Calacas Shower Gel

This is possibly one of my favourite shower gels that I have bought from the Lush Kitchen or maybe Lush in general - I'm not sure yet, there are still a few that I have yet to try. The colour, the smell, this shower gel overall is fantastic.

You can't see this in the picture above but upon un-screwing the lid of the shower gel, you look at Calacas and it's a shiny mix of colours. You get the main colour - which is yellow - but there's also a sheen on green in there that reflects off lights and then you see streaks of orange bouncing around the bottle. It's almost like magic.

Calacas possesses a potent citrus smell that will blow your socks off as soon as you squirt some out of the bottle onto your hand/loofa/sponge/scrunchie. I always use a scrunchie for shower gels as I find that if I squirt shower gel onto my hand, I have to use a lot more of the product to cover the entirety of my body. Whereas when I squirt shower gels onto my scrunchie, I don't have to use as much and my body gets exfoliated at the same time.

If you don't like strong smelling products, then this definitely isn't for you. If you don't like citrus scents, then this isn't for you. I can't seem to get enough of the smell lately. Every Lush product that I have used over the past week has been citrus scented. Calacas smells so good that it is my go-to shower gel whenever I need a pick-me-up.

Citrus aromas have been proven to lift moods due to citrus being linked to summer and summer being linked to people being happier.

*YEAH THAT'S RIGHT UK, WHERE IS OUR SUN?! IT'S NEARLY MAY AND IT'S SNOWING!*

Sorry I'm very angry at British weather right now - which is probably why I have been using Calacas so much lately. I look outside - and it's the end of April - and it's snowing, so I hop in the shower, use Calacas and the bright yellowy/orange liquid alongside the strong lime oil and neroli oil never fails to cheer me up.

The consistency of this shower gel isn't as good as others - for example: Dirty Springwash or The Olive Branch - but you don't mind using that little bit extra because you know it's so good that you're not going to care. It leaves your skin feeling slightly softer than before and the smell lingers on you skin for a good 15 minutes after you've stepped out of the shower.

I can't wait for this to be released in the Lush Kitchen again. I'm definitely going to be grabbing about a billion bottles so that I can stock up for the future. With the rate that I'm using Calacas, my 250g bottle will be finished in a few weeks (and I can't let that happen).

Ingredients:

Water (Aqua), Aloe Vera, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Lauryl Betaine, Propylene Glycol, Perfume, Lime Oil, Olibanum Oil, Neroli Oil, Lactic Acid, Citral, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool, Colour 45350, Colour 42090, Methylparaben, Propylparaben

Price:

£11.00/250g

Vegan:

Yes

Rating:

xoxo

Kirsty

Refresher Shower Jelly

This was the first ever shower jelly I bought and I didn't really know what to expect from it; from shower jellies in general. I had heard both positive and negative reviews on them so I thought that it was about time that I see for myself what they were like and give my own opinion.

Upon opening the Refresher shower jelly, the aroma of citrus hit me like a ton of bricks; it was a very strong smell and it smelt divine. You can smell the lemon infusion straight away and lemon oil straight away. It smelt... Clean... Crisp... Summery... Like something that I would love to eat.

The rosewood oil in this product also adds to the citrusy smell. Rosewood oil is gotten from rosewood timber and is distilled so that we can have it's wondrous citrusy smell.

Me being a complete newbie to the shower jellies, I took the entirety of the 240g out of the tub and proceeded to wash my body. I failed. Completely. The jelly kept slipping out of my hand and on to the shower floor, knocking my shampoo and conditioner over in the process. Wonderful. I tried this for another five minutes and in those five minutes, I had only managed to clean an arms - yes, I cleaned one arm in five minutes due to me keep dropping it.

I was getting very very frustrated and in that midst of frustration, I tore the top off the jelly so it was a small chunk. I noticed that whilst I was messing around with the smaller jelly, it was lathering up very nicely in my hand - which the 240g did not do. At all, there was pretty much no lather.

Noticing this, I decided to use this smaller chunk to wash my body. I still dropped it a couple of times but no where near the amount that I was at the beginning of this exhausting journey. I got a good grip on the smaller version and managed to clean my entire body in a few minutes. The smell filled the bathroom and I was in citrusy heaven. After I had washed the jelly off, I kept sniffing my arm (weird, I know) and the scent of the jelly had clung onto my skin.

Even after I had stepped out of the shower, I could still smell Refresher on my body and the smell had disappeared after about half an hour but had still clung to my hands for another hour after that. This gave the idea to maybe try out the shower jelly as a soap as well.

The next day, I used Refresher as a soap - just for my hands and again, in a small chunk - and it worked really well, providing my hands cleanliness and it meant that they smelt amazing for a good hour and a half.

Now that I know that smaller chunks work better in actually washing my body with, I will be cutting up all of my shower jellies into small chunks for future use for when I'm in the shower. However, I do think that I like shower gels better as my whole body feels cleaner after using the gels. After I had stepped out the shower, I had the feeling of that the jelly hadn't cleaned my body as well as a shower gel would have. So if Lush made a Refresher shower gel, that would be a dream.

I do love the idea of shower jellies: a bit of wobbly fun whilst you're in the shower, they're incredibly annoying if you don't cut them up into small chunks, so don't bother even trying to wash yourself with the whole thing because it won't work. I'm just trying to save you the frustration and time: so cut the jelly up before you use it.

I will definitely be buying this shower jelly again once I have finished my 240g tub.

Description On Lush:

When it's nice weather for ducks outside, head straight for the shower with this lemon jelly. Inside, a citrus explosion of fresh organic lemon infusion, lemon oil and organic lemon myrtle will blow the blues away. Why not take your jelly straight out of the fridge or freezer and into the bath or shower with you? The rush of cold on your skin will send blood pumping to the surface, increasing circulation and delivering a super-refreshed feeling.

Ingredients:

Fresh Organic Lemon Infusion, Glycerine, Water (Aqua), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Propylene Glycol, Carrageenan Extract, Perfume, Lemon Oil, Rosewood Oil, Organic Lemon Myrtle Oil, Citral, Limonene, Linalool, Yoshi Yellow Lustre, Methylparaben, Propylparaben

Price:

£4.25/100g
£8.50/240g

Vegan:

Yes

Rating:

xoxo

Kirsty

Sunrise Soap

Upon seeing this soap in the Mother's Day range back in March and knowing that it smelt citrusy, I knew that I had to get my hands on it. For those of you who read my blog often or know me, I LOVE citrus smells.

Sunrise soap shares it's scent with the Brightside Bubble Bar so for those of you who love that product, you're definitely going to love this soap. Lush have taken the gorgeous sunshine and orange and turned it into a soap that I have used pretty much every day since purchasing.

Looking upon this soap for the first time, I loved how bright and orange it was. It looked mouth-watering. As you can see from the pictures, there is a slight lustre in the soap which makes it look even more gorgeous. What's good is that this glitter seems to be just for show, the glitter doesn't end up on your hands or body which is brilliant for those of you who don't like glitter.

If you're using this soap to wash your hands, it lathers up really nice and the smell lingers on your hands for quite a while - I would say for about nearly an hour. Your hands smell amazing and feel amazing. My hands felt so soft after I used it and this is from the murumuru butter and the silken tofu being in the ingredients.

This soap contains mandarin, bergamot and mandarin oil which is why it smells like you've just poured orange juice over your hands. It genuinely makes me want to eat it. And that's very dangerous. That's how amazing this soap smells; it makes you want to eat it. It's fresh orange juice soap. When you use it on your hands, it makes you feel so refreshed and the zesty smell is normally linked with making you feel uplifted.

However, I decided to use this soap in the shower to see if it worked as well. It didn't. At all. I guess it's because I was working with a bigger surface area but the soap didn't lather well at all, it kept slipping out of my hand, it left my body feeling very dry and the smell did not linger at all.

It was such a shame that this was the case because it works so well with your hands - which IS the proper way to use soap but since Lush claim that you can use their soap in the shower too, the way it worked for me was very disappointing and I will probably not use it in the shower again.

The one good thing I can say about using it in the shower is that it didn't reduce the size of the soap much at all. Considering that I was using this soap over my entire body, I thought that the soap would shrink is size quite a bit; but it didn't. If anything, it didn't shrink at all. I've been using this soap a lot - as I mentioned at the beginning - and even though I've nearly finished it, I know that I've got quite a long time before it completely disappears.

On the other hand - not considering my shower experience - this is probably the best soap that Lush has released. I'm probably being biased in a sense where they have made my world favourite scent perfectly, but I have used a lot of their soaps and this one just stands out for me. If they made this soap into a shower gel, I think I would bankrupt myself and try and buy every bottle available.

Once I've finished this soap, I'm definitely going to have to go on eBay and get some more because I don't think I can wait until next Mother's Day to get my hands on some more. If you hate orange, DO NOT get this soap! But if you love citrus scents like I do, then this soap is a definite must-have!

Ingredients:

Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil, Marigold Petal Infusion, Organic Silken Tofu, Limonene, Murmuru Butter, Coconut Blossom, Nectar Perfume, Sicilian Madarin Oil, Tangerine Oil, Bergamot Oil, Fresh Dove Orchid, Starflower Borosilicate, Titanium Dioxide, Tin Oxide, Linalool, Colour 45350, Colour 45410, Colour 17200

Price:

£4.25/100g

Vegan:

Yes

Rating:

xoxo

Kirsty

Avoshower Shower Gel

With so much hype surrounding the Avoshower Shower Gel, I would have been crazy if I didn't purchase it in the Lush Kitchen when it came out online. As soon as Tuesday 29th March at 07:55 came around, I was straight on the Lush website to secure my precious bottles.

As soon as I clicked the final button to complete the checkout process, my heart cried with joy and I couldn't wait until my precious parcel arrived.

Once it did, I used it as an excuse to have a shower (even though I had one about three hours prior to the parcel arriving). I wanted to use it as soon as possible.

If you've ever tried the Avobath Ballistic, then you will love this shower gel. It pretty much smells exactly the same - maybe not as strong as the ballistic, but you can definitely tell that it derives from the same product.

Seeing the colour through the bottle does not do the colour of this shower gel justice. It's a beautiful shade of green that is a light emerald/lime colour - which probably doesn't make any sense, but when you see it for yourself, you will know what I mean. The shower gel also has a slight shine to it due to the glitter throughout the shower gel. This glitter does not stay on your skin; it washes off straight away but the lustre makes the Avoshower colour look amazing.

With a mix of organic avocado oil and fine sea salt, the shower gel proves to be quite moisturising, maybe not as moisturising as I would have liked but it still did a good job considering it's a shower gel.

It smells amazing too! Lemongrass, bergamot and rosewood create the alluring smell that is Avoshower. It's one of those natural smells, one of those where you would be walking through the countryside somewhere and smell it. It reminds me of a freshly mown field for some reason. I have no idea why this smell springs to mind as Lemongrass oil has a sweet, lemon scent as is bergamot oil.  Bergamot oil is said to have a fresh, sweet and fruit smell. Maybe my mind thinks of cut grass because of the rosewood oil? Rosewood oil is gotten from chipped rosewood - rosewood being a richly-hued timber - so the nature smell definitely derives from that ingredient.

For me, the rosewood oil outweighs the citrusy smells. There is still a very slight vestige of citrus that I noticed on my second and third use of the shower gel but like I said, it was very slight.

I can definitely understand the hype that surrounds this product. It smells amazing, it looks amazing and the smell lingers on your skin for a short amount of time after exiting the shower - about 15 minutes. I definitely recommend this shower gel, I just wish that I had bought more than one bottle when it came out in the Lush Kitchen. Looks like I will just have to sit and wait for it to get re-released or keep looking on eBay!

Description On lush:

Showers don't mean a thing if they ain't got that zing. Fresh lemongrass, uplifting bergamot and rich avocado oils are sure to make you tingle in all the right ways.

Ingredients:

Lemongrass Infusion, Water (Aqua), Sodium Alkyl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Fine Sea Salt, Glyceryl Staerat - PEG 100, Cocamide MEA, Glycol Cetearate, Propylene Glycol, Lauryl Betaine, Organic Avocado Oil, Bergamot Oil, Lemongrass Oil, Rosewood Oil, Citral, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool, Perfume, Gardenia Extract, Green Glitter, Methylparaben, Propylparaben

Price:

£11.25/250g

Vegan:

Yes

Rating:

xoxo

Kirsty

Blackberry Bath Bomb

Considering that the Blackberry Bath Bomb was one of the first bath bombs to ever be released by Lush, I only bought it two months ago. Yes I know, I'm a bit behind on the times. But I got there in the end. The only reason that I didn't jump at the chance to buy this particular bath bomb is because it is so ordinary looking. With it being plain purple with 'bomb' carved onto the top, I didn't think that this would be anything fascinating. I wasn't expecting much at all.

How I was completely wrong. If you're expecting Blackberry to actually smell like blackberries, then you're going to be disappointed. There are no blackberries in the bath bomb at all. Instead, you get the  sweet and fruit smell of the frankincense oil mixed in with the slightly citrusy smell of the bergamot oil.

Bergamot oils' citrusy smell is said to make you feel uplifting and also possesses the essentials to help clear the skin, thus being antibacterial. Frankincense oil is antiseptic and also helps smoothes the skin.

This bath bomb does exactly what it says on the tin. The smell is calming and relaxing (and also smells amazing) and the waters moisturise and nourish your skin, so when you step out the bath, the skin feels slightly smoother. I do recommend still putting moisturiser on your skin afterwards though - it's not THAT moisturising, unlike the Dragons Egg bath bomb. On the other hand, with only nine ingredients in the Blackberry Bath Bomb, you can't really complain that it doesn't moisturise brilliantly.

Upon dropping Blackberry into your bath, it starts fizzing straight away and starts to turn the water a lilac colour. After fizzing for about a minute and a half, your water turns a deeper purple which is lovely and soothing. I found that the colour stays with you for the entirety go your bath (I stay in the bath for about an hour and a half).

However, what disappointed me was that the smell of the frankincense and bergamot oil didn't linger on my skin for long. It lingered in the bathroom for about an hour but after around 20 minutes, the smell had disappeared on my skin.

Overall, this bath bomb was a very good purchase and I will definitely be buying more in the future. In fact, I've got a few on the way as I type this. Even though the scent doesn't stick around for long on your body, the colour of the bath was amazing and the smell whilst I was in the bath was divine.

DEMO:

Description On Lush:

As soon as you drop this into your bath, tension is banished as the bergamot and frankincense oils are released. Bergamot is used in aromatherapy for anxiety, depression and nervous tension, and is both relaxing and uplifting as well as antibacterial. You'll soon feel calmed as frankincense oil helps slow down breathing and induces a feeling of wellbeing.

Ingredients:

Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Perfume, Bergamot Oil, Frankincense Oil, Hexyl Cinnamal, Lilial, Colour 42053, Colour 17200

Price:

£3.35/each

Vegan:

Yes

Rating:

xoxo

Kirsty

Rub Rub Rub Body Scrub

After using the tub version of the Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub, I fancied trying out the solid version. I had already used The Rough With The Smooth body scrub and thoroughly enjoyed the experience of using a solid scrub, so I thought that Rub Rub Rub would be equally as pleasing. 

The exfoliation felt okay, it wasn't as rough as I would like it to have been - I know you don't want it TOO rough but at least rough enough to get the dead skin off your body (which I don't think this was rough enough to do).

Even though I was disappointed at first with how it exfoliated, I was thrilled by the smell of this scrub. With jasmine absolute and mimosa absolute, this scrub gives off a strong, floral scent that engulfs your entire body and takes you into a world where you're surrounded by flowers. It smells very very similar to it's counterpart - the Rub Rub Rub shower scrub. 

This scrub looks gorgeous too; the dried, pink flowers contrast beautifully with the blue. The colour of the shower scrub was a darker - yet still gorgeous - blue, the lightness of this scrub goes hand in hand with the lightness of the exfoliation. 

The thickness of this scrub is the same of that of The Rough With The Smooth and like that scrub, it goes down a similar amount after the first use. Using this product - when it doesn't have much of an exfoliation - is worrying, because you don't know how long it will last. I'm hoping that I can get 10 uses out of it, otherwise I don't think that it would be worth the price. Once I've finished the scrub, I will update you guys on how many uses I got out of it.

Another thing that bothered me was the dried flowers in the scrub. They look and smell amazing but once you've used the scrub and it gets wet, the flowers come loose. I wouldn't say it's a major negative, but it's certainly something that's going to be a pain once the scrub wears down even more.

With cupucu butter mixed in with illipe butter, you would think that this scrub would be very moisturising and you would get out of the shower and your skin would feel nourished. This wasn't the case. Sure, it felt slightly smoother but when I use this again, I will have to moisturise when I come out of the shower because it left my skin feeling a bit dry (not very dry, but enough for me to notice).

Even though the smell was very strong whilst using this scrub, about half an hour later, the smell had disappeared from my body. There was little vestige of the scrub left.

It says in the description on the Lush website that for a deeper cleanse, use before you go in the shower. I do not recommend this. I tried it on my arm and it was so painful that I had to stop before I had even finished. So I just used it whilst I was in the shower instead.

Overall, I would say that this scrub is good for someone that is looking for a light exfoliation, but if you're looking for a deep cleanse, either use the shower scrub version of this product or The Rough With the Smooth. It smells amazing, but the smell doesn't last and it wears down quite a bit after the first use. I think that I would buy this again just because of the smell of this solid scrub, but other than that, this product was slightly disappointing.

Description On Lush:

Rub-a-dub-dub, fancy a scrub? This polishing bar does not come in a tub. For lovers of exquisitely scented and magnificently exfoliated skin, this bar is perfect to take on your travels. Get straight onto wet skin to rub yourself up the right way with sea salt, illipe butter and a cherry blossom flourish. For a deeper cleanse, scrub this solid exfoliator over the body before you shower, and then rinse off.

Ingredients:

Fine Sea Salt, Organic Illipe Butter, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cupucu Butter, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cream of Tartar, Lauryl Betaine, Jasmine Absolute, Sicilian Lemon Oil, Mimosa Absolute, Orange Flower Absolute, Lilial, Limonene, Perfume, Colour 42090, Colour 4510

Price:

£5.95/each

Vegan:

Yes

Rating:

xoxo

Kirsty

Softy Foot Lotion

If you're looking for a moisturiser for your feet, Softy is it. And if you don't like the smell of lavender, then that just sucks. No seriously, if you don't like the smell of lavender then you're missing out on a brilliant lotion.

I used this lotion for the very first time today and as soon as I used it, I knew that I had to write about it straight away and tell you all how great it is.

After getting out of the shower, I exfoliated my feet and decided to give Softy a try.

The marshmallow root decoction in this product is soothing and anti-inflammatory which - when applied to your feet - can help chapped or irritated skin. This is also the case for sandalwood oil, cupuacu butter and cocoa butter. Having all of these four ingredients in this lotions means that you're definitely going to get a soothing and softening experience.

What's brilliant about this lotion is that the consistency is very thin meaning that you don't need a lot of this lotion at all for it to work it's magic. The amount that I have on my hand in the picture above covered the entirety of my foot. The lotion also wasn't oily, so after I had rubbed the cream in, my feet didn't feel greasy - which was brilliant.

As I've mentioned before, this lotions smells of lavender and the smell itself is soothing and calming. I wish that this was a body lotion, it smells that amazing.

I cannot recommend Softy enough, I am so glad that I bought the 240g of this product and I cannot wait to use it again.

Description On Lush:

A gentle lotion to get your feet back into tiptoe condition. Rich cupuacu butter and Fair Trade organic cocoa butters are a dream to rub in, while marshmallow root and almond oil soften. A beautiful blend of lavender, begamot and sandalwood essential oils, this softy will have you putting your best foot forward in no time.

Ingredients:

Marshmallow Root Decoction, Water (Aqua), Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Stearic Acid, Glycerine, Triethanolamine, Cupuacu Butter, Bergamot Oil, Lavender Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Lanolin, Limonene, Linalool, Perfume, Methylparaben, Propylparaben

Price:

£7.95/100g
£15.95/240g

Vegan:

No

Rating:

xoxo

Kirsty

Ickle Baby Bot Bath Bomb

I bought this for two reasons:

1) It's a robot and that means that it's awesome

2) I was tight on money and seeing that it was £1.95 made me happy

This bath bomb is designed for anyone over the aged of six months (mainly aimed at youngsters) and with it's calming lavender oil scent, the best time to use this is before you go to bed to help you relax.

At least that what Lush recommend. I used this for the first time during the day (what? I fancied a bath, don't judge me for using it at the 'wrong' time) about three months after I bought it.

As soon as I put this adorable robot in the water, it fizzed a light blue and gave off a slight smell of lavender. It wasn't a strong odour. I don't know whether it was because I was using it a few months after I bought it, or whether it's not a strong odour because it's designed to help children relax before bed and they didn't want the smell to be too strong. 

For the bath bomb to fully dissolve, it took about 35 seconds and the blue dissipated within 45 seconds and I was left with a slight bluish tint to my water which - after ten minutes - completely disappeared and I was left with clear water.

The lavender smell didn't seem to last a long time either and again, I don't know whether this was because I used it after a few months of purchasing or not. The smell disappeared after around 15 minutes and lingered on my skin for about 10 minutes after coming out of the bath.

For the price, you can't really complain about the experience but I expected more. I expected the blue to stay and I expected the smell to be stronger.

I would buy this bath bomb again, but maybe I will use two at the same time for a stronger experience. If you're thinking after reading this that you're definitely not going to buy this product, bear in mind that it is meant for children. Maybe I'll get my God-daughter to try it out for me.

DEMO:

Description On Lush:

A gentle lavender bath bomb to relax children before bedtime. This is a bath bomb signed to look after young children's delicate skin, and is so gentle it's suitable for babies over six months. Its aromatherapy oils also work to sooth irritate cherubs before bedtime. Lavender is a calming aromatherapy oil, using in traditional medicine to treat skin irritation, sunburn and insect bites.

Ingredients:

Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Lavender Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Chamomile Blue Oil, Limonene, Linalool, Perfume, Colour 42053, Colour 42090

Price:

£1.95/each

Vegan:

Yes

Rating:

xoxo

Kirsty

Salted Coconut Hand Scrub

I've always been guilty of not looking after my entire body. I look after my hair and moisturise when I come out of the shower but my hands and my feet? No. It sounds silly, but I completely forget that they need looking after too - especially since they're the two parts of my body that I use the most and therefore probably suffer the most damage.

I started with my hands.

Seeing that Lush had a hand scrub seemed like fate to me. And it was even better that it smelt absolutely gorgeous.

With fine sea salt, you know that your hands are going to get a good scrub and with ingredients such as cupuacu butter and extra virgin coconut oil,  you also know that you're hands are going to be moisturised and softened in the luxury process.

Cupucu butter is a tropical tree from the Amazon rainforest and is sometimes used to make white chocolate. The properties of this butter include oleic acid which possesses skin-conditioning properties. It also moisturises and protects the skin and hair.

Coconut Oil is a well-known ingredient for softening the hair and skin. Coconuts contains rich minerals and vitamins and these help smooth dry skin.

The consistency of the hand scrub is quite thick and I was very surprised at how much salt was in it - surprised in a good way. The thick and rough consistency means that you can give your hands a very good scrub to get rid of all of the dead skin that has accumulated throughout the day.

With the Salted Coconut Hand Scrub, you can either apply it on wet or dry skin and it would do an amazing job. However, I only apply it on to dry skin when my hands are very very dry and you can feel the roughness my palms. I found that if you apply it when your hands feel 'normal', it can sometimes feel sore on your knuckles from the scrubbing, so I recommend to use this product on wet hands.

After you've scrubbed away all of the dead skin, you can either apply hand cream afterwards or not. the coconut oil in this product gives your hands nourishment but again, if your hands are especially dry, I recommend putting hand cream on afterwards. I suggest 'Helping Hands Hand Cream' for this.

I wouldn't exactly say that this is a negative, but after you've done your scrubbing, the salt can get underneath your fingernails and after washing your hands and it's a pain to scrape it out. Whether this is a pain to everyone or just me, I don't know.

However, this is probably one of my favourite products from Lush. I use this once/twice a day (depending on how rough my hands are). I usually use it after I come out of the shower or bath - I have a whole after-shower/bath-routine and I will definitely be buying more of this when I finish my tub.

Description On Lush:

Superbly soft skin and scrubbing of hand in hand. This creamy coconut and salt exfoliator is the perfect way to keep your paws in tiptop condition. Apply a generous dollop to wet hands and scrub all over or use when your hands are dry for a rougher cleanse. Sea salt is a wonderful natural exfoliant, packed full of restorative minerals to cleanse and treat the skin, whilst coconut oil deeply hydrates without making your hands sticky. Those who love the sweet smell of the outdoors will love to get stuck into this scrub - fragranced with the smell of sweet gorse.

Ingredients:

Fine Sea Salt, Glycerine, Fresh Lemon Infusion, Organic Silken Tofu, Japan Wax, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Argan Oil, Cupucua Butter, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Perfume, Neroli Oil, Hydroxycitronellal, Amyl Cinnamal, Geraniol, Farnesol, Limonene, Linalool

Price:

£7.95/130g
£13.95/300g

Vegan:

Yes

Rating:

xoxo

Kirsty

Sympathy For The Skin Hand and Body Lotion

This was the first ever hand and body lotion that I bought from Lush. I was at university and constantly washing up and my hands would get rough from the washing up liquid. I know what you're all thinking: 'why doesn't she just wear rubber gloves when washing up?' And the answer is: because we haven't got any in the flat and it's never crossed my mind to go and get some.

I wouldn't say that this lotion worked perfectly for hands that wash up (I later came across the 'Helping Hands' hand cream that IS for when you wash up) but it did get rid of some of the dryness and the cracked skin and it did make my hands go smooth.

And that's all I used Sympathy for for quite a while but then I decided to use it on my body after I had gotten out of the shower.

The texture of this cream is so smooth - it's not too thick but it's not runny either, it's got a nice consistency - and it smells like bananas (which I absolutely love!) It's not a strong smell, but you can definitely tell that it's there. One of other ingredients is vanilla and the vanilla combined with the bananas makes a smell that I can't get enough of.

People who buy this product may have a problem with the tiny black specs that are in this lotion which is the vanilla pod infusion. Looking inside the tub, you're probably thinking that there are loads of black bits, but when you put the lotion on your skin, you hardly notice them. You only see them if you go looking for them. I used it today for my entire body and only noticed a few specs on part of my arm and on my thigh.

Before I rubbed the cream in

After I rubbed the cream in

Because the consistency of Sympathy is so good, you don't need much to cover your body. I've had this 100g tub now for about six months and I'm only half way through it - I've probably used it on my whole body for two and a half months.

Other people that have used this lotion has said that it works for their eczema as the sandalwood in the cream helps with anti-inflammatory.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this lotion and I know that next time I purchase it, I'm going to be buying the 240g instead. For those of you who are a bit weary about the black specs, get a tester pot first from your local store and try that first before you buy the full tub.

It's moisturising, conditioning, soothing, smells amazing and lasts for ages. It's everything that you could possibly wish for in a lotion that you're going to be putting over you're entire body.

Description On Lush:

We've packed this lotion with bananas, cocoa butter and vanilla to nourish and soften sore skin. Fresh, organic bananas are mashed and added to a loose emulsion of vanilla pod infusion, cocoa butter and almond oil, which helps the skin more easily absorb the vitamin and mineral-rich bananas. Sandalwood is great for dry skin as it's anti-inflammatory and cooling.

Ingredients:

Fresh Organic Fair Trade Banana, Fair Trade Vanilla Pod Infusion, Almond Oil, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Stearic Acid, Glycerine, Triethanolamine, Sandalwood Oil, Lemon Oil, Labdanum Resinoid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Limonene, Perfume, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Price:

£5.95/100g
£11.95/240g

Vegan:

Yes

Rating:

xoxo

Kirsty

Oil On Troubled Water Bath Oil

I bought this gorgeous looking bath oil when I went to Lush Oxford Street back in October; it was obviously an Oxford Street exclusive as I hadn't seen it in any of the stores in my area - I had also never tried a bath oil before and I was intrigued.

I didn't really know what to expect when I put this little ball in my bath. I didn't know whether to expect the water to turn blue, to expect glitter or to expect nothing.

After putting the bath oil into the water, the slow release of the oils into the bath meant that I had to wait about 15 minutes until the bath oil had completely dissolved in the water and I was left with very slightly cloudy water but a smell that was divine.

I can't really pinpoint what the the oil smells of but this is the best I can do: it smells like a forest in the spring. You know that time of year when you can smell the flowers blooming and the sap in the trees? It smells like that. It smells like nature and the earth finally ready to make the spring plants grow again. That's what it smells like. A forest blooming in the spring.

Within the ingredients of this bath oil is peppermint oil and mint but personally, I couldn't smell any mint whilst I was using this product.

The colours of the bath oil are gorgeous as well. Whilst the bath oil was melting, it was creating pink and blue trails of oil behind it. For a moment, some of the oils gathered round the edge of the bath but upon splashing the side to see if it was sticking, I breathed a sigh of relief. The colour wasn't staining the bath. I didn't really want a ring of blue and pink all around my bathtub.

My skin felt so moisturised. I was feeling my legs in the bath because I was amazed at how soft they felt after only being in there for 20 minutes. This bath oil is packed full of shea and cocoa butter and coconut oil, all ingredients which are good for packing the moisture into your skin and nourishing it.

After bathing with this amazing bath oil for about an hour, I realised that the scent had stayed with me the entire time. Sometimes, bath bombs/bubble bars/bath oils' smells disappear after a certain amount of time but with Oil On Troubled Water, the smell stays in the bathroom for a long period of time and also stays on your skin for a good four hours.

The only problem that I would have with this bath oil is that it's glittery. Not over-the-top glittery, but enough that once I was getting ready for bed, I noticed a shimmer all over my body. I'm not a huge fan of glitter all over my body - as you can probably tell.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable bath oil and one that I was definitely purchase again when it comes back in stock and at the price of only £2, no one can complain about it not being affordable. So when it comes back in Oxford Street, or if it becomes available across all stores, I recommend you go out and you buy a few of these. Not only can you maybe use more than one in the bath to have an extra moisturising experience, you can stock up so you have plenty for the future.

DEMO:

Description On Lush:

Calm the storm as you unwind amongst the clouds of mint and oakwood, you can almost smell the weather turning.

Ingredients:

Organic Shea Bitter, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides & PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Laureth 4, Perfume, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Oakwood Absolute, Bay Oil, Beeswax Absolute, English Peppermint Oil, Mint Absolute, Roman Chamomile Oil, Titanium Dioxide, DRF Alcohol, Frosty Holly Lustre, Blue Lustre, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionene, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Cinnamate, Citronellol, Coumarin, Eugenol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool, Colour 42053.

Price:

£2.00/each

Vegan:

No

Rating:

xoxo

Kirsty