3 posts tagged “lush”

Lush describes their Still Life bath bomb as this:

Still Life bath bomb is so uplifting you'll feel as if you're being carried along on a flying carpet. The citrus oils are marvelous things; they do wake you up but they don't set your buzzing; they help to clarify your thoughts so you feel as though life is no longer rushing by out of control. Bathe in a Still Life bath bomb and observe the pattern which the sunflower petals make in your bath.

I bought this yesterday as I've had quite the stressful week, and figured anything that smelled as citrusy and nice would be good for lifting my spirits.  I didn't want to take a $5 bath, though, so I hacked off about a third of the bath bomb with a knife.  I can't comment on whether or not this fizzes, since I used such a small amount.  When I got in the tub the water felt a lot softer than usual.

The scent is very citrusy, and although it's supposed to contain gardenia and sunflowers (blech), I did not smell anything floral when it hit the water.  The small amount I used colored the water light yellow, and it made for a very cheerful-smelling bath.  However - and you have to take this with a grain of salt since my head was very stuffed up - I didn't smell the scent as strongly once I got into the bath.  For better or for worse, the scent also does not seem to linger (in this case, I was disappointed). 

I would probably repurchase this, but The Happy Pill is next on my list of Lush stuff to try.

I don't know about you, but I have always had a problem with travelling - I want to take everything, but I also want to just carry one or two bags so I can keep an eye on them.  I don't necessarily trust the people I'm visiting or hotels to have a shampoo that works for me, either.  So when one of my mother's friends gave me this solid shampoo bar a couple years ago, I thought it was a really neat way to save space.  It's perfect for travelling when you store it in a drainable plastic soap dish,

The Lush website describes the Irresistible Bliss shampoo bar like this:

If you want to buy a shampoo bar for someone but you don't know their hair type, get an Irresistible Bliss. We make this with neroli and jasmine oils to smell divine and to be utterly perfect for normal hair, which means that it's pretty good for everyone. Jasmine oil is famed for it legendary aphrodisiac powers - hence the irresistible bit - and neroli oil is known for its ability to induce euphoria - hence the bliss. Plus it gets your hair clean.

 

The scent of this bar is hard to describe, but I am very sensitive to smells (particularly perfumes and manufactured scents), and it smells fantastic to me.  It's not overpowering, but it's strong enough to stick around for awhile after shampooing.  (It also passes the boyfriend-smelling-the-hair test, for whatever that's worth.)  It's a bit floral, which I don't usually go for, but somehow it works.  I would recommend trying to visit a Lush store before you get one, though, if you are also sensitive to scents.

This was my introduction to Lush products, which are moderately expensive, but very high quality, organic, and last forever.  This particular bar has lasted me through two years of visiting others and going on various trips (especially to Hawaii!).  I am finally at the end of the bar, however, which means that the next time I am in Pasadena I will be picking up a New Hair shampoo bar - I've smelled it in person and the cinnamon scent is fantastic!

 

 

All the things I am struggling not to buy or just ran out of, or things that I've tried and ran out of.  I am embracing my materialism with arms (and wallet) wide open. :D  If I can't have it, might as well blog about it.

 First order of business: Books.  As you will soon see, I like history a little too much...it creeps into my "fun reading" all the time.  I have many, many books on my wishlist, so I'll just focus on the highlights.

 

Margaret George's The Memoirs of Cleopatra is one of those historical fiction books that you come along once in a great while: she likes to write about the people history tend to condemn, and make you sympathize with them almost immediately.  Henry VIII wasn't such a bad guy after all!  These books are meticulously researched, beautifully written, and just epic.  She makes the reader realized how incredibly important one person's life can be, and how unimportant everything becomes as thousands of years obliterate their memory.  Cleopatra in our minds now was a scheming temptress, but it's hard to remember that she wasn't just a caricature of herself - she was probably our age and went through the same rites of passage we do.  I highly recommend this and I want a copy for myself.

 

Kelley Armstrong's Bitten is not at all historical (yay, says the reader who is sick of my desire to rub up against my hot, sexy textbooks); rather, it is the story of the world's only female werewolf.  To say this is a sensual and dark novel is an understatement (oh, my), but it is also excellently written with three-dimensional characters.  Armstrong has yet to top this with anything else she's written, but she's developed a series around this book.  Read this one first.  It's like Blood and Chocolate (by Annette Curtis Klause) for grown-ups.  Also recommend Blood and Chocolate.

 

 

To round out the books selection is Rosalind Miles' Isolde trilogy.  This has gotten some abysmal reviews on Amazon, but I really enjoyed the telling of one of my favorite Arthurian legends (my other passion - history related, of course).  It can be saccharine at times, but that's Miles' writing style, and after all - it's a love story with court and political intrigue.  I recommend reading all three books, especially if you like Arthurian legends (her Guenevere trilogy is an interesting take on those as well).  (Of course, I want the Tristan and Isolde movie too.)

 

 

 

 

Next, random materialism:

I have two basic tarot decks and a Rune-tarot deck, but I have found myself desperately wanting these two sets as well (and don't even get me started on the Gummy Bear Tarot, so cute!).  The Golden Tarot is this beautiful computer-collaged deck that uses medieval and renaissance artwork to create the familiar tarot imagery, so it's right up my alley.

The Housewives' Tarot is this quirky vintage deck that comes in a recipe box with funny twists on the familiar Tarot images: The Devil is a chocolate cake with devil horns, holding a martini.  Death is spoiled mayonnaise.  The Swords suit feature cocktail swords, and the Cups suit - what else? - features martinis.  If you've ever tried to keep a house clean, I have a feeling you could appreciate this deck.  The snarky descriptions in the booklet are also hilarious, and it includes instructions for a "martini spread."  Hee.

 

 

 

 

Now, a perennial favorite,  Lush products.  I sadly just ran out of my Christmas Kisses bubble bar, am close to finishing my Ma Bar bubble bar, and they just came out with a whole load of things I don't need but desperately want.  Pictured to the right is the Soft Couer massage bar, which smells like honey, white chocolate, chocolate, and orange.  It's great for massages (boy, is it ever!) but I also swipe it across my wrists as solid perfume.  The thing with Lush, if you aren't familiar with them, is that their products are all-natural and so the scents smell real, not like chemical reproductions of those scents.  When I say "honey, white chocolate, chocolate, and orange" I mean that you will want to eat this stuff. 

 

To the left is the Ma Bar bubble bar, which is toffee, honey, orange, and chocolate scented.  Bubble bars are pretty much the penultimate bubble bath: a small slice (it's soft and easily sliced with a kitchen knife) will make your whole tub fill up with bubbles that smell like a pastry chef is working in your house.  There is also Honey Trap lip balm (not pictured) that has the same general smell as the last two products, lasts in its tin forever, and is really nice on the lips. 

I want to try the Sunny Side bubble bar (citrus-scented - and glitter!) and the Pop in the Bath bubble bar next, as well as the two delicious sounding new lip balms, Lip Squeak (apple pie) and Happy Talk (coffee).  At an average of $7-8 per item, Lush can be pricey for your college student type, but I can personally vouch that it's high quality and will last a good amount of time for the price you pay (just remember to slice up your bubble bars!).  And I don't know about you, but their stuff just makes my bathtime happier.  That 20 minutes of relaxation is worth it to me.

I'll save the makeup post for later, but let us say that I'm really looking forward to MAC's fall collections and have been updating my makeup collection with a few key pieces that I'll review later.