Passion | Joie de Jayme Passion | A love affair with LUSH

‘Passion’ Category

Still continuing the LUSH life.

January 16, 2014 by Jayme Renee Rhoads

My love for my favorite company is still going strong and probably intensified. As one might have suspected, I am continuing to write about LUSH for my passion blog. Over the break I received three shipments in the mail and loads of goodies for my birthday/Christmas and I got to visit the LUSH in the King of Prussia mall… so I have probably way too many new products to talk about, but hey that means I’ll have plenty of material for future posts! I have researched LUSH more and watched some really great videos which gave me a deeper look into my favorite company. Hopefully I’ll be able to adequately share the information I’ve learned and help you to understand why I love this ‘soap company’ so much. I am actually pretty excited to write about and review these cosmetic gems!

Until next time,

Jayme Renee

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Week 10: Lip Scrubs

November 20, 2013 by Jayme Renee Rhoads

As we are moving closer to colder weather, we must keep in mind the health of our skin. Lips get chapped, skin starts to flake and noses get dry from endlessly sneezing into tissues. However, with proper care, these things don’t have to happen so severely. As you could have guessed, I am going to (yet again) praise LUSH and their products. They have these amazing things called Lip Scrubs that help to banish away lip problems any time of the year but especially during winter.

There are currently three year-round lip scrubs (Bubblegum, Mint Julips and Popcorn) and one holiday lip scrub (Santa’s Lip Scrub).

So what exactly are they?– exfoliating sugar that polishes your lips to soft perfection. They help to remove dead skin and reveal a fresh layer of lip. They are perfect for exfoliating away damaged winter skin on the lips, and plus they leave behind a fresh or sweet taste. The sugar is completely edible and it does taste really good! They are perfect to smooth out lips before applying any lipstick or gloss– giving a base of flawlessness. Inside these little wonders are Fair Trade sugar and jojoba oil (which helps to moisturize and soften lips).

My lips are rather big, and I often feel that they lose their softness or evenness (especially during the winter) and I have loved using LUSH’s lip scrubs in order to perfect the texture of my lips. I have tried all three of the current year-round lip scrubs and I am hoping to try out the holiday one soon!

Bubblegum Lip Scrub from Montreal

The first one I tried was Bubblegum. This was during my LUSH shopping spree in Montreal a couple of years ago. I already had so many things in my basket but as I got to the counter to check-out I saw the little display of lip scrubs. Their simple glass jars invited me to buy one, so I slyly picked one up, showed it to my mother, and she agreed to add it to our load of LUSH goodies. The smell of it is described as being like cotton candy. It’s very sugary and sweet– it’s practically candy!

Mint Julips Lip Scrub from NYC

Next I tried Mint Julips. My mother and I both loved Bubblegum so much that we decided to try a second lip scrub. Mint Julips tastes like mint chocolate chip and it leaves a peppermint fresh taste along with perfectly soft lips. Peppermint leaves that wonderful tingly sensation that feels chilly and its attributes are showcased in this tasty product.

Popcorn Lip Scrub from Florence, Italy

Then came along Popcorn. It came out last year during the holidays as a seasonal item, but I guess people loved it so much that they wanted it available year-round. I of course wanted to try it because I loved the other LUSH lip scrubs. So while I was in Florence I was lucky enough to visit a LUSH store. They had Popcorn (but under a different name) and I was so excited to get this product with Italian writing all over it! It tastes wonderful– like traditional kettle corn and I really like it.

Santa’s Lip Scrub is seasonal for this Christmas and I wanted to get it at the store in King of Prussia when I was there just a few weeks ago, but it hadn’t arrived yet. The taste/smell is supposedly of cherry cola which I think would be really nice!

If any of you suffer from winter-induced lip problems, I would strongly advise you to seek help from LUSH’s lip scrubs. They significantly increase softness/suppleness/healthiness of lips. Plus they make applying lip products much easier, since lips are smoothed over before trying to apply lipstick/gloss. Try them out!

Ciao,

Jayme Renee

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Week 9: King of Prussia Haul

November 13, 2013 by Jayme Renee Rhoads

Just two weekends ago, my wonderful boyfriend took me to the King of Prussia mall to celebrate our one year anniversary. The main reason for him to take me there: the LUSH store! It had been a while since I had gone to one, and it was about time to restock my LUSH collection. You should know that I am extremely frugal. I detest spending superfluous amounts of money and I only purchase things that I find to be necessities. Luckily for LUSH, I count their products as necessary for my happiness. So, I tend to splurge quite a bit, and I had a lot of fun during this last visit to LUSH…

Here are all of the items I acquired from that enjoyable weekend:

All of my goodies!

Seanik Solid Shampoo. I have talked about this wonderful shampoo bar before in my post for Week 4.

Seanik Solid Shampoo

Veganese Conditioner. I have also talked about this conditioner in my post for Week 5. I was running low and I needed a new one!

Conditioner

R&B Hair moisturizer. This was also talked about in my post for Week 5. This is amazing stuff that works so well for my hair.

Hair Moisturizer

Mask of Magnaminty. I don’t know how I haven’t shared my love for this product before, but it was one of my first purchases from LUSH. It is a super fresh and tingly face mask that leaves your skin feeling so clean and renewed! In this [mint chocolate chip ice cream looking/smelling] mask there are scrubby aduki beans that exfoliate away dry skin. I constantly purchase this product whenever I am running low. It is a wonderful face mask that really works.

Face Mask

Fresh Farmacy. I have an entire post devoted to this masterpiece. Check it out if you want to!

Facial Cleanser

Coal Face. I haven’t mentioned this cleanser before, but it is really quite interesting! It is a black face soap filled with charcoal and it smells like fresh soft licorice! The charcoal is great for exfoliating and regulating oil production. It was made for combination to oily faces. It may seem weird to wash your face with black soap, but I assure you that it makes the skin feel clean– maybe even cleaner than most other cleansers. I really recommend it!

Facial Cleanser

Gold FUN. I talked about FUN for last week’s post. But basically it is multi-use soap in Play Doh form. It is supposed to smell like Honey I Washed the Kids soap, and it kinda does, but it smells a little bit more like caramel popcorn to me, which I am totally okay with!

Gold FUN

The Christmas Penguin! Oh I was so happy to see this cutie in person, and it surely did not disappoint. This little fella is a bubble bar which basically is solid bubble bath. You crumble it under running water and huge bubbles fill the tub (along with gorgeous scents). It was so cute and so good smelling that I had to buy two… I probably will buy more before the holiday season ends. The smell is just like the Olive Branch shower gel which is full of bergamot and orange flowers–just lovely.

The Christmas Penguin Bubble Bar #1

The Christmas Penguin Bubble Bar #2

Catastrophe Cosmetic. I have always wanted to try a fresh face mask from LUSH, but you can only buy them in-store and they must be refrigerated at all times– otherwise they spoil. They contain zero preservatives and only last for about 2 weeks. But I finally was able to try this blueberry and calamine filled face mask! It smells like a blueberry dessert and it makes my face feel wonderful! I have noticed a significant change in my skin after using this product.

Fresh Face Mask

Let The Good Times Roll facial cleanser. I am sorry to say this… but I have found my new favorite facial cleanser; I am so sorry Fresh Farmacy! To be completely honest, I haven’t used Fresh Farmacy in weeks because this has been my constant cleanser in the morning and at night. It came out last year for LUSH’s holiday line-up but people loved it so much that they begged it to be a year-round product. I wanted to try it because I read that the smell was amazing, and as soon as I got a whiff in the store I was hooked! Truthfully, it has improved my skin more than I thought possible. My face is smoother, I have had zero break-outs (even with all of my growing stress) and the smell lingers for a while. I love this product, and I will probably have to buy a new black pot of it soon because I am already running low.

Facial Cleanser

And of course, I cannot leave a LUSH store without getting free samples! You can ask for a sample of almost anything in the store and they happily hand it over to you, because you will surely fall in love with the product and buy it in the biggest size possible. This time I received Big Shampoo which smells lovely and works wonders. And the Olive Branch shower gel that has the same scent as the Christmas Penguin. Also I got the Orange Jelly soap which smells… orange-y!

My free samples of the first day.

I was able to go to LUSH the next day. I bought that second Christmas Penguin, some presents for my mother and I got some more samples!

Christmas gifts for my mother.

My free samples of the second day at LUSH.

Left to right: Light Yellow Color Supplement (a natural foundation), Trichomania Solid Shampoo (coconut shampoo meant for curly hair) and Grass shower gel. Grass smells like a fresh lawn and it is very relaxing! I have yet to use the other two samples, but yeah.

So! That was my wonderful haul of my one year anniversary weekend. I have to say that I had a wonderful time with the workers at LUSH– they were so kind, fun and intelligent! My boyfriend and I even got a few history lessons while learning about some of the products. LUSH isn’t concerned just about their amazing products but also the experience of going to a LUSH store. I hope that one day all of you (who are interested) will go to a LUSH and love it.

Cheers,

Jayme Renee

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Week 8: Let’s have some FUN

October 23, 2013 by Jayme Renee Rhoads

In my blog for last week, I talked about some of the new holiday products that I cannot wait to try– one of them being the Gold FUN. I feel as though I should elaborate on LUSH’s FUN products.

http://www.lushusa.com/Fun/fun,en_US,sc.html

These innovative, preservative-free and moldable Play-Doh like creations are extremely multi-purpose. They can be used for a multitude of things including:

1.) Soap!

2.) Bubble bath!

3.) Shampoo!

4.) Play-Doh!

I currently have the Red and Green fun– both of which smell amazing. There are five colors: Blue, Red, Green, Yellow and Pink. The idea of these products is that they are supposed to remind you of your childhood whether it be baking cookies (Yellow) or eating candies (Pink). The reason why they are childhood centered is because “for every bar of FUN purchased LUSH donates 2.5% of the sales to the FUNd, which supports children’s play and recreation projects” in areas of Japan that were affected by the 2011 tsunami and the subsequent nuclear disaster.

LUSH often has charitable products that a percentage of the purchase goes to certain charities. There is even a body lotion called Charity Pot and every single penny used to purchase that lotion goes to grassroots charities around the world! You know what, I never really payed attention to the Charity Pot before, but I am definitely going to try it out whenever I go to a LUSH store this Friday!!

Now back to the FUN! Yes, so I have both the Red and the Green FUN. I remember being pretty excited to try these out in person, and I finally got to buy one while I was in Toronto for my choir adjudication trip. I bought the Red FUN because it smells so bright and fruity. Each bar is packed with orange and mandarin oils to brighten up your mood. To me, the Red smells like gummy bears! The only problem I had with this product is that it started to melt. The packaging is a biodegradable cellophane wrapper through which the product started to leak. I just put it into a Tupperware container and it’s all good now. Oftentimes when I am washing my hands I just reach over and grab a little bit of the Red or Green FUN and wash up. My hands smell great and they feel really clean!

Red FUN creation

The Green FUN reminds me of lime lollipops that doctors or dentists handed out when I was little. I love the scent! It really does take me back to my childhood. I bought the Green while I was at King of Prussia with my mother this past May. It is filled with lemon and lime; the scent is really fresh and zesty! Just a few weeks ago I took a Green FUN bath and it was great! The bubbles were nice and big, the water was lightly scented and I made a brontosaurus!

My Green FUN brontosaurus

I can see how this product would be loved by parents and children alike or anyone for that matter. The price is really low– only $6.95 per bar that lasts for a long time! I only used about a ninth of the Green bar for my bath. It is super fun to make creatures with. Plus you can use it as a shampoo, a hand/body soap and a bubble bath! FUN works well when crushed into a loofah and used in the shower. I love these products, and I am extremely excited to get the Gold FUN!

Gold FUN

The Gold FUN is only limited time for this holiday season, but I am hoping that they make it a constant thing. It shares its scent with Honey I Washed the Kids soap, so people will probably beg to have this year-round. LUSH listens to their customers and will bring back wanted products–which I find to be really cool. It’s like LUSHies have a say in the company. I love it! Basically, I’m drowning with excitement about this Friday. I already have my list of 15+ products that I can’t wait to smell in person and probably take home. By my next post, my love for LUSH will be renewed once again, and I will be able to share with you all of my goodies!

LUSH in King of Prussia mall

Ciao!

~Jayme Renee

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Week 7: CHRISTMAS!

October 17, 2013 by Jayme Renee Rhoads

Okay, I know this may be too soon, but I can’t stop it… LUSH just came out with their holiday product line for this winter! This time of the year is wonderful for LUSH lovers because with the winter line-up, there are so many new products to try rather than just the regular LUSH items. There are new bath bombs, bubble bars, facial cleansers, soaps and much, much more! Many of these products are completely brand new, although some holiday favorites keep coming back because of popular demand. However I am mostly excited about the new Christmas products…

So I actually was on the LUSH UK website a while ago and they normally announce new products before the US so I was happy to preview some of the goodies that will be arriving in our country. Obviously I cannot name all of the Christmas products in this post… But here are a few that I cannot wait to try!

The Christmas Penguin

This adorable little bubble bar is perfect for me. I love penguins; I have loved them ever since I saw the little blue penguins while I was living in New Zealand… Well this bubble bar is modeled after those smallest penguins in the world! The smell is of orange and bergamot (just like the Olive Branch shower gel from LUSH) and I cannot wait to see this little guy in person! I’ll probably have to buy at least 3 of them.

Gold FUN

FUN is a relatively new type of LUSH product. It is like an extremely multi-purpose cleansing Play-Doh. It can be used as a soap, bubble bar, shampoo and you can even use it like Play-Doh! I already have the Red FUN and Green FUN and they both are great! But what makes this one special is that is smells like my favorite soap– Honey I Washed the Kids! I am extremely excited to try this out!

Orange Jelly Soap

Every single soap that I have ever tried from LUSH is simply wonderful. They smell amazing and work really well which is why I am so excited about this soap! I love citrus scents from LUSH, and I’m hoping that this will live up to my standards.

Secret Santa

This is amazing– three bath bombs in one cute package! I love how adorable LUSH’s Christmas products are. The claim is that this bath bomb’s scent is the official scent of LUSH stores… If this is the case, I am probably going to buy five of these and put them all around my room and bathroom.

Well enough about my dreams of future products, I do have some Christmas products that came back for this year’s line-up. They are: Snow Globe soap, Mr. Punch soap, Cinders bath bomb, So White bath bomb and Golden Wonder bath bomb.

Snow Globe soap

Mr. Punch soap from Italy (sample size!)

While I was in Florence last November, I had the privilege of going to a LUSH store– and they had the Christmas products out! I bought Snow Globe soap- which is a beautiful soap that smells to me like a honey and mint tea with a hint of lemon. I just recently started using it and my hands smell amazing! The color is beautiful and I will probably buy more this year. While in that same store, one of the LUSH employees must have really liked me because he gave me a huge sample size of Mr. Punch soap. It is supposed to look and smell like a holiday punch bowl, and it definitely does both!

Cinders from Italy

Cinders bath bomb smells so warm and spicy– it is the perfect scent to take away dreary winter blues. I have yet to use it because I don’t want to be without it, but I’m sure it would smell amazing in the bath.

So White

So White bath bomb is another one that I have yet to use but it smells like an extremely crisp apple scent. It is somehow fresh yet warm at the same time. I will have to buy another one this year so I can finally try it out!

Golden Wonder

Then there is the Golden Wonder bath bomb. It is a beautiful and huge bath bomb that looks like the prettiest present. The smell is of soft cognac and citrus fruit. As it fizzes away in the bath, miniature bath bombs inside the “present” give beautiful colors of yellow, blue, pink and orange. Plus there is a surprise that is only visible once the bomb is in water… I’ll just say that you will be seeing stars!

A little note: LUSH didn’t just make Christmas products only; there are winter products that don’t belong to any one holiday celebration. A lot of them are simply winter themed and they help to make these cold months just a little bit more enjoyable!

Have fun checking out the LUSH website to see all of their wonderful holiday products!

~Jayme Renee

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Week 6: Funny names and honey products.

October 10, 2013 by Jayme Renee Rhoads

So late last night around 1am, I was procrastinating going to bed and I figured I would go into my LUSH box to get out my facial soaps so that I could cut off little hunks to use.

My LUSH box next to my LUSH catalogues and only some of my soaps.

Upon pulling out the box and rummaging around to get to my Fresh Farmacy and Coal Face cleansers, I was struck with the most amazing smell. It was like an entire LUSH store in one concentrated area; it was too much like heaven for me. With all that temptation, I couldn’t just put the box away after cutting off chunks of my cleansers so I fished around and came upon one of my most prized possessions– my soap box. Inside I have large chunks and sample sizes of most of all LUSH soaps in existence. The one soap in my collection that I drooled the most over was this:

Honey I Washed the Kids

Honey I Washed the Kids is one of the best selling products from LUSH. Its honey, caramel and toffee scent is literally irresistible. It’s almost criminal how good this soap smells. I personally was not able to control myself when I smelled this soap for the first time. I had read many rave reviews about it on the website, but I figured the smell would be too sweet for me. However, once I finally made it to the LUSH in Montreal in 2011 (this was my first time at a LUSH that I actually knew about the store and had researched the products), I simply was not able to walk out of the store without buying this masterpiece.

Honey I Washed the Kids from Montreal– July of 2011

With my first hunk of Honey I Washed the Kids from Montreal, I literally used to just take it out of its wrapping to smell and look at it. It’s just so pretty! There is real honeycomb on top of each slice which ads to the coolness factor of this soap. I love how LUSH can adapt something so ordinary as body soap and make it into a real treat. I was reluctant to actually use my bar of HIWTK, but I just had to try it out. I couldn’t have ever been happier with this soap. I wish I had a picture of my unwrapped soap from Montreal; it really was gorgeous but this slice will suffice:

HIWTK from King of Prussia mall– March of 2012.

The smell… it takes me back to that perfect day in Montreal. The scent makes me feel comforted. It’s like the richest caramel toffee cake topped with real honeycomb. It actually looks like a type of cake that I make with my Grandma, and maybe that’s why this soap is so special to me. It has stolen my heart along with hearts of many other LUSH lovers. This is the iconic LUSH soap.

Two hunks (of soap).

Not only does it smell amazingly mouth-watering good, but it works better than any soap on the planet. It lathers into a rich and soft cream that feels like a treat for your skin. I can feel how softening it is and my skin feels so clean. It has moisturizing qualities that just make you feel so cozy and loved. The real Canadian honey and beeswax give this soap such a rich feel and smell that will linger with you.

From NYC– October of 2011

Eventually, LUSH had the genius idea to use this same scent in a shower gel–It’s Raining Men. I just love LUSH names! My mother and I went to a LUSH in King of Prussia for my 17th birthday and she was the one who couldn’t resist buying the shower gel. Obviously since It’s Raining Men was in my house, I had to try it. And it did not disappoint! The smell is exactly the same as Honey I Washed the Kids and it lathers the same way. After our medium sized bottle was used up, I had to buy the biggest size possible while I was in NYC. I bought that 16.9 oz bottle in April of 2012. I have used It’s Raining Men basically every other day and I probably have another month of use left. That’s a year and 6 months that one bottle of shower gel has lasted me! LUSH products are wonderful; they last forever, they smell amazing, they are good for your skin and the environment, and best of all they are effective!

Medium bottle of It’s Raining Men

Another product with the same scent as Honey I Washed the Kids and It’s Raining Men is Soft Coeur (Coeur means heart in French). It is a massage bar (which is basically a solid lotion). I will tell you more about what massage bars are in another post, but I just wanted to let you know of the massage bar that smells like the wonderful honey and toffee scent that I love so much.

Soft Coeur Massage Bar

Moral of the story: if you are ever in a LUSH store, please smell (and fall in love with) Honey I Washed the Kids. It is an iconic LUSH product that does not disappoint.

My lesson from writing this blog: I shouldn’t have neglected my Honey I Washed the Kids for so long. I have two large hunks of it in my box that have just been sitting there because I haven’t wanted to use them up. I finally got the courage to start using it again and I’m so glad! I wash my hands really often in the morning while I am putting on my makeup therefore my hands typically get really dry. But using HIWTK as my hand soap during my morning routine actually improved the softness of my hands. I love this soap, and I’m extremely happy to be using it again.

Have a great day!

~Jayme Renee

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Week 5: Other Hair Products

October 3, 2013 by Jayme Renee Rhoads

Last week I talked of my love for LUSH’s innovative shampoo bars, but it would be a crime to ignore the other parts of my hair-care routine from LUSH; including one of their liquid shampoos, LUSH conditioners and a hair moisturizer.

I have only tried one of their liquid shampoos titled Cynthia Sylvia Stout. It is a dark brown thick liquid that looks and smells like beer. This shampoo was made for the purpose of adding volume, softness and shine to dry or frizzy hair. I find that this shampoo is great for adding more richness of color to my hair, and it helps to decrease frizziness on humid days. The smell is rather intoxicating, and fortunately the smell of beer does not stay on the hair, it instead just gives a rich and warm scent (not an alcoholic smell). I bought the smallest bottle of this shampoo in January of 2012, and I have used it on average of once every two weeks and I still have about a ninth of the tiny bottle left. I would definitely have to buy more if I wanted to use this as my everyday shampoo, but I like it just as a special hair treatment once in a while.

Cynthia Sylvia Stout from NYC

LUSH has really amazing conditioners that help my hair’s health. I loved the whole idea of the solid shampoo bars, and I was happy to know that LUSH has a solid conditioner too! It is called Jungle, and it smells so exotic! The feeling of it on your hair is definitely not the same as traditional conditioners. It almost feels like none of the product gets on your hair but after you step out of the shower and dry off, you can feel how richly conditioned Jungle makes your hair. Inside this great smelling green bar are some amazing and effective products like cocoa butter, banana, passion fruit, kiwi, and avocado. It’s like a conditioning exotic fruit salad for your hair! Plus, you can even use this as a shaving cream!

Jungle solid conditioner.

Next I tried Veganese, and I fell in love with this conditioner. The smell of it is so lemony and fresh and clean, it goes perfectly well with my Seanik solid shampoo. I first bought a small bottle of this online, but it was so effective and great smelling that I had to buy a bigger size while I was in a LUSH store in Toronto. This is the conditioner that I currently use almost every day. I have had this same medium sized bottle since August of last year, and I have about a sixth of it left. LUSH conditioners are so concentrated and effective that you don’t have to smother your hair in order for it to work. I use a very little amount, and it conditions my hair better than using a big amount of traditional conditioners. It is meant to be a lighter conditioner, so it is great for people with fine hair, but it works well for any type of hair.

Veganese from Toronto.

Then there is American Cream, a rich vanilla and strawberry scented conditioner. I just had to try out this product because it smelled amazing, and I already knew that LUSH conditioners work really well. This product is filled with honey water, vanilla, fresh strawberries and lavender. The smell is divine, and it works like a dream. I bought a little bottle from NYC, and it lasted me for a really long time. My boyfriend’s sister bought American Cream while we were in Atlantic City this past summer, and my boyfriend tried it… He absolutely loved the smell, and he ordered it online a few days after using it! I love that the people around me love LUSH too. Once I run out of my Veganese, I will definitely buy American Cream again.

American Cream from NYC

To end my hair routine, I use R&B hair moisturizer daily. While I was at a LUSH in Montreal in 2011, my mother and I went on a huge shopping spree because this was the first LUSH we had been to since New Zealand in 2006. We got practically everything that our hearts desired, and my mom bought a LUSH hair care box containing Jumping Juniper solid shampoo, Jungle solid conditioner, Jasmine and Henna Fluff Ease, Curly Wurly shampoo and R&B hair moisturizer. Even though this were her items, I “borrowed” Jumping Juniper, Jungle and R&B. R&B gives extra moisture and keeps away frizz. I put it in while my hair is still damp after my shower, I only use a small amount but I spread it all over, and then let my hair dry. It keeps my curls smooth without getting frizzy and plus it has an amazing smell. I don’t even know how to describe the smell, but it reminds me of that trip to Montreal. I highly recommend this product, it is something that I use daily to keep my hair happy and healthy.

R&B from Montreal.

Until next time,

Jayme Renee

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Week 4: Solid Shampoo Bars

September 26, 2013 by Jayme Renee Rhoads

Hello!

By now, you must all know my extreme love for LUSH because of their great smelling and effective products. But there is another side to LUSH that is even more appealing than that; ingenuity! Many of the products are so unique in their function and design. Such as the toothy tabs that I talked about last week. But this week, I want to share my love for their amazing shampoo- solid shampoo bars!

Solid Shampoo Bars

It may seem crazy that these colorful hockey-puck-like discs can be effective hair care, but I find that they work better than regular liquid shampoo and are healthier for your hair too. These discs do not contain any preservatives, since they do not have liquid in them. Because of the nature of this bar, it does not require any packaging whatsoever. It was even voted in 2008 as the winner of The Best Green Packaging Award; there’s no greener packaging than none at all! Another improvement over regular shampoo- they are easier for travelling. There is no worry about them leaking (since there is no water content) and they are much lighter to carry with you. LUSH sells wonderful tins that perfectly fit the shampoo bars, which makes it the easiest way to travel with them.

LUSH shampoo bar tin.

One thing that I especially love about these bars is that they last way longer than any liquid shampoo. Since there is no liquid content, they are extremely concentrated. I am not lying when I say that on average these shampoo bars last me around 7 to 8 months. And they do not lose their effectiveness at all! So not only does that make your money stretch out for a longer time, but it also eliminates the amount of shampoo bottles that one would throw out in a year’s time. I used to use a bottle of shampoo every month, so this is a definite improvement in my life.

I personally have tried five of the shampoo bars. In order of when I tried them: Squeaky Green, Jumping Juniper, NEW!, Godiva and Seanik. I just love LUSH product names. Squeaky Green is the green one that smells really earthy in a very nice way. It is fresh, and really does its job well. There are nettles in the bar, that seem like they might be an issue, but they never were. My boyfriend got this bar (without any prompting from me) while we were at a LUSH in Atlantic City. Ever since, he uses it every other day (only using his conditioner on the other days). His hair always smells fresh and nice! He tells me that “It doesn’t leave my hair feeling dry, it feels nourished and soft. It’s very effective, and fun too! Although, using this at the dorm is a little difficult, these bars can disintegrate if left in water, and need to be left on a soap dish to dry. It’s much easier if you can live at home and use it.”

Squeaky Green that I bought in Montreal.

Jumping Juniper is a lovely lavender bar. It is meant more for oily hair (my hair is normal), but I loved the smell of it so much that I just had to try it. It is a very soft herbal scent. This bar really does bring out the shine in one’s hair, and it is a very effective cleanser.

Jumping Juniper from Montreal.

NEW! is bright red and smells of rich cinnamon, and the smell only gets better as you lather it onto your hair! If you don’t like cinnamon, I would stay away from this bar because it is strong. It reminds me of Christmas, and I love how the smell just swarms around my bathroom when I use it. (It is a perfect pair with the American Cream conditioner from LUSH.) NEW! is meant to stimulate hair growth with the cinnamon and clove put into it, I don’t know if it did that for me, because I can’t really tell, but my hair was definitely strong and soft.

NEW! bar in LUSH tin.

Godiva is a cool one because it has conditioning butters in it, making it a 2-in-1 bar. I personally am not fond of 2-in-1 hair care, but the idea was still cool. The smell is a very strong-jasmine, and I am not a huge strong-jasmine lover so unfortunately this was not my favorite shampoo bar. I’m sure other people who like the smell of jasmine (such as my mother) really like this bar!

Godiva

Then there is Seanik. Oh this is the perfect solid shampoo bar for my hair. I wanted it because it smells just like the mimosa and soft jasmine shower scrub Rub, Rub, Rub from LUSH. So I grabbed it because I loved the smell, but I keep buying it because it works so well with my hair! Every time I use it, my hair feels so clean and fresh. I go without styling my hair now because of this bar. It really creates natural waves in my hair and brings out my color because it is so nourishing with Irish moss seaweed and Japanese nori seaweed. I love this bar, and it lasts so long! I bought my current bar all the way back in February, and I still have another week or two left of use from it. I use it every day with LUSH’s Veganese conditioner, and the smells go really well together. No other shampoo makes my hair feel as good as this one does.

Seanik in tin.

A little note for to make shampoo bars last longer: You must keep them out of water when not in use. They disintegrate very quickly if left in water, so I always keep mine in a soap dish away from water. Letting them drain and dry is key to making them last a really long time.

Another great thing is that they lather up really, really well! They create huge amounts of lather with only very little product, which makes them effective and long-lasting. I absolutely love these bars, and I highly recommend at least trying them out!

Au revoir!

Jayme Renee

Category Passion | Tags: | 8 Comments
Week 3: Roses

September 19, 2013 by Jayme Renee Rhoads

Oh my lord, I cannot contain myself… So I totally had a plan about what I was going to write about this week, but I can’t keep to a set plan when I have news…THE ROSE JAM SHOWER GEL IS IN EXISTENCE! You cannot understand my excitement without me telling you that the Rose Jam scent from LUSH is literally my favorite scent on the planet. For my nose, nothing can beat it. That is a pretty serious statement, but I am sticking to it unless LUSH comes up with another amazing masterpiece, but it would be pretty hard to trump this baby.

So I remember back to the time when Rose Jam wasn’t part of my life. I was looking at the LUSH UK website when I stumbled upon a product that wasn’t available in the US: the Rose Jam Bubbleroon. I love roses, I love bubbles, and I love macarons. This was sure to be the perfect product for me. I’m still amazed that I was able to prophesize the arrival of this product in the US. As soon as it came in, I tried to get to a LUSH store to see if I would indeed love it; well I did, and I do. Currently, I have three Rose Jam Bubbleroons in my clothing drawers, making my clothes smell like lemony sugared roses. What a scent!

Rose Jam Bubbleroon.

As soon as I got on the rose jam craze, more products came out, and I seized them. There was Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner, a clever idea of making a moisturizing shower gel that leaves your skin feeling like you put on lotion right after you step out of the shower. Then came A Million Kisses, a bright red lip tint. And soon after Chou Chou…I Love You, the revolutionary toothy tabs (solid toothpaste). The rose scent is no longer just for elder ladies, no sirree. This is the new rose scent- a modern rose, fit for any woman of any age of any time.

My collection of Rose Jam scented items.

In between starting and finishing this blog post, I happened to take a lovely Rose Jam Bubbleroon bath. I had almost forgotten just how wonderful the scent was. After softly crumbling the pink bubbleroon under the faucet, my tub was filled with rosey pink water (that is good for your skin) and beautiful bubbles. This product is a masterpiece. I was able to relax and just feel pampered. I highly recommend the Rose Jam Bubbleroon for any time that you need a little pick-me-up.

For the first time, I tried out my Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner. It has the exact same scent as the bubbleroon so it was the perfect addition to my bath. It is so moisturizing that I didn’t need to put on lotion after the bath. I even massaged some of it into my hair, and it smelled amazing for the rest of the day!

Then there is A Million Kisses which has the same Rose Jam scent. I absolutely adore a rich red lip color, and this definitely is that! I only have to put a little bit on to have a nice red lip tint. The tin is also really cute.

And finally, Chou Chou toothy tabs. First off, I should describe what toothy tabs are; they are little tabs (almost like Altoids) that you chew up between your teeth and then brush! They foam up just like regular toothpaste. I thought it would be really weird to have a rose and lemon tasting toothpaste, but it honestly is very refreshing! I don’t use them on a daily basis, but they are a fun break from the normal dental routine every once in awhile.

All in all, the Rose Jam scent is wonderful, and I am extremely excited that they have decided to put it into a shower gel. This is only a limited time product though, starting in late October, and it will be gone from the shelves by Christmas. I’m trying to organize a trip to a LUSH store as soon as possible so I can go see this majesty for myself. If you go on the website, it might shock you to look at the prices. But I’ll be the first to tell you that it is so worth it! The shower gels from LUSH last extremely long, since they are very concentrated and a little goes a very long way. I bought the biggest size of It’s Raining Men (the shower gel form of Honey I Washed the Kids soap) and it has lasted me for about a year and 4 months while using it basically every day. So even though you will end up spending $30 all at once for the biggest size of the shower gels, that price will be well worth it. Hopefully I’ll get the Rose Jam shower gel soon and tell you what it’s like!

Love,

Jayme Renee

Category Passion | Tags: | 6 Comments
Week 2: Fresh Farmacy

September 12, 2013 by Jayme Renee Rhoads

Bonjour! So this week, I really want to praise one of my first purchases from LUSH: Fresh Farmacy! This was the pretty pink facial cleansing soap that attracted me during my first time back in a LUSH store after half a decade. In NYC’s Herald Square, there is a lovely little LUSH store just around the corner from the giant Macy’s. My friend Taylor took me in there (during her birthday trip to the city), and as I said in my first post, it stirred back memories of a store I had been to in New Zealand. So there was something special about this store for me, and I felt compelled to buy something.

    First of all, I need to say that the smell of each and every LUSH store hits your senses all at once in the most appealing way. I, for one, love smells- I am a perfume/scent fanatic, so this place was perfect for my nose. Yes, LUSH stores smell wonderful- it’s a hard smell to describe because everything in the store is so fragrant but not in a synthetic way. The smells are natural, but not in a “hippie” way. It’s bizarre, but anyone who has visited a LUSH store knows what I am talking about.

    Anyways, I happily browsed around the lovely smelling boutique containing colorful soaps, cleansers, shower gels, body scrubs, shampoos, bubble bars and bath bombs. Everything was so delightful, bright and happy. The employees were very helpful and sweet! And as I shopped, I came upon the table showing off their amazing facial cleansers, and there was this light pink face soap that promised to be gentle, natural and effective. It’s called Fresh Farmacy, and anytime I say the name or think of it, I get a special little feeling inside; the same feeling I got when I first saw this beauty of a facial cleanser. I had never tried bar soap as a facial cleanser, but I was attracted to the idea of it. With excitement of getting something new, I asked one of the LUSH workers to cut off a hunk worth about $5 of the Fresh Farmacy.

A wheel of Fresh Farmacy, just so that you can see what it looks like.

Each soap is made in a large wheel or block, and you can choose exactly how much of it you would like to buy. The workers weigh pieces so that you can specifically choose how much you are willing to spend at the time. It’s perfect.

This was a different purchase, but I wanted to show what the wrapping paper looks like, and how they measure out the weight/price. Just to let you know, this $11 hunk lasted me for about 8 months, so it’s totally worth it.

    I received my $5 worth of the beautiful pink cleanser wrapped in LUSH’s own compostable paper. This store literally thinks of every way to be environmentally friendly (and friendly to your skin). Such as: the reason why this light pink cleanser is in bar soap form is because LUSH didn’t want to keep it in a watery form, that way preservatives would not have to be used to keep this cleanser fresh. I loved the whole idea of all of this, and I’m so glad I was drawn into buying Fresh Farmacy.

    So I was happy with my Fresh Farmacy in hand, and I figured I’d get something else to treat myself. I bought the Mask of Magnaminty, a minty face mask. At the checkout, the cashier threw in a free sample of the Ocean Salt facial scrub… And so, for less than $20, I received joy, three great products, excitement, and a new love affair for the rest of my life; that’s what I call a bargain.

My purchases of that day in NYC.

    I was terribly excited to try Fresh Farmacy out. I unwrapped the lovely LUSH paper, and smelled a scent that will always be with me. Fresh Farmacy smells like the color light pink. It is gentle, soothing, relaxing, kind and pretty. Yes, all that can come from a smell. It even has an earthy scent tied in, which adds to its calming quality. This cleanser is meant to be calming for even the most sensitive skin. My skin isn’t rather sensitive, but it definitely doesn’t hurt to use something soothing and gentle. It contains natural ingredients such as calamine, chamomile, rose and lavender- which create the lovely scent, alongside tea tree to deal with blemishes.

    Not only does it smell amazing, but it really works too! It’s amazing that something so gentle can be terribly effective. I just rub a slice of the soap between my palms with warm water, and it lathers up instantly into perfect light pink bubbles. The feeling of it is so smooth, especially on the face. But even with it being really gentle, it does cleanse well. I have taken off the most stubborn makeup with ease while using Fresh Farmacy. Even black eyeliner doesn’t stand a chance against this lovely cleanser. Plus, since it isn’t harsh, your face is not dry after using it. Another great thing: it really helps with bug bites! The calming qualities given by the calamine naturally and effectively help to diminish pesky bug bites. Seriously, this is an amazing product.

My hunk of FF from a LUSH store in Montreal.

    I have been to many stores all around the world since the one in Herald Square, and I have purchased Fresh Farmacy time and time again. I always have some on hand, and I never grow tired of it. I’m not lying to you when I say this: I love using Fresh Farmacy every single time. I feel good about using it, and I know it really helps my skin to be clean and fresh. This is the perfect facial cleanser, and I will always go back to it. Oh, I just love it!

Xoxo-

Jayme Renee

Category Passion | Tags: | 5 Comments

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