Friday 27 April 2012

Lush - Porridge Soap Review




I bought this soap around 2 months ago and I'm still using it now. I absolutely love the soap from Lush and I love how you can choose which size you want and how it's wrapped all nicely. I got just over 100g of this bar of soap after hearing a few people talk about it online and hearing it mentioned in some YouTube videos. I'm not normally a fan of the really grainy soaps from Lush, and usually go for the real sweet scented ones such as Rockstar and Honey I washed the kids. I had looked at it the past few times I'd been in and decided I would give it a try. It said to run it under the water for a few seconds before rubbing into your skin. It's a really creamy texture so you really feel like it's giving you a good wash which I love. The little grains also are really exfoliating so it's a bit of a two in one. I absolutely adore the smell of this soap and can't stop talking about it to everyone so that's definitely a plus for me. Unlike the non creamy soap bars from Lush, this soap shrinks a bit faster. I have about half of this bar left as of right now, but I have been going between it and my Snowfairy shower gel that I have left over from the Christmas sale in Lush.

Really easy to use, just run it under the water for a few seconds, and rub it over your skin. I find that I use the grainiest parts on my arms and legs, and then I'll look for a softer, less grainy side for the rest of my skin. A few people tend to cut off slices of the soap to bring into the shower with them, but I feel like that's a bit of a waste as whatever is left would be too small to use again, so I bring the whole bar with me. I then pat it dry with a towel when I get out of the shower, and then wrap it back up in the paper again.

Pros

  • Really strong, gorgeous smell. (I don't think it really smells like porridge)
  • Inexpensive (compared to the other soaps from Lush). Only £2.95 per 100g
  • Can also be used to exfoliate.
  • Creamy texture for that nice clean feeling.
Cons

  • The grains from the soap to tend to come out very easily when using, so this could clog your shower.
  • Despite the fact that it's good as exfoliating, the grains can sometimes be slightly sore rubbing on your skin!
All in all, this has probably became my favourite soap from Lush, even if I have listed 2 cons for it. I love the packaging that Lush use, and I love that I can wrap it back up to use it again next time I get a shower. Really love the scent of this so much and will definitely be purchasing again when this one is done.


Lush - Karma Komba Shampoo Bar Update

Just to let you all know that the Karma Komba Shampoo Bar that I purchased from Lush on the 14th January 2012 finally broke while using it in the shower. It had shrunk to a tiny thin little disk from using it so much and broke in half while using in my hair. It broke in half, and then one into half again. This means that I got almost 3 and a half months out of just one bar. I could probably use the leftovers another one or two times if I wanted to. Definitely a really good product and a great value for money!

Friday 20 April 2012

Lush - Tea Tree Toner Tabs Review



I've been using these for a few months now and find they work really well. I had bought one a few years ago and tried it once and then forgot about it. Since I've got really into my Lush products over the past few months I decided to give them a go again. After buying one again, I've since bought a few each time I go in so that I have enough to do me until my next trip.

They're really simple to use, and the people in Lush will explain to you what to do if you're unsure. Firstly I boil the kettle and bring it to the sink. If there is hot water already I will fill part of the sink with that water and then top it up with the freshly boiled water. If not, then I'll just fill the whole sink with the kettle of water. I'll fill it up until it's about half full. Next I'll drop the Tea Tree Toner Tab into the water and let it fizz around until it's completely dissolved. I'll have a towel waiting for me to cover my head and the taps so that the steam won't escape from the sink. I'll then lean my face right over the water, keeping it as close as possible so that all the steam hits my face. I'll set a timer on my phone for 5 minutes and sit there until it's done. The steam is really hot and can be slightly unbearable, but you should keep sitting there as it starts to cool down quite fast. After the timer goes off, I sit up, and using some cotton pads that I will have left sitting beside the sink, I dip them into the water and clean my face and neck with the tea tree water that is left. This removes all the dirt from your skin as the steam has opened up all your pores. The first time I used one I couldn't believe the amount of make up that there was still left on my skin after cleaning it, and since then it's never been the same as I always make sure my skin is completely clean at night.

After using, my skin feels super soft and smooth and I love the clean feeling that it gives me. If I have any spots and use this, the next morning when I wake up I can see that they have started to fade.

What I like about the toner tab is that it can be used on more than one person. My two sisters share it with me when I'm finished. We'll reboil the kettle, and once I'm done, just top up the water again to create steam and then they will sit there for 5 minutes each and clean their face. I've also heard that you can reuse the water if you put it into a spray bottle and simply spray it on to your face each night as a toner.

Pros :

  • Inexpensive, only 80p per toner tab.
  • Works on more than one person.
  • Leaves skin feeling soft and smooth.
  • Helps clear up spots.
Cons :

  • None!
All in all, definitely worth a try since they're only 80p each, so it's not really a waste of money if you feel it doesn't work.
Since this has become a bit of a Lush blog, I decided to put a link to the petition they have on their website. It's against testing on animals and takes only a few seconds to look at and sign.



Monday 16 April 2012

If anyone would like to buy me a present...Office Vegas Wedges in Nude




Office VEGAS NUDE MICROFIBRE Shoes - Womens Mid Heels Shoes - Office Shoes

Just incase anyone fancies buying me a little present, I want these wedges so bad! Size 6 please :) They will be mine...

Shopping List

I decided to write a little list of products that I want to buy sometime soon, then I can mark them off as I buy them :)

  • Revlon Lip Butter - Strawberry Shortcake & Lollipop
  • MAC Lipglass - Style Packed
  • Lush - Jungle Conditioner Bar
  • Lush - Big Shampoo
  • Lush - Ro's Argan Body Conditioner
  • Lush - Gorilla Perfume in Karma
As you can see, a lot of Lush on that list at the minute... I'm almost determined to try everything in their store.

That is all, for now...

Lush - American Cream Review


I used this conditioner a while ago and decided that I should do a review on it. I had wanted to try a conditioner from Lush since I had switched over to using a shampoo bar from there. I done a bit of research online and on the website before deciding which conditioner would be the best for me, and 'American Cream' came out on top.

My first impression on using this was that it was quite hard to get out of the bottle, I had to squeeze it and shake it quite hard, and even then only a little bit came out at a time. When putting conditioner in my hair I normally put a decent sized amount in my hand and then rub it through the ends, then rub the excess through the rest of my hair. I done this for the first use and then washed it out. After drying my hair and waking up the next morning I found that my hair seemed to feel a bit greasy already and quite heavy. This wasn't what I wanted at all, and it made me feel like I needed to wash my hair. I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt and try it again.

On my next use I decided to try using only one little drop to see if it would be any better. I rubbed it through the ends of my hair, and only the slightest amount through the rest. Once again, after rinising it out and drying my hair, it still left it feeling greasy and like it needed washed. This irritated me since I had loved how my Karma shampoo bar gave me an extra day out of my hair, and this conditioner was stopping this.

I decided to try it one more time. This time I used a little drop again, and instead of putting it through the rest of my hair, I only put it on the ends. When I washed it out and dried my hair, it didn't feel greasy this time. However, I felt like my hair looked quite dull and didn't feel soft at all. I have quite dry hair so I need a good conditioner and I need to put it through my whole hair, not just the ends.

On top of the fact that it didn't work like I thought it would, the scent was quite disappointing as well. I don't know if it was because I was using quite a strong scented shampoo bar, but I felt like this didn't have the vanilla/strawberry scent that the website told me it would have.

Pros :

  • I got the smallest bottle since it was my first time using it, and I liked that this was a good size to take with me if I was travelling.
Cons :

  • Felt too heavy on my hair.
  • No scent as promised.
  • Left hair feeling either too greasy, or as if it had done nothing.

All in all, quite obviously I wouldn't purchase this conditioner again. It did nothing for my hair, and as of now, is the only product from Lush that I wouldn't be buying it again. My next purchase is going to be the 'Jungle' conditioner bar. I'll review it as soon as I've tried it a few times!

Wednesday 4 April 2012

Lush - Karma Komba Solid Shampoo Review


Karma Komba Solid Shampoo Bar

I'm coming to the end of my Karma Komba shampoo bar so I thought I would do a review of how I got on with it. I purchased this bar on the 14th January apparently, and there is still a good 2/3 weeks worth left in it, if not more. I use this every time I wash my hair, which is every other day, and it has lasted such a long time. I had used this shampoo years ago when my friend has bought it for me as part of my birthday present, but after it melted into the tin she got me for it I never bought it again. As I started to get back into Lush over Christmas I decided to buy it again and see if I still liked it. I looked up some reviews on it and read that it was supposed to be the equivalent of 3 200ml bottles of shampoo. I thought that this was maybe a bit of an over exaggeration and so took it with a pinch of salt. Now that it's the 4th April and I still have a few weeks worth, I can say that this is probably true, because this is nearly 3 months it has lasted me! I haven't used any of the other shampoo bars, but I already know that this is my favourite. When I first used it I felt that it gave me a really good clean for my hair, and I felt like it gave me an extra day out of my hair, because it didn't feel greasy the next day. I also love, love, love the scent of Karma (surprisingly I still haven't bought the soap of it). If you haven't used one of their shampoo bars I would definitely recommend it. Really easy to use, the person in Lush can tell you if you don't know how. I just run the water over my head first to get my hair wet, then I rub the bar at the front of my head, at both sides, and then also at the back, I rub it in about 2 or 3 times and then put the bar away. I then use my hands to lather it all up, and it creates a lot of lather! Then I just rinse it out and use my conditioner. Lush does have tins available that you can buy specifically for the shampoo bars, but after my first time using it when it melted into the tin, I wouldn't advise buying them. I simply pat it dry and put it back in the paper bag that I bought it in.

Pros :

  • Equivalent to 3 x 200 ml shampoo bottles (I can say that this is in fact, true)
  • Gives an extra day of clean hair
  • Gorgeous smell
  • Light and compact for when you need to travel

Cons :

  • Zero! I have nothing that I didn't like about this shampoo bar.
All in all, I would highly recommend this product. I would say it's actually my favourite product from Lush because it done exactly what it said it would, and it's lasted me such a long time.

Lush - The Hair Doctor review


The Hair Doctor

Around 3/4 weeks ago I made a few purchases from Lush, and one of them was called The Hair Doctor. I have quite dry hair from dying and bleaching it for so many years so I'm always on the look out for hair products that will make my hair softer and in better condition. Everytime I get paid I like to go and make some purchases at Lush and I always look online and write a list first of what I want to buy. I checked out all the hair treatments they had available and this seemed to be the best one (and also a pretty good price). I decided to finally use it tonight for the first time, and I was very glad I did. It was also about to expire so I was lucky I checked it! When I was in the shop the girl told me to treat it as a dairy product because of the ingredients that were in it and to keep it in the fridge and that this was why it had an expiry date. The instructions on the tub said to put it on to dry hair and leave for 20 minutes. I had planned on using only about half the tub, but since I wouldnt be able to use it after today I ended up using the whole thing. As soon as I put it on my head I could smell the mint scent coming through straight away. It's a really nice smell and it's still there now after washing my hair. It took about 10 minutes to put it on my whole head and it's really heavy on your head when you've finished. After around 20 minutes I went up to wash it off. It's really thick and takes a while to wash out of your hair, and you have to use shampoo and conditioner afterwards as normal. I used the Karma shampoo bar from Lush and then the Glad Hair Day conditioner from Soap & Glory and I think they all worked well together. After washing it out of my hair and drying it my hair feels super clean. I think using it got rid of all the product build up that seemed to be in my hair and my hair feels much lighter. The peppermint in it is also supposed to be very good for your scalp if it's itchy. This isn't a problem I ever have, but I feel like my scalp feels really healthy after using it. As for helping with dry hair, I don't think it has on the ends, but it made my hair feel very smooth, and got rid of some of the frizz which means I could probably get away with not straightening it if I wanted to, since that's the only reason I straighten my hair.

Pros -
  • Inexpensive (compared to other ones in Lush)
  • Nice peppermint scent that lingers
  • Clears up product build up
  • Gives that squeaky clean feeling
Cons -
  • Didn't quite do what I wanted, which was softer ends, but it did make the top of my hair nice and soft.
All in all, a good product, and for £6.50 a tub, I think it was worth it, and I know that I could get two uses out of it if I wanted to. I'll be buying it again on my next pay day :)

Also, don't forget to save your tubs from Lush. Bring back 5 and they give you a free fresh face mask!

First blog post!

So I finally decided to start up a blog just writing any random things I feel like writing, maybe a few reviews on things that I've tried, that type of thing. I wasn't really sure which website to start up my blog on but this came up first when I googled it so I thought I'd give it a go :)