Lush Valentine's Day

I don't cover 'Valentine's Day' as such, but I know I have Lush fanatics reading this - and you have a month to go if you want to pick up some of these Valentine's Limited Editions.

Featured clockwise from the bottom left:

The Kiss Lip Scrub - £5.50

Heart Throb bubbleroon (crumble under a hot tap) - £3.65

Cupid's Love soap - £5.25

Prince Charming Shower Gel - £4.75/£9.50£15.95 - because 'ridicule is nothing to be scared of' - which lets face it, is a winner for us 80's kids.

Unicorn Horn bubble bar - £3.25

Floating Flower bath bomb - £3.50

I won't make any jokes about them all smelling 'Lush', but I could.

21 years ago this year! I thought the red was an appropriate link... :)

Lush Christmas

When I visited the Lush Head Office/Factories this summer I was given a preview of Christmas and Halloween - and obviously asked to keep it under wraps. The Lush Christmas reveal has become somewhat of a tradition and I was offered cash (really) to break the embargo and tell Lush fanatics what Christmas 2014 entailed. Below is a little preview of what you can now find instore..... and for a smell-a-vision version you can watch Zoe's video here....Zoella Lush Haul

Father Christmas Bath Bomb

Golden Wonder Bath Bomb - warning to you parents out there - the bath will be a bastard to clean after this.

Holly Golightly Bubble Bar

Candy Mountain Bubble Bar

I nearly threw this away. HOW cute is that?

12 Days Of Christmas 

The Christmas Penguin Bubble Bar

Candy Mountain again - one of my faves - can you tell?

Melting Snowman Bath Melt

It's back. Say no more.

So White - apple in the shower...

Snow Fairy Gift Set - a no-brainer for the Snow Fairy fanatics out there.

For you Lush fanatics out there, go now before they are gone. 2014 will go down as the year I joined your ranks. :)

www.lush.co.uk/christmas

Exfoliating Cleansers and another (slightly ranty) video

Following on from yesterday's skin cleansers video, these products are better suited if you just want a little more 'oomph' from your daily cleansing routine. Equally good if you can't use/don't want to use acids (which unless you have a proper allergy WHY NOT?!).

Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser - Rose clay, apricot seed powder and a plethora of gorgeous waxes make this a beautiful exfoliating cleanser without stripping or any harsh skin-damaging ingredients. This is my current first pick for either an AM cleanse or a fresh-as-a-daisy skin ready for retinols etc in the evening second cleanse. All skin types - extreme rosacea sufferers will need to avoid the cheeks.

Diptyque Multi-Use Exfoliating Clay - this can be used as a mask or a scrub depending on your mood. Marble powder (oo-er) and apricot kernel oil and trace minerals make this a luxurious way of polishing that boat.* Suitable for all skin types. Lovely for breakout-prone skins.

First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Polish - I realise I didn't talk about this AT ALL in the video. The mind - it is easily distracted. This one is gentle enough for daily use and is runnier than the others so you need very little. It's oatmeal and shea nut shell powder. Not slice-your-face-open-husks. :) All skin types.

Lush Angels on Bare Skin - this needs to be mixed with water to make a paste, which is then applied all over. Leaves the skin really smooth and soft. Exfoliating agents are ground almond powder and kaolin. Suitable for all skin types.

OSKIA Renaissance Mask - ok so this isn't actually a cleanser, but I once accidentally used it thinking it was something else (it was really early and really dark) and the results were bloody marvellous. Technically you apply this and leave it for up to 20 minutes. In my case you apply it, rub it like you're trying to get that genie out of the lamp, wash off and HeyPrestolookatthatfaceradiance! I'd apologise for abusing it so, but frankly I was so astounded I started trialing all sorts of products in the exact opposite way to the way they were recommended and it was a revelation. Contains MSM (obvs), lactic acid and a whole host of fruit acids. Bloody lovely.

Su-Man Exfoliating Facial Polish - literally contains coffee grains, very gentle but very effective. I can't think about Dragon's Blood without seeing fairy tales and nonsense so can we please just say 'plant extracts'? Su-Man is great ml for £ value compared to a lot of higher priced products. Caffeine is invigorating without over-stimulating.

Thank you for watching and reading and putting up with my rants and basically everything. *heart swells*


Links are all available in the description box on the video.

*check your cockney rhyming slang reference dictionary

Skin Cleansers - and a video!

Finally!

*insert Arnie voice* I'm baaaaaack. :)

Erm yes so I've been a little absent on the YouTube front. Soz. Work is really busy, kids were on summer holidays, you know how it goes. As I mention in the video - I'm not a 'pro' blogger, I still work (hard!) my 'day job' and obviously that takes priority when time is tight. Anyway - I'm back!

Instead of the usual favourites I went with my current skin cleanser obsessions. Fancied a change!

The cleansers break down as (all links are in the video description box):

Alpha-H Age Delay - love this - have used for a long time but it's still as relevant as when it launched. Suitable for all skin types, washes clean away, no residue. I love using this in the morning.

Amanda Lacey Cleansing Pomade - bliss in a jar. Expensive, but if you can, do. Suitable for all skin types, washes away clean, no residue. This is a second cleanse for me in the evenings, after the gunk has mostly gone.

Lush Ultrabland - a great affordable alternative. I'm sorry, but £10 is affordable to me. There are no cleansing balms available for £1.00 (as I was asked today) that will do the same job. Richer than the others, this needs a couple of goes on the flannel to properly clear but there is no residue, just loveliness. Another good A.M. one.

NUDE Perfect Cleanse Omega Cleansing Jelly - brand new this week and bloody lovely. I've been using it non-stop since I got my mitts on it. It is light enough to use in the mornings or as a second cleanse in the evening and leaves no residue. All skin types.

Su-Man Purifying Cleansing Oil Gel - Brilliant value considering the quality, the ml in the tube and the amount you actually need to use. Especially considering the plethora of extortionate mineral oil cleansers out there. Suitable for all skin types, two goes of the flannel (if you don't emulsify- like awkward me) :) Evening for me.

Tatcha One-Step Camellia Cleansing Oil - beautiful, simple, divine quality oil. Suitable for all skins, massages well, two goes of the flannel for this. You can use a tiny amount of this and still get great massage and cleansing action. this gets used both morning and evening, usually when I want speed as it's 'ready to go'.

The Organic Pharmacy Carrot Butter Cleanser - beautiful, luxurious, gives a great massage, slightly heavier on the shea butter content than the others so oily/acne faces can absolutely still use - just make sure you follow with some solid flannel action to remove thoroughly. Don't be scared.

Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser - Rose clay, apricot seed powder and a plethora of gorgeous waxes make this a beautiful exfoliating cleanser without stripping or any harsh skin-damaging ingredients. This is my current first pick for either an AM cleanse or a fresh-as-a-daisy skin ready for retinols etc in the evening second cleanse.

See you tomorrow!



ooh look at me being all organised and shizz.

The one where I fall in love with Lush

'WHAT DOES IT SMELL LIKE??' the most asked question when I tweeted that I was touring Lush's factories last week.

The answer is 'Actually, very subtle'. Not like the stores at all. The feedback I had when I mentioned Lush swung wildly between stalker-worthy-obsessive fans and 'Ooh GOD that smell I can't bear it.'

I was pretty much on the shelf between the two. I shop in Lush regularly because Ava is a total addict but had never really given their skincare a detailed, clear try until recently. Well, as with Tom Ford, I need to find another hat to eat because I fell a little (a lot) in love with Lush.

I was originally invited to the Poole HQ in order to host a Live UStream with Lush discussing preservatives. The timings were quite late so I stayed over. Knowing what a crazy stalker fan she was, Lush also invited Miss Hirons on the trip.
We had a blast.

The factories are all surrounded with facts about the company.

Literally like Willy Wonka's Factory :)

The team at the Kitchen where we both made products.

My facial tray before we went in.

The original store at 29 High St, Poole.

The Head Office is amazing. 

If you would like to watch the debate it is available here: The Great Preservatives Debate. It was really interesting and the time flew. There is also an unexpected mini-rant about mineral oil around 28:00 - not started by me for a change. :)

It was very refreshing to speak to company owners that walk the walk and frankly, don't BS. And as an aside, I have been in the industry a long time, worked with a lot of people and been to a lot of head offices and factories - the litmus test for me is in the people, not the marketing spiel that brands sometimes front their companies with. I have never, ever seen such happy people as I did during my visit to Poole. The factories, the head office, the shop, the spa, everyone has a genuine love of the company and the job they are doing. So rare and so, so noticeable.

Thank you for having us, it was completely inspiring and our absolute pleasure.






*I was obviously paid to host the UStream event - but this slushy blog post was not part of the deal. Just sharing the love.

Lush Great Preservatives Debate

I'm heading off to Poole tomorrow to the Land of Lush Cosmetics. I'm taking my mini-me (Ava) for what looks to be a fun couple of days. Tomorrow evening at 6.30pm I'm hosting a debate about Preservatives with Mark Constantine, Helen Ambrosen and Jack Constantine. 

Are you worried about preservatives in your products?

Do you care about parabens? Or are you really not concerned?

Join us on Lush's live stream channel here: UStream/LushTV 

For more information on the debate and how to join in have a read here: Great Preservatives Debate

Hope to hear your questions tomorrow!