LUSH HAUL!!!

Okay, so being a girl, I've never had a fetish for any kind of facial products/cleansers. That is, until I discovered LUSH! It started off with trying a sample of the "Fresh Farmacy" face cleanser, as recommended by a friend. It has worked SO well for me. I have been using that for about 4 months now and it had me on the first day. 


As soon as I washed my face, I literally saw the difference. My small pimples dried up on the spot and were gone! my face felt so clean, it got rid of my blackheads, excess dirt/oils, dead skin and all that yucky stuff. what more can a girl ask for?! on the spot acne treatment that actually works, where do you find that now-a-days? I forget to mention the most important and best thing: Lush products are fresh and organic! It contains chamomile extract, calamine, tea tree, rose, and lavender essential oils which helps to calm your skin. So its a great antibacterial soap for blemishes and redness ! 

I would say about 4 out of 5 of my friends have tried it and it worked for them.  So it also depends on what kind of skin you have. My skin is oily, and acne prone and it works great for me. If your skin is extremely dry, I suggest you try something else because it does dry out your skin a bit. I'm sure LUSH has other great cleansers that might work better for your skin. (This isn't meant to be used daily, I think because it might dry out your skin too much, so I just use it after about a 2-3 day gap or if I see some blemishes forming)


Another great cleanser that I have tried is Herbalism.  This is also awesome and has worked well for me. It is a preservative free, clay based herbal cleanser that is designed to absorb the excess oils and and making it look less shiny. The great this about this is that it gives you a gentle exfoliation and also contains rose and chamomile 
so it doesn't leave your pores completely 'naked'. I actually like this a teeny bit better than fresh farmacy only because it didn't leave my skin AS dry. 

I've also tried Dark Angels, which is a black sugar and powdered charcoal based cleanser. It is also a great scrub with avocado oil, sandalwood and rose. I didn't find myself using this one as much because I was in love with Herbalism and Fresh Farmacy. Those 2 combined really helped my skin to look and feel better. So good, that I stopped using my topical creams prescribed by my dermatologist =) why not use the chemical free ones if they work! 


A few days ago I had got a sample of the Cosmetic Warrior fresh face mask. I haven't tried it yet, but will let  you know how that turns out!

P.S. This is a MUCH better version/review of my LUSH experience than my YouTube video :/ lol I think i'm going to stick to blogging! YouTube is just not the thing for me, for now =)

Update on Contest 1200:
Only 74 more views to reach 1200!


Don't forget to participate! Here's what you have to do:


1-Subscribe to my blog
2-Comment on one QOTW blog post (Question of the week)
3-Comment on one other blog post from 2012


Prize: One handmade bracelet by me

QOTW!

(Question Of The Week)


I'm sure we've all heard about Trayvon Martin's killing, which is absolutely horrible. It just makes me extremely upset because this could be any of us, from any racial stereotype. Whether you are Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, Middle eastern, , etc  there will always be people who are too ignorant, racist towards you. It's totally wrong to judge someone like George Zimmerman did with Trayvon, just because of his appearance. and yea we all might say, "oh I know that, or believe that" but what are we really doing to change that perspective? What are we teaching the younger generations to come? Are we standing up for it when we see it? Most likely not. and I am definitely not implying that I'm perfect in that sense either. But what I do know is that I have a clean heart towards anyone, regardless of what racial background they come from. When I get into arguments with a specific person associated with that background, I never judge everyone else as the same. I do stand up for things when I see it, and would never ever teach my future kids to think a certain way about a race.  I've been contemplating writing about the topic of racism/hatred for a while now, but I have so much to say about it, and just didn't know where to start.
Being a Muslim woman, I've experienced plenty of racism towards me as well, no doubt. I still remember how differently I was treated since DAY ONE of when I started to wear my Hijab, which was about 2-3 years ago. I remember how everyone looked at me differently while riding the train, or while walking down the street, especially after 9/11.  I've had several racial phrases thrown at me, "terrorist", "go back to your own country", "go hide your face somewhere" "go home and be abused by your husband" blah blah the list goes on! My family members get treated like this as well, when going to hospitals for example not only once but twice, being seated while everyone in the whole waiting area got called-seen-and went home (regardless of whether they arrived before or after my parents) and my parents still sat there waiting! I could go on forever and give one example after another. 
My point is, there will always be someone who will treat you negatively because of your race, but you can't let that get to you  or try and take revenge for it. If there is change within yourself, of our views towards other races, only then will there be changes in the rest of the world.  It all starts with one individual who then influences those around them by his/her actions.


My question to you is, what experiences have you had with racism? and if there was one thing that you would want everyone to know about this, what would it be?

Greenport, NY Tall Ships Festival

I'm super excited and preparing to be a part of the Tall Ships Festival in Greenport, NY on Memorial Day Weekend (May 26-28)! 


It is basically a celebration of the Tall Ships coming to Greenport, and its focuses on the history of Tattoos & their significance during the war.  The celebration will also be about how Tattoos evolved from tribal rituals to today's mainstream.  There will henna tattoo artists, tattoo style arts & handicrafts, face painting, and much more! 


Here's the link for the Tall Ships Challenge: http://www.sailtraining.org/tallships/2012atlantic/index.php


Feel free to drop by and enjoy the celebration AND see me =) 

 Like every year I plan to do things in the summer but somehow never get to them! But i'm definitely taking some time out for myself and planning in advance! One of the things I would love to do this summer is go strawberry picking. I plan this with people almost every year but never get to it because i'm never the one taking the initiative to set a date and just go! So during this strawberry picking season (Around early may-Late June)  I am definitely going! 
Another place where I am planning on going is to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens for the cherry blossom festival on April 28-29! I'm super excited ^_^ 
Jet Skiing is also on my list of things to do this summer. I'm kinda scared to do that because I don't know how to swim -_- but I know it will be a great experience. 


My list is just getting started!!! If anyone has any suggestions please do let me know! You might have tried something exciting, or went somewhere beautiful, or even ate something yummy that I never did!


Feel free to join me if you'd like..The more the merrier =)

QOTW!

(Question Of The Week)


Ahh, it was such a gorgeous day today! Hoping it stays like this! A little breezy, a lot of sunshine, not too humid, just perfect!  I think my favorite season is Spring. I'ts just beautiful with the good weather and the beautiful flowers especially! I can't wait till they fully bloom.  I totally believe that the weather has an effect on your mood. To me at least, when its crappy weather (cold, rainy,snowy, etc) I feel lazier and more depressed.  When the weather is nice, I feel better and therefore look better as well! There is definitely a correlation between these factors! 


What kind of weather makes you feel and look your greatest? and do you believe it indeed comes hand in hand?

CONTEST 1200

Here's an update on my latest handmade bracelets! I'd like some comments on this plz. Just to know which ones you guys like best. There's a reason for that =) 


As soon as I reach 1,200 views on my blog I will be doing a giveaway! Here are the rules:


1-Subscribe to my blog
2-Comment on one QOTW blog post (Question of the week)
3-Comment on one other blog post from 2012


PLEASE NOTE: 

• This contest is for U.S. participants only, sorry! (for now, I will think about this for future contests depending on the response) 
• The post must be with a valid name, cannot be anonymous!
• Any negative comments will be removed, and you will be immediately disqualified!
• The winner will be picked RANDOMLY (does not depend on the content or quantity of your comments, so feel free to express yourself)

PRIZE: One handmade bracelet by ME =D

Pet peeves

QOTW!

(Question Of The Week)


I can go on and on about my pet peeves because i'm annoyed with just about everything! LOL joke!
On a real note, one of the things that really annoy me are when women don't wash their hands after they go the bathroom!
Disgusting much?! 
So everyday at work, whenever I head to the restroom its always the same person I bump into whenever I go there. That's annoying itself lol. but what annoys me more is when you clearly know the person used the bathroom and they either don't wash their hands, OR just rinse it with just water for literally 2 seconds and leave!!! 
I find that very very annoying and disgusting (and I thought men were like that lol) 
I mean, what the hell is the soap for?! and how hard is it for people to take a minute and wash their hands properly???
This is one of the things that are killing us, I tell you. Germs being spread like that. You never know where someones hands have been!
I'm not a germ-a-phobe freak but strictly believe in hand washing when it comes to certain things. Even if I go to the bathroom to check out the mirror, I'd still wash my hands! because of people like that, who don't wash their hands and touch all the handles and doorknobs ! 


So my question to you is, what is your biggest pet peeve?

Giving up soda is not as easy as I thought! Since my journey to quitting soda began, this would be the first time I had a whole can of soda! I couldn't resist! You know when you have that one meal, that you cannot have without soda, because it just "tastes right" all together? lol yea, that was the case. but i'm not really too upset about it because I feel like i've made progress since then.  It helped me realize how nasty it is lol. Even though I was craving it, while I was drinking it I really tasted the difference. It was extremely sweet, made me gassy and gave me heartburn as usual when I used to drink it before. I'm happy to say that it will certainly be much easier to quit for good now, unless I have withdrawal symptoms again =) but I will try my best to substitute it with water or my new addiction, Vitamin Water !

Colorful snack

AHHHH!!! So I was super excited to find these colorful snacks in my kitchen cabinet! I don't really know what they are called in English but in Urdu we call them "pappar" lol They come in different colors, shapes, and sizes and are meant to be fried.


These bring back a lot of childhood memories. I remember when I was younger I would eat these all the time with my sister.  My addiction to these started in Pakistan. Whenever someone comes and goes back home, my lovely uncles and aunts always send me these along with a whole bunch of other stuff =) I went grocery shopping with my mom just last week and was thinking about getting them, but couldn't remember why I didn't get them.  but today, when I was going through my kitchen to find something to eat I found these :D 

KONY 2012

So I'm sure we all saw the Kony 2012 video floating all over the internet. If you haven't seen it already, here's the link:

•  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc

As I was watching it, like everyone else I was taken by the video, felt really bad for the kids (and still do, for those around the world that are forced to kill,beaten,raped,etc). I shared it, in support of making him famous.


But then I had a few doubts about the whole thing, like why specifically do they decide to bring this out NOW. When all this has been going on since 2008? I also hadn't seen anything in the paper or news. There are many other countries in need of help as well, but wonder why the U.S. picked Africa NOW? Iraq, Afganistan, Iran and many other countries have been invaded by the U.S. because they claim theyre going after "terrorists" and crap. wheres the proof for all this? Do we just follow it just because its coming from a famous or political figure?! The U.S. can't do anything without the support of YOU, because they need our tax dollars to fund their wars.


I'm positive that I'm not the only one who hadn't heard of his name, or even know who he is! so many other questions came in my mind and I came across some other interesting links:

• http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com/
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCv1GybEUxc&feature=related
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DO73Ese25Y&feature=share
• http://blackstarnews.com/news/135/ARTICLE/8007/2012-03-08.html

I'm sure the people who are behind the Kony 2012 have good intentions and want to do the right thing, but I would always say, for anyone trying to help for causes such as this or any other donating causes, you should look well into it first. There are a lot of scams out there, and we never really know if those people in need are really being helped!  So decide wisely, not just because its all over the internet and "everyone else is doing it too"! 

Anyhow, decide for yourself I'm sure we all have good intentions to help those in need but just be careful about who and what you are really supporting.

QOTW!

(Question Of The Week)


Oh Monday's, I wasn't even done with Saturday why did you come so quick? 
After an extremely short "weekend" this semester, since I have class on Saturdays now I feel like the weekend flies by! I barely have time to catch up on sleep,do laundry, clean my room and rest of the house, AND take my mom out for her errands! So after an extremely dragged Monday I went home, ate some yummy dinner, got into my comfy house clothes, got in bed and started watching one of my favorite TV shows, Nikita. Usually when I relax, I have a whole bunch of junk food around and just lay in my bed give myself a manicure, and listen to music. Was too tired for even that part last night lol. Well we each have our own ways of relaxing, and for the QOTW, 




After an exhausting day, how do you kick back and relax?

As weird as it may sound, I have this "thing" for pens that write nice! I have a whole collection of pens, that I not only keep at home, but have to carry specific pens with me in my bag everyday :P 

I don't like sharing them either! lol unless you are special !  

Weird?  I know! 

I love to write, if you didn't know already! sometimes I write just because I like how my handwriting looks, or simply because I found some good paper and an awesome pen!

My recent addition to this collection is the "B2P"pen from Staples and my monkey pen. The "B2P" pen is pretty cool. It's a recycled bottle made into a pen and best of all, it comes in different colors (of course I got the purple one :D ) My other favorite/recent add is my monkey pen! It has this monkey head in a globe and when you push a button it spins and lights up! (oh, the awkward excitement I have while blogging about it! lol ) 

Do You guys have any weird fetishes? I know I'm not the only one :)