Thursday, June 23, 2016

Lush's Love Lettuce Review

I love face masks. To me there's nothing more relaxing than using a face mask after a stressful day.

One of my favorite lines of face masks is Lush's Fresh Face Masks. I used to use them religiously in high school, then I stopped because life got too busy to take the time and use a face mask. Recently, I've been able to find the time for luxuries like face masks.

While at Mall of Millennia I stopped by Lush to see if they had anything that could help my skin. Recently I have been having more breakouts than normal and wanted to correct this issue. As I mentioned in a previous post the sales girl recommended Love Lettuce and let me tell you, that girl is a genius.
My Lush haul from that trip, including Love Lettuce.
Lush describes Love Lettuce as "our exfoliating ground almond mask that scoops up dirt, oil and debris and washes it all away. Exfoliation is an important part of good skincare, as it removes the buildup of dead skin that can clog your pores and cause impurities. Love Lettuce is a great example of how just a few ingredients can make a fresh, effective product for the skin. We blend calming French lavender oil with seaweed and honey to nourish and soften skin, and to balance oily T-zones."

While I personally hate to fully support the description that companies issue for their products, I do have to admit that Lush is spot on for their description of this face mask. 

While the pot this mask comes in seems fairly small I was able to get four and a half uses out of it. The four uses were full face with part of my neck and the final use was focused on my breakouts and T-zone. While I do wish I was able to get more applications out of this mask, I am pleased that I was able to get about five applications. At a price of $7.95 (at the time of this post), that breaks this mask down to $1.59 an application. I feel that is a fair price for a quality mask.
What it looks like when first opened. You can see the almonds used to exfoliate. 
This mask gently exfoliates but is also strong enough to help banish any rough spots. Towards the last two applications my face became very dry from forgetting to moisturize while running late for work. This mask assisted with the dry skin without being irritating. It was not an instant ticket to soft, moisturized skin but it did help my skin repair itself faster than it normally does. (Forgetting moisturizer is a pretty regular thing in my life)

I also felt this mask lives up to the claim that it clears pores and draws away oil from the skin. Oily skin is not a huge issue in my life but it does occur from time to time, especially when it gets extremely hot and humid out. This mask helped clear up an oily patch that was present when I started using it. Unlike other masks that clear up oily patches it did not dry out my skin or make my face feel "tight". 

Smooth application and even coverage! 
I wish I could claim that Love Lettuce cleared up my breakouts but unfortunately I can not say that. What I can say is that I believe this mask kept my breakouts from becoming severe and prevented anything major from forming. As someone who can occasionally resemble an appaloosa this was greatly appreciated. 

Overall I would happily recommend Love Lettuce to individuals looking for a good mask. It will probably not be on my list to clear up breakouts, but it will be on my list for a good exfoliating and cleaning mask. Plus, the ingredients are mostly natural which is always a plus in my book!
Back of the pot with ingredient list. Not the expiration date and production date.
Fresh Ingredients: Agar Agar Gel (Gelidium cartilagineum) , Kaolin , Honey ,Fullers Earth , Glycerine , Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis) ,Ground Almond Shells (Prunus dulcis) , Ground Almonds (Prunus dulcis) , Lavender Oil (Lavandula augustifolia) ,Chlorophyllin , *Geraniol , *Limonene , *Linalool ,Fragrance . *Occurs naturally in essential oils


Please note all of the black pots that Lush products are sold in are recycled. They have a program where you can bring in 5 empties and receive a free face mask, so remember to save those pots!

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Orlando, The City Beautiful

When I was young my mom enrolled me in a program called Safety Town. The idea behind the program was that young children would learn about fire safety, road safety, and playground safety among other things. I lasted a few days in the program before my mom removed me. The idea that I would be in danger gave me nightmares. To this day I don't like dealing with the idea that I might be in danger. (Pretty ironic for an equestrian isn't it?)

On June 12, my adopted city was attacked. For the past week I have felt like I did when I went through Safety Town; scared, and threatened. But I have also never felt prouder of this city.

I have watched this city pull together and stand with each other. Individuals have organized blood drives, fundraisers, support events, and so much more.

Today, I attended the Candlelight Vigil at Lake Eola with a friend who is a member of the Orlando LGBTQ community. Seeing all the support for the victims and first responders was amazing. Everyone was there with one goal; to let the world know that we will never be knocked down, we will never waiver from being a city where everyone is welcome.

I fell in love with Orlando because of the "vibe" of the city. The diversity and acceptance that can be found in here is what makes this city great. It is what encouraged me to make this city my home.

From what I saw tonight I know that Orlando will rise from the ashes of this disaster and be greater than ever. We will never forget what happened or the individuals who fell, but this city will recover and we will learn from this experience. No matter what you believe in or who you love, The City Beautiful will always welcome you with open arms.
The following images were taken today at the Candlelight Vigil:
This banner was flown around Lake Eola before the Vigil.

Just one of the many memorials that were/are located at Dr. Phillips

A small portion of the people at Dr. Phillips honoring the fallen. 

Florists were handing out these flowers to everyone. This was one of the many acts of kindness and community I witnessed at the Vigil.

The organizers of this heart were inviting everyone to come and place a flower on the heart. They had pre-cut flowers available. 

Ribbons that were hanging on trees around Lake Eola.

The flags are still at half mast. This image gives you an idea of the amount of people that were present. It was taken around 5:00PM. Well before the official beginning.

This rainbow appeared over Lake Eola right before the Vigil officially began. 

The entire lake was one large group of people. I've never imagined this many people would show up.

You can faintly see all the candles. Everyone was sharing lighters and matches to help keep the flames lit despite the wind.

The fountain was light as a rainbow. I'm not sure if this is an everyday thing but tonight it felt special.

Saturday, June 4, 2016

Goodbye May, Hello Curling Wand

Well, May ended on both a positive note and a negative note.

To get it out of the way, I am no longer in the audition process for Orlando Concert Band. It was a fun audition process, I am extremely thankful that I had the opportunity. But I feel it's for the best for both parties involved. Orlando Concert Band is a bit more intense than I would like, and towards the end of the audition process I was starting to burn out. I wish them the best of luck with their upcoming concerts and look forward to seeing them perform in the future!

In the mean time I will be searching for a band that better fits my personality and playing style.
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On a high note I received a huge honor at work. I don't really want to go too much into my job, but I was one of five people selected to start this group in our Orlando office. I can't say that I'm not super nervous about this but I am so grateful that my manager saw the potential in me and is giving me this opportunity.
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So, the rest of this post is pretty much covering random minor things that have happened since I last posted.
Florida Tan, or Arena Dirt?
If you guessed Arena Dirt then you're right! I have officially found a barn in Orlando! It is a mostly adult barn and extremely relaxed. I am currently working on finalizing a lease on one of the resident ponies. The same pony who I may have fallen off last week. When you go from riding an extremely seasoned schoolmaster to a "green" (maybe more on the yellow side ;-) ) pony, I guess there might be a spill or two. Hopefully, I won't keep leaving covered in this level of arena dirt.
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I wandered over to the Clermont area to meet a friend for dinner last night and ended up at the Crooked Spoon. This was probably the best dining experience I've had in the Orlando area. The wine selection was awesome and different than most restaurants. It seemed like everything they had was organic or from a smaller winery. I got the Eggplant Terzetto and it was to die for. Perfectly made, with the right amount of flavor. I am definitely dragging my mom to the Crooked Spoon when she's back in town. 
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I've discovered that one of my coworkers is a huge Diamondback's fan. We've been enjoying taunting each other about these games.
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Perks of being a Disney annual pass holder that lives locally. Now I've got to figure out what to do with the whole set of these.
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I went to Ulta today, on the hunt for hairspray and something that will work better on my hair than a curling iron. My hair will not hold a curl no matter what I do. My coworker had recommended this curling wand. With the $20 price tag I figure it's worth a shot. 
Here's a preview of how my hair looks with no product.
I'll be back with a review at a later date. Hopefully it works!

While at Ulta I also saw this palette and seriously considered it, until I saw the price. I love Urban Decay and I love the colors in this collection but there is no way I can justify the $60 price tag at the moment. I'm hoping to get a good coupon so I can go back for it. 
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Finally, enjoy the cat photos of the day. Bailey was very curious about what I was doing with the curling wand box and needed to see how it tasted. The silly cat has decided to take an interest in everything I touch. 

This is how we sit when I write any of these posts. She always has to be touching me when I'm home. 

One Step, Two Steps, Breathe

"One Step, Two Steps, Breathe." That's the mantra I repeated as I slowly hand walked Cupid around the farm. "One Step, ...