I’ve already did prior reviews on Lush’s brand new facial moisturizers Skin Nanny and Vanishing Cream and today I’ll be wrapping up my review with Lush Paradise Regained Facial Moisturizer.
The Muse remembers a few years ago when Lush Gorgeous Moisturizer was $69.95 USD. In recent years the price has steadily climbed upwards to $85 USD. The Muse swears by Gorgeous and has been using it for quite a long time but as it reached the $85 USD mark the Muse began to sweat bullets at spending so much on her facial moisturizer. However, she did decide that she must do what she must do because indeed Lush Gorgeous is nirvana for her skin.
Recently, Lush introduced Paradise Regained and of course this Muse rushed right out to purchase it and try it out for herself unknown to her that this would be the day she found a cheaper option to her beloved Gorgeous.
Although Gorgeous is facial cream nirvana for me I actually prefer Paradise Regained over it as it has some options that Gorgeous doesn’t offer. Paradise Regained is advertised as a mature skin moisturizer but I think it’s perfectly fine for any skin type. It’s light, it’s refreshing and pure perfect for combination, dry, or normal skin types in my humblest. The moisturizer contains an array of fresh fruits to brighten and revive skin. If you seen some of my Summer FOTD’s you may have spotted a certain dullness to my skin, after using Paradise Regained I feel like my skin has a new life and it been glowing once again!
The formula is very similiar to Gorgeous in that it’s very light and absorbs quite easily. It has natural ingredients to protect skin from the effects of the sun and plenty of wonderful fresh fruits to whiten and brighten the complextion. Taking into consideration what wonders Paradise Regained has done with my skin I have no question that it can easily replace my pot of Gorgeous and at half the price!
Honestly, it’s well worth trying out as it’s a fabulous day cream that isn’t too oily, keeps skin fresh and dewy, erases signs of fatigue all while brightening your skin!
The Muse absolutely loves it and it’s easily become a staple morning moisturizer for her! She recommends checking it out for yourself and gives it a big mighty Muse Approval for purchase as she blames all her good skin days on it lately! Paradise has truly been regained as my skin was lackluster before and now it simply glows!
The Muse got the new Avon Bond Girl 007 Eau de Parfum Spray yesterday and she thinks that she might be able to spray herself down with this and nab some hot Bond action! I’m pretty sure that with one quick spray of this seductive perfume I can easily bag myself Daniel Craig….he’ll never be able to resist me!
Hmmm or maybe I should go with Timothy Dalton circa 1980′s…he was always my favorite Bond….
The new Avon Bond Girl 0007 fragrance is supposedly impossible to resist and from the reviews on the Avon site I guess it’s true!
The Muse tried it out last night and it’s very interesting although not my normal style of perfume considering my tastes run to more sweeter blends. The perfume is quite a seductive, sexy blend of exotic orchid, white peach, and refreshing orange blossom. I honestly got mostly floral from the blend with a very firm dry down of patchouli. I’m normally not a big fan of patchouli but it’s honestly not as bad as you may be thinking since the other key notes in the scent take away from the harshness of the patchouli so you’re getting a rather seduction floral scent with hints of a stronger woodsy musk
The scent manages to linger quite long taking into consideration that it is an Eau de Parfum so it contains a good deal of perfume oils. It lasted at least 8 hours on me after two squirts and I actually felt like two was a bit too much! The fragrance comes housed in a slick curved bottle that displays the peach colored perfume perfectly.
Overall, it’s an interesting parfum and worth checking out considering if you purchase it from Avon for $30 USD you also get a free movie ticket to see the latest Bond film!
It’s today people! Sephora Friends and Family starts today with a whopping 20% off your entire order! I always look forward to this time of year since it’s a fab time to try out new makeup, stock up on staple items, purchase gifts for friends and family, and of course indulge my own sweet tooth for more makeup! After all we all know the Muse can never have too much makeup!
For a while there I was worried about whether Sephora Friends and Family was going to actually happen but thankfully soon after we got good news and today we are ready to shop till we drop hopefully!
I can’t speak for this year but I did use the code three times last year when I forgot to purchase various items that didn’t end up on my wish list, or I seen something else that caught my interest, or I ended up grabbing a few items for friends, and so on and so forth! This year I’m hopeful I can do the same thing just in case I forget an item or want to go back for second helpings however I’ve prepared myself just in case I can’t and I thought I’d share some of the items I think you should be considering or things that you may already have on your wish list or things you might want to quickly write down since your Muse loves ‘em and we all know what the Muse loves is probably awesome…right? Am I putting too much importance on how uber fabulous I am there? Probably but my ego knows no bounds!
I took a few pictures and I’ve included links to reviews if I already reviewed an item here on Musings. If you need help or have a question about any of the items I mention here do shout it in my comment box as I’d love to be of service! I’d also love to hear what you’re hauling so share, share, share! Please? The Muse loves hearing about hauling as much as she loves to haul herself!
Considering Sephora is busy stocking up on palettes and gift sets the Muse thinks it’s a great time to stock up on these items considering the discount! Some of the ones she thinks you should keep your eye on are below!
Now you might not even be thinking about staple products at the moment because you’re so excited about getting new makeup but don’t forget that now is such a great time to grab some staple items that you use daily and may be running low on or better yet to have a back up handy when you are! At 20% off it’s a great time to nab concealers, skincare, foundations, primers, etc….Some the ones the Muse thinks you should have on your list are below.
Of course, we’re all hyper about makeup! We want as much makeup out of this deal as we can get! Right? Glosses, shadows, blushes, the more, the merrier!
The Muse has selected some of her personal favorites that she thinks you might like too! Check it out:
Mascara, mascara, mascara! Now is a rather great time to grab some mascaras you’ve been dying to try out but not wanting to splurge on! The Muse picked out a few that she thinks you might love:
There are so many powders and blushes that the Muse absolutely loves but some are rather costly! Now is a great time to update your blush wardrobe with some new shades! Check below for ones that the Muse loves!
Can’t forget lipsticks and glosses can we? Many have run across the Muse’s path this year and some of her favorites are on her list to stock up on during Sephora Friends and Family!
Last minute bits and bobs can quickly be added to your cart! Some items the Muse suggests nabbing are Benefit’s powders such as Dandelion and Dallas! Don’t forget stains! The Muse swears by a good stain and listed a few favorites below!
Well I think that’s all for now guys! Plenty more awaits you I’m sure and your lists must be as long as mine! Better check ‘em twice and make sure you have all the yummie goodies in place and start shopping!
Happy Days!
Don’t forget to stop back here and tell the Muse all the deets on YOUR order!
So the Muse decided to take out her Bath and Body Works Lambie Blanket, curl up on the couch, and watch Fringe episodes that have been on her Tivo for the last three weeks!
As the Muse sat and pondered (and fast forwarded through commercials while wondering if she should forgo Fringe and settle for backed up Graham Norton episodes instead!) she realized how much nicer this year’s Lambie Blanket was from last year’s version. Softer, cuddlier, and with a cute little lamb face embroidered into it!
The Muse realized that this indeed was another fabulous purchase that she scored for a real steal at Bath and Body Works last week! Normally it retails for $35 USD (which is well worth it!) but the Muse happened upon lovely coupons from Bath and Body Works and ended up paying merely $25 USD! Bless be!
The Muse was slowly realizng that after filling her tummy with Korean BBQ tonight that she might not be up for Fringe at all but more along the lines of a long Winters nap thanks to her very comfy blanket……!
The moral of the story is hurry out to your nearest Bath and Body Works and grab yourself the Lambie Blanket and other Lambie goodies before they sell out! The Muse Approves ‘em for purchase! The Muse loves Lambie and thinks you will too!
The Muse was feeling like blue was the order of day so she pulled out her Estee Lauder Eyeshadow Duo in Sapphire from the Estee Lauder Vintage Jewels Collection and proceeded to go to work!
Estee Lauder released three “gem” inspired duos with it’s new Holiday Collection and I happen to love every single one of the color combinations. I fear the Pokemon epidemic may hit the Muse soon and she’ll be collecting all three to stash away in her beauty vault for the upcoming Holidays!
The duo I tried out this morning was Sapphire which is made up of a navy blue and a lighter blue based gray. The colors bounce off each other and contrast nicely when applied together. These are actually the shades used in the promo image for Vintage Jewels which is why I got Sapphire as I wanted to dupe the look. To create the look it’s a rather simple matter of applying the grayish blue shade to the entire lid and crease. Finish your look by blending the darker blue into the lid and slightly upwards into the crease. Done! Instant sophisticated smoked out blue look!
Estee Lauder Signature Silky Eyeshadow Duo in Sapphire as seen on the model in the promo image!
This is my first time using these duos and I was pretty satisfied with the silky texture and they blend quite nicely. I’m unsure what I’d called the finish as they do not contain a shimmer but they aren’t quite matte or frosty either. The look I created was quite simple yet had a nice pop of color for a Holiday look. I do think I messed up with the lipstick I used as I think a more flattering shade of maroon would have done nicely but I went with a louder true red.
The duo contains a dual sided applicator which has a sponge tip on one side and a brush on the other so you have pretty much all you need within the compact to create a quick look on the fly. If you’re not willing to wear blue to work and have an evening planned out for after you can slip this easily into your purse to create a really simple look that’s both beautiful and elegant.
Overall, I think the entire Estee Lauder Vintage Collection is well worth checking out at your local counter as it has some fine pieces! I’m rather fond of the duo I got and I absolutely love the Shimming Jewel Powder as you probably already known from reading my previous review! Do have a peek at the Estee Lauder website for more details, face charts for application, and information about the entire Vintage Jewel Collection!
Remember I was telling you about Love Clover’s PopChu Gloss a few weeks ago? CLICK! The Muse couldn’t resist it’s evil lure for long and she ended up purchasing a Lover Clover PopChu Gloss in Strawberry Pink for herself.
Honestly, who can resist lipgloss that looks and supposedly tastes like a lollipop? Come on! What sort of willpower do you think I possess?
The Muse is here to say that she simply ADORES Love Clover PopChu Gloss but doubts that many others will. As great as the gloss is it probably won’t be too popular with those who do NOT love Sony CP lipgloss as the formulas are pretty similiar. If you love thick, sticky, and tacky glosses you’ll fall right into love with Love Clover Popchu however if you’re not a big lover of glosses with such a formula you might wish to avoid it.
Although I normally have no tolerance for sticky, thick glosses I actually really love the formula of this gloss. It’s thick, it’s tacky, and it’s sticky but it stays in place and manages to make my lips look fuller for 4 to 5 hours straight without touching up. You might be excited by the fact that finally Japanese lipgloss has a flavor! Wahooo! You may know already or know from reading my past reviews that many Japanese brands do not flavor glosses however this actually does have a flavor however it’s possibly not as pleasant as think. Lollipops? No. Strawberry? Kinda but not really. Sweet? Mmm sorta….honestly it kinda tastes like strawberry plastic if the Muse knew what strawberry flavored plastic tasted like that is! I don’t find the taste particularly thrilling but I don’t hate it either! It is what it is and I’m not particularly delighted or disappointed in the long run! The gloss is pink however that doesn’t make it pigmented enough to show through on lips. It applies rather sheer and gives just a tiny hint of the pink shade the gloss sports but that’s fine by me as it makes for ease of use over darker lipsticks! The applicator is the standard spatula style which 80% of Japanese glosses sport. I love this style of applicator as it allows for easy glide of the gloss across the lips and builds gloss up easily!
All in all I think it’s a rather nice little gloss and I imagine I will repurchase it when I run low. It’s a tad bit expensive at $13 USD or so which is the retail cost in Japan however I’m unsure if it’s really worth picking up if you find it online marked up. I do like it very much but the price is iffy for it’s size. If you can nab it at retail or cheaper the Muse thinks it’s worth checking out, especially if you’re a big lover of Sony CP lipgloss as the formulas and texture are quite similiar!
The Muse sporting Love Clover PopChu Gloss (Do excuse my lack of sleep and makeup! A tired Muse is not a pretty Muse!)
Ahh the Winter! Crisp, cold air….light, fluffy snowflakes…..Mmmm just thinking about it makes the Muse quite excited for it to begin!
Unfortunately, it’s still very Fall outside my office window today and Winter seems ages away but I can prepare myself for the colder weather by indulging in my new favorite fragrance from Clean entitled Clean Winter!
I love that Clean has recently extended it’s line up by adding a brand new scent every few months. It’s so fabulous that a brand I love so much has taken the initiative to extend it’s line up by adding on brand new fabulous scents to appease the fan base that know and love Clean!
Clean Winter has taken everything you love about the winter and created a fresh, crisp fragrance that’s sure to appeal to those who love a “clean” scent! Clean Winter is a cocktail of clean, soft florals, a hint of spice, and plenty of crisp Winter air. The scent is impossible to explain as it’s, like all Clean perfumes, a unique, complex blend. The scent is beyond a doubt very crisp and clean with hints of a sparkling base that gives the perfume that extra complexity.
Although it’s name may hint at it being a “seasonal” fragrance, the Muse felt it was more of a fresh scent that associates itself with Winter but can just as easily be passed off as an everyday scent that’s fresh, crisp, and simply Clean.
I really loved this one and highly recommend trying it out for yourself. Clean Winter can be found on HSN in a gift set with matching body cream for $48.95 USD or purchased on it’s own for the same price!
The Muse Approves it for purchase as she adores blends that are comforting, cool, and Winter fresh!
The Muse is being lured, tempted, and teased by the new Armani Crystal Collection! I honestly admit that I’m seriously considering dropping the dime on these items that are being introduced with the new Armani Holiday Collection for 2008. In a time of economic insanity I really shouldn’t be taking any of this into consideration so I’ll just chalk it up as “research” for my blog! After all I bet you are all dying to see a review, swatches, and photos right? I can’t disappoint my readers right? See how well I am at convincing myself I need to shell out cash for this amazing collection!
The Armani Crystal Palette is of course the star of the show and at $98 USD it likely contains an actual star inside of it! Honestly, the price does make me cringe but I’ve taken into consideration that it does include face and eye items…that makes it worth it right? The limited edition dual compartment palette is lined with Swarovski Crystals and contains four shimmering eyeshadows and one shimmering face and body powder!
The mascara is the second item that got the Muse’s attention! Armani Silver Sparkling Mascara Top Coat offers the option to dose lashes with sparkling silver for the Holiday!
And finally Armani Midnight Lip Shimmer is available in four shades for a sexy, shimmering pout! The shades available are all deep, darker red tones which totally appeal to the Muse for pairing up with a smoked out, sparkling eye look!
The collection is available now from Armani Beauty! The Muse is seriously trying to think of good excuses why she shouldn’t indulge!
The Muse’s heart was thumping rather loudly after she seen the new NARS Holiday Collection 2008! She was particularly thrilled with the introduction of the two newest shades of NARS Single Eye Shadow in Night Life and Silent Night. Have you seen them yet? Oh my gosh gorgeous!
Today I’ll be reviewing NARS Single Eye Shadow in Night Life and later this week I’ll bring you a second review of NARS Single Eye Shadow in Silent Night. Excited? The Muse is!
I’m unsure which I love more but I must say that both shadows are outstanding. I used Night Life this morning for simple look and you can honestly get any number of looks using the shadow alone or together with other items in your stash. Night Life is a sparkling metallic silver which is absolute shimmer overload! If you love your shadows full of sparkle, shimmer, and glitter, Night Life should appeal! The texture may be a little bit of a let down considering that this causes major fall out woes. Upon applying you’ll end up with sparkles just about everywhere which is because the formula feels much like a pressed pigment would. Once you swipe your brush across the shadow it kicks up a huge cloud of chunky pieces of sparkle and glitter which in turn cause a major ordeal for application but honestly, when have you ever not run into a problem when applying a shimmering shadow?
Aside from fall out problems I loved the finish of the shadow and highly recommend nabbing it for yourself. The shadow can be used alone to create a metallic, foiled silver eye which pairs up nicely with a black liner (this is how I used it this morning!). Or, better yet, Night Life will be an ideal shadow for creating a smoked eye sparkling eye look that should grab attention this Holiday Season! The silver would be a fantastic base or as a crease shade followed up closely with a matte black shadow to create a rather outstanding smoky eye! Honestly, the possibilities of using this shadow are endless and it’s fast becoming a favorite for the season ahead for me!
If you simply adore sparkling shadows you’ll want to grab NARS Night Life for yourself! The Muse Approves it for purchase and says it’s well worth picking up to add to your NARS Collection!
To create my look this morning I simply used NARS Night Life all over my eye and followed up with liner! Simple, sparkling, gorgeous!
The Muse likes cake. She particularly likes Christmas Cake. It’s a rather sad state of affairs that Christmas Cake isn’t as popular within the US as it is in the UK.
Of course, we have our version which looks something like this:
And tastes something like this:
The Muse says if you want really good Christmas Cake your best bet is hop onto the nearest flight to England!
If you’re not particularly ready to board a plane the Muse highly recommends nabbing some Lush Christmas Cake Soap and calling it a day! Lush Christmas Cake Soap wasn’t on my wishy list this year however the curiosity of Christmas and Cake in one sentence, together, peeked my interest.
What Lush has to say about it:
Looks like cake, smells like cake, but it’s best to wash with it (trust us). Christmas Cake soap reminds us of a very special holiday treat on a festive platter next to an open fire of fragrant, smouldering wood logs that chase the chill away. This skin-softening soap with soothing, smoky vetivert essential oil and organic aloe vera keeps your skin calm (and spirits bright) during the Yuletide, even if everything else goes a little crazy.
What the Muse has to say about it:
Christmas Cake Soap is quite a delightful little surprise! Strangely enough Christmas Cake smells quite similiar to Snowcake (the Muse’s most favorite soap evers!) But don’t buy this just because you love Snowcake because honestly the two soaps are vastly different. Although Christmas Cake has the beautiful base of Snowcake it also contains a smoky dominant note of vetivert which makes this an interesting cocktail of delicate and hard. I’m normally not partial to soaps that have such a woodsy note but I really enjoy how this takes a combination of a soft scent and is beefed up with a hard nutty edge. You’ll get the faint scent of marzipan to start with and closely behind that you’ll get a fruity woodsy dominant note which is followed close behind by a hint of spice. It’s such a complex blend that it’s something you need to check out for yourself to either appreciate or hate. The Muse falls into the appreciate group! I like this one! It’s a rather interesting blend that I haven’t really smelled in any other Lush product so I’m liking it. Very unique and different!
I don’t think Christmas Cake is for everyone however those who appreciate complex, unique blends should like this very much. Christmas Cake is available for a limited time during the Holidays at your local Lush or from Lush’s website! Grab some before it’s gone as Holiday products are known to sell out very, very, very quickly!
The Muse is glad to add a little Christmas Cake to her morning shower and thinks you might too!
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