Lush Rose Bombshell

I was surprised to come across a Lush bath bomb that I had not tried, but here we are Rose Bombshell…another bath bomb I can add onto my long list of Lush bath bombs that I have tried.

I believe that the Rose Bombshell bath bomb was part of the Lush Mothers Day collection, it was kindly gifted to me at the The City Girls launch party event. I’m always very apprehensive with rose scented products, as sometimes the scent can be quite mature smelling and overpowering. However, Rose Bombshell had a lovely fresh sweet scent that left my bath smelling divine and  lingered on my skin.

You all know how I feel about bath bombs that turn your water red (blood bath anyone?) I was quite happy to see that this bath bomb left my bath water pink, I felt like a pampered princess with my pink water!

As this bath bomb fizzled away, I was left with rose petals in my bath, some people may love that about this bath bomb, however petals (or seaweed for that matter) are a huge turn off for me.  The petals clogged my drain, and having to pick soggy petals out of my bath seemed a bit of a chore.

Although this bath bomb is no longer available at Lush stores I hear that Rose Queen (from the permanent line) has a similar scent/concept. So, if Rose Bombshell sounds like your cup of tea you might love Rose Queen. 

Although I loved the scent, the petals aspect for me did put me off, so I probably wouldn’t repurchase this! But if petals are your thing and you love rose scented products this bath bomb may be for you. 

What are your favourite Lush bath bombs? Are you a fan of rose scented products? Have you tried Rose Bomshell?

Lush Catastrophe Cosmetic

So hands up who overindulged during the festive period? Yup, thought so. Let's face it the pull to dive into chocolate tins, eat endless roast dinners and enjoy the occasional boozy affair is way to strong to resist over the festive period …and if you did resist pat on the back to you please share your secret! If, like me you are now suffering with the aftermath (I'm talking a serious case of pizza face guys) then the Lush Catastrophe mask is just what you need.

Cupcake had to be my most repurchased mask of 2013 (review here) however Catastrophe stole the top spot in 2014 and I can't see it budging any time soon (sorry Cupcake fans.) Described as a calming and nourishing mask Catastrophe Cosmetic is the perfect face mask for congested skin. I find that this really helps to clear up my skin, it calms down any angry spots. Key ingredients include blueberries, chamomile and almond oil (which helps to soften the skin) so it's no wonder that this mask leaves my skin feeling incredibly refreshed and super soft. Although this does dry down like your conventional clay mask this doesn't suck up all the moisture from my skin it never leaves me with that stripped/tight feeling and unlike other fresh face masks in the range this isn't a complete faff to remove -  so it's a win/win really!

For when my skin is congested I find that Catastrophe Cosmetic gets to work fast, and let's face it that's what we all want a quick fix! This hydrating yet purifying mask is just what your skin needs after the festive period, certainly one to try if you are in the market for a new face mask.

What's your favourite Lush fresh mask? What are your favourite treatments for congested skin?

P.S Don't forget to up your water intake and eat lots of fruit/veggies to truly notice the biggest difference in your skin. My detox officially started yesterday!

Lush Lord of Misrule Bath Bomb

Two consecutive Lush posts… you can certainly tell it's Christmas time although in saying that I'm incredibly proud of myself as I managed to resist glitter galore, melted snowmen and even a bear. That's right I entered Lush and bought two items one of which I reviewed over here, if that's not self control I don't know what is!

Anyway, today I thought I'd share a review on the mystery bath bomb that is Lord of Misrule. Why the mystery you ask? Well, this bath bomb appears to no longer be available on the Lush UK website, out of the two Lush stores in my local city it's only available at one. I'm unsure if this is a limited edition bath bomb, part of the Christmas collection or permanent line, so there's the mystery.

Cons, this does turn your water bright blood red (which scarily made me feel like I was in an episode of Dexter!) Lets face it no one wants to soak in water that's red…or yellow for that matter (take note Lush.) However blood bath aside I really enjoyed this bath bomb. The scent was almost herbal/spicy which is a nice change to the sweet smells I tend to opt for. The scent makes this bath bomb feel incredibly warming, my muscles felt relaxed and this really helped me feel a little happier when I had my annual cold. I love using spicier scents during winter.

For something a little bit different from Lush I'd recommend this bath bomb, if you are a fan of spicier warmer scents, or are suffering from sore achy muscles this bath bomb will do the world of good. Weirdly my skin felt incredibly soft after a long soak, an effect I usually only have from Lush Butterball.

Have you tried Lord of Misrule Bath Bomb? What are your favourite Christmas bath bombs?

*Update this was apparently limited edition for Halloween, which is rather confusing as it looks like Christmas tree!*

Lush Buche de Noël

If you're a blog reader or general passer by it's pretty hard to resist the Christmas hype surrounding Lush stores nationwide. In all honesty I absolutely love Lush during the festive season, some of their limited edition bath products are my faves. Today though I come at you with something a little different, a product that seems to have blurred into the background as bath bombs take over. As I've mentioned before on my blog Lush skincare seems to get overlooked, which is a shame really as they have some great products (especially for sensitive skin types) so today I thought I'd share my thoughts on the festive cleanser that's currently gracing stores, Buche de Noël.

Okay so perhaps the most un photogenic product I have ever photographed but stay with me folks. If you read this post 'Lush Skincare Project' you'll know that I'm not entirely new to Lush skincare. I have tried a range of Lush skincare products, but I was never particularly blown away by their cleansers, mostly due to the texture. The majority of Lush cleansers are displayed in what can only be described as dough, they cut a piece of said dough and place in a tub. You break off a small amount of dough (haha dough) add water mix in your hand and apply to your face, this creates a milky texture but leaves skin feeling clean, hydrated and never stripped. The break off and add water approach isn't the most convenient of textures and I do find them very messy but that still hasn't affected my growing love for Buche de Noël.

Buche de Noël is both a face and body cleanser (although I generally stick to face) that smells like Christmas in a tub. The cleanser contains festive ingredients, satsumas, cranberries and a drop of brandy, it also contains ground almonds which gently buff away dead skin cells promoting radiance. I generally stay away from ground anything in cleansers but I've found this one incredibly gentle on my skin. Although I currently use this as a once/twice a week exfoliater I would feel confident using this daily on my skin, as once you add water the texture softens and this doesn't feel harsh on the skin. My skin looks radiant, soft and smooth after using this. Unlike other exfoliaters that I generally find spread spots I haven't had this problem with Buche de Noël, which I guess makes sense as this doesn't feel super abrasive on the skin. Since using this cleanser I've also noticed that my skin is more hydrated, I suffer with dry patches on my forehead and cheeks at this time of year but so far this hasn't been a problem, everything is soft and smooth, makeup applies better after I use this too.

I don't retract my original statement about the Lush cleansers being incredibly messy as I do still find clumps of cranberry around my sink (yak) nor has this changed my mind about them being a faff to use as far as cleansers go this one does require a little more effort. I do find though that the longer you use them the better you get at the whole process, as I'm finding this a little less messy now I've gotten used to the texture.

Not the prettiest of product, but I have found this to be incredibly effective on my skin over the past few weeks, at the risk of sounding big headed my skin has looked incredibly healthy a lately. I'm falling back in love with manual exfoliaters (perhaps a round up most of gentle exfoliates for the skin?) However I have had several comments on on how bright/clear my skin looks, it feels incredibly smooth and I do feel like this has played a huge part in improving my skin over the past four weeks.

Side Note: Lush does offer a sample service on all products and I highly recommend this for any skincare product. I can imaging a lot of people buy their cleansers and don't get on with the texture, as they do take some getting used to when you're used to more conventional cleansers.

Have you tried any Lush skincare products? Are you a fan of Buche de Noël?

LUSH Tea Tree Water

Back in January (feels like yolks ago) I purchased this little toner in the Lush January sales, six months later and Im barely half way through but today I thought I'd write up a little review to share my thoughts.

Last month I raved about my Liz Earle Skin Tonic I'll go straight in and say I do prefer Liz Earle over this one as it's more cooling, hydrating and just generally works better for me. However when thing's are spotty and I get that once a month breakout I reach for this tea tree toner. Most people know about tea tree's healing properties so I won't harp on about that, but I will say I often find tea tree products a little harsh on my sensitive skin (spotty and sensitive skin what a combo) after trying and disliking The Body Shop Tea Tree toner which is pretty heavily fragranced (it almost seems like artificial fragrance) I haven't really tried or reached for tea tree products since. 

This toner manages to soothe irritated skin. It leaves the skin feeling squeaky clean but it's also super gentle on sensitive skin types like mine. I won't say this rids spots, but it certainly helps kill off bacteria and long term use I can imagine this helps prevent breakouts. After reading an article somewhere that said tea tree should only be used as a short term measure I only use this when my skin is spotty. For me this does speed up the healing process, it hydrates and just leaves my skin feeling refreshed. For those that prefer a facial spray toner in appose to a cotton pad I wouldn't recommend as it doesn't have a mist texture, this sprays product onto one area of the face…

This toner also works really well on those pesky under the skin spots, used along my nose I also think this has helped with congested skin and blackheads. This does a fantastic job of balancing out my combination skin too, this lifts oil but doesn't leave my skin dry.

So do you need this? Well no. It is a nice addition to have in your skin care line up for those spotty moments as like I say it's soothing. I think this toner will be perfect in the summer time when my skins a little more on the oily side. I guess I'm just so in love with my Liz Earle Skin Tonic I no longer feel the need to use other toners.  

Have you tried the Lush Tea Tree toner? Are you a fan of Tea Tree? 

LUSH Grease Lightning

So besides from obviously loving the name (and singing grease lightning every time I use this) here are my thoughts/rambles on this lovely little spot treatment from Lush. 

Reviewing my skincare I came to a surprising conclusion I haven’t used a spot treatment in almost 6 years! Not because I haven’t had spots (I wish) but I’ve just never found one I truly like. Going through my spotty teenage phase I tried just about every spot treatment on the market, all of which dried my skin something rotten. I found most targeted treatments dried and got rid of my spots (in time) but also left brown marks and pigmentation. 

Grease lightning however works so well with my spotty combo skin. I like to apply this onto an ear bud and dab directly onto the spot (I initially did this as a precaution as I didn’t want my skin to get too dry) this can be a little gloppy in texture so I find doing this makes for easier application. This has a gel like texture, but when applied to a spot it doesn't dry or peel. This tingles ever so slightly on the skin (but doesn’t burn or irritate the skin like some targeted spot treatments I have tried.)

Now in total honesty this isn’t an overnight miracle worker, the spot won’t disappear when you wake up in the morning-but what product really does that anyway? What I was impressed with was how much this reduced the redness around my spot. Those under the skin spots, and full on out there and proud spots appeared smaller and redness was significantly reduced.

Overall I’m really happy using this, my sensitive skin isn’t irritated, this doesn’t overly dry my skin and redness is significantly reduced which makes concealing the spots much easier –and also no brown marks! This paired with my Clinique Anti blemish gel (for clusters of spots) has made my skin pretty much spot free for the month of March (whey!) 

Have you tried Lush Grease lightning  What are your favourite spot treatments? Tricks and tips for calming angry spots?

Ingredients: With witch hazel, tea tree and aloe vera gel this has a spot fighting ingredients list. However I am disappointed to see Methylparaben, which yes is another word for paraben. Something I like to avoid in skincare products. 

LUSH Rub Rub Rub

Blue gooey goodness, this scrub just reminds me of the seaside and well...the sea (I have a simple mind.) I love that this scrub has a little bit of grit but still manages to be every so gentle on my body. The smell isn't fantastic, but I don't find it lingers on the skin. Smell aside I can see this working for lots  of people as it can be used two ways, for those who like a little grit use dry (straight from the pot) for some harsher scrubbing or for those who like that smoother polish use wet either way skin is left silky smooth and soft. This is my third pot, I've tried other scrubs in between but for some reason I keep returning to this one. The texture isn't glopey and I just find this easy too use, this does a great job of keeping my skin flake free, smooth and ready for sunshine. Smooth pins-check, sunshine....well that's not happening any time soon.

What are your favourite scrubs? What are your favourite bath and body products from LUSH?

LUSH Skincare Project

Last month I saw a tweet from my local Lush store, asking for bloggers to take part in the 'Lush skincare project. 'The idea being that you brought along any old skincare bits that were no longer working/unused and swapped them for some samples and a free consultation with a member of the Lush team.

I sometimes forget that Lush do offer samples (like the ones I received) to all customers, so if there ever is a product that you wish to try but aren't sure if it will work with your skin type don't be shy about asking for  sample. There's nothing worse then spending money on a full size product only to discover it really doesn't work with your skin!

If you are looking for some skincare advice, I highly recommend visiting your local Lush store, the lady I spoke to was clearly knowledgeable and was extremely clued up on all things skincare. I was fortunate enough to speak to a lady who suffered from a similar skin type/concerns as myself, you could clearly tell that she uses the products herself that she recommended, it's so nice to see staff who are clearly as enthusiastic about the brand as customers.

I usually like to try products for at least 4 weeks before reviewing on my blog, so please take this review as a 'first impressions' post. Lets talk skincare-

Angels on Bare Skin-Cleanser

'An incredibly gentle cleanser with chamomile blue and lavender oils to calm and soothe even the most sensitive skin.'

After a quick demonstration in store I found the concept of this cleanser truly bizarre. It's not like anything I've tried before. The texture is sort of like playdough, the idea being that you break a piece of add water and apply to skin. In all honesty I just couldn't get to grips with using this, I even took to twitter to ask fellow Lushies how to use this product-the general consensus being that it is rather tricky to use. I found this felt sort of gloopy, there was lots of product wastage (I found the majority ended up down the sink!) Sadly I can imagine needing to repurchase this way more than you average cleanser due to the amount of wastage. I did find this to be slightly harsh on my sensitive skin, I also found that this leaved an oily residue behind which did help to hydrate my skin but I can imagine over time this could cause congestion.

Imperialis- Moisturiser 

'A light balancing face cream packed with herbal goodies to restore your skin to its majestic beauty.' 

I loved this. A purchase of the full size product is definitely on the cards. This moisturiser is aimed at combination skin, this also worked really well with my sensitive skin. The product has a browny purply tint and smells super herbally-mostly like lavender which I love. I found this super soothing on my skin, and although this sounds weird I found this super relaxing to use before bed. This balanced my oily skin, but also hydrated dry patches. This didn't leave my skin feeling greasy or sticky after using and make up applied nicely on top. I can imagine this working all year round, I can't wait to buy the full size. 

Full Of Grace Facial serum 

I love how innovative Lush are. I think that's why I'm a fellow Lushie the excitement of what they will create. In all honesty I've not seen anything like this anywhere else. Full of grace is a solid serum, and is fantastic value for money. I received a tiny chunk which is still going strong. This glides on the skin, you can either use this directly on your face (which I think could get a little unhygienic) or warm the product in your hands and apply to face. In my consultation the lady also mentioned how some people with extremely oily skin use this in replacement of moisturiser. This really hydrated my skin, this serum (like most) is designed to boost the effects of your moisturiser. This also works brilliantly before a face mask. I just found my skin felt smooth, soft and so hydrated. I loved this. 

Lush Fresh Face masks 

I'm no stranger to the odd fresh face mask (Oatifix and Cupcake being my favourite) surprisingly though I had never tried the two I received- 

'Love Lettuce' 

'Brighten up your complexion with this gently exfoliating mask, with Fullers earth to remove dirt and oil and glycerine to soften the skin.'

This didn't feel stripping on my skin, but my skin felt super clean not the squeaky dry clean you get with other masks. This one again like the moisturiser is great for combo skin. This mopped up excess oil, but also buffed away dry patches to reveal brighter skin. I really did enjoy using this, I wasn't a fan of the smell but I didn't find this lingered on the skin after- so all was good. 

'Catastrophe Cosmetic'

How have I not tried this mask before? This felt amazing on my skin, and smelt like blueberries! This again hydrated skin, my face just looked a lot brighter and felt a lot calmer after using this. I will be purchasing the full size of this. 

So there we have it, have you tried any of the products mentioned above? Fan of Lush skincare what products are your fave? What's your favourite fresh face mask? 

*This post is not sponsored by Lush, samples received in return for a blog post. Any customer can request samples like the ones I received above. All opinions are 100% my own*

P.S Don't forget to enter my 300 followers giveaway for a chance to win the NARS Creamy concealer and lots more goodies!

LUSH Prince Charming

Valentine's day is approaching ladies, still not found 'prince charming' never fear I've done the leg work for you. Yes he's small and pink but he smells real good he hangs around in the morning too, I do wish this wasn't limited edition. I seem to always fall for limited edition Lush things...

Prince Charming shower gel is from the valentines collection and is indeed limited edition. I took one whiff of this and had too purchase. Think sweeties, this definitely has something Soap and Glory esque about it. 'Vanilla and fresh pomegranate' anything vanillery is definitely a winner in my eyes, this just smells so gorgeous and I find the smell to really linger. I find with Lush shower gels you do tend to use a little more product to get a foam, but this really is a nice little shower time treat. 

For anyone that loves Snow Fairy,  Soap and glory products or sweet girly scents this shower gel is definitely for you. I just wish this wasn't limited edition as I think the current range at Lush is missing a scent like this one (this scent would be amazing in a body cream too.)

Have you tried any products from the Lush Valentines range? What's your favourite? Plans for V day? 

LUSH Celebrate

From my review on LUSH Charity Body cream, we all know that I'm no stranger to LUSH body moisturisers, with Charity being on my repurchase list for what feels like forever I decided to branch out and see what other body creams LUSH has to offer… 

LUSH Please, please please put this into your permanent stock please? Ok thanks.

Sadly this product is limited edition- I currently have 2 back ups in my stock as I love this so very dearly. This moisturiser is a hybrid between a body butter and lotion. This moisturisers the skin and feels so luxurious, all without been to greasy on the skin (no one wants that sticky feeling) 

As with the majority of Lush products, this smells divine. Orange, lime and almond oil this manages to smell fruity, festive yet fresh. Warning smell may be addictive I could literally sit and sniff this for hours (weird, rather but smell this once and you'll totally join the sniff squad.) I can't express my love for this enough, as quite frankly it's odd that I adore a moisturiser so much why oh why are you limited edition! 

Have you tried any LUSH body moisturisers? What's are your favourite LUSH products I'm always looking for more to try...

LUSH: Santa's Lip Scrub

Cracked sore lips are just embarrassing, they don't look pretty and can really make you feel conscious. Unfortunately when winter comes around I seem to shrivel up like a dried prune, everything that can get dry does- it ain't a pretty sight. Lip scrubs have been the rave this year, from homemade to bought and I couldn't help asking myself do I need this? Is this just another unnecessary step to my already jam packed skincare routine? On this occasion I have to eat humble pie (yay pie) and admit that I was very wrong about lip scrubs.

I had previously settled with using a dry toothbrush gently brushed over dry lips and this pretty much seemed to do the trick, but recently my lips went through a tough time and this method simply wasn't cutting it anymore. I browsed  my way through endless blogs found some lovely D.I.Y lip scrub posts and I will try my to make my own lip scrub some day but to buy all the ingredients and a jar it probably would have cost me a similar amount to this one...enter the lazy girls option

This is just lovely! Buffed away all of that dry skin on my lips (ew) my lips literally looked super smooth, super red, a little plumped but super healthy after using this. This tastes strange I can't work out if I like it or not, this definitely has a strong cola scent which I love! But as far as taste goes it isn't very colaish. But after all this is to buff not to eat so I can let them off on the taste factor (just this once.) What I really love about this Lush scrub is the fact that it manages to be super abrasive get the job done, but doesn't leave my lips or the skin around them sore at all.

Have you tried the Lush lip scrubs, what are your favourites?

Is anyone as excited as me for the boxing day sales can't wait to get as many discounted Lush sets as I can... 

LUSH: Cupcake

Note to self: Remember to put in fridge!

Whenever my skin is freaking out or looks a little congested I always turn to cupcake. This clears my pores, and leaves my skin feeling squeaky clean. If your skin is dry or super sensitive I wouldn't recommend this face mask as it does tend to strip the skin a little. I avoid using this on my entire face and instead focus on my tzone where most of my spots tend to be. This smells super lush (avoid the pun there) *WARNING this does not taste like chocolate...curiosity got the better of me there!* This can be a bit of pain to get off once set but overall this really is a lovely mask. I sometimes use cupcake then apply something hydrating like my Origins overnight mask or Manuka honey mask the combination works a dream.

Have you tried any Lush fresh face masks? Which ones are your favourite?

LUSH: Emotional Brilliance

Do you every rekindle and old flame? That particular make up item unloved, abandoned, unused banished to the bottom of your make up bag? Perhaps you found something new, shinier, better? 

This is exactly how I felt about this powder. Now just to add a disclaimer in I totally remember why I stopped using this, messy doesn't even begin to describe this powder, it's very easy to channel the Casper the friendly ghost vibe, getting the product out of the little glass tub is a total chore and more product ends up on my bathroom floor then my face!

But, when you get this right, well it's love. Mopping up excess oil, the pinky tone in this is designed to counteract redness. Your skin looks matte but not, flat I sometimes find that matte products can leave you looking a little dull, lifeless and well for me ill! But not with this powder, my skin still looks natural, and radiant.

 I generally use my RT buffing bush to apply this and gently press the product into my t-zone I find this way of application makes the product last a lot longer. I wore this on a work day, followed by drinks at 5pm I went to glam up and my face literally needed no blotting or touch ups, my face looked a little dewy but nowhere near the oil slick it would usually be.

For ease of use I do still prefer my LM powder, but battle of the powders? Hands down Lush would win every single time....just please do something about the packaging LUSH! 

Have you tried any make up from LUSH? Has anyone seen the Christmas collection I was so tempted to buy the Santa Bath bomb... 

Beauty With A Good Cause

Beauty with a good cause. I love using products from brands who have great ethics. Lush is always there flag high promoting natural products free from animal testing, naturally sourced ingredients  promoting fair trade and this lovely tub of goodness promotes all the ethics Lush stand for.

Lets talk a bit about the product, this body cream is lightweight and provides your skin with so much hydration. If you love coco butter or the Palmer's range you will love this. It just smells a-amazing! Don't believe me, next time your in Lush take a quick sniff and I'm sure you'll love this as much as I do!

My only negative, this can be a tiny bit watery at times, and I personally think this would work better in a bottle (the ones they package shower gels in would do the trick)  but apart from that tiny bug bearer I adore this moisturiser, plus 'Charity Bottle' doesn't quite have the same ring to it.

For a bit more information on this product worded better then my ramble click here

Have you tried this moisturiser? What are your favourite Lush products?