A few things before we start...
1. I have no affiliation with Lush, despite the insane quantity of entries I devote to their products. I'm just a happy consumer paying way too much of her own money for cutesy little knick-knack skin and bath care products.
2. I'm looking for suggestions for a new place to keep my beauty blog. I love Bloop but think I'll get more conversation on a different site, likely. It's not as fun if I'm talking to myself. LOL.
3. I'll continue with part 2 of the fashion entry probably this weekend, but I just got on a little LUSH craze again and decided to ride it out with this entry instead!
So, here we go.
LUSH Cosmetics just started advertising a new Earth Day promotion on their called the "NAKED" kit. While I don't have this kit (yet), I have purchased past LUSH kits, and I have used many of these products, so I just wanted to do a mini-review of sorts in case anyone was considering taking advantage of the promo.
As I've stated before, I (usually, depending on currency exchange rates) prefer ordering from the UK website, due to (usually) lower prices and cheaper/faster shipping, but at this time it appears that only the NA website actually has this promo at the time. If you order, just be aware that shipping times range anywhere from one week to about a month... and know that if you live in a crazy hot area, you'll want to not leave the mail outside for too long. Some of this still WILL melt.
So, the promo. It's called NAKED because it contains 6 unwrapped preservative-free products. The cost for the kit is $20, plus shipping. I don't deny that LUSH prices, especially on the NA site, are high... and this one is no exception, given that most of these are *very* small versions of the regular sized items. If you're in the vicinity of a LUSH store, you're probably better off purchasing one regular sized soap and requesting a few samples of your favorite curiosities. But, if you, like me, are a zillion hours from the nearest LUSH, and are dying to try as many things as are humanly possible, this kit just may work for you.
The products included are, as follows:
1. Mini Squeaky Green Shampoo Bar
Now, I haven't tried THIS particular shampoo bar, but I really do love LUSH's shampoo bars so much that I'll probably never go back, at least for an every day basis. They're honestly, though, an acquired taste. The first time I saw one of these little pucks, I thought it was stupid. Who wants to run a solid bar through her hair?! But once I tried, I was hooked. I simply wet my hair then run a few swipes of the bar over my entire head. Then, I lather... and most of these lather REALLY well. If you have oily hair, the shampoo bar will be enough, but if you tend towards dryness, DEFINITELY use a conditioner, as these can otherwise be a tad drying, I'm told. This particular one is a mixture of peppermint, lavender, vanilla, and rose and is for all general hair types. I used one regular bar every night for about 3 months before it ran out, but given that this is considerably smaller, it will probably last about 30 washes, I'd guess.
2. Mini Therapy Massage Bar
I DO have this product, and have actually repurchased an extra as well. I really adore LUSH's massage bars. It's such a fun concept... like a lotion in a solid bar formula. These really melt fast, and they feel so luxurious on the skin! (But be careful. They can definitely get a little greasy). This one is smooth on the underside and has tiny massaging bumps on the top. It's made from lavender, neroli, and orange, and is meant to be a calming scent. Many people say that it's good for stretch marks, but I haven't used it for that purpose so I can't attest to that claim. My regular sized massage bar has been used daily for about 2 months, and is still going strong, but since the sample is considerably smaller, it would probably last half that time. I give the massage bars in general big THUMBS UP!
3. Mini Buffy Body Butter
Don't let the term "Body Butter" fool you. This isn't your typical lotion product, but it IS one of my favorite LUSH products of all times! Basically, one side is smooth while the other is very gritty. You use the buffy in the shower, rubbing it briskly over the skin to exfoliate and ultimately soften the skin. After using Buffy, I don't even feel the need for a separate lotion... it's THAT good. But, many people have said that Buffy is HARSH on sensitive skin, so be careful! I'm sure it was formally named Buffy The Backside Slayer for a reason! Honestly, though, I've never really had an issue with any pain/harshness with this product. Just be careful not to leave it under the stream of the water... because it WILL melt quickly! My full sized Buffy seems like it will last forever, but I'm not sure of the size of the mini-bar. Even if it's tiny, though, I think it will last a decent amount of time, as long as you're careful with keeping it out of the water!
4. Mini Sexy Peel Soap
I haven't yet tried this soap, but I do like LUSH Soaps in general (my favorites are RockStar, Porridge, and Lemislip!). One thing to know up front, though, is that LUSH soaps really don't lather that well. LUSH recently swapped to a palm-free base, to be more environmentally friendly, and I think it's the new base that makes the soap lather less... honestly, it doesn't bother me. I'm sure it will do the job, regardless. But, if you require a big lather, you probably won't love this at all. This soap claims to have a lemon-lime scent. No idea if it's true or not... sometimes LUSH seems to mix up the citrus scents a little... for example, "Each Peach" massage bar smells exactly like lemons. Most of the soaps are pretty moisturizing, I think, but they melt fast... so again, keep them out of the stream of water as much as possible.
5. Your Choice of Toner Tab
(Photos vary by choice)
I've never tried a Toner Tab, although I do have one from a previous kit that's just been sitting in my bathroom drawer. You get one of these in your kit, but you get to choose from 4 variations. Basically, the idea is that you stick it in a bowl of hot water and then bend your face over the bowl, with a towel covering the bowl, for a full facial toning effect. I've read that you can store the water for a few days afterwards as a toner as well, but I'm not sure how willing I am to actually do that. I have no idea how/if these work well. The four choices are: a) Vitamin C (for dry skin), b) Vitamin E (to balance more "normal" skin types, c) T Tree (for acne prone faces), and d)Q10 (for sensitive skin or for males after a facial shave). The one I've been storing is Vitamin C, and I'll review it if I ever get around to actually using the tab!
6. Your Choice of Facial Cleanser
(Photos vary by choice)
Needless to say, if you've read any of my past reviews, I ADORE LUSH skincare. But, honestly, that's mostly due to the fact that I have stubborn, irritating skin that can't seem to be pacified by much of anything. There are two choices in this kit: Fresh Farmacy or Coalface. Fresh Farmacy was my first ever LUSH product. It's pink (maybe that's why I picked it? LOL) and smells like calamine lotion. This cleanser is intended for sensitive and/or acne prone skin. It actually can be a bit drying for skin that already tends towards dryness, so make sure to continue with your normal moisturizer in that case! I love Fresh Farmacy and will probably keep purchasing it forever, because it works for my skin type. The second choice is CoalFace. While I have this one, I haven't used it quite as much, mostly because it's more geared towards oily skin (which I don't have). The base of this soap is charcoal, so it's a smooth, deep shade of gray. It smells charcoal-ish too, but not in a way that's unpleasant. The few times I used it, it made my skin just FEEL clean. I'll do a better review of this one after I use it a bit more, but it'd definitely be my choice for oily skin that doesn't happen to be as acne prone.
Okay, that's it for this kit. Thanks for reading!
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omg i love basin but the nearest one is located in disneyland's downtown disney!! lol
