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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T'eo Solid Deodorant

I'm going to be honest; I have always been a little dubious about using solid deodorants, much like I was sceptical about trying Lush's solid perfumes and toothpaste when I first saw them to. However, I love trying out new products from Lush, and it's very rare that one of their products have ever truly disappointed me, so perhaps I should be a little more optimistic. 

T'eo is a product that I have wanted to try for ages, but have refrained from doing so because a. a lot of reviews that I have read claim to have suffered adverse reactions when using it, and b. I just couldn't fathom how a dry, rock-hard piece of baking soda could actually keep me clean. However, curiosity got the better of me and I bought a bar a few months ago. 

The UK version comes in an oval shape, with a wax base and flakes of dried flowers for decoration. The scent it gives off is a mixture of lemons and tea tree oil, although there is also a hint of fresh grapes that comes through once you've used it a few times. T’eo Solid Deodorant Bar contains bicarbonate of soda to soak up sweat and neutralise any smells, whilst the tea tree, lemon and juniper oils go about their anti-bacterial work. 

I wasn't actually sure how you were supposed to apply this product so I did a little research beforehand, and discovered that you are to rub this onto dried skin. However, after the second use, I found that no powder was coming off, and I was left with rather sore armpits. 

After experimenting a little, I found that T'eo works best on slightly damp skin, giving the powder of the bar something to stick to. So I began using it daily after my morning and evening showers, and this yielded better results. 

Although it does work best on wet skin, I wouldn't recommend using it on soaking wet skin or you may find the bar will disintegrate during use. It would also be counterproductive if used on already sweaty skin as it'll soak up the moisture and give you little protection for the rest of the day. 

It doesn't stop you from sweating but the powder contains bicarbonate of soda to soak up any sweat. It also has essential oils to neutralise any smells from sweat. Despite this, I found that it didn't protect me for an entire day; by 2pm, I felt damp under my arms again, and I had done very little manual labour to warrant a lot of sweating.

Overall, I am going to continue using this as it makes me feel clean and refreshed, and it does keep me somewhat dry throughout the majority of the day. Although the lemon scent tends to disappear quite quickly, it does neutralise smells and prevent the scent of sweat from coming through.   

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Apricot Kernel Oil, Blue Wax, Tea Tree Oil, Magnesium Carbonate, Lemon Oil, Juniperberry Oil, Lemongrass Oil, Fresh Green Grapes, Blue Cornflower Petals, *Citral, *Eugenol, *Geraniol, *Citronellol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume.

Vegan?: Yes

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Bugsplat Bath Ballistic

What I love about Lush, aside from their amazing products, continuous anti-animal testing campaigns and so forth.., is that they are also a great educational tool for those of us who are perhaps too busy/uneducated to acknowledge important campaigns happening around the world. 

Working as a full time teacher, my career takes up the majority of my time, which means I don't have time neither the inclination to familiarise myself with the latest humanitarian and animal news and campaigns. However, I do visit local Lush stores, as well as browse their website, so whenever they're supporting a new campaign, I am always able to read up on it and educate myself on important topics. 

So when I loaded up their website a few weeks back, I was intrigued by the quirky looking bath ballistic that appeared on the front page. 

The Bugsplat Ballistic is fragranced with the Gorilla Perfume, The Bug and was released as a limited edition product last month to support the eradication of Drones. Lush say that their The Bug perfume was 'inspired by a growing sense of foreboding and paranoia about the modern age, in which the concept of a surveillance society is fast becoming a reality.' Therefore, they thought that the fragrance was wholly appropriate to use for Bugsplat, a ballistic that was created to raise money for Reprieve and to help stop the illegal drone strikes happening in conjunction with military surveillance programmes.

                                     

Aside from the purpose of raising money towards a good cause, the ballistic in itself is a fantastic product that I only wish they'll bring back again. 

This ballistic froths up the second it hits the water, and produces wave after wave of fluorescent green liquid that quickly fills the bathtub. As The Bugsplat shares it's scent with The Bug, it gives off a scent mixed with sandalwood, elemi and geranium essential oils, all of which linger on your skin after use. There is also a slight hint of blackcurrant here, which gives off a sweetness that compliments the other scents perfectly. 

Unlike some bath bombs, The Bugsplat maintains it's colour in the tub, giving you a slightly psychedelic experience throughout. It leaves your skin feeling really soft and refreshed - a bargain for only £2.50.  

Quantitative Ingredients; Sodium Bacarbonate, Citric Acid, Popping Candy, Cream of Tartar (Potassium Bitartrate), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Labdanium Resinoid (Cistus Labdaniferus), Sandalwood Oil (Santalum Austro-Caledonicum Vieill), Elemi Oil (Canarium Commune), Galbanum Oil (Ferula Galbaniflua), Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Gardenia Extract (Gardenia Jasminoides), Cinnamal, Geraniol, Citronellol, Limonene, Linalool, Colour 59040, Colour 42090, Colour 17200.

Vegan?: Yes

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1000 Kisses Deep Liquid Perfume

I'm not too sure whether or not I have mentioned this in previous posts, but I am in the process of trying to collect every single vegan perfume that Lush have ever released. This is an expensive and sometimes frustrating hobby to have; getting outbid by a few pence on eBay when you've found a rare specimen, can take it's toll at times. However, it's also a passion that has not only educated me on the different scents that one can create, but also exposed me to some of the wonderful backstories that give Lush the inspiration behind these scents. 

1000 Kisses Deep was created by Lush founder, Mark Constantine, who created 1000 Kisses in honor of the lasting love he shares with his wife. Named after a Leonard Cohen song of the same name, 1000 Kisses Deep is an exquisite and delicate perfume with an apricot and mandarin scent mixed in with deep resins to give it a musky after-thought. 

Originally launched in 2011, 1000 kisses gives off beautiful orange and mandarin notes that remind me of freshly made marmalade. This juicy, plummy scent is intertwined with a warm, earthy, autumnal hint of osmanthus and myrrh. For those readers unsure of what osmanthus is, I did a little research and found out that it is a Himalayan shrub that produces a floral absolute with green and fruity notes. 

Together these ingredients create a rich, complex and rather bright scent that supposedly 'encompasses the whole spectrum of feelings, the powerful rush of emotion, and conveys the abstract.' Although I am unable to comment on whether or not I feel it lives up to it's literal backstory, it does offer a unique scent that I would recommend trying for yourself.

This is a difficult perfume to describe as there are multiple layers that come out in various forces during wear. The main element of this fragrance is the citrusy scent of mandarin and apricot, although there is also a floral aspect which adds depth and complexity to the perfume. 

On paper, it sounds like your typical, run-of-the-mill zesty perfume, but there is definitely a sophistication here that needs to be experienced for oneself. This perfume accompanied me on my recent beach-holiday, and I really enjoyed it's company during those hot summer days. I highly suggest you ask to sample this during your next Lush visit and try it out for yourself. 

Quantative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Myrrh Resinoid, Labdanum Resinoid, Osmanthus Absolute, Citral, Coumarin, Geraniol, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene, Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes

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13 Rabbits Shower Gel

When I initially received this in the post, I had no preconceptions. I hadn't read where the name had come from, or even what scent the shower gel was suppose to possess. It wasn't until my flatmate made a rather terrible joke about how the shower gel wasn't very vegan if it was made from 13 rabbits, that I decided to research the strange name. 

What I discovered, was that the title was inspired by a 1st century ruler called 13 rabbits, a Mayan Prince who was aptly named due to his unique signature, derived from the Mesoamerican calendar. As the Mayans were keen on spice and chocolate, Lush decided to name this shower gel after him.

It is described as a Chocolate Spice shower gel, containing a range of oils - avocado and peach kernel, jojoba and pumpkin seed, ginger root and clove leaf - to make it smell spicy and delicious. Initially, I was intrigued by this unlikely combination, and was excited to see how the avocado would benefit my skin.

However, I was instantly disappointed when a dark, rather runny substance greeted me in the shower. Those that appreciate chocolate smelling cosmetics, will no doubt love this rich, spicy gel. The chocolate scent is definitely the most powerful here, although there is a distinctive ginger scent directly beneath the chocolate. 

When being used in the shower, the heat from the water seems to separate the scent somewhat, and you get elements of cloves and cinnamon coming through. It reminded me a lot of those boxes of spicy teas that you can buy in health food shops.

When I received my bottle, some of the product had separated into layers, which I first thought was due to the age of the shower gel. However, when reading other reviews, I realise that this seems to be a 'flaw', much like the Olive Branch.

The shower gel does lather up well, although as it's runny, you often have to lather it up in your hands before smothering it all over your body. It does also leave the skin feeling smooth, which is no doubt thanks to the different oils. However, due to it's runny consistency, a lot of the product seems to get wasted when using it in the shower. 

In all fairness, I am not a fan of chocolate scented cosmetics, so it would have been very difficult to convince me otherwise with this shower gel. Despite this, I can see fans of Butterball and Sonic Death Monkey loving the rich, chocolately scent. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Aqua, Sodium Laureth Suffate, Lauryl Betaine, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa Extract), Propylene Glycol, Perfume, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Prunus Persica (Peach) Kemel Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) See Oil, Camelia Sinensis Leaf Oil, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Seed Oil, Zingiber Officinalis (Ginger) Root Oil, Eugenia Caryophyllus (Clove) Leaf Oil, Eugenol, Methylparaben.   

Vegan?: Yes

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Pied De Pepper Foot Lotion

I hadn't heard of Pied De Pepper until I saw a listing on eBay that had a small pot of this amongst, other things. I did a little research, and when I discovered it was vegan, I knew I just had to try it. I am always keen to try out products to support and better the condition of my feet, as they're like my achilles heel (no pun intended!) when it comes to my beauty regime. 

The lotion itself is a rather ugly brown colour, although I know not to judge a book by it's cover, especially when it comes to Lush products. The predominant smell here is cinnamon, although when I first smelt it, it gave off a chocolate orange scent. The initial scent is definitely both spicy and rich, a mixture vanilla, lemon oil and cinnamon. 

When you apply the lotion to your feet you are left with an immediate warming tingly sensation and you can really feel it heating up your feet. What I also loved about this lotion, a surprising benefit that had not been mentioned, was that it gave my feet a douse of colour. I'm not sure whether or not this effect is due to the age of my pot, or whether it was a purposeful move from Lush, but I'm definitely not complaining.

Pied De Pepper contains clove, cinnamon and ginger which are meant to soothe muscles, stimulate the circulation and ease aches. The addition of extra virgin olive oil and cocoa butter means that this lotion also softens the feet and leaves them smelling divine. Furthermore, it's also excellent in cold weather for people who have cold extremities and like to warm their feet up.

A great aspect of this lotion is that you don't need to use a lot each time, and it tends to dry fairly quickly, so you're not left with oily, sticky feet that stick to the side of your socks. It's a great way to revitalise your tired feet, deodorising them and making them more presentable for those naked summer months.

I don't know how long ago Lush stopped selling this lotion but I hope they intend to bring it back, as it's done wonders to my feet and I'd love to make it a staple part of my beauty regime.

Quantitative Ingredients: Vanilla Pod Decoction, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Stearic Acid, Cocoa Butter, Triethanolamine, Clove Bud Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cinnamon Leaf Oil, Ginger Oil, Lemon Oil, *Cinnamyl Alcohol, *Cinnamal, *Citral, *Eugenol, *Geraniol, *Isoeugenol, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Limonene, Perfume, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes

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