I’ve known about Jurlique FOREVER, since some online Australian friends raved about the hand cream a good 10 years ago – but I’ve never tried it. Since then, the line has come to the US and I have finally had a chance to check it out!

I have been miserably sick for the last 11 days (only today really starting to feel like a human being again). Usually when I’m this sick (it was the flu), my skin goes haywire. Breakouts, dullness, bumps and roughness… it runs the whole gamut of Bad Skin. This time around, I think Jurlique’s Herbal Recovery Gel stopped the Bad Skin Blues from happening! I may have felt AWFUL but at least my skin doesn’t have to look like it! Win!

According to Jurlique, Herbal Recovery Gel is:

A potent botanical concentrate, infused with a rich blend of herbs and precious plant oils to restore, firm, hydrate and revitalize the skin. Helps to minimize the visible signs of aging with daily use.

It contains such lovelies as evening primrose oil, licorice extract (a potent skin soother), chamomile and calendula (also skin soothers), and daisy extract – which I recently learned works a treat on hyperpigmentation! All in all, I think this product saved my skin while I was sick.

I love the super-light gel texture and the herbal scent. Some people might find the scent a bit overpowering, but I like it. It soaks in fast, plays well with my moisturizer, and in general just seems to work great on my skin. The only drawback is the price: ouch! But I suspect I’ll be shelling out the bucks when my little bottle runs out, because it’s THAT GOOD. Two thumbs up!

I added a few more lipsticks to my collection recently, and wanted to share them with you. I’m still really into BRIGHT lips, it must be a reaction to the gray winter weather we get in Oregon. I want COLOR! LOL. Pink and red are especially appealing to me right now. Check it out!

MAC recently released the Liberty Of London collection, a collaboration with a British luxury accessories brand (www.liberty.co.uk). The color Petals & Peacocks was irresistable, being an awesome bright magenta pink color. Plus, the packaging is just TOO ADORABLE!! I love the bird and petals motif. The finish is Amplified, which means it’s quite richly pigmented, but not at all drying. (Check out this blog for a good review of the various finishes.)

I happened to check out Milani’s lipsticks at Fred Meyer the other day, and picked up Rose Hip, a shade that looked quite magenta as well. I haven’t tried a Milani lipstick before, but since I love most of the other products I’ve tried, I figured it was worth a go. Success! Rose Hip is a dead ringer for Petals & Peacocks, although a little less pigmented. Also, I don’t love the scent, it’s sort of an artificial rose scent. However, if you want a budget version of Petals & Peacocks, it’s pretty darn good.

Just for fun and comparison, this one is Hard Candy’s No Peeking, which isn’t as bright as either of the first two. If you want a bright pink, but don’t want it quite so bright, this one is a good alternative.

I’m always on the prowl for a good red, and L’Oreal provides two really good ones: Penelope’s Red and Real Red.

Real Red is from the Colour Riche Anti-Aging Serum collection, a line that contains a core of “serum” that is supposed to smooth fine lines. It does this by lightly plumping the lips (hence, there is a light tingle upon application). I have several shades of this formula, and they are all quite wearable and flattering. Real Red has more of a blue-tone to it, and looks a little lighter in the picture than it actually is. It’s a good red, although I do think it could stand to be more pigmented. The finish is a bit satin-y, not at all matte.

Penelope’s Red is a little warmer than Real Red, and a little more pigmented. For best results, I would recommend using a lip pencil to line your lips first (I didn’t in the picture) and then applying the lipstick. Penelope’s Red is great! The regular Colour Riche line has the same satin-y finish as the Anti-Aging one, so this one isn’t matte. But it also isn’t drying to my lips, which I appreciate. If you want a more orange-tone red, this one is worth checking out.

What are your favorite fuchsia and red lipsticks?

When I saw Lush Dark Angels Cleanser in the last Lush Times, I was intrigued. Rhassoul clay? Charcoal? Hmmm… It sounded like a good treatment for smoothing and softening my oilier skin, and I was right! Lush Dark Angels, FOR THE WIN!

The cleanser/scrub is one of Lush’s products that are sold “deli-style,” by the pound. You can have a shop associate cut you some off the loaf it comes in, or just snag one of their plastic containers with a pre-weighed amount. I’m lazy, so this is what I did.

It contains Rhassoul mud and charcoal powder to absorb excess oil, sugar to scrub, and glycerine and avocado oil to moisturize. It also has sandalwood and rosewood essential oils, which are supposed to soothe the skin (and they also make it smell good!).

It is a bit messy, since you scoop/pinch up some out of the container to use (and I end up getting crumbs on the counter). You’ll want to mix it with a bit of water in your hand until it’s pasty enough to be spread on your face. Spread, rub, rinse! My skin is left with a bit of a glow and my sink is left with quite a bit of black residue… tradeoffs, tradeoffs.

Overall, I like this product a lot. The benefits outweight the little nuisances involved with using the product, and I like how my skin looks and feels after use. Two thumbs up!

I’m pleased to announce that Amber was the winning entrant of my SkincareRx Giveaway! Thanks everyone for your entries, tweets, blog posts, etc. I really appreciate it!

I love Lush lotions, especially Sympathy For The Skin, which is still my favorite. Lush recently introduced Coco Lotion, a coconut and pineapple concoction with no added fragrances. How does it measure up?

Coco Lotion has a lighter texture than Sympathy, but doesn’t feel less moisturizing. Coconut oil is pretty emollient, but definitely feels lighter on the skin than butters like cocoa and shea. It sinks in pretty quickly and feels good. It doesn’t have an all-day moisturizing effect like a heavier cream, but it still gets the job done.

The only thing I don’t like is the lack of scent. When I bought it, my nose was quite stuffed up from allergies. I assumed I couldn’t smell anything from the tester because my nose was stuffy… that’ll teach me to read labels more closely. It clearly says it has no added fragrance on the packaging. So I can’t really complain about the lack of scent, since that’s intrinsic to the product. If you love Lush but want something outside of their normally very scented products, Coco Lotion is for you.

Oatfix is a new Fresh Face Mask, the fresh treatments for your face that can only be bought in store. It has bananas, vanilla, and oats, and is supposed to clean, soften, and moisturize the skin. Technically it’s for dry and sensitive skin, which I am not, but I really love stuff with oatmeal in it for my face. (I’m a HUGE fan of Collective Wellbeing’s Cleansing Paste with oatmeal and raspberry.) It smells amazing and leaves my skin feeling super-soft and clean. This is a mask I will definitely be buying again!!

I’m a little slow on these trends, but I finally picked up a lipstick from MAC’s Spring Colour 1 Forecast and also a new Cremesheen Lipglass from Too Fabulous.

The lipstick is Bubblegum, a light lavender pink color with a glaze finish. I’m a bit obsessed with pale pink lip colors right now… so Bubblegum is right up my alley. It’s not too light or too bright… but basically perfect. In the photo, I’m wearing Bubblegum.

The Cremesheen Glass I picked is Just Superb, a “dirty neutral pink.” Not sure what they mean by dirty… it’s really just an awesome soft pink color. My sister is wearing Just Superb in the picture (she’s on the right).

I also realized that I already own several lighter pink lipsticks and glosses, so here are some of my favorites. In this picture we have, from left to right: MAC Bubblegum, MAC Viva Glam Gaga, Benefit Jing-A-Ling, Avon Ultra Color Rich Extra Plump Pink Sunset, L’Oreal Colour Riche Serum Pink Passion, and Vincent Longo Baby Balm Lipstick Le Cameron. All are currently available except Le Cameron (sad face.)

Most of these are pretty sheer, with the exception of Very Berry Happy, which is more opaque. From Left to Right: MAC Cremesheen Glass Just Superb, Fyrinnae Lip Lustre Very Berry Happy, MAC Lipglass Preciousness (from Baroque Boudoir), MAC Cremesheen Glass Ever So Rich, Hard Candy Baby Doll, Tarte Double-Ended Lipgloss Samantha (from Jake & Samantha). Preciousness and Baby Doll can be found on evilBay if you’re willing to pay lots and buy from overseas…

I love this pink lip trend and want to see it continue… I really want Fyrinnae Lollipop-pop, which seems to come off quite pink in swatches I’ve found on other blogs, and also Mega-Hold. Of course, right this moment I want a vibrant fuschia color… A girl is never happy until she owns the rainbow, lol.

If it seems like it’s been all lip products, all the time around here, well… I’m kind of obsessed with lip stuff right now, so that’s why. If and when Fyrinnae ever releases their new eyeshadow colors, then I’ll be obsessed with eyeshadow… but for now it’s all about the lips!

You may or may not know, but MAC has a foundation called the MAC AIDS Fund, founded in 1994 to support men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS globally. It’s a pretty cool thing. There are currently six shades of VIVA GLAM lipsticks and two shades of VIVA GLAM lipglass being sold worldwide, and every cent goes to the MAC AIDS Fund.

The latest spokesladies/models for VIVA GLAM are two fabulous ladies, Cyndi Lauper and Lady Gaga. No lie, I have been a fan of Cyndi since I was about five years old. In fact, the first cassette I ever owned (remember cassettes?) was She’s So Unusual. When I heard there would be a VIVA GLAM Cyndi lipstick, I didn’t even care if I liked the color – I just had to buy it!

Lucky for me, I do love the color. It’s a light coral red with a high lustre finish, and it’s just perfect for spring and summer! LOVE IT! MAC Lipsticks never disappoint me – they have the smoothest feel and despite the glossier texture of this one, the color still sticks around for a decent amount of time.

Speaking of Cyndi Lauper, I’m going to see her concert in April! SQUEEEEEEEAL!