Forever21′s Love and Beauty cosmetic line released a small line of scented lotions and shower gels around August of last year. Today I’ll be telling you about Boho ($3.80USD for 6.7 fl oz), which is described on the website as a unique mix of ylang ylang, tuberose, and clove:

Finally a scent that is as eclectic as you. This unique earthy blend is rich in ylang ylang, tuberose, clove and tooted in musk and vetiver. This complex fragrance is rich and ever changing just as you are! Be a true Bohemian Beauty.

Is is worth plopping in our cart to bump up into free shipping bliss? Nah. The lotion is cheap and feels thin,  but by no means does it lack in moisturizing. As a body lotion it does a great job at providing light moisture without that heavy, greasy feeling, but it doesn’t feel like it lasts that long. It’s mineral-oil based, and I think that overpowers the already light scent, making it smell more like… plastic? than anything else. It’s not what I remember tuberose, clove, and ylang ylang smelling like at all. Instead, it’s slightly sweet, very fake, and just strange. Luckily it doesn’t hate my body chemistry though, so thankfully I can wear it without smelling weird at the end of the day.

Bottom line: Forever 21′s quality seems to be going downhill, and this is no exception. Not bad for carrying in gym bags or backpacks when you need a quick, simple lotion, but for body use, and for normal to dry skin I’d skip this. 

‘Field Study 01′ by Rick Crane on Threadless which can be found here. My first shirt from Threadless, and I’m excited! I love how long they run – being 6′ feet tall makes normal clothes feel petite-sized on me :(

Another thing I’ve noticed with these tees (got a few) is that they’re incredibly thin, like see-your-hot-pink-bra-under-the-white-shirts-thin. Tissue-tee thin. Really thin.

But I still love my shirt (and how unique it is.)

Until next time!

This super cute owl lip balm is Natural Products Ltd. and comes in an assortment of scents. This particular yellow owl is vanilla-scented; there’s also mint, strawberry, chocolate caramel orange, apple and cinnamon, and choccy orange versions available, each with different owl colours. The owl is a little figure about two inches high with a pot embed in the bottom of the figure; it’s a flip-top  with a (kinda) flimsy flap sticker that’s not secured but opens up to show product information.

The scent is light and there’s no flavor. It’s vaseline-based but surprisingly very sticky; you know, the kind that forms little thick honey-like strands when you dip your finger into it? That kind. It’s sticky and has very, very light shimmer to it – so light you don’t really notice it on the lips, but substantial enough to add a little something more to an otherwise basic vaseline-y glisten. Oh, and the shine! This balm is considerably more shiny than your basic run-of-the-mill beeswax-based lip balm; however, it’s still pretty subdued and no where near sex-kitten latex lips.

It’s touted as being moisturizing and nourishing, and to my surprise it does live up to that claim. Although whenever I hear the word nourishing I think that something has good-for-you things like vitamins and antioxidants, this has few but still manages to leave my lips feeling much better than before (or even after using traditional wax-based balms, for that matter!)

Not too bad for a novelty balm, huh? The last novelty balm I tried was one of those soda-flavored twist-ups in the thick tube made to look like a soda bottle. It smelled very nice, but the balm itself was very thick and waxy, and did absolutely nothing for my lips except make them feel heavy and gross. You know the feeling! This has restored my faith in the dollar store cheap-os now. :D

And a final picture, because this is just too awesome:

Availability: This was a gift so I have no idea where you can get it or how much it costs, sorry! However, a quick Google of “owl lip balm” led to several online stores (including Amazon), as well as stores like Hot Topic. 

As in, you won’t see my collection of old receipts, battered half-empty tissue packets, or Super tampons in a cute (but probably very dirty) small bag. Instead, these are the things I hardly if at all ever leave the house with:

1. Wallet.
2. Keys.
3. Sansa Sandisk mp3 player, in purple!
4. Sunglasses.
5. Lip balm.

Missy Macabre MySpace

In keeping with the tradition, I reckon it’s time we get back to the other, alternative forms of beauty ;)

Read about the Clarisonic Mia in this Sephora haul post over at Handmade Reviews.

Looking for that perfect peachy-pink easy to wear lipcolor? Pammy Blogs Beauty finds it with Hard Candy’s World Balmination Lip Balm in Good Girl. Check out her review!

At Eyelining Obsessions Claire shares some tips for flight safe/ travel friendly makeup packing.

Jude reviews Bioderma Créaline H2O, the make-up remover used by make-up artists.

Time to make way for the new! 10 Mascaras I Am Throwing Away For The New Year by Bun Bun Makeup Tips!

The Beauty Spot finds some affordable Nails Inc Dupes. Check them out!

Addicted to Beauty feels that the Benefit Cosmetics and Diet Coke collaboration is pretty shady.

Check out FabDiva20′s MAC lipgloss haul and swatch comparisons of the MAC Iris Aphel Collection Lipsticks!

Makeup Morsels finally picks up an eyeshadow brush (or two), and attempts an EOTD.

Fleurissante picks her favourite products in 2011.

Check out how Krasey Beauty rang in the New Year, face of the day included!

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Cindy over at Prime Beauty achieved her dream of Mega Drag Queen lashes with RevitaLash Lash Conditioner and now you can too. Head on over to Prime Beauty and enter to win a 3 month supply of RevitaLash and mascara!

Enter to win a $100 ShopBop gift card on Beauty Info Zone.

I FAILED!

But only because I’m scheduling the awesomeness for Monday ;)

Hugs & jugs,

A.

So you need to save up. Or maybe you need to slim down the stash. You’ve read the articles, guides, consulted your best buddies for their moral support but are near calling it quits. You’re tired of being in such an abusive relationship with your goods.

So what do you do?

While falling back in love with some chalky eyeshadow you lovingly carried home from a sale might seem damn near impossible (because it is), what you can try is:

Organizing. If you can rearrange your stash in such a way your favorites are much easier to find, you’ll probably use more. And using more is a good thing.

Decant, which is a fancy word for putting something into a smaller container. Make it more portable, and, again, you’ll probably use more. Case in point: body sprays. While the 8fl oz promises you’ll get more bang for the buck, it doesn’t mean you’ll use it a lot. Pouring some into a smaller bottle with a spray top (look in the travel-sized section in stores) makes it easier to take with you for touch-ups during the day. Same goes for bulk containers of creams and masks; anything to make it easier to grab, you’ll use more.

Decant this sucker, and you'll use it up in no time!

Multitask. If you’ve got a ton of creams or lotions that you got but can’t use because they break you out, consider using them for other things, like a body cream. Eyeliner in a wacky colour you’re not too crazy to pull off? Face paint ! Too many shampoos? If they’re gentle, try washing your dog or brushes with them – but use caution when using something for which it wasn’t labeled. Layer lip products, nail polishes, body lotions – do anything to use them up.

Share. If you’ve got a lot of friends (lady or otherwise) or a big household, share with them! It’ll make things like lotions, soaps, masks, and perfumes that would otherwsie take you forever to use up on your own go faster. And sharing IS caring, people!

Regulate things like manis, pedis, and facials. Not only will you look and feel better on both the inside & outside, it will help you make sure to use your polishes, masks, and creams more frequently. Don’t set aside things for ‘special’ occasions; everyday is a celebration, what with all these terrorists and asteroids and aliens and stuff trying to kill us on a daily basis.

Rationalize why you’re getting something. Do you really want it, or are the ladies at MUA overhyping? Do you really need another lotion when there’s a basketful at home? Sure, you only live once/ you work so hard all the time/ it’s on sale, but if you’ve got plenty of similar things at home that would be just a waste.

Review what you’ve got already. Make a blog and share your experiences. Going through each item one by one gives you enough time to thoroughly try it out and write a kickass review that might help another blogger! That’s kind of how I started this blog. (Well, that and I felt limited by the lack of freedom on MUA.)

And finally, use this time during your no/low-buy to really research your lemmings. Google like crazy for swatches & swatches from indie bloggers. See if you can find innovative ways of wearing that eyeshadow, or which place really has the best offers before blowing your hard-earned dough on some other little novelty item (as opposed to a yummy treat).

Those are my tips. What are yours?