A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Thanks to everyone who chimed in with their bath rituals and tales of Easter debauchery!  The Gods at Random.org have wiggled their pointing fingers and chosen TEN lucky winners, each of which will receive a LUSH Carrot re-usable bubble bar.

Claire
SarahC
Vicki
Sydney Kav
Julianne
Gilian
Victoria
Dejeniera
Gemma
Liza

If you’re one of the lucky winners listed above, I’ll be in touch to request your postal details.  Thanks everyone for entering, hope you had a lovely long weekend… next BH is a month away, keep on trucking!

If you’re still crazy for carrots, this is a really cute audio interview with the LUSH product inventors talking about the origins of The Carrot Bubble Bar!

If you’re sworn off the chocolates this year, how about some LUSH goodies instead?  The high-street heroes have released some Easter treats to ensure that even the strongest of wills are unable to resist the lure of some serious bathtime frivolities.

1. What came first, the chick(en) or the egg?  Well… it depends on what you choose to wrap inside this ridiculously cute Chick Knot Wrap!  Let’s face it, whatever you buy to hide inside, this chick is gonna steal the show – especially when the recipient finds out that the wrap is made from old plastic bottles!  Don’t forget to recycle it yourself, it would make an super-cute bag scarf.

2. Ahh, my favourite – ignore the strange looks and raised eyebrows you’ll get carrying a carrot into the bathroom and get that hot tap running.  Wave The Carrot about under the running water and watch as the bath fills up with (non-carrot scented) bubbles.  Leave our favourite orange veggie on the side of the bath to dry out and it’ll be ready to go again, and again, and again!  Reusable bubble bars?  LUSH!

3. Finally, you may be sworn off chocolate but no-one would begrudge you a few sweeties.  Especially when they’re of the bathing variety.  Fluffy Egg is a candy-mania(cs) dream, scented to smell just like marshmallow, candyfloss and all that teeth-achingly good stuff.  Stick two fingers up at the diet and sit in your Fluffy Egg filled bath this Sunday, eating your Easter Eggs.  Sick.

Fancy winning one of these Easter goodies?

I have a bunch of Carrots (geddit?!) to give away this weekend.  If you want to chance your hand at being one of TEN bathing belles to win a LUSH reusable bubble bar, leave a comment below and answer the following questions.

1. What’s your favourite bath-time ritual?

2. How many Easter Eggs have you hidden away and which one are you gonna break open first?

T&C
1. Entry open to UK residents only.
2. I will choose 10 winners at random.
3. Lipglossiping.com is the sole promoter of this competition.
4. Competition closes on Monday 9th April 2012 at 23.59 BST.
5. Winners list will be published on-site on Tuesday 10th April.

Onwards and upwards with the Mother’s Day gift guides! Yesterday we looked at some gift ideas for those of us on a budget but what if you’ve got a little more in the coffers for treating Mummy dearest?

Here’s my pick of the best Mother’s Day Gifts for £30 and under!

1. LUSH Mum Hatbox Set (£25.96)

Reusable hatbox full of luxuriously indulgent products for the industrious mums out there on Mother’s Day.  They’ve earned it!  This extravagant Mother’s Day gift box is brimming with joy for mums, containing everything she needs for bright spring days filled with flowers, fruit, rainbows, green grass, fluff and honey.

If your Mum is a bathing belle, this hatbox is full to the brim with lovely bath goodies.  The set contains: Grass shower gel, Pop in the Bath Bubble Bar, Dorothy Bubble Bar, Space Girl ‘Mum Ballistic, Keep it Fluffy Ballistic, You’ve Been Mangoed Bath Melt and Sultana of Soap.  You’re bound to come up smelling of roses with this gift choice!

2. Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me – Paula Begoun (£18.75)

Paula Begoun is the most unique, respected, and controversial source of skin care and makeup analysis available.  In the 8th edition of Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me you’ll find out the benefits and failings of each product so you can easily shop for the best of the best-and get beautiful skin and makeup, regardless of your budget!

A perfect choice for Mum’s who are a little intimidated by the wide choice of products available.  We can’t always be there to guide them in their selections but this book would make a really good place to start if (like mine) your Mum is cultivating a blossoming affair with beauty!  Plus, you get a free Paula’s Choice Surprise Sample Set with every book ordered.

3. Aromatherapy Associates Miniature Bath & Shower Oil Collection (£28.50)

The complete collection of Aromatherapy Associates bath & shower oils in miniature sizes.

Rapidly gaining cult status, Aromatherapy Associates deliver rich blends of scent-driven bath oils that promise to make every day that little bit more special.  Who says you need a spa to pamper?  With this miniature collection of oils you don’t need to make the tough decision over which one to choose – have the best of both worlds!

4. Sanctuary Skincare Spa Heroes Kit (£20.00)

You might be spending a bit more but who says that you don’t still want a bargain?  Wahanda have teamed up with The Sanctuary Spa to launch an unbeatable Mobdeal on its skincare products!

The set will contain: Radiance Boosting Facial Oil (30ml), Perfectly Polished Hot Cloth Cleanser (175ml), Warming Microbrasion Polish (100ml), and Warming Charcoal Detox Mask (100ml).

The deal is set to go live on Monday 28th March via this link.  So log on after midnight on the 28th to discover over 50% off a kit containing some real skincare treats.

5. Elemis Enriching Body Treats (£20.79)

A sensational selection of new and classic bodycare favourites in handy travel sizes, worth over £35!

The set contains: Wild Lavender Hand and Body Wash, Uplifting Sharp Shower and Bath Gel, Exotic Lime and Ginger Hand and Body Wash, Exotic Frangipani Monoi Bath and Shower Cream, Skin Nourishing Shower Cream, Skin Nourishing Hand and Body Lotion.

Nothing gets this Mum’s heart racing faster than a bunch of Elemis treats and one of the things that this British brand excels at is putting together these value sets.  The Elemis Enriching Body Treats is perfect to take on Summer holidays or to the gym!  Your Mum would be the sweetest-smelling lady in the locker room!

6. Rituals Under A Fig Tree Fragrance Sticks* (£19.90)

Rituals are one brand that need a greater high street presence in the UK.  You can pick up products in John Lewis but I’d love to see more stand alone stores like their one in Westfield.  I love this reed diffuser which is described as a natural and stylish way of fragrancing your home.  They look stylish and deliver a long-lasting scent that makes an impression without overpowering.

* I received a set of these as a press sample.

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Hope that gives you a little inspiration for lovely Mums everywhere, I’ll be back tomorrow with the £30 – £50 range – get your purses credit cards ready for it!

Smelly men. Let’s face it, they’re a real problem.  Stinky brothers, shower-dodging boyfriends and husbands who think that turning their undercrackers inside-out consitutes a legitimate change of clothes.

Thankfully LUSH are on the case and have introduced a whole range of pampering goodies for the fellas in our lives.

The inspiration behind the range comes from the original men’s Dirty scent that was released in 2009 by B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful (LUSH’s defunct sister brand).  The scent proved to be such a hit that LUSH wanted to find a way to re-incorporate it into their current range of products.   That all sounds straightforward enough, launch a range of men’s products that smell like an old favourite cologne and watch the pennies roll in!

Though it gets a bit more interesting than that because Mark & Simon Constantine, otherwise known as The Gorilla Perfumers decided to introduce men to the concept of layering.

Us women know what layering is all about right?  Usually… we get our Xmas gift sets of our favourite fragrances and on special occasions we’ll use the shower gel followed by the matching body lotion before spritzing on the EDP before we walk out the door.  Simple!  A lovely layered scent that has been built up to full intensity and is guaranteed to last longer than our dates.

With the new Dirty range from LUSH, each product contains single notes from the original Dirty cologne.  Thus, instead of layering the same complete scent over and over, you’re actually building the fragrance from the ground up!  How freaking cool is that concept?!?!

Let me show you some of the products available in the new range:

Spring Wash Shower Gel (£4.25 100g / £8.50 250g / £14.95 500g) is a skin-softening and skin-tingling shower gel for the body and hair.  Sodium Bicarbonate works to soften the water and deodorise the skin, whilst the spearmint, menthol and fine sea salt will leave you feeling refreshed and revitalised… like you’ve showered in a mountain spring!

This smells like Spring and Summer rolled into the perfect package… it’s zingy, fresh and invigorating.  Mr. L likes it because he can wash his hair without having to reach for another bottle *tsk*.

Verdict: Steal it

Read the rest of this entry »

Yum. Oh.

I’m a long-standing fan of Lush’s Honey I Washed the Kids soap. It’s got no whizz-bang exciting things going for it but it’s comforting. Like an old-favourite jumper washed many times over, I’ve been repurchasing it once or twice a year since my early twenties.

Which is why I was excited to see the scent launched into a new Limited Edition shower gel that goes by the name of: It’s Raining Men. Alongside the other limited edition launches for Valentine’s Day, It’s Raining Men will only be around for a short while… so I suggest you go sniff it out tout de suite!

It foams REALLY well… and to be quite blunt, when a shower gel (that doesn’t claim to contain magical properties) costs nearly £8 for 250ml, that’s an important thing to know about it.  It means that I can see this bottle lasting me for a good long time.  Judging by my usage of the sample I was sent, I’d estimate that it’ll still be going in 3 months time.  You really only need a drop on a bath lily to work up a huge lather.

As for the scent?  To me it’s a little sweeter than my HIWTK soap… just a touch.

It’s Raining Men is a saccharine feast for the shower that bubbles up beautifully and leaves my skin with a delicate honey-ed scent.  I like it and I’m purchasing a backup at the weekend in preparation for it leaving the shelves for good.

Lush – It’s Raining Men limited edition Shower Gel is available online or instore at LUSH

This Valentine’s day, why not share a bath with someone you love?  Just make sure that you don’t get the tap end.

LUSH have released some new delights and brought back some old favourites in celebration of the mushy occasion!

New to the LUSH party this year are…

1. Be Mine (£26.95) … A sexy selection of six scrumptious treats that’s sure to make the one you love ‘be yours’ this Valentine’s Day. Inspire someone to melt into a marshmallow bath, let it rain men in the shower and get up close and personal with a Soft Coeur massage. A gift to ensure they’ll stay yours as well! Contents: Melting Marshmallow Moment bath melt, The Frog Prince bath ballistic, It’s Raining Men shower gel (100g), Sex Bomb bath ballistic, Sugar Babe sugar scrub, Soft Coeur massage bar, Lust solid perfume.

2. It’s Raining Men shower gel (£4.25 for 110g / £7.95 for 260g / £14.25 for 510g) … hallelujah! A divine shower gel scented with our best-selling Honey I Washed the Kids fragrance … amen! Shower with this luxurious honey and tropical flower gel and your skin will be left deliciously soft, scented like crème brule and extremely lickable!

3. The Frog Prince bath ballistic (£2.75) … kiss this cute little character (on his bright red, pursed pout), throw him in a tub of warm water and, as the fairytale goes, marvel as he dissolves in front of your eyes to reveal your very own Prince Charming … or in this case, a sticker of one of our charming compounders from the Lush factory! And as you would expect for royalty, he has his own, exquisite, sultry brand new fragrance – a majestic blend of jasmine, sandalwood, rose and neroli.

4. Love Birds soap (£3.00 for 100g) … something for all those lovers out there, this gorgeous new soap is scented with some beautiful aphrodisiac essential oils to make Valentine’s Day that extra bit special! It’s the Keep It Fluffy fragrance, which includes sensual jasmine and vanilla for a romantic soap that will soften and moisturise skin, while leaving it delicately scented.

5. P.S. I Love You (£13.95) … say it with Lush and tell that special someone what you’ve been meaning to say for ages. This cute little gift is a foursome of romantic products to leave your special someone feeling in no doubt of your feelings. All wrapped up with love birds and heart embossed paper. Contents: The Joy of Jelly shower jelly (100g), Strawberry Feels massage bar (mini), Love Birds soap, Sex in the Shower emotibomb.

1. Truly Scrumptious (£27.25) … a delectable collection of Lush’s sweetest treats, what better way to tell someone you’re sweet on them?! Contains Lush’s best-selling Honey I Washed the Kids soap, a chocolately Whipstick lip balm, Space Girl and Butterball bath ballistics, Vanilla Dee-lite body lotion, Creamy Candy bubble bar and a Melting Marshmallow Moment bath melt. All in all, it’s exactly what it says on the tag!

2. Ex Factor bath ballistic (£1.99) … a gingerman shaped little friend to join those Valentine-less folk in the bathtub, who may be feeling a little blue at this time of the year and fed up with all the lovey dovey paraphernalia wherever they look! He dissolves in the warm water in a swirl of ylang ylang and vanilla to reveal a small pink candy heart. The delectable mix of essential oils is the same as our best-selling Butterball bath ballistic, so will leave you feeling happy, relaxed and ready to meet someone else!

3. Magic Mushroom bubble bar (£2.30) … a fun-guy to share Valentine’s Day with, this charming toadstool is a frothy strawberries and cream scented wonder for your bath. The fragrance is a blend of Lush’s best-selling Vanillary and the popular strawberry-sundae Yummy Yummy Yummy. Crumble under running water for masses of skin softening strawberry and vanilla scented bubbles.

4. Hello Gorgeous (£17.90) … it’s always good to tell people they’re gorgeous and what better way than with a selection of Lush’s most gorgeous products. There’s a Japanese influence, with a cherry blossom design on the outside and the mimosa scented Sakura bath ballistic on the inside. Also contains a small tin of Gorgeous, our extra special orange blossom moisturiser; Helping Hands hand cream; cherry and mimosa Rub Rub Rub shower scrub (100g) and a lovely pink luxury bath melt made with marshmallows.

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I haven’t decided if I’m falling in line with the marketing this year or going all-out I HATE HEARTS AND FLOWERS.

Are you a Valentine’s celebrator?  However I’m feeling about all that love stuff, I never fail to use the occasion as a magnificent excuse to do things that I couldn’t get away with on an ‘ordinary’ day… hello Chinese takeaway, self-indulgent baths and leftover Quality Street.  Love yourself I say!

…this year are two great homegrown brands.  Both The Body Shop and LUSH have commissioned their own festive videos for interwebz consumption.

If you haven’t seen them already, you can check out their festive video offerings below:

But which is your favourite Christmas video?

In the words of Harry Hill’s TV Burp… The Body Shop vs. Lush?  FIGHT!

If it weren’t for those pesky prematurely dark evenings… Autumn would be my favourite season by far.

The excitement at dragging our lovely knitwear out from storage, discovering warming new recipes for the slow cooker, 100 denier tights and nature’s most vibrant display of colour.  It all combines to fill me with that pre-Christmas thrill.

For me, Autumn is the season of scents… crushed leaves underfoot, cordite in the air and hearty stews on the stove.

Here’s my take on some of the nicest Autumn scents that money can buy.

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Ancienne Ambiance Scented Candle Collection – Romana (£28)

Brainchild of Adriana Carlucci, Ancienne Ambiance offer luxury goods inspired by Antiquity.   When you burn an Ancienne Ambiance candle, you’re burning more than just a beautifully blended scent.

Romana is like a portal to another age.  Described as: A powder-like scent with sensual & comforting effects..particularly good when desiring a calm ambience.

Comforting is exactly right… it’s soft and evocative.  The amber tones are rich, earthy and overwhelmingly Autumnal.  Perfect for warming up these dark evenings.

The quality in this candle is evident with a flame which burned evenly throughout the many hours of enjoyment I’ve had thus far.  The scent remains true and consistent from the first time you light it through to the moment it extinguishes itself.

The Ancienne Ambiance Scented Candle Collection is available to buy online and instore at Fenwick of Bond Street.

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OCCO  Motovun no3 Bath & Body Wash (£18)

Croatian-inspired OCCO are a new to the UK, natural brand with a wide range of luxury products.

The Motovun no3 range combines essences of Cypress Leaf, Labdanum, Oak, Cedar Leaf, Vetiver and Black Pepper, to create an earthy and woody selection.

They say:

Oil of cypress tree fuses with gentle oat-based cleansers with anti-oxidant properties, to help restore elasticity and cleanse your skin. Natural extracts of pine and oak calm and centre your mood.

With an impressive list of active ingredients including: Pine Oil, Cypress Oil and Sage Oil Grape Extract, OCCO’s Motovun No3 promises to be a moisturising experience.  Something that our skins definitely crave this time of year.

All OCCO products contain a minimum of 95% natural ingredients and 100% natural fragrance blended from absolutes, extracts and oils to reveal subtle top, heart and base notes. All products are free from parabens, sulphates, petrochemicals and synthetic colours.

The brand are set to open a central London boutique this Autumn but for now, you can purchase online and instore from Harrods and John Lewis.

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Haus of Gloi Parkin Bubbling Scrub ($9)

My latest Haus of Gloi order turned up yesterday morning and amongst it was the newly released Parkin Bubbling Scrub.

Heavy in black treacle, ginger and roasted chestnuts… the initial ginger sweetness morphs into a richer, darker base that lingers on the skin for hours.  Synonymous with Bonfire Night, I was delighted to scrub myself silly with this yesterday morning to mark the historic date.

Now, if only I had some real sticky Parkin to go with it *nom*

Parkin Bubbling Scrub is available online from Haus of Gloi (for a limited time).

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LUSH / Gorilla Perfumes – Tuca Tuca (from £2.50)

I wanted to include an out and out fragrance in this selection but I found myself struggling to choose.  Sure, there are many amber and woody offerings…. even heady orientals that would fit with the theme but as I was exploring my stash of lovely things, I remembered Tuca Tuca.

It’s a love it/hate it pick.  Mr. L hates it, I love it.  Not quite as much as I love some of LUSH’s other new fragrance offerings (I’m looking at you Lust and The Smell of Freedom) but by Jove it reminds me of Halloween!

Tuca Tuca is an explosion in a Parma Violet Factory… and in this house, Parma Violets are king… or yano… queen… whatever, I ain’t discriminating.  Even better if we can find the jumbo ones… am not fattist either.  It’s playful, girly and comforting all at the same time.  But most of all?  It’s impish… mischievous and defiantly bold.

A pied piper of fragrances.

Tuca Tuca is available instore at LUSH or online.

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Neals Yard Remedies Lip Gloss with Organic Orange Oil (£9)

Neals Yard Remedies are new to cosmetics and I’m finding it hard to decide if this is a gloss, a balm or maybe just a bit of both!

Advertised as a gloss, it does indeed leave a lovely (if subtle) sheen behind.  It’s non sticky and wears just as well under a lipstick as it does over it!

But the real beauty is in it’s scent!

I have literally spent an entire car journey with the end stuffed up my nostril.  Well, not *up* my nostril… that would just be dangerous, imagine if we had to brake?

Let me explain…

As a child, around this time of year… I used to make orange pomanders and use them to scent drawers and wardrobes around the house.  The organic orange oil is an acute reminder of those days.

It’s got enough tartness to it to steer it away from being sickly, but enough softness to stop it from smelling like a kitchen cleaner.  Fragrance blenders… I have so much respect for the delicate balancing act you do!

No parabens, no silicones and no carmine.  Neals Yard Remedies offers the first collection to include Soil Association certified cosmetics.  But I’m still all about that orange!

Neals Yard Remedies Lip Gloss with Organic Orange Oil is available to buy instore and online.

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What are some of your loveliest Autumnal scents?  And which season is your favourite?

The ever-popular LUSH Christmas gifts are back for the Winter… ranging from the accessible Secret Santas right up to those lustworthy hat boxes!

Here’s what LUSH have in store for us this Christmas…

1. Secret Santa (£5.00) – Snowcake star soap and Satsumo Santa bath ballistic.

2. Best Wishes (£9.95) – Bearded Lady bubble bar, Satsumo Santa bath ballistic, So White bath ballistic.

3. Chillin’ With My Gnomies (£6.50) – Snow Globe soap and Whoosh shower jelly.

4. Christmas Cracker (£6.50) – Cinders and The Boogg bath ballistics.

5. Christmas Allsorts (£9.95) – Satsumo Santa, The Boogg and Lil’ Lush Pud bath ballistics.

6. Have A Sweet Christmas (£5.95) – Candy Cane bubble bar and Godmother soap.

7. Snow Fairy (£9.95) – Snow Fairy shower gel; Angel’s Delight soap star; Shimmy Shimmy massage bar.

8. Matryoska (£9.95) –  So White soap, So White bath ballistic and Cinders bath ballistic.

9. Winter Warmer (£7.50) – Glogg shower gel and Mandarin’s Tea Party soap (50g).

1. Christmas Present (£13.95) – Christmas Eve bubble bar, Winter Bath ballistic, Fizz Banger ballistic, Mandarin’s Tea Party soap.

2. Christmas Candy Box (£19.95) – Snow Fairy shower gel; Candy Cane bubble bar; Rock Star soap; Honey I Washed the Kids soap; Bubblegum lip scrub; Snow Fairy tinted lip balm.

3. Christmas Tweets (£14.50) – Snowcake soap, Vanilla Fountain bath ballistic, Lil’ Lush Pud bath ballistic, Smitten hand cream (45g).

4. Gingerbread House (£13.95) – Gingerbread House Bubble Bar, Cinders Bath Ballistic, Candy Cane Bubble Bar, Lil Lush Pud ballistic.

5. Happy Christmas (£19.95) – Christmas Eve bubble bar; Sexy Peel soap; Mandarin’s Tea Party soap; Dragon’s
Egg bath ballistic; Butterball bath ballistic; Cinders bath ballistic.

6. Christmas Star (£19.95) – Lil’ Lush Pud; Winter Bath; Butterball; Cinders; So White; and Mrs Whippy bath ballistics.

7. The First Snow (£19.95) – Snow Globe Soap; Ice Blue soap; Too Drunk emotibomb; Once a Year massage bar, Iced Wine shower jelly and Glogg shower gel.

1. Christmas Wishes (£24.95) – Sexy Peel and Mandarin’s Tea Part soaps, mini Sugar Scrub, The Olive Branch and Glogg shower gels, Buffy body conditioner, New shampoo bar.

2. Winter Wonderland (£49.95) – Sugar Plum Fairy sugar scrub, Glogg shower gel (100g), Snow Globe soap, Porridge soap, Turkish Delight shower smoothie, Iced Wine shower jelly, Once a Year massage bar, Double Choc tinted lip balm, Rub Rub Rub shower scrub (100g), Aqua Mirabilis body butter, Vanilla Dee-lite body lotion, Lip Dip lip scrub, Too Drunk emotibomb.

3. Stardust (£24.95) – Twilight bath ballistic, Lip Dip lip scrub, Sugar Plum Fairy sugar scrub, Iced Wine shower jelly, Angel’s Delight soap, Candy Cane bubble bar, Snow Fairy shower gel.

4. Bathtime Favourites (£24.95) – Lil’ Lush Pud, Cinders, So White, Winter Bath, Butterball, Lil’ Big Blue, Lil’ Avobath, Lil’ Honey Bee and Lil’ Sex Bomb bath ballistics.

5. 12 Days of Christmas (£34.95) – The Boogg bath ballistic, Winter Bath bath ballistic, Satsumo Santa bath
ballistic,  Cinders  bath  ballistic,  So  White  bath  ballistic,  Bearded  Lady  bubble  bar,
Gingerbread  House  bubble  bar,  Candy  Cane  bubble  bar,  Christmas  Eve  bubble  bar,
Mandarin’s Tea Party soap, Snow Globe soap, Glogg shower gel.

6. Winter Garden (£29.95) – Vanilla in the Mist soap, Mandarin’s Tea Party soap, Snowcake soap, Maple Taffy lip balm, Once a Year massage bar, King of Skin body butter, Sugar Plum Fairy sugar scrub, The Olive Branch shower gel.

7. All The Best (£29.95) – Each Peach massage bar, Dream Cream body lotion, Karma and Snowcake soaps, The Olive Branch shower gel, Christmas Eve bubble bar, Cinders and Avobath ballistics.

1. All I Want for Christmas (£64.95) – Cinders, Satsumo Santa, So White, Lil’ Lush Pud, The Boogg and Winter Bath
ballistics, Candy Cane, Christmas Eve, Bearded Lady and Gingerbread House bubble bars, Mandarin’s Tea Party, Snowcake, Angel’s Delight and Snow Globe soaps, Maple Taffy lip balm, Lip Dip lip scrub, Sugar Plum Fairy sugar scrub, Snow Fairy tinted lip balm, Glogg and Snow Fairy shower gels, Iced Wine shower jelly and Once a Year massage bar.

2. Wonderful Christmas Time (£99.50) – Maple Taffy lip balm, Karma soap, Winter bath ballistic, The Boogg, Cinders and Butterball bath ballistics, Christmas Eve, Pop in the Bath and Dorethy bubble bars, Iced Wine shower  jelly, Glogg shower gel, 9-5 cleanser, Sweet Lip  lip scrub, Figs and Leaves soap,  Brimstone  scrub,  Aqua  Mirabilis  body  butter,  New  shampoo  bar,  Ultrabalm, Ceridwen’s Cauldron bath melt, Crème Anglaise body lotion (100g), Each Peach massage bar,  Grass  shower  gel  (100g),  Orange  Blossom  solid  fragrance,  Celestial  moisturiser (sample tin).

3. Merry Christmas Darling (£89.95) – Once a Year massage bar, Soft Coeur massage bar, Massage bar  tin,
Amandopondo bubble bar, Sex Bomb bath ballistic, It Started with a Kiss tinted lip balm, Sex in the Shower emotibomb, Joy of Jelly shower  jelly, Godiva shampoo bar, shampoo bar tin, MMM  luxury bath melt, Lip Sip lip scrub, Angel’s Delight soap, Candy Cane bubble bar,  Silky Underwear dusting powder, French Kiss bubble bar, Keep it Fluffy ballistic, Flying Fox shower gel, Lust solid  fragrance, Sugar Babe sugar scrub, Sultana of Soap, Sexy Peel soap, Honey Trap lip balm, Smitten hand cream (in a pump), Mrs Whippy bath ballistic.

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Phew!  I need a rest after all that… and strangely enough… I’m hankering after a LUSH bath.  Which of those gift sets has your name on it?

No one celebrates the end of October more beautifully than the people of Mexico.

“Day of the Dead” or “Día de los Muertos” as it’s known locally is a celebration of the lives of those who have passed on and allows the living to remember them in their own way.

The costumes and festivities involved in this celebration have inspired LUSH to release their Halloween goodies themed around the Mexican holiday.

1. CALAVERA Bath Ballistic (£2.95)

Calavera means skull in Spanish, so drop this ballistic into your tub and watch as it explodes with bright, vibrant colour and dances around your tub.  The fragrance is a blend of lime oil and Mexican marigold petals – both of which play a huge part in traditional Mexican cooking and celebrations. One of our new version ballistics with bubble bar mixed in with it, it leaves a trail of skin softening bubbles as it dances about the water, interweaving different colours together in a celebration of the after life.

2. CALACAS shower jellies (£2.95)

Calacas is skeleton in Spanish, so these colourful jellies are designed to represent dancing skulls – another iconic image of the Day of the Dead celebrations. There are four to choose from: in red, green, yellow or orange and each one is scented with the same uplifting, invigorating scent of lime and neroli. These wibbly wobbly jellies are also infused with aloe vera gel, to soften and soothe the skin. Especially good frozen, they make for a great bracing, sharp shock in the morning – great if you’ve overdone it with the tequila the night before!

3. LADY CATRINA soap (£2.95 for 100g)

A spectacular hat-shaped soap decorated with bright, neon flowers. Lady Catrina was an etching by Jose Guadalupe Posada that he made in the early Twentieth Century to parody that the rich and fashionable, despite their pretensions to importance, are just as susceptible to death as anyone else. Since then, Lady Catrina has become an iconic image for the Day of the Dead celebrations … And she wore big, colourful hats! The same fragrance as Calavera ballistic, it’s fresh, zesty and uplifting.

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Anything among the new Day of the Dead themed bathroom goodies that capture your attention?

I’m not a fan of LUSH shower jellies (too tricky to chase with soapy hands!!) and I have far too many bars of LUSH soap to get through as it is… but I’ll definitely be indulging in a Calavera Bath Ballistic – I love that the new ones bubble!

I went to LUSH last week and one of the things that I came out with was this unattractive looking lump.

Looks like something I’d need a poopa scoopa for to be quite honest.

It smells foul too… whenever I have this anywhere near me, I keep getting flashbacks of when I used to empty my ashtrays.  I’m really selling it to you aren’t I?

I can forgive it all this though if it helps my scalp as it claims…

[stextbox id=”custom” bcolor=”b0c4de” bgcolor=”e6e6fa”]Snake Oil treats dandruff and it smells like it means business. Melt it on to your fingertips, then massage it right into your scalp. Leave the lavender, tea tree and peppermint oils to do their work for twenty minutes or so, and then wash it off with Soak and Float shampoo.[/stextbox]

My hair is coloured, if it strips the colour… it’s going in the bin.  I was told in the store that it would be fine with coloured hair… but the SA was a male student with dreads and a vacant expression.  I’m trying really hard not to discriminate.

Have any of you guys tried the LUSH Snake Oil Scalp Massage Bar?  I’m usually a bit rubbish with anything that I need to put on my scalp.  When you have hair longer than a buzz cut, how the hell do you actually get the product onto your scalp and not just all over your hair?

You can buy the LUSH Snake Oil Scalp Massage bar instore or online.  I paid £4.15.

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By the way, I’m on the 4th wash with the Body Shop SLS Free shampoo/conditioner combo and I’ve promised myself 7 washes minimum with each new brand to give it a fair trial.  So far, it’s not looking that amazing…

Light Pink my bum.

I picked up the LUSH Colour Supplement in shade Light Pink a few months ago.  In theory, I love the idea.  A simple product that can be used in multiple ways?  I’ll let LUSH explain:

…Just mix into your favourite moisturiser for a natural tint or use on its own as a foundation. You can also dot a little around unsightly blemishes for effective coverage.

With Summer nearly upon us, I wanted a tinted moisturiser.  Well, I *thought* I wanted a tinted moisturiser.  TM’s are an odd beast… we love them in principle, but in reality?  We often crave more coverage.  I envisaged that with LUSH’s Colour Supplement, I would be able to custom mix my tinted moisturiser… adding extra product on days when I wanted a more flawless finish.

LUSH currently offer 4 shades.  Light Pink, Dark Pink, Light Yellow, Dark Yellow.  It’s not rocket science… and I like it that way.

Except that Light Pink isn’t very light.  And it’s not very pink either.

If you go to the dictionary… and open the page at “light pink”, you’d see a picture of me.

Oooh look, tide marks!

Better, but no cigar.

Otherwise?  I like the product.  It’s too drying for me to use neat as a concealer or foundation as LUSH suggest, but I loved having the ability to self-mix my tinted moisturiser in the mornings.  But sadly, the shades just aren’t right for me.

LUSH Colour Supplements are priced at an incredibly reasonable £7.50 for 20g.  That small pot will make a hell of a lot of TM.

Are you a fan?