Volume 4 Perfume Thoughts

Volume 4 has been in our thoughts since the Creative Showcase of 2016. Finally a year later, they are available to the public online and in stores. Along with a revamp of the current perfume range and a general price decrease across the line with the omission of the 10ml perfume bottles.

I am delighted about finally having new perfumes to sniff and fall in love with and I enjoy the focus on this range and the story behind it. The founders wanted to create a line of perfumes that didn't just smell nice- but specifically evoked memories and make you feel something. I certainly pick up on this with the complexity of the scents featured.

While I'm not sure why they decided on a complete makeover- only offering white labels (or black on the exclusive line), it's certainly something I'm indifferent about. The OCD in me is satisfied that all the perfumes being the same size, shape, design so they'll look neat and tidy on my shelf. But I do miss the individuality of the labels and the illustrations on them.

My first experience with the range was a solid Rentless. Rentless features a patchouli aroma with a contrast of sweetness from the grapefruit. It reminded me of a fruitier version of Lord of Misrule. The first thing that struck me was how little you needed to apply for it to have a strong impression on the skin when compared to the now-older tin design where I would apply generously for a good layer of the product. This new formula also lasted a lot longer, and almost reached the strength of a liquid perfume. This was then confirmed for me when I tried Amelie Mae solid which was the same performance wise.

From my experience, this range contains a lot of earthy scents such as Rentless, Icon, Tank Battle. Sweet ones like Amelie Mae, What Would Love Do, I'm Home and Cardamom Coffee. However, all of them are complex with multiple layers. My favorite so far from the range is definitely Cardamom Coffee which reminds me of a small family owned coffee shop, it's rich like chocolate and offers a warmth that I'm not familiar with in any of my other perfumes.

If you go to Oxford street or Lush Arndale in Manchester, you'll see they have a wider range of the line. With perfumes as previously mentioned- Tank Battle and Icon. Along with old favourites like 1000 Kisses Deep, Devils Nightcap, Love etc that have only been available in Oxford street, but are now available online as well as in a few more stores across the country.

If you haven't been to store to experience these yet, then please do. On paper, the descriptions may sound like your cup of tea, but they are so different on each person that you just have to go and try them for yourself.

Hair Custard Hair Dressing

A hair dressing was one of the many new inventions from Lush that was revealed for the Oxford Street store opening before being released as a regular item around the country. A hair dressing can be used in numerous ways. Such as: styling cream, hair treatment, and a form of protection before using heat devices such as blow drying.

Scent wise I find is almost identical to that of the custard shark bath oil (another oxford street exclusive), and fans of the Vanilliary family should like the scent of this delicious pudding. It really is true to the name and smells reminiscent of sweet custard, but it's not a sickly sweet that would be repulsive for some, including me. I absolutely adore this scent and on more than one occasion want to grab a spoon and dig in to it's temptation. Even better, the scent stays in my hair until the next wash (which for me is 2-3 days) and as a person with short hair, I have to get my fix when a nice breeze blows.


It's quite easy to use for those that are experienced with styling products. However, the only difficult part would be the quantity. While I don't find this product makes my hair sticky or oily, if you use too much (which is the same for most hair products) it will make your hair like that. So start small, with pea size amounts and rub between your hands to then run through the hair as evenly as possible. To use as a hair treatment, apply a generous amount and leave on for an hour or two (it's really up to you) before shampooing and conditioning like normal.

I find this product easy to use, long-lasting, and effective. It fights the abundance of static my frizzy hair curses me with, whilst providing volume and enhancing my hairs natural waves. It gives my hair a natural hold, so if you want something more powerful and fixing, then you'll have to keep looking! I love how this product is multi-purpose, whilst supplying moisture to dry hair. Making it a healthy addition to your hair routine! Furthermore, the scent is absolutely scrumptious and one that I even rub on my wrists when I'm really craving it.

Hair custard is packed full of gorgeous ingredients intended to improve the condition of your hair. For instance, it uses cocoa butter, coconut oil, and jojoba oil for intense moisture, along with argan oil to repair damaged hair. In addition to the vanilla pods, vanilla absolute, and fresh strawberry juice to give it it's beautiful fragrance. Finally, the most key ingredient- egg whites, to fully coat the hair follicles and even stimulate the scalp, it's even rumored to aid hair growth.

Overall, this is certainly one of my favourite hair products from Lush. The only downside being the heavy price tag, but when you consider the small amount you use each time, it justifies treating yourself to it!

Rating: 9/10 (My only wish is for it to be a little more affordable) 

Price: 
100g £12.95
200g £24.95

Decisive Lipstick

With the opening of Lush Oxford street, comes with it was the re-formulated lipsticks. From liquid to solid, these new tube formats will eventually home themselves into all stores.
Now, if you've read my Bamboozled lip stain review. You'll know of my lipstick virginity. But now being acquainted and quite familiar with the Oxford Street makeup, I've happily taken the lipsticks under my wing as a new addiction. Which isn't a cheap one with each small 2g tube costing £13.50.

Decisive is a gorgeous straight up, classic 40's red. You can apply this straight on the lips for boldness, with a brush, or dab with fingers for a more plump natural look. When applying straight on you'll notice it leaves a soft, consistent, matte layer that smooths out the lips while providing no feeling of it even being there. I actually find this shade to be similar to that of a Lip Stain. Once on, Decisive barely moved or dulled. Fighting against food and drinks. Even after removing with 9 to 5, it left my lips with a subtle red tint, not even leaving any uneven patches either. My lips held their moisture, kept within the perfect balance of matte without dryness.

The ingredients in this amazing tube are ones that keep the essence of Lush. With Kalahari Melon Oil which is commonly used in their body lotions to keep skin supple. Organic Jojoba Oil to hydrate, and Organic Castor Oil to keep lips healthy whilst being a natural anti-bacterial. Candelilla wax to bind the ingredients and create an absorbent texture. Sunflower, Orange Peel, and Rose wax to usually give texture and effect. These ingredients were carefully formulated to give Decisive a stubborn hold on the lips and a beautiful soft matte texture. Even though the list of ingredients give off a impression, there is no overpowering scent or taste. Other than a sweet waxy scent, it still smells similar to lipsticks of other brands.


The small size of the tube means it won't take up much space in a hand bag for application on the go. And I can even fit two tubes in the lipstick part of my makeup organiser. Overall, I can count on this lipstick lasting me a whole night out, whilst being the perfect shade to wear casually too. It's a sharp, bold colour that carries the message "Ready to Rock" and lives up to it. I'm not sure how long a tube can last me, being my first lipstick but since it only takes one swipe to create a bold colour, I doubt it will run out anytime soon. Especially since I prefer to create a natural look by applying True and blending a little of Decisive with my finger to add a bit of colour.

I look forward to the full range being out in stores, but until then I'll have to grab a tube each time I return home to Manchester where luckily, the Arndale Lush contains the whole Oxford Street makeup range.

Rating: 8/10 

Price: £13.50

True Lipstick

I chose True because of it's almond brown colour. As a believer that to get my makeup confidence up, I first need to keep everything natural and nude, then work my way up to bold and bright. So along with Decisive, I picked this up at the Lush Creative Showcase in London where they kindly brought along Oxford Street to us.

You can apply the lipsticks straight on for boldness, with a brush, or dab with fingers for a more plump natural look. With True being such a light brown shade, it doesn't suit all skin tones. However, it depends on which application you use. While dabbing provides a more subtle tone, because it blends into my natural light pink lips quite well and creates a natural look. Where if I wanted my lips to stand out I could easily increase the intensity with more application. 

I find that True is a complete different texture to Decisive. It's thinner and clings to the dry parts of my lips. It also doesn't last as long, with average wear being about 2 hours, but will disappear instantly if eating food. But then again, with it being such a light colour, it may be because it wasn't as noticeable to begin with. True still gives me a consistent colour and application so I don't have to worry about uneven patches. 

What also makes it different to it's sibling Decisive is that instead of Melon oil, it features Watermelon seed oil, whilst most of the ingredients list staying the same. Watermelon seed oil provides light moisture while apparently being anti-aging too. With the addition of Organic Jojoba Oil to hydrate, and Organic Castor Oil to keep lips healthy whilst being a natural anti-bacterial. Candelilla wax to bind the ingredients and create an absorbent texture. Sunflower, Orange Peel, and Rose wax to usually give texture and effect. With no overpowering aroma, I do find True to have a sweeter wax scent than Decisive, but with no taste it doesn't leave an impression on the senses. 

The small size of Lush Lipsticks mean that is won't take up much room for on the go application and I can even fit two tubes in my lipstick part of my makeup organiser. While I wouldn't wear this on a night out, this is a great everyday nude lipstick. Even though I do prefer the shade of Decisive, I will probably use this shade up faster as it's more of a daily colour to help me get used to the application of lipstick. But I still expect this to last me over a year since I don't use much each time. It blends really well with other lipsticks such as the lip blocks and Decisive. But priced at £13.50 I'm hoping in the future I won't need to buy another tube of this shade as I plan on warming up to the brighter bolder options that Lush has to offer. 

The message on this shade is "Genuine and most real".

Rating: 7/10 

Price: £13.50

Lush Oxford Street Lip Barrier Crayon

You read that right. The Lip Barrier Crayon is a crayon for your face. Designed to be used around the lips to create, well a 'barrier', to prevent lipstick bleeding or smudging. Available with the introduction of the Lush Oxford Street makeup range, on my trip to the Manchester Arndale, I had to buy this intriguing invention.

As someone that only owns the Bamboozled Lip Stain, I can't thoroughly review the performance of this crayon against lipstick. However, I do have to inform you that it has more than one use. Being told on my first visit that it can function as a 'primer'. For those that are new to makeup, a primer is used before applying makeup to create a layer to fill in pores and make foundation appear smoother on the skin as well as keeping makeup in place for longer.

So to put it to the test, I drew this on half of my face over the t-zone areas, then further rubbing it in with my fingers. You can't see the barrier crayon when applied to skin so rubbing it in allowed to me to control the amount more by knowing it was melting in the skin. After applying foundation, the half of my face that had the barrier definitely appeared smoother and I could see the foundation didn't fill in my pores meaning the barrier had beaten it to it. This is a miracle when considering I've always had a bad reputation with market brand primers, with every bottle either making my skin sticky or drying out my foundation.

Even if a primer is what you'll be using it as. I can see this crayon lasting a good year or so, and for £7 that is an absolute bargain compared to other primers. But if only used as a lip barrier, I can imagine you'll lose it before you finish it.

Overall, I'm glad I purchased this interesting product. It works especially well as an eye primer for the eye powders and creates a 'wet' base for the powders to react to and therefore brighten. So if you have the chance to, definitely buy this product!

Rating: 9/10 (Rating when used as a primer!) 

Price: £7 

Oxford Street Eye Powders

There's just something magical about a powder in a glass bottle. I would imagine seeing something similar in Alice in Wonderland with the words "wear me", and when you see the beautiful shades, you'll believe me. With the Lush Oxford Street release, with over 200 new exclusive products, makeup was a fair percent of it. Along with the never before seen Eye Powders, there's: eye jewels, face powders, lipsticks, and re-designed items like the Eyes Right Mascara and the Emotional Brilliance Face Powder.

The Eye Powders caught my attention first. With over 18 different shades, all £10 each. A heavy price tag for a single shade but when compared to Mac products, doesn't seem as bad. There are two types of eye powders, with the second labelled as 'Earth' which feature about 5 or 6 colours. Along with colour, every bottle has a unique message to live up to the name of the  'Emotional Brilliance' makeup collection.

To use, dab a brush and tap any excess off before applying to the eyelid. For a creamier/bolder effect, wet the brush beforehand and apply. All of the shades are heavily pigmented, creating an already flawless colour which is easy to blend. In my experience, the colours last all day, even after being washed off the lustre remains. Each shade is versatile in their own way, with multiple uses. So since I can't review them all in a single page, I'll feature mini reviews of each shade I own.

They don't have a scent to them and they're very generous in size. So I estimate they would last longer than the compressed shadows. Plus they fit perfectly in the lipstick part of a makeup organiser.

Overall I can see my bank account crying as I attempt at collecting all the stunning shades. And since I switched to Lush makeup, it's encouraged me to me to use it more as my confidence increases.

-Arty (Black with shimmer)
-Cherish (Beige pink)
-Hypnotic (Grey)
-Radiant (White with golden lustre)
-Sophisticated (Nude Brown with shimmer)

Earth Powders

-Protect (Baby blue)
-Lucid (Slytherin Green)

Lush Oxford Street Elated Blusher

Along with the 'Lovely' blusher, these are the two new shades of blush in the Oxford Street makeup range. That lucky for me, the Manchester Arndale store features the entirety of. On my makeup journey, I've learnt an important fact. That your face isn't all one colour. So when you plaster that foundation on, it's going to look weird. You need a bronzer, blusher, and highlighter to make it look like natural makeup, if that makes sense.

From never owning a blusher before, there was something very exciting when I purchased Elated. A beautiful sunkissed pink that I imagine as an autumn companion in the makeup box. When compared to the 'Lovely' blusher which features a bright baby pink, Elated is the more natural shade of the two.

The great thing about the new powder design is that not all the powder is exposed. With a second lid with holes that spell out "Lush" means you can control the amount better. You either apply the powder with a puff or a brush, needing a tiny amount because of the high pigmentation. I find it blends well into the skin, creating a natural glow.


When looking at the ingredients it really baffles me how Lush founders think of everything. With Organic Rose Hip Oil, known for providing vitamin A which improves skin tone. Not only that but Rose Hip Oil contains antioxidants that combat damage caused by UV rays from the Sun. In addition, this little powder incorporates Organic Jojoba Oil, which hydrates the skin. Along with talc to control oil and keep skin matte, and is used as a preservative.


However, when you compare price to size, it can look a little daunting. But when you consider, the market street ones are thinner and compressed, there is actually more in this tiny looking tub. With the high pigmentation, I can't see myself ever needing to re-stock. Overall, I'm impressed by this blusher and it may even be one of my favourite makeup items.



Rating: 9/10 

Price: £15.50

Lush Oxford Street Bamboozled Lip Stain

Available in Oxford Street & Manchester Arndale 

If you asked me a year ago what I thought of makeup, I would reply "It's a waste of money". After trying to be like the girls in Youtube makeup tutorials all my end results ended up in me turning into an oompa loompa or a dry, flaky foundation mess. And certainly any attempt at applying lipstick on my big mouth transformed me into a clown. But after an eventful year I've learnt enough about makeup to at least not make a mess each time. Even though I'm pretty sure my skin is allergic to foundation, I'm getting there.

Lipstick was a path I thought I'd never go down again, as I always felt self-conscious of my big lips. But then I remind myself, people pay to pump their lips with silicone to get them this size and they must do that for a reason right?
So where's the best place to start for a lipstick newbie?

Well, a stain definitely. The idea of obsessing over my lips all day to see if I need to reapply just isn't the life for me (yet). I needed something long lasting, matte, naturalish looking. And the Oxford street makeup range was right on my doorstep, so close I could hear it calling me. After already giving my heart to the eye powders, jewels, and mascara. There was one last category that my bank account hadn't seen.

The Bamboozled lip stain is entirely encased in bamboo (kinda in the name). With a golden foil wrapping, so it's a tad worrying seeing a lipstick without a lid.
The colour sports a bright pinky red, with more applications turning darker. It's definitely a colour I didn't think would suit me, but Ro made all these fantastic shades believing anyone can look good in lipstick. And who am I to argue with the beautiful Ro?

To apply, you'll definitely need a lipstick brush. (I may or may not have pinched the ones they use in store). With first application it definitely smudged and made a mess. But after washing it off once, the second time was flawless. So it really does come down to experience.

The colour can get everywhere so I would recommend not touching your lips until it's thoroughly dried, but even before that it's not sticky or shiny. Once 'set' it looks matte, with no feeling of it even there. Be warned though the colour is very vibrant and does stay on all day (and even longer). It doesn't leave any marks during the day, even while eating and drinking.

It is difficult to wash off and I doubt you'll completely remove it. I tried 9 to 5 and ultrabland, which just faded it to a more natural pink tint. Even the lip scrub was no match. However, you do sign up to that if you buy a 'lip stain'.

Even without a lid, the lipstick doesn't become hard. Plus I doubt I'll ever need to buy it again with how big the bamboo is. I do look forward to reaching the bottom one day though.

Overall, for £12 this lip stain is serious stuff. Worth every penny and an interesting addition to the makeup collection. It's made me excited to try the other lipsticks Lush have to offer.


Rating: 9/10 
Price: £12