Musings of a Muse

The Muse is terribly partial to body care that comes housed in sweet little Victoria bottles and jars. She’s a big fan of expensive British soaps, lotions, and potions such as Lady Primrose that caters not only to quality but also beautiful packaging. Victorian packaging is perhaps long dead for some but I’m a big lover of anything that’s sports a feminine, pretty package. Most of these items are costly but not the case with Lollia which not only gives a beautiful presentation to it’s product but also offers a quality product with a tiny price tag. And most important it’s made in the USA so you don’t have to trip across Europe so snag yourself some!

Pretty, cheap, and quality? What more could a girl possibly want!

Allow me, if I may, to introduce you to Lollia’s Newest Collection Guest Haus. These tiny petite treats were created by designer Margot Elena Wells. the Guest Haus Collection acknowledges the special guest that comes to visit for an evening or a long weekend or perhaps just for a simple cuppa tea. The Muse’s tea party guests always go home with a goody bag so the Lollia Guest Haus Collection would be the perfect little take home treat.

At $12.50 USD you won’t break the bank making your vanity pretty (or making your guest room vanity pretty if you’re feeling the need to share! No pressure you don’t have too as these are too cute to just give away!) with these sweet petite glass jars of Lollia Body Milk. Each glass jar houses a lush, moisturizing lotion that you can use on hands or on your body.

Lollia Body Milk contains a healthy about of shea butter for making hands and body super smooth with it’s quick absorbing formula but most important it’ll make you smell really pretty. Available in Mint Julep and Geraldine and Tonic you might as well get both for the price as the scents are lovely!

Lollia Body Milk in Mint Julep smells like a sweet vanilla buttermint candy, you know like the ones you slip into your mouth after dinner. The scent lingers on and on so you won’t be able to stop smelling your hands after use! Yum! Lollia Grenadine & Tonic Body Milk smells has a fresh floral scent with a nice twang of tonic that lightens up the scent and morphs it into something unique!

Forsaking luxury because of price doesn’t have to be an option with Lollia’s inexpensive Bath and Body Collection! Lollia Guest Haus Body Milk Petite Treats are gorgeous little treasures that will fit right into the palm of your hand and oh yes most important your beauty budget without breaking the bank.

Snag a few to give away at your tea parties, stash some in your guest bedrooms and bathrooms, give some to a special friend as a little treat, and most important spoil yourself with one or two!

Lollia Body Milk and the entire Lollia Collection is Muse Approved for purchase! Girlish, feminine, pretty, and inexpensive make a Muse happy.

You can find Lollia at www.lollialife.com or visit your local Antropologie!

Have you tried Lollia?

Love it?

Tell the Muse!

Stay Tuned for more Lollia reviews coming shortly!

KATE is one of Kanebo’s many sub-branch cosmetic lines available within Japanese drugstores in Japan and if you’re lucky in various parts of Asia. Many of you already know most of this already but for those new to Asian brands a few quick facts about KATE lay ahead.

KATE is a rather inexpensive, mid-range priced cosmetic line that sports a variety of edgy compacts and cosmetics with fantastic color payoff and quality. The line is darker and has a certain flair that many Japanese cosmetics don’t sport. Where as many of these brands sport kawaii, girlish, or very feminine packaging, KATE brings the edge to it’s brand.

One of my very favorite items from the line are the KATE Dual Carat Eye Shadow palettes!

Jump ahead for my stash!

KATE Dual Carat Eye Shadow Palettes contain two contrasting shades of shimmering, pigmented shadow in a small slim line case. The shadows are silky smooth with fantastic color payoff and most important pack a nice shimmery finish that the Muse favors!

I’m a big lover of these little guys and I believe I’ve collected all the shades that KATE has released so far. I’m ever hopeful when a new collection pops up that they’ll either add to the current catalog of Dual Carat compacts or introduce a similar line up as KATE is known for revamping there palettes while keeping certain aspects of the old.

They are a true favorite with this Muse as you can see from my vast collection!

How about you?

Love KATE Dual Carat Shadow Palettes?

What’s your favorite KATE palette?

Tell the Muse!

Aren’t fairies supposed to be sweet little bits that run around granting wishes or something?

Well, not according to Captain Jack they aren’t!

Have no fear! Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes is sweet and will grant all your mascara wishes with a sweep of it’s wand! Scary fairies not included thankfully.

If you hated Majorca Majolica Gorgeous Wing as much as the Muse you’ll be thankful for the introduction of the newest mascara from Jelly Pong Pong entitled Fairy Lashes. The promise of light, fluffy lashes that are thicker, fatter, and volumized awaits you without the drama of harsh fibers!

If you have stubbier lashes or smaller lashes this is one you’ll want to try and if you already have full lashes but want extra volume with a light, soft feel Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes is for you.

The formula is an interesting formula that creates nice full lashes with plenty of volume all while keeping things light and soft. Your lashes will feel virtually weightless and soft with this mascara in place. Where as some mascaras give an icky hard feeling to lashes, Fairy Lashes keeps lashes soft and conditioned as if you aren’t even wearing mascara at all! Likey! The applicator is a big chunky brush which captures all your lashes at once so no struggling to try to get inner lashes. One swipe and you’re golden! A few swipes more will get you plenty of volume and curl.

I thought the mascara also managed to keep curl exceptional well which is probably due to it’s very light formula. Asian (or anyone with shorter, stubbier lashes) lashes can definitely benefit from this formula as it’ll keep curl all day plus keep lashes soft which in turn will allow for less breakage.

The formula is formulated with cotton seed extract which is supposedly an active ingredient that contains natural oligosaccharides which restructions eyelashes and renders them flexible and hydrated.

Overall, I absolutely loved this and I wish more mascaras would embrace the interesting “technology” behind it. It keeps my lashes very soft, holds curl all throughout the day, and it’s fairly easy to remove even though the formula is waterproof. It doesn’t smudge, cake, or create raccoon eyes which is always a plus. The formula itself just feels so natural and weightless on my lashes I can’t help but love it.

The mascara comes in a cute blue box with a sweet fluffy feather affair on top. The box splits open to reveal the purple tube of mascara within. Quite a nice presentation packaging wise. I’m always so chuffed proper with Jelly Pong Pong packaging I actually ended up keeping this box and storing the mascara back inside since I loved it so much!

Who might love it?

• Anyone who’s been seeking a weightless formula that makes lashes soft while giving good volume to lashes!
• Anyone with shorter, stubbier lashes who desires a softer natural look to lashes while not causing breakage!
• Someone who’s been seeking a mascara that keeps curl all day with a weightless formula!

The mascara successfully does what it promises which is to create fuller, curlier lashes while keeping them weightless, soft, and natural. Truly a winner in the mascara world! I’m Muse Approving this for purchase as I think it’s truly a great one. I think my Asian girls would particularly love this formula so I do highly recommend checking it for yourself.

You can get yours from the Jelly Pong Pong site at http://jellypongpong.com

Jelly Pong Pong ships worldwide too! Cost per a mascara is $18.50 USD or £15

Want it?

Tried it already?

What are your fav Jelly Pong Pong cosmetics?

Tell the Muse!

Omg! The MAC Grand Duo Collection was created to tempt and tease a Muse! I’ve already blown through much of my Spring budget and I’m so, so tempted by this collection!

Jump ahead to find out if I’m hauling!

MAC Grand Duos combine two of my favorite items from MAC, an MSF and a Mineralized Blush. Well Hello gorgeous want to come home with me tonight?

I so want all of ‘em! I’m tempted beyond belief but I’m also feeling the love for many of the other upcoming MAC Collections that will pop up shortly, can you say Sugar Sweet?

So I’m in high debate whether to haul these or just wait?! Oh the pain of having to make choices such as this. Le sigh!

What about you?

Hauling?

Hells no!

Tell the Muse!

Oooo the weather is warming up…kinda…sorta…ok, not really but soon it’ll be warmer and you’ll want to have picture perfect knees, elbows, and legs. You’ll be wearing shorts, you’ll be showing your arms, and tons of skin will be on display for all to admire or if you’re wobbly like the Muse you keep those bits under cover hehe!

You’re so NOT wanting to have crusty, flaky, dry elbows, knees, and legs right? Don’t panic. Solution ahead!

I’m a big fan of Lush Massage Bars as I think they do my skin a world of good especially the dry, ickier parts of my body but I’m all for an alternative that’s cute and sweet smelling!

That’s where Vintage Sister Elbow Grease comes into play! It gives me a bit of a sweeter option with kawaii packaging. What’s Elbow Grease anyway? Elbow Grease is simply a solid moisturizing bar that you can rub on your dry skin to smooth it up. You take the soap shaped bar and rub it on rough elbows or knees or anywhere else dry skin is cropping up and as your body temperature rises the bar will melt slightly into a creamy, dreamy moisturizing treatment.

Vintage Sister steps up the game and makes Elbow Grease extra cute and travel friendly by housing it in a sliding tin case. Slide the tin open and pop the bar out for use, after you’re done pop the bar back in and slide the tin closed!

Elbow Grease is $10 USD a tin and comes in six fun scents! I have mine scented in Carribean Fruit which has touches of tropical orange, cherry, coconut, and pineapple! It’s a combo of sweet, tropical fruits that’s sure to get you in the mood for Spring!

Each bar will last around a three to four weeks with daily use. It works fabulously well at making skin extra smooth and particularly makes your legs feel wonderfully silky and short ready for the Summer!

All in all I’m still a big lover of Lush Massage Bars as they perform the very same way but I really like the fun, quirky style of Vintage Sister which is what makes Elbow Grease such a hit for me.

Snag some today at www.vintagesister.com

Shipping is very reasonable as well ranging from $1.99-$2.99 USD or less within the US and $6 USD and up for International Orders.

Loves it! Works a treat and getting the Muse all soft and silky again!

Tried it?

Want to?

Tell the Muse!