All Things Lush and Beautiful

Everybody that reads my blog must know by now how much I love this company and the wonderful luxuries it makes. This year I’ve been treated to – and treated myself to – a whole new host of their products. So here’s my take on all of them, one by one...

New Christmas Edition: Maple Taffy Lip Balm

I really wanted to get this review out sooner as sadly this little beaut won’t be back on the shelves until December later this year. However initially when I got to Lush this Christmas I was instead very sad to find that the Christmas edition ‘Let Them Eat Cake’ lip balm had been discontinued. This was my favourite Lush lip balm in the collection, so much so I stocked up on enough for the year ahead last year so that I wouldn’t run out (and can I add that I only needed two lip balms for the whole year?!) It was also a winner amongst all of my clients as they love the smell when I use it on them as a moisturising base before applying lippy.

But soon all woes were forgotten when I found the new Christmas edition lip balm in its place – ‘Maple Taffy’. Smelling of and containing maple syrup I think I actually prefer this one now. The smell lasts longer and yet the ingredients list is simpler: Extra Virgin Coconut oil, Maple Syrup, Japan Wax, Shea Butter, Illipe Butter, Carnauba Wax and Glycerine.

The other difference – which admittedly takes some getting used to at first – is the waxy consistency. ‘Let Them Eat Cake’ was a lot oilier and glossier, I think owing to the Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Whereas ‘Maple Taffy’ contains Extra Virgin Coconut Oil and a lot of rich butters and these seem to provide a much waxier base. If you don’t mind it though I think it’s worth giving the lip balm a chance because I maintain this one moisturises better because the waxy layer that it forms seems to keep moisture in more effectively and stays put whilst Let Them Eat Cake could sometimes eventually slide off.

Vanilla Dee-Lite Hand & Body Lotion

This lotion is my new Holy Grail Lush product. It’s a light moisturiser, but lasts the mile. The smell is so scrumptious, it’s one that’s truly addictive and makes me feel, well put quite simply, happy. I’ve always been a fan of vanilla, so it’s an easy sell to me really. However they’ve put kiwi fruit in this lotion, and as odd as the marriage of these two scents sounds, I think that’s what gives it the amazingly addictive twist! It’s not as sickly as some vanilla-scented products can be and I think that’s owing to the kiwi – it balances out the sweetness, like lime does to coconut!

As I mentioned above the durability is great too – I can wash my hands after having using it on my arms, get a hairstyling product all over my hands whilst styling my hair and I can still smell Vanilla Dee-Lite on my mitts long afterwards! I can also often smell it on myself as the day winds on which is always a bonus for me as isn’t that the reason we use lovely smelling lotions and potions?!

The only disadvantage to this hand and body lotion I’d say is that it may not be nourishing enough for everyone’s skin. The skin on my arms and legs can lean a bit toward the dry side so I still need to use nourishing exfoliants as well as working this into my skin. However Lush does have the name bang on as it really is a delight to use!

Christmas Edition ‘Cinders’ Bath Ballistic

Again another Christmas limited edition – sorry! But if it helps I’d be curious to see if you’d feel let down by this one too. I'm afraid to say I was a little disappointed by this bath bomb. It smelt so exciting and promising when I took it home and of all the bath bombs Lush sells I think it’s one of the prettiest as the colours are gorgeous.

I could definitely smell its cinnamon leaf and sweet orange when it was solid, but when I popped it in the bath I could barely smell anything as it fizzed away. It turned the water a lovely warm, buttery yellow colour and it did feel like it was moisturising my skin once it had melted into the water but other than that I wasn’t blown away.

The bath bomb promised an experience like “falling asleep in front of a log fire and hearing the crackling embers as the snow falls down” – the crackling effect that it produces comes from very cute red popping candy that’s set into the bath bomb! But whilst it did have great fizzing quality it left much to be desired for me. The fragrance that was left on my skin wasn’t very detectable and I couldn’t smell it when I woke up in the morning at all. So sadly out of the three, I won’t be buying this again in future Christmas shopping sessions!

Now normally this is the bit where I point you in the website direction for your own bottle of Vanilla Dee-Lite lotion, but sadly the Lush UK site has fallen victim to hackers recently and as a result no trading’s taking place on there at the moment (more info at www.lush.co.uk) But as an alternative in the meantime you can get in touch with the Lush team on 01202 668545 to place an order or head down to your local Lush and have a sampler there!

Lush - A Few Reviews

Seeming as their sister brand (B Never) is saying a fond farewell to us all at the end of the year, I thought I'd celebrate my favourites at Lush to take our minds off the very sad news! I love Lush and their products because they make such fun cosmetics for all ages - it's like being a kid again when you get to try all of the different types of textures, smells and sensations. And because their products are so different from your average cosmetics and toiletries on the market, it makes preening and cleaning yourself that bit more special and fun!

I've got a list as long as my arm here people, so if you're thinking of making a Christmas list for yourselves, then you better get scribbling...

Cupcake Fresh Face Mask

It smells like chocolate icecream, looks like chocolate icecream so it's got to taste like it, no? I don't know, I can't say I've tried but what I can say is that whilst I can't recommend you taste it I can recommend that you use this all over your face every week if you suffer from oily or acne-prone skin.

This face mask has been specifically designed with teenagers in mind. It's perfect to soothe breakouts and prevent new ones. The main ingredient that you may mistake for chocolate icecream is Rhassoul mud which is responsible for soothing angry red blemish-prone skin...

Whilst my skin isn't so teenage anymore, I do have skin that leans towards the oilier side and I also suffer from clogged pores. So I use this mask on my T Zone once or twice a week. It has peppermint oil in it so it's slightly cooling and when you take it off your skin's left feeling really smooth, soothed and soft. You'll also end up with a slight whiff of chocolate on your skin so don't be surprised if people start to drool after you!

Snow Fairy Shower Gel

It's pink, has sparkles in it and smells divine - what's not to love?! In fact I wish my blog came with Smell-o-Vision, I don't think describing the scent can do it justice. The first time I smelt this I got very excited, haha! My sister had received a bottle one Christmas and I decided I just had to have some too. Except by the time I trotted along to Lush I'd missed out and found out that this beautiful shower gel is only limited to the Christmas period.

Well I'm not going again another a year without it so I'm all stocked up now. I love that it leaves you feeling young again - it smells like all the naughty sweets you used to love as a kid and the smell lingers on your skin and in the bathroom long after you've showered. You can also use it in your hair if you like and you can buy it in three different sizes 100g, 250g and 500g. If you haven't smelt this yet then I'm sure when you do you'll be stocking up on the largest bottles to last you until the next Christmas... Snow Fairy is available to buy now!

Ocean Salt Facial Cleanser

It's like rubbing the contents of a cocktail bar... ON YOUR FACE! There's salt, lime and even vodka in this heavenly facial cleanser. It works as an exfoliator and is ideally best for those of you with oily skin. This is the best exfoliator I have ever used on my face and I mean EVER! Not only is it really fun - when you open the tub you'll see big, blue, beautiful chunks of sea salt and then if you delve in you'll notice the mousse-like cleanser all mixed in underneath! It's also really good at controlling oil, unclogging my pores and making my skin super soft! My skin hasn't been in this good condition for a long time, I love it and will definitely be stocking up on this in future...

Curly Wurly Shampoo

There's no chocolate or caramel in sight but if you open up the tub you'll find a very fun coconut mixture inside. I dare you to turn the tub upside down - with the lid off! No it doesn't move - at all. This is a solid shampoo and as you'll see if you scoop some out, it contains tonnes of dessicated coconut. All you need to do is wet your hair, grab a small amount of Curly Wurly and rub it in your hair and voila - as if by magic, it bubbles up and creates a wonderful lather leaving your hair feeling silky soft!

Designed for those of us with curly hair (hence the name!), it's great at curing the dried, dull texture that curly hair can suffer from time to time. If you have processed hair then this shampoo will work wonders for you too! If you want to follow up with a conditioner too then you can buy Coolaulin - a similar mix but with creamed coconut and lemon juice for added shine - this conditioner is however a liquid and comes in a bottle.

Bye Bye B Never...

Well I'm certainly not the first to be announcing this really sad news, but I wanted to let those of you who may still not know. Georgie of So Full of Twilight Dreams That Glitter broke the bad news just under a week ago. You may remember my post on the magic of B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful - Lush's sister makeup and beauty brand? Well unfortunately after this Christmas B Never will be no more : (

The company have made the decision to pack up shop after all these years, they won't be going into liquidation, administration or anything nasty like that but instead Lush will be absorbing all the assets. I'm really going to miss this brand - I loved everything about them - their awesome products with amazing names and super gorgeous and fun packaging, philosophy, branding and the stores were like candy shops!

But in true B Never style this Christmas all the stores will be going out with a bang and celebrating their wonderful six years of trading with YOU their loyal fans - so gets yourselves down to your local store and if you're not very local to one then it should still be worth the trip to your nearest. Their UK stores are in Covent Garden, 332 Oxford Street (the one off Carnaby Street isn't there anymore so don't go over there by mistake!), 29 High Street, Poole, Dorset and 21 Commercial Street, Leeds. And if you're in Tokyo, Japan or Vienna, Austria then you too can find your way to your local store for a fun-packed Christmas/Goodbye Do!

In the meantime if there's anything you would like to stock up on before B says goodbye then get online or head to one of the stores because as their website says all their products now really are collectable!

I'll be stocking up on the glitters, concealer and bath products, yes please!

www.bnevertoobusytobebeautiful.co.uk/

B is for B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful!

My boyfriend introduced me to this store two years ago when we stumbled upon it in London nextdoor to my favourite MAC store just off Carnaby Street (a friend of his had worked there for a while and she sang its praises constantly!) When I first went in I thought I'd travelled back in time - the store's decorated and furnished with very beautiful and vintage decor and reminds me of little old English sweet stores... but obviously houses makeup instead!

B Never... is the sister brand of Lush and you'll soon realise this as you walk around and notice that a lot of their ingredients are natural and some of their cosmetics are even suitable for Vegans! The packaging, products on offer and branding are also very similar to that of Lush with bright colours and unusual names to boot. You'll soon notice that most of their colours on offer, whether those of eyeshadows, mascaras, blushes or foundation shades are named with the letter B.

The packaging is also very unique: Glitters for instance come in tiny handcrafted wooden pots that look like they fell off a lorry full of Far East Asian pottery! The eyeshadows sit in the most beautiful, elegant bejewelled containers, all differing in design, colour and materials. The foundation bottles look like they should only ever sit on the most elegant of dressing tables as they have ornate gold decorations trailing up the glass of the bottles. Nothing is done by halves by any means!

B Never certainly fulfil their name - they not only sell makeup and cosmetics to make a girl faint, but they emphasise the importance in feeling your best and taking relish in it! How could you not enjoy it with all of the beautiful packaging, fantastic shades and brilliant selection to choose from at your fingertips?!

However B Never may not be for everyone's budget! An eyeshadow will knock you back £8 and you'll find that the pan is rather on the small side. The liquid foundation is £20 - more than most retail foundations on offer, however perhaps you can take solace in the fact that most of the ingredients are natural and therefore very beneficial for your skin!

Another disadvantage is that there are very few B Never... stores around the UK at the moment. It's still early days as far as expansion here is concerned so if you don't live in London and you're not fortunate to live in Poole (B Never's hometown) then you won't easily be able to take a look at all their wares. However they do have a great website, plus one for all of you makeup lovers in Japan and one for Austria, where you can buy everything you need. So if you're unable to sample in-store you can email them and ask to try out some of the products they have to offer. They'll be more than happy to send some your way.

I know I've waxed very lyrical about this brand, but I can't wait to see what they offer next and if they expand around the UK, plus maybe offer more of you from abroad a taste of their delights. I'll be giving a range of their products a try in the next few months and reviewing as I go so watch this space... One thing's for certain - their approach to beauty is very unique and exciting - exactly what getting ready should be all about!

Go and see what all the fuss is about by visiting www.bnevertoobusytobebeautiful.co.uk!

Image Source

All images courtest of B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful.