LUSH Dragon's Egg Bath Bomb

The strong citrus scent with subtle bergamot makes LUSH Dragon's Egg bath bomb perfect giving a boost to tired body and mind. It doesn't look like anything special from the outside: it's creamy white color with bits of yellows and pinks. But I've learned a long ago that you can't judge a LUSH bath bomb just by its outer appearance so when I got home I cracked opened one of the Dragon's Egg bath bomb to see what's inside:

So as I expected the inside of this bath bomb was something different! There's three layers to Dragon's Egg bath bomb: the creamy white (with pinks and yellows) outer layer, orange layer that remind me of sherbet, and light brown-ish square with golden sparkles that looks like a brown sugar cube!

Here's what LUSH says about Dragon's Egg Ballistic:

As you bathe in the whirlpool of vibrant, fiery colour and inhale the refreshing sherbet scent of lemon and bergamot, you'll feel like you're up and away on the back of your own dragon. Citrus oils are known for their invigorating effect on the mind, and Dragon's Egg is no exception! Drop one of these baby dragons in the bath for a serious wake-up call on groggy mornings or before evenings out.

 

This bath bomb fizzed on for pretty long. A lot longer than most other LUSH bath bombs. The creamy white outer layer was the slowest to fizz away. It didn't actually fizz all that much. It just got really frothy and took forever to melt! But once the creamy white outer layer frothed away the orange layer started to fizz. This layer actually fizzed pretty fast. It was a nice change from the slow frothing of previous layer! And then came the light brown-ish golden sparkles! The swirls of all 3 layers and the golden surprise at the end made this bath bomb pretty fun to use. The lemon and bergamot oils in this bath bomb definitely help awaken tired mind: perfect for when you have to go out after a tiring day.

LUSH Freedom Foamer Bubble Bar

LUSH recently released a limited edition bubble bar called Freedom Foamer to support equality in marriage. For two weeks, LUSH is donating all the sale proceeds of Freedom Foamer to Freedom To Marry Campaign. I love it when companies donate sale proceeds of their products to meaningful campaigns/charities because it makes me feel extra happy about buying their products!

Freedom Foamer bubble bar is $5.95. It's shape and size is similar to French Kiss bubble bar but it costs less than most Lush bubble bars. So not only are these bubble bars for a meaningful campaign, but they are also affordable!

This is what Lush says about Freedom Foamer:

Lay back and soak in sparkling, emerald-green waters and mounds of fluffy bubbles. We've created a limited edition bubble bar with the uplifting and refreshing scents of lemon, lime and grapefruit oils - perfect for long, languid summer soaks. We also think it's the perfect antidote to weary soles and a respite for freedom fighters. LUSH is proud to partner with Freedom to Marry and their efforts to end discrimination in America. All proceeds from the sale of this bubble bar will be donated to Freedom to Marry to support their "Why Marriage Matters" campaign.

I'm totally in love with Freedom Foamer bubble bars! I only wish they are not limited edition so that I have access to them all year around! 

The scent of these bubble bars are very strong. The citrus mixtures of lime, lemon, and grapefruit are so refreshing. I can smell the citrusy scent as soon as I'm near them. And once it desolves in bath water it will fill the entire bathroom with intoxicating citrus scent!

Freedom Foamer is covered with green glitters, and as soon as I touch it, the crushed emerald like glitters get all over my hand. It also crumbles very easily but the actual bubble bar is kind of soft so I can even re-mold it after I break off a piece.

I used one Freedom Foamer bubble bar three times. It created good amounts of bubbles More bubbles can be produced by adding water pressure as in turning on the whirlpool or just stir your bath water vigorously for few seconds if you don't have a whirlpool bathtub. The water underneath the white foamy bubbles was green true to the color of the bubble bar. When I looked closely at the water I saw the prettiest green shimmers. It felt like I'm taking a bath in water with finely grounded emerald! I always rinse with a quick shower after my bath so I didn't get any green shimmers on my skin afterwards but  because the shimmers were so fine I'm sure that even if I dried off without rinsing, there won't be any noticeable shimmers remaining on my skin, however, faint citrusy scent did remain on my skin. 

As I already said above, I love these bubble bars! I initially bought two but bought four more just five days later and I might buy few more to store in my fridge. This bubble bar is perfect for a bath after a long hot summer day. It will definitely lift up your spirits. Here is a suggestion for a bath after a hot summer day: start with warm bath water as usual but once your body adjusts to the warm temperature and your muscles feel relaxed, try adding cold water to your bath while you're still in the tub. This will feel cool down the temperature and feel amazing on a hot summer day! Freedom Foamer bubble bars are also great for days when you feel sluggish and need a refreshing boost to make you feel uplifted. Overall, soaking in this citrusy sparkly emerald water is definitely something I look forward to and recommend for everyone to try =)

HARD CANDY Fox In a BOX Review+ swatches

What initially attracted me to these box powders from Hard Candy is that they resemble Benefit box face powders. I absolutely adore every single one of the Benefit box face powders, so in my haste to also love the Hardy Candy versions of them, I didn't hesitate in purchasing all three of the Hard Candy Fox in a Box in Smooth Talker, Truth or Dare, and Skinny Dipping. Another attraction to these products is of course the price: they cost a fraction of the Benefit box face powders!

But of course with lower price, the quality is expected to go down, and this is pretty evident just by observing the packaging of Hard Candy Fox in a box face powders. These boxes look and feel "cheaper" than the Benefit box face powders. They are a lot lighter in weight as well.

These box face powders also come with brushes just like the Benefit products. Very small and thin brushes with plastic handles that are about the size of my thumb. I'm not a huge fan of the Benefit box face powder brushes but these ones are worse! These brushes are useless. They look and feel like fake makeup brushes for little girls or dolls...

The actual products, the face powders, were just as disappointing. None of the three powders had pleasant scent like the Benefit ones do. They just smell like makeup powders. Pigmentations/color pay-offs were also nothing impressive.

Pigmentations of Smooth Talker (above) were very faint. I had to reapply multiple times for the colors to barely appear. This one resembles Benefit Sugarbomb. When I looked at Benefit Sugarbomb and Hard Candy Smooth Talker side by side, the four colors from each products did appear to be very similar. And Benefit Sugarbomb also doesn't boast intense pigmentations, it's more of a sheer face powder/blush. The colors of Hard Candy Smooth Talker is comparable to Benefit Sugarbomb but lighter in pigmentation/ color pay off and also less shimmery. And Benefit Sugarbomb lasts a lot longer on the skin than Hard Candy Smooth Talker. Overall, I do not recommend this one at all. The box is cheap, colors are faint and doesn't last long AND it doesn't even smell good!

There is not much of difference with Truth or Dare (above). Colors are faint, they barely show on the skin. The colors are a lot more visible on the finger swatches but once they are blended the colors seem to disappear. The pink may offer faint glow on the cheeks but definitely not intense enough to be used as blush if you want noticeable cheeks.

Skinny Dipping (above) is my favourite Hard Candy Fox In a Box product. Pigmentations are better for this one compare to Smooth Talker and Truth or Dare. I especially like the bright coral side of Skinny Dipping. It's such a pretty color! But it is super bright so toning it down by mixing it with the light bronze color beside it is a good idea. I wish the lasting power was better or that it smelled better... or that it has better packaging with better brush. Ah well, I might as well just wish for the Benefit box face powders to go on sale! :P

All three powder products have finishes with different sheen, they are not super shimmery and definitely not matte finishes. I can see Skinny Dipping being used as actual blush but as for the other two products, they will be more suitable as products to offer subtle glow on days you don't want much color on the face. 

Sigma Dry N' Shape Review

Get the current 10% off coupon code HERE

The Dry N' Shape shown in above video review costs $29.00 but if you spend over $30 Sigma always includes a free gift (a travel size eyeshadow brush that's just like MAC 217 brush!)

For extra savings check out below list of products currently on sale at Sigma. You can still use the coupon code for sale product purchases!


Premium Travel Kit  is on sale for $49 (regular price is $59)
Face & Eyes Kit is on sale for $69 (regular price is $79)
Premium Professional Kit with Brush Roll is on sale for $139 (regular price is $149)