So it's already been a while since my last post and it only seems like yesterday that I posted. Hah. Time flies during finals...meh!
So yeah, final exams are here and you know what that means? Stress stress stressss!
Readers....how do you like to de-stress?
For me, it's usually a nice hot BATH! :D
Yeah, you're looking at a
$39,000 bath tub. It's covered in DIAMONDS! Sounds like the ultimate gyaru-deco-bathtub to me. :D hehehe. *noted for when I strike it rich*
;3
So yeah, I love baths, and especially bath products. I got a package last night from LUSH which is a fabulous store that I've blogged about before. I love LUSH so much that I even applied for a summer job there. :D
RETRO LUSH is the name of their line of products that have been very popular in the past (hence the "retro" bit) but they just don't have the shelf space in the majority of their actual stores to carry ALL of these products. So instead of buying them in-store, you can find them on LUSH's website. They ship all over the world from Vancouver, Canada which is wonderful! :)
The RETRO products come in white tubs and bottles with white wrappers. This is how you can distinguish them from their ordinary counterparts. (Or I should say, main product line.)
So click below to see what I got and some brief (?!) banter about each thing. :3
This was my second ever order from LUSH's website. The first time I ordered back in like 2009 or so, they still had really expensive shipping. Well I guess a lot of people bitched about it, so they dropped the shipping prices which is nice.
I think it might be by weight though and the size of your overall order.
Anyway!
Here is the stuff I got....!
$17.95
8.8 oz.
Their description:
Bananas makes your skin really, really soft, so we squashed a bundle up and mixed them with ground almonds. Ground almonds are nutritious and exfoliating, which also leave the skin very soft. Honey and almond oil are also very softening and moisturizing. So you can imagine how you'll feel after lathering up in this creamy shower smoothing. Soft. Very, very soft (and clean too!).
My thoughts:
I have no idea what a "Gumback" is supposed to be.... but this is a banana almond scented shower "smoothie." You rub the stuff on your body in the shower and then rinse. The almond bits exfoliate while the banana stuff moisturize. Your skin will feel moisturized and smooth and chances are--it'll smell good too. LOL.
I have yet to try this product specifically so I can't comment on it just yet, but it does smell pretty good. Not 100% like Sympathy for the Skin lotion (which is also banana scented) but it's pretty rich smelling. Not sure if I like it yet or not!
Edit: OK so I tried it. I actually don't like this one too much. I think the gardenia flower gives it a weird 'bubblegum' sort of after scent. Maybe hence the gum in the name? LOL. I doubt it but yeah. Not a keeper for me though it did cleanse and moisturize my arms fairly well.
$17.95
8.4 fl oz
Their description:
We were thinking more about dishes flying than aliens landing when we named this shower gel. It's for calming down uppity folk and girls who are PMSing. Soothing honey, calming vetivert and refreshing pine will help you get those alien emotions under control. Next time, instead of throwing things, run a nice warm bath and give yourself a washing with Flying Saucers shower gel (or pour it under the tab and use it as a bath foam!).
My thoughts:
This stuff is pretty awesome! I was kinda skeptical about it being good for PMS relief...as in I didn't expect anything but a nice-smelling shower gel. But really, it does work! I felt so amazing last night when I was uber stressed about exams (and maaaybe a little PMS-y too) and I poured some of this under the tap. It seems to work better as a bubble bath than as an actual body wash. It REALLY smells like honey in my opinion, with a twist of citrus. It smells nothing like "Honey I Washed the Kids" from their normal line of products, so yeah.... I wasn't expecting it to, nor did I buy it because I wanted that scent (I still have some "It's Raining Men" gel left, which is their L.E. release of HIWTK scent in shower gel form.) I bought it to de-stress and it really works. I would probably buy this product again. :)
The Strokes Hair Treatment$18.95
7.9 oz.
Their description:
It's the latest craze to have hair that looks sleek rather than fluffy. The fluffy hair trend is passe. That's why we like patting fluffy hair down with The Strokes; it flattens down the surface cells to smooth and add shine to unruly manes. For best results, plaster it onto dry hair and wrap your head in a towel. Give the fresh herbal infusions time to soak in (say 20 minutes) then rinse off and shampoo as usual. You'll emerge with a soft, shiny, frizz-free mane.
My thoughts:
I am ABOUT to try this. As in, as soon as I finish typing up this post, haha. I will report back the results afterwards. I am not going to even try to take a before and after picture because I am so terrible with lighting and my camera sucks.... esp in non-natural light. So yeah. D: But I will say that so far.....it smells like....beer. And lemons. It has stout in it, so the beer scent isn't a surprise. I guess I pretty much love the smell of beer since I like to drink it. But having my hair smell like beer? I guess I do not care much if my hair smells like that as long as it's soft and tangle-free and healthy!!! :D LUSH hair treatments are expensive for how much I need for my hair (meh!) and they tend to smell overly potent (the Jasmine one...I am looking at you!) but they really do make your hair feel salon-quality amazing. xD Some reviewers mentioned the beer scent fades to lemons after a while so I guess I will have to try and see for myself and report back!
Sonic Death Monkey Shower Gel$18.95
7.9 oz.
Their description:
Our rocking coffee, chocolate and lime juice shower gel is back to tempt you into the shower and kick-start your day. If you're wondering about the name, it's from High Fidelity; Jack Black's character is in a band call Sonic Death Monkey. This seriously intense shower gel will get you smiling before your first cup of coffee; it'll take you right to the edge, over the edge in fact!
My thoughts:
I was really curious about this. It seemed like it could either be a huge hit or a huge miss. Coffee + chocolate = awesome. But add in lime juice? Why can't they just stop at the chocolate and coffee?! Jeez, LUSH! But that's OK....I have noticed that sometimes when my face goes O__O; at their ingredients, sometimes things work out really well together. Unexpectedly good. Well, I have yet to try this--I've just sniffed it in the bottle--so will need to get back to this one too!
(both Fox in the Flowers and the Sicilian!)
Fox in the Flowers Bath Bomb$6.00
6.3 oz.
Their description:
If you need an escape, drop one of these into the bath and sink into a fresh, wild flower-filled woodland. With a very green scent (a good helping of it comes from chlorophyll, the stuff which makes leaves green) Fox in the Flowers is a refreshing bath that can take you away to another time and place. You'll feel like Maid Marion washing in a sun-dappled pool ready for Robin to get back from a hard day's wealth redistribution.
My thoughts:
I bought this because once upon a time, LUSH had a wonderfully green bath bomb with a name like English Countryside or something like that, and it had real flower petals in it. But it was discontinued! SAD! :( The floating flowers were slightly annoying but not if you wrap it in old pantyhose or some type of netting to catch the floaty bits. I have yet to try Fox in the Flowers but I bought it b/c a lot of LUSH lovers mentioned it is almost like a replacement for the bath bomb that was discontinued. But it's expensive. I got this as a sort of special occasion treat for myself. $6.00 for a one use item is a bit much IMHO, esp since I could basically taking some baking soda from my kitchen, buy a small bit of citric acid at a health shop and mix together to make my own bath bomb if I wanted. I guess that's not the point, but still.... it's sort of a "Zen" experience as my roommate says....watching your hard-earned $ wash down the drain, lol.
The Sicillian Bath Bomb$6.25
6.3 oz.
Their description:
Take a trip to the sunny orange groves of Sicily in your tub. We put a fresh orange slice in each bomb, and drop in the essential oils of orange, tangerine, mandarin and neroli for the ultimate citrusy fresh bath. Float around in the reviving water and inhale the uplifting fragrance. You'll feel as relaxed as if you were laying out in the warm Italian sun, and you won't even have to take a plane to get there.
My thoughts:
I got this because I wanted to see if it was like a bath bomb version of The Olive Branch. I haven't sniffed it or tried it yet (I'm hoarding it for a special occasion! LOL!) Also because it just sounds plain awesome. :D
Close-up!
Pleasure Dough Bubble Bar
$6.95
3.5 oz.
Their description:
Wake late, take breakfast in bed then rise at noon for a Pleasure Dough bubble bath. The scent is based on a secret recipe from 17th Century French courtesan, Ninon de Lenclos. She used a blend of lavender, rose, peppermint and orange blossoms to perfume herself and seduce her lovers (which she had quite a few of). She was noted for her style, taste and politeness (and other skills we won't mention) so we're quite certain that you'll be delighted we borrowed her recipe.
My thoughts:
OMG Pleasure Dough! :D For those who do not know, bubble bars are basically like solid bubble bath. You crumble these under warm running water and they generate a crapload of bubbles. It's fantastic! :D I have ordered this twice now. My second time! That's how much I loved it. It's floral with a hint of herbal, and overall just wonderful for your skin and a delight for your nose too! :) I had to google to see who Ninon de Lenclos was....she sounds like a badass. Haha! A+
Their description:
Picture a green, grassy field high up in the mountains of Southwestern France. Wild flowers are growing in the field, and a waterfall roars in the distance. Now take a deep breath of the fresh mountain air and the wild green grass. This is the fragrance of Gavarnie, a soap inspired by a commune in the gorgeous Pyrenees with the same name. We make it a bright jewel green to reflect the grass and top it with wild flowers to evoke the mountain fields. Wash with this soap daily and escape to the fragrant fields of Gavarnie.
My thoughts:
Oh my gosh! I LOVE this soap. It smells just like "Jungle" solid conditioner. I love it for that because I love the Jungle conditioner scent, but I hate their solid conditioner formula because it makes my uber chemically treated hair all clumpy. That is my number one grip with LUSH hair products. Apart from Retread Conditioner, and a select few hair treatments, I can't really use LUSH hair stuff. It contains mostly natural ingredients which you'd think would be optimal for anyone, really, but not so true when it comes to color treated or chemically dyed hair. If I had perfectly natural, virgin, un-dyed hair, I guess it wouldn't bug me so much. But nothing seems to work for me from LUSH. So I continue to use mostly salon shampoos. *sigh*
ANYWAY. why did this become a mini rant about shampoo? GOSH, I really have ADD. lol. So yes. I got this because the description sounded lovely. I adore floral scents. I'm glad I got this because not only is it floral but it smells like much-loved Jungle! And it's green! :3 What's not to love? :) My whole bathroom smells good when I use this stuff.
....aaand......
FREE SAMPLES!
Usually LUSH gives free samples when you buy something. They seem to always do this for when you order on-line and not as much in the stores, but the stores do tend to have special promos from time to time like if you spend $50 you get a free bar of soap or shower gel or something like that. But both times I've ordered from the site, now, they've given me free samples. And this time both samples I got were of Retro LUSH items! I guess they figured since my entire order was Retro stuff, they'd give me more! :) I am pleased because it's the only way to try Retro products! :3
Queen of Hearts Soap$7.95
3.5 oz.
(mine was free though, and def. not a 3.5oz piece!)
Their description:
We give you permission to wash your face with this soap; it's one of the few LUSH soaps you can wash your face with in fact. Why? Other soaps are designed for much stronger skin while the Queen is made with a beautiful rose petal infusion base making it much gentler than other body soaps. Cocoa butter keeps skin flexible while moisturizing almond and balancing geranium oils make skin soft. The Queen cleans without drying out your face; if you must wash your face with soap, please, choose this one (orders from the Queen).
My thoughts:
Smells really good, like the "Charity Pot" hand lotion only in soap form. Interesting how so many Retro LUSH products remind me of their regular line of stuff...only with a twist. I guess these versions are popular enough to continue to manufacturer but not enough to keep in their shops. A shame, b/c I really like some of these more than the normal stuff. I do enjoy Queen of Hearts' scent but prolly not enough to order a full sized one next time....
Waylander Rhassoul Soap$7.95
3.5 oz.
(also free...woo samples!)
Their description:
Made with Rhassoul mud from the Atlas Mountains - a traditional Moroccan skin and scalp treatment, this soap works marvels on troubled skin. Perfumed with earthy patchouli, each creamy bar contains pumice powder; after the Rhassoul mud cleans away dirt, use the ground pumice to slough away dead skin. Use it on feet, elbows and knees, all the tough bits. By the time you start up a new creamy, muddy bar, you'll find that your skin has already transformed itself magically from dull to bright.
My thoughts:
Wow this sample smells....really...earthy and herbal, for lack of a better word. And rich. I am not sure if I like this one or not. Will need to try in the shower/bath and get back to you! :)
That's all for now! I would love to order again but I need to use this stuff up first! My roommate also ordered the "Pineapple Grunt" soap but I didn't review it since it's not mine....!
Maybe she will let me cut off a sliver to try myself. It does smell wonderful, though, like a Pina Colada. :3 LUSH stuff DOES have expiration dates b/c it's all fresh and handmade, so I need to get bathing NOW! xD
PS: Don't forget a copy of the LUSH Times!
They sent me a copy along with my package. It's basically like a catalog of their products (sans Retro, I've noticed) but it also contains really awesome extra stuff like articles about how LUSH employees get to travel around the world to visit the suppliers for their wonderful product ingredients. For instance, one lady traveled to Turkey where the oh-so-fragrant roses come from in their Turkish Delight Body Polish product. For every pot they sell, a good chunk of the money from that sale goes to supporting a school in Turkey for children ages 6 and under! Apparently education in Turkey is not free for that specific age group. So you can feel good about buying LUSH's products b/c not only do they support a fair amount of charity efforts (see their Charity Pot lotion as well!) but they also source their ingredients in such a way that there is minimal waste, carbon footprint, and always fair trade... which makes you feel good inside and out! :D
<3 LUSH!
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