Lush Rose Jam Shower Gel Review

 It's that time again. Time to get back into blogging. I had a nice vacation and a much needed break from everything. I went to Texas and watched my friend get married, it was a beautiful wedding, the location, everything was perfect and I'm so glad I was able to go! Also, she looked absolutely beautiful and it was so nice to see two people in love, vow to spend the rest of the lives together. I love weddings now! Afterwards I went to Virginia to visit my baby sister, I hadn't seen her in about two years so it was so nice to see her big head smart self 😁. Hopefully I can see her again much sooner than two years. i also got to see my old roomate from school which was a blast.   Then we headed to North Carolina (ROAD TRIP)  to spend Thanksgiving with my family since my parents are also in the states. I always like to claim I'm the best cook in my family..but my Dad still beats me, he made just about everything for Thanksgiving...except I made the cranberry sauce. And I did spike it with Grand Mariner..which is amazing and you should do it if you make cranberry sauce. But my Dad smoked a turkey (I think it's the best Turkey I've had so far and smoked a roast). If only I could have taken more leftovers 🤤. So all in all...I had mostly an excellent time except for really missing my Grandpa....I can't think of the state of North Caroline without thinking about him and I really missed him, especially while being there. He's always been there before and it was hard at time to really process that he is gone now. But let me stop rambling before I start feeling sad and start this review.

Lush claims:

Turkish rose absolute and skin-nurturing argan oil dance over your skin and leave a beguiling, gentle floral scent.

The flowers from which the finest rose oil and rose absolute are made are picked by hand in Senir (Turkey), at dawn when their aroma is strongest.
A sweet vanilla bean infusion, combined with cleansing Sicilian lemon oil and fresh goji berry juice, add a hint of angular refreshment that makes the Turkish honey-inspired shower gel even more irresistible.
So: foam yourself up and smell of roses!

Ahh Rose Jam. One of the best scents Lush makes. And also one that used to be a Christmas exclusive. Now you can get it year round. I've had one other thing in the Rose Jam scent- Pearl Massage Bar- while that smelled amazing it had a few issues. I really like the shower gel and prefer it much more.

It's a thick red, shower gel with not too much colouring  that smells like Rose Jam heaven. Really...probably one of the best Rose scents I've ever smelled. Must be the Turkish Roses. It's more a sweet rose scent, kind of exactly what you would think a super sweet rose jam/jelly would smell.  It's nice and strong too but I don't notice it lingering on my skin much. It does kind of linger in the bathroom a little though.

I don't find it to be drying. And the lather is really nice. 

The ingredients are...OK. It does have SLS and a few other (not many) meh ingredients but it does also have great ones. The rose absolute, vanilla pod infusion, and rose oil cancel out the meh ingredients. Where else can you find shower gel with such great absolutes/scent ingredients? No where.

Ingredients:

Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Glycerin, Water and Vanilla Plant Extract, Water and Cypress Infusion, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Gojiberry Juice, Lactic Acid, Argan Oil, Rose Absolute, Rose Oil, Geranium Oil, Lemon Oil, Citric Acid, Citronellol, Coumarin, Geraniol, Limonene, 

Overall, this would be in my top favorites from Lush and Rose isn't even my Jam. But this is a good one and one that is worth the money in my opinion. 

Viseart 01 Neutral Matte Eyeshadow Palette First Impressions/Swatches on Dark Skin

 A Facebook makeup group I follow is responsible for this purchase. I was a little obsessed with Viseart for a minute and watched a ton of reviews. All of which say..you need this palette. It's a workhorse. And I think for makeup artists or those with lighter skin tones it might be. For me? So far I'm not convinced. The retail price on this one is $80. But a few months back, they switched the packaging and sold these off on Boxycharm for $9. I didn't pick it up then. But I found it a few months ago on Ebay. I think around $25 or $30. I decided to just go for it. Better to get it now and see if it was a must have than wait until they are gone off of eBay and pay $60-$80.

The packaging is not magnetic removable pans, which is OK with me, I do like the updated packaging of the new ones. But not enough to pay the full price. 

Here's my first impressions:

Too many light shades. There are three shades in the first row that serve no purposes for me. And I know you can mix them but they are still way too light. 

The browns are so similar. There is barely any differentiation between about three on my eye. Maybe one is way cooler. Also...the pigmentation is just not there for some of the colors, not on my skin-tone. 

I only really like about three colors from it. 

It's a really boring color story. Of course brights and unique colors make me crazy happy. But...boring! 

On the plus, it can be a nice natural matte palette to accompany a more fun/glittery/colorful and shimmery palette. I think it pairs well with some of my Vice palettes or more fun color stories to tone some of it down. 

It's not super pigmented. But it does blend really nicely and easily. Not sure if it's so much better than some of my shadows from Urban Decay or Too Faced. 

I think that's everything. Time for swatches!

Four boring shades of beige. These shades do nothing for me. The only one that might be slightly useable would be the first shade. 

Saumon (Deep Peach with a Matte Finish)- This is a nice highlight for me, it's got a little color to it. Possibly a lid shade for lighter looks. I like the similar shades to this one in the Milieu Palette more.

The 2nd one has no name but is a little lighter than the first shade. A good highlight shade.

Peche (Light peach beige with a Matte Finish- This is moving into the unusable category to me...but not as terrible as the Ivoire shade. I might keep this one but get rid of the Ivories since it has a tiny bit more color to it.

Ivoire (Bone White with a Matte finish) - This Might be a throwaway shade for me. It just does a lot of nothing for me. A bit too light as a highlight for me. 

 

I do like the first shade in this row, a deep warm brown. And I like the orange shade. I never know what to do with it though. The third one is OK, and the last shade is too cool and not pigmented enough. Also looks a little ashy...

Chocolat- (Warm chocolate red brown with a matte finish) A really nice reddish brown. It does look warm on my eye with some shades...which is nice as most browns tend to go on cool, even if they are red based. It's not a deep, deep brown but great to accompany a shimmery brown or bronze eye. 

Brique (Warm Sienna with a Matte Finish) I like this color, but I think I might like the burnt orange in the Modern Renaissance palette more. I do still need to play with it more. I just think that orange suits me better. But this is nice. It looks like a more natural orange, it just melts right into my skin and doesn't look so "eyeshadow-y"

Taupe- (Caramel Warm Brown with a Matte Finish)- Doesn't show up very well on me. It's very skin ton like...maybe adds a slight warmth. 

Cafe (Taupe Cool Brown)- It goes on quite a bit cooler than it looks like it would in the pan. Not sure i have a use for it. It's not rich in pigmentation. Maybe a contour color...possible eyebrows? Or maybe too light. I'll keep playing with it.

Last row I was most interested in because I don't usually wear/drawn to cool colors but I liked them in the pan. There is a deep black (I probably have more than enough black shades to last a lifetime). And three cool browns, a grey toned, a purple toned, and a light one. Not too different on my eye. Also not flattering on me. 

Carbon (Natural Black)- Somehow it doesn't look very black...but when applied to the eye its plenty black. I like this one, mostly use it as liner. I have quite a few black and this one it really good quality. I have a black I am about to pan so I guess I can just think of this one as a replacement.

Souris (Deep Grey)- I used it once but can't remember what I thought. I like the color, but gray doesn't tend to flatter me well. I'll have to play with it. 

Cendre (Soft Cool Grey Brown Taupe)-  I matched this with some of my taupe shimmery shades and thought it was nice. Not one I will probably reach for since I don't wear taupe shades very often but good to have in case somehow I pan all my others...

Noisette (Light Cool Brown)- This like all the others could use more rich pigmentation. I don't see myself getting a lot of use but I do need to play with it more. I'll update if I find a good use for it! 

So overall, glad I didn't pay full priced. I will definitely keep using it, but I don't think it will ever be a favorite palette.  I have other neutral palettes I prefer. 

Fudge Brownies and Old-Fashioned Chocolate Buttermilk Sheet Cake

 It's been a chocolate-y adventure for me the past couple of weeks. Or maybe slightly chocolate-y since I only successfully made two things. 

I failed completely at my first batch of brownies. It was the recipe. Not my skill. I was trying to make a copy cat recipe from a brownie bakery in New York and it was cakey, never cooked through, and had way too much butter. I was mad I wasted my ingredients. Guess one day I need to take a trip to New York. 

Anyway...I wasn't going to try again. And then I figured..why not? I've made blondies from scratch or something like it, and a batch of brownies made with almond flour (they were bomb). But never regular old brownies. 

I'm very particular with my brownies, I don't like cakey brownies. I like fudgey, super chocolate-y, chewy brownies. And...these are that. Complete with the brownie looking cracked top. Perfect recipe. Would make again and if you want to make brownies too. I would recommend it. 

You can find the recipe https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/fudge-brownies-recipe

Next, I made some chocolate cake. I think this is the first chocolate cake recipe I've made...and it's not the ultimate. Probably wouldn't recommend it. 

I like super chocolate, chocolate cake. It has to taste like chocolate and not sugar. Basically Devil's Food Cake is my kind of chocolate cake. This looked really chocolate-y but just didn't quite get there. Also...the order of the ingredients as it relates to cake was a little weird to me. It's good. But not great and not one I would make again. Also..it stuck to the pan which I should have expected since it's originally a sheet cake. I halved the recipe...which wasn't easy because it's in cups and nothing halves perfectly. I'm starting to prefer recipes that are in grams. So much easier to work with and get right everything single time. 

So the brownies were a hit but the chocolate cake was not.

Martha and the Vandellas

 

I am feeling blessed and highly favored, for a minute it seemed the world was raining stress on me, and then since last week, it's just been one great thing after another. 

But let's talk music. I feel like it's been awhile since I've done a music post of a group from the 60's. But here we are. I am the biggest fan of Motown. It's universal, and I don't think I've met one person that disliked it. I would be shocked if I did. 

Anyway..here are my faves from this group.

Heatwave has got to be the most popular song. Watching this video is making me want to dress up as a Motown girl. I just need the wig and the dress...I have some shoes that would work perfectly though. Maybe that's what I'll do next Halloween. Anyway, now this song is stuck in my head so for the next two hours, I'll randomly shout/sing HEATWAVE. 

I love Nowhere to Run too. But...doesn't the background music sound almost exactly like a few other songs in Motown's lineup? Or am I crazy? IDK, I feel like this same music was used in a Marvin Gaye song too... Anyway, I would love to hear this song in a stalker/horror type of movie..I think it would hilarious.

Dancing in the Street is the song that doesn't fail to get me out of my chair, laughing and dancing. It's just one of those feel great songs. The picture is so clear on this too! I wish they would do this on all their live performances.

I really like this song, although it's not that well known.  I like the message and songs that speak to issues such as these (Vietnam War) ...I believe I read that this song was banned when it came out.

This is There He Is At My Door. I just like the way it was sung.

This one sounds like a Smokey song...and it's written by him. I really like this one...I think another group did this song, but I like this version best. I love Martha's voice! 

Now listening to all of this, I'm in an even better mood than I was when I started 😁 That's Motown for ya! 

Clean & Clear Morning Burst Facial Scrub Review

 Clean and Clear and under control. 

I have no idea if they still have those commercials but its engrained in my head forever. The marketing must have been great back then because I had the face wash when I was in high school. I don't remember if I liked it but I never repurchased it.

Clean and Clear claims:

Specially formulated to reveal softer, more radiant skin, this scrub contains a blend of effective cleansers, vitamin C, ginseng, and Bursting Beads® that gently remove dull, tired-looking skin. Add into your morning routine 2-3 times per week for smoother-looking skin.

Made in Canada

It smells exactly like I remember it…which is unfortunate because I don't like the smell. It is a very fake wanna be citrus scent, I was expecting something zesty and uplifting. This is just very artificial and meh smelling. 

But there is more to a scrub than scent. Its a hybrid gel cleanser/scrub. The scrubby bits are not plentiful but I guess they are doing the job because my skin feels smooth but it isn't something I noticed immediately. 

I have oily skin but I haven’t really noticed my skin feeling oily. It just feels normal. Great for oily skin.

The website says to use the scrub 3-5 times a week, but the bottle says you can use daily so I have been using it every morning. My skin has been really clear and problem free. 

The scrub itself says that it is plastic free…but I still can’t find more information on what the scrubby bits are and if they are safe to go down the drain. 

As for ingredients, I don't see anything great that I am happy to put on my skin.

Ingredients:

Water, Glycerin, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Microcrystalline Wax, Lauryl Glucoside, Cellulose, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Microcrystalline cellulose,  Phenoxyethanol,Fragrance, Methylparaben, Sodium Hydroxide, Menthyl Lactate, Disodium EDTA, Mannitol, Cellulose, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Acrylates Ammonium methacrylate,copolymer, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, triethyl citrate, talc, yellow, red, iron oxides, mica titanium dioxide, 

Overall, not a bad scrub…but not one I would go out of my way to repurchase. At least until I knew more about what the scrub is made from.

Maybelline Lash Sensational Washable Mascara Review

 The last few days/weeks I have been hooked on the show Outlander.  Reading the description it appealed to me..but every time I watched the preview it looked so boring. I finally was bored enough that I decided to give it a try...and now I'm hooked. It almost has a little too much violence for me (and I'm the biggest Game of Thrones fan which really showed some stuff!) but ultimately love it. I'm only on season 2 though, I heard later seasons aren't that great but for now..loving every minute. Makes me want to find a little warrior and have some bairns 😂.  But for real though, the show makes me want to plan a visit to Scotland. Maybe next year...

Anyway...mascara.

Maybelline claims:

Lash Sensational, for a full fan effect! Lashes go supple, separated and fully fanned. Now infused with conditioning Rose Hip Oil and mineral pigments, this cult-favorite mascara delivers thick lashes that never feel weighed down. Maybelline’s exclusive fanning mascara brush with ten layers of bristles reveals layers of lashes, adding the look of length and volume without clumping. The fresh liquid formula captures lashes from root to tip for fanned-out volume. Now available in a new washable shade: Midnight Black. Ophthalmologist tested. Suitable for contact lens wearers.

Lash Sensational® Washable mascara unfolds layers of lashes for a sensational full fan effect, thanks to its exclusive fanning brush with ten layers of bristles. This cult-favorite mascara delivers supple, separated lashes that never feel weighed down. Now introducing the New Midnight Black shade; infused with Rose Hip Oil to condition the lashes for an even softer feel.

I've been trying to get this review up for months...but too lazy to get get the pics of the mascara on my lashes. 

I think it's my favorite Maybelline mascara that I have tried in a long time. Actually one of the best mascara's I've tried in awhile period.

I bought it in the color Very Black. Or at least I think I did. It's hard to tell which one is supposed to be the blackest with names like Very Black, Midnight Black, and Blackest Black. It's black enough, I think it could be blacker though and its possible there is one blacker than the one I got but overall it's confusing. 

It's a plastic bristled brush, which never tend to be my favorite but I like this one. It has a curve which makes it easy and less messy to apply. And I love the effect it gives my lashes although it took about 2 weeks to dry out to the point where it became perfect. 

It gives me length, curl, volume and a nice fanned effect that I couldn't really capture in the picture but I love the way it looks in person. 

It doesn't flake off and wears until I am ready to take it off. Doesn't lose the curl either. It get's "hard" but not overly crunchy and you can add a few layers when it dries later on if need be. 

Packaging is nice, comes in a nice fat tube. I always feel like the mascaras are better, makes me think it will give me fat lashes. Not always true though. It's a nice mauve pink that seems to be the color of choice when it comes to mascara. 

It seems a little harder to wash off than most, but after some experimentation, I feel I have the removal process down.

I did read it has Rosehip oil, not sure if it's enough to make a difference I do feel my lashes are slightly more than they were....could be my imagination though...

Overall, it's one of my favorites! And you can't beat the price being that it is drugstore. I think I bought it for around 6 or 7 dollars and you can find sales/coupons that can lower the price even further. 

Random: I bought some super fancy heather honey, it is a polish brand. It's supposed to be a hard to a harder to find honey and was certainly really pricey...but I don't think it was worth the price. It tastes like regular ol' honey. Have you tried Heather Honey?