Lush Spa Event//29.05.2015

I have never been to a spa or for a massage etc. but as a Lush employee I am obviously aware of the company's spas and have been invited to try out a treatment. I have been back and forth in my mind trying to decide what treatment to choose and then luckily my store invited me along as a blogger to their spa event so that I could learn more..

The evening started out with a bit of mingling and I had a lovely cup of raspberry tea and candy floss, yay for feeling like a kid at the fair again! I had also invited along another cruelty free blogger, Sarah Kirby, who I had spoken to regularly online but this was our first time meeting, and we got to have a good natter. Of course, my fellow blogger/uni buddy, Hannah was there too! 

The store was set out in to different stations with a member of staff at each to talk us through the treatments, products and to give us a good pamper. Myself and Sarah started at Wendy's station where Sarah had her feet done; I wasn't too keen on getting my feet out! Wendy then gave me a hand and arm pamper using one of my favourite products, the Rub Rub Rub body scrub which is a sea salt scrub with a gorgeous cherry blossom scent. Wendy then followed this up with the Rose Argan body conditioner which left my skin deeply moisturised. During all of this, Wendy spoke to us about her experience at the Lush spa when she had The Comforter treatment; this is a warm, cosy treatment where they use a chocolate body scrub on your skin, and it's vegan yay! 

We next went over to Aly who gave us both hand and arm massages with Lush massage bars and he spoke to us about the new Oxford Street store which is the largest Lush store in the world! The new store also has a spa downstairs and later on in the evening he also told us about the brand new, three hour long treatment called The Planets. The Planets is a treatment that I would say sounds quite mystical with Tarot readings (Lush's own style tarot) and palm reading. The treatment also works in three steps, the past which is a full body massage, the present which is a hand and arm massage and the future which is a facial and neck & scalp massage. All together this treatment sounds like three hours of deep relaxation.

Our final station was where I got to enjoy a lovely facial from Sam who used his newly learnt massage techniques on me. I must admit, I felt a little self conscious when everyone gathered around and watched me! Sam used 9 to 5 cleanser, Tea Tree toner water, Full of Grace serum and Skindrink moisturiser on my face which are all vegan and left me feeling refreshed and my skin looking glowing.

Our final treat of the evening was to see how Lush's fresh face masks are made; we made Catastrophe Cosmetic which again is vegan and is packed full of blueberries which contain antioxidants to brighten up the skin. We all got to take a pot home as well!

This was such a lovely evening and it was so good to meet Sarah and some other bloggers too. I really enjoy these Lush events as they are so chilled out and it's nice to be enjoying the products but not working! I didn't buy anything for myself as I don't really need anything after my shopping spree in Lush Oxford Street which you will be able to see in a haul video on my YouTube account soon enough!

BB

For The Oceans

Cruelty Free Empties

I've seen some people share these on YouTube/their blogs but I've never seen a cruelty free one....please share if you have found one. So these are my cruelty free empties for the past couple of months, of course Lush is to be expected!

Jasmine and Henna Fluff-Ease hair treatment

First up, this hair treatment from Lush I love so much that I already have another one waiting! I have spoken about this product previously in another post, vegan conditioning products; Lush cosmetics, and as I have said before, it makes my hair feel so soft and so shiny. It is also particularly handy now that I have henna'd my hair! I will be using my next pot and will probably purchase more.


Eau Roma Water toner water

Surprise, surprise, another Lush product! Toner water is something that I kind of force myself to use as I know it's good for my skin but sometimes it feels like a bit too much effort, oops! I must admit I do like the feeling of the toner on my skin however, I'm not a very floral person and this product contains Rose and Lavender water therefore I think when buying a new toner water I may try one of the others that Lush do.
Snowman shower jelly

Correct me if I'm wrong but, shower jelly is something that I have only seen in Lush and it's definitely a fun one. I like the concept of shower jellies and I also think they work really well. This one was obviously a Christmas limited edition therefore I can't get it again unless it reappears in stores next year. The jelly was shaped as a snowman which was very festive however, I wasn't overly keen on the scent; blackcurrant and carrot just wasn't my thing.

Eyes Right Mascara

Next up is the Eyes Right mascara from Lush and this has become a bit of an old favourite. This bottle was my third and I will most likely purchase it again. What I like about this mascara is that it gives a nice natural look but still creates definition and volume. I have never found this mascara to be clumpy and the bonus is that the natural ingredients in the product actually add to the condition of your lashes; an example of this is the wheatgrass which nourishes the lashes.

Lip Service lip balm

This product was good however, I purchased it before I became vegan and it does contain beeswax therefore now that this tin is finished, I will not be re-purchasing. When a person becomes vegan, I strongly believe that they should use up their existing, non-vegan products to avoid waste.

B. Flawless long lasting concealer

I really like this concealer, I struggled for a long time finding a good, cruelty free, vegan concealer and now I feel that I have found the one! The B. Flawless concealer has excellent coverage and staying power. They have a good range of shades and I use 090 - light which matches my skin well. Who knew Superdrug's own brand would be so great?! I will be purchasing again.

Superdrug's own Anti-Perspirant Deodorant
I have used a lot of these now and I plan to keep using them. This scent was cotton and I like quite the fresh scents. As someone who sweats quite a bit (ew sorry) this deodorant is a life saver, it took a really long time to find a cruelty-free, vegan deo and this one has been really great!  It is also alcohol free which is a yay!

The Olive Branch shower gel
This product was gifted to me from my Lush store when I was just a customer and it makes my skin feel so soft and the mandarin scent is fresh and uplifting. The shower gel has olive oil in it which adds to the moisturising effect however, this makes the products a bit too watery and slightly wasteful. I think I would buy The Olive Branch but I wish it was thicker.

So that was it for my empties, let me know what you think and whether you enjoyed this post!

BB

For The Oceans

Bring on the YouTube Era

Here's some exciting news, well, sort of....I'm on YouTube now!

So I recently took the plunge and uploaded my first video to YouTube. As much as I enjoy writing and doing this blog, I feel the need to have something to go alongside it. Everyone knows that the YouTube world is rapidly expanding and vloggers are on the rise therefore I thought I would give it a go myself.

My YouTube will be based around similar things as this blog but perhaps it might be a bit more of an insight to my life.

To all you readers; do not worry, I will still post on here regularly as at the end of the day, writing is my true passion.

Let's see how it goes. My first video is a mini Lush Oxford Street haul and you can see it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CexeFnxAHo 

Go have a giggle at me & subscribe if you wanna!

BB

For The Oceans

Lush Henna//Caca Rouge

Firstly I would like to apologise for the lack of posts lately; it has come to that time again where exams are occurring and also, as some of you already know, I am working at Lush again. Following on from that last point, now that I'm at Lush again it is likely that I will be posting about the company and it's products more often. Luckily I managed to squeeze a bit of 'me time' in and today I'm going to tell you all about it. Let's talk about Henna! 

I finally took the plunge, and after a few months of attempting to grow my hair out to it's natural colour, I dyed it. I decided that I didn't want to use bottled hair dye anymore as firstly, my hair is in awful condition & the chemicals would do it no good and secondly, I wanted something that was cruelty free & suitable for vegans. As I work in Lush, Henna seemed like quite an obvious option for me but I then struggled with the decision of which colour to go.

Lush Henna comes in four different colours, Caca Rouge (Red), Caca Marron (Red/Brown), Caca Brun (Brown) and Caca Noir (Black). Initially I was considering going for Caca Marron as my hair had already been that browny/red shade before so I knew it would look okay however, for some reason recently I have been so drawn to a firey ginger/orangey hair colour and it seemed to pop up everywhere and I just loved it. My final decision was to take a risk and go with the Caca Rouge; I was not disappointed.
So, I wont lie to you, the Henna application was rather messy and definitely a two person job; if you are thinking about trying it, make sure you have an extra pair of hands to help you.

I left the Henna on for a good couple of hours; it may have even been closer to 3 hours and the whole time I had my hair wrapped in a carrier bag (I didn't have any cling film) with a
shower cap over the top.

After washing, I dried my hair straight away as I wanted to see the result. I can honestly say that my hair felt the softest and looked the shiniest it has in a very long time. It was the best condition my hair has ever been in after dying it and it still has that shine and softness to it even after a hair wash. The base of the Henna blocks is cocoa butter therefore the colouring actually works as a conditioning treatment at the same time.

You can see my results here: (Apologies for the different lighting, I forgot to take a before picture at the time)


Before

After


















And you can purchase the Henna online here:

https://www.lush.co.uk/products/colour

Also, you can watch Mark Constantine's (Lush Co-Founder) Henna masterclass video below...

BB

For The Oceans

Votes for Animals

Following on a little from my last blog post about the opening of Lush on Oxford Street, I wanted to also speak to you guys about the Votes for Animals march I took part in and the campaign we are running at Lush. 

When I attended a team meeting at work I was informed of the VIP Press opening day at Oxford Street and was also told that I could put my name down to take place in a march which runs alongside the campaign we will be running in Lush stores through to election day.

The campaign is called Votes for Animals and it is about encouraging people to consider animal welfare before voting; we want people to check out party policies on animal rights before making a decision. There are obviously certain parties who are more in favour of protecting animals and we want to ensure that people know where to find the information needed to choose a party that also speaks for animals who do not have a voice or a chance to vote for their own welfare. 

This year has seen the return of the May Day bath bomb which is designed as a cute little badger with fennel, rosewood and bergamot oils for an uplifting, refreshing scent. The money from May Day is split between three animal charities, The League Against Cruel Sports, Save Me and Animal Aid. Each one of these charities are also promoting the campaign. So just by popping into a Lush store and purchasing one, or even online, you will be helping.

You can purchase it online here ---> May Day Bath Bomb

In support of the campaign, on the day of the VIP Press opening on Oxford Street, Lush employees & members of the above charities were invited to take part in a March from outside the new shop all the way to the Houses of Parliament where we then listened to speeches from various passionate people including Brian May and Peter Egan.

 

During his speech Brian May said: "We need a different kind of society, I believe we need a radical shake up.

 

"For the last five years and even beyond that we have been in a situation where there is no compassion for any other species apart from humans and believe me, there's very little compassion for humans either.

 

"I believe we are worthy of a better government and we will vote on May 7th for animals and for common decency!"

On the march people were encouraged to dress in the style of suffragettes and we wore Votes for Animals sashes & rosettes. It's safe to say that the march had a huge impact with extensive press coverage and many leaflets handed out.

I felt so overwhelmed by the turnout; it made me feel so proud to work for a company that are so dedicated to protecting our planet and those who reside here. 

You can check out the Votes for Animals website to gather some more information here: Votes for Animals

It is such an important campaign; we must speak up for these animals. Animals do not have the privilege of voting therefore we must be a voice for them and consider their welfare when placing our own votes.

BB

For The Oceans

Lush Oxford Street Opening//23.04.2015

It's been a while but I've been doing some exciting things worth sharing, starting with the opening of the new Lush store on Oxford Street! 

As some of you will probably already know I am lucky enough to work for Lush; I don't think there is much point in me explaining what Lush is as I'm sure the majority of you already know and those who don't can google it and be wowed. As a Lush employee, I was invited to the VIP press day for the new 3 floor store on Oxford Street which was the day before the store was officially open to the public.
Walking into the new shop was like entering Lush for the first time all over again; with over 200 new products there was so much to smell & try out. As soon as I walked through the doors I was greeted by an extremely friendly member staff who seemed to share my excitement about the new Rub Rub Rub shower scrub bar; I instantly knew that I wanted one! 

I didn't purchase too much as money is a bit tight at the moment but I did manage to pick up a few products that caught my eye.

As well as the Rub Rub Rub bar, I picked up the Pink Flamingo reuseable bubble bar, a Lava Lamp bath bomb, a small bottle of the Yuzu and Cocoa Shower Cream, a couple of the new bath oils (which are only £2!) and a medium bottle of the Beautiful shower gel which shares the same scent as my favourite perfume, 1000 Kisses Deep!

The layout of the store was equally as good as the new products. With three floors to play around with there's enough room for a spa, mini Kitchen, Fun area along with all the gorgeous cosmetics.

It's too difficult to pick a favourite area as they are all so great but one of my favourite new features of the store is the sinks that have replaced the demo bowls we use in our store. 

I would suggest to everyone to pop down there for an amazing experience; the easiest way to explain it is that it's like a Lush version of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory! 

I also wanted to say a huge thank you to all the staff who were a huge help and showed me a gazillion products & how they work. Also a big thanks to everyone higher up who made the store possible!
If you can, visit the store...let me know what you think! I will post up some reviews of products once I have used them.

 BB

For The Oceans

Lush Blogger Event//26.02.2015//Easter Range

I was lucky enough to be invited to Lush Chelmsford's first ever blogger event on Thursday to take a sneaky peak at the new Easter products which became available in stores the next day. 

I worked in Lush Chelmsford over christmas so it was lovely to be back and to see some of the old team! As always, the staff, Wendy, Sam, Nathan and Ross were extremely welcoming and supplied us with snacks including Oreos, Rainbow Drops & Pringles for the Vegans, although I was surprised that I was the only Vegan there! 

During the event we were invited to take a look around the store, take photos and generally mingle & meet other bloggers from the area. I was really pleased that this gave me a chance to take a look at the new Mother's Day products too which were just as spectacular as expected; I may have even made a little purchase! 

Once we had settled in, the Lush team went through a show and tell about the new Easter collection, they included demonstrations and product info. We were able to smell and even try some of the products. The range included three bath bombs, a bubble bar, two soaps and a brand new shower jelly! Lush have certainly kept up the high quality of their products and everything from the new range looked & smelled amazing!

The team even got us to have a 'Jelly race' where we all took a bit of shower jelly and lathered it up, the person with the most lather won....My girl Hannah at HannaTalks won! 

The team then introduced us to some of their new perfumes which was a nice bonus as I had been meaning to check them out anyway! I think my favourite was All Good Things as I loved the woodiness of the Cedarwood oil. 

After this we were invited to make our own Butterball bath bombs which I was overly excited about as it is something I had never done before; I can't wait to use mine! 

At the end of the event, Lush were super generous and allowed us to pick two products from the new Easter range to take home and try. I chose the Pot o' Gold shower jelly as I love a good shower jelly & I was drawn in by the glitter, which also explains why the other product I picked was the Golden Egg bath bomb! The Golden Egg has a very uplifting scent with Bergamot oil and Sweet Wild Orange oil. The outer layer of the egg is also a bath melt so it will make the bath water gorgeously creamy and moisturising. The Pot o' Gold shower jelly is a sweet scent, almost like butterscotch, with orange peel, pineapple juice, Fair trade vanilla and Myrrh Resinoid. I'm really excited to use these products & will let you all know my thoughts.

Finally, I brought myself a cheeky little gift; I know I'm not a mum but it was too cute to resist. I picked up a Mother Superior bubble bar from the Mother's Day range, which shares the same scent as the all year round bath bomb, Sakura. I have heard really good reviews about this product so am eager to try it out! 

I would just like to say a final big thank you to the team at Lush, you're all so fab and were excellent hosts! Thank you for inviting me and being my favourite Lush store! 

Pop into a Lush store and check out the new range! What are your favourite products?

If you don't have a Lush store nearby then you can pop over to their website: https://www.lush.co.uk/

BB

For The Oceans

Lush Cosmetics: Valentine's Haul

So, I was overly excited for the release of the Lush Valentine's day range and myself & Hannah rushed down to Lush after Uni to pick up some items! 

Unicorn Horn Bubble Bar

Heart Throb Bubbleroon

Love Locket Bath Bomb

So far I have only used the Love Locket bath bomb which is a bit pricey however it can be cracked open and used a few times. I put the whole bath bomb in and it released a gorgeous, sensual scent of Vanilla, Jasmine & Neroli which is perfect for Valentine's Day. Love Locket is a fast fizzer and it released a ton of lovely confetti hearts and sparkles. I like this bath bomb however, I am more excited to use the bubble bars and they seem more spectacular for a better price. 

Have you picked up or tried any of the valentine's day range yet?

Bathtime with Lush; Shoot for the Stars

I'm a sparkly, honey scented princess! I think I just used the coolest bath bomb from Lush EVER; My bath looked like the nights sky and smelt like honey!

Unfortunately, Shoot for the Stars was only available at Christmas but I saved mine until the perfect opportunity & it was 100% worth it!

Also, what makes this bath bomb so great is that it has the same honey scent as Lush's all year round bath bomb Honey Bee however, there's not actually any honey in Shoot for the Stars and this product is Vegan!

Naturally I took some photos;

Dear Lush, please bring this back next year?! Love you!

Vegan Conditioning Products; Lush Cosmetics

I have always been a faithful Lush Cosmetics user when it comes to haircare; shampoo bars, conditioners, hair treatments, the lot! However, when I took the next step in my cruelty free life roughly six months ago and became Vegan, I all of a sudden discovered that I was unable to use my favourite conditioners; Damn you Lanolin! I had to wave bye-bye to American Cream & Retread and have a hunt around for a suitable replacement and here they are;




1. Veganese
I was so unsure of Veganese at first. This is one of Lush's lightest conditioners which I thought may be a problem for me as I need to feel the product thick in my hair to believe it is working however, I actually found Veganese to be rather thick and did not need to use any more than usual. The Lemon oil gave my hair a lovely shine as well as giving the product a gorgeous scent and the Seaweed is used as a softening agent which is a good replacement for Lanolin. I have purchased two more bottles since the first use & I love it!

                                                         

2. R&B

R&B is a leave-in hair conditioner which I LOVE! This is one of my favourite Lush products ever. I use a really small amount on the ends of my hair when it's damp and it adds an extra bit of strength & helps smooth out any split ends I may have (when I say 'may have' I actually mean the gazillion split ends I do have). Another incredible benefit of this leave in conditioner is the smell; Orange Flower Absolute and Coconut Oil make for a deliciously tropical scent which sticks around in your hair forever! I have lost count of how many people have complimented me on the scent of my hair, as odd as that does sound.

3. Jasmine & Henna Fluff-Ease 

I have only used this product once so far however I was extremely impressed. Lush suggests using all or half of the tub in one application to benefit from it however, my hair is currently a bit thinner than usual and I was a bit worried that I might be left with a heavy feeling of product in my hair afterwards so, I just applied some treatment to the ends of my hair and left it in for about twenty minutes before washing out. The website says that the Olive, Hemp and Soya oils help to strengthen the hair which will reduce breakage, and I definitely feel that it has improved the condition of my hair. The Henna infusion in this product is beneficial for people with dyed hair (A.K.A me!). The only downside I have with this product is the scent; It reminds me of the generic hair dye scent but it's not a problem as you wash the product out with your standard shampoo and conditioner afterwards.

Hallelujah for Lush! I now have lovely, soft, conditioned, cruelty-free, Vegan hair!

Any Vegan/Cruelty free conditioning products you use?