Soap and Glory Body Buttercreams and Wash Review

Hey there!

I'm basically addicted to YouTube. Lazy Saturdays? Youtube. Need to relax after school? Youtube. Study break? Youtube. Most of the people I follow on twitter/instagram are from? Youtube.

I watch so much, I don't think I could even pick a favorite genre of youtube video. I definitely do, however, love me a good beauty/lifestyle video. And many of these videos feature Soap and Glory products, which, at least from the way they are described on the aforementioned videos, sounded amazing.

As an American, though, they are quite hard to come by as they are only sold online, and very rarely in Sephora. However, one day, right around Christmas time, I decided I really really wanted to try them and asked for a product or two and when Christmas day rolled around, I got this delushious shmelling shtuff.

I really quite enjoy them, they are reviewed as follows:

Smoothie Star Lightly Whipped Body Buttercream-

 

 This smell is a bit acquired. I love it, because it smells just like what it says it will: Pistachio, Vanilla, Almond. (mmmmmm good) But both my sister and mother wrinkled their noses and my sister added that it smelled like diapers and babies. No matter what she says, I think the smell is super relaxing and perfect for after nighttime showers. Beyond the smell, the consistency is quite nice. It's definitely thicker than a lotion, but quite a bit thinner than a butter. It also doesn't make you feel greasy and absorbs super fast. It's lovely on freshly shaven legs, or anywhere where you need some intense moisture (elbows, for example).

Sugar Crush Body Buttercream- 

Although the two are supposed to be the same consistency, this one definitely seems thicker and denser to me. (this is about to get gross) the texture reminds me a bit more of soft shortening/crisco and not lotion. Still, the rules for nongreasiness and absorption time still hold, as it performs nicely in both categories. The biggest difference is the smell, which everyone seems to love. It's called sweet lime, and it smells like just that. While the other one is calming, this is invigorating, awakening, refreshing. It's nice early in the morning for a pick me up.

Sugar Crush Body Wash-

I am a sucker for scent duos- spray/lotion, hand sanitizer/lotion, soap/spray. I think these two however: (the body wash and the body buttercream) are quite nice alone as well. The scent holds true in this wash, but it doesn't linger as well as the lotion. It is quite frothy though (although not the frothiest, I've seen better, particularly in the Bath and Body Works lines).

Notes on Soap and Glory as an ethical company:
They are clear about their policy, which includes not testing on animals and retailing through companies that do not support animal testing. However, they can't be sure that all the raw materials they use are cruelty free. That's a lot better than some companies, so buy and be happy.


Alright then! Thus marks my second Thursday post (aaahhhh so exciting). My next one will be a monthly favorites so stay tuned or stalk me if you can't wait til then (links below) and have a lovely week! 


PS I have an idea for a middle of the week bonus post (or two?!?!) this week so prepare yourself. Maybe.


Stay wonderful <3
Stay, wonderful.
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Blogging Literature

hey there, gals and bois.

I changed my blogging day from Saturday to Thursday because I changed my name to Thursdazed (lol jokes get it). Anyway, here's a Saturday post just for funsies and because the link at the bottom is updating my blog for bloglovin. (#followmeplz).

Anyway, I decided just to scare up some fun reading things that you could check out so I didn't have to make a post that just said hey here's a link please follow me okay thnx bye.

Here's some worthwhile things to read/check out:


1. www.youtube.com/shaytards

If you haven't heard of the Shaytards, you clearly have not been watching a lot of youtubers lately, because they are all over, with good reason. They've made a video of their lives everyday for the last 5 years, and they are cute and funny and wonderful. Reading what I've just written over, I'm not doing them justice in the least. The quality of their videos far exceeds the quality of my writing.
2. http://www.thesmallthingsblog.com/

I feel like this post is full of mainstream stuff.
The small things blog is this cute little blog that this cute little woman called Kate writes. It's informative and the photos of her newborn, David, are enough to make anyone's heart melt.
3. www.picmonkey.com

Okay so this isn't something that you can read or watch, but I've found this super helpful for editting blog photos. It's free, straightforward, and I don't know. A little bit wonderful
4. Mark McMorris

This blog post, which was supposed to be modeled after The Small Things Blog's "Sunday Reads", took a turn for the unexpected and hot. Seriously though, this guy is a Canadian snowboarder that made it to Sochi, but broke a rib, causing him to fail in preliminary rounds. He is quite the cutie.

Okaaaaay. That post turned out way different than I thought it would.

Oh, and backstory/inside Shana's head time: The idea to call this post "Blogging Literature" popped into my head, which made my mind jump to AP Lit, which made my mind jump to AP Lang, which is what I'll be taking next year, and then I remembered I still have one period empty and I have no idea what to fill it with, and then I was like oooonoooo should I take AP Psych or is 4 APs too many APs and what if I can handle it and what if I give up an extracurricluar like cross country so that I can fit Psych because to be honest I really am interested in it and my sister says it isn't that hard but Olivia says you need to study a lot to make it happen and I just don't know if I'm driven enough to make it happen and then i realize that I need to whip myself into shape because last year I was driven to the nth degree and wow being only a freshman who's workload was extremely extremely light and easy what a waste that was, if only I could shift that to this year when everything is harder and there's cross country and the musical and chemistry and oh dear god I hate chem and then I realize that maybe I should try and be good at chem because if I do, in fact, decide to be a doctor then it must be important, but then I'm like maybe I just want to be a doctor because that's what they are in scrubs and that show is hilarious and then I'm like okay this is too much i need to stop.


Okay. I love you for reading that whole thing. Seriously.


ooooo(hugs)
I'll talk to you Thursday with an epic three product review. I'm extremely excited for it <3


stay wonderful.
stay, wonderful. follow me.


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Shower Lineup

From the beginning of your life til the end, you spend 182 days in the shower.

Danggurl. That's a lot of time.

Think about those 4368 hours. Would you like to spend those with ratchet products?


me neither. 

These are what I use. I find them extremely not ratchet.

(Note: I don't shower twice a day. Unless you're working in a mine or sweating buckets, showering that often is keeping you clean at the expense of the hydration of your skin and even the appearance/texture of your hair. (too much steam is not good). However, depending on my schedule, I either shower morning or night and these are the two routines)

Morning

1. Sugar Crush Body Wash from Soap and Glory 2. Fresh Fruit Scrub from Trader Joe's 3.Lush Patchouli Shampoo Bar 4. Lush American Cream Conditioner 5. Trader Joe's Mango Cream Shave Lotion 6. Sugar Crush Body Buttercream


Night

1. Australian Naturals Body Wash in Mixed Berry 2. Brown Sugar Scrub from Trader Joe's 3.Lush Patchouli Shampoo Bar 4. Lush American Dream Conditioner 5. Trader Joe's Mango Cream Shave Lotion  6. Soap and Glory Smoothie Star Body Buttercream.


In other news, I realize my blogging activity is spotty at best, so I've decided to start posting every Saturday. I promise. (And, I know it's a long way off, but I'm thinking about doing Blogust. Maybe.)


ooo (hugs)
Shana

DIY Days: Scrub and Lantern

Hey cutie pies!

How are y'all  doing this Monday night? I'm just as dandy as a dandelion, but dreading midterms :'(. High School quite often sucks.

Anyway, it was my friend Olivia's birthday yesterday and I made her a cute little present I thought I made share with you. Because glass jars are ecofriendly, trendy, and all around wonderful, I used those as the "theme".

Present #1~ DIY Sugar Scrub
This is an extremely simple and pleasant little scrub that I made in about 10 minutes with stuff I already had in my house.

You will need:

In a metal bowl, combine two tablespoons and .5 teaspoon olive oil, 1 cup sugar, and about 15 drops essential oil (don't let the title fool you, essential oil is not expensive. I picked this bottle up at the dollar store for 1.07 with tax)

Scoop it into a glass jar, voila. A cute, cheap, lil diy present. Bonus: very nice moisturizing quality, and sugar won't irritate skin. Yay ;)

Present #2~ DIY candle lantern (credz to cakery papery for idea)

Okay so I did a ditzy move and forgot to take a picture of this when it was all finished, but it looked basically like this:

Image credz to cakery papery

 Almost as simple as above but with a little more room for error.

You will need:

combine glue and a little water for makeshift modpodge

 Using a paintbrush, spread the glue-water over as much as you like. You can make designs or just paint all over. Either way is cute.

Once you are satisfied with the design, pour in some glitter. Screw on the cap and vigorously shake to get the glitter allllllll over. If there's some spots where you don't want glitter, just use a qtip to gently remove.

 Once dry, simply place a little tea light in the bottom and be entranced by this lovely little sparkly lantern.

 oooooooooooo (hugs)
shana <3

Douse of the Day

Hey y'all.

How've you been? Good? I'm happy to hear that. I've been good, too. Busy as a little bee.

In these past few weeks, I've been buying presents, opening presents, doing school work, applying for this and that, and everything else. This, combined with extreme bloggers block, has stopped me from posting. How silly of me! However, Christmas, with all it's magicalness and beauty has given me enough time and ideas for a whole bunch of posts. Get excited. About a billion blog  posts are coming to a blog near you. (aka this one).

Anyway, I just wanted to start up an occasional little type of post I'd love to trot out: a douse. A douse (said deuce) is a double use, usually utilizing a neglected material.I'll be posting a few every once and a while.
This week's douse isssss....
BRACES WAX (or any kind of wax) AS TAPE.

 Now, if you're a little brace face (like me) you'll often be given or offered little packs of wax you can use to dull any sharp points the braces have, and I don't know about you but I rarely (to never) use mine, meaning I have several little boxes that go unused.

One day, I was looking at my little box and thinking: "Gee, this reminds me of something..." and then I realized what it was-- Fun-Tac. Now, if you've never used Fun-Tac before, what did you do all third grade? I don't know if it was just my school or maybe just my class, but kid would steal it off the backs of posters and distribute it to friends. I was rarely close enough with the troublemakers that would perform such a terrible crime to receive any, but I still got my hands on it from time to time and would spend hours with my hands in my desk, stretching it back and forth with a tiny and rebellious smile on my face.
I sure was naughty.

Anyway, you can use your wax to affix any sort of posters or photos onto almost anything, including walls.

A little goes a long way: just pinch off tiny pieces and smack them on every corner, then smack the paper wherever your heart fancies. It's easy to attach, easy to remove.

Alternatively, pinch off medium sized pieces and put them in between the folds of paper while wrapping presents for a polished and invisible finish.

Alright, that's all for now. I'll be posting a recipe soon as well as a hair tutorial and some beauty reviews.


oooo(hugs) Shana

My 10-10 favorties

Today is ten ten. It's like 11-11, but not as cool. Anyway, I just decided that this deserves a favorites post. (I wanted to do a September Favorites, but it's too late for that so I made up my own thing. Deal with it.)
So, here goes:

1.) My Graphing Calculator-
 Sorry, I know this is really nerdy. But I just want to be honest. I got a graphing calculator and I LOVE it. It makes math so much easier, and to be honest a little more fun. Furthermore, it's really easy to use. I love it. (It's the model Texas Instruments 83 Plus, and I got it at Staples for $115 but I know you can get it cheaper on Amazon or Target.)

2.) Cambridge and Thames Sour Lemon Drops
I'm a sucker for anything lemony. Anything at all. That's why I was thrilled when I got these lemon drops for my birthday. At only 5.15, the price isn't bad and they are deLICIOUS first, their coated in powdered sugar for a sweet start. Then, though, you get to the lemony bit and it's just sweet enough to be pleasant and just sour enough to be interesting. It's all so nicely balanced, and so lemony. <3

3.) My Vera Bradley Post-It's and Pens
These are just plain old fun. Thet're jazzy, but also utilitarian- the post-its work well and the pens write beautifully. perfect.

4.) Sour Patch Watermelon
I got a box of these for my birthday and MAN are they delicious. They're large and chewy and sweet and sour. They remind me of just sitting back and chilling in the summer. I know that's sort of general and weird-sounding, but that's what they taste like to me. 

5.) Wet n Wild Juicy Lip Balm
All the things in this favorites are fun, and this is no exception. This lip balm is absolutely addicting. It's kind of large and it smells nice (like strawberry flavored stuff), so I always look forward to putting it on. It's also tinted a really pretty shade and has SPF 15. What's not to love?

Alrighty, that's this months 10-10 favorites. They're all fun and I would recommend them all to my friends and strongly discourage them to all my enemies. (kidding c: )

ooooo (hugs)

The Perfect Facial

Skin. It's the body's largest organ and one of the most difficult to maintain, especially for teenagers.One of the best ways, though, to give it the flawless, acne-free finish that you desire is to give yourself a monthly facial. While you may think of a facial as an unobtainable, salon-only treat, it can be broken down into several steps and then customized based on your needs, money, and time constraints. 
However, if you're thinking about putting "the procedure" off, don't. Most dermatologists believe that the fall is the best time for a facial. You've just had two to three months of exposure to harmful UV rays, chlorine, and extra oil from sweat, and you're about to head into two to three months of cold, damaging weather. It's the perfect time for a pick-me-up for your face if you're only going to do it once a year.
So, this is the way I do my facial. However, it's completely customizable. You can skip steps, add steps, make your own treatments, or buy them all. 

My Facial: Top Row Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Cleanser, DIY mask, Kiss My Face Honey Calendula Facial Lotion. Bottom Row: Salt Water toner, lipton tea bags for eye cover up, and St. Ives Apricot exfoliant

Here's how it's done

1.  Planning- Planning is what takes your facial from good to spectacular. You'll have to plan the basics, like what products you want to use and such. However, you can also plan details like a perfect playlist to listen to while you pamper, the activities for any down time in the facial (masks), or what problem areas you specifically want to target in the facial. 

2. Cleansing- This step is pretty simple: was your face with your choice cleanser. Because I gave myself an "anti-acne" facial, I used my Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash. 

I've mentioned this stuff before here. It's pretty nice. Always wash your face with lukewarm water: anything hotter could burn you, or basically undo all the love you're giving to your skin. 

3. Exfoliate- Exfoliating is both my most and least favorite part of a facial. Whenever you try it, you feel like you're hurting your skin by scrubbing the little particles all over, but when it's over  your skin is soooo smoooooooth. It's the part of the facial that gives you results instantly, especially if you haven't been giving yourself facials regularly. I like to use the Saint Ives Apricot Exfoliant. It says you can use it 3 to 4 times a week, but over-exfoliating is tough on skin so I use it once a week at most. A lot of times products will recommend using more of the product than necessary because then they can sell more units. Make sure you research how much of all products you really need, and see how your skin reacts. No one else has your DNA, so it isn't always necessary to do the dame beauty routines as someone else. Experiment!

4. Steam- Perhaps the most neglected aspect of the facial is the steam. Steaming is especially effective for anti-acne treatments as it soften the outer layers of the skin, allowing the dirt, bacteria, and oil that causes acne to escape. One big no-no of the steam though, is "tenting", or putting a towel over your face to prevent steam from escaping. Instead of lifting the impurities out of the skin, tenting traps them in. For an easy steam, simply boil water in a large pot, adding scented essential or oils or basil leaves to give it a fresh scent. When the water has begun to profusely steam, pour it into a bowl and rest your head above it for 8 to 10 minutes. If you need to, take a break for some cool air. 

My steam- fresh basil to give it a scent.

5. Mask- The mask is definitely the most fun part of the facial. It feels so lovely and girly to slap a mask on and sit around painting your toenails or reading magazines. They are also one of the easiest things to DIY: I made one (see photo) comprised of honey and cinnamon (I added a bit of lemon juice too) from a recipe on Michelle Phan's website. 

6. Tone- Okay, I lied before. The most neglected part of the facial is the tone, and this absolutely sucks because it is so helpful. Toning makes any facial completely customizable: just pick something about your face you'd like to fix (for example, anti-acne, anti-aging) and google a toner to help target that specific problem. Because my entire facial was anti-acne, I took a tip from Andreas Choice and mixed salt with water for a super simple and yet effective toner. I just mixed it all up, soaked the mixture in a cotton ball and spread it all over my face. 

7. Moisturize- Do not skip this step. Especially after a facial. You've just subjected your face to a ton of water, products, towels, and many different temperatures really quickly, and your skin is probably reeling! Care for it with a nice moisturizer. 

Alrighty. That is the perfect 7-step facial. Seriously, you've got to try it. It's the perfect time of year, it's easy, it can be fast if you need it to. As Nike says, "Just Do It."


ooooo (hugs) 
Shana