Merry Xmas Massage Bar

I bought this massage bar from eBay after I noticed someone was selling a pack of two for only £5. Given that they were being sold on the Lush site for that much individually, I felt I had to snap up a bargain while I still could. If I'm going to be honest, this was the first time I had used a massage bar, so I was unsure what to expect. 

With essential oils of sweet orange, cinnamon leaf and clove bud, this is a warming and very festive smelling bar. Aside from it's heavenly fruity-spicy blend, it also has the underlying scent of white chocolate, which makes it even more special. It's a layered scent and absolutely lovely.

The ingredients list also claims that it contains Black pepper oil, and although I love the taste and smell of black pepper, I was worried it wouldn't be a scent I would particularly enjoy lathering all over my body. Whereas some people claim to smell the black pepper after the oils have had time to settle on their skin, I've never once got a experienced this. 

The bar feels lovely when rubbed against the skin and it melts pretty much straight away - as soon as it comes into contact with the heat of your body. However, you need to ensure your body is at least partially damp as I find appliance on dry skin is less successful. Applying it after coming out of the shower/bath is probably the best idea. 

The bar lasts a good while as it doesn't shrink straight away and it keeps well. I've used mine generously since the beginning of April, probably using it 2-3 times a week, and it still has a few uses left.  

The scent of the bar doesn't fade either. I find it lingers on the clothes you've worn, and I can often relive the smell days later when I put on put on certain clothes.  

The bar is very soothing and moisturising and it helps to keep the skin soft and supple. The scent lingers on your skin for hours after use and the bar doesn't leave the skin feeling greasy. The bar is great for all year round use but it's especially great in winter when your skin is feeling drier than usual. 

Although solely a Christmas product, I find this massage bar smells delicious on your skin during the warm weather months. I hope that Lush bring this back this Christmas as I would love to stock up.

Quantitative Ingredients: Fair Trade Organic Sesame Oil, Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter, Sweet Wild Orange Oil, Cinnamon Leaf Oil, Clove Bud Oil, Black Pepper Oil, Cinnamyl Alcohol, Cinnamal, Citral, Eugenol, Geraniol, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene, Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes

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The Joy of Jelly Shower Jelly

Rumours have been circulating for a while that Lush plan to phase out all of their shower gels, and only offer jelly alternatives instead. On the outset I really support this idea; it would mean less ingredients needed to preserve the smells and consistency of shower gel; it would also mean products could be sold in completely recyclable containers. The only downfall I see is that the shower jellies do not seem to last as long as their gel counterparts, and collectors such as myself would have less time to store and use rare and retro items.

In all honesty, when I first read about the concept of Lush's shower jellies, I got a feeling it was something I would not like, nor want to try. I conjured up images of myself struggling to hold pieces of slippery jelly in the shower while desperately trying to clean myself - all the whole cursing and wishing I had a shower gel on stand-by.

However, after reading reviews from other sceptical Lushies, I was more than intrigued, and ended up buying a range of rare ones on eBay. One of these rare ones was The Joy Of Jelly. Sharing the same scent as one of Lush's best selling bath bombs, the notorious 'Sex Bomb', this jelly possesses the faint allure of jasmine and ylang ylang.

The scent is a faint one, but it does tend to linger on your skin for a long time. The Shower Jelly also lathers really nicely and is amazingly moisturising, if a little fiddly at times. It left my skin feeling super clean but not at all dry like alot of other shower products. 

Shower jellies are one of our most innovative products and there are many fun ways to use them. You can crush them into a shower pouf to create a rich lather or rub them directly on your body. Try freezing (or chilling) them for an especially cool, refreshing shower or bath experience. Shower jellies also make great shampoos and add lots of softness and shine to hair. Alternatively, you can do what I did and chuck a slab in the bath, under the running water, and watch the tub foam.

Overall, the product is a good idea, I just wasn't overly keen on the smell.  It possesses a flowery, jasmine scent which is soft, sexy and girly. However, it's not a scent I particularly care for so I would not use again.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Aloe Vera Gel (Aloe barbadensis), Propylene Glycol, Tiger Lily and Red Rose Petal Extract (Lilliam candidum and Rosa centifolia), Perfume, Iota Carrageenan Extract, Ylang Petals Dried (Cananga odorata), Jasmine Flowers (Jasminum officinale), Synthetic Musk, Jasmine Absolute (Jasminum officinale), Clary Sage Oil (Salvia sclarea), Ylang Ylang Oil (Cananga odorata), *Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Benzyl Benzoate, Titanium Dioxide, FD&C Red No. 4, D&C Red No. 33, D&C Red No. 27, FD&C Blue No. 1, Methylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes

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New Lush Competition!

Want to get your hands on some of my favourite Lush products for absolutely nothing? Well read on!

I have hand-picked some of the items that I am using at the moment, and will give one you the chance to get your hands on all these products for free. That's over £50 worth of free stuff! 

I have realised many things as of late;

1. I have far too many Lush products.

2. There is nothing better than giving someone the chance of winning a handful of products.

3. I really love promoting Lush, and introducing the company and their products to new and dedicated fans!

So whilst doing an inventory of my Lush stuff, I pulled out a handful of my favourite products, and you now have a chance to get your mitts on these lovely items. 

So what's up for grabs?

One luck person will get:

-250g bottle of Ponche Shower Gel (limited edition and currently not available to buy anywhere!)

-A brand new tub of Dream Cream (Lush's number one selling product.)

-A brand new Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly (My favourite!)

-A brand new Merry Xmas Massage Bar (which is no longer available to buy at all.)

-A brand new 'Shimmy Shimmy' Bar.

-An almost brand new bottle of 'The Smell of Freedom' Perfume (had been sprayed two, three times - this retails for almost £30)

-A trial Pot of 'Slammer' Shower Gel

- A chunk of Caca Marron Henna Hair Dye (Enough for a single session)

All of this brilliant stuff will be sent to one lucky person, free of charge, anywhere in the world!

All you have to do to enter:

1. Leave a comment under this post.

2. Reblog my Tumblr Post (up to a maximum of 5 times)

3. Like my Tumblr Post

4. Follow Me on Tumblr.

My tumblr account in tofuveganzombie.tumblr.com.

The competition will run until 9pm (UK time), Friday 14th June 2013.

Good Luck!

  

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June 2013 Inventory - Shower Gels

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be posting an inventory of all of the Lush goodies that I have at this moment in time. This is for anyone who is interested in seeing what products I have, and also an opportunity for anyone looking to buy/trade. 

First up, my favourite Lush products; The Shower Gels.

Current Stash:

Shower Gels

13 Rabbits

Aura Suavis

Avowash

Badass Gel

B-Electro Gel

Black Pearl

Blue Skies

Butterball

Calacas 

Chai

Comforter, The

Dirty Springwash

Freeze

Fruity Beauty 

Ghost

Glogg

Grass 

Happy Hippy 

Karma

Narcotic

Olive Branch, The

Ponche

Rose Jam

Smargadine 

Snowcake

Snow Showers

Snow Fairy

Sonic Death Monkey

Taai Taai

Tramp

Twilight 

Uluru 

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Angels On Bare Skin Facial Cleanser

Since discovering Lush, I have found I have become reliant on cleansers as part of my daily routine. Working twelve hour days as a Year 6 teacher completely takes it out on me, and I find that my skin is the first thing to suffer. The first cleanser I ever used was Buche De Noel, which still stands as my all time favourite cleanser, followed closely by Let The Good Times Roll. Given that they're both seasonal products, one of which may never resurface again, I have to accept that for 6-8 months of the year, I have to rely on other cleansers to make my skin feel as refreshed and clean.

When making my last Lush order, this was the first cleanser I laid my eyes on, and so it is the first one I have tried since using up all of my Christmas editions. Lush have definitely done their research with Angels on Bare Skin, as there's not an ingredient here that doesn't serve a purpose. Almond milk has been used in many parts of the world for centuries as a toning and brightening ingredient. So it's only natural that Lush would choose almonds as the main ingredient for this cleaner.

Lush have also mixed this with kaolin, to absorb grease and gently cleanse, vegetable glycerine to soften and moisturise the skin and a beautiful blend of essential oils, all chosen for their abilities to balance and tone the skin. To top it off, they then sprinkle the mix with lavender flowers as they roll it to give it a distinctive smell.

Angels on Bare Skin is made from 100 percent natural ingredients – which turns into a cleansing milk once it comes into contact with water. I tend to take the smallest amount possible (maybe half a teaspoon's worth), add the tiniest amount of water from my shower water, and then lather it between my hands to create a paste. I then apply it to my face, leave it on for a minute or so in the shower, and then rinse it off under warm water. 

It is hard to tell you in words how fantastic this product is, except that the effects are immediate. My skin feels soft and refreshed - with a natural healthy glow. Unlike LTGTR, I can use this cleanser every day and it's gentle enough not to strip my skin or make it too dry.

A 100g pot lasts me a good couple of months, which I worked out is roughly 10p a day; a bargain when I consider how much it supports and improve my complexion.

Quantitative Ingredients: Ground Almonds, Glycerine, Kaolin, Water, Lavender Oil, Rose Absolute, Chamomile Blue Oil, Tagetes Oil, Benzoin Resinoid, Lavender Flowers, *Limonene, *Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes

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The Kiss Lip Balm

I cannot help but get excited when Lush release a new lip balm, especially one that is vegan. This year for Valentine's Day, Lush released the aptly named 'The Kiss' - the first vegan lip gloss free from all of those nasty preservatives. Using a clever aerating technique on luxurious shea and cupuacu butters, Lush was able to create a light balm intended to moisturise and protect the lips, as well as giving them a subtle pink glossy sheen. 

This lip gloss is beautifully packaged, and comes in a silver tin like all of their lip balms, making it easy to transport around in your bag or pocket. At £5.50, it is slightly on the expensive side for a lip product, but if it does what it says on the tin, you are technically getting two products for the price of one. 

What's special about this product is that it contains very few ingredients; a characteristic I always love to see when shopping for cosmetics. As well as the aerated shea and cupuacu butters, Lush have also added guarana seed powder helps to plump and soften the lips, as well as agave syrup, mandarin oil and almond oil provide a tasty sweet fruity flavour. I wouldn't recommend you eat the tin as a snack, but it definitely tastes nice when applying it to your lips. 

In appearance, the balm is an attractive pale pink colour and when I used my finger to apply a little, I immediately noticed that it's consistency is different from all other Lush lip balms. It's noticeably softer, meaning you have to rather careful not to get too much out at once. It's easy to apply and the balm leaves a subtle pink sheen on the lips. 

2013 release seems paler in comparison to the 2014 version.

It is pleasant and sweet smell which reminds me a lot of pick n mix sweets - in particular, the pink shrimps that I used to eat as a child. Some people have expressed on the forum and website that it smells a lot like the sweety drumsticks you can get. Either way, it's a sugary sweet smell that is nothing like anything else Lush have released so far. 

I can't say that my lips were noticeably plumper after application, although they did feel softer as the day wore on. My only complaint is that, compared to a more oily lip balm, you don't get the immediate conditioning feeling that you do with a vaseline-base balm. I found I had to apply this many times throughout the day as I'd either licked it off, or my lips began to feel dry.

I feel this product would work best as a gloss you put on after using your regular lip balm as it doesn't really moisturise your lips as well as other balms. Although not something I'll be buying again, it's a nice enough product, and it's good to see Lush are working towards other preservative free products to expand their range. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Fair Trade Shea Butter, Organic Castor Oil, Organic Agave Syrup, Cupuacu Butter, Glycerine, Flavour, Organic Mandarin Oil, Almond Oil, Guarana Seed Powder, Geraniol, Limonene, Titanium Dioxide, Mica, Colour 15850.

Vegan?: Yes

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Ponche Shower Gel

I bought a small bottle of this last Christmas (2012) simply because I wanted to buy one of every shower gel to try. I added it to my shelf when it arrived and didn't think much more about it until recently. Luckily, during the Christmas sale, they were selling off bigger bottles for a few pounds, and I opted to buy one of these as well, with the idea that if I didn't like it I could sell it on, but if I did love it, I'd regret not stocking up while I had the chance. 

Let's just say that I wish I have bought another ten bottles, and I only hope they bring it back this Christmas.  

Inspired by the traditional Mexican Christmas Punch, this shower gel is a mixture of orange juice and tequila - a bright, boozy, fruity and uplifting shower gel that lingers on the skin and leaves you feeling refreshed and gorgeous. As Lush say themselves, it packs a Ponche!

Made from a mixture of freshly squeezed orange juice, plum and cinnamon infusions, a good shot of tequila and a fruity fragrance, this zesty offering is beautifully light and smells divine. It's a lovely fruity and boozy scent that feels great to use in the morning when you're still half-asleep, and it fills my whole bathroom with its gorgeous scent. 

The orange smell is definitely the prominent scent, which is a good thing as I was worried the tequila would dominate - there is nothing worse than showering with a strong and warm scent of alcohol - yuck!

Despite it being released for Christmas, this shower gel works amazingly well as a summer shower gel, as the light, fruity smell would be a great accompaniment after a long day on the beach. It lathers up really well so you need to use a minimal amount each time. This means my lousy two bottles should hopefully last me until the end of the year!

One of my favourite Lush products for sure, and one I'll be waiting for with baited breath this Christmas - perhaps even more so than Snow Fairy!

Quantitative Ingredients: Water, Plum Infusion, Cinnamon Infusion, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Orange Juice, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Propylene Glycol, Lactic Acid, Davana Oil, Buchu Oil, Petitgrain Oil, Tequila, Eugenol, Geraniol, *Linalool, *Limonene, Colour 15510, Methylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes

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