Quick Beauty Tips - Oh, how I love thee

Today has been an annoying day so far, and even though I have only been awake for about 7 hours I am ready to crawl back in bed. I woke up at 6am because my mom came in to put eye drops in my eyes, but I was so incredibly disoriented I asked her about the CIA (I blame the fact that I fell asleep reading The Lost Symbol, which involves someone from the CIA). I also remember asking her if they had custody of my blog, and her trying to convince me that my blog was still mine.

About an hour later I woke up again, still in a weirdly medicated state of confusion, and had a perfectly normal conversation with my cat Bear. He seems to think that walking on my face, in particular my eyeballs, is a perfectly ordinary thing to do, but I beg to differ. I told him he needed to have respect for me, and learn by example. I don't walk on his eyeballs, after all.

I woke up and uploaded my video, only to have it be taken down within 30 mins for "copyright". Really?! I get so annoyed at days like this, I just want to curl up and read my book. Or take a lush bath. Or both. I think I will.

Oh, I forgot to mention - we were out of Diet Coke too. I know I am "giving these up".... eventually, but for now they are my one health vice.

Anyway I uploaded another video, a Glitter Glossary Quick Tip. This one is about how you can use redness relief drops to take the red out of a pimple. I have used many things in my day to help reduce these monsters - honey, toothpaste, eyedrops... the list goes on and on. The eyedrops I have found to work though.

I also have a few more Quick Tips already on YouTube, a homemade sugar lip scrub, a quick mascara smudge tip, and a lush storage trick.

What are your quick beauty tips? I am always on the look for fast tips. Let me know what you swear by!

If I wasn't on a product ban...

I spent a good part of my day today perusing about on Sephora, which was a bad idea considering that I'm on a product buying ban. I have compiled a wish list of what I would want to purchase if I wasn't on p10p - don't be surprised if you see any of these spouting up in my collection when the project is over! I'm such a sucker for the cute packaged gift sets on Sephora - it's one of my favorite parts of Christmas every year because I get a few from my parents. I particularly like shopping on Sephora because they have a great return policy - you can return items even if they are used if you do not enjoy them.

The first one is the new Sephora LashStash. I have tried two of the previous lashstash's and found some amazing mascaras in them. I like these because you get to try out 10 deluxe sample sized mascaras for $39. That sounds like a lot, but it's not when you think that you could not even purchase 2 of these full sized mascaras with the same amount of money. This is what is included:

• Hourglass Superficial Lash
• Urban Decay Skyscraper Multi-Benefit Mascara
• Korres Abyssinia Oil Volumizing and Strengthening Mascara
• Benefit A Little Bit BADGal Lash Mascara
• Smashbox Lash DNA
• Laura Mercier Thickening and Building Mascara
• Fresh Supernova
• Sephora Lash Stretcher
• Tarte 4 Day Stay Lash Stain
• Cargo LashActivator

Out of these I have tried the Fresh SuperNova, which I LOVED (it might be one of my p10p completions), and Benefit BadGal, which I also liked. The other ones I have never tried, so this sample set would be great for trying out lots of mascaras to find my new favorite! You know, since I just had eye surgery it would probably be good for me to throw out ALL of my used mascaras and start over, you know... so I don't get any infections :p These sell out so quickly though, I wouldn't be surprised if they were gone before I finish p10p.


The next one had me swooning - I didn't realize this existed? If I could try one new thing right now, this would be it. It's the new NARS Orgasm Illuminator and it looks beautiful! The blurb on Sephora says, "NARS Orgasm Illuminator lights your skin from within! Deceptively sheer and decidedly luminous, it magically transforms lackluster skin into a remember-me, luscious complexion. Flirt with foundation, go it alone, or go neck-and-neck with your décolleté. The effect is, well, orgasmic." I must admit, the name always makes me blush a bit, but I have the blush and I do really love it. It's not famous for no reason, ya know? For anyone who has tried it, please let me know if it is worth it! This will be one of the first items I pick up after p10p, unless I hear it is horrible.


Another brand that is known for it's "cute packaged gifts" is Benefit. I looked through all the ones they have online now and fell in love with the Legally Bronzekit. It comes with a hoola bronzer, which I have used up and loved, a high beam (which is like a highlighter, kinda like the NARS one), a gilded which is a tequila-gold colored eyeshadow pencil (which you can't buy separately it seems, I looked), and a badgal brown mascara. This kit seems like it would give the perfect summer glow :) The best part is that it is only $35! That is NOT bad for 4 full sized products. The only thing missing is a that "gal primer", which I really want to try!


One brand I have never tried but have always wanted to is Philosophy. I have heard great things about this brand from several people, and I love their packaging! Are there any products worth trying? What about their famous Hope in a Jar? Let me know if I am missing out, or if it is worth just skipping :)

Another item, that wouldn't be on my wishlist because I have all the products, but I just wanted to share because this is what I have been using on my face, is the Laura Mercier Flawless Face Kit. It comes with a mini foundation primer, a mini tinted moisturizer, an undercover pot, a secret camouflage brush, a camouflage powder brush, a velour puff, and an egg-shaped sponge. This is a bit expensive at $65, but Laura Mercier is expensive in general, and it gives you a chance to try out a ton of her products for the price of one product.


Let me know what your wishlist items are! Or, if you have recently gotten any new beauty products tell me what you think! What is worth it, and what it not?

Elle Fowler

Who Dunnit???

While watering my bouquet of flowers tonight I discovered a disturbingly ancient pattern of flowers droppings around my vase. Naturally, my first thought was CROP CIRCLES! ALIENS! But then I came to my senses and remembered to think logically. Take a look at this picture -------------->

Now, there are two things that could be going on here. The flowers did not just drop gracefully down in pattern form, all facing outward. No... larger forces are at work here. There are two explanations, in my opinion. The first one is that Booga the pottery elephant has been messing with my flowers. I must admit he looks very guilty in this picture, as if he was caught "red-handed".

The second explanation I must look into is that Bear might be chomping on my flowers. Now, given that he is a monster of a cat, being part mountain lion and part firefly/sloth, I don't see how he could be nimble enough to get up there behind the vase without knocking it over. You can't tell from the picture, but I don't even see how he could have gotten up there! There is not a lot of room at all! Highly suspect... I am more likely to blame the elephant, to be quite honest.

I think Bear knows I suspect him, because he is being very cuddly right now. Let me insert an insanely fluffy picture to the left. He is all "ur's": Fur, Purr, and kinda a blurr.

You guys tell me. Was it Booga, Bear, Aliens, or something totally different?

On a side note, while writing this blog I tried to type "in my opinion" and blogger automatically corrected it to "in my onionskin". Hahahahaha good job Blogger - I'm not sure how common that phrase is, but I'm glad it's there for me when I need it most.


On a slightly more serious note (as if LUSH is serious):
Tonight I was finally feeling up for a nice bath so I mustered up the energy to walk over and start up the water. I chose a Lush Bath Bombfrom my slowly dwindling lush stash (which I have to remind myself is the point of Project 10 Lush), and got in. I decided to wear my goggles because I do not trust myself not to splash about like a 5 year old, and I couldn't risk getting water in my freshly cut open eyeballs (which feel fine, but still... don't wanna dislodge those flaps!). I wore sunglasses in the house all day and felt completely ridiculous, but it was nothing compared to how I felt with my goggles in the water.

Hello!!! It is not a swimming pool, Elle!

So I sat in the water with my book (still chiseling away at The Lost Symbol) and waited for the water to fill up, and then I plopped this baby in. Before I review it let me tell you my "before ponderings". I have been avoiding use of this bath bomb in favor of, for lack of a better description... prettier ones? It is not the best looking bath bomb lush makes... let's just be honest. This is from their holiday collection, hence the Christmas holly design, and is supposed to smell like Holiday pudding. It smells nice, sweet and soft, and I assumed it would be an enjoyable, if a bit boring bath bomb. Tonight was the perfect night to use it; I wasn't in the mood for a really exciting one, I just wanted something relaxing.

This is what the Lush site says:
"Looks like a pudding, smells like a pudding, fizzes like a spicy Bath Ball. It's perfect for nursing your hangover. Clove powder warms and stimulates, as aloe vera and rose calm and soothe suffering skins. Lemon peel adds a sharp citrus zing to the Ball and creates part of the authentic Christmas pudding aroma."

My thoughts? It smells nice, but the smell goes away in the water much too quickly, and the scent doesn't linger on your skin like other bath bombs do. I CAN smell it on my skin, but I just took the bath two hours ago. I doubt I will be able to smell it in the morning like I could with my Blackberry Bath bomb - review here. It fizzed up WAY too quickly - it was one of those ones. It turned the water a weird tan color, which was a bit offputting, and it was just kinda... boring. Just like I suspected it would be. Nothing exciting, not something I would necessarily buy again, but it was okay. I don't have the price off hand, since it is only available during the holidays, but it would be on the cheaper end since it was one of the smaller bath bombs.

Overall thoughts: It's nice, but just kinda blah. If I was given another one as a gift, I would use it and enjoy it, but I would probably save my money for something a bit more exciting in the future. This brings me up to number 5 on Project 10 Lush.

Quick Project 10 Pan Update: I haven't made any progress because I haven't been wearing any makeup at all the past couple days, but I haven't bought anything new either, so that's good! Project 10 Lush has been very successful though!

Elle Fowler

Tag- 40 Beauty Questions!

Since I can't film (silly eyeballs) I'll do this tag on here. I can't wear makeup until mid week and I have to wear sunglasses inside right now due to light sensitivity... so I will spare you all a video of me looking like Posh Spice. -----> Not posh but you get the idea.

BTW, my eyes are doing great :) Thank you for all the get well soon and good luck comments - you guys are the best!

On to the tag:


SKINCARE -
How many times do you wash your face daily?
Twice, although sometimes I am lazier in the mornings (not a morning person!) and I just want to use a cleansing wipe and then tone and moisturize. At night through I always go full out – gotta get all that makeup off!!

What skin type do you have? (dry,oily,combo)
Dry and sensitive

What is your current facial wash?
Laura Mercier Purifying Oil Light

Do you exfoliate?
Yes, I have to get all that dead skin off! I don’t do it as much in the winter though because I don’t want to irritate my skin. I love my Clarisonic for exfoliating.

What brand do you use?
I have a chanel exfoliator that I love, and I also have one by clean and clear that is really nice.

What moisturizer do you use?
Laura Mercier Flawless Skin day crème

Do you have freckles?
Yes, many of them! I have a very love/hate relationship with them.

Do you use eye cream?
Yes, every night. I think they are really important. I use Laura Mercier’s Flawless Skin Eye Crème at night and the Flawless skin eye serum in the morning.

Do you or did you have acne prone skin?
I don’t currently, but when I was younger I did. I went on Accutane 6 years ago and that took care of it. I have a video on Accutane here.

Did you ever have to use Pro-activ?
Yes, before accutane and I hated it. It’s very harsh and didn’t do much for my acne either.


MAKE-UP
What foundation do you use?
Laura Mercier’s Tinted Moisturizer and Moisturizing Foundation mixed.

How about concealer?
Laura Mercier secret concealer for under my eyes and Mac’s concealer (the one in the pot) for any acne.

Do you know your undertone color?
I am a true neutral. I would be considered a cool, with pink undertones as opposed to yellow undertones (or NW in Mac since they do it opposite) but I am really in the middle. I have beige pink undertones.

What do you think of fake eyelashes?
I love them! I would love to have permanent eyelash extensions, and I think it is something I will dabble in once my eyes are completely healed from my LASIK.

Did you know that you are supposed to change your mascara every 3 months?
Of course! You don’t want eye infections! Throw it out and buy a new one.

What brand of mascara do you use?
I love so many! Currently I am using up my MUFE Smokey Lash (my second tube – love it!) and my Givenchy Phenomen’Eyes. Both of these are great!

Sephora or MAC?
That’s a hard one… MAC is great for lip/eye/blush colors but Sephora is better for body and skincare stuff – it’s a tie!

Do you have a MAC Pro-card?
Yes!

What makeup tools do you use in make up application?
Brushes mainly, but also cotton balls, cotton swabs, sponges, and Kleenex.

Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes?
Always – either Urban Decay Primer Potion or a Mac paint pot. I can always tell if I have forgotten to put it on, I think it is really important! It makes your color last longer and be a bit brighter – and no creasing!

For the face?
Nope, I am currently on the hunt for a good primer, which you can read about here.

What is your favorite eyeshadow (color or shade)?
I have so many favorites. I love Mac all that glitters, satin taupe, mulch, woodwinked, brule, and mutiny. I also love Stila’s Kitten – such a shimmery gorgeous pink.

Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?
Pencil 90% of the time, gel the other 10%. Liquid is very rare; I find it hard to use.

How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil?
Rarely lol! I am pretty careful Sometimes your hand just slips though!

What do you think of pigment eyeshadows?
I like them, however I reach for them less because they are much messier and harder to work with. There are certain colors I wish came in pan form, like mutiny and tan pigment. I have pressed a few but they are still harder to work with than a regular pan shadow. I have a video on pigment pressing here.

Do you use mineral makeup?
Nope – I’m not a big fan to be quite honest. Bare minerals broke me out horribly, so I have stayed away since then. I also don’t find the coverage that great, I would prefer sticking to my liquid foundation.

What is your favorite lipstick?
I have a few but I adore Mac’s Angel and Crème d’nude. Both are really pretty, soft colors.

How about lipgloss?
Mac’s underage, little vi, and springbean.

What is your favorite blush to use?
Again, I have a lot that I enjoy. I like Nars Orgasm, Mac Well Dressed and Mac Dainty.

Do you buy your makeup on ebay?
Nope, but I have sold some makeup before. Not on ebay, but on here.

Do you like drugstore makeup?
Sometimes, it depends on the product. I am not a beauty “snob” who believes that high end is always better but most of the time you get what you pay for with beauty products. I find a lot of great mascaras at drugstores though, and I love the L’oreal hip line (like the jelly balms!). Finding a really great product at a drugstore is always very exciting.

Do you go to CCO's? (cosmetic company outlets)
Yeah! I love them! You can find cheap MAC, and usually you can find some really cool discontinued products. I wish more of these little CCO’s existed!

Did you ever consider taking make-up classes?
Yes, but I have never gotten around to it. I would love to take a few PRO classes at mac!

Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?
Lol, sometimes in the morning before class… I am NOT a morning person!

Name a makeup crime that you hate?
There are so many, lol! Overplucked brows, overlined lipliner, too much bronzer, etc.

Do you like colorful shades of makeup (lipstick,eyeshadow) or neutral ones?
Both, for different moods. For everyday wear, neutrals. My everyday look is nude glossy lips with slightly heavier, but still nude eyes with black liner. Soft, but put together.

Which celebrity always has great make up?
I love Blake Lively’s beachy, bronzed look. I also really love Kim Kardashian’s makeup – many people think it is too heavy, but I love it! It’s all about nude glossy lips and heavy eyes, which is what I like to do as well.

If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item, what would you use? Mascara maybe, or tinted moisturizer. One of those!

Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?
I do sometimes, I did this morning to go get lunch for the family. I am not a slave to makeup, but I do love it and so I enjoy playing with it in the mornings.

Do you think you look good even without any makeup on?
Yes, but like most women I prefer myself with a little color on!

In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line?
That’s hard… I guess Mac for colored stuff and brushes, but I don’t really enjoy their skincare or foundation products.

What do you think of Makeup??
I love it! It’s fun – it’s expression and art in a way.

LASIK - the good, the bad, and the ugly

I woke up this morning and could see crystal clear for the first time in my life. It is the strangest sensation to have "naturally" perfect vision when you are used to waking up and stumbling through your morning semi-blindly until you pop your contacts in. When I was little I read the book "Hatchet" and thought to myself that if I was ever lost in the wilderness by myself I would die because I wouldn't be able to see to catch anything to eat (err... not that I could catch anything even if I could see...) (I liked that book by the way, even if it's kinda a boy book) (Oh and he kills a moose in the book - goose the moose did NOT like that part).

Less than 24 hours ago I had LASIK eye surgery and I couldn't be happier. I'm supposed to be resting my eyes for 48 hours but as you will learn in a few minutes - my body decided to do just about everything opposite of what it was "supposed" to do.


For those of you that don't know what LASIK is, it's a laser surgery that corrects your vision so you don't have to wear contacts or glasses anymore. I've worn contacts for about 10 years and have struggled with the hassle of them. Beyond the fact that they are a pain in the butt I was also sensitive to contact solution, so I had a case of constant red eyes. Over the 10 years I tried different solutions but finally succumbed to the fact that my eyes were never going to be crystal clear as long I was wearing contacts. It has also crossed my mind that the twice a day pulling of the eye area to put the contacts in and take them out can NOT be good for that delicate eye tissue. Hello premature wrinkles!

Not everyone is a candidate for LASIK; you have to be over the age of 18, have stable vision (not more than a half a point change per eye per year), and I don't think you can have a major astigmatism. They also can't guarantee to get you to 20/20 or better if you have really bad eyesight starting out. For me this was perfect; I don't have an astigmatism and my sight has been stable since high school. I was a -4.00 and a -3.75 at the time of the surgery if anyone is wondering :) Everyone is different through, so if you are interested you should ask your eye doctor for a consult. There are other types of laser eye surgery as well, this is just the one I chose.

I got to my appointment and they immediately took me back to have a few tests run - nothing major, just looking at the "layout" of my eyeballs to help them get the coordinates right (like an eyeball map!). Then they put a hair cap over my head to keep my hair out of my face, plopped two yellow stickers on my forehead, and gave me a Valium to help me relax. The Valium was supposed to calm my nerves and make me a bit sleepy, or as they put it, put me in a "I don't care" mood.

Yes... you are awake for this surgery. Are you queasy yet?


I went back out into the waiting room to sit with my mom while the Valium kicked in. All I could think about was how silly the stickers on my forehead looked, and how I really wanted to draw little walmart smiley faces on them. ------> like so.
After getting the giggles over these stickers with mom I asked the nurse what they were for, and she said it was so that the doctor knew he was doing surgery on both my eyes. Think about that for a second... if I was doing one eye I understand a sticker over that eye, but who goes into LASIK to get NEITHER eye done? No one. So why did I have to have two stickers instead of none? I'm not sure, but it sure gave me a laugh. The hair hat was another laughing matter - I looked like a very silly Dr. Suess character.

So after about 10 mins they called me back, and I told them my Valium had not kicked in yet, which they said was okay. They told me to lie down on a chair/bed and the doctor put a patch over the eye he was not working on. He put numbing drops in, taped my eyelashes back to my lids so they were out of the way, and stuck in the little thing that keeps your eye propped open. All of this sounds worse than it was. He talked me through the entire process, saying things like, "okay look at the orange blinking light, a shadow will come towards your eye, you're doing great". It was all dandelions, rainbows and sunshine.. until the flap cutting part happened. In order to treat your eye they have to cut a flap on the surface of your eye, peel it back, and then laser treat the surface. The only bad part of the whole procedure was the flap cutting. It didn't hurt, but it was a lot of pressure and scariness and then your sight goes completely black and you feel like you have gone blind. It comes back after about 3 seconds though, and you can see that orange blinking light again (I was so happy to see that little light). Then the laser comes on and you hear some clicking and you can't feel anything at all, but you can smell your eyeball flesh burning (sounds horrible but it is really quick!). Then they lie the flap back down, put a few drops in your eye, take off the tape, and voila! Perfect vision! Then they move on to the other eye.

It takes literally under a minute an eye, and the laser is only on the eye about 15 seconds. Piece of cake! They numb your eyes up first and give you a relaxant to help calm your nerves (not that mine worked, lol) so it really isn't that bad. I got the "custom LASIK" if anyone is wondering. I know the picture looks scary, but I PROMISE it's not that scary in real life - you don't really know all that stuff is on your eye.

I then waited about 20 mins and the Doctor came and looked at my eyes to make sure the flaps were lying flat and then sent me home with goggles. I kinda love my goggles - I was allowed to take them off this morning but I still am wearing them proudly. I think I will sleep with them for a few more nights so I don't rub my eyes and dislodge my flaps (which doesn't really ever happen but I am convinced it can).
I was told that I would come home and immediately want to go to bed. Apparently the Valium normally makes people very sleepy so when they go home they just pass out, but he said I could also take a Benadryl if I needed it, which is an over the counter anti-inflammatory that is known for causing drowsiness, and then sleep it off. He also gave me a prescription painkiller in case I needed it, but said patients rarely do. So I went home, got in bed... and nothing happened.

7 hours later, I was still wide awake. As soon as the numbing drops wore off I started to feel uncomfortable so I took some benadryl thinking it would help me sleep - nothing. After all that, eyeball cutting and all, my body was wired to the walls and wide awake, wanting to do anything except sleep it off like I was supposed to. This was the hardest part - it lasted about 2 hours and there was nothing I could do to distract myself (like read or YouTube) because I had to keep my eyes closed. I had to sit under my blanket with all the lights off because of light sensitivity and my eyes were watering like crazy - not pleasant. That was the part I believe most people are SUPPOSED to sleep through (bad Elle).

I finally fell asleep at 9:30 and slept through the night, waking once at 2:30 for about an hour but then falling back to sleep. I woke up with crystal clear vision - it is amazing! I have a checkup appointment in an hour so he can make sure the flap is healing correctly, but considering I am on here writing a blog post and not lying in the dark with a killer headache I think I am doing alright.

EDIT: Just came back from my check up - my eyesight is 20/10!! Which is amazing, he called it "supervision". Better that what I could see with contacts/glasses :)

I would totally recommend this to someone who is considering it, and I would do it over again if I had to. I encourage people to do research and make up their own minds though - I had a lot of people tweeting me/emailing me scary stories about how they know people who have gone blind, etc., but that rarely happens. In fact... according to most research there is not a single documented case of someone going completely blind from LASIK. Also, there is a chance I will have to wear reading glasses after I turn 40 - that does not worry me in the slightest.

So anyway, cheers to naturally good vision, no more red contact eyes, and if I get stranded in the wilderness it will not be my eyesight that inhibits me from surviving :) Time to get rid of my glasses!

EDIT again: I didn't think I had to clarify this... but of course, I shouldn't have assumed. LASIK did NOT sponsor this, my family paid for it. Not that I should have to defend myself, but whatever. I don't believe insurance covers it either, and prices vary by location. Most of the time to consultation appointment is free though.

Elle Fowler

a shoe tub and a bath bomb

Project 10 Lush seems to be speeding on by, but I think it's because I am using up some of the bath items, which are used up in 1-3 baths most of the time. I don't have a bath tub at my house, so when I am visiting my parents house I definitely make the most of my tub. I have always wanted a tub with little feet on it, like this one ------>
I think they are so romantic and old fashioned, I just love them! I perused on Google for awhile, totally content to look at these clawfoot tubs when I came across this:




That's right. A shoe. Tub. A shoe tub. The most ingenious development ever. It is from SICIS and starts at $17,000. Not really in ANYONES budget for a tub..shoe...thing, but I still love it. I'm sure in the long run I would rather have a little clawfoot tub, but I very much would enjoy bathing in a shoe tub as well. And this is coming from a girl who doesn't have a tub at all. Poor me. (I'm kidding. Kind of.)




Tonight I took a bath (in my sadly normal tub) with my Lush Blackberry Bath Bomb, which costs $5.80. I normally try to split my lush items up into multiple baths, but this time I used the whole thing. With my eye surgery being tomorrow, I wanted to pamper myself a little bit more than usual. This one looked like a cartoon bomb you would see in an old Tom and Jerry episode, complete with the word "bomb" on it. (Ingenious, right? Someone at lush is a whipper snapper). Here is the blurb from the Lush website: "Blackberry smells deliciously fruity like blackcurrant, balanced out by frankincense which lends a certain air of mystery to the bath. Imagine sitting near the sea on a warm Mediterranean day, inhaling the perfume of the flowering trees as it mingles with the exotic smokey incense trailing from the Egyptian trade-boat harbored far beneath you. That's the smell of a Blackberry bath: comforting, serene, and subtly beautiful." I filled my bath up, plopped this baby in, and let it fizz up as I read my book. It smelled very floral, and not very blackberry like, but I liked it anyway. It smelled like violets, stronger than most bath bombs I have tried. It turned my water a light purple color, but it was more of a pretty lavender than a gross omg-my-bathwater-is-black-looking color. I read as I listened to it fizz and relaxed to the floral scent... when I saw a little piece of paper floating in the water.

Yes. My bath bomb had a little paper baby. Fo reals.

I got really excited at this point and almost dropped my book in the tub, so I forced myself to calmly put my book to safety before rescuing my runway paper baby. And guess what it said?

"Boom Boom".

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA oh the irony of my little cartoon "bomb". I love it. That alone would be a reason to repurchase the bath bomb. Good job Lush. I am thoroughly enjoying Project 10 Lush, because I am savoring each product even more than normal. I am working on a few more products that are taking a bit longer, like some bar soaps and massage bars, but that's a good thing - it means they last awhile, and are worth the money I spent on them.

So now I am off to read and sleep so I can be semi-rested for tomorrow. Overall thoughts? I will be repurchasing this bath bomb :)

Elle Fowler

Face Primers - Yay or Nay?

Over the last year I have tried many face primers, thinking that they were an integral part of my daily routine that I was most certainly missing out on. I assumed that they were like eye primer - a step that I find impossible to leave out now, or I feel that something is missing. For the record, I use either a Mac paint pot or Urban Decay Primer Potion for my eye primer 99% of the time. I really do feel that eye primer makes a difference in the consistency, color, and wear of the eye shadow. I have always assumed that a face primer would work the same way, and once I found the right one I would always wonder how I "ever lived without it".

As far as face primers go, I have tried silicone based primers, such as Smashbox Photofinish and Mac's Prep and Prime only to find that I am definitely allergic to something in these (the silicone maybe?). I break out into little white bumps that go away within 48 hours of discontinuing use of the primer. This has happened to me with certain foundations too, like Mac's Studio Fix Fluid and Nars liquid foundations.

I have also tried non silicone based ones, like Bare Escenutals Skin Rev-ver Upper, which is not a typical primer but basically is the same concept, and my newest one, Laura Mercier's Hydrating Primer. The Laura Mercier one apparently does contain silicone in it, even though I was told it did not when I bought it. It has an ingredient in it called "dimethicone" which is a silicone oil. Now... call me a hypochondriac but as soon as I found out it does indeed contain silicone I discovered a breakout on my forehead. Was it the primer or my imagination? Let's just say after continuing the use of the primer the breakout went away - so I'm not sure.

Even beyond the breaking out part, I have never really thought primers... did that much. I don't really understand the hype - in my opinion it makes my foundation apply worse! Obviously I just haven't found the right one, but I hate buying them over and over again only to be disappointed.

So my question is, are face primers that important? Does anyone have one that is part of their routine that they would never skip? Am I really missing out? And lastly - does anyone have one that does NOT contain silicone?

Elle Fowler