Brand Blurb #1: Lush

Hello all!

This is a review on LUSH fresh handmade cosmetics. I will discussing the brand, products I like and products I dislike.

[Note: This will be a text heavy review, LUSH has a lot of products, and I have an opinion on a lot of these. ]

Here is a photo of my current LUSH bathroom stash:

First off this is the little spiel on the back of the LUSH bags:

"We believe in buying ingredients only from companies that do not commission tests on animals and in testing our products on humans.

We invent our own products and fragrances, we make them fresh by hand using little or no preservative or packaging, using only vegetarian ingredients and tell you when they were made.

We believe in happy people making happy soap, putting our faces on our products and making our mums proud.

We believe in long candlelit baths, sharing showers, massage, filling the world with perfume and in the right to make mistakes, lose everything and start again.

We believe our products are good value, that we should make a profit and that the customer is always right.

*We also believe words like 'Fresh' and 'Organic' have an honest meaning beyond marketing."

That does a good job of summing up the company. Just walking past a LUSH store you can tell they are organic, and prize natural ingredients over fancy packaging. 

LUSH is relatively new in the world of beauty, 18 years young, since its conception in May of 1995. A year prior to that Founders Mark and Mo Constantine had opened the first 'LUSH' store in Poole which was then named Cosmetic House Limited. It was from that humble beginning that LUSH grew into the worldwide icon is it today. 

Now lets jump into the products!

***


Best Products: 

Dream Cream: $29.95 per 240g
THIS STUFF IS AMAZING. if you hate moisturizing every day as much as I do this will save your skin. It skins in IMMEDIATELY  is non sticky, and can last you a few days without having to reapply. It is award winning for a reason guys and is totally worth the higher price point. 

Ponche, Twilight, & Its Raining Men Shower Gels: $12.50 - $13.50 per 250g
These are all so fantastic I could not pick just one. Both Twilight and Ponche only come at Christmas time so Raining is my year long staple. They all smell amazing,lather quite well (ponche maybe a little bit less), and last FOREVER.

Golden Wonder Bath Ballistic: $7.50
This is one of my favourite things about Christmas  I think I bought about 10 last year, as gifts and just ti spoil myself. It is the most fantastic bath bomb in the world. I don't want to spoil the delicious surprise, but you must get one and experience its joys. 

H'suan Wen Hua & Jasmine and Henna Fluff-Eaze: $19.95/225g & $27.50/220g 
Both of these hair masks left my hair softer and shiner. I also revived compliments on the smell of my hair after both of them which is nice! As long as you have a buddy to help plastic bag your hair up these are well worth the money. They are hair 'treats' that aren't full of nasty proteins or chemicals so you can sleep well at night. 

Grease Lightening: $13.95 per 45g
This is a skin savior  I think the tiny bottle will last me an eternity because you barely need any, in fact I always pump out too much. Dab it on spots and they will fade quickly, without the pain or over drying out. 

Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly: $6.25 per 100g
At first I did not like the smell of this, but the LUSH shower jellies are really practical to use and cost effective. The best advise I can give is to take out the jelly and to cut it into 5mm squares  Stick one into a loofah and it will lather up to wash your entire body. I think I would love this products even more in another scent, but this is the only one I have tried and I love it. It lasted me about 60-70 washes, but that is a total guess ha. 


Worst Products: 

Shine So Bright: $7.50 per 10g
This. Makes. Me. So. Angry. The worst by far. I have no idea weather this products works because it is so hard to get out of its jar! You are meant to warm it up using your fingers tips and apply it to the ends of you hair, but not only does it take 5 minutes to get the lid off, it takes 10 minutes to warm it up. I have given up and it probably dried up after about 2-3 months of sitting untouched.  

Stepping Stone: $5.95 per 75g
I really wanted this product to be good but it is just far too crumbly  There are plenty of better options (the Body Shop for example) that sell similar and more effective products. 

Cynthia Sylvia Stout Liquid Shampoo: $12.95 per 100g
I dont know why but every time I used this shampoo it left my hair looking horrible and oily after one use, even without a conditioner. Will not repurchase. 

Cosmetic Warrior Fresh Face Mask: $16.95 per 75g
I have tried this about 3 times now and it still annoys me. It is just too chunky. I love what it does to me skin, but it leaves that almost over dried feeling, and takes a VERY long time to wash off the face. Even if you cheat and only leave it on for 3 minutes it with stick to your face like super glue. I normally have to use some time of scrub just to get the remainder off my skin, which only adds to the dry feeling. The other annoying thing is the fact you will never use up a whole pot within the 3 week period. That could be because you get so frustrated with using it. Luckily for me I rarely buy face masks, and just wait until I can get one for free, but even free I would not bother getting this in the future. 


In-between Products:

Mint Lip Scrub: $9.95 per 20g
My lips are always really dry and I just don't think this product cut it. It may have slightly helped but really my lips still have dead skin and gross cuts all over them. The taste is amazing so if your lips aren't as bad as mine I would definitely recommend this as a gentle lip scrub. 

Ocean Salt Scrub: $22.50 per 120g
I love quite abrasive scrubs and this is just that. It does however leave the face quite tingly after use which I know is not everyone's cup of tea. I love the texture and smell (lime and tequila) of this scrub, but there is just something that doesn't quite make it a 10/10. However I would repurchase it as it gets the job done. 

Trichomania Solid Shampoo: $13.50 per 100g
This shampoo is amazing, but you have to spend a little bit extra time to make sure all of the 'chunks' are out. I love the finish of my hair afterwards, and the convenience for travel, but the chunks just annoy me when I am in a hurry. Pretty good, maybe a little over priced, 7.5/10. 

Soft Coeur Massage Bar: $10.50 per 30g
Smells amazing and feels amazing  Totally romantic and easily improves a massage by 100%, the only downside is the mess it can make and that fact it will probably dry out before being used up. 

I love Juicy Liquid Shampoo: $12.50 per 100g
I hated this shampoo at first. It left my hair very oily and felt unclean. I realized it was just when teamed with my very strong keratin based hair mask (which I use as a conditioner), and when used on its own it makes the hair super clean and small delicious  You don't need too much, and it did not dry out my hair so much that I missed the conditioner. I did follow with a hair oil and detangler once out of the shower. 

Cupcake Fresh Face Mask: $16.95 per 75g
This smells Amazing! I don't have oily skin but if you do buy this at once. You do have to be a mask junkie though because the used by date is normally 3 weeks later, and they give about 6-8 uses per pot. If you treat your face that much is truly does work, and you will smell utterly delicious. 

Soaps: Varying
Overall I think LUSH soaps smell amazing and feel amazing but they just dry out far too quickly. With a minimum purchase size as well you never get through a whole bar before it has dried out. This may be because I only use bar soap on my hands by the sink, so if you don't use liquid soap in the shower I would recommend Honey I Washed The Kids or Snowcake Soap. 


***

Overall the brand has some amazing products, and I always have at least 4-5 LUSH things floating around my house. However, because of the quite high price point, some things I can not justify to spend my money on regularly. 

I think LUSH is perfect for gift giving, (unless you by it for your boyfriends sister and he forgerts to tell you she is allergic to soap, thanks Andrew), and for the occasional treat. Their skincare is a must-have for me, as I feel going organic is always good if you going to be slathering it all over your face. 

All products can be found at your local LUSH store or at:
 http://www.lush.com.au/

That is all lovely people! Talk soon :)

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