Lush - Celestial Moisturiser Review

Recently I tried the Celestial moisturiser from Lush, and I have to say, I'm in love. This is such a good moisturiser and I highly recommend you try this product. I've only used this for first time last night, and it's been such a winner with me that I wanted to write the review right away!

I've always loved my Full of Grace moisturiser (which I've been promising a review on for ages and is coming up, sorry!) so I was quite settled and thought I'd no need for anything else. This is now being replaced by Celestial.

It's so light and easy to apply, and I really only needed the smallest amount to cover my whole face. I couldn't really smell anything from the pot, but once I put it on my face I could smell the lovely vanilla scent it contains. At first, I couldn't quite put my finger on what the scent was, but when I asked my sister she said it smells like vanilla extract, and this is exactly what it reminds me of. It just reminds me of when I'm baking and I put in the small amount of extract into the mixture. This is not an overpowering scent however, so don't worry if you don't like vanilla.

After putting it on my face, it sinks in straight away, and leaves me with a lovely silky smooth face. As bad as it is, I couldn't stop stroking my face just to feel how soft it was. I definitely think this would be a great base for applying foundation as it just evened out my skin and made it so smooth that I know it would be great.

Pros :

• Gorgeous vanilla scent, but not overpowering.
• Leaves face feeling silky smooth.
• Excellent base for applying makeup.
• Great for those with sensitive skin, which I have (extremely).

Cons :

• Surprise, surprise, none!

Overall, a great moisturiser. I have so many problems finding a good one which isn't too heavy, causing me to break out, but is actually moisturising. I know already that this is perfect for me and I won't have any problems. Highly recommend that you check this out next time you're in store, or you can have a look online by clicking here.

If you've tried this product already, what did you think of it? If not, is there any other moisturisers you would recommend me to try?

Tomorrow, fingers crossed, I should have a review on their new Fairtrade Honey Shampoo for anyone interested!

Lush - Big Solid Conditioner Review

As you may remember, I recently attended the launch of Lush's new haircare range, and I got a few samples to take home with me to try. I went on the Friday night and received a sample of their new Big solid conditioner bar. I tried it once at the weekend and loved it so much that I bought it on the Tuesday.

As a lot of you may not have used one of their solid conditioner bars, I should explain first how to use them. This may not be how everyone uses them, but this is what I do. With this bar I have found it easier to break off a small piece, then rub it between my hands until it melts, and also press it down with my fingers into my palm so that it turns into more of a paste. Then I run it through the ends of my hair, and then the excess through the rest. For me, a piece the size of the finger nail on my thumb is about enough, just to give you a rough idea! It depends really on how much you want to use, I'd say some days when I feel like my hair needs a bit more I'll use extra. I've also heard that it's good to break a piece of and put it in a small bowl of hot water and let it melt into a liquid. I haven't tried this but feel free to see which works best for you!

I really love this bar as I find it is a lot different to the Jungle solid conditioner bar which I normally use. When you first lift the bar it starts to melt into your hands straight away, which reminds me a lot of one of their body butters. This makes it a lot easier to use with your hair. Scent wise, to me I smell a mixture of vanilla and coconut, and it's not too strong which is nice. Although my sister says she can smell it on my hair when I use it, whereas I can't really notice it! I never really believe products which say they'll give me more volume, as I've tried a few non Lush products and they've done nothing. However, when I used this and dried my hair, I could already see a slight lift in my hair, and I have very fine, flat hair. I haven't used it before, but I think this paired with the Big Shampoo would give lots of volume for those who love that in their hair products. The shampoo is definitely on my 'to buy' list now!

Pros :

• Lovely creamy texture. A lot easier to massage into hair than the Jungle solid conditioner bar.
• Fresh scent, not too overpowering.
• Environmentally friendly. No packaging, which I love about the Lush products!
• Gives added volume

Cons :

• Zero!

Overall, I love this conditioner bar. At £9.00 for those who live in the UK, some might find it a bit pricey, but I think it's worth it. Although I'm used to paying only £2.95 for the Jungle solid conditioner bar, this is almost twice the size (if you buy 100g), so you're getting more for only a little bit less, and it'll last longer depending on how much you use. From my sample pot alone which is very tiny, I got 5 uses because I feel I only need a small amount. If you'd like to check it out, click here to have a look online.

Have you used this conditioner before? If so, what were your thoughts?

Lush - Ultimate Shine Shampoo Bar Review

I've been meaning to post this for a loongg time, so I'm finally making myself do it! If you have been following my blog for a while you will now that this is my third shampoo bar. I have a review for Jumping Juniper if you click here, and a review for Karma Komba if you click here. I really wasn't sure which bar to go for next, so after a look at the website and seeing that this was one of their most popular, I decided to go for it.

It's quite a nice looking shampoo bar, it's white with little flecks of glitter in it (which you can see if you look closely at the photograph). I also love the scent, it's very refreshing and has a bit of citrus to it.

If you haven't used one of these shampoo bars before, they're super easy! Just use it like a bar of soap and rub it into your head. I usually give a rub or two at the top, the back, and above both my ears. You think you haven't used enough until you start to massage it into your head and there is loads of lather so don't be fooled! Then simply rinse it out as you would any other shampoo.

Did it work? Yes it did. I am a huge fan of the shampoo bars and sing their praises to anyone who listens. They last around 3 months, and do a really good job. This one gives a good wash of my hair, making it feel squeaky clean. However, I'm not too sure if my hair looks extra shiny? It looks pretty normal to me so I don't think that part of it is working, but everything else is!

Pros :

• Inexpensive at only £5.25 (although it was £5 when I purchased mine)
• Lasts approximately 3 months, which is why the price is so good.
• Equivalent to 3 x 200ml bottles
• Lightweight, perfect for travelling
• Lovely scent
• Leaves a lovely clean, feeling

Cons :

• I don't think it made me hair any more shiny than it already is.

Overall yes, I liked this product. Would I purchase it again? No, probably not. I have absolutely nothing against this product, but I love the other two I've used so much because they have such gorgeous scents, that this one just comes behind them.

Have you used the Lush solid shampoo bars before? If so, what's your favourite? I'm always looking for which one I should purchase next!

Lush UK vs. USA - Store Review

I recently went away to California for roughly 2 weeks, and before I went I knew I wanted to go to Lush to do a bit of a comparison between the two stores and how I felt about them. I visit Lush pretty regularly and when I'm not there, I'm always on the website, so I see myself as having pretty good knowledge of the products available in the UK.

Before leaving I had a look at the US version of the website, just to see if it appeared as if they had any products which we didn't (and if this was true, I would not be amused, as the company began in the UK, not the US!). It appeared as though they had the same products, but a lot more to choose from in the Retro section, for example, the Red Rooster soap which I remember Lush having a few years ago, and loving the scent. In terms of the website, I like the UK version a lot better, as I find it easier to navigate, but I'll not go into great depth in a comparison of the websites (unless someone would like me to).

I visited two different Lush stores in the US, just to see if my experience was the same in both stores. The first one I visited was the Lush store in Fashion Valley Mall, San Diego, CA. On walking into the store, my first reaction was on how tiny the store is. It really was very small and quite hard to walk around. On walking in there is a table to your right and then some smaller table/stand things around the sides of that, there isn't really a lot of room for many people to be in the store. I've only been to Lush in Belfast, and the one in Glasgow, so I don't know if this is a common thing in other stores, but it really was so tiny! I had a look around and saw some customers being helped by the staff who seemed to have a good enough knowledge of the products from what I heard. The products didn't seem just as good to me in my mind, for example, the Creamy Candy Bubble Bar (I choose this one as it is one which I always buy for my mum as a present so I've seen them lots of times). In the UK, the bars all vary in size and aren't really a perfect shape. In the San Diego store, they all seemed to be the same size, and there was no parts crumbling off and they just seemed almost too solid. Now, I don't know if this is me just being weird, but I love how not perfect the ones in my Lush are, as I love going through them all to choose a good one, and I like to pick one that is a good size, and I love how it crumbles apart so easily, as that's how you're supposed to use them! These ones just seemed to not be the same. Another big thing I noticed was the prices. Everything is a lot more expensive in the US, which I noticed first on the website. Our shampoo bars cost £5 each, and in this store they were charging $10.95! The soaps were all very expensive too, and I'd say if I lived in the US, I probably wouldn't buy just so many of my products from there. I say this as a downside, but it also made me happy as I'm sick of the US getting everything cheaper than us! The biggest downfall of the store was the fact that during my time there, not one person approached me to ask if I needed any help. I had heard before I went that the sales staff were quite pushy there and I had been prepared to stand strong and not let them get me to buy anything, unless they had something new there. I was really shocked by this, all I got was a smile from the sales assistant at the checkout when I walked past, she didn't ask if I needed any help with anything. Every other store I went into while on my trip, the sales assistants were over immediately to ask if I needed any help, or welcomed me into the store as soon as I stepped in, so I know there wasn't something wrong with me!

Next I'm going to briefly review the second store I went into. I visited the Lush store in Santa Monica, down Third Street Promenade. I didn't spend as long in here as I knew from just looking around whether they had anything new. Once again, pretty small store, I'm starting to think maybe it's just a US thing, and Lush isn't as popular over there? (Although it seems to be quite popular with a lot of American YouTubers). I wasn't welcomed into the store, and there was no immediate coming over to me to ask if I needed any help, and if there was anything they could do for me. Once I realised that no one was going to ask me if I wanted help with anything, I just left, as there was no other point of me being there.

The Lush store I visit is the one in Belfast City Centre, and I usually buy a good few products at a time to do me through the month. The staff there are very helpful and always come over to me and ask if I need any help, and seem to have very good knowledge of the products that they are selling. There's been times I'm trying out something completely new and they'll tell me how to work it. They never try to push me to buy anything that I don't want to buy, and this is something I love about going in there. When purchasing at the till, if it's someone who didn't help me out, or if it's something they didn't speak to me about, they always ask me if I know how to use it properly, for example, the shampoo/conditioner bars, and they'll usually give me their opinion on it, and tell me if they've used it or not. The store is a nice size, with everything quite spread out, making it really easy to get around the store, even if it is busy. One time I wanted to get a new face mask, and although they were out of it, the girl was able to give me a sample of it from the little bowl they have sitting in the ice.

All in all, I was really disappointed with my experience of the two stores in the US. I don't know whether I just came at bad timings to both stores or if it's genuinely just not the same. The Lush store is one of my favourite stores to visit in general, and I always leave with something, and I love that I know the staff will help me with anything and are always really friendly. I'll probably be back at some point to San Diego as I have family over there, and if I'm over again, I'll maybe visit the stores again and see if much has changed.

Hope you all liked my review, and if there's anything else you want to know, feel free to ask!

Lush - Jumping Juniper Shampoo Bar Review

I bought this soap in February thinking that my first bar would be done around then and that I would have my second one ready. It actually lasted far longer than expected so I only started using this new bar about 2 weeks ago. I decided to use it a few times before I wrote on a review on it so that I knew what it was like.

It works exactly the same as the first shampoo bar I used. You simply run your hair under some water, rub the bar into your head a few times and it will lather up quickly. Rub the lather into your head and then rinse out. I have washed my hair twice with it a few times because my friend said that shampooing your hair twice makes your hair far cleaner, and it definitely does. However, I am only reviewing a single use of this shampoo bar. I was amazed after only one use of this bar at how clean it left my hair. It's specifically for greasy hair and I tend to wash my hair every other day so I thought this would let that clean feeling last longer, and it does. After washing and conditioning my hair and then drying it, it feels like all the build up has left my hair and it feels really light and clean. It also smells delicious, it's a very fresh, lemony smell.

Pros :

• Inexpensive, only £5 and lasts around 3 months.
• Refreshing smell.
• Equivalent to 3 x 200ml bottles of shampoo.
• Works very well for getting an extra day out of greasy hair.

Cons :

• Zero, I can honestly find no wrong in these shampoo bars!

I absolutely adore these shampoo bars and will continue buying them for a long time as they are far, far better than bottles of shampoo. In comparison with my first one, the Karma Komba bar, I can't decide which I like better. I love the Karma scent in Lush which draws me to that one, but the Jumping Juniper bar leaves my hair feeling the cleanest.

I will hopefully be buying a conditioner bar from Lush this week to try out so I'll let you all know how that goes!

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!

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.

Click here to sign the petition!

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!

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!