(Review) Ice Blue: What's Cooler Than Being Cool?

I thought I'd gotten out safe.  This summer has been nothing short of delightful...warm, but not too hot.  Nothing a cracked window and an iced tea couldn't cure.  Without air conditioning in my apartment, I found I could snuggle into my covers like it was the dead of winter and fall asleep with a body temperature like baby bear's porridge...juuuuuuuuuust right.  I bathed in the sunshine, often taking my work lunches outside with my book and without a care.  Somehow I knew it was all too good to be true.  And it was.

Just a few days ago I woke in what I thought was a greenhouse jungle, but in actuality was my apartment.  Everything was sticky and warm, the air so thick I could barely breathe.  My old fashioned wooden doors were swollen and required a rightly timed body slam to shut them, and my poor fan did little to cool me down.  For once I was thankful Bossman cranks the AC to arctic temperatures.  I would go into work in my black and white uniform and bask in the cold like a penguin with a Lush apron on.  But after my shift ends, when I'd go home for the day back to the environment where my hair would swell three times its size in water weight, how would I stay cool?

When I heard Ice Blue was being discontinued, the first thing that popped into my mind was "my roommate's gonna be piiiiiiiissed!"  I for one was indifferent, as the last time I tried it I wasn't too impressed.  While she ran out and bought a hefty chunk of the blue stuff, I was contemplating whether I should repurchase or not.  But being that I have a love for all things minty and bright, neon colors, I eventually relented and bought a nicely sized chunk to try out before it was gone for good. 

Ice Blue is a sturdy soap.  So much so that Bossman actually broke a knife cutting into a full sized round of it (no one was harmed in the process besides the knife!).  With a sea salt rind and an intense, pepperminty scent, Ice Blue is perfect for warm summer days where you feel like you're boiling alive in your skin.  It's essentially a solid version of the dearly departed Freeze shower gel, which got me through summer a few years ago (one of the hottest I've ever experienced I might add).  Ice Blue is also not its full name.  Ice Blue's full name is (as told to me, and pardon the french) "Ice Blue F*ck You," and was aptly named after a business relationship went sour.  Ironic how such a beautifully fragranced and eye catching soap was conceived out of bad blood.

I feel like with Lush soaps, they need a use or two to "get going."  And by get going, I mean until they form a good lather.  Usually it takes me 1-2 tries, but with this one it took me quite a bit to work up a sizable lather.  It was a bit frustrating at first but I eventually got the hang of it, and soon my body was cool and tingly with puffy mint suds.  The soap rinsed clean and left my skin smelling musky, minty, and fresh.  I emerged anew from my shower and back into the humidity ridden hellhole from whence I came.  This time though, I felt fresh and clean! 

I'm so glad I gave Ice Blue a second chance, as the first time I used it a few years back, it didn't sit well with me.  I found the scent stuck surprisingly well to my skin and left me feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.  The lather was decent, but still rinsed clean.  I'm a bit sad to see this one go, even though it's nothing I'd go batty over.  Mint has always been a comforting scent to me...something about the freshness and cleanliness of it is just so refreshing.  I'd often pick up a hunk of this soap when I was feeling tired or my allergies were flaring, give it a good huff, and be on my way.  Dirty, while a great smelling soap, just doesn't have the same effect.

But if I get too nostalgic, I could always slice a bit off of the $40 chunk my roommate bought, right?  She totally won't notice ;) 

(Review) Dashing Santa: Run Fat Boy Run!

And so there it was.  Sitting in front of me.  In all of its brown, box-like glory.  A plain brown box with my name and a hashtag written below it.  A list of all included stuck to the side.  A plain thing with sharpie written all over it, but by Odin's eye it was a thing of beauty.  I'm talking about my staff box.  My Christmas gift from Lush to myself and the rest of my coworkers. 

It's no secret that Lush employees occasionally receive boxes of product from the big guys, and this would be my first Christmas at Lush as an employee and as a very dedicated Lushie.  Needless to say I was beyond ecstatic.  Bossman handed it to me after my shift and I quickly scuttled to my car, leadfooted it home, plopped it on my bed, and spent a good ten minutes just staring at it in glee.  But I finally snapped out of my stupor and opened the box, eager to see the contents inside.  Amidst a cloud of glitter and bath bomb dust, the Dashing Santa bath bomb was the first thing I saw.

 

Dashing Santa was inspired by the Santa Dash in Liverpool, a race where runners dressed as Santa race around town, and its design was based off of the old Cosmetics to Go logo (of which I cannot find a picture of).  Scented with mandarin oranges, bergamot, and orange flower absolute, Dashing Santa smells almost exactly like the Celebrate fragrances (which I love!) and contains snowflake lustre for a touch of sparkle.  The more I read about this in my training manual, the more I fell in love with it and the more excited I became to use it.  I love my citrus and I love my bergamot, and the bomb itself was adorable.  So I quickly decided that this would be the first bath bomb of the Christmas season that I would use!

 

To me, Dashing Santa smelled almost like Pez candy, a sweet that always brings me back to my childhood.  I can't remember a time where I didn't have a Pez dispenser in my back pocket, popping the sweet chalky candies like a nervous date does breath mints.  His appearance reminded me of our favorite mustachioed plumber, as he appeared back in the old days of tube TV and Mama Llama's outrageously big hair (that she didn't get rid of until the early 2000s at the behest of Papa Bear finally convincing her that the 80s were over and done with and took the economy with it).

 

When I plunked Jolly Ol' Saint Nick in the tub, he immediately foamed up and released a pretty pink tint into the water.  His facial features and body were slowly melted away by a layer of foam, coloring the pink atop it with a steamed milk texture and a scant shimmer I could barely make out.  Honestly, I could feel my excitement draining as the bomb dissolved.  It was a slow fizzing bath bomb so I sat and watched.  And watched.  And then turned around to watch the movie "Gladiator" playing on my TV (and yes, Russell Crowe, I wasn't entertained.  Well, by the bath bomb at least).  When it was fully dissolved my bath water was the color of pink champagne with nary a bit of shimmer in sight.  I reluctantly sank in and realized something strange.  I couldn't smell a thing!  I sniffed and sniffed like my dog does when I hide her treats (which is frantic and panicked until she sneezes on your face and you're forced to give her the treat because she'll do it again in five seconds...) but nothing!  That slightly tart citrusy scent was gone!  It was the strangest thing, and very disappointing.  My Dashing Santa bath was quite short.

 

Overall I wasn't too pleased with this bath bomb, and it was a bit of a disappointing kickoff to my first holiday season at Lush.  Many of my coworkers loved it, so perhaps I got a bad one or my nose is becoming immune to citrus (oh god that'd be awful!  I love citrus!).  This though would be perfect for kids, since it's a smaller bomb and kids don't use much water in the tub.  But overall, great design, not so fantastic execution.  But there's plenty more bath bombs where that came from, so stay tuned for more Christmas reviews!

**Dashing Santa is certified Vegan
***Purchase Dashing Santa at your local LUSH store or online herel       

(Review) African Paradise: It Means No Worries!

I don't know about you darling readers, but I am NOT a morning person.  There's nothing I dread more than hearing the shrill, incessant beeping of my alarm clock in the morning, going to turn it off but end up slamming my palm into my glasses, letting out a stream of curse words and praying that my glasses aren't broken, then five minutes later find said alarm clock and press snooze.  This practice usually repeats 2-4 times until I realize I'll be late for work, in which I pretty much ooze out of my warm, cozy bed and slither into the shower like the abnormally pale, night-dwelling creature I am. 

So by myself (and I'm guessing most of you, because I'm convinced morning people aren't human) not being a morning person, I like to keep my morning routine simple and not too complicated.  Because until I get that first taste of sweet heart palpitating caffeine, I'm pretty much comatose in the morning.  And because I'm not so much a morning person, sometimes I run late, which means I sometimes need to speed up my already simplistic morning routine.  Needless to say, African Paradise, LUSH's newest body conditioner has been a total game changer.

It kind of baffles me when people come into my shop and are completely confused as to what a body conditioner is.  Part of me kind of understands, but the other part is like "it says right there...on the...on the pot...right there."  For those of you that don't get what a body conditioner is, it's a conditioner for your body!  But for those who still don't understand it (and I do get some people who still don't get it after I've told them that, but that's okay, because I'm here to save the day!) I describe it as an in shower body lotion.  You wash with your soap or body wash of choice, then you smooth this on, do whatever you do in the shower (shave, wash your face, contemplate the meaning of life and existence as we know it) and rinse it off.  No need for lotion afterwards, because body conditioners do all the work that body lotion is supposed to!  And African Paradise is the newest to the body conditioner range, joining the classic Ro's Argan Body Conditioner (which smells DIVINE)!

LUSH staff box version of African Paradise

So when I bought my first full sized pot of African Paradise, I notice that it was a beautiful creamy cappuccino color as opposed to the slightly pastel white color of the one included in my staff box.  Still had the same scent though!  The scent is described as a "frangipani-scent"(which is a fancy word for Plumeria) and smells very light and powdery.  Honestly, it smells very similar to the new self preserving Charity Pot that should be out in September (which you can read all about here).  Among the frangipani (that's a fun word to say!  Just try it.  Say it out loud like, right now.  I'll know if you don't!) fragrance, there's also a smattering of fair trade, exotic ingredients from all over Africa!  For instance, the aloe, kalahari melon oil, and baobab oil included in African Paradise are from Kenya, completely fair trade, and very soothing if you had a long day out in the sun and have transformed into a human lobster hybrid.  Fair trade shea butter and fair trade moringa oil are both from Ghana and are super moisturizing.  It just blows my mind that everything in that little tub of goodness was once on a tree or harvested from somewhere in Africa.  Talk about an exotic bathing experience!  LUSH has also included fair trade vanilla into African Paradise, and we are the first company to EVER use fair trade vanilla!  But the best part about this new body conditioner.  It is totally and completely 100% self preserving, meaning no preservatives or parabens are included whatsoever.

Fun fact: LUSH includes hidden messages underneath the made by stickers!  Check some of yours out for a little message from the compounders!

So cut to a few days ago, to myself having my annual slapfest with my alarm clock's snooze button.  Realizing I hit it one too many times, I immediately rushed into the bathroom, obscenities streaming from my mouth like it was going out of style, leaving a trail of pajamas and underthings in my panic.  I hopped in the shower and furiously began scrubbing away, thankful that I'd washed my hair the night before.  In my sleep deprived haze, I remembered that I had bought my full sized tub not too long ago, and hastily rubbed every inch of skin down with the stuff.  I had previously used Ro's Argan and loved it, but I noticed how much lighter African Paradise felt on my skin than Ro's did (I still love Ro's though!).  After washing my face, I rinsed the conditioner off, patted myself dry, and marveled at how my skin felt, looked, and smelled.  The thing I still can't get over is how LIGHT it felt.  I was really surprised that something so light feeling could leave me so well moisturized.  And being that it was quite hot and humid out, the lightness was a welcome feeling as opposed to being sticky and gross.  I smelled very light and powdery, and my skin looked opalescent and even.  I was actually surprised I was awake enough to remember all of this!

Overall, I'm in love with African Paradise.  In my store amongst my coworkers, it's pretty much the universal favorite, and on the first day, we were selling it like CRAZY, and the customers are still coming back for more!  It's a fantastic product that feels so incredibly light, but moisturizing, and is made from quality, fair trade ingredients.  It's great if you don't like the feeling of lotion on your skin, or if you beat the snot out of your snooze button like I do.  I love demoing this on people and seeing their faces light up when they touch their arm.  It just makes me happy that I can love a product so much and show people why I love it, how it works, and why they'll love it too!

   
**This product is certified Vegan

**Pick up African Paradise at your local LUSH store, or buy it online HERE

(Review) Avobath: Do Re Mi Fa So La Si Fruit

I will readily admit I've been a bit of a grump this week.  Just one of those moods where every little thing annoys you.  That coupled with bad allergies made for a rather pissy week.  Also as of this blog entry, season 2 of Orange is the New Black isn't out yet, and my patience is wearing thin (what will become of our beloved blonde WASP?!).  Nonetheless, my fiery temper was cooled when Sunday approached, and the promise of a new week filled with new opportunities, antihistamines, and my favorite jailhouse dark comedy had me hopeful.  So why not treat yourself with a bath while at it?

This week, I chose to take a walk down memory lane (which actually wasn't too long ago) with my very first bath bomb, Avobath.  Not only is it one of the first ones I used, but it's one of my favorites.  It's citrusy and fruity smelling AND green just so happens to be my favorite color.  So on a bad day, where my normal cheerful demeanor just isn't there and my brain's all fogged over with allergies and bad thoughts, I like to chuck this in my tub and bathe in the clean green goodness.

So let's get this show on the road!

Avobath was inspired by fruit (derr).  Its scent is described as "fruit upon fruit upon fruit," like a big ol' fruit salad in bath bomb form.  It's quite simple in form...a nice pale green ball that smells strangely like fruit loops.  That's one of the ways I get younger kids intrigued by Avobath...I tell them it smells like fruit loops and their eyes light up when they realize it's true.  It's a very cute thing to see. 

So when you drop Avobath in, it sinks right to the bottom and foams up like a geyser about to explode.  Thankfully that doesn't happen (my recently cleaned top to bottom bathroom thanks you for that) and your bath water immediately turns a pale shade of green that grows deeper and brighter the more it dissolves.

Avobath is one of Lush's most moisture intensive bath bombs.  The mashed avocado give Avobath its green color (and name) and avocado is known for its moisturizing properties and ability to make fantastic guacamole.  The inclusion of extra virgin olive oil also adds to the moisture list, most likely adding to the green color a bit since EVOO tends to be greener in color.  Among the scents are lemongrass, bergamot, and rosewood oils.  All three of these oils smell fantastic, and all three are known mood lifters.  Seeing as I've been having a bad case of the summer cranks lately, I was in desperate need of a pick me up.  Plus lemongrass and bergamot are two of my favorite scents in all of Scent-dom, so a bath bomb with my favorite scents AND color was bound to give me a pick me up!

Kinda looks like a booger...but look at how great my nails look!

I would say Avobath is a pretty fast fizzer.  Not as fast as Big Blue (which made like Nicholas Cage and was gone in 60 seconds) but not as slow as Dragon's Egg or Twilight.  It was nice to sit there and watch it fizz up like an emerald green geyser, the scent of lemongrass and citrus wafting through my closet of a bathroom and clearing the air (and my sinuses).

The last remnants of Avobath slowly bubbling away

When Avobath was done dissolving, my cranky butt slid into the warm, fruity green water, grumbling about these darn kids and their rock 'n roll 8 track tapes.  But as I sat and soaked, my mind was soothed, my sinuses cleared, and my bath water the color of the Chicago river at St. Patty's day.  It was a clear as glass green and it smelled just heavenly.  I felt like I was bathing in Sprite!  I noticed there were small speckles of glitter so fine I could barely see them, but they were there and they gave my bath water a very subtle, but noticeable shine.  So not only is Avobath simple in appearance, but also in execution.  No huge fancy frills, no popping candy, no little notes, just a simple green bath to soothe a cloudy mind.  Don't get me wrong, I love the frills, but sometimes simplicity is nice.  I laid back, cracked open my copy of Dangerous Liaisons (one of my favorite pieces of classical literature) and soaked for a good 2 hours.  My skin was so well moisturized that I didn't even need lotion afterwards!

Overall, Avobath was a great bath experience, and the first bath bomb I ever used.  I snagged it during training (this has been hinted at, but I will now confirm that I'm a Lush employee, and have been a devoted customer of Lush years before I was hired) and consider it my "gateway drug" into the world of bath bombs.  It's great for clearing a cloudy mind and soothing a tempered soul.  So calm down and...avo...bath!

...again, ending with an awful joke.  I'm so not sorry!  But I also want to point out that I started a tumblr blog for quick snapshots into my life as a Lushie and a Lush employee.  I urge you to check it out here, and remember to follow me on both sites!  I thank you for your support and for reading my humble little Lush blog!

So tell me readers...what was YOUR first Lush bath bomb?  And how did you like it?  Let me know in the comments!!

**This bath bomb is certified Vegan

**Purchase Avobath at your local LUSH store, or buy it online here