Musings of a Muse

If you’re wanting a little bit of divine intervention to be added into your moisturizer you may not have to look too far!

Philosophy Divine Illumination Moisturizer is the newest moisturizer from Philosophy that promises to improve skin tone, texture, smoothness, firmness, and adding anti-aging ingredients while adding a healthy glow to skin!

You can pre-order Philosophy Divine Illumination Moisturizer from QVC by using item number A84989.

Count the Muse curious…I foresee some illumination in my life soon…review to follow? Possibly!

Want it?

Need it?

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I’m such a geek, put together batteries and mascara and I get quite hyper and excited! I was testing out my Estee Lauder TurboLash All Effect Motion Mascara this weekend and it’s interesting to say the least.

The wand on this mascara is vibrating, it is NOT rotating. You may have read some details or descriptions of it and got as confused as I did, I had assumed that the wand rotated. The mascara wand handle actually vibrates as you apply which is supposed to mimic the movement moving your wand back and fourth, which we all know adds extra volume to lashes.

The final look, after using the product, is one of fuller, volumized lashes however I was somewhat torn if the vibration of the mascara actually helped to achieve that look or not and I’m unable to turn the vibrations off to try it out. Aside from this minor rant I’m very pleased with the product on a whole. The formula is smudge proof and long wearing with a nice inky black finish that makes me lashes look full and fat. I did notice that I got incredible lenght with this compared to some other mascaras I used and was able to build up some serious volume to my lashes which gave me that false lash look that I crave. The brush applicator is a nice full brush that grabs every lash with one stroke coating them in mascara.

Before Use

After Use

After Use

In order to turn this on you just twist the cap out and pull the wand out. It begins vibrating almost as soon as you twist the upper cap off and vibrates straight through application. Slide the wand back into the tube, twist shut, and the vibrations stop. Simple!

Although the battery is not replaceable it should last until you’re ready for a new mascara which should be about six months or so (the battery will probably out last 6 months in my opinion however I don’t keep mascaras over six months due to bacteria, germs, etc…). At $30 USD it’s not entirely cheap but I do think it’s worth the price as it does what it promises, fuller, longer lashes.

I recommend it for the following:

• Those with short, stubby lashes as the applicator does a good job of grabbing lashes and pulling them up and out while curling them upwards.
• Those who want fuller, fatter lashes with a false lash-like finish.
• Anyone who loves the novelty of a geeky product…!

All in all I really liked this one and I do recommend checking it out for yourself!

Tried it?

Love it?

Tell the Muse!

Givenchy Phenonmen’Eyes Mascara Review

Smashbox 24K Golden Effect Top Coat Mascara

Blinc Lash Primer Review

Sephora Atomic Mascara Review

L’Oreal Telescopic Mascara Review

Urban Decay Big Fatty “Colored Mascara” Review

Spinlash Review

Majolica Majorca Mascara Review

Sephora The Lash Stash

Majolica Majorca Lash Gorgeous Wing Mascara Review

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I’ve been using Lush Vanishing Cream Moisturizer for about a month now, maybe a little longer. I originally ordered all three of Lush’s moisturizers from Lush UK over a month or so ago and the one that I was the least interested in and wasn’t going to purchase at all was Vanishing Cream. I’m actually quite relieved I indulged in Vanishing Cream because it turns out it’s rather wonderful and I’m in love with it.

Honestly, I was worried about purchasing Vanishing Cream considering it’s absolutely all wrong for my skin type, the moisturizer is meant for acne prone/oily skin. I wasn’t going to purchase this at all but the description did peek my interest.

Here’s the description taken from the Lush UK website:

The Low Fat Moisturiser If you have acne, oily skin, spots on your T-zone (forehead, nose and chin) you could use a pot of our new Vanishing Cream. It makes your skin troubles vanish. It`s not magic though, it`s beautifully traditional natural science. We make it with a new low-fat base so it`s light as a feather and sinks in, in a trice. There`s no cocoa butter; although we love it, we know it`s not for everyone. Instead, we use shea butter and deeply softening linseed gel, with low-fat camellia, grapeseed and jojoba oils. Of course, you don`t have to have problem skins use it; if you`d like a comforting, balancing moisturiser that keeps your skin clear with lavender, neroli and uranium essential oils then walk this way. But if your skin torments you every day, making you over-oily, spotty, red or sore then you definitely need this. Use it with Herbalism, Angels on Bare Skin, Fresh Farmacy, Tea Tree Water for a new Tea Tree Tone Tabs to take really good care of your face, naturally and safely.

As per Lush’s recommendation of “of course, you don’t have to have problem skins use it; if you like a comforting, balancing moisturizer that keeps skin clear…” this was one thing that caught my interest and of course the other item that sold me on this was the fact that it was marketed as being such a light moisturizer. I liked the idea of a moisturizer that was light, that would help battle oily skin, and balanced my skin so I decided what the heck might as well try it.

Considering this arrived sometime in July or August (I can’t recall which) I was happy to have it for part of the Summer to try out since my combination skin is sometimes oily in the Summer here it may have laid a solution.

As promised by Lush, Vanishing Cream is beautifully, wonderfully, heavenly light. I love how smooth and effortlessly this glides onto my skin and absorbs simply and easily. This is absolute perfect wear for Summer considering how light and airy the formula is. The texture is watery and runny and has a fresh, herbal smell of lavender and rose.

The moisturizer leaves my skin matte yet dewy and fresh and keeps my forehead nice and oil free all day long. I absolutely loved using this during the hot, humid weather as it offered just the right moisture for my skin while balancing it out and preventing it from becoming shiny. One of the ingredients in this is Witch Hazel which could account for how it mattifies skin and keeps oil at bay.

I recommend this for those with the following skin types:

• Oily Skin
• Acne or Blemish ridden skin
• Redness or Sensitive Skin
• Those who want a light moisturizer for everyday use or during warmer weather

The only sole rant I have about the moisturizer is it’s lack of SPF aside from that it’s positively perfect and I love it. Although I was using this as a light, Summer time moisturizer I feel like it may carry it’s way into my Fall skincare regime as well as I’m enjoying it’s lightness and how I do not have to prep with a base or primer after use.

I highly recommending purchasing this for yourself or at the least trying it out. Currently Lush has small pots available for $5 USD which you can use to test this out. If you love it you can bring back the empty sample pot you purchased for $5 USD and have it deducted from the total cost of a large container of the moisturizer!

Nifty right?

The price is $35.95 USD or £15 for a 1.7oz pot (45g).

The Muse Approves it for purchase!

Love it!

Tried it?

Like it?

Tried any of the new Lush Moisturizers?

Tell the Muse!

Retro Lush

Lush Skin Nanny Review

Lush Godmother Soap Review

Fabulous New Items from Lush!

Lush Emotibombs Review

Lush Solid Perfume Review

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I’ve been working seriously hard at bringing you all the latest and the greatest for Fall Collections! I hope you’ve enjoyed all my reviews so far and I hope you’re looking forward to hearing about more Fall goodies! I definately have a few more up my sleeves that I’ll be bringing to you very soon and of course before you know it the Muse will take you down the Holiday road to bring you all the best selections for Winter and the Holiday from the US, Japan, Korea, and anywhere else that strikes my fancy!

For now I’m leaving you with a little weekend link love round up of links to Fall Collections I’ve reviewed! If you’re a loyal reader I’m sure you’ve already been through these but maybe you’ll enjoy looking through them again or maybe catch something you missed the first time around! If you’re a new reader I’m sure it’ll be great to browse through some past reviews and maybe find something you fancy purchasing to add to your current cosmetic wardrobe!

Smashbox Wicked Lovely Collection Review

NARS Super Orgasm Review

Dior Face Pro-Styler Palette Review

Sugar Cosmetics Sweet Cheeks Baked Blush Review

Guerlain Parure Aqua Review

MAC Overrich Review

Too Faced Smoke and Mirrors Collection Review

Lorac Double Feature Highlighter Concealer Review

MAC Cult of Cherry Review

Urban Decay Lipstick Review

Majolica Marjorca Fall Collection 2008

Bare Minerals Rocker Chick Kit Review

MAC Colour Forums Review

Shu Uemura Instinct Collection Review

New or old, thank you for being apart of Musings! I greatly appreciate your reading my little blog!

Happy Weekend!

Don’t forget you can easily find all my Fall reviews by visiting the drop down menu on the left hand side of my blog!

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I’ve been reviewing a few items from Etude House’s Fall Collection this week and today I’m ending the week with a review on Etude House Lash Designing Vitcara Mascara.

Although there isn’t anything too special about Etude House Lash Designing Vitcara Mascara I was delighted with it’s price and it’s performance.

The mascara comes in two versions, a fiber base and a regular volume (curl) mascara. Out of the two versions I liked the regular volume mascara best.

The regular curl version has a very good applicator on par with Beaute de Kose’s Volumizing Mascara’s applicator, it’s a tiny curved smooth handle with tiny bristles at the very tip. The curved end fits the contour of your eye lashes perfectly to comb lashes upwards and out. You can use the bristles to comb the mascara further through the lashes or concentrate on certain lashes (such as the outer ones) to create a fuller look or a doll-like effect to lashes. The formula is nice and thick and does a fine job of fattening lashes up, separating them, and creating a nice full look. I experienced no problems with smudges or fading. It’s not the best mascara around but it does do what it promises and it’s quite inexpensive as well.

The second mascara was a bit of a shock to me as it’s actually not half bad considering how much I hate fiber based mascaras. My first use with it was a complete mess and I ended up absolutely hating it but after reading the instructions and recommendation for use I successfully created quite a good full lash look with it. The applicator on this one is a tiny comb style with a smooth surface on one side and a bristle side on the other. For application you’re supposed to use the smoother side to pull the lashes upward and out after you proceed to brush through lashes with the comb. The smooth side of the applicator reminds me of Bare Escentuals Brushless Mascara and the entire design actually sorta reminds me of another Bare Escentuals mascara which is Big Tease. I was delighted that the fibers didn’t get stuck in my eye or cause general irritation as fiber mascaras have been known to do for me! I highly recommend trying this particular mascara if you have shorter, stubbier lashes. It pulls lashes up and out nicely and creates a very full, long look to eyes. My first use, as I mentioned, was a mess and my lashes had the spider web effect going on but after using the applicator correctly I was quite pleased with the results.

All in all for the price you sincerely can’t go wrong and I definately enjoyed these two mascaras.

You can see further information with before and after photos on Etude House’s blog. If you have a Korean language pack installed it’s easy enough to translate the site as well!

Enjoy further reviews on Etude House’s Fall Collection by clicking through some past posts!

Etude House Lip Plumping Tint Review

Etude House Face Designing Brightener Review

Etude House Brightening Eyes Duo Review

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