Lush Kitchen: Grass Shower Gel Review

This product was originally sold as a regular item in all Lush stores up until Summer of 2015 when it was discontinued and came out in the Lush Kitchen recently in the Ready, Set, Summer menu so I decided that I needed a bottle. I loved this product so much when it was a regular product but unfortunately was unable to stock up on it when it was announced to be discontinued as my local store had ran out before I managed to grab some so I am very happy I have been able to get some in the Kitchen.

 This product is exactly what you'd expect and does exactly what it says on the tin; it is Grass scented but with a sweet side to it in my mind. It smells like a freshly mown lawn you'd expect to smell on a walk about in the summer and this is due to the fresh wheatgrass juice that contains high amounts of chlorophyll. This makes it perfect to use in the summer as the vitamins and chlorophyll that is found in wheatgrass is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory which could help with sun damage and general damage the skin has taken on.

The sweet scent comes from the bergamot oil that can be found in the product making it a little sweeter but also a pick me up perfect to be used any time of day due to bergamot being an uplifting, happy scent. This scent is a perfect summery scent as it does remind me of summer walks, I personally think it could be used other times of the year as a reminder of the warmer and perhaps happier times of the year.

Lush don't have many straight forward scents, they are usually more complex that have a few different layers to the scent. however, Grass is different in the sense that it is a straightforward scent and you do know what you're going to get. I think this makes it a must have from Lush.

The consistency of this batch is rather watery with a green colour to it (from the chlorophyll in the wheatgrass). I wasn't bothered by the consistency as the product seemed to lather rather well for a thin product and it did not lose it's scent even after washing it off the skin.

I would recommend this product to people who like natural 'green' scents such as the Grass bubble bar and Green bubbleroon and if you like something different from Lush's usual complex scent range.

Price: £11.00 for 250g

Vegan

Ingredients: Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Fresh wheatgrass Juice, Lauryl Betaine, Chlorophyllin Water, Perfume, Propylene Glycol, Sandalwood Oil, Bergamot Oil, Neroli Oil, Fine Sea Salt, Benzyl Alcohol, *Coumarin, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool, Methyl Ionone, Methylparaben
*Occurs naturally in essential oils

Lush Kitchen: Melomint Bubble Bar Review

This is possibly one of the more attractive bubble bars that Lush have produced with it's watermelon look of green and pink with linseeds to represent the seeds found in watermelon. Although I would really enjoy a watermelon scented Lush product, I was delighted to find out that the product smells like mint with an earthy undertone which makes it a little more sophisticated than the Intergalactic bath bomb.

With two kinds of mint; spearmint and peppermint oil, this product is brilliant for morning baths as mint is known for its stimulating and awakening properties. Peppermint oil is invigorating and is used to help sooth muscles and awaken the body to prepare it for the rest of the day ahead. Spearmint oil can also be used to awaken the body and even to relieve stress.

The woodlandy, natural undertone comes from the cypress oil. It is known to relieve stress and can be used as an antiseptic which helps cleanse the skin. I personally think that it goes with the mint scent very well and gives it a bit of dimension and a sophisticated scent.

 I like to cut a bit of my bubble bars off an either crumble them straight into the bottom of the tub before running the water or if I have a bit more time, I will use a sifter which I find creates creamier bubbles and when a product has what I like to call floaters in them, it removes all of the floater from my water without me struggling to pick them out; just like the linseeds used in this bar.

I used half of a bar which turned the water into a pale pink/coral colour and produced lots of creamy bubbles that lasted throughout my whole bath. The water smelt so strongly of the product and left the room smelling exactly like the bar. When I got out of the bath, I could still detect the scent of the bar on my skin mixed with other products so I am very impressed with how this bubble bar has done.

As mint is one of my favourite scents so bath in, I really did enjoy this bubble bar and am so glad that I picked up a few so I don't run out any time soon. I feel that mint can be used at any time in the year and for many reasons whether its to wake you up or to sooth aching muscles. I would recommend this product to almost everyone, unless you are not a fan of any of the mentioned scents or if you have a sensitivity to rather pungent and strong scents.

Price: £3.95

Vegan

Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream Of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Peppermint Oil, Cypress Oil, Spearmint Oil, Linseeds, Perfume, Gardenia Extract, Limonene, Linalool, Chlorophyllin, Colour 17200, Colour 14700, Colour 45410

Ladybird Bubble Bar Review (Mother's Day 2016)

The Ladybird bubble bar was the first product that caught my eye in the Mother's Day 2016 collection  as it was one of the cutest and prettiest bubble bar I have seen in a while from Lush. As soon as I smelt it, I was amazed by how different this bubble bar was compared to other bubble bars. I personally think this product smells like a mix between The Comforter shower cream and Dirty Springwash shower gel which usually, berries and mint wouldn't be the first combination I would have put together, but Lush have really pulled it out of the bag.

The product has been produced to a very high quality in terms of how much detail has gone into making these little beauties. The product is made up of bright red and bright purple and makes a deep red bath water.

The product contains geranium oil and peppermint oil, together making this products' unique scent. Geranium oil balances excess sebum and cleanses the skin. Peppermint oil relaxes sore muscles and awakens the body. In the product, the geranium oil is more visible in the scent rather than the peppermint. The scent is not a strict Comforter scent as the peppermint give it the unique Ladybird scent which many seem to love.

The product is a somewhat small bar that is quite condensed so you don't really need to use that much of the product in my opinion. Below can be seen the bubbles of one third of the bar which I personally think is brilliant for how much you have to use. The bubbles are soft and thick and last for the whole time I am in the bath. The deep, red water is soft and leaves the skin feeling soft and ready for the day ahead of you. The scent can be detected on the skin ever so slightly, but in the bath, the scent lasts throughout.

I would highly recommend this product to anyone; it is a versatile scent that can be used anyone and is a fun bar with the lady bird appearance making it a hit with kids also. For three baths at £3.95, I think this is very good value for money in terms of Lush's bubble bars. If you get a chance to get one, or even smell one, I would highly recommend you do.

Price: £3.95 per bar

Vegan

Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Cornflower, Perfume, Geranium Oil, Peppermint Oil, Colour 45410, Colour 17200, Colour 42090

Lush Kitchen: Lemslip Buttercream

I have always wanted to try one of Lush's buttercreams but as they're not sold in stores, it was hit or miss with finding one that I would like and as soon as I saw that Lemslip was featured in the Lush Kitchen, I knew I had to have it. As part of the Ready, Set, Summer kitchen menu, this product is fruity and fresh which is brilliant for the warmer time of year. As can be guessed by the product name, it is heavy in a lemon scent with lime and orange undertones, but mainly lemon. 

As well as lemon being a refreshing scent for the Summer, fresh organic lemon juice is great for removing grease and cleansing the skin. I feel as though this is perfect when you need to refresh yourself after a hot summers day. Lemon is also known to be an uplifting scent to make any user happy.

Although that lemon draws away grease, extra virgin coconut oil and fair trade organic cocoa butter moisturise the skin. Cocoa butter is known for relieving dry skin and soothing itchy skin. Irish moss gel works well with these ingredients as it also softens and moisturises the skin.

To use this product I will wash normally with shower gel and then I will use this over the top. It doesn't lather, acting like a body conditioner, it leaves a silky smooth layer over the skin and after it has been washed off, they scent sticks to you and leaves the skin feeling so smooth and refreshed. As well as using it to cleanse with, I also like to use Lemslip as a shaving cream on my legs, it leaves them feeling softer than any other shaving cream I have used.

I would highly recommend this product to anyone looking for an awakening scented product that moisturises the skin brilliantly and who's scent stays on the skin after getting out of the bath/shower.

Price: £10.25 for a 225g pot

Vegan

Ingredients: Irish Moss Gel, Glycerine, Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil, Fresh Organic Lemon Juice, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Water, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Perfume, Lime Oil, Sweet Wild Orange Oil, Gardenia Extract, Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, *Limonene

*Occurs naturally in essential oils

Big Solid Conditioner Review

Before I start my review, I would like to say that this is my own personal review and I wouldn't want any of you to be put off by anything I say. Anything negative I have to say about a product is how I feel but I know many people would strongly disagree with what I will say; especially this conditioner bar which unfortunately didn't work for me but does for so many others.

There's good things I can say about this product along with a couple of negative things so I'll start with the good points I have to say. First, I was so happy with the scent of this product! It smells like the Big sea salt shampoo that Lush currently sell all year round in stores. However, I personally find that it has a little bit of a creamier, sweeter smell than the shampoo which I was more than happy with. Also, the shape and size of the bar is great as it fits perfectly with the shape of my hand making it easy to work for either rubbing it into your hair or rubbing it between your hands to then transfer it to your hair.

Another thing I like about the product is that it is naked, like a lot of other Lush products, which means that it needs no packaging making it economically friendly.

The product contains many things that would be good for hair that gets greasy with added fresh organic lemon juice and fresh organic lime juice which are known for removing grease from the hair and skin. However, this product contains extra virgin coconut oil which will help condition the hair along. The added sea salt adds texture and volume to the hair, making it a great conditioner to use with the sea salt shampoo under the same name.

Saying all of this though, personally I found that the scent of the product didn't really stick to my hair and was hard to detect after I had washed the product out and dried my hair. And although the bar is a good size for my hands, for my hair, I had to use a lot of the product to be able to even slightly feel it within my hair. I only use conditioners of the ends of my hair so I was not happy with the amount I had to use to just do my tips.

 I would say after about three uses of this product on my hair, it has took about a third of the bar to use to saturate my hair. And at £5.95 per bar, this would be a pricey alternative to liquid conditioners.

I tried using the bar in different ways; rubbing it directly onto my hair and rubbing it into my hands then applying it into my hair that way. Rubbing it directly onto the tips of my hair worked faster but I found my hair was snapping and sticking to the bar. I personally would consider my hair to be rather healthy so to find the extensive amount of breakages on the bar, I was sceptical about how much hair had actually been pulled out. As well as this, when I washed the product from my hair, I found little lumps of the conditioner in my hair and even had to re-wash my hair as it had clumped that badly.

When I next used the bar, I rubbed it between my hands and used the build up on my hands to transfer it onto my hair. Although this meant there was no hair breakages, it took significantly longer to use the bar this way and again I had to use a lot of product and time to saturate the tips of my hair.

Maybe this bar would work better for someone with finer hair than myself as there will be no need to use as much so it won't take as long to use the bar and it would work out more cost effective. However, I don't like this bar and am a little sceptical about using other conditioner bars.

Price: £5.95 per bar

Vegan

Ingredients: Glyceryl Stearate and PEG-100 Stearate, Fine Sea Salt, Cetearyl Alcohol and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Toothed Wrack Seaweed, Fresh Organic Lemon Juice, Organic Jojoba Oil, Fresh Organic Lime Juice, Propylene Glycol, Perfume, Glycerine, Guar Hydropropyltrimonium Chloride, Fair Trade Vanilla Absolute, Vetivert Oil, Jasmine Absolute, Bergamot Oil, Candellia Wax, Titanuim Dioxide, Alpha Isomethyl Ionone, *Linalool, *Coumarin, *Limonene
*Occurs naturally in essential oils

Avocado Co-Wash Review

I was always intrigued by Avocado Co-Wash as it's a bit different to the solid hair care that Lush have previously offered as it does both cleanse and condition the hair. I personally think that of the few times I have tried this product, it has always been more conditioning than cleansing which I have no problem with at all. I personally am not a fan of the solid conditioners that Lush have to offer as they have always clumped in my hair, leaving bit chunks of conditioner in my air even after washing out. Because of this I did put off trying Avocado Co-Wash but what made me try this was the incredible scent which I later found also left its scent on my hair.

As can be told by the name, this product contains fresh avocado that is known for it being perfect for re-hydration to the skin which results in smooth and healthy skin, perfect for the scalp. It also contains many vitamins that also adds to promoting healthy skin. It can also leave the hair soft and shiny.

Fair trade organic cocoa butter and cupuacu butter also moisturise the skin and are used as vegan alternatives to lanolin that is an oil taken taken from the fur of animals such as sheep, it is produced by the skin of the animal and taken off the fur. So these two alternatives are widely used across the whole of Lush's range as vegan moisturising ingredients. As they are natural products, they are easily available and amazing for the scalp and the hair.

Extra virgin olive oil is also used in this product and is known for its moisturising and healing properties. The vitamins in it help the skin to be cleansed easily and allow to keep the hair and skin healthy, even after it has been washed off the skin. Vitamin E is found within olive oil which is known for moisturising and repairing which is great for damaged hair.

Bergamot oil gives this product an uplifting scent which sticks to the hair beautifully and is undoubtedly one of the best smelling hair products in my opinion. Bergamot is part of the citrus family that isn't exactly too evident within the scent, but works with other scents to create this unique and beautiful smell. The addition of lavender and olibanum is undetected really within this product. Whenever I have used this product, people always know what I have used on my hair and this even happens the next day. It's evident enough to notice yourself and for others to do so but is not over powering. 

To use this product, everyone finds their own way of doing so but I find that I get the best results by running it down the tips of my hair a couple of times the using the excess from my hands to massage the product into the tips. I personally have a greasy scalp so I avoid using this product on my scalp and I find that it works perfectly on hydrating and making my hair shine. I have dyed my hair for quite a few years and last year I stopped doing so and I wanted to look after my hair more and using this product every now and again is perfect for the dry condition of my damaged tips.

I would say I'm bothered by the price of this product but I'm really not. It works so well at moisturising, hydrating and the addition of the beautiful scent makes it acceptable for me to buy ever now and again when I feel as though my hair needs that extra TLC.

Price: £9.95 for 100g

Vegan

Ingredients: Rosemary, Lavender Flower and Nettle Infusion, Cupuacu Butter, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Fresh Avocado, Socium Laureth Sulfate, Glyceryl Stearate and PEG-100 Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Glycerine, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Perfume, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Cider Vinegar, Cationic Guar Gum, Bergamot Oil, Litsea Cubeba Oil, Olibanum Oil, Gardenia Extract, *Cinnamal, *Cinnamyl Alcohol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Red Wax Chlorophillin
*Occurs naturally in essential oils