Damaged Hot Oil Treatment

Ingredients: Cetearyl Alcohol and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Fair Trade Vanilla Absolute, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Cationic Guar Gam, Sodium Bicarbonate, Almond Oil, Organic Avocado Oil, Perfume and Citric Acid

Vegan

 This is one of the new hair products that have been designed by Lush using oils in the treatment. Damaged is a hexagonal block of hard oil that is attached to a wooden stirrer and is so small, you could easily overlook it. Definitely don't!

I have a love/hate relationship with my hair, going months without it being cut and generally leaving it in a sorry state of affairs and looking pretty miserable. Since discovering the deep treatment hair care products designed by Lush, Roots has become a firm favourite and my trusty go to product when my hair is looking terrible along with H'Suan Wen Hua to get my hair looking somewhat normal!

I have to admit, I do blow dry my hair every 2/3 days and don't use any heat protecting spray/serum as I find that if it dries naturally, it will dry limp and lifeless whereas if I blow dry it, I'll have volume and bounce all day but, of course, this does come at a cost to my hair and the ends are split most of the time and can feel quite dry.

I saw this on the shelf and just going by the name alone, picked one up and put it in my basket and forgot about it until a couple of days ago and decided to try it out after feeling pretty down about the good old British weather!

Damaged has a primarily vanilla scent which is quite light and absolutely gorgeous with a little hint of added sweetness. Vanilla absolute is known for its de - stressing, uplifting and aphrodisiac qualities ;) and is also rich in vitamins too. The Olive Oil is also an extremely useful ingredient as it helps to increase the tensile strength of hair and gently treating the scalp; the Almond oil adds shine and softens the entire hair shaft and finally, the Avocado oil adds strength, shine and condition to your hair.

This is quite an easy treatment to make. Simply follow the instructions carefully and don't add all the water at once. When I poured the water in first, I only covered the cube to the top and stirred until it had become a thick paste and just kept adding small amounts until the oils had all dissolved. I was left with a third of a cup of product that was similar in texture and thickness/ consistency to Roots. I then applied it to my hair using the stirrer but it felt quite odd putting something warm on my head but I left it for half an hour and jumped in the shower.

Lush suggests you wash your hair with your normal shampoo to make sure you get all the product out otherwise like me, you'll have to get back in the shower to wash it out so that it doesn't dry and you end up with lumps of oil in your hair. Once it was all out, I didn't worry about conditioning as the treatment had just done that. After drying it, it was beautifully soft, sleek, shiny and had a beautiful subtle vanilla fragrance. As those who use Fairly Traded Honey will know it is quite a powerful scent that lasts but Damaged manages to hold its own against it and my hair smelt wonderful for the next 24 hours.

One of the other great things about this product is that because I didn't use it all at once, I still have enough mixture to do another mask making it well worth its price tag. This is an amazing product that I will certainly be repurchasing it whenever my hair is in need of some TLC.

5*/5*

£6.50 for 20g

The amount of mixture I had at the end 

Tea Tree Toner Water

Ingredients: Tea Tree Water, Grapefruit Water, Juniperberry Water, Limonene, Perfume and Methylparaben

Vegan

Before discovering Lush, I never needed Toner Water or really knew that it existed or what its purpose was.

All that has changed now. I was having a really bad period with my face and having outbreaks of spots every week or so so I decided enough was enough and got some of this and tried it out for a week and it worked wonders. The tiny little annoying pimples and white heads went away and I was left with only one spot which had been threatening to grow into a mountain range along my chin but was now only a small bump on the road.

As you can see from the state of the label on my bottle, this has been extremely well used and seeing as I've had this for nearly a year and am only halfway through the bottle it is one of the most worth it products that Lush offers, you certainly get a lot of bang for your buck!
This product only has 6 ingredients and the majority of these have properties that cleanse the skin and keep it spot free.

Tea Tree Water is anti bacterial, anti fungal and anti microbial which helps keep spots away as well as clarifying the skin and the Grapefruit water offers another anti bacterial effect along with anti septic, anti depressant and astringent (the contraction of skin cells) qualities. These all improve skin tone and is especially useful for acne or oily skin types making the Toner Water perfect for combating troublesome skin.

I usually apply toner water after I've cleansed my face with 9 to 5 cleansing lotion or after I've done a face mask in order to clean out my pores and to rehydrate my skin. I normally just spray it directly onto my face and then use my fingers to spread it around but I will use a cotton wool pad if I'm actively trying to wipe product off my face. The only issue I have with using the pads is that I find that it gets absorbed very easily into the cotton so I can never quite feel it actually going on to my skin.

5*/5*

£4.25 for 100g
£7.95 for 250g

Karma Bubble Bar

Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar (Potassium bitartrate), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Fair Trade Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Citric Acid, Laureth 4, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Patchouli Oil (Pogostemon cablin), Sweet Orange Oil (Citrus sinensis), Lavandin Oil (Lavandula hybrida),  Pine Oil (Pinus sylvestris), Lemongrass Oil (Cymbopogon citratus), Elemi Oil (Canarium commune), Mango Butter (Mangifera indica), Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Olea europaea), Cornflour (Zea mays), Glycerine, Titanium Dioxide, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Tin Oxide, Citral, Geraniol, Citronellol, Limonene, Linalool, Copper Sheen and Deep Purple Lustre, Colour 15985.

Vegan 
Karma, Karma, Karma, how you have been ignored by me! When looking at the display of bath bars and bubble bars at Bath, I always skipped over the old style Karma and went for the sweeter, fruitier options on offer. Skip ahead some months and I'm in Oxford Street and I spy an exotic beauty of purple and orange. Inspired by London in the 1960s and the hippie culture of that time, this is a beautiful mix of Patchouli, Lemongrass and Orange Oil that gives a complex fragrance in the bath. 

Patchouli is used because of its earthy aroma and is used in aromatherapy for relaxation and antiviral properties which have an uplifting effect on the mind. Karma also has Lemongrass which is toning and has antiseptic and deodorising properties when applied to the skin and has been used in aromatherapy, again, for its uplifting and anti-depressant qualities and finally, Karma also possesses Pine Oil which has a cleansing and calming effect on the mind as well as antiseptic qualities.

This bubble bar produces soft and silky bubbles that smell absolutely divine and envelops the whole bathroom. I think the new colour perfectly suits this sultry fragrance which leaves you smelling like a goddess/god for the rest of the day. It also leaves you brilliantly moisturised and nourished, with beautifully soft skin. 

This is one of the easiest bubble bars to crumble, I normally use a sieve to create the maximum amount of bubbles but you can crumble them under the tap or crumble them on to the bottom of the bath and let the bath water run over them and create mountains of soft bubbles. 

I absolutely love this bubble bar and I have already repurchased it! 

5*/5*

£4.25 

Don't Look At Me Fresh Face Mask

Ingredients: Glycerine, Kaolin, Water, Fresh Organic Lemon Juice, Organic Silken Tofu, Rice Syrup, Grounded White Rice, Rice Milk, Murumuru Butter, Bentone, Grapefruit Oil, Neroli Oil, Limonene, Geraniol, Linalool, Farnesol, Perfume and Colour 42090. 

Vegan 

This is one of the new fresh face masks from Oxford Street and is certainly one of the brightest! This is a strange face mask, you certainly won't have seen anything like it before and the smell is certainly new to Lush as well I think. 

Featuring Kaolin like the Prince of Darkness mask, DLAM also has generous helpings of Murumuru butter which according to Lush, is highly emollient and moisturising and is a product that is also used in their vegan lipbalm, None of your Beeswax. DLAM also has Neroli oil to give an uplifting fragrance and is scientifically proven to increase serotonin levels in the brain as well as creating a toning effect on the skin. The Lemon and Grapefruit oils both have antibiotic and anti sceptic properties and these cleanse and rejuvenate the skin, leaving a glow and a smooth complexion. 

This pot of goodness also has rice syrup, white rice and rice milk which gives an exfoliating element to this mask. It is quite grainy and if you are not careful then it could be quite harsh on your skin, especially if it is quite sensitive but it does leave your skin with a wonderful glow and very soft. 

To use this mask, you smother it on and you can feel the grainy texture getting to work immediately. You normally leave them for 15 to 20 minutes and them wash them off with some warm water and a face cloth. After I washed it off, my face did feel a little tight around my forehead so I would suggest that this would be better for those with an oilier complexion but could still be used for those with all skin types. 

The only thing that I didn't like was the smell. I found it quite off putting and the fact that I had to put it on my face was not the most enjoyable for me, it was quite a strong aroma of sour fruit and that is not the pleasant in my opinion! But its end result was very rewarding so that is why it is rated quite highly.

4*/5*

£6.95 for 75g

Lush Collection August 2015

So I now I haven't posted in a while, work has been crazy busy so I thought I would just show you guys the products that I have collected so far! I'm not sure how many products I own and frankly I'm too scared to count them all !

Honey I Washed the Kids (top left), Outback Mate (blue in the middle), Sexy Peel (top right), Miranda (bottom right) and Sultana of Soap (bottom left).

Ice Blure, Fairly Traded Honey, No Drought, H'Suan Wen Hua, Roots x2, Big, Veganese, Damaged, R&B, Jason and the Argan Oil Solid shampoo (pink), Dr Peppermint and a sample of Veganese.

The Comforter Solid Perfume, Fantasy Eye liner, Success Eye liner, Motivation Eye liner, Control Eye liner, Decisive Lipstick and The Kiss Lip Scrub

(L-R) Twilight, Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair, Lord of Misrule, It's Raining Men, Beautiful and Don't Rain On My Parade.

(L-R) Twilight, Black Pearl, Calacas and Rose Jam

(L-R) The Comforter, Yummy Mummy, B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful, Slammer and Narcotick.
Large ones behind; The Comforter shower creme and the Olive Branch.

L-R Back; Grease Lightning x2, Tea Tree Toner Water, Breeze on Sea Air Toner Water, Mask of Magnaminty x2.
L-R Front; Baby Face Solid Cleanser, Dream Steam Toner Tab, 9 to 5 Cleansing Lotion, Rosey Cheeks, Prince of Darkness and Don't Look At Me.

Heavenly Bodies and Emperor of Ice Cream x2 

Whitewash Shower Smoothie

2 (melted) Pearl massage bars, Strawberry feels forever and Heavenilli 

Vanilla Dee-Lite Body Lotion x2, Yummy Mummy Body Conditioner, The Comforter Body Lotion x2, Ro's Argan Body Conditioner x2 and American Cream Body Lotion

Rub, Rub, Rub Shower Scrub x2 (1 is filled with Lemon Sherbert), Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub x2, Lemon Sherbert Showder and Life's A Beach Body Scrub Powder

All Shower Jellies
Back L-R; Party On, Sweetie Pie x3, Big Calm and Deep Sleep
Middle L-R; Refresher, Sweetie Pie x2, Big Calm x2
Front L-R; Strawberry Twin Tub, Needles and Pine, Whoosh, 93,000 Miles, Refresher and Deep Sleep

Collection of Bath Oils

The Experimenter

Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Perfume, Popping Candy, Vetivert Oil, Tonka Absolute, Fair Trade Vanilla Absolute, Cream of Tartar, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Coumarin, Limonene, Eugenol, Linalool, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Tin Oxide, Gold Glimmer Lustre, Colour 42090, Colour 45410 and Colour 45350

Vegan 

One of the bath bombs that has hit stores last weekend after being sold in the Oxford Street store was the Experimenter. This featured quite heavily in the promo for the new products and was nicknamed the 'bathtime motion picture' after Lush released a video a while ago for it and I believe that the images used on the bags from Oxford Street are from this bath bomb! 

Unfortunately I don't love it as much as I thought I would. First of all the smell, although pleasant, is certainly quite strong due to the vetivert oil present. Vetivert oil is derived from the vetiveria zizanoides plant which can be found in places such as India, Java and Tahiti and is cultivated for the essential oil in Southern India, Indonesia, Malaya, Japan, Brazil and Jamaica to name a few and it creates a dusky, smokey fragrance which is not my particular favourite as I tend to favour the sweeter, fruitier varieties. However, the Experimenter also possesses tonka (which is quite predominate in Yummy Mummy) and vanilla absolute which tones down the vetivert oil and creates a slightly more masculine fragrance that lasted until the next morning. 

Secondly, the most impressive feature of this bath bomb to me is the amazing swirl of colours that spew forth as it dissolves in the water creating a stunning layer of coloured foam on the surface. A layer of hidden gold glitter is also released adding another dimension to the bath and there is also popping candy in it but in my one I could hardly tell it was there. The downside with all the colours is that you are left with a tub of glittery greyish water which is not the most appealing! 

I think you could change the colour if you added maybe the darker bath oils such as Monsieur Gustave or maybe Oil on Troubled waters may make the bath water slightly more appealing and make it either dark blue or dark purple (these you can only get from the Oxford Street store or on ebay). 

I think that this is a lovely bath bomb but it certainly doesn't knock Intergalactic off my number 1 post but I'll probably repurchase it when I am back in Bath for a treat.

3*/5*

£3.95