Lush Cosmetics Easter Collection 2015 (overview)

It's Lush Easter time! That's right Lushies, the Easter bunny is here to treat us to some new products.  The Easter Range launched on the Lush Cosmetics website on 26th February and in most stores 27th February.  
Today, the 27th, my local Lush had the newly released Easter Collection.  It really is always so exciting when new products arrive at Lush.   Lets get started :)

Fluffy Egg (£2.95):

The beautifully pink Fluffy Egg returns to us this year and my heart beats a little fast for it.  I wasn't so big on this bath bomb last Easter, but due to its sweet candy floss Snow Fairy scent - which I'm still suffering withdrawal from - I'm snuggling this against my face whilst humming.  Fluffy Egg is a welcomed return for so many reasons, just look at it!

The egg fits in your palm so delicately, nowhere near the size of Immaculate Eggception.  

I like the added detail of the baking flower topping and you can see that there are red ones and blue ones in the picture above.  A part of me wants to throw this thought out there... Would anyone else have liked to see the actual egg different colours, kind of like Immaculate Eggception? I'm thinking maybe orange, green? Might sound awful to others but I'd have liked to have seen this idea.  Overall, Fluffy Egg (it really should be called the Spring Fairy bomb) is a really lovely looking bath bomb, it's fairy cheap and would be an appreciated gift.  Particularly for Snow Fairy lovers.   

How many Fluffy Egg's I've bought so far: 2

Somewhere Over The Rainbow Soap (£4.25/£10.62/£21.25):

There's always a product from seasonal collections that disappoints people and for me, it's Somewhere Over the Rainbow.  Despite its beautiful and vibrant rainbow colour, the fragrance is absolutely horrid but sickly likable.  I don't like it but on some occasional sniffs I do.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow smells like chocolate mixed with cigarette ash.  There's a smokiness to the soaps fragrance and if you don't smoke, associate with smoke or like being around it then this may pose a problem for you.  It is absolutely disgusting.  But, then you smell the kind of chocolate smell and a sweetness that makes the soap very likable underneath the smokiness.  So I begin to like it... Then when I go away and come back to it, I have to go through the process all over again.  Smell a disgusting smoke ash and then finally a sweet chocolate aroma which I do like.  But weighing it up, I won't be buying this regardless of it being new.  

Hoppity Poppity (£2.50):

I love this little guy! He is adorable.  I love his white design with a little tinge of green specks and pink details.  When I first saw Hoppity Poppity on Instagram I was immediately imagining what he'd smell like.  HopPop has the same fragrance as Lush's newly released Kerbside Violet perfume.  He also kind of smells similar to the Mother's Day Ultraviolet bubble bar but HopPop is much sweeter and doesn't have Ultraviolet's earthy base. (To see the Mother's Day Collection overview click here)  

For £2.95 HopPop is good fun and is at least worth a one time purchase.  His design is great for Easter as it not only compliments the other egg designed bath bombs, it compliments the Bunch of Carrots (we're getting to them beauties) and the Carrot soap.  It all ties in so well.  Whether you're 5, 25 or 55 HopPop is going to have you falling in love with him. 

How many Hoppity Poppity's have I bought so far: 4

Golden Egg (£3.75):

IT'S BAAAAAAAACK! The Lush Easter Product that makes us want to cry as we love it but can loathe it just the same.  I'm rather surprised at how much I missed the glitter that comes from Golden Egg.  The glitter that just happens to go on your face, clothes, hair and sometimes even in your mouth.  The glitter goes EVERYWHERE.  You just happen to look at your cup of tea and see it on the cup's ridge.  It even floats about in the store (you can't miss this).  All the Lush's that have sunshine shinning through the store windows... What a treat.

With it's caramel fragrance (the same fragrance as Honey I Washed the Kids soap and It's Raining Men shower gel) this will soothe any sweet tooth who is passing on chocolate this Easter (you go Glen coco!).
Golden Egg's caramel colour also adds to its pleasant seduction.  The only problem with Golden Egg is the glitter.  Man, this can be a real challenge to clean your bath.  My first tip? Don't just get of the relaxing bath you've just had with this treat, unplug the bath and go get a cuppa or a drink.  We've all done this at some point and thought; 'I'll clean it later'.
This bath bomb's residue must be dealt with right away if you want a hassle-free clean up.  Simply get your shower head and spray down your bath to get rid of the glitter as the water is being drained.  

Some people may read that and won't understand why I'm basically telling people how to clear a bath, and that's fine, but bloody hell I wish someone had told me.  I just let the bath drain and the glitter stuck all round the sides and Flash couldn't even get rid of it.  It took me half an hour to clear and I had to bin a cloth since the glitter would never come out! So I just wanted to add that bit even if it's only helpful for one person.
BUT before I wrap up Golden Egg I haven't even mentioned the best part! This isn't just a bath bomb.  It's a bath MELT! A Bath Melt! You're getting the treat of a bath bomb whilst your skin is being loved by goodness.  When you plop Golden Egg into your bath, the bath melt gets to work until it layers away and the bath bomb gets to work.   It really is the best part of the Easter Collection for me...... That's why I've already bought four! Hehe! Click here to go to my Instagram where there is a demo video of Golden Egg in my feed.

How many Golden Egg's have I bought so far: 4

Bunch of Carrots (£5.95):

Heeeeeeeeey, what's up Doc? What's Bugs doin' now without his carrots? Too bad I don't give a damn because they're making my baths blooming lovely.  Bunch of Carrots is also a returner from last year and I'm rather pleased.  I only got one bunch of carrots last year and I spent months regretting not buying more.  These are 'reusable' bubble bars.  So, basically, you can repeatedly use these to make bubbles until there is no longer any carrots left.  Simply hold underneath the water stream until you're happy you've got enough bubbles in your bath and then you're done and all you need to do is set them aside for their next use.  Repeat process.   However, my recommendation would be to split them so they are individual and use one at a time.  Personally, I see no need to hold all three under the water.  Just use one, even if it means you'd hold it under longer as it is only one.  It doesn't waste product even though they're meant to be reusable.

Bunch of Carrots are rather fruity and sweet but nowhere near anything like Fluffy Egg.  It's just a fruity fragrance, kind of tropical, like mangoes.  Just slightly!  These orange bubble bars have the same fragrance as Carrot soap so they'd be a really good combo.  The tropical fragrance of Bunch of Carrots and Carrot Soap is most likely produced by their ingredient Buchu Oil, and may I say, it's gorgeous.  It's only in these two products so they stand alone on fragrance.

How many Bunch of Carrots have I bought so far: 2

Pot O'Gold (£3.50/£6.95):

 It's the new kid on the block!  Pot o'Gold is a new product for this Easter Collection and it's interesting.  I bought the small £3.50 as I don't really like shower jellies but my curiosity had to see what this was.  Its gold colour and shimmer is truly enticing particularly when it wobbles.  I really don't know how people wouldn't be sold on this jelly just by looking at it, even when you aren't a jelly person.  Me being an example.

But that's kind of where my like for it ends.  This has such a strong sweet smell it actually makes me feel overwhelmed when smelling it.  I immediately smell the vanilla, but what I also smell is weird.  I smell butter popcorn.  You know, popcorn covered in butter... I smell the Gardenia Extract and a weird powdery scent.  It's not bad... It's just not what I expected.  I'm kind of disappointed but to be fair I wasn't expecting a lot from it anyways as I'm not a jelly person.  But the smell... I'd say it's almost like It's Raining Men with a hell of a lot of salt and vanilla thrown into it.   It's vanilla and salt I smell, a mixture of all the ingredients I suppose.  I can't determine it other than it isn't really my cup of tea.  I'm glad I've got a pot for some reason and that is as far as it goes.

How many Pot o'Gold's have I bought so far: 1

Immaculate Eggception Pink/ Immaculate Eggception Yellow (£6.95):

Missing Love Locket? #Don'tPanic - Lush has all you need right in these two bath bombs. Just like Love Locket, these are extra big compared to Lush's other bath bombs and can have up to at least 3 uses.  Heading to your Lush to get this?  Getting it delivered soon? Pick these two up and give them a gentle rattle... There's a little surprise.
SPOILER ALERT IF YOU DON'T ALREADY KNOW.... If cracked you'll find another hidden bath bomb inside! Surprise! Better than a chocolate Easter egg, right?? Same idea as Love Locket. Pink and Yellow Immaculate Eggception have the same fragrance which isn't bad, it gives customers the choice of which outcome they want for their bath water.  One is a calmer yellow with green and orange and the other is a bolder pink with blue and yellow.  Look below!

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Look at how good they are.  They're good right? The main scents in these two bombs are lemon, grapefruit and vanilla which pretty much sums up how they do actually smell.  I bring the bath bomb to my nose and instantly smell the lemon and grapefruit but there's a faded sweetness to these citrus scents... That's where the vanilla comes into play.  The addition of vanilla brings this bath bomb back from citrus grounds to a level of balance between the two.  Instead of citrus VS sweet, it's citrus AND sweet.  They blend well together.
What can I really say about the design of these bath bombs?  The pictures and colours speak for themselves.  I think the Pink egg looks more exciting and inviting whereas the Yellow egg looks more peaceful and mature.  But the real determination is in the bath.  I predict these to be sure Lush winners of the Easter Collection.  I have seen people hesitant to get these because of the price and I've also seen people argue over the last one.  My bit of advice is - just get them.  You can get at least three uses from buying one of these bath bombs so in a long term you're actually saving you're pennies (at least in the UK you are - this might be misleading or incorrect for other countries).  They're good fun, smell incredible, look fantastic and they are seasonal goodies so it's a treat! Treat yourself, you're worth it!

How many Immaculate Eggception's have I bought so far: 4

Carrot Soap (£3.95/£9.87/£19.75):

Carrot soap returns to Lush again this Easter, why wouldn't it? It's lovely, fits in well with the other products, it's liked and one of my favourite Lush soaps.

 Carrot has the same scent as Bunch of Carrots which of course is driven by the Buchu Oil - it's only in these two products! It's a really fresh, fruity, tropical smell.  Imagine cut carrots but 10 times sweeter.  The amazing design of an actual carrot for the largest size of soap makes this soap really stand out from all the others in store.  The rest are all round and big whereas this is laid out like a loaf of bread.  It's just so cool! And cute.  Picking up a piece of this soap, you can really feel how nourishing it is as it has a creamy soft outer finish and kind of sticky, opposed to a dry outer finish.  

Carrot soap is really softening on the skin which makes me really like it.  Using this whilst showering or using it as a sink soap (which I used it for) especially during the colder months really is a must have.  I felt the change in my dried hands after using this only once.  So after a couple of uses, your hands are in heaven.  Now, let's talk a little more about the design.  I already complimented it's shape and form... But I really love the hopping bunny in the inside of the soap.  In the picture above you can see this, and I like how it's a peachy shade and blends well with the overall orange of the carrot design.  It's very smart and well done to Lush for thinking of wee things like that.   I can't wait to restock on Carrot - I'm still hoarding some Carrot Soap from 2014!

How many Carrot soap's have I bought so far: 1

Annnnd that's the overview wrapped.  Here's a list summary of the Lush Easter Collection:

• Fluffy Egg bath bomb
• Hoppity Poppity bath bomb
• Bunch of Carrots bubble bars
• Immaculate Eggception Pink
• Immaculate Eggception Yellow
• Somewhere Over the Rainbow soap
• Carrot soap
• Golden Egg bath bomb
• Pot o'Gold shower jelly

For more Lush posts follow me on instagram: @lushvoyage and let me know what you think of Lush's 2015 Easter Collection.

Thanks for reading! 

Lush Cosmetics Mothers Day 2015 Collection (overview)

I love my mum more than I love anything or anyone in this world.  My love for Lush doesn't even come in sight to the love I have for my mum.  She is the most wonderful and special person in my life and has held my hand and walked with me through the toughest year of my life (2014) and has done this throughout my life.  I know this isn't a memoir or a book that's going to blow the nation and world away, but I write this overview of Lush Cosmetic's Mother's Day Collection thinking of my mum, Elaine.  Mother's Day isn't until the 15th of March in the UK so I'm quite happily assuming this collection will be with us (at this point) for over a month and a couple of days.  That gives us all plenty of time to break the bank twice over, hopefully!  Well, what are we waiting for!? Let's get on with it!

Secret Garden: £2.95

This bath bomb makes me think of my front porch and garden just at the end of winter into the beginning of spring.  At this time a lot of the planted bulbs from months ago start to show they're growing and about to bloom.  I cannot help but smile when I see the beginning shoots of Daffodils pop up out of nowhere and today I actually saw the first one.  It was so strange to see that, it really is a spooky coincidence.  So to me, Secret Garden is a sweet reminder of growth and that a warmer time is going to fall upon us in the coming months.

With its vibrant green colour and pink printed flower it cannot go unnoticed or untouched I might add by all customers and Lushies in the Lush Store.  Seriously I thought I was going to have hit someone.  What I found strange but really lovely about this incident is that Secret Garden isn't even one of the new products.  I'd thought it would have been the new products I would turn into the Queen Lion of the Jungle for, so I could get to see, picture, smell and buy them.  But no it was Secret Garden - who has been up before - that caught everyone's eye.  I guess people are just so happy to see the back of winter... and Lush Christmas?? Waaaah.  But Secret Garden is a pleasant bath bomb which will start your Spring off with a good step into a bath.  It's mesmerising show of colours when it fizzes away and its blossom of floral fragrance and components from yellow rosebuds, rose petals and marigold petals will definitely show you why missing winter won't be so bad.

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Yummy Mummy Collection (shower gel: £4.75/£9.50/£15.95) (body conditioner: £19.95)
Can we just pause for a second? I want to ask everyone to stand and give Lush a standing ovation and applause for the next two products from the new and beautifully scented Yummy Mummy Collection.  What a bloody achievement you have made here.  I expect these two products EVERY YEAR for Mother's Day and if you don't I'll protest until I have an army of people on my side.

Yummy Mummy... It's very, very yummy.  The most prominent thing you will smell in these two products is Brazilian orange oil and the fragrance of Strawberries.  I couldn't quite figure out at first what the base was and although both products have Tonka Absolute in them, I feel it isn't that.  I've decided it's the Brazilian Orange Oil and a perfumed fragrance of strawberries you will smell.  Obviously you could disagree with this or have your own idea - please feel free to tell me, I'd like to hear your thoughts - but I suspect it is these two things.

The Yummy Mummy shower gel is an amazing pastel purple colour and has glitter through it.  Pastel colours are in fashion at the moment here in the UK.  All I hear on the fashion news is how lovely the Queen and Kate Middleton look in their pastel coats right now, and they do look lovely.  So Lush are very in sync with what is going on fashion-wise in my opinion, I find they're very smart about how they market their goodies.  When smelling Yummy Mummy I could also smell the Carrageenan Extract which is also in Lush's Christmas shower gel Snow Fairy.  I'm still on a Snow Fairy binge since Christmas, I shower with it almost everyday so I'd say I'm an expert on products similar to Snow Fairy.  It's just a faint similarity but it is there alright and it will definitely soothe the pain of finishing my soon to be empty Snow Fairy shower gel.  Also, people have shared their opinions that Yummy Mummy shower gel smells like the newly released Kerbside Violet perfume by Lush.  I don't know if it doesn't considering my local Lush didn't have it in stock yet, but I'll give you my thoughts on this.  Lower in this post I talk about colour scheme with some products, and I'd say Yummy Mummy and Kerbside Violet will go perfect together as a gift considering their purple design.  But do they smell alike? Well as I said I can't really see if I don't know.  However, the ingredients of both products aren't similar whatsoever.  There is perfume in Yummy Mummy so if they do smell alike I can only assume that the perfume in the shower gel is in fact Kerbside Violet.  If not, I think it's safe to say they won't smell alike or will have a familiar base.

Moving On.  Can I just say finally.  Finally. FINALLY.  I have been pestering Lush by email, Facebook, in store and sometimes Instagram as well to make another body conditioner.  As someone with skin problems and the only option I have is to use natural products like Lush, I was a little and I mean a little bit disappointed in the new 2014 release of African Paradise body conditioner.  It's great and I use this product, it has a spicy aroma and makes my skin super soft.  But, I'm more a sweet, citrus and fruity gal.   Admittedly, Yummy Mummy is now my favourite body conditioner.  Hands down my favourite and the best fragrance'd body conditioner Lush have made.  I will be buying at least two of these, but I can feel my hoarding instinct coming out to buy probably four pots.   So I must note my gratitude and and happiness for Lush and thank them for introducing this body conditioner, even if it is just for a couple of weeks.

Like its partner shower gel, Yummy Mummy body conditioner has the prominent Brazilian Orange Oil, fragrance of strawberries and Carrageenan Extract all round fragrance.  Except in this one, there is actually Strawberry juice! I don't know why strawberry juice isn't in the shower gel and since they smell so alike, I must question here if the 'perfume' in the Yummy Mummy shower gel is perfumed fragrance of strawberries rather than Kerbside Violet?  Since the shower gel and body conditioner are so alike!

Now, this is just an overview of the Mother's Day 2015 Collection but I do intend to review the Yummy Mummy collection ASAP and before anything else.  I'm seriously in love with it so keep your eyes peeled.

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Ultraviolet Bubble Bar: £4.75
I thought the Yummy Mummy summary was never going to end! But here comes Ultraviolet.  Anyone disappointed in this? Anyone hate it? Anyone think of Willy Wonka and his brilliant factory? Anyone completely and entirely surprised by this?? Well I'm surprised.  I expected this bubble bar to smell like Violet Nights bath oil (Lush Kitchen product for those who don't know) and it really, really doesn't.  Wanna know what this smells like? Go outside of your house or wherever you are right now and pick up a handful of earth.  That sums up the new Ultraviolet bubble bar.  An earthy bubble bar.  Bathing in the fragrance of dirt... Is it bad that I like it?
I love earthy scents! Ultraviolet does have Violet Leaf Absolute and Gardenia Extract which is where I think the earthy fragrance comes from.  Violet Leaf Absolute does produce a deep aroma which would be surprising to people who believe it to be a light floral fragrance.  I love Ultraviolet and I will be getting this bubble bar.  Hey, I'm entitled to it.  I dub myself a mum by owning dogs.

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Rose Bombshell Bath Bomb: £3.50
The new Mother's Day bath bomb is called Rose Bombshell and that is exactly what it is, a bombshell. Surprised? Surprised.  However, not a good surprise like Ultraviolet.  I'm not even going to spend a lot of time covering this one as it's plain opposed to the others.  Rose Bombshell is the biggest disappointment in the Lush Mother's Day Collection as - are you ready for it? - this bath bomb smells like mashed potatoes.  Yes you did read that right.  I must stress this isn't just my opinion as my whole local lush store said they thought this as well.  We concurred it had to be the Soya Milk Powder which creates the potato fragrance.  With a dull exterior as well, it's not got much of a leg to stand on in winning the best Mother's day product.  My mum hated this as well so I'd politely advise you to avoid this one for your mums, yourself or any person you want to show your gratitude to! This isn't a good gift.

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Mother Superior Bubble Bar: £3.75
Mother Superior bubble bar.  Or as I like to call it "a baby".  When I went into my local Lush, I picked this up and I saw a baby wrapped in a blanket.  You see this made sense to me as it is 'Mother's Day' and how do you become a mother (generally)? By having a baby! So when I saw my mum and the lush ladies giggling at me I knew I'd made a mistake somewhere.  Did I have glitter on my nose? Or powder? Had I broken it or something? No, I just totally made a fool of myself apparently.  I'd said;
"Oh my god! A baby bubble bar!! That's so cute. (SMELLS BUBBLE BAR AND TURNS TO MUM) Smell the baby bar."
Yes I totally ignored the little black chalkboard telling me it was called Mother Superior.  Let's just all call it Baby okay? No? Fine let me be embarrassed.

Mother Superior's fragrance is a mix of Sakura ballistic, Rub Rub Rub shower scrub and a little Seanik shampoo bar..  Personally I love this fragrance and BABY will be in my basket when I place my order online this week.  The bubble bar has a really great design and it was rather creative of Lush to an extent.  Plus, I can't really knock its design anyways as it's given me a lot of amusement and hilarity today so it especially has a soft spot with me.

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Bubblegrub Bubbleroon: £2.95
Can you express cute any bigger or bolder than Bubblegrub!? This is the sweetest bubbleroon I've seen by Lush.  It's perfect for the beginning of Spring since all the little beasties start to be seen more when the flowers are blooming.  It's just a shame poor little Bubblegrub's white chocolate eyes are so fragile they fall off easily - quite clearly!

Bubblegrub has a summer holiday fragrance for me.  He signifies the smell of sunscreen, aftersun and moisturiser which can be found quite easily during the summer months.  I've went on holiday to Florida a couple of times over the years and Bubblegrub reminds me of things I smelt across the pond.  This is just a wishing star for anyone who wants and wishes to be away getting a tan or it could possibly be a countdown for people going on holiday - if you feel the same way I do about it.  I suspect it is the Vertivert Oil, Gardenia Extract and the Vanilla Pod which creates this holiday fragrance.  All of this together makes a coconut fragrance! How? I don't know but it does and it's brilliant.  Totally brilliant.  I'm definitely walking towards my bath like a butt-naked minion humming 'In the Summertime' and squealing for Bubblegrub.  As you can probably tell, this one is going to be bought by me for me. He!

(Listen to 'In the Summertime' here by Mungo Jerry)


Love You Mum Soap: £4.25/£8.50/£21.25
Both mum and I aren't in love with this soap and I would have mentioned it earlier in the post to get it out of the way but what's it called? 'Love you mum'.  I felt it was fitting to wrap up my overview of the Mother's Day 2015 Collection with this sentiment as that is what all the products shown above are for; Mother's Day.  Let me say I didn't not like this soap and if I was gifted it I'd be a happy person.  But there are soaps by Lush I'd rather buy instead.  But it is a really good soap and will be good to give to your mum this Mother's day.  Personally, I think Lush would have been better making the soap's base purple to match the Yummy Mummy shower gel and Ultraviolet bubble bar.  It all would have tied in together nicely since there would be a colour scheme going on and gives a variety of products as a gift (shower gel, soap, bubblebar etc).

But I really do love the soaps allover design.  I think the floral look is beautiful and a really good representative for Mother's everywhere.  Mother's are sweet, precious and lovely like most flowers.  It's also a great shift for people's mindsets who are still in a winter time season.  Well, it isn't winter much longer! Love You Mum soap has mimosa absolute, jasmine absolute, bergamot oil and rapeseed oil and coconut oil.  This is a very uplifting soap quite clearly with its prime ingredients.  There will be a lot of people who love this soap for that reason alone.  I actually might get this soap just for a change from my sweet tastes, as it is the perfect change.  I'm still undecided.  Perhaps another trip to Lush is in order!

Here's a list of the Mother's Day 2015 Collection:

• Yummy Mummy Shower Gel
• Yummy Mummy Body Conditioner
• Ultraviolet Bubble Bar
• Mother Superior Bubble Bar
• Bubblegrub Bubbleroon
• Love You Mum Soap
• Rose Bombshell Bath Bomb
• Secret Garden Bath Bomb

And that's us until new products are released or the Easter Collection for overviews! Thank you so much for reading and I hope all the mums out there get spoiled rotten, with gifts and love.  I love you mum! 

Lush Voyage
Mauvemallow

Instagram: @lushvoyage

Lush Cosmetics African Paradise 'I’ve never smelt something so nostril enriching'

African Paradise (£19.95); this body conditioner initially came out in the Lush Kitchen, but it is in fact coming to Lush stores this summer.  The UK should have them about now.  This is the first body conditioner by Lush that I’ve ever used as I prefer body butters.  I received it in my new box from the Lush store opening, and I was so happy to get it because I’ve been eager to get my hands on it, for the obvious fact it’s meant to smell similar to Africa.  Never having been to Africa in my life I can’t quite think nor put into words what Africa smells like, but African Paradise implies it’ll give me an idea.

 So, the main points I want to share is the smell, feel and outcome of African Paradise Body Conditioner. 
The smell is incredibly unique.  I've never smelt something so nostril enriching quite like this.  I can't go down the road of: 'It smells similar to...' or 'It reminds me of...' because it really does stand alone.  I truly have never smelt anything like this before.  My imagination tells me it's some mix of flowers and cooking spices.  However, when I asked my mum; 'what do you think African Paradise smells like?' she told me coconuts and lemons.  For me, I couldn't smell either of these.  So the smell provides mystery for each Lushie to solve with their own imagination.  Personally, I love the smell of this product and unfortunately cannot successfully explain why.  It simply smells incredible and makes me feel really powerful, capable of accomplishing loads of plans in my mind and most of all, refreshed and conditioned.

When I apply this on my skin, it feels like silk and my skin reacts to it really well.  As an eczema sufferer, I’m very picky as to what I put on my skin but this didn’t irritate my skin whatsoever.  So that’s a bonus for me right off.  This body conditioner spread really well on my skin and I felt it taking effect immediately as I was rubbing it all over.  It didn’t lather – not that it should – but it looked like what Lush body lotions look like once applied.  I kept it on for about 1 – 2 minutes with no desire to itch, no tickling sensation or fire sensation.  I can happily say I do approve this one for people with sensitive skin as mine didn’t react badly to it.  However, this is specific to me; it unfortunately could upset your skin as everyone is different.  But hopefully no problems arise at all.

After washing, I pat my skin dry and I was totally taken aback by how well this stuff worked.  I use King of Skin every day and it actually did a better job (for me) than the King of Skin does.  My skin was completely moisturised from head to toe, and I was left soft and smooth once my skin had completely soaked it all up. 

I was so impressed with this body conditioner.  I really didn’t expect to like it, and initially once I smelt it, it made my doubts worse since I couldn’t define it.  It has since grown on me immensely and I will repurchase this over and over and over again.  But, this is where the ‘rut-roh’ comes in as it is basically £20.  I don’t really know how I feel about that.  I think it’s justified since how good of a job it does and its crazily uncommon smell makes it a real treasure.  But... I feel the price is just a bit too much.  It’s only competition is Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner which is £15.95 opposed to African Paradise’s £19.95.  I feel many people will simply settle for Ro’s Argan because it is a huge difference in price when you’re on a budget and want loads more products (bath bombs, bubble bars, shower gels, etc).  I think African Paradise would be better at £15.95 mirroring Ro’s Argan.  I understand Lush price their products at a quality price but enough to make a profit, but the price is going to be a deal breaker for me.  If I can buy African Paradise, then I will and I don’t hesitate on writing that.  But it’s price makes me want to cry, so much.  I give this 5 stars for its job, but I strongly feel it should be given 4 stars due to its price.

Nonetheless, African Paradise is absolutely incredible and Lush have made a body conditioner I’m sure will be a hit and will become a regular for a large amount of people.  And if by chance Lush reduce the price slightly, you'll make me very happy.

Thanks for reading! Check out my instagram for more: 

@lushvoyage 

Lush Kitchen's Violet Nights - 'I felt as if my locked up temptress side came out to play using this'

Violet Nights (£13.95); one of my first Lush Kitchen purchases – Violet Nights bath oil! I missed this the first time they did it, so I was wicked happy to find out it was coming back to the kitchen.  The bottle size is 245g.  Something I want to credit Lush for is how well they pack their products.  All of the products I purchase from Lush are well packaged with more than enough eco-flo to prevent any damaged coming to my parcel.  Also, the bottle has a non-spill function so I can open it and hold it upside down, and it won’t come out (you have to squeeze the bottle).  So, just a quick little mention to Lush to say thanks for the great care you put into it!

I used Violet Nights the same day I got it (23/05/14) and in the demo I have posted pictures and a demonstration below, illustrating how much of the bath oil I used.  The bath oil is a very deep purple colour, very similar to Daddy-O but I would say slightly darker.  In this oil, there are no glitter/shimmer effects and I hope this won’t put people off using the oil.  The oil is just as great without special effects. 

Violet Nights does indeed smell very much like Parma violet sweets but I don’t really think it smells just as much like them as people make out.  In fact, I would say there is this aroma with more of an earthy, mystical and musky aroma dominating it.  It is enchanting and your perception of it changes constantly, so much so I didn’t really like the smell of it when I first smelt it.  Of course, I was beginning to panic over the fact I had just bought bath oil almost £15 and I didn’t even like it! The product then grew on me and solidified my adoration when I used it in the bath – it’s just to die for! I wouldn’t use more than a few drops as it could become overpowering I predict.

As instructed on the bottle, I poured my bath oil in when the water was running.  This created a swirling effect whilst forming a layer of foam across the bath water.  Overall, my bath water was a milky colour.  I repeat a milky colour! Very odd, very peculiar... Almost 24 hours later and I still can’t make up my mind about this.  I don’t really know if I like the colour outcome, maybe it is because I did expect the water to be at least lilac.  It doesn’t really bother me that there isn’t a truly awesome or mesmerising outcome this way, but I’m still not over how there wasn’t any colourful colour.

I could see all the oils and how rich the water was using Violet Nights, and the foam layer felt totally different to what a bubble bar layer feels like on my body.  I preferred the feel of this layer of foam than bubble bars, so this goes in its favour completely! I felt really sexy and seductive whilst bathing in it.  I felt as if my locked up temptress side came out to play using this.  Maybe it isn’t just meant for one person to use at a time... Something to ponder, I guess.

I left the bath with silky and soft skin that smelt incredible.  My skin didn’t feel tight nor have that horrid dried up feeling using other bath oils like ones that rhyme with Madox.  If you decide to get this before it runs out, I guarantee you, you will be enthralled by it and will rave about it to someone who’s interested (or not).  For someone who wasn’t really sure about whether or not it would be my cup of tea, it’s certainly answered all my doubts about it – in the best way possible... Making me rave to you! I give this 5 stars.  Hopefully the Lush Kitchen does something that attracts my attention this coming week, as I certainly will add another bottle of this (if it’s still available).  I suggest you do the same.  Or not, so I know I’ll get my bottle ;)

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Thanks for reading!

Lush Kitchen's Happy Blooming - 'I'd come out the bath treated'

Happy Blooming (£4.25 / 65g): I didn’t plan on purchasing this from the Lush Kitchen but I threw it in a couple of times when other products came exclusive.  I’m not really a bath melt person, as for me, they make one Godiva mess of the bath.  I’m particularly lazy this way.  But I bought three, so I’ll use them.  With Happy Blooming, you can divide the bath melt into three pieces for three uses.  The design of the bath melt (illustrated in the pictures below), shows easily where the bath melt is to be cut into three if you decide to do so.

I had to cut the bath melt as when trying to snap it, I found it began to melt in my hands.  Cutting it wasn’t straight forward either as it was a challenge to get the knife to cut through it, compared to You’ve Been Mangoed and bubble bars.  However, it isn’t impossible.

My one third of the bath melt very slowly began to melt once dropped into the bath.  I decided to speed up the process by rubbing it between my fingers.  It took about 5 minutes for the bath melt to melt away entirely.  The more it melted the more the bath water turned from normal to milky, to pale pink to the final shade of something similar to a Japanese blossom colour.

Looking at the bath water, it was evident of having lots of moisture and oils so I knew at that point I’d come out the bath treated.  And boy did I.  My body was moisturised from top to bottom, there was not one part of my skin dry after taking a bath with Happy Blooming.  I do usually sit for a minute after using nourishing/moisturising products to let my skin soak it up and I also pat my skin dry.  I would say that Happy Blooming did leave me slightly greasy so I was happy I only used one third of it.  I imagine if you were to use more than this, it wouldn’t be as much as a treat because you would be the definition of a grease-ball.  Although, this is to everyone’s own preference.

I’ve read quite a few people think Happy Blooming smells really artificial, and whilst I can understand why people think this, I don’t agree.  The reason behind this is because I know exactly what I think Happy Blooming smells like.  This bath melt smells identical to a cherry drink I got in USA (Florida) McDonalds called Hi-c, each time I went on holiday there.  I don’t know why, but whenever you can find something that Lush products relate to personally, they always end up being a favourite.  I quite like the smell – actually I adore it.  I like the difference/change from citrusy, murky and sweet aromas in other Lush products for this fruity bath melt.  It really was a nice change, but I can see why people describe it as artificial and sweet.

Overall, Happy Blooming gives a pleasant bath where I can guarantee you will not come out of the bath with a dried skin feeling.  It was so moisturising, and it made my bathroom smell delightful.   The water was like a pastel pink shade with one third of this melt, which I really liked as I believe it complements the smell and the look of the bath melt.  The aromas from this are lovely, they are deep and fruity.  I’m not left regretting that I bought more than one of these beauties.  I’m very pleased I got my hands on a couple before the Lush Kitchen sold out.  I definitely think this Lush product does more of a job with a nice smell than do nothing but with an incredible smell.  I give this 5 stars since my skin was left nourished and soft (once my skin soaked it all up) and there was a nice albeit faint scent of cherries on my skin afterwards.  I really do hope the Lush Kitchen make these again so I can once more throw some more in with other purchases.

Lush Cosmetics Fair Trade Foot Lotion - 'Diamond in the Rough'

Fair Trade Foot Lotion (£9.25); I got this foot lotion in a lush party bag from the Lush BuchananSt Launch Party on 16/05/14.  I used it as soon as I got home. I'd been standing for 5 hours in really beautiful but uncomfortable heels, so I unfortunately got really sore feet.  I decided I'd steep my feet in my foot spa, and I did this for about 10 minutes before using a pumice stone to remove any dead skin.  This made my feet softer than before, obviously as this is what a pumice stone does.  But don't you all just hate how much using one can tickle so bad?! As I received this lotion free, I was very excited to use it (and everything else in my goodie bag) since I'd never looked never mind used it prior to Friday night.  I applied the pink lotion onto my feet and I was surprised to find that it absorbed rather quickly.  Don't get me wrong, for about 30 minutes after applying the lotion, my feet were still basking in all the essential oils but my feet weren't greasy in the slightest either.  But what really left an impression on me was within 10 minutes of putting this on, my feet felt so refreshed and treated and the pain in my feet was seriously reduced!  There was still a very light throb but it was barely noticeable.  My feet felt cool, moisturised and I had a sensation as if someone were blowing on them whilst massaging them. My feet felt royally taken care of like they were Cleopatra's feet, which was a really good treat.  I mean, who wouldn't want to feel like Cleopatra for a small time?   As you can see, the lotion is pink and it smells really minty, with a slight dentist clay and chocolate aroma. The lotion has both peppermint and spearmint oils in it.  It looks really thick/pasty but it thins out when you take a blob and use it.

I would never have bought this for myself as I've never thought my feet needed any treatments.  I still believe they don't, but this has certainly changed my perception on foot lotions.  In fact, I've actually asked for a sample of this in the past for my mum in case she wanted to try it as she takes good care of her feet.  On my next Lush trip/order, I will definitely be buying her a pot of this since I was left totally taken by it.

 I'd recommend this for all the girls and boys who's feet need some TLC after a hard party weekend, or for the people who've had a hard work week. I give this the full 5 stars, and I will purchase this when I run out of it.  It is now one of my favourite products by Lush, and for me personally, it is a diamond in the rough.  

Film Review of Fifty Shades of Grey 2015

"The Worldwide Phenomenon comes to life."

Well, was Fifty Shades of Grey everything it was built up to be? 

Having read all three books twice I knew I was going to be seeing this movie, I just didn't know when I'd get to see it.  Long story short - I got to see Fifty Shades of Grey today.  In my head there was always going to be a 50/50 divide as to whether the movie displayed too much sex and nudity, or not enough.  Frankly, I was rather indifferent to this aspect of the movie.  I don't think it's going to be as effective sexually as some people hope for.

I will surmise that Dakota Johnson's flesh - aka Miss Anastasia Steele - outweighed Jamie Dornan's - aka Mr Christian Grey.  There is no full frontal nudity where you see Jamie or Dakota's more personal body parts.  I write that in such a way in attempt not to offend people.   The most flesh the audience get to see is Dakota and Jamie's pubic hair and that's it.  I thought at one particular scene Jamie was going to be displaying a little more whilst he unzipped his hanging blue jeans but the camera shot changed, so, that didn't happen.

For the actual sex scenes themselves I found them rather tasteful.  I believe if I remember correctly, there were either five to seven sex scenes? Feel free to tell me if that isn't correct.  When the movie ended, there was a very unhappy gentleman near me with his female partner who loudly proclaimed;
"That was rubbish.  And to think I thought this would get us humping tonight."
It must be said... I raised my eyebrows and my eyes popped at this.  
That's what I was explaining at the beginning of this post, there was always going to be a 50/50 divide on how graphic this movie was for the audience.  For me I was definitely happy with what was portrayed in the sexual scenes department.  It wasn't too much to make it heavily pornographic as such but it wasn't so little it wasn't "Fifty Shades of Grey".

Dakota and Jamie's acting... That's where this gets funny.  Albeit I'm about to get a little bit critical, I must stress how much this movie is basically a two man cast.  Yes there is the odd face of Kate, Jose, Ana's mum, Elliot and so on.  But really, it's only Dakota and Jamie.  So to hold a movie (I think it's 125mins exactly) for the length it goes on for is actually not bad at all.  I've seen worse and I'd go as far to say it was impressive from that perspective.

Days ago I saw a movie clip where I thought Dakota Johnson's acting was a bit cringeworthy.  I can't really explain it, I just thought it didn't look good and I had to look away from the screen.  This scene - the Clayton's hardware store scene - was pretty early on into the movie so it got out the way quickly.  And yes, it made me cringe again.  So from this scene I expected to not really take to Dakota.  However... It was the complete opposite.  I found she portrayed Anastasia Steele perfectly.  Prior to the movie release, there has been many times I've sat doubting if she was the best casting choice and let me tell you, those thoughts have left the building.  From her classiness whilst laying nude, to the portrayal of Ana's dry, embarrassed humour and to the emotionally confused moments surrounding and involving Christian Grey, Dakota was perfect.  I really don't have one bad word to say about her performance as Ana.  Her best moments were when she challenged Christian towards the end of the movie;

"Why do you want to hurt me?"
The emotion on Dakota's face and in her voice made me really relate to a person desperate to not only understand another person's thoughts but to pry answers from them as well.
And her other best moment was the drunk dialing Christian.  This was really funny.
"You're so bossy. Go away Ana! Come back Ana!"
Everyone has their own opinion and they are entitled to it but if someone who sees Fifty Shades of Grey and doesn't think Dakota was brilliant, I can't relate to you unfortunately.

Jamie on the other hand... I think I was disappointed in his portrayal of "Fifty Shades of F**ked Up".  This worries me for the film franchise that is going to follow on from this, since I didn't really care if he was Christian Grey or not.  I know this wasn't and isn't the case for many people as social media has shown.  When casting, I believe Jamie Dornan got a more positive response as Mr.Grey than Charlie Hunnam but I also believe it wasn't far behind his disapproved casting as well.  So this worries me... Without a beard, for me, Jamie is far more attractive but he also has a young boy look about him particularly across the eyes when he smiles.  It's cute.  But is "cute" what the audience wanted for Christian Grey? I'm not sure.  All I can say is I couldn't take Jamie seriously in the scene where he tells Ana;
"I f**k.  Hard."
Think back to high school for a moment and put yourself there mentally.  Remember whenever someone made a crude comment and at some point during high school, everyone laughed because it was 'naughty'? That's what Jamie's performance reminded me of.  It was the look in his eyes which left me with the impression he wanted to laugh so badly whilst saying some of the really crude remarks.  But, then again, Jamie looked pretty serious when Christian learned Ana was still a virgin.  I'm split on whether I was impressed or disappointed with Jamie Dornan which makes me sway more toward disappointment since I've left the theatre undecided.   I'm hoping this is a movie the more times you see/watch it the actors acting grows on you.  You start to see it from different perspectives and appreciate that there is maybe a depth or lightness you've mistaken for poor acting.  The audience want to leave the cinema impressed, engrossed and eager for more just like I was with Dakota.  For Jamie... It just didn't happen.   So this makes me want to say I was disappointed.  But how could I be really disappointed if I enjoyed the movie?

Yes I enjoyed Fifty Shades of Grey as I can see a real base of control forming for the rest of the franchise.  The battle for dominance and free will showed through all of the sex, comical ground and emotional points.  There was a lot missing from the novel but that's becoming the norm for movies these days.  I don't think they missed any great things... But I do think there was stuff they could have done without.  For example, the dinner scene with his family as it lasted about thirty seconds.  I found it irrelevant for the film's flow.

This is a movie people will go see if they want to see it and if they don't want to then they won't.  I think it's worth seeing at least once especially if you've read the books and were a fan.  It lets people see what has been created in honour of the books and I always think books brought to the screen have something special about them, even when they're rotten.  It allows you to envision something you couldn't see before.  I couldn't imagine Christian's penthouse and now I have something to picture.
This is going to become a franchise so if you want to be involved with it then get your butt to the cinema and see this.  Because this is going to dominate the cinema at least another two times in the coming years.

And I just want to put this out there that I have high respect for both Jamie and Dakota for being the faces of something that was and is under heavy scrutiny, from movie reviews to movie bashing.  I've seen a lot of posters stating opinions Fifty Shades of Grey is about abuse - everyone is entitled to their own thoughts and opinions - but I've not liked how these posters have Jamie's face on them.  Yes he plays the role of Christian Grey but I bet he lives a totally different life in all ways.  But using his face for such a thing will stick against him for some people, this just happens somehow.  I don't think that's fair and I wish people wouldn't do that.

I pre-ordered the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack which I'll blog about over the weekend no doubt.  But I wanted to mention the music right now as well.  The music was used really well in the movie and there isn't one song I dislike.  The soundtrack has been really well planned and produced so I give everyone involved with that an applause.  However, the biggest criticism I have for the movie is that music was throughout the entire film.  There was not one scene that had peace and quiet and allowed the audience to fully concentrate on the scene.  From tambourines, pianos, beats and so on.  Just when a scene started and it had no sound other than the soft foot movements of Ana moving around a room and her labored breathing, I was assaulted with these irritating sounds.  Ten minutes into the movie they were already annoying me.  I don't know the musical term for these sounds but it was backing sounds/tunes throughout.  It made me feel really grumpy during the elevator kissing scene.  Beyoncé's Crazy In Love (like in the trailer - link below) would have been sooooooo much better.

But I think that's about it.  I'll be wrapping up now.  Please feel free to comment if you've got any questions or anything.

One thing is for certain.  I'll be reading the books for a third time now and as Mr. Grey would say...

Laters, baby.


Fifty Shades of Grey Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfZWFDs0LxA