lush review two.

there is a lush right across from the apple store in emeryville, so i've had ample opportunities to stop in there during the past few weeks. the first time, i bought two bath bombs [butterball and keep it fluffy, which is the purple one below] and got samples of two different hair products. the second time, i got summer pudding soap, a sample of karma kreme, and the ickle baby bot bath bomb. it's [obviously] the one shaped like a little robot. i've been resisting it forever, but i finally broke down and bought it. i haven't tried everything yet, but i have tried a few items, and i think i have some older reviews to post as well.

i first tried the butterball bath bomb. [not pictured. oops!] i've always heard good things about it, but i am not really a fan of this one. it's supposed to be very moisturizing, which i guess is what you could call it. while it felt pretty nice during the bath, it left my skin feeling funny afterwards. it left a waxy residue that was no bueno. it also left a residue all around my bathtub, which i am not a fan of either. so i don't think i will buy this one again, unless i am in need of a seriously moisturizing bath, which won't happen while i am still living in the bay. my skin is so different here compared to nevada. i don't have to use nearly as much lotion anymore.

anyway. the hair product samples that i tried were interesting. first was curly wurly shampoo. it smells like coconut and even has little chunks of coconut in it. i let my hair air dry afterwards to see if it really worked any magic with my curls. sadly, it did not. my hair was actually less curly than usual. so i don't think i would buy this as a curly hair product. i also tried the coolaulin conditioner. the sales lady said that this would be better as a leave in product, or something to smooth out my curls. i used a small amount of it after i got out of the shower, but i had to wash it out because i did not like the smell. so again, i'm afraid this was not a winner in my book. i have heard really good things about lush hair products, but sadly, i have never had much luck with them. i guess i will have to do some more research and try some other options.

i am happy that i finally bought a lush soap because now i don't have to take a bath to use lush. :] i really like the summer pudding soap. yay! a happy review. :] i cut off a small chunk to take into the shower so that my whole piece wouldn't melt away before i could use all of it. based on my research, this is the best way to use their soaps. i enjoyed the smell, and was happy to find that it wasn't too overpowering. it smells a little bit fruity, but in a good way, a little bit almond-y, a little bit vanilla-y/spicy. i don't know how to really describe it. there are ground almonds in the soap to exfoliate the skin, but it's pretty gentle, which was good because i tend to have sensitive skin. i will probably try a different soap next time, but i will get this one again eventually. oh and i don't use it everyday. i'm probably going to use it once a week or so because i don't need to exfoliate that often.

the karma kreme lotion is so so. i prefer the helping hands lotion because it has less of an oily finish on my skin, and the smell is a little more subtle. the karma kreme is supposed to contain lush's signature scent according to the sales guy. it has a little bit of a citrus/pine smell, which is nice, but i don't really like the patchouli part too much.

a while ago, i tried what i think is the floating island bath melt. i still have half of it left, so i will be able to refresh my memory about it one of these days, but i remember that i really liked it. it left my skin feeling moisturized, but not waxy like the butterball.

i've also been using the comforter bubble bar (in fact, i used it last night) and i still really like it. it makes the water super pink, which is fun, and i've been using maybe 1/6 of the bar and getting so many bubbles! my skin feels nice and soft today, which makes this product a winner in my book.

i guess that is all i have for right now, but i'll do another review once i've tried more products. :]

disillusioned.

block exams are coming up monday-thursday, and i'm lacking the motivation to study for them. so today, i bought myself a watch as a reward to start studying. yep. a reward to start studying. talk about one of the biggest disillusions ever. yikes.

i don't feel like i have very much to update about, but i guess i have more than just a new watch to discuss.

i am still struggling with my adjustment. i get lonely multiple times a day. i miss my friends, family, james, and old classmates. i feel tired a lot. i don't feel like studying ever. i doubt myself and my decision to come here everyday. but everyday it's also getting a little tiny bit better, so i'm sure over time i will fully adjust.

school is not hard, but i have not kept up with it. now that it's time for block exams, i am feeling really overwhelmed with the amount material i need to review.

i finally got to go home last weekend, but i didn't get to enjoy it as much as i had hoped because my group had to give a book report on tuesday. the "book report" consisted of a written summary, a 30 minute presentation/skit, and a quiz to give to the class after the presentation. although i made a point to tell my group that i would be leaving on friday, they decided to meet on friday to discuss everything. i was beyond angry when i found this out, but there was nothing i could do about it. i also made the mistake of volunteering the fact that i am a pretty decent writer. so during their meeting, they decided that i should be responsible for writing the whole summary. and hey, why not make me write the quiz too. the best part was that they didn't tell me. i didn't find out until i asked someone how the meeting went. grr. on monday, i left reno early so that i could make it to the second group meeting where i expected that the presentation and skit would be ready to run through. wrong. no one was prepared. i started throwing out ideas about what should be done and said, and the two "narrators" asked me to write everything down for them. ahhhh. moral of the story: i don't like group projects. especially when i don't get to choose my group members. on tuesday, i was expecting the worst, but thankfully, the presentation was not as much of a disaster as i had anticipated.

oh. our book was written in 1925 and not available at any nearby public library or the school library. we bought a copy on amazon and had to take a photo of every page [it was over 300 pages long] then turn it into a pdf. i'm so glad that little adventure is over. and i have granted myself a vacation from responsibility of future group assignments. the next few are going to have to be someone else's responsibility. [easier said than done, i know.]

on friday, before i found out that i was responsible for the basically the whole book report project, i went to a bbq with james and got to see some of our friends.
i just think the next photo is funny.
sadly, that was the only time the whole weekend that i got to see them. but i also made time to enjoy the rib festival with james and my parents a little bit. so yummy!
aussom aussie ribs are always my favorite.
we ventured out this year and tried some different vendors. we found that texas thunder was pretty good too.
on monday, james and my dad brought ribs home for us. they both decided to try the beef ribs... which apparently have meat the size of a small steak on each rib. crazy!

oh. i forgot to mention that the week before last week, i started having computer problems. well. the hinge on my laptop broke. i took it to the apple store and found out that they could fix it, but needed to order the part. the nearest apple store is right by the bay bridge, so i went and met thu and jason in s.f. for the evening. we didn't do a whole lot because they were just exploring pier 39 when i got there. but after they left, i drove up to coit tower.i really enjoyed it. it was the first time i've made my way up there, and i am definitely going back soon. i was afraid to actually go up into the tower because it was dark, and i was by myself. so i am looking forward to that. the views in the little parking area are great too though.

last week, i got to take my laptop to be fixed, which meant that i was without a laptop while i was in reno and supposed to be working on the book report. i decided to get a new one because i am super dependent on having a computer now for school. i went with the macbook pro, and i love it so far. :] i got the repaired macbook air back this tuesday, so now i have it as a backup, which is good because i get really stressed out when technology doesn't work for me! i am not good at troubleshooting. ha.

what else... oh. today was james' last day of work in reno. woot! he is going to be in reno next week, and then move down here after i am done with block exams. i'm so happy that he will be here soon to keep me company and help me cook [hahahaha. and by that, i mean cook for me.] and go for walks with me, and visit cool places, and keep me on track with school stuff. he is still trying to sort out the job situation here, but he has a couple of leads, so hopefully something will pan out quickly.

this has been a pretty random update. i guess it's time for me to get back to studying. bummer.

eta: i just realized that i have not blogged in a long time. so coming soon: an august update and a lush review! :]