Lush Review

Ello ello Lush lovers. Goodbye non-lovers. How’s it hangin? How’ve your baths been? Your skin? Your hair? Ahh well, don’t worry. I’m back and ready for some reviews to sweeten your beauty regime. We’re not getting any younger so lets get into it.

I can’t even explain how long I had my eye on Lush’s massage bars. They fascinated me. I would touch them, smell them, and ask for hand massages every visit I made into a shop. It was bad. But finally someone managed to talk me into purchasing one–Therapy. 

Just like it’s name, Therapy is a stress reliever deluxe. It has an aromatherapy essence to it in a spa-like way. When you rub this solid perfumed bar between your hands or on your skin, the warmth starts to melt the oils (lavender, neroli, sweet orange) and gives you the perfect moisturizer and massage. Therapy has a great design because it actually has bumpy ridges that makes you feel like you’re getting a mini massage. Also the cocoa butter that makes up the majority of the bar is nourishing for dry skin. This massage bar is a great purchase for anyone who likes to pamper themselves and feel relaxed after a long day.

One of Lush’s most purchased items of all time is The Comforter bubble bar. Aptly named, The Comforter smells like happy black current sweets–a light scent that would put a smile on anyone’s face. This item also happens to be the best deal that Lush has to offer–the most bang for your buck. One bar gets you about 3-5 baths. All you do is break off a bit of the bubble bar and crumble it under your faucet for big, blooming bubbles.

There’s not much I can really complain about with this product. However, I do loathe the look of Lush’s bubble bars. They look like Play-Doh creations. Very unappealing. But I must admit that they’re fun to play with and they really do work well.

I usually remember my Lush experiences very clearly, but I have trouble recalling my date with Dragon’s Egg bath bomb. I vaguely recall being let down in the scent department because it’s mainly a citrus based bomb, but it seemed too weak for my nose.  Apparently “this mystical Bath Bomb fizzles, crackles, curls, and ends with a glitter explosion” says the Lush site but I don’t remember any of that happening. It must have been a long day for me. I usually don’t forget a bath bomb with glitter so I don’t know what happened. I’ll have to try this one again. I just remember a lot of white, yellow, and orange fizz and not much more.

Girl Crush of the Week: Joanna Krupa

There’s really no explanation for my recent girl crush other than she’s a major babe. Like, her talents include modeling and being part of dramatic situations on Bravo’s Real Housewives of Miami. So there really isn’t much to say other than, nice looks.

However, I like to give people a bit of credit and assume they have more going for them than their outer appearances. Sometimes. Joanna Krupa is originally from Poland which definitely gives her a cool cultural factor, despite the fact that she only lived there until she was 5 years old. But perhaps this a good thing because now the world is aware of the beautiful gene pools that Poland has to offer.

Speaking of awareness, Ms. Krupa is a fierce animal lover and is a spokesperson for PETA (I believe. It’s good that I do my research.). I have to give her extreme props for this because animals are the best and anyone that defends the creatures of the world is a friend of mine.

Joanna has some skills in the dance department because she finished in fourth place on Dancing with the Stars. I think this speaks volumes about Joanna. She’s probably the type of person that’s almost good at a lot things but not quite good enough. She is good at spending money though. Luckily she married someone who owns and operates his own nightclub. And we all know that nightclubs in Miami are the big money makers. Joanna and her husband were able to spend $1 million on their wedding and feel totally okay about it so I would assume that nightclubs are the thing to go into.

Anyway I think she’s a super hottie and most likely a good person. People might not be able to take her seriously because of her blindingly good looks but I think she deserves a chance.

Lush Review

I haven’t done one of these bad boys in a while. It had been a long time since I walked into Lush, but today I peeked my head in and found an array of Easter themed treats that I needed to spoil myself with. Of course, I haven’t used any of them yet, I’m hoarding them until the holiday. But do not fret, little bunnies. I have other Lush treats that need to be reviewed, so let’s get on with it, shall we?

One of my absolute favorite Lush products is their Buche de Noel cleanser, but tragically, it’s only available during the Christmas season. Never fear, I found an excellent replacement that makes my skin feel equally good and smells just as fresh (maybe even fresher). Let me introduce you to Angels on Bare Skin.

This is a solid cleanser made with clay, ground almonds, and lavender flowers which help to gently polish your skin. Now, I’m usually one for rough, sandy exfoliates, but Angels works better than anything I’ve ever tried. This cleanser smells like lavender and roses. Both of their flowery oils help balance skin and reduce redness. It’s a great treatment before bed because the lavender tends to help you sleep as well. An all-over beauty investment.

I find it rare when a bath bomb is both entertaining and relaxing but Big Blue manages to accomplish both. Mimicking the ocean, Big Blue takes sea salt and seaweed by the handful and fills your bath with the delights of being in the ocean. Well, a very clean, bathtub-sized ocean. The blue dye from the powder actually colors your water the color you wish the ocean was. The bomb itself smells like lavender (I’m sensing a theme here…) and lemon which are a very relaxing combination. Every ingredient in this product helps soothe your skin and leaves it feeling extra soft and smooth. I would go as far to say that Big Blue is one of my all time favorite bombs.

I was feeling extremely experimental when I purchased one of Lush’s solid shampoos. Yes, you read right. Solid shampoo. The store offers an array of different solid shampoos with varying scents, colors, and purposes. The one I was really drawn to scent-wise was Seanik. I think the only reason I liked it was because it looked like Big Blue, but in shampoo form.

Seanik has Irish moss seaweed and Japanese nori seaweed which are supposed to make your hair silky smooth. It also includes sea salt which promises to give volume to your hair and lemon oil to make it shine. The fragrances included in the product are mimosa, jasmine, and orange flower absolute.

I love the scent of this shampoo, but everything else falls a bit flat for me. No pun intended. I think it promises too much for being a vegan shampoo. It gives a surprisingly good lather after rubbing the bar through my hair a couple of times, and the lasting quality of the bar itself if unbelievable. Lush promises it will last up to 80 washes! And another benefit is that it’s great for travel–the size of your palm, and you can take it in your carry-on because it’s not liquid. That being said, it doesn’t really work wonders for my hair, but I appreciate the idea of it.

Green Queen

Okay so remember when I promised that I would continue blogging about green things until St. Patrick’s Day? Well that day has come and gone and I only ended up writing one green-themed post. Shame on me. Shame on me for doing other things besides sitting on my computer. Welcome to my blog of broken promises.

Anyway, I’m going to make it up to everyone/the 3 people who read this by giving you an avalanche of green things to feast your eyes on. Make sure to tell me some of your favorite green items as well!

I love this billowy green skirt:

But I’m also a sucker for this mermaid inspired pencil skirt:

One of the most memorable green gowns was worn by Keira Knightly in Atonement. Never forget:

I am also partial to this palm print:

And basically anything palm leaf themed:

A backyard filled with big, green topiaries is now my newest obsession:

However, I’m unsure if smelling like my backyard would be a good or a bad thing. Nevertheless, I applaud Lush for making this item smell exactly like the lawn:

I wouldn’t mind decorating my ears with these beauties:

Or painting my nails with this pretty peridot shade:

I could drink these green tea lattes all day. With a splash of raspberry, they’re surprisingly addictive:

This mint limeade looks thirst quenching during warmer weather:

I could see this green Persian-esque rug being a good addition to any sparse room:

Unless this little green-eyed beaut threw up on it:

Lush Review

I haven’t been taking as many Lush baths lately because I feel like I went overboard during the chillier winter months. But do not fret, little Lushies, I have many a product that I haven’t reviewed yet! Let’s jump right in, shall we?

I’m usually a big fan of Lush’s bath bombs. They are the most entertaining bath products that I’ve used and they leave my skin feeling lovely. Sukura bath bomb piqued my interest because it smelled softly of flower blossoms. I’m fan of anything floral so I decided to take it for a spin. Unfortunately the scent wasn’t strong enough for me once I was in the bath. 

The bomb itself includes sea salt crystals, mimosa absolute, citrus oil, jasmine absolute, orange flower absolute, and gardenia extract. See, lots of light, flowery scents! But they just didn’t translate enough for me in the bath. The bomb left my water chalky looking, since it’s entirely white with just a few bits of colored salt. I didn’t mind the look of my water– I actually found it very relaxing because of the essential oils that shoot out of the bomb and into the water. This one definitely left my skin feeling, well, lush.

Recently I’ve been using my sample size of Lush’s Rockstar soap. I’m not totally into Lush’s solid soaps. They take a while to get a good lather and sometimes leave my skin feeling dry. Dry and clean, but not silky smooth and clean. 

The soap smells sugary and sweet with a bit of vanilla mixed in. It’s a pleasant scent. Not super strong. I like to smell my body wash/soap on my skin for a while, but this one seems to disappear once it’s rinsed off. I do like the color of the soap–it’s a pinkish hue–very girly.

And lastly I’d like to mention Gorgeous Moisturizer. I was only able to obtain a sample size of it, but I ADORE this product. I simply cannot afford the real deal though. A regular sized pot (45g) comes in at a whopping $85.95. A big price to pay for a small amount of luxury. BUT I will say that this product has so many natural ingredients, it makes some sense why the price is what it is.

The cream itself is a thicker consistency which helps your skin lap up tons of nutrients and moisture. The orange blossom honey water stands out the most to me because it smells so clean and fresh. After applying it before I went to bed, I would wake up each morning feeling like I had a new, fresh face. I cannot say enough good things about this moisturizer.

Girl Crush of the Week: Dalia Royce

What can I possibly say about Dalia Royce? She’s everything that I aspire to be in life. I came across this character whilst watching my Wednesday night line up (The Middle, Modern Family, don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about). When the network premiered the show Suburgatory I decided to give it a try. The show itself isn’t that great, but there are a couple minor characters that keep me coming back for more. Enter Dalia Royce.

She’s perfect in so many ways. Dalia basically doesn’t care about anything and goes about communicating with people in the driest possible way. I wouldn’t describe her as a deep person, per se, but she does have emotions and struggles. I mean, she doesn’t have monetary struggles, but her parents got divorced and one time she had to transfer to a different school and live out of her mom’s car. It was pretty tragic. Despite what people think, she’s definitely had some trials and tribulations.

Dalia’s mother, Dallas Royce (played by Cheryl Hines) wants the best for Dalia but is usually torn between being a responsible parent and bending over backwards for her daughter. In one episode, Dalia gets a kangaroo for a gift simply because she wants one. When Dallas starts dating Dalia’s school enemy’s father, she becomes attached and begins to favor him over most people. She even starts to call him “Daddy Altman.” 

The reason that Dalia is my crush is because she’s a strong woman who doesn’t take no for an answer. If she wants a kangaroo, she will find a way to get one. She is so honest to the point where people start to question what’s wrong with her. And she also has the fliest wardrobe that I’ve seen in a long time.

Lush Review

I’ve been trying to space out my Lush Reviews because I know not everyone is interested in them, but I’m also aware that some people love them so I try not to hold off too long. It’s a fine balance. I have some good reviews lined up so let’s jump right in, shall we?

The last time I was at home in Chicago, I made a couple Lush purchases to soothe my frozen soul body. The scent in particular that really calms me, and is said to calm most folks, is lavender. So obvs I picked up the Golden Slumbers bath bomb. Not only is the bomb dusted in a sparkly golden powder, but it smells of lavender oil and chamomile. It seems to go the extra distance to assure that your body will be relaxed. It even has little sprigs of lavender that float around your tub to give off that earthy-romantic feel. You know what I mean? Sadly, I think this bomb might have been discontinued which is actually really rude of Lush.

When I was bathing in my bath of luxurious lavender, I popped the French Kiss bubble bar under the faucet for extra entertainment. I don’t typically enjoy the look of Lush’s bubble bars–they look like children’s Play-Doh creations–but this one actually appeals to me. It’s white and purple with a sprig of lavender popping out of the top. Like a tie-dye Hershey’s Kiss. It makes big, beautiful bubbles and gives off a strong lavender and rosemary scent. It’s also infused with coconut oil so it makes your bath water nourishing and causes your skin to be silky smooth when you step out.

I was also brave and decided to try one of Lush’s shampoos–a cult product, BIG. I don’t know about you, but I don’t use quality shampoo. I’ll usually purchase the cheaper brands that tend to smell good, but don’t do a lot for my already limp locks. Hairdressers will often comment how my scalp has a lot of buildup (thanks?) and how my hair doesn’t have a lot of lift (sweet). BIG definitely helps with these issues of mine. Made with tonssss of sea salt, this shampoo scrubs my scalp and cleanses my head leaving my hair follicles light and my head surprisingly clean. The scent is hard to describe. It’s very perfume-y with hints of citrus and vanilla. I try not to use this shampoo daily. Maybe once every week and a half because you don’t get much bang for your buck with this product.

What beauty products have you been using lately?

 

Lush Review: Christmas Edition Part Deux

I felt super blessed in Las Vegas because a.) I was on vacation b.) I was spending quality time with my husband and c.) there was a Lush store in my hotel. Dreams really do come true, kids.  True Lushies know that the only day in the calendar year that Lush holds a sale is on Boxing Day. Needless to say I was pretty excited to be in Vegas during this time of year, with the added bonus of being so close to a Lush before their biggest and only sale.

I arrived at the store around noon, so most of their leftover holiday inventory had been picked through, but I still managed to find some items worth trying. One of them was the Luxury Lush Pud bath bomb. I really wasn’t attracted to the scent of this one. It was kind of spicy and I didn’t really like the look of it–there was too much going on. But since it was on sale, I decided to grab one and try it out. I totally changed my mind after I dropped it in my bath. It smelled so nice–like flowers (which doesn’t really fit the dessert theme…) and the colors were fantastic. The purple and white combined to make this beautiful magenta water with little pools of pastel. I loved it. Had I known how great this one was, I would’ve purchased it earlier! It contains lavender and ylang ylang oils and gardenia extract.

I picked up another product that I wasn’t too excited about–the Melting Snowman bath melt. His look really turned me off. He looks like something I would’ve made out of Play Doh when I was 7 years old. But I thought I would give him a chance because I didn’t have that many choices for the sale. I was pretty underwhelmed with this one. It didn’t melt as quickly as I would’ve liked. It smelled good, like cinnamon and patchouli–very warming. It also includes shea butter, almond oil, and chocolate drops. Much to my chagrin, the chocolate didn’t melt thoroughly and left tiny chunks of sweetness bobbing in my water. Which was fine while I was bathing, but I had to make sure to scrub the tub afterwards because chocolate colored bits don’t look good in a dried up tub.

Golden Wonder bath bomb had received amazing reviews and I was pretty stoked to try it. In comparison to other bombs, Golden Wonder is quite large. Some people prefer to break the big bombs in half and get two baths out of it, but I just used the whole thing in one go because I’m wasteful. GW is in the shape of a cute little Christmas present (or Hanukkah present, shalom) and it’s covered with a gold coating. When shaken (not stirred), you can feel that there’s another little bomb inside the big shell of the present mold–making it feel like an actual present.  As the white and gold of the outer shell dissolved, the inner bomb made itself known by dispersing a turquoise hue through the tub along with little golden stars made of soap. The bomb was very invigorating because it had cognac oil in it and smelled of citrus. It was a magical experience. 

I’m not a huge fan of Lush’s soaps. I know that’s blasphemous Lush-speak since they’re one of Lush’s most popular items, but I feel like generic body wash from drug stores are cheaper, last longer, and smell just as good. I did manage to get a free sample of their Christmas soap called Ice Blue. It’s a very pretty sky blue colored soap with round white chunks embedded into the top. I’m not usually drawn to minty scents, but I really like the clean, refreshing scent that the soap gives off. I think it would be a great one to use in the morning because the peppermint oil tingles your skin and invigorates you for the day ahead. I also think this is a great soap for both women and men alike. It’s not overly feminine–just clean.

When I picked up this little Snowman bath bomb, I knew that it was basically Butterball bath bomb in holiday form. It smells of vanilla and cocoa butter–very rich and luxurious in both scent and texture. This bomb has oils and butter that float around the water and melt into your skin–leaving your body moisturized even in the coldest, driest weather. The color of the bomb left something to be desired–it was mostly white with a little bit of red coloring from the snowman’s scarf–nice winter colors.

Have you tried anything from Lush recently? Or any new beauty products in general?

Lush Review: Christmas Edition

Yeah yeah I’m doing another Lush review. As long as I keep buying new products from that store, I’ll be sharing my thoughts about them. I love girl talk about bath products and soaps and the like. Lush comes out with seasonal items that are limited for the holidays only. These are precious products so if you find one that you really like, you should to stock up before they leave for a year!

Cinders bath bomb is a popular one because it’s supposed to mimic the calming feeling of being by a cozy fire at night. I really liked the scent of Cinders. It has a nice spicy floral smell because of the cinnamon and gardenia extract infused in the product. I also liked that there were Pop Rocks embedded into the bomb, making it sound like a crackling fire in your tub. The only thing I didn’t like about this one was that it turned my water a weird yellow-orange color that was displeasing. The size of Cinders is also about half the size of a normal, large bath bomb from Lush. I kind of wish it was bigger and a better color.

I had never tried any of Lush’s face products before a saleswoman suggested I test out Buche de Noel. I was kind of nervous because skin can be tricky, but once she tried it on me, I fell in love. Buche de Noel is a solid cleanser that gently exfoliates the face and washes off to reveal the nicest, cleanest skin ever. It has visible chunks of cranberries, ground almonds and is also made with fresh satsumas, brandy, and almond butter. It’s got a strange scent (not bad strange, just different) but I’ve gotten used to it and I now associate it with great feeling skin. 

The application is fun too: You take a chunk of the product in your hand and wet it under running water. Once it’s wet you make it into a paste and apply like a regular cleanser and then wash it off. Kind of cool and different.

Bombardino was a bomb I was looking forward to trying for a while just because it looks so cute. Once you pop this one in your bath water, it turns super frothy and luxurious. It has cocoa butter in it which makes your skin feel silky smooth after a soak. It smells of lemon, vanilla, and liqueur–like you’re bathing in a dessert. This one surprisingly didn’t turn my water super yellowy. It was more frothy and white. I really enjoyed this little guy.

I was so drawn to Star Light, Star Bright bath melt because it was extremely glittery and amazing. It basically looked like a pure silver sparkling star. When I dropped it in my water, the glitter dispersed and was so fine, that I could barely see it unless I really studied the water. Underneath the glitter coating of the star was a turquoise center that made my water super moisturizing. The scent on this one surprised me because it’s very zesty–it’s made with ginger, lavender, and lime oil which actually makes you feel invigorated post soak. I would consider repurchasing this pretty little star.

Last, but definitely not least, is the Father Christmas bath bomb. This guy is in the shape of a jolly Santa face and it’s almost irresistible. This bomb is really bath entertainment at it’s finest. It starts off as a red and white froth that travels around your tub. As it begins to disintegrate, the bomb starts turning your tub a beautiful evergreen color and swirls with the white. It’s so awesome! He has a citrus-y scent which is kind of understandable because oranges used to be given as presents back in the days of yonder (lol just made that up). But the scent always feels like it doesn’t fit with the green water in the tub. However, this product is awesome no matter what!

Have you tried any fun products lately?

Lush Review

I think Lush has become my best friend. I spend a lot of time with that store and their products take care of me. I wonder if it’s too soon to say “I love you”?

My skin has been feelings extremely nourished and clean thanks to some of Lush’s top facial products. One of them being their Breath of Fresh Air toner. I’m not one to apply unnecessary potions and lotions to my face, but when I tested this spritz in the store, it was love at first spray.

After I’m done cleansing my face (with Lush’s Buche de Noel cleanser), I pat my skin dry and spray a little bit of Breath of Fresh Air on. It feels like my skin can really breathe once I apply this toner. It’s made with fresh seawater and seaweed extract and smells like aloe vera and rose–just like the spa. I have to admit that I was a little unsure of Lush’s skin care line, but I’ve been totally converted. I am in love.

Not so long ago I tried the Honey Bee bath bomb which promises to soothe skin in honey and toffee scented goodness. I was a little underwhelmed with this one. I guess I’ve spoiled myself with Lush’s other, cooler bath bombs that change color and crackle and pop. This one was pretty tame. 

The color made my bath a milky, chalky kind of color and the scent wasn’t all that memorable. When I let the water drain out, there was some brown silt-y looking stuff at the bottom of the tub which I now know is Moroccan Rhassoul mud. This mud is supposed to deep cleanse and soften your skin. So that’s kind of cool. But to be perfectly honest, I don’t think I’ll be repurchasing this one.

I’ve always been kind of put off by Lush’s bubble bars. I liked the idea of them, but I didn’t like how they looked. To me, they look like dried Play Doh sculptures–not pretty. However, they smell amazing and work beautifully.

Compared to regular liquid bubble bath, bubble bars reign supreme. You use them by tearing off a piece of the bar and crumbling it under your running bath water. The more you mix and slosh your water around, the bigger your bubbles get. Big Hollywood movie bubbles! I love it! 

I used the Karma bubble bar. Lush has a lot of products that have the name Karma  because they all have the same spicy patchouli fragrance. This bubble bar in particular is nice because you can get a couple uses out of it. It also gave my water a little pop of color and made it feel nice too. I would definitely suggest this product if you like treating yourself to a cozy bubble bath every now and then.