward to it. Oh, the stress of shopping!! GAH!
It´s been 3 months since I started on the Enormous Lash and so far so good though I must say I haven´t noticed much more growth the past month. I´ve decided to post comparison pictures with and without mascara as the photos without mascara don´t really show any difference. I can really notice the difference in length and thickness on the base of my lashes when I look in the mirror, shame I can´t capture it on camera. In these photos, I have not curled my lashes before applying mascara, I never do. Another thumbs up for the EL.
Mascara used was the Define-A-Lash from Mabelline. The colour is not stated on the tube but it is a dark brown. Looks black on my lashes though. I got this mascara as a freebie with a purchase I made for you guessed it, more MU. To my surprise I quite like this mascara and not just cos it was free! It´s not clumpy, it is long lasting and
does not smudge which is very important to me. It does a pretty decent job in separating my lashes. Formula is a little on the thick side, not too dry though and definitely not too wet. The brush applicator is quite thin with teeny weeny "teeth" and as you can see in the pic below, you don´t get a heck of a lot of product deposited on the brush head. I did notice that the brush head bends easily. I have done so a number of times unintentionally when I was inserting the wand in the tube but so far it has not broken off. Maybe the intention is to bend it to make mascara application easier esp. the corners? I seem to remember reading/viewing a tutorial somewhere that suggests doing just that. Hmm.
The weather this weekend has been crappy - grey and wet and cold and miserable. Perfect for blogging and on-line shopping. I have done both already :D
What next? Think I´ll go check if I have some dark chocolate left to make some hot cocoa! MMMmmm
Slight delay in posting my progress pics as my husband has been using "my" computer to work on his freelance web design projects. He works better on a bigger screen which means his laptop is too small. He´s now gone playing strategy games (nerd games to me) so that gives me the opportunity to update my blog.
I´ve been using Enormous Lash for 2 months now. Everybody knows already that this stuff really works. I can´t stop admiring my lashes in the mirror each time I´m applying mascara. I´m pretty pleased with the results.
Just a little warning. I´ve been having issues with my skin lately so don´t be alarmed when you see dry flaky skin and redness around my left eye.
BEFORE
AFTER
Those few of you on vox who follow me on twitter (I count three) might already know by now that I was on a mini road trip with the hubby last week. DH was particularly interested to visit Lofoten in the north and like always he was overly ambitious thinking we´d drive over 950 km and back again in 5 days. Normal (and sane) people would usually use 1-2 weeks to make this trip. I mean, it takes about the same amount of time to drive from Oslo to Barcelona. Norway is a looong country! Ok, the conclusion was - Lofoten bad idea. After more thinking and dilly-dallying we decided to drive to the south instead and to spend a night at a place called Risør which is supposedly very cosy and cute. Second day
we´d drive on to Preikestolen/Prekestolen (The Pulpit Rock) in Stavanger (south west). However, we couldn´t find a hotel in Risør but had managed to book 1 night at The Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT) hut at Preikestolen. Heck with it, we decided to just go to Preikestolen (about 8 hours drive) and figure out what we´d do from there.
The hut we stayed in is the double storey building with
grass rooftop, overlooking the beautiful Lysefjord.
After a 2 hour hike, we reached the top. Breathtaking view of the fjord. We arrived just before a fog engulfed the whole area, so thick we couldn´t see the fjord afterwards.
HELLO!!! Can you see me???
We were caught in a downpour on our way back which made climbing down the rocks more difficult. The rocks itself were not slippery but there was a lot of water, some parts were like mini waterfalls. I didn´t have waterproof attire on so I was drenched. After a quick shower and change of clothes we were off! We decided to return home that same day but take a detour and drive down to the the southern most part of Norway and then head back up towards Oslo. It would be a long drive back but we were confident we´d manage it.
We stopped a few places along the way, it was a beautiful drive along the fjords, the little towns, the hills, the farms. I actually forgot how beautiful this country was. Too bad it was not the best weather, raining off and on the entire trip plus the GPS led us to unnecessary detours which made us lose time.
About 6 hours later, we reached Lindesnes, the southernmost point of Norway. It was WINDY as hell.
Lindesnes lighthouse is the oldest in Norway. It was first lit in 1656.
Only 2518 km to the North Cape, Norway´s northernmost point. This gives me an idea for a trip next year...
Back on the road towards Oslo, along the way we stopped at yet another cute little southern town for some delicious seafood dinner and very much needed coffee. After approximately 12 hours on the road, we arrived safely at our home to our lovely fur balls.
Here are Week 4´s progress pics. Now I can finally say with confidence that this product is working! Lashes are definitely longer, thicker, fuller, more curled, etc. A slight change in my routine this past week, instead of applying twice in the pm, I apply both morning and night.
I won´t be posting weekly progress pics after this. Next EL progress post will be in a month´s time. Get ready to be wowed!!! (x-ing my fingers behind my back)
Hmm, I still don´t notice so much difference in my lashes. I don´t have a doubt in my mind that this product works, Dayna´s Week 2 pics prove that it does work. I´m guessing rate of growth differs from person to person. Who knows, maybe my stubborn lashes have reached maximum length and refuse to grow any longer?! You can be the judge. Take a looksie.
PS. One thing that I have noticed since I started using EL is that my lashes seem more curled and "stand up higher" with mascara on. I never had the time to curl my lashes in the mornings but now I don´t think I even need to bother with an eye lash curler anymore.
Here are pics of Week 2 using Beauty Society´s EL. Still not much difference. Thought I´d throw in a side view pic as well. Didn´t manage to get clear close up photos this time, using a different camera and I couldn´t figure out all the different functions.
Edit : I´ll try to post a side view pic of both eyes next time. Dayna is so brainy, she thinks of everything.
So it´s been 7 days. I´ve been applying EL twice a day on my upper lashes and a little bit on my brows. Here are before and after pics.
I thought I had noticed longer lashes today but perhaps it was just in my head? I dunno, but I am still optimistic. It would have been too good to be true if my lashes had grown in just one week anyway.
So far, I can report that this product gives me no irritations. It is very easy to apply, no stickiness and it´s scentless.
On to Week 2 !!
I´m so excited about this brand. I first learned about Illamasqua from What Style is to Nickel´s videos. I am hooked on this dude´s videos. I just find something intriguing about watching a guy wearing make-up talk about make-up. I dunno what it is but I think he´s cute, lol.
Anyway...I just got my package yesterday so I haven´t had the chance to play around with the products. But, take a looksie!
I got Liquid Metal which comes in two shades from the Sirens collection, this one which is called Solstice and Enrapture, a bronze shade. The Liquid Metal is described as follows from the Illamasqua site,
"Feel the heat with this gloriously rich and highly pigmented metallic cream. Use to adorn the body, and apply with fingers or a brush. Release your inhibitions and free your inner siren."
Powder Blusher in Lover - I swatched this and the texture was super smooth and soft, almost cream-like. I can´t wait to try this out on my cheeks. The photos do not do justice to the true shade. It is actually a very pretty peach/coral. It did appear too orangey in the swatch but I did swatch it thickly so that it will show on the photos. Pics further down.
Next is Sheer Lipgloss in Rouse. This has a nice sweet scent, not as sticky as most lipglosses. Don´t be shocked by the vibrant colour in the tube, it is extremely sheer when applied on the lips.
Swatches of the three.
And finally I got a nail base coat and a nail varnish in a drop dead gorgeous aubergine purple. I´ve been reading many raves on Illamasqua´s nail varnishes so I had to order one and see for myself. I´ve only swatched it once on my thumb but so far I can say that it applies real easily.
Good news for American residents - Illamasqua is now available at Sephora stores. I´m not sure if all stores carry the brand but it is available on the online shop. Otherwise, one can always order from Illamasqua´s website, which I did.
I first learned about Enormous Lash on FaceFab aka Erika´s blog (FaceFab on Blogspot). Beauty Society is having a BOGO offer on this product for the month of July so of course I had to quickly place an order. What better opportunity will I get to satisfy my curiosity on these eyelash enhancing products while at the same time not doing any major, serious, i-need-to-file-for-bankruptcy damage to my bank account. I just have to ration my cats´ food until I get my next pay. 5 chicken & rice flavoured balls are all each kitty is getting per day, lol.
Shout out to Erika!!! Super kind lady, not only did she answer all questions I had, she actually updated me with the whereabouts of my package on a daily basis. I´d get a PM saying "Your package left Paris this morning!!". Talk about a personal tracking device, lol. Plus I got some extra goodies from her. Check it out .. .. ..
Drama Free Damage Reversal Serum sample,
Beauty Society Spa Hair Wrap,
Success Perfume sample.
Pics up-close
This perfume reminds me very much of one of The Body Shop´s perfume oils. I don´t remember which one. Success smells really fruity, to me it smells more peach than than the floral (read above in the pic - it´s a bit tacky, i know, lol)
But I kinda like it, great for summer.
I am going to start using the EL tonight, before bed. I will follow Erika´s suggestion and use it twice a night instead of once in the morning and once in the night. Oh, it can also be used on the eyebrows. I´m not going to apply all over my brows, just on one small area where it´s a bit "bald".
Here are pics of my eyelashes pre-EL.
WISH ME LUCK!
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Recent Comments
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MarsG said:
Aww I hope you find a replacement lemon verbena plant. Just imagine all the great things you can do with... read more
on Etsy Find - Verbena Custom Blends -
MarsG said:
Perhaps you should try do a facial on your husband. Bet he´d love being pampered. I haven´t done a facial... read more
on Etsy Find - Verbena Custom Blends -
Hoozey said:
A long time ago I actually got a lemon verbena plant for my garden and loved the scent- it's been... read more
on Etsy Find - Verbena Custom Blends -
LT said:
What a great haul Mars and you have the same scent preference as me! I love Lime Verbena!My husband actually... read more
on Etsy Find - Verbena Custom Blends
I guess lemon verbena isn't a very common plant so I can't find it locally and I'm to lazy to... read more
on Etsy Find - Verbena Custom Blends