summer skin.

So let me get girly here for a bit.  I've been getting way more into skincare & make-up lately.  Skincare because I'm not gettin' any younger ;) but make-up because it's just plain fun.  Here are some things my face (er, and body) love.

Well do this left to right.. the usual.

1.  So LUSH makes cosmetics now and it's probably the greatest thing in the world.  I sampled some things the other day but only ended up buying the Believe lip color... but trust me, I wanted it ALL & I'm going back for more soon.  This color is a great coral-ish pink and you can put it on as light or heavy as you want, it lasts so long (I hardly have to retouch during the day), and you can use it as a blush too -- which I do... every day.  It feels good on your lips.  As if I needed another reason to love this brand.

2.  I'm pretty lazy when it comes to finding out about make-up (particularly foundation) and skin care products.  This and the next product are here because of THIS GIRL... she's a fellow ginger and a make-up guru, I get lost in her videos.  I love that she has very similar coloring to me so I just try out whatever looks good on her -- it usually works.  In her everyday foundation video, she recommended this.  I bought some of this BB Cream off Amazon and it. is. awesome.  The Koreans have skincare down.  This is now all I use on my face for foundation.  It looks amazing, it smells amazing, it feels amazing.

3.  Paula's Choice has changed my skin.  I use several of her products now and have been for months.  I basically copied Ashley once again, with a few changes to fit my specific needs.  Pictured is the cleanser and it's pretty great.

4.  I wear Vanillary every single day and have been for a while.  I prefer LUSH's perfumes in the solids and this is hands-down my favorite scent.  I love it because I can wear it everyday, day & night, and it works.  Plus it's super duper cheap. :)

Skincare essentials.  Lovin' it lately.

yogi.

John and I drink a lot of tea.  We pretty much exclusively drink the Yogi Tea brand now.  Slowly we've transitioned from other tea brands to Yogi because it's amazing and the Super Antioxidant Green Tea has made any other brand of green tea taste like dirty river water.  Maybe a little dramatic?  But probably not.  We are super lucky that our co-op offers a gazillion kinds of Yogi Teas so it's fun to try out new ones.  The flavors we normally drink are Super Antioxidant Green Tea and the DeTox.  We also just bought a box of the Soothing Caramel Bedtime tea the other week and I've been drinking it at night -- very delicious.  I want to try every flavor.

Even though they taste amazing, the best part is definitely the "fortune" (or really, good, zen advice?) on the tag.  I love seeing what I'll get every morning and every evening.  Here's this mornings cup of green tea.

Pretty groovy, Yogi Tea.  You got some loyal followers in John & Me.
(rhymessss!)

 

image via

LUSH.

You know what's awesome?  LUSH.  You know what's even MORE awesome?  Having friends that work at Lush. :)

I'm pretty sure in a previous blog, and definitely in my tumblr, I've talked about how much I love these handmade products.  They are just divine.  Very cool if you're into natural, handmade, better packaging (or lack of packaging, like with one of my favorites - the bar shampoos/conditioners), and vegan things (not all products are vegan but they have a wonderful selection).  Please check Lush out if you haven't already.  I got turned onto Lush awhile ago when I received an amaaaaaazing bath bomb as a gift.  Then I went and bought up some yummy stuff.  BUT - the best things I've received from Lush came just this Christmas...

My lovely friend Cecilia (her tumblr here, or her knitting blog here!) works at Lush in Washington DC and absolutely loves her job there.  For Christmas I received a mishmash of Lush goodness!  Including bath bombs, some body scrub, soap, and my favorite favorite favorite... Helping Hands hand cream!  This stuff is truly amazing.  I've tested a lot of hand creams out and I have extremely dry hands right now. (I wash my hands a lot and use a ridiculous amount of hand sanitizer... I know, I know, creating the "supergerm" or whatever, but I don't like germs.)  This hand cream is amazing.  It moisturizes so very well, doesn't have a horrible smell (like pure shea butter, which I've used and it WORKS, but I'm not a fan of the smell), and it doesn't make your hands feel greasy.  Check it out!

Thank you Miss Cecilia for the products!  And readers, feel free to Ask Cecilia about any products, she's done multiple reviews of products and she's happy to help!  The sweetest girl ever!