LUSH tins

These are my LUSH temple balms and solid perfumes.

Flying Fox (the orange one) temple balm is probably my favourite of the bunch right now, and I'm actually using it as a solid perfume. It smells of jasmine and honey - similar to the Flying Fox shower gel, that I also unexpectedly started to like. Unexpectedly - because the first time that I smelled it I hated it, it seemed overpowering and gave me nausea and headache... Well, strange things happen, now it's one of my favourite LUSH products.

Dream Time - (the blue one) is another temple balm. To me it smells like Dream Cream (OR Angels on Bare Skin exfoliator). It's nice. In my experience, it doesn't really cure insomnia - I'm not sure if it's suppposed to, but it is relaxing, helps with minor headaches and can be actually used for calmin small skin irritations.

Honey I Washed the Kids and American Cream - (the black things) are the two solid perfumes that I have so far. I like both of them, but honestly both their namesakes (the soap and the hair conditioner) are better. That is, they smell better - for my liking. But I like the idea of solid perfumes, and am going to get more of them. My new love is Karma, so I guess it's going to be the next :-)

The little red tin keeping them company is the Vietnamese balm called "Golden Star" or something. I don't know about Vietnam but in Russia it's like a universal medicine for some people - as it used to be in the USSR, it's a very old product, you see, a product with a history :-))))) In fact it is quite a useful thing, not a cure-all of course, but it's good to have it at hand. Essentially it contains clove, cinnamon and peppermint oils, menthol, camphor and eucalyptus oil - all the basic things. :-)

LUSH photo review

Well, my addiction to LUSH is getting worse,and I already started taking picures of the stuff I have - which is still not that much - well, at least compared to what I wish I had, what I'm planning to have and what I have no need to have, but know that I will end up having none the less, beacause I'm an AD-DI-CT. :-)



All right, so, what we see here is (l-r): Coconut, Cosmetic Lad, Tea Tree Water, Lemony Flutter, Dream Cream.



Coconut is a powder deodorant - one of the several deodorants that LUSH has. I basically got it because I thought I should try some alternative to the usual antiperspirants with these harmful aluminum salts and stuff. Let's see - as an alternative it really worked - better than I actually expected. Being used to Nivea and Rexona deodorants I somehow thought that if it's natural and supposedly safe - it simply cannot work. Well - it can. It actually prevents all the unpleasant odour and lasts long enough. There are some downsides to it though - the first is that it being a powder it can't but leave some white traces, so I wouldn't use it wearing something black. I also wouldn't use it wearing something white - because since it is not an antiperspirant (which is a good thing healthwise) it doesn't really prevent you from sweating (a good thing healthwise). But all these downsides are ignorable - like I said - as an alternative it's just great. So I would definitely recommend it for a change - to alternate with you regular deo.

What's worse - in my case - is that it turned out that I really don't like the coconut smell. I actually knew that when I was buying Coconut, but for some reason I thought that it's just that chemical coconut smell that you usually get in cheap perfume and bathworks that I hate. Nope. I don't like coconut smell period. Well, too bad, I guess I'll need another deodorand powder, still not sure which, besides I hear that Coconut is actually the most effective.. :-(

Cosmetic Lad - moisturiser. Well, for me it's just ok, I'm still in search of a perfect moisturiser. But CL is not bad, it is supposed to be a moisturiser good enough to convert guys to using moisturisers as such and LUSH in particular :-) It is good enough for girls too and I've heard many girls praying by it. So it might work miracles for some, I guess. Not me. However I really like the smell - it's creamy and sweet, a bit like a chewing-gum, in my opinion, but not too sweet. (It shouldn't scare the guys away, remember? :-))

Tea Tree Water toner. I really like this toner, it did make my skin visibly better - not that it needed some dramatic improvement - thanks God. I have basically a normal skin sometimes sensitive. This toner promises to cure the irritations and blemishes you have. I personally love it for its pore diminishing quality - after a mask or exfoliation I feel that I need to squeeze those open pores back, and TTW gives me this nice feeling.

Lemony Flutter I've already written about. Still love it.

Dream Cream - body lotion for troubled skin. I would never dream of spending so much money on a body cream :-))) But this cream is just legendary. Some people say it helped them get rid of some skin problems they've been having for ages. I just had to give it a try. I'm not crazy about the smell, but it's not unpleasant. Sort of chamomile-lavenderish neutral smell, that kind of reminds me hundreds of creams from my childhood, but none in particular. Great moisturiser, a little goes a long way, which kind of balances its price. As for its miraculous qualities - yeah, I've already had a chance to check them. I got a little burn from a cooking oil, and applied some DC right away. Well, I don't know, may be any cream would have done the same, but less than in 10 minutes I completely forgot about the burn! Being a butterfingers that I m, I'm thinking it's gonna be my staple :-)

Top-5 LUSH products

As I promised - My LUSH top-5.

Disclaimer: Being a newby, I haven't yet tried all the LUSH products (I suppose in a time I will :-)))), so this list is far from objective, but well, these 5 are my favourites so far.

I might update the list later.

#1 Creamy Candy Bath

It' my favoutite LUSH bubble bar so far - it smells like the Rok Star Soap, and the smell lingers for a long time. I remember after the first time I took a bath with it (by the way, I used only 1/3 of the bar and it made a vary foamy bath), I couldn't get - what is it that I smell all the time, wherever I go - something subtly sweet and gentle. Took me some time to get it :-))) Till the next bath :-)) It also makes my skin soft and nice, and my personality - bubblier :-)

#2 Aqua Mirabilis

It is an exfoliating massage bar that you use while in the shower - after shower gel, soap or whatever you prefer. You just slide it over your body or if you want it to go longer - rub it in your hands and then massage yourself with what is left on your hands. May be it's just because it was the first body exfoliator that I used in my life (long enough to be embarrased of never having used an exfoliator before), but I thought that what it did to my body was really a miracle. The thing is that the unnecessary hair that grow on my legs are very long inside (gosh, THIS is embarassing...and sort of gross... sorry), which results in me having the problem with ingrown hair since like 13. I thought it was just my bad luck and put up with it. Well. Aqua Mirabilis actually rid me of this problem! I can't even believe it myself. And it feels great too - the ground almond shells in combination with the oils produce fantastic sensation that you want to go on and on. I also adore the smell of it - something like cookies and milk - such a pity that it doesn't stay longer though.

#3 Soft Coeur

It is a massage bar that you use after shower or whenever you need a massage - or to give a massage ;-) The smell is divine - warm and sweet - it's not just honey or chocolate, but it's just something inexplicably beautiful an tasty. Makes you want to lick it. Which is ok, I guess, since this brown thing inside is the real chocolate :-)

#4 American Cream

Hair conditioner. My story about this one is a winter story. It's about how after using the American Cream on Sunday I went to my office on Monday and how when I enterd the building and took my cap off I immedialtely felt the smell of my conditioner. And not only me, but my co-workers, who smiled and said - what is this nice smell. :-)))) It's amazing how a hair conditioner (which also is VERY very good as a conditioner - that is, it totally serves its purpose, smoothing my hair and moisturizing it) can produce such an effect. Yeah, I also got an American Cream solid perfume, as soon as theay started selling SP in Russia. I like it too - would have been better though had the smell been stronger and more eh.. persistent. But it is the conditioner in my top-5, not the SP, because the idea of your hair smelling of strawberry vanilla is somewhat sexier, I guess. :)

#5 Lemony Flutter

Lemony Flutter is a cuticle butter. Actually nail care is one of my obsessions - I like nail polishes and I love it when my nails are done and are looking good. However, because I lack self-discipline and sometimes completely forget that I have nails to care about whatsoever and neglect them for TOO LONG (no exagerations), at times I was just horrified with my nails. By the time that I remembered to look at my nails, they were so awfully shabby, that it was actually stressfull to even look at them. :-))))) And since I like my nails to look nice (see above), I had to overcome the stress and do something about it. Which at this point took some effort. Well, rejoice, this long and sad story has a happy ending! Lemony Flutter! Partly because it is LUSH and I want to use it again and again - and don't forget to. Partly due to its great softening qualities - it has all kinds of oils and butters in it, and it is very thick and nourishing. But it helpd me maintain my nails the way I like them to be :-))) Effortlessly! The cuticle on my nails basically stopped growing, so all I need to do is to gently move it away about once a week. Highly recommended!

My LUSH Obsession

For a long time I did manage to stay away from these little black shops in the malls, and even occasionally looking into them I would just look around, check the prices and walk away with "thanks, but no, thanks"

That couldn't last forever though.

I don't even know how that happened, but I only see, that there's something worryingly close to an addiction going on - I seriously am addicted to LUSH products, to an extend that when I go to sleep I lull myself with thinking - what I am going to by next from LUSH. It is a bit of a deviation, I know. BUT actually - the LUSH products actually do make me HAPPIER. In a way. For some little time. But in the end of the day - that's what matters :-)))))

So I'm just going to keep enjoying my insanity - while I can :-)

Now I just thought I might describe some of the LUSH products that I already have. Which is not that much actually, but I'm pretty sure, that's not the end of it.

First come SOAPS - LUSH has a big range of colorful handmade soaps, and I still have a way to go to test all af them, but I already have tried some that I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy again.

1. Sultana of Soap

This was actually the first soap that I bought from LUSH - and I totally fell in love with it. It smells like heaven - as far as I can gather. It's fruity and sweet, but not heavy, it's soft and creamy and it gives a lot of foam if used with a bath sponge - which is how I prefer it. Among its ingredients are Dried Apricots, Dried Currants, Dried Cranberries, Olibanum Oil, Bergamot Oil and some chemicals :-)))))))

2. Rock Star

Rock Star - is probably my favourite soap at the moment. It's pink - as you can see :-)))) and it's super-girly. It smells very pink if that makes any sense - like a dream of a bubble-gum. However - my friend, who is very macho-man and who was very much against the idea of paying around $6 for a bar of soap - fell under its charm too, it was actually the first LUSH soap that I noticed him using - while he ignored the more masculine ones that I bought, desperately trying to make him like what I like ( in that instance - Lush). Gosh, was I happy! And he even got me some LUSH soaps as a gift recently - Rock Star included :-)))))

3. Honey I Washed The Kids

I bought it after I found out that it smells exactly like the Soft Coer massage bar - which is probably my favoutite LUSH product of all. Well, it's definitely in top-3. Top-5 - for sure :-))) I'll make my Top-5 later, I guess. Well, HIWTK soap is divine. The official LUSH site says: "On paper it`s difficult to portray the full effect of this honeycomb toffee scented soap. Suffice to say that people who fully intended to walk past a Lush shop find themselves unable to resist its tempting, mouth-watering fragrance. They inhale and say `Mmmmmm` then they exhale and say `Ahhhhh` then they pick up a big chunk and join the queue for the till."

Well, sort of :-)))

4. Bohemian

I got it in that same wonderfull gift from my friend as the Rock Star. Honestly, I myself probably wouldn't buy it, knowing that it's a lemon soap, since lemon would seem rather a plain choice for me, too flat and too fresh, I'd probably look for something more interesting (ha-ha). But now that it's mine, I know I will want to buy it again. It does smell of lemon, no surprises here. And not much other than lemon. But - HOW! The smell is so strong and so fresh, so invigorating. It is - if nothing else - a very usefull soap to have. It would come handy if you, say, haven't slept last night (and feel like dying), and are expecting guests tonight(and should be entertaining and full of life) - which is exactly what happened to me yesterday, and yes, I was entertaining and full of life :-)))

5. Skinny Dip

Skinny Dip desreves a long story. Actually on lush.co.uk it goes under the lable "butter cream", but in fact it is a soap, just creamier than you regular soap would be. I bought it, because someone recommended it as a good soft facial cleanser for everyday use. Didn't work for me - that is, for my face. And at first I even hated the smell. Which oddly, according to various lush-forums and even the official site, is very often the case. After which - probably on the 3-rd use, I just realized that it's great, that it's so MY type of smell, that it's so perfect, that I just can't live without it. Which is, according to...see above...very often the case. I wonder why this happens. I didn't even know anything about this phenomenon, when I became part of it. Weird. Anyways, the list of ingredients is pretty impressive - now wonder it's a complex bouquet - Creamed Coconut Infusion, Organic Aloe Vera Gel, Almond Oil, Cocoa Butter, Clove Bud Oil, Cedarwood Oil, Clary Sage Oil, Ylang Ylang Oil, Vetivert Oil, Palmarosa Oil , and some chemicals. Probably it's them chemicals that make up for the resulting perfect smell - don't care :-)) Personally I don't feel coconuts in it, which is good, because am not a fan of that smell. I do feel clove, but not too much, and I might describe it as somewhat herby or spicey. All in all it's very feminine and seductive and fresh at the same time. It doesn't produce much foam - which is a huge minus for me, since I like to feel foam over my body when I wash myself - I feel more washed this way :-))) But I adore the smell so much, that I'm even prepared to ignore this factor.

Well, I guess that was my Top-5 of Lush Soaps, even though I didn't plan it that way first. So be it :-))) I'll continue later with my top-5 of Lush everything and other things that I have to say about my latest obsession :-)))