(Video) Lush Kitchen Haul #1: Bath Oils & Bar Soaps!

My haul & first impression on many of the new bath oils and bar soaps from the Lush Kitchen!

(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

(Review) Always Look on the (Brightside) of Bubble Baths!

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone!  A nice relaxing 3 day weekend where we barbeque, go out on our boats, and of course, remember the fallen soldiers that gave their lives so we could be free.  Amongst the ribs and tubing out on the lakes, let's not forget what this day is truly about!

Meanwhile, I'm holed up in my apartment, huffing Flonase like Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction and spooning a box of kleenex.  It's one of those days where you feel like you've been hit by a truck full of pollen and cats.  Lovely, right?  Well if I can't go outside and join the festivities on this gorgeous Memorial day weekend, I'm going to bring the festivities to me...in the form of a bubble bath!

Enter Brightside, Lush's newest bubble bar to the permanent collection.  Prior to being made a permanent item, Brightside was only released with the Easter collection, a tye-dye fiery swirl amongst the egg and bunny shaped items Lush usually cranks out every year.  It smells like fruit punch and gives you luscious, creamy bubbles!

Now, if you've never heard of a bubble bar, what it is is solid bubble bath.  You crumble the bar underneath the running tap of your bath, and the pressure from the water creates these big, fluffy, movie starlet bubbles that epitomize luxury.  You can use it whole, or you can use as much as you want.  I used half of Brightside since my tub is extremely small, but if I had a huge, jacuzzi tub, I'd use the entire thing and craft a bubble beard that even Gandalf the Grey would be jealous of!

Crumbling pieces of Brightside underneath the tap

 

It can be a little hard to crumble at first, so what I like to do is hold it under the tap for a little while until it softens, then I begin to crumble.  Also I crumbled the entire thing one handed and photographed blindly with the other.  Because I care.  You're welcome.

You can see mainly in the second picture how the bubbles are already forming.  And that was just the smaller chunk I was crumbling!  I had yet to get to the bigger piece!  Brightside also tints your water a groovy Nickelodeon orange color.

Swooshing dem bubbles

  

When the bubble bar was all crumbled, I like to dunk my arms in and give the bath water a few good swishes, since my water pressure isn't all that great.  It's a great upper arm workout and gives you bigger, longer lasting bubbles.  If you have jacuzzi jets in your tub, you could just turn those on and watch the bubbles form!

Halfway full and already so many bubbles!

As I said earlier, Brightside used to be an Easter only item.  It was first introduced last spring in 2013, selling over 65,000 globally, making it the second best selling bubble bar in March of last year.  Needless to say, it was so well loved that it was added to the permanent collection!  Brightside was the first bubble bar I ever bought, catching my attention while on a shopping trip with my sister.  I was so taken by the bright colors and intoxicating citrus scent that I didn't even notice her sneaking more items into our basket (love her dearly but I'm not made of money!).  

Brightside was named after the catchy song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" from the hit Monty Python movie "Life of Brian," and its appearance was inspired by the Comforter bubble bar.  The scent is bright and fresh, containing mandarin, tangerine, and bergamot (my personal favorite scent) oils straight from Sicily.  These three oils are fresh and zesty, and are mood lifters.  One sniff of this stuff and your mood will just perk right up!  

So in I sank into my sunset colored, fluffy bath.  As a sucker for anything neon and bright, I loved the color of the tub, and the bubbles felt nice and soft, not soapy and staticy like a lot of cheaper bubble baths feel.  The sinus headache I had been nursing began to dull away, and I snuggled right into my fluffy bubble blanket with my book, my cool, crisp granny smith apple, and relaxed, my mood only occasionally being interrupted by my roommate laughing hysterically at what I assume is the latest Marble Hornets entry.

When I popped out of the tub, my mood was worlds better.  Not that I was in a down and out mood to begin with, but allergies suck.  I wish the scent lingered a little more on my skin, but I followed that up with a citrusy smelling massage bar and I was a walking orange grove for the rest of the night.

So if you're having a bad day, or just need a sunny smelling pick me up, get yourself this awesometastic bubble bar and have a crisp, zingy smelling "treat yo'self" night at home!  And remember to always look on the Brightside!

...I'm sorry...that was a terrible joke to end a blog with.  Just trust me and get yourself this bubble bar!

 

*This bubble bar is certified Vegan

*Stop by your local Lush store, or buy it from the website here