Snow Fairy Shower Gel

I cannot contain myself anymore, I just have to review what is possibly my favourite Lush product ever, Snow Fairy Shower Gel. This limited edition shower gel is only sold for a short time in the Winter months and is Lush's Christmas bestseller, as well as being one of their most popular products ever.

This gorgeous bright pink gel is decorated with glittery, blue iridescent sparkles that often fall to the bottom of the bottle, so be sure to give it a good shake before using it. This is so unlike most products that Lush have to offer, and it wouldn't seem out of place in your local boots, next door to the infamously-pink Soap and Glory Range. 

However, what sets this product apart from the usual hum-drum of beauty products, is it's smell. 

Lush describe this product as a 'shower hair and body gel that's bursting with fruit fragrance, not your classic hippy dippy Lush herbal offering. Instead it is an intensely sweet, fruity pink shower gel loved by people everywhere.' 

It is described on the bottle as "candy floss and pear drops" and that is exactly what it smells like! It is ridiculously sweet smelling; a mixture of candy floss, bubblegum, pear drops and sugary goodness that would reek havoc on your teeth, were you supposed to eat it (and I'm sure you've all been tempted!).

What is great about this product is that it is so versatile - Snow Fairy can be used as both a shower gel and shampoo, and it works wonders in both of these areas. The shower gel is quite creamy and lathers up really well, releasing even more of that great scent as it mixes with the steam from the shower. The gel then leaves a gorgeous smell that lingers on your skin and in the air for hours after use. 

Despite this product containing glitter, don't be put off using this as a shampoo, it's not the sort that sticks to your skin or hair. 

Overall, this is an amazingly beautiful product. It lathers up perfectly, moisturises my body and leaves my skin feeling so luxurious and loved. I cannot fault this product in the slightest, and I urge you, if you've not tried it yet, to pick yourself up a bottle as soon as you can. 

Keep an eye out on this blog as I'll be giving away a big bottle of this in the near future!

Quantitative Ingredients: Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Propylene Glycol, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, *Lactic Acid, Synthetic Musk, Titanium Dioxide, Blue Glitter (Polyethylene Terephthalate), Methyl Lonone, Benzyl Benzoate, Colour 45410, Colour 45380, Methylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes

Read More

Cynthia Sylvia Stout

They always say that it's the aspects of our life where we hold the least expectation, that usually have the most profound effect on us. Okay, so perhaps that's a little 'deep' and 'profound' for a shampoo review, but the sentiment is still very much true. 

I bought Cynthia Sylvia Stout merely on the basis that I needed a new shampoo and it happened to be the first one to reveal itself on the Lush website. It was probably not the best choice as I absolutely hate the smell and taste of beer, however, it did seem to come highly recommended by a lot of my friends.

When it arrived, I had absolutely no expectations about the smell or usage of the shampoo, and was even slightly put off by the murky, brown liquid that inhabited the bottle.  However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really liked the smell. In fact, it reminds me a little of one of my favourite Lush smells, Karma. 

Lush have added a mixture of yeast, which is a protein conditioner, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice to close the hair cuticle, give shine and help the hair to lie flat, as well as filling half of each bottle with a vegan-friendly stout. It’s hard to ignore the smell of half a bottle of beer – so instead Lush have also added essential oils that compliment the smell; with lemongrass to add a dash of lemonade scent and cognac oil to give a smoothness and sophistication. 

CSS claims to tame fluffy and frizzy hair, leaving your maine silky smooth and replenished. And I cannot argue with that. Cynthia Sylvia Stout also gives hair some moisture without weighing it down; it adds shine and glossiness to hair that tends to be dull without the help of some sort of magic hair product.

Although this is not publicised on other sites, I also found that this shampoo helped to bring out the natural redness in my hair, which I was really impressed with. 

Overall, I absolutely love this product. It does exactly what it says on the tin, and more; it smells great, and it works wonders alongside my other favourite hair product, Veganese. This is a must have product for all fans of Lush.  

Quantitative Ingredients: Stout, Water, Ammonium Laureth Sulphate, Fine Sea Salt, Lauryl Betaine, Propylene Glycol, Benzyl Alcohol, Fresh Organic Lemon Juice, Cognac Oil, Lemongrass Oil, Yeast, Balsamic Vinegar, *Citral, *Geraniol, Perfume, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes

Read More

Haagen Bath Ballistic

What is a Bath Ballistic? Well for those of you who are not familiar with Lush and their wonderful products (where have you been?) a Bath Ballistic is a tennis ball shaped bath bombs, which are made up of bicarbonate of Soda which gives them the ‘fizzing effect’ and they are packed full of essential oils, which give off wonderful aromas to help you to relax, unwind and turn your bath water a pretty shade of some colour. 

Unfortunately, Haagen Bath is currently a discontinued Lush product, however I know that it has been brought back numerous times in Lush's retro range, so if you like the sound of it, keep your eyes peeled for it's return!

I first used this product one early morning, when I had a bad case of insomnia and found myself with nothing to do at 4am in the morning. Having not read anything about this ballistic beforehand, I had no idea what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised when a mint-smelling bath bomb greeted my nose. 

When released into the bath, the ballistic immediately starts turning the water a gorgeous pink colour. The creamy consistancy of Haagen Bath means it dissolves much slower than normal ballistics so you can truly have a long relaxing bath. The overall scent is minty which is very refreshing, although it's not poignant enough to put off those of use who dislike strong, minty smells. 

This bomb smells like a sweet mint chocolate ice cream and is super-mosturizing on the skin. The only downside is that it has bits of chocolate that float around in the water until they melt. These would have probably been fine with a fresh bath bomb, but given that my Haagen Baths are a good 1+ year old, these little pieces of chocolate didn't melt so well in my tub and I had to scoop them out afterwards. 

Lush have carefully compiled a selection of high-quality ingredients to make this the best experience possible. This ballistic contains a mixture of Cocoa Butter and Almond Oil, both known for their abilities to moisturise, soften and smooth the skin, Spearmint Oil which helps to soothe and calm congested skin, and Cocoa Powder, which helps to draw impurities out of the skin. 

This is the first Lush product that I've tried that contains a minty fragrance, so it was quite a unique experience for me, and one that I was unsure whether or not I'd enjoy. I always proclaim to be a fan of the sugary, sweet and citrusy scents, however, I was surprised by how much I loved this bath bomb.

The experience left my skin smooth and refreshed, with a gorgeous minty fragrance that lingered on my body for hours afterwards. This is not a ballistic that I'd reach for normally, but I'm so glad I gave it a chance.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric acid, Cocoa butter, Soya Milk powder, Almond Oil, Laureth 4, Perfume, Spearmint oil, Cocoa powder, Colour 77891, 18050.

Vegan?: Yes

Read More

Henata Bath Bomb

Mexican piñatas are colourful model animals that children smash to reveal hidden sweeties inside. Lush decided to use this premise to create their very own Mexican bathing experience. As part of their Easter range, Lush chose a Hen to fulfil this idea, naming her the very witty Henata!  

You are supposed to smash her against the side of your bath to create an 'explosion of wonderful surprises', however, I couldn't bring myself to do such a thing to a poor, defenceless animal. (It's the vegan in me coming out again!) Instead, I filled my bath tub to the brink, dropped her in and let her work her magic. (hardly any less 'cruel' really).

Straight away, this bath bomb froths and fizzes, releasing wave upon wave of beautiful yellow and orange that quickly taints the water and fills your bathroom with a sweet, citrusy fragrance. As Henata dissolves, it also releases a bunch of pretty, scarlet paper flowers that perch on the water's surface. Lush also claim that it releases a 'shower of green glitter', however I did not spot this in my bath bomb. I'm guessing this must be a factory error as I've heard other people complain of the same problem. 

The best part about this bath bomb, is that it 'gives birth' to two mini ballistic eggs, that float around your bath for a long time after the Henata has fully dissolved. Henata carries a really lovely fragrance full of sunny citrus oils like Sicilian mandarin, tangerine and bergamot. This is such a great bath bomb to wake you up in the morning, and one that I'll definitely use again, despite it's lack of glitter.

As with other bath bombs that contain 'added extras', those of you who dislike picking waste out of the plug hole may wish to avoid this one as the petals were a little bit of a nuisance to remove. However, that does not take away from the wonderful calming experience that this bomb offers. 

This is definitely one that I'll return to when I need a boost to start my day off and I hope Lush opt to bring this out during future Easter releases. 

Quantitative Ingredients; Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Perfume, Pink Soap Paper, Sicilian Mandarin Oil, Tangerine Oil, Bergamot Oil, Cornflowers, Marigold Petals, Red rose petals, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Gardenia Extract, Geraniol, Hydroxycitronellal, Benzyl Alcohol, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 19140, Colour 15510, Green Glitter

Vegan?: Yes

Read More

Twilight Bath Bomb

I'm not normally a very judgemental person, but I've held out on trying this bath bomb for so long, solely due to it's name being associated with one watered down teen vampire series that took over the world for a few years.  

I know it is one of Lush's most popular bath bombs, and I know it has nothing to do with the flat-faced vampire and stuttering human. However, when I hear the word 'Twilight', I immediately think of the millions of teens around the world sporting 'Team Edward' t-shirts and sporting terrible apple tattoos. 

In fairness, this bath bomb was also near the bottom of my list of ones I wanted to try, due to it's main scent being lavender; a smell I have never really being overtly keen on. However, I was pleasantly surprised and rather pleased by how much I enjoyed this product.

First things first, this bath bomb is huge. If you're someone who likes to get the most out of a product, you could easily break this in half and spread it across two baths instead of one. However, if like me, you're glutinous with your Lush products, you can enjoy this as one big, epic bathing experience.

The bath bomb dissolves rather slowly in the water - throwing out an abundance of pink and blue swirls that froth and bubble on the surface. You could easily climb into the bath and watch this show taking place, enjoying the strong and relaxing scent drift around you while you're cocooned beneath the layer of white foam that decorates the surface of the water. Once fully disintegrated, Twilight boasts a gorgeous violet water that is decorated with tiny flecks of silver glitter - a perfect companion during those cold winter evenings. 

Lush say that this process was intended to 'help your mind let go and embrace the night time. Twilight dissolves to create a growing sunset that gradually gets darker until you are finally left with the glimmer of stars.' It really is a beauty to behold.

Made from a combination of lavender and ylang ylang oils, this bath bomb has a strong, heady scent that engulfs your senses the second you remove the ballistic from it's packaging. The fragrance is dominated by the lavender, although it's not the same watered-down scent that you would expect from a shop-bought cosmetic. This lavender scent is a creamy, powdery offering unlike anything else I have tried before. 

I'm not normally one for lavender smells but this one blew me away. Sharing it's scent with both the Twilight Shower Gel and Luxury Lush Pud, this is a ballistic that begs to be tried. If you are struggling to sleep, then this is perfect for using in the evenings. The lavender oil helps you to wind down and loosen tension in your body, and the vanilla essence stops the lavender scent from being so overpowering and adds a wonderful sweetness.

I absolutely adored this bath bomb, more than I was expecting to and it is definitely on my shopping list to buy again. And again. And again. This is the perfect companion for those wanting a luxurious and sleep-enticing bathing experience and it leaves your skin wonderfully nourished and velvety-soft. 

I can always smell this on my skin for hours after I have left the bath and it's a really comforting scent that lingers on your pillow as you fall asleep. Perfect. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lavender Oil, Benzoin Resinoid, Tonka Absolute, Ylang Ylang Oil, Cocamide DEA, Lauryl Betaine, Coumarin, Linalool, Perfume, Colour 42090, Colour 14700, Colour 17200, Colour 45410, Iridescent Glitter.

Vegan?: Yes

Read More

My Valentine's Day Lush Haul

Read More

Lil' Pud Bath Bomb

First things first. To me these smell nothing like Christmas Pudding. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. When I think of the traditional dessert, I think of a sticky-sweet concoction of raisins and brandy mixed in with the slight hint of nutmeg or mixed spice. It conjures up memories of every Christmas as far back as I can remember, forcing myself to eat a generous helping of the stuff, having just eaten a rather large roast. The feeling of heaviness and gluttony weigh heavy on my mind.

This miniature bath bomb doesn't immediately give off a strong scent, which I know might put off some people from buying this product. However, the second it hits the water, the poignant smell of cloves and cinnamon begin to 'do their thing'.

The bomb disintegrates quickly and fills your bathroom with a wonderful spicy, sultry aroma. It's reminiscent of Lush's very popular Snowcake Soap, although the smell also reminds me of gingerbread.

Despite the lovely smell, once this bath bomb is in use, it leaves your water a murky brown colour, which is far from attractive. The bomb also produces very little bubbles, meaning that you're left to bathe in a tub full of, what looks like, sewage-tinted liquid. 

Smelling of marzipan and full of lovely goodies like lemon peel powder, clove powder, aloe vera extract and rose absolute, this ballistic leaves your skin soft. However, I've yet to use a Lush Bomb that doesn't leave my skin feeling soft, so I'd say this effect is owed more to my entire bathing experience than the bath bomb alone.

Overall, I wasn't overly keen on Lil' Pud Bath Bomb. At first I put this down to the fact that when I acquired these Lil' Puds, they were over a year old, so I assumed that perhaps they had lost their 'magic' due to ageing. However, reading old reviews, it seems that the lack of bubbles and 'flare' was a normal trait for these Christmas specials. 

If you're looking to enjoy a Christmas-spiced bath bomb, I would definitely recommend Cinders over this any day. These aren't terrible, but I can see why they didn't make it back into the Christmas range last year. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Aloe Vera Extract,Clove Powder, Lemon Peel Powder, Cassie Absolute, Benzoin Resinoid, Rose Absolute,Propylene Glycol, Benzyl Benzoate, Perfume,Candy Holly Leaf.

Vegan?: Yes

Read More

Reincarnate Solid Shampoo

I am the first one to get excited when I see my favourite company trying to be more economically friendly, whether it be less packaging, natural ingredients or products free from preservatives. However, I have always been wary of Lush's solid shampoos and conditioners. 

A big part of me wondered how a seemingly dull looking piece of 'shampoo' could possibly be a good thing for my hair. My initial reaction was to assume that these products would leave my hair matted and dry. As I mentioned in my review of Veganese, I have spent many years trying to resurrect my hair from years of over-dying it. So I was a little concerned that using Reincarnate might set my efforts backwards a few months.    

Reincarnate is made with the best Persian red henna. While the amount present in this shampoo isn’t enough to colour your hair in itself, it will help maintain hair that’s already been coloured. I have yet to use their Caca hair dyes, so I cannot comment on how the shampoo supports these products. However, I use a shop-brought dark brown to colour my hair, and after using the shampoo once, my hair definitely looked richer and brighter than it did before.

The smell of Reincarnate is rather interesting; a sweet, earthy scent that reminds me a little of liquorice mixed with rosemary. This smell is very faint until mixed with water, and even then it's not overpowering, which is great news for those of us who dislike the strong smell of henna. 

Unlike a lot of reviews I have seen, this bar lathered up really easily for me. However, when I washed it out, my hair felt really dry and damaged. I chose to go 'full out' with the solid hair products, so I used this alongside Lush's Big Solid conditioner. I'm not sure whether or not this is the best combination, and I might have had better results If I'd tested out different conditioners alongside Reincarnate. However, my initial reaction is that my hair didn't feel anywhere near as soft or instantly hydrated as it does whenever I use Rehab or Cynthia Sylvia Stout.

This product is great for those travelling as it's portability to perfect for those who wish to travel light. As each usage requires very little product, a small 100g bar will last for a long time, and probably even works out better value than the bottle varieties. That said, I would not recommend this shampoo bar for those with very dry hair, as it is not very moisturising, and it left my hair limp and damaged. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Stearic Acid, Red Henna, Glyceryl Stearate & PEG-100 Stearate, Rosemary, Fleeceflower Root & Nettle Leaf Infusion, Cocamide DEA, Soya Lecithin, Rhassoul Mud, Labdanum Resinoid, Sedra Powder, Sweet Orange Oil, Irish Moss Powder, *Limonene, Perfume

Vegan?: Yes

Read More

Sympathy For The Skin Body Lotion

Sympathy for the Skin is by far one of Lush's cheapest body lotions, but that by no means makes it one of their least effective. In fact, since I blindly invested in one of their large pots, going by smell alone, it has become one of the staples of my daily routine. 

Made with fresh bananas, almond oil, vanilla, fair trade cocoa oil and lemon oil, amongst other beneficial ingredients, Sympathy for the Skin body cream is a real treat for your skin. At first I was a little worried, as the texture is rather thick, something which I expected, given that the main ingredient is banana. However, this body lotion does wonders for my skin and doesn't feel at all heavy.

When I initially applied this lotion to my legs, I used rather a lot and found that it can make your skin feel quite oily. However, used in small doses, it sinks into the skin nicely and makes your skin feel radiant and refreshed, with a gorgeous sheen to boot. You can see the dark vanilla flecks in this lotion, which no doubt help to retain that gorgeous vanilla scent.

I use this mainly as a face moisturiser when I first step out of the shower for my 6am starts, and using it every morning has really helped to clear my skin of blemishes and stop my face from developing nasty dry areas during the winter months. The body cream leaves your skin super soft and moisturised, and the Sandalwood helps to tone and strengthen your skin. 

I use very little of this, as you can see from the picture below, so a 240g tub easily lasts me 6 months to a year. However, this body lotion is definitely worth the money, and will remain one of my staple Lush products for the near future. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Vanilla Pod Infusion, Almond Oil, Cocoa Butter, Fresh Organic Bananas, Stearic Acid, Glycerine, Triethanolamine, Sandalwood Oil, Lemon Oil, Labdanum Resinoid, Cetearyl Alcohol, *Limonene, Perfume, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes

Read More

Creamy Candy Body Lotion

           

I have to admit that nothing excites me more than finding a rare Lush product online, and I won't deny that I find it near on impossible to walk away from such an opportunity. So when I saw an unused pot of Creamy Candy Body Lotion on eBay, I just had to have it.

First impressions weren't all that great as the smell that greeted me on opening the lid, was rather unpleasant. The expiry date on the side stated that it should have been used back in mid-2011. However, I was assured by the seller that it was still the same consistency and smell as it had been when they first purchased it from a store.

The scent in the pot is just like the Lush Creamy Candy Bubble Bar that it is based on, although there is a slight acidic after-scent that I'm convinced might be due to it's age. However, once the lotion has been massaged into your skin, the gorgeous sugary-sweet candy fragrance shines through.

Application is easy and although the product has a pink hue to it, it does not make your skin pink in the process. The scent is quite strong and lasted for a good few hours on my skin, releasing bursts of fragrance throughout the day, which was great.

The moisturiser itself is very light and once it's on your skin, it doesn't feel heavy or sticky at all. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised by how great my skin felt instantly after I had used it.

This is probably one of my favourite body lotions that Lush have released so far; It's just a shame that it's not a regular part of their line. I hope they re-release it in the near future so I can stock up before this lowly tub runs out on me.

Quantitative Ingredients: Vanilla Pod infusion (vanilla planifolia), Water (aqua), Almond Oil (prunus dulcis), Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Glycerine, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine, Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia), Cetearyl Alcohol, Colour 17200, Perfume, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.  

Vegan?: Yes.

Read More

Rose Jam Bubbleroon

I never thought I'd say this, but the Rose Jam Bubble Bar is probably one of my all time favourite Lush products. It's not one of the better looking bars and it doesn't proclaim to be anything more than a simple bath product. However, sometimes it's the quiet ones, that sit at the back unnoticed, that have the most to offer. And this is definitely the case with the Rose Jam bubbleroon.

Admittedly, before I was able to write this review, I had to do a little research and find out what a 'Bubbleroon' actually was.

After trawling through many blogs and websites, I discovered it is named as such due to it's similarity to the much loved macaroon. The bubbleroon looks like the cosmetic version of the famous cookie, with two halves of the bubble bar stuck together with a creamy filling of coconut oil. Sounds good enough to eat, right?

However, the bubbleroon is not just a pretty face. With lemon to bring clarity and alertness and rose to lift the spirits, this bubble bar is an all-round fantastic product. The geranium oil in here balances the skin, whilst the coconut oil and shea butter leaves you feeling smooth and soft.

I will admit that I'm fairly greedy when it comes to my Lush products so I tend to use a whole 'roon at a time. However, for those with a more conservative bank balance, this bubble bar is great value for money as you can break it in half and use it at two separate occasions. 

After using this my skin felt super soft and moisturised, and the smell lingered on my skin for the rest of the day. 

My only problem with it is that I found it doesn't bubble quite as well as other bubble bars, although I am unsure whether or not this is because my bar was a little old when I finally tried it. Fortunately the scent and lovely pink color lingers in the bathwater and this is all I needed to relax me before bed.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Lauryl Betaine, Fair Trade Shea Butter, Perfume, Rose Absolute, Geranium Oil, Rose Oil, Lemon Oil, Cocamide DEA, PEG-6 Caprylic / Capric Glycerides, Titanium Dioxide, Colour 17200

Vegan?: Yes

 

Read More