Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly

I often forget that Sweetie Pie is a regular product in Lush's range; it often gets overlooked for the large bottles of shower gel that I love so much. However, every once in a while, something stirs my mind into remembering how much I love it's incredible scent, and I end up going on a mad dash to the nearest store to stock up on a few tubs. 

Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly is described as a 'shower jelly with cherries, coconut and sparkles for bathtime fun.' Much like most of Lush's other shower jellies, this one replicates the popular dessert perfectly - possessing a slightly elasticated and stringy consistency. Showcasing a deep purple complexion, with blue and silver lustre lightly decorated throughout, this shower jelly looks like a feast fit for a god. 

Furthermore, the fragrance it possesses is incredibly gorgeous, and quite easily one of the best scents that Lush have ever come up with. It shares its fragrance with other products from The Comforter range, which includes the likes of You Snap The Whip Body Butter and The Comforter Bubble Bar. However, unlike the latter product, I find the smell of this jelly to possess a much thicker and creamier aroma - closer to the shower gel equivalent than the bubble bar that it's originally based on.

It's a rich but equally fruity fragrance; a mixture of bergamot oil, cassis absolute and cypress oil. These ingredients are both uplifting and refreshing, helping to clear the mind as well as creating a scent that most Lushies would die for. Cypress oil also boasts toning properties that can calm the skin in times of emotional stress. 

To me, this fragrance doesn't smell of cherries at all, nor does it possess much of a coconut smell either. I think Sweetie Pie has a strong, deep and fresh blackcurrant scent that reminds me of the Blackcurrant Jolly Rancher sweets I used to get as a child. It's simply wonderful.

There are several ways that you can use any of Lush's shower jellies, and I find that everyone has their own preference, which is completely understandable. Firstly, you can break a small piece of (or select a piece that's been segmented prior to your shower) and rub the block directly onto your skin. The amount of lather this creates differentiates vastly depending on the type of jelly, how old the product is and the size of the piece you're using. While some users find this way works for them, I find that this is fairly ineffective as it does not create much of a lather and the jelly becomes too wet, making it slippery and difficult to hold on to. 

Secondly, you can use a shower sponge, puff or exfoliating glove to create a lather before rubbing it all over your body. For me, I found this method far more successful as it helped to break down the jelly properly and create a nice foamy effect to wash your body with. Finally, you can break off slabs of the jelly and use them as you would a bubble bar, placing them underneath a running tap to stimulate bubbles. I tend to use mine for this reason, as I can get 4-5 baths out of one 100g tub, which I consider to be great value for money.

Sweetie Pie, as with other Lush jellies, is rather versatile. You can keep the tub of jelly in your bathroom so it stays at room temperature, or you can put it in the freezer to enjoy a much cooler experience during those summer months. Lush also state that you can use this product to clean your hair in place of an ordinary shampoo, but I'm happy using this as nothing more than a luxurious shower soap. However, I would be interested to hear from anyone who has tried this in place of their regular shampoo.

Ultimately, this jelly has cemented itself as one of my firm favourites in Lush's range; it smells wonderful, leaves your skin feeling smooth and gently scented, and perks you up immensely. Although I'd find it easier to use The Comforter Shower Gel, as long as I have Sweetie Pie to top up my Comforter obsession, I'll be a very happy girl.

Quantitative Ingredients: Glycerine, Cherry Infusion, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Coconut Infusion, Propylene Glycol, Carrageenan Extract, Perfume, Bergamot Oil, Cassis Absolute, Cypress Oil, *Limonene, *Linalool, Snowflake Lustre, Colour 17200, Colour 42090, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes.

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Comforter Shower Gel

Those familiar with my blog, will probably understand just how ecstatically happy I was on discovering that Lush have released a shower gel version of my all-time favourite scent. You may then also recognise how devastated I felt when I realised that they have only ever released this product as a one-off forum special. To frustrate me even further, in the early weeks of 2013, Lush Australia announced that they'd be holding a forum party, with The Comforter Shower Gel being one of the five limited edition items that they'd be selling.

   

However, as I mentioned in the Karma Shower Gel review, a wonderful member of Tumblr agreed to buy me one each of the products available and ship them over, thus making me a very, very happy Lushie.

When this bottle of pure gold arrived, I was instantly bowled over with how beautiful and powerful it's scent is. Created using a mixture of bergamot oil, cassis absolute and cypress oil, The Comforter is a rich, indulgent blackcurrant scent to die for. In shower gel form, the fragrance is a slightly sickly sweet mixture, reminiscent of blackcurrant jelly, Ribena and blackcurrant jolly ranchers. Simply delicious. 

Despite sharing the same scent as the bubble bar and Sweetie Pie Jelly amongst other items, I'd say that this product is more acidic than the bubble bar, which has a slightly more sherberty smell. Comforter Shower Gel has a deeper, more sensual smell than it's younger brother and may not appeal to those who dislike overpowering scents. All of the ingredients in this product create an uplifting, refreshing and highly sexy fragrance; a great product to use when you need that 'pick me up'.   

In the bottle, this shower gel boasts a stunning deep pinky-red colour, which is somewhat distorted when in it's bottle. However, as soon as you start using this in the shower, you'll be able to bask in it's beautiful shade - that's if you can avert your thoughts from it's stunning smell. 

As shower gels go, this is one of the thickest ones to be released by Lush, sharing it's consistency with the likes of Snowcake and Snow Fairy. What is great about it, is that in the shower a small amount really goes a long way, foaming up really easily and creating a lather that is both abundant and highly moisturising. It's one of those shower gels, much like Black Pearl, that leaves your skin feeling noticeably silky soft instantaneously. 

Furthermore, because the shower gel is so easy to use, you don't need to use very much at all. So if, like me, you have a rare £25 bottle that you don't particularly want to squander away, you can use it safe in the knowledge that it will last you a long time.

Once you exit the shower, this is one of those gels that will stay with you for a while, which is great news for me because The Comforter Body Lotion doesn't do this very well. I've found that the scent of the shower gel permeates my skin for hours after the lotion's scent has all but disappeared. 

Ultimately, this may by the greatest shower gel that Lush have released so far, and they'll be hard pressed to outdo themselves anytime soon. On the one hand, The Comforter Shower Gel would be a great permanent addition to Lush's range, and it would probably be one of their biggest sellers. However, I'm slightly glad that I cannot readily get my hands on this product as I'd probably buy so much I'd have to rent out a second room just to store it all.

An all-round perfect product, and one that I'd be willing to spend quite a lot of money on if I ever got the chance to purchase a few more bottles. It's fantastic that Lush have brought this out in their kitchen and I can imagine it being a fast seller. However, I only wish that they would release them in 500g bottles as I find these last a lot longer.

Quantitative Ingredients: Cassis Absolute (Ribes nigrum), Bergamot Oil (Citrus bergamia), Cassis Absolute (Ribes nigrum), Cypress Oil (Cupressus sempervirens), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Perfume, Cocoamphoacetate Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Limonene, Linalool, Colour 45410, Colour 17200.

Vegan?: Yes.

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The Comforter Body Lotion

 Once I became a fully-fledged Lush obsessive, I began to carry out a little research into my most-loved scents, The Comforter being my all-time favourite fragrance. When I initially discovered that Lush had released a limited edition body lotion possessing this scent, I cried a little, and then cried some more. It felt like discovering your numbers had come up on the lottery, but then realising that you had forgotten to buy your ticket that week...Okay, maybe that's a little extreme, but I'm sure you get my sentiment. I was devastated. 

Then when I learnt that Lush USA were holding a one day forum party back in 2013, and they were not only bringing out Karma Shower Gel and The Comforter Shower Gel, but this very lotion, I knew I had to beg, borrow and steal whatever I could to get my greedy mitts on such products. Luckily, there are some amazingly generous people out there, and I found a stranger who was willing to buy them for me and ship them across. When they arrived through my door, I felt like I had just been given the holy grail.

The Comforter Body Lotion encompasses everything that I love about Lush; a gorgeous, velvety body lotion that leaves you smelling good enough to eat. It's a rather thick cream, similar in consistency to Sympathy For The Skin body lotion, and has a slight pink tinge to it, which just adds to it's allure.

In the tub, this lotion smells exactly as you would expect the bubble bar or shower gel to smell like, a rich but equally fruity fragrance; a mixture of bergamot oil, cassis absolute and cypress oil. These ingredients are both uplifting and refreshing, helping to clear the mind as well as creating a scent that most Lushies would die for. Cypress oil also boasts toning properties that can calm the skin in times of emotional stress.  

Whereas Sweetie Pie (a shower jelly that shares the smell) is marketed as coconut and cherry-scented, this lotion is described by Lush as 'blackcurrant and cypress', which I think is a far more accurate description. To me, this fragrance doesn't smell of cherries at all, nor does it possess much of a coconut smell either. I think Comforter Body Lotion has a strong, deep and fresh blackcurrant scent that reminds me of the Blackcurrant Jolly Rancher sweets I used to get as a child. It's simply wonderful - In times like these, I wish I could project it's fragrance to anyone unlucky enough to have not smelt something from this range.

In the tub, this lotion is very heavily scented and makes my mouth salivate every time I remove the lid. However, once moisturised into your skin, I found that the smell of this lotion tends to diminish just slightly, which was highly disappointing. However, I think this last gripe is probably down to the fact that no Comforter product can ever smell strong enough - I can't get enough of it's beautiful aroma. 

Furthermore, this body lotion is quite a thick and slightly greasy one, so you need to careful when applying it. I made the mistake of getting a bit over-excited when I first began using it, and found I had smears of lotion all over my legs and arms that wouldn't dissolve into the skin. I would suggest that you start off applying small amounts and then build up until you have right amount otherwise you'll end up wasting a lot of it when it rubs off onto your clothes. However, once you've perfected the application side of things, this body lotion is highly moisturising and leaves your skin super soft and gently scented. When I used this on my hands, I found that the areas of stubborn dried skin healed in a matter of days, and the condition of my hands noticeably improved. 

Overall, this body lotion is beautiful and I only wish Lush decided to make this a permanent member of their range. The only thing that could have made this better is if the smell had remained on my skin for a longer period of time, although I'm still trying to decide whether I was just unlucky with my tub, or whether this is a product fault. One of my favourite body lotions from Lush and one I'll always stock up on, if I get half the chance.

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Sweet Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis), Cocoa Butter (Theobroma Cacao), Glycerine, Stearic Acid, Treithanolamine, Bergamot Oil, Cassis Absolute (Ribes Nigrum), Cypree Oil (Cupressus sempervirens), Cetearyl alcohol, Limonene, Linalool, Perfume, Mathylparaben, Propylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes.

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My Perfume Collection

I've amassed a rather large selection of perfumes over the past year, some regulars, some rare and some incredibly rare. I love each and every one of them in their own way, and it's the only part of my Lush collection that is getting bigger by the day. I love being able to wake up each and every morning and wear a different scent to work - it's wonderful knowing that I could use a different perfume every day and not have to repeat a scent in almost two months!

If you have any perfumes here that I don't have, and would be willing to sell, please get in touch.

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Limited Edition Lush Scents

It was around this time last year when my love of Lush reached new extremes and began to be more of an obsession. I found myself checking the website most days and trawling through the hundreds of threads on the international forum, interested in reading about any up-and-coming products, or simply those from the past that I so desperately wanted to try. 

It was also around this time last year that Lush released their limited edition 'forum party' perfumes for the first time since I had become a full-blown Lushie. At the time, my knowledge and experience of the products were rather limited, so aside from the 'must have' Comforter and Creamy Candy perfumes, I opted out of buying any of the others. I would later regret this decision when I discovered how wonderful the other fragrances were; I would now consider Snowcake, Rose Jam and Twilight to be three of my all-time favourite Lush scents.  

Fast forward to 2013 and I get wind of an upcoming perfume release; five limited edition perfumes, four of which have been featured as forum specials in the past and one brand new addition that has never been released as a perfume before.

Straight away my mind utters two phrases - Day of the Dead and Ponche. The former (also known as Calacas) is easily my second favourite scent after The Comforter. Although I have an almost full bottle of the stuff already, I had been using it very scrupulously in fear that I'd run out, so being able to stock up would have been a godsend. 

Secondly, I hoped and prayed that Ponche would be the new perfume, even though it didn't seem to be a popular suggestion from other Lush fans. Ever since I had tried that boozy-citrusy shower gel last Christmas, I had fallen in love, and the thought of being able to spray myself and enjoy the scent throughout the entire day sounded heavenly. 

So when I was presented with these five little beauties, my heart was in my mouth and my bank balance was already groaning under the strain. 

I am ecstatically happy about Calacas and Ponche, and equally excited about Snow Fairy; it is a favourite scent of mine (number six, I believe) but often gets overshadowed by The Comforter, Karma and Calacas. It's one of Lush's biggest sellers during the Christmas period, and I'm sure, like me, is a product that draws customers into their shops and turns them into life-long addicts. This will be much appreciated by fans around the world although I think Lush are silly not to present these in shops as they would probably sell by the bucket load.

I appreciate that Lush have brought back both Rose Jam and Snowcake from last year; I know that both fragrances play an important role in the Christmas range this year, and I'm glad I can finally get my hands on a few bottles of each to keep me going for a while. However, I am a little disappointed that Lush didn't opt to release two perfumes that haven't been seen in a while: Cinders would have made a great option as it's a very popular scent and cinnamon is very heavily featured in this year's Christmas products (Glogg, Spice Mountain, Hot Toddy).

Although I am happy with the range and excited to get my greedy little mitts on these bottles of 'liquid gold', I wish that Lush had included more original scents in their range - I would love to have seen Angels Delight, Let The Good Times Roll or Gold FUN embodied as a perfume. 

Needless to say, I have gone a little overboard and brought eighteen bottles to keep me going. Some might say that that's a little extreme but that's what savings are for, right? 

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You Snap The Whip Body Butter

You Snap The Whip isn't exactly the most attractive of products; a deep indigo-black coloured block, that holds as much appeal of a slab of charcoal. Lush have definitely not bothered to 'glam' this product up.

However, what the product does boast is a range of ingredients that have all been used to create a powerful, moisturising body butter. Powdered charcoal and pumice have been added to remove unwanted dead skin; cocoa butter and macademia nut oil are included to soften the newly scrubbed areas. Cocoa butter also gives a rich moisture to the skin, whilst macademia nut oil is emollient, nourishing and helping to promote healthy cell formation. 

To finish it off, You Snap The Whip contains the gorgeous, berry-licious scent of The Comforter. This is created using a mixture of bergamot oil, cassis absolute and cypress oil. These ingredients are both uplifting and refreshing, helping to clear the mind as well as creating a scent that most Lushies would die for. Cypress oil also boasts toning properties that can calm the skin in times of emotional stress.

This blackcurrant beauty is best used in the shower, and needs to be used in moderation, as it's very easy to squalor the whole bar after a couple of uses. Simply rub all over your damp skin and wash away.

One issue I had with this body butter, is that when rubbing it on yourself, the bar creates a gritty, grey liquid that is easy enough to rinse from your skin, but may splash other areas of your bathroom. So beware!

Another grouch I had with YSTW, is that it tends to run out very quickly. Although I made sure it didn't come into contact with surplus water, and dried it out between uses, I only managed to get 4-5 uses from one bar, which makes for rather an expensive body butter.

However, after a couple of uses, my skin began to feel really clean and smooth. I was also able to enjoy my favourite scent multiplied somewhat by the heat from the shower. After drying, I had lovely soft glowing skin, which smelt ever so slightly fruity and just a little bit sensuous and exotic.

Quantitative Ingredients: Cocoa Butter, Organic Macadamia Nut Oil, Laureth 4, Powdered Charcoal, Pumice, Perfume, Bergamot Oil, Cassis Absolute, Cypress Oil, *Limonene, *Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes

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Oh Boy - it's winter! Competition

If, like me, the depression kicks in with the blustery weather, you'll be seeking solace in heart-warming foods, long soaks in the bath and huddling around the nearest warm spot. To coincide with the transition into winter, I am offering one lucky person the chance to ease their journey into the coldest months of the year with this amazing set of products. 

Yes my friends, one lucky person will be in receipt of all these wonderful goodies, hand-picked by myself as some of the best comfort foods/cosmetics on the market right now. 

One lucky person will get;

• 4 Clif Bars - all of which are completely vegan and completely scrumptious - a perfect companion to a cup of tea during those bitter evenings, 
• A melting Snowman bath melt - one of my favourite all time lush favourites. This really helps to ease those muscles and relax any tension you may be feeling.
• A Golden Wonder bath bomb, which is one of my top 10 bath bombs. It leaves you feeling and smelling beautiful.
• A So White bath bomb. There's a reason Lush bring this favourite back, year after year - it's just so good!
• A Bombardino Bath Ballistic - A new bath bomb for the 2013 Christmas range and one of my favourite Lush products to date! 
• A Sugar Plum Fairy sugar scrub - to stimulate those weathered pores back into full health and leave you feeling smooth and smelling amazing.
• A pot of Sweetie Pie, which gives off the scent of the Comforter, my all time favourite scent from Lush. 

To be in with a chance to win these goodies, all you have to do is any of the following:

1. Leave a message underneath this post.

2. Follow Me on Tumblr (http://tofuveganzombie.tumblr.com/)

3. Reblog the competition post on Tumblr.

4. Like the competition post on Tumblr.

You can do any of these up to a maximum of 5 times. This competition is open to anyone worldwide and will close on Friday 25th at 9pm (UK time).

Good luck!

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