Lush Cupcake Fresh Mask Review ♥

Hello Beautiful People,

          I was sitting around thinking about how I needed to write a post for you guys and I thought I would write a review on one of my new addictions, the Lush Cupcake Mask. So, shall we....

          First off, lets discuss the claims of this mask. This is a mask specially designed for oily, acne prone skin (in store they describe it as 'Teenaged Skin'). This mask contains, spearmint oil, vanilla absolute, Rhassoul mud and cocoa. This mask claims to calm, deep clean and prevent acne.

         Don't let the name of this mask fool you my friends. It does not smell ANYTHING like a cupcake. As this mask gets older, it actually smells worse. I think the smell is vomit-worthy in my opinion. This is a fresh mask which means it is made on premises, which means, it needs to stay refrigerated and it expires after 14 mere days. This mask is available in a 60g tub for around $7 CAD.

       So, was the smell and the fact that it expires worth it? Yes, yes and YES! I have horrible skin, I have large pores, acne scaring, acne and it freaks on me 80% of the time. For the first time EVER in my life, I have been told I have nice skin. This is a miracle! I actually looked back in shock at the first person who told me this. I had to do a circle check to make sure there wasn't someone else behind me. This stuff cleared up my acne and reduced my redness. I felt super confident with this product in my fridge. I did use this product after expiry and I will be honest in saying that the smell got 10x worse and the product lost effectiveness. This 60g tub looked small but I had more than enough left after 2 weeks.  I will most defiantly be repurchasing this product. I think it is worth every penny and if you suffer from acne then this is the mask for you!

I say go buy this and if you do not have oily or acne prone skin then pick up another fresh mask from Lush :)

Until next time...

* I am not paid or sponsored by this company. I never exchanged my views for money. This is stickly my personal opinion and does not reflect that of this company.

D.I.Y Home Facial

Hey All you beautiful people,

              Hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend. I have a treat for you just in time for a lovely Sunday spa day and it's all about how to give yourself a sweet facial to clean out those pores and reveal glowy squeaky clean skin. Please keep in mind that the products mentioned are products that I prefer for my skin type. Use whatever works for yours. So shall we begin?

Step #1- Clip Back Your Hair
This step is actually the most obvious thing ever but I thought I would mention it. You really want to get your hair out of your face so you can work tangle-free on your face. I like using a turbie twist which is a turban style head towel. This really keeps my hair away from my face.

Step #2- Cleanse
Cleanse your skin thoroughly with your favorite facial wash. This is going to get rid of all the surface dirt and oil. I like to use it with a electric facial brush. I use the Olay Fresh Effects Cleanser with the beyond belief electric facial brush.

Step #3- Exfoliate
Exfoliate your skin with a medium grain scrub. You don't want anything too harsh but you don't want anything too fine. I would not recommend microdermabrasion type scrubs as they are too fine for a facial. You want something to really get rid of that dead skin. I like to use the Queen Helene Mint Julep Facial Scrub from Sally's.

Step #4- Steam those pores
 Put on a kettle full of water and bring it to a simmer. Remove from heat and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Pour into a metal bowl or pot. You can boil in a pot and use it directly from there but transferring it makes it less likely that you will hit your chest and burn yourself.  Sit with your face hovering over the hot water, place a towel over your head and slightly over the bowl to create a "steam room" for your face. Sit like this for 5-10 minutes. The steam will open the pores get all that guck out of your skin. And create a nice surface for our next step.

Step #5- Extract
Alot of bloggers and pro say that your should leave this to the professionals but I have something else to say. My nose collects quite a few blackheads (yuck!) and although after exfoliating and steaming, most are gone, I still have a few deeper stubborn ones that I like to get out. I use the tips of my fingers, NOT MY NAILS, to gently squeeze the surfaced blackheads. They usually pop out quite easily after steaming, as the pores have been enlarged. After this, I wipe my face clean with a clean warm damp cloth. Do not use a cool cloth because the cold will snap the pores shut and make it hard for the next step to do it's job.

Step #6- Mud Mask
This is my favourite step because you get to sit back and relax. Apply your favourite mud mask to your face and neck. After this, sit back and relax for about 5-10 minutes. I like to pop on some relaxing tunes and just lay down on my bed. The mask will settle in the open pores and really kill all that dirt and oil. Rinse the mask off with cool water to help the pores close. My favourite mask is the Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask.

Step #7- Shut those Pores
This step is pretty crucial since you want to avoid dirt and oil clogging your pores again. Take an ice cube and run it through your hands to melt it a little bit. Slowly run the ice cube across your face. Focus on areas where your pores seem to be larger. The cold ice will help to shrink the pores and avoid dirt getting into them. Pat Dry with a clean towel.

Step #8-Serum and Moisturizer
Apply your favourite serum and follow with your favourite moisturizer. Do not skip moisturizer! This is going to help to restore the oils that may have been stripped. If you have oily skin, this is also important because if your body detects that your skin is lacking in oils, it will produce more oils! I like the Beyond Belief Oil Control Serum and The Clean and Clear gel moisturizer.

You should now have smooth, glowy, clean skin! Follow this with your manicure routine for a full-on spa day/night.

Coming later this week, we get an interview with an up-and-coming makeup artist who will give us some makeup tips your can take to the bank. Stay tuned!!!

Have a great night!

XXO Sarah