Lush Life

[jayem]

*Bump*

So, I ventured into Lush the other day and I walked out feeling beautiful! Not only are the sales people wonderful and incredibly helpful/friendly but the products are amazing. I came in looking for a simple rose soap (Trader Joe's stopped carrying my usual brand) and left with two soaps, a facial cleanser, hand lotion, solid perfume, and about 10 samples. 'Angels On Bare Skin' is fantastic. Also, it's a vintage product--the formula dating back from the medieval period! I used their 'Ring of Roses' soap today and it really is a fantastic moisturizer. I'm obsessed with Lush now, and can't wait until I get paid to go out and buy some more items. They also give you pretty generous samples of everything, which is also nice since most places only give you teency little ones.

 

[HadleyH]

it's like hell for people with allergies!

seriously though, i can't even go in there.

You took the words out of my mouth!

Also, Lush products are full of Laurel sulphates and parabens and far too scented in my opinion. Once i bought something called "Dream Cream" there and I had to throw the whole thing away.... I am allergic to Lush! [huh]

I prefer products from the Health food Shop.

 

[decodoll]

They tell me it's all natural so no allergic reaction but for some reason it really irritates my skin.

That's actually pretty silly. Just because it's natural doesn't mean one can't be allergic to it. If that were the case, no one would be allergic to cat dander or pollen.

I love Lush's Ocean Salt face scrub though, and their deodorant is the only one DH can wear without breaking out.

 

[Minerva]

Also, Lush products are full of Laurel sulphates and parabens and far too scented in my opinion. Once i bought something called "Dream Cream" there and I had to throw the whole thing away.... I am allergic to Lush! [huh]

Thanks for the warning!

I'm having a run on all my favourite stuff getting discontinued, so I'm trying to find something else that works that I'm not allergic to. Several people have told me how good and and natural 'non-allergenic' Lush is supposed to be, so I've been meaning to check out their stuff.

I swear, every time I find something I like that doesn't give me a rash, it gets discontinued.

 

[glamour-girl]

i love their marshmallow bath melts. it's a bit pricy, but so worth it...

 

[Vegan_Kitty]

Oh I adore Lush, Living in London there are a lot of stores which is great

I love their stout shampoo called Cynthia Sylvia Stout, it makes my hair so shiny and soft, I also love their chocolate face mask called cupcake and their new Lip balm called Let Them Eat Cake, which is fantastic

 

[Miss Caroline]

Oooooh! Snow Fairy is my absolute favorite! I don't tend to get particularly excited about lotions and potions usually, but i adore Snow Fairy.
its a limited edition one that only comes out around christmas i think, so i'm getting ready to stock up!!

 

[Antje]

It looks like the products are wonderfull, but I found it a little expensive

 

[jasmynskyes]

They are very expensive! I got the You've Been Mangoed Bath Melt and the You Snap the Whip body butter. They smell wonderful. There aren't many things there that I really like the smell of, but the staff isnice and I like to try out the stuff, even if I don't buy!

 

[Vegan_Kitty]

Oooooh! Snow Fairy is my absolute favorite! I don't tend to get particularly excited about lotions and potions usually, but i adore Snow Fairy.
its a limited edition one that only comes out around christmas i think, so i'm getting ready to stock up!!

SNOW FAIRY!!! I love it, i get a huge bottle every year, it lasts ages and you can use it as bubble bath and shampoo as well

 

[Miss Molly]

Mmmm... LUSH is usually too scented for me, but they do sell this gorgeous thing. It's a massage bar it's called, but is a lovely moisturiser bar. It's in a heart shape and is cream with a little brown bit in it. Looks like white and milk chocolate! Ok, I forget the name, but basically, it smells HEAVENLY! If you ever go in, head to the massage bar section...

 

[Tallulah]

Beware of Lush's henna hair dye. It gets very pretty results, but it's SUCH a pain to apply. You buy it in solid, heavy blocks, like blocks of chocolate but much thicker. First you have to grate it all, and if your hair is long like mine was you'll need at least two blocks. Seriously dudes, hand and wrist pain like scribbling furiously for a three-hour essay exam! Then you add boiling water to it until it makes a paste and apply it, still hot, to your head. Wrap it in clingfilm and sit for four hours. Yes, four hours. Meanwhile, the paste has dried into the consistency of dry clay and is horribly heavy. The water comes out and runs down your face, staining your neck, cheeks, forehead and collar green. Did I mention it smells like something died on your head? When the time finally comes to wash it out, prepare yourself to basically wash dried-in clay out of your hair. It takes forever, feels horrible and makes the shower look like an abattoire. I was practically sobbing in the shower, it felt so nasty. I was past caring what colour my hair was, so long as I could get the stuff off. I thought I was going to have to cut it out! (I do have a tendency to be a complete drama queen, but even so, it's a very unpleasant process!)

You'll end up with gorgeous, shiny, soft, vibrant hair (which will still smell of dead people for a few weeks) but it's hell to get there!

lol lol lol lol You are giving me flashbacks of the beginning of my career in hair (in the early/mid '80's)!!! That stuff was a nightmare to apply to clients without baptizing yourself as well! Lovely results but never cared for the feel of the hair afterwards.

 

[jayem]

Actually, the henna (atleast for me) isn't too bad to apply. Messier than normal hair dye, but the smell isn't as terrible. Sort of like... frozen peas. If you buy a grater, the grating process is much easier. I mix my Noir (which is indigo and henna) with hot coffee instead of water for a richer color. Yes, you do have to sit with it on for hours, but I tend to wrap mine in a shower cap and go to bed. When I wake up, I take a long, hot shower and this beautiful, silky, shiny rich color is there. The rinsing out process is a bit of a pain, but I bought Lush's 'I Love Juicy' shampoo to wash it out with, and two lathers did the trick. My hair is about bottom-of-scapula length and very thick. I think the pay off is the color though. Ive never had hair dye make my color so rich and vibrant. Most dyes look fake and obvious, but henna leaves the hair so beautiful that I don't think I'll ever go back to chemical dyes.

 

[LelaViavonie]

Lush has been so good to me.. I love Lush and Im addicted to all thier products! The shampoo took me awhile to get used to.. but it works great on my hair.. and the skin care is amazing I get so excited to go to Lush.. I do I do

 

[cecil]

I love lush!! Agreed that it's expensive, my bathroom isn't 100% decked out with the stuff but I am a devotee of their Coalface cleanser. I'd recommend it for anyone who has moderate but persistent acne (booooo). Does wonders for my skin, deep cleans but doesn't leave my face feeling tight and overwashed.

I do buy something there occasionally as a treat though. The olive branch shower gel is great, really rich and softening but the smell is subtle and earthy. I much prefer it over the really fragranced products which are loads of fun but not my cup of tea, i'm afraid!

 

[Mike in Seattle]

$35.25 a pound for soap...I'll stick with Dial and use the $30 per lb. savings for something like steak and lobster, or prime rib!

 

[Miss Crisplock]

And.....the steak will be all natural!

No sparklies though.

 

[LelaViavonie]

LOL.. so very true about the sparklies....

I will only buy thier lb of soap if I am given a gift card.. and not a big fan of the sparklies myself.. but Love the scents.. Super entoxicating

 

[StaceFace]

I've really been considering trying their henna--either caca noir or caca brun. I've used chemical dyes in the past and have had decent results, but I'm tired of dousing my head in toxins just for nice color.

lyburnum - I read that henna has a bad reputation because when most people think of henna, they are actually referring to "compound henna"--basically the stuff you buy at the store in the box, claiming to be natural, when there is only a very small percentage of henna in the dye.

"Some brands of henna contain metallic compounds that react with the ammonia activator in synthetic hair dyes. These reactions yield disasters like frog butt green hair, fried and brittle hair, and in some rare cases, the combination of metals and a freshly done chemical job might melt the hair off your head. Many henna hair dye producers do NOT provide accurate and complete labeling on their products. Other producers lie about what’s in their product, or do not know what they’re selling. If you have dyed your hair, use only body art quality from a reputable source to be sure you won’t get frog butt green fried hair!"

This page has really clarified the henna misconception for me:
Henna for Hair
The Science of Henna and Hair

Though I'd like to mix my own henna with henna from that website, it's too expensive. From what I understand, Lush DOES NOT use compound henna. I'm willing to give it a try.

Has anyone else had bad experiences using Lush henna, i.e., it has reacted poorly with hair that's been previously chemically treated, not "it was a pain in the butt to wash out and it smelled bad"?

 

[dahliaoleander]

TMI ALERT W Q'S

Right now I'm getting over throwing a mini-fit over my bar of Jungle melting on the windowsil in my bathroom But...

I bought Ultra bland but because the catalog stresses to use only a little... and some lushies have reported it to be oily... I'm afraid to try it on my eczematous (only on my arms on behind my knees) sensitive skin...

I liked AOBS but it was just to much work for me making it into a paste adn all... Any ideas of what to use?

Celestial makes my skin look redder than usual even though it says the moisutrizer is for sensitive skin... I tried it a while back adn it made my whiole face bright red!... I washed it off and it took overnight to go back to normal... I kept away from the jar after that...

Till recently I did a patch test on my inner arm (going for the thinner skin and the place whre I'mr ash prone to see if that provkes a reaction) still made the skin look slightly redder compared to Imperialis....Imperialis seems fine How funny...

Just asking for another product I didn't like (Hard hold gel) Can u return without a receipt? No, huh? The gel maid my hair a bit sticky, and just didn't work for me like the soft hold one did...

Sorry for all the TMI but I had to come out with it to someone!