If you haven't heard of Lush - they make fantastic fresh handmade soaps and cosmetics! Nothing is tested on animals, almost everything is vegan, and best of all: the scents and product quality = amaaazing. If you have the opportunity to check out a store in person - do it! It is a super fun experience and I'm sure whatever you go home with you will love. Plus, they seem to be very generous about giving free samples with purchases (and sometimes free full products!) - so chances are you will leave with a little extra than you planned for!
I don't normally write reviews - but over the past few weeks I've picked up a lot of fun stuff from Lush, and I've been so impressed by it all I just had to share! Through out the reviews I marked which items were free and which were samples so you can get an idea on the amount of freebies you can receive with purchases.
Sooo - If you want to read more, click below to check out pt.1 of my Lush Cosmetics reviews!
Sympathy for the skin: This is my most favorite lush product so far - it is such a good lotion and whenever I put it on I feel like I smell like a giant vanilla cupcake! Yum yum. It makes my skin feel smooth and well moisturized but not greasy. Since the container is kinda large and not good for toting around, I put a little bit in a small tupperwear container and carry that in my purse. I can't say enough good things about this lotion - I adore it!
Free Sample! (It was so good I went back and bought a full container!)
Yummy Yummy Yummy: So - in the store, this smelled like fruity candy to me - which I was pretty excited about! But when I got home, it wasn't quite the same - its actually like strawberries mixed with a strong floral perfume. (I think the scent was distorted in the store with all the other smells) That and the consistency was not what I expected - its very liquidy and for some reason I thought it would be more solid. Anyhow, not a huge disappointment. I used it on my skin in the shower, and then put a little in my hair for my "in-between day" shampoo before bed. It worked as a very light cleaning solution and left my hair smelling great all the next day - so A+ on scent lasting! I wouldn't use it as your only source of shampoo though, and as for a body soap - I couldn't tell how well it cleans but I didn't feel dirty or dingy - it was refreshing and fun!
Ocean Salt face/body scrub: Oh man... I have to be honest - I couldn't handle the smell of this. The smell reminded me so much of going to the dentist - which freaks me out (I hate the dentist), and the color looked like tooth paste. I used it two times on my feet in the shower - it seemed to scrub ok - nothing too intense. I'd say it would probably work well for a light body scrub for those who like minty dentist type smells... :) (Here is a link of someone who *did* like this product and used it on their face. Might be a little more helpful!)
Free Sample!
B Electro soap: Not too much to say about this soap. It is a cute neon orangey yellow, works very well and smells like a mixture of grapefruit and standard soapy scent. Not very moisturizing, but provides a good clean feel! That the bright neon color brings a smile to my face - it is a really fun bar of soap.
Free full product!
Dark Angels:
Not too much of a smell - but it looks like crushed oreo cookies! I took a pinch or two, put it in the palm of my hand and added some drops of water - then mushed it into a wet paste. Apply it to the skin - rub around a bit to have the grit exfoliate, and then rinse! It leaves my face looking very smooth, matte and slightly glowy - I love it bunches. I recommend hopping in the shower afterwords, or rinsing your face twice just in case you don't get all the little black gritty bits off of your face.
Also - I was told not to use this more than 2-3 times a week if you have sensitive skin (which I do). I listened to the advice - but I did find if I left it on for a few minutes like a face mask rather than rinsing a shortly after applying - it dried out areas of my face and left it red/irritated. It wasn't a huge issue - I solved it with some face lotion and resting for 30 minutes - returning all to normal again.
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Aromacreme deodorant: This was such an experiment! Before I bought aromacreme, I read a lot online about Lush's deodorants, and how some people had a bit of trouble with them. Some reported terrible rashes, others said they had problems with skin discoloration. I was totally nervous, but I liked the concept of the product a lot (yummy smelling deodorant that allows your body to perspire naturally - no metals!) - and I gave it a go...
What I found: Smells super great - the scent lasts all day long too. I have worn it biking and walking several miles in the heat, as well as typical office situations and there were no issues. I didn't have rashes or skin discoloration like I read about... Really, I didn't have any issues - it is great! I adore the stuff to bits because its healthy for my body, super soft and smells yummy - sort of like the creme in the middle of oreos. Yum!
I decided to take photos of how much I'm using and how I apply it since I've had good results so far:
Take a small ball of deodorant in the palm of your hand, and gently use your fingers to mush it into a warm soft paste. As soon as it feels like its easily gliding over the palm of your hand, scrape up a bit with your fingertip and gently apply it to your armpit. I don't recommend shaving right before you apply the deodorant, try to shave the night before to give your skin some rest. Also - I pick out any of the little seed looking things and don't apply those to my arms.
Big: I have thick oily hair that has been dyed a lot. My hair is quite a beast to tackle! But Big manages to somehow make my hair look really fluffy, shiny and healthy. I was told it would remind me of margaritas (I suppose due to the salt), but honestly its reminded me more of grits that smell like soap! You can definitely tell its sea salt when you grab some out of the container (the texture can seem a little intense). I took a very small amount of product, lathered it in my hands and then rubbed a bit on the front, crown, sides and underneath of my hair before I began to wash it (to evenly distribute it). The salt can seem scary but once you get the hang of using it, its not bad at all!
Free Sample! Worked so well I went back and bought the full container.
Veganese: Not very heavy, and ends of my hair look 10x healthier considering what bad shape they are in! (I'm in the process of growing my hair out and I'm always dying it!) Also works very well when combined with Big. I *love* the smell - it reminds me a lot of lemony candy. The scent lingers very lightly after drying your hair.
Freebies and Samples I was given but didn't test out: Sonic Death Monkey shower cream, Big Calm Shower Jelly
I hope you enjoyed these reviews! I had a lot of fun doing this :) Let me know if you have any questions or recommendations for future reviews. Part 2 should be coming up in a week and half!
