Lush Creative Showcase London 2016

When Lush announced the Creative Showcase I have to admit that it sparked my curiosity but the idea of traveling to London (in which I've only been once before) lessened my excitement. However, after being kindly invited, whilst knowing I would be allowed a plus one, I couldn't let my anxiety win over. I was in the midst of the busiest season at work with this planned perfectly at the end of it. Providing the perfect therapy and reason to treat ourselves.

My haul. 

So what happens at a Showcase? I'm not sure if it's just my memory or not, but I don't recall this event happening last year but that may be because I was so focused on starting University that I didn't notice. Lush mentioned in their email, the Showcase will be releasing the 2016 Christmas and Halloween collection. As well as talks, workshops, and masterclasses. Carefully not revealing there would be also Kitchen items, Oxford Street Exclusives, and a few new reveals (not for purchase).

'Nebula bath bomb £12' (aka giant Intergalactic)

As the date got nearer it was revealed there would be Kitchen items to buy but with complete surprise being items of Twilight, Honey I washed the kids, Tramp, Rose Jam, and The Comforter Shower Jellies that were newly released in the previous kitchen week. Along with classics and popular Shower Gels of Grass, Yummy Yummy Yummy, Avoshower, and Sonic Death Monkey (I apologise if I miss anything out). They also had various Swag such as T-shirts, Totes, Aprons, and Patches.

When we arrived at nearly 2, an hour and a half after opening it was already overwhelming. I didn't know what to expect, how Lush would plan everything, or more importantly, how many people were attending. With Twilight shower jellies already snatched up (luckily we found a few misplaced around the shop), ques lining up outside, and a wave of 30 degree heat, I wondered what I stepped in to. There were also other shops, with a hair lab, makeup, a giant Christmas room that even Santa would approve of, another room for the solid Mouthwash tabs, and even one for books. Again, I feel like I've missed one.

 Whilst I love that Lush gave me the chance to get so many items I've never tried before, I do think they went over the top. To even navigate and see everything was a challenge. And sadly the items took all my attention. With atleast 2-3 hours spent in various ques, then time for eating, sitting down and cooling off (I've never sweat so much in my life). I managed to run out of time and miss all the talks, workshops, and everything else. Although I don't think I've ever been so social in my life too. Running into staff from my usual (Leicester and Manchester), and talking about the Oxford street makeup with a few others, and the greatest moment of that day is hearing a familiar voice... ERICA VEGA. The Lush USA Queen of Quick Tips on Youtube or AKA the love of my life and getting to smell her fingers. (New scented nail polish)

The Tobacco Dock was the perfect venue for Lush's shenanigans. Even though I don't think anyone anticipated it would be so hot that the bath melts would literally melt. Staff were calm and collected, with some handing out bottles of water and fanning everyone in ques. Toner water was spritzed around and it gave us a great excuse to test out the new itchy scalp hair toner (Dr Itch) with stimulating peppermint to keep our heads cool.

GIANT TWILIGHT JELLY

They also provided free food with an abundance of vegan and vegetarian selection. Whilst I'm most definitely not one of those (sorry), it was amazing to try something new that I would happily eat again.

Overall, I did love every minute of it. However, for next year I hope Lush works on solving the long que problem whilst I understand there were limited tills. There was no line in the Mouthwash area because their till wouldn't accept any other items which if did, would have balanced it all out. I didn't get to attend any of the other events but I've now been given the chance to test out and review new items. And it makes me look forward to next year, in which they have to do it again.

A very big thank you to Lush for inviting me, it definitely made my summer and I can't wait for all the items to be out in stores soon.

(All photos were took by Liliya, Follow her instagram (lill_sophia) for more gorgeous pictures!)

P.S. New items = Scented Nail Polish, Perfume, Bath Bombs, Shampoo (Ditch the itch) and hair toner (Dr Itch), more shades of the makeup supplement and powders.

Bottom floor in the Tobacco Dock, featuring the new perfumes... 

Happy For S.A.D Shower Gel

I got this on a lucky chance that a friend of mine was ordering from the kitchen for the first time. Declaring that a week before I would go on a ban, I had fallen inlove with the Creme De Menthe mouth wash tabs from my last order. So with Pan Galactic still available, along with Happy for S.A.D, and Bubbling Under, I easily caved in.

The S.A.D stands for 'Seasonal Affective Disorder', defined as a depression associated with late autumn and winter, due to the lack light. Designed with this disorder in mind, the ingredients in this gel were carefully selected to alter and brighten mood. With key ingredients of Neroli oil, Grapefruit oil, Sicilian Mandarin oil, Aloe Vera gel, Fine Sea Salt, and Fresh Dove Orchid Infusion. I can see why some compare it to the regular line gel Happy Hippy, with the dominate scent being grapefruit. But unlike Happy Hippy, the Happy for S.A.D scent is a bit more complex. With highlights of the mandarin oil, creating a sour citrus scent with floral tones. Whilst Happy Hippy is sweeter with a clear, crisp grapefruit scent.

On first sniff, the scent is easily fallen inlove with. Probably now on my list of favourite Lush scents, I can't get enough of it. However, this is definitely the thinnest shower gel I have experienced. With almost water-like consistency makes it feel like you might waste half of it. BUT this lathers better than any other of my shower gels. So I can forgive the consistency.

The colour is stunning, with first glance it's a dark plum shade. When shown in the light it turns pink and even over time transforms into a pastel purple which resembles the colour of when it's out of the bottle. However, even though the scent is prominent when in use, on the skin after it seems to disappear entirely.

Overall, even though this shower gel doesn't tick off all the boxes. It still holds steady in my favourites list on scent and lathering power alone. I do find that one bottle is enough to tie me over but seeing as it's not a popular kitchen product, I may have to order a few bottles next time as it really does work well in a lot of bath cocktails as well as in the shower.

Rating: 9/10 

Price:
250g £10.50

Silky Underwear Dusting Powder

If I recall, Silky Underwear was one of the first few items I ordered online. So not only does this bottle contain a magical powder, there's 60g of nostalgia too. 

Firstly, it holds a subtle scent. With key notes being Jasmine and cocoa butter. However, the cocoa butter dominates the fresh aroma as the Jasmine certainly isn't as strong like it is in the Get Closer dusting powder. 

Performance wise, it sinks into skin immediately. Leaving you feeling clean, soft, and matte. I use it on my thighs and lower back, keeping me dry all day and sweat stains are a thing of the past. Silky Underwear is the most effective powder I've tried when it comes to thick thighs, whilst Get Closer is lovely, I prefer using that as a foot powder because of the strong scent.

The life of one bottle with daily use lasts me a year, with my recent date expiration being until 2019.

Incase you're new to dusting powders, you use them in the same way as Baby/Talc powder. To keep certain areas dry. Lush dusting powders have multiple uses. Such as, foot powder, deodrant, dry shampoo, freshen up bedsheets, or after using a lotion/massage bar. 

Being a powder it's great for travel, fitting perfectly in a handbag. Silky Underwear is also vegan and a regular line product. Furthermore, it's a fantastic value for money being £4.95 a bottle. The only cons I find are that it sometimes rubs off on clothes (but you can just rub it off) and it can be messy to apply. The cocoa butter pieces may clog the opening and once you get to the end of the bottle the big chunks of butter are all you're left with.

Overall, I can't live through summer without this product.

Rating: 9/10 

Price: 60g £4.95

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 

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

Let The Good Times Roll Cleanser

When someone asks me my favourite range of products by Lush, cleansers are the first to spring to mind. Why? Because every pot or bottle is filled with fresh, natural, skin goodness. And after trying most of them, there's not a single one that's on my worst products list.

You might have noticed that Lush products are non-prescriptive, meaning they won't label a product as "for oily/dry/combination/normal skin" like other market brands would. They know that everyone's skin is different and their cleansers will therefore effect everyone differently, despite their skin type. But that doesn't mean they're good for all skin types, a lot of them have targeted ingredients for certain conditions. Because of this, they do recommend that you get a skin consult in store to see which cleanser is best fit depending on their ingredients.

Let The Good Times Roll is a cleanser I define as made for drier skin types. When winter is coming I grab this one off the shelf and breathe in all it's glory. It offers maize flour, polenta, and actual popcorn pieces, to give a light exfoliation, just enough to unclog my pores without stripping the skin. It also features cinnamon, which stimulates the skin, and corn oil to provide vitamin E. Combined all together, these ingredients soften and brighten the skin. Leaving it lightly moisturised and smelling of yummy popcorn. I must admit this is definitely the best smelling cleanser Lush has to offer. I can't leave the same room without having a sniff of its deliciousness.

With similar designs to Angels on Bare Skin, Herbalism, and Dark Angels, these fresh cleansers are unusual to use at first. Demanding to take a pinch and add a drop of water until formed into a paste, this will be a new experience for all new Lushies and will take some time to get used to. Once formed into a paste, massage into skin and wash off with water or a face cloth. I find Let The Good Times Roll is more moist than the others, and therefore just wetting my face and applying straight on is enough, creating a paste by massaging it in. This way you gain more exfoliation, whereas if you want something softer, you add more water.

You will find that they have a short expiration date. With an average of 3 months. From all the pots I've had, they've definitely made it past that but don't worry, as long as little to no water gets in the pot and you keep it in a dry place, it shouldn't go off. Most Lush products last a lot longer than their use-by date but some aren't as effective as they would be when fresh.

The cleansers feature a more expensive price tag than the usual £1 drug store ones. But considering quality, performance, longevity, ingredients and fair pay to the farmers of those ingredients, it certainly makes it worth it.


Rating: 8/10 

Price:
100g £7.25
250g £18.10