(Review) Christmas Eve: Hark! Hear the Bubbles!

Migraines.  If you get them, you definitely know pain.  They've been compared to childbirth, but since I've not been through the arduous task of passing a human being out of my body, I wouldn't be able to compare the two.  I do know however, that you shouldn't put a migraine sufferer in a room to sleep with 75 tap dancers next door.  Or you shouldn't throw open your daughter's bedroom door, flip on the lights, and ask in your booming fatherly voice if you're feeling better and if not can I have your dinner.  It astounds me how little care some migraine sufferers get, as people mostly consider it a bad headache.  Oh...if only...

Saturday night started out pretty chill.  I was sitting in my living room with my roommate, watching her grind through a dated RPG (in which she named her character "Chukibutt"...I have no idea) and chiding her for her commitment issues (she started that video game when we moved into the apartment...three years ago...).  And as I was talking, I noticed her face was...disappearing.  Like a layer of grey television static was a round little spot right in the middle of her face.  I looked around and the spot blocked whatever I was looking at.  I immediately excused myself as the spot took over more of my vision, making my way to my bedroom and slamming into a few walls.  I heard my roommate turn down the volume on the tv as I shut my bedroom door, shut off the lights, and immediately clambered into bed. 

I was experiencing what is known as an "aura", a visual disturbance that migraines and seizure sufferers experience before an attack.  I've been a migraine sufferer for 13 years, experiencing my first nauseating, head splitting attack when I was only 12.  The last time I had a migraine with an aura I was 17 and passed out from the pain (which was awkward...I was onstage rehearsing for a choir concert and I took my folding chair down with my in the middle of "Broadway Baby").  Needless to say, I was terrified.  I slept through most of the attack and had a moderate headache for the next two days that left me feeling disoriented and drained.  By day 2 I was coherent enough to get some work done around the apartment and take a much needed soak.

 

Christmas Eve bubble bar was something I was saving for the actual date, but I got impatient and used it early.  Oh well, plenty more LUSH Christmas goodies where that came from!  Christmas Eve shares its scent with Northern Lights bath bomb, which is jasmine and ylang ylang.  Christmas Eve has a touch of gardenia in it for an extra floral boost and irish moss powder for silky smooth bubbles, water, and of course, skin. 

So I schlepped my way to the bathroom, shakily clutching a bottle of Excedrin and informing my roommate to go outside if she needed to use the bathroom, as I would be in it for three hours soaking in a mound of bubbles (she replied she would start fights with dogs who would dare take her fire hydrant...there's a reason we're friends).  The pain was mainly gone, I just felt weak and drained. 

Christmas Eve smelled beautiful and fragrant, but subtle enough to not trigger the pain to return.  I crumbled it under the tap and watched as it turned the water a murky, dusty turquoise.  It reminded me of a faded Dorothy, which I love.  I used half the bar which, with some vigorous swishing, gave me a good amount of bubbles.  I soaked and read my book (honestly that's where I get all my reading done nowadays...) and could feel that drained, weary feeling turn into a nice sleepy feel.  I patted myself dry after a good few hours of soaking (in which my roommate didn't need to use her fire hydrant) and burritoed in bed for a good night's sleep uninterrupted by pain or my upstairs neighbors blasting their awful rap music.

For me, Christmas Eve was the epitome of a relaxing bubble bar.  It was great to use with a migraine, since scent can be a trigger for most sufferers.  If you suffer from migraines or insomnia I highly recommend this one.  The color wasn't anything out of this world but I was mainly looking for relaxation, something to help me sleep, and something to soothe me after a few pain filled days, and this bubble bar exceeded all of those expectations! 

**Christmas Eve bubble bar is certified Vegan
***Order Christmas Eve online HERE or pick it up at your local LUSH store!

Questions for the People: Which Christmas bubble bar is YOUR favorite so far?  Comments are open so let me know!

(Review) Northern Lights: A Soakable Light Show

Another blurry picture...the irony being my last eye appointment was only a few weeks ago...

For as long as I can remember, I've always had my head turned upwards.  There's something so mysterious about the night sky, I can't resist taking a peak upwards, seeing how many stars I can spot in the light polluted city I call home.  And I often wonder if someone's looking back our way, wondering if anyone else is looking their way.  It's a chilling and exciting thought!  I've always loved space.  The infinite darkness, the constant unknown, it's exhilarating and terrifying at the same time and that's what makes it so amazing to me.  Having my head turned upwards paid off for me once though.  Back in the days of community college (or as I like to call it, two straight years of partying) I was driving to a friend's house, singing along to the radio and looking forward to a party filled with loud music and good friends.  I remember getting stuck in a minor traffic jam and quickly becoming annoyed.  I'm not the most patient of drivers, so I sat in a huff, irritated that I was now running late.  I remember stealing a glance upwards, and despite not living too far north, I saw a brief glimpse of the northern lights!  A turquoise and neon green flash swooped across the sky and perked my attention.  It was quick, but I knew what I saw.  Traffic soon let up and I told my friends when I got to the party, but I doubt they cared (or they were too inebriated to care).  And when I left the next day, tottering to my car with a nasty headache and covered in sharpie (don't ask), that image still stuck with me.  Even writing this, I can still remember how exhilarating it was when I saw that celestial flash for the first time.

 

Northern Lights was a bath bomb inspired by those neon swirls that are basically the sun's way of saying "whoa, I almost burned you into crispy space bacon!  Sorry about that, here's a light show!"  Co-founder Mark Constantine designed it to match Sparkler, the other Halloween bath bomb into a wand shape.  With bath bomb mix at both ends and bubble bar in the middle, the ends were to fizz away while the middle took its sweet time melting into the water.  Scented with jasmine and ylang ylang, this bath bomb shares its scent with Christmas Eve bubble bar.

 

So one early, albeit chilly autumn night, I picked up this much sought after bath bomb (half of our shipment came in shattered and it sold out rather quickly) and dropped it in my tub of steaming hot water.  I was intrigued by the wand design and wanted to see it spin around in circles like a firework.  Sadly, it didn't do that.  It kind of rolled over and over, spitting out fluorescent purple froth.  I didn't find it aesthetically pleasing as it melted down (the bath bomb itself I mean...three guesses what it reminded me of) but as soon as it was met by the blue and yellow melting ends, that's when I started to take notice.

 

The color of it melting reminded me of Twilight bath bomb, melting in a beautiful silky lavender color that smelled heady and floral without being too cloying at the senses.  With both colors propelling the bath bomb stick around the tub, it reminded me of the retro game "Space Invaders," a game my dad would let me play on the box of a family computer we had during my youth. 

After the bomb was completely dissolved, I sank in, feeling like I was being steeped in a tub of brightly colored herbal tea.  I have to admit it was very relaxing, and I soaked for much longer than intended.  Out of all the bath bombs I've used, this one had to be the most fragrant, and while the scent of jasmine is something I can't stand, I liked how the ylang ylang balanced it out and lightened it.  When I got out, my legs were jelly, and the insomnia I had been experiencing for a little over a week all but dissipated when the last of the water flowed down the drain.  I clambered underneath my covers and slept like a baby for the first time in a long time, lulled to sleep by the faint glow of my tv and the scent of jasmine and ylang ylang on my skin.

 

Overall, this was a fantastic bath bomb that I'm glad will be sticking around until Christmas.  I will admit I'm not a fan of the wand shaped design, but maybe if it was tweaked a bit so it actually spun around I might become a fan.  It smells beautiful, it made me silky smooth, turned my bath water the color of lilac petals and lulled me to sleep like a tightly swaddled newborn.  Though it reminded me nothing of the aurora borealis I saw that one night a couple years back stuck in traffic, the colors were still beautiful and vibrant.  Definitely go out and get this one for yourselves, especially if you're having trouble sleeping!

**This bath product is certified Vegan   

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(Review) Lord of Misrule: Wino's Delight

Did you know that if you turn around in front of your bathroom mirror and say "pumpkin spice latte" three times, a basic white girl appears and tells you everything she loves about fall?  It's true!  One of my favorite Halloween games to play next to light as a feather, stiff as a board.  Just remember to make it out of the bathroom before she strangles you with her north face jacket!

But in all seriousness, those basic girls are onto something when they bray about fall being their favorite time of year.  Leaves changing color, that cool crispness in the air, getting up from a leather couch without sticking to it from the humidity.  That and I can drink a nice, hot cup of tea without sweating bullets.  Oh yes...fall is a beautiful time of year, the last colorful hurrah before Mother Nature dumps a bunch of snow on us.  So I'm taking it all in while I still can.

 

This fall also happens to be my first fall as a hardcore Lushie.  I've been shopping at Lush for a good few years, but I've never really experienced the bath bombs until I started working at the store.  My first was Avobath and it's been all downhill ever since.  But I've been hearing about Lord of Misrule for quite a while, and when I heard it turned your bath the color of a fine red wine, I was intrigued.  So after a chilly day full of scrubbing and cleaning (with no help from my magical animal friends...lazy hibernators...), I decided to reward myself with a little bath.

 

Lord of Misrule was inspired by the Pagen Feast of Fools, a medieval feast where everything would be flipped around.  Commoners were royalty, dirt was gold, and there was lots and lots of wine for all.  If you've ever seen "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," that was the feast they were celebrating.  Probably with a lot less singing and a lot less hunchbacks.  Gorilla perfumer and son of co-founder Mark Constantine, Simon Constantine created Lord of Misrule's fragrance with patchouli, black pepper oil, and vanilla.  The scent is absolutely beautiful to me.  If they put this in a perfume I would buy it by the gallon.  The vanilla cuts through the patchouli and black pepper, giving each fragrance a nice, but not overpowerful sweetness.  You can still make out the patchouli and black pepper, but they're not too spicy or earthy.

 

After eying this baby since the Halloween collection launched, I caved and bought two.  One I kept in my bathroom and the other I kept in my room.  It was the first thing I could smell when I woke up, which made waking up a lot more pleasant.  But I decided to sacrifice one to the bath gods today, as a day of what can only be described as an "80s cleaning montage" left me sweaty and gross.  So into the bathtub this went, foaming a beautiful light green similar to Avobath, but then started to "bleed" a purple red.  The bomb spun round and round like a top, bleeding more wine colored froth into the tub, turning it an ugly brown at first, but gradually morphing into a deep merlot color.  The scent filled the bathroom and I soaked in absolute bliss.  It'd be the perfect bath bomb to have a glass of wine with, but seeing as wine gives me a bangin' headache and tastes awful, I stuck with iced tea and candied almonds.  When I got out I smelled earthy and sweet, and was surprised at how moisturized my skin was.

 

This bath bomb was the first Halloween product (that will be sticking around until Christmas!) of Lush's I've used and it definitely won't be the last.  This is a clear winner in my book, with a beautiful scent, a deep rich color, and a surprisingly great moisturizing quality.  And don't be scared of the color!  My tub was completely unstained after I got out of the tub.  Not a stain or drop of burgundy remained.  So overall, a perfect start off to what's going to be a fantastic and fun filled LUSHoween!   

So tell me Lushies...what Lush Halloween product are you loving so far?  Leave your answers in the comments below!!

**This product is certified Vegan
***Purchase Lord of Misrule at your local LUSH store or online HERE