lucky bandit | RVA based lifestyle blog

Thursday, September 15, 2016

new friends - frogs & toads

My workplace is truly amazing. Sure, it's retail, but we have some great products and regulars that come in. But this post isn't about that - it's about critters! My bosses have a fascinating menagerie. There are toads and a giant bullfrog and recently some babies came in. Frog and toad babies! Even if you're not a fan of the scaly and slimy, you'll have to admit these guys are adorable.

lucky bandit blog katelyn carter

Growing up I preferred the furry pets - dogs, cats, hamsters. I didn't like bugs and I didn't like anything that hopped or slithered. I had respect for them, but I didn't want them to touch me. (And sometimes I still won't touch some of the creatures that I encounter...I'm looking at you, millipedes.)

lucky bandit blog katelyn carter

These guys are so tiny - a couple are smaller than a dime. Check out those little speckles. They hop around and when they eat their tiny pink tongues are so fast you have to really focus to see them.

lucky bandit blog katelyn carter

Look at this little guy! He's the prettiest green and when the light is right, his skin is translucent and you can see all his insides. It's really fascinating. He was active that day, so he was a bit tuckered out in this photo.

I'm excited to watch these guys grow up!

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Wednesday, September 14, 2016

what a great day

lucky bandit blog katelyn carter

Last night, we redecorated the display windows at the store. We had a great time and it looks super spooky for Halloween. We're talking fake blood and a giant spider and some glass eyeballs in a vintage bed pan along with a generous helping of dry straw. Insert gleeful Halloween dance here.

Sounds great, huh? Well, it was until I woke up this morning with hay fever and a stye the size of Texas on my eye. I can't blame the stye on the straw, though. That's from not being more careful when I remove my eye makeup. Sigh. Honestly, I can't really even blame the straw for being sick because we should've been wearing masks since we weren't working outside with ventilation. It's my own fault, but I had never reacted to it before so I wasn't careful.

So I've been laid up in bed all day having a pity party like I always do when I'm sick and snuggling with my puppies and basically being a snotty, whiny mess. The hay fever makes me sneeze and that makes me cry out in pain because I have to squeeze my eye shut on the stye and I'm just not pleasant to be around right now.

The moral of this story? Always wear a mask if you're not accustomed to working with common allergens. Even if you've never been allergic to them before! Trust me on this one.

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Friday, September 09, 2016

DIY three ingredient scalp scrub

lucky bandit blog katelyn carter

We all know we're supposed to exfoliate to encourage blood flow and to remove dead skin cells and product buildup. I exfoliate a couple times a week, especially my face. What's one thing I always forget needs exfoliating, too? My scalp! Here's an easy DIY scalp scrub that only has three ingredients!

lucky bandit blog katelyn carter

You'll only need three things: coconut oil, coarse salt, and a lemon. Easy peasy.

I mixed about a half cup of coconut oil, 3-4 tablespoons of coarse salt, and the juice of one lemon together in a bowl with a lid. I crushed the salt a bit beforehand to make it easier to manage. Once it's all mixed together, here's a tip: I'd advise to do this in the shower or outside. It gets messy, especially if you have long hair. There was salt all over the place!

Dampen your hair, and just rub it into your scalp as you would a body scrub on your skin. Your scalp can be sensitive, so don't be too rough. I massaged it in for a few minutes, let it sit, then rinsed it out. You'll probably feel the coconut oil still in your hair, so if you want to let it moisturize for a while, leave it and shampoo later. Another plus to this scrub? It can be used as a body scrub! If you mix up a big batch you can do all of your exfoliating in one go.

The recipe can easily be altered to fit your needs. Swap out salt for sugar, or add tea tree oil, essential oils, or swap out coconut oil for something else. Just don't eat it!



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Thursday, September 08, 2016

review: lush sex bomb bath bomb

 lush review lucky bandit blog katelyn carter

I picked up the Sex Bomb bath bomb from Lush a while ago, but I've finally found time to use it!

 lush review lucky bandit blog katelyn carter

This was my first bath bomb from Lush. I had tried other bombs from other places and I was not impressed. I dropped this baby into the tub and it instantly started foaming. Check out that gorgeous magenta!

It was really relaxing and my skin felt moisturized and smooth both during and after the bath. I can't smell, so I can't attest to if the bomb retained any scent, but it fizzed slowly and hung around for a while.

I'd heard complaints of the decorative flower not dissolving, but the one in my bomb was nowhere to be found afterwards, so I had no cleanup as there wasn't any residue left after I drained the water. That was a big plus as other bombs have dyed my tub red!

I'd definitely get another Sex Bomb!

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Wednesday, September 07, 2016

link love

link love lucky bandit blog
(This is one of my boss' beetles...yeah, I have the coolest job.)

Go, little Fury! She's the first of her puppy kind to start being trained for a canine anti-poaching unit. She's adorable and saving the animals. (And the baby elephant gif at the bottom is too cute.)

In the reading world, I'm a huge horror genre fan (Yes, Stephen King!) and here's a list of 10 books that will haunt your dreams.

Not all anger needs management. It just needs to be recognized as constructive or destructive.

I am one of those terrible people that reads the synopsis of a movie without ever seeing it. I'm obsessed with doing it. And I just found The Movie Spoiler.

This is a really interesting article about consuming protein and age.

I have a STRONG aversion to the words "retard" and "retarded". Here's an article on why you should stop using them.

This bag in taupe is amazing.

I'd like to try this stew recipe this fall.

I'm totally gearing up for Halloween and this ring is perfect.

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