Cinders Ballistic

On the twelfth week of Christmas my LUSH limited gave to me......

12 Cinders Ballistics,

11 Gingerbread Houses,

10 Sacred Truths,

9 Snowcake soaps,

8 Buffy body butters,

7 Sonic Death Monkeys, 

6 Bearded Ladies,

5 CHRISTMAAAAS EEEEEEEEEVES!

4 Ghost shower gels,

3 Hottie bars,

2 Halloween specials,

and a Snow Fairy lip and cheek tint!

Cinders

Price: £1.95/90g.

Product category: Ballistic

Contains: Coarse Sea Salt stimulate, cleanse, soften and hydrate the skin; Fizzy Candy for the crackling ambers on the fire effect; Gardenia Extract for its exotic scent and it’s beautiful Mediterranean sunset colour; Almond Essential Oil to give a warm, comforting almond scent. Almonds have a high vitamin E content, protect the skin and leaves it silky soft and smooth; Sweet Orange Oil for its antiseptic and toning properties and uplifting fragrance; Cinnamon Leaf Oil for its warming, spicy aroma,  great for warming the body on cold winter nights.

Other Interesting facts:

·  Almond essential oil comes from processing the kernels of bitter almonds and apricots

·  Sweet orange oil is generally used to lift the mood and as a cheery scent for dark winter days.

·  Orange blossoms have been are highly symbolic in many countries. Traditionally brides wore orange blossoms to symbolise fertility. The scent of orange blossoms many also have been used for calming wedding nerves.

·  Cinnamon leaf oil is used to fight feelings of depression, weakness and exhaustion, so it’s great for those winter blues and winding down after the Christmas rush.

·  Course sea salt is packed full of minerals which maintain the water balance essential for healthy skin.

How to use:

To get the full effects of your ballistic (unless you’re cocktailing);

·  Run your bath fully and climb in.

·  Then drop the ballistic into the bath

·  Lay back and enjoy the magic, inhaling the beautiful oils and fragrances dispersed by the ballistic.

NOTE: If your cocktailing this ballistic, remember it contains sea salt which will affect the amount of bubbles created by a bubble bar.

Verdict:

I had a hard time deciding which product I’d review for my final Christmas countdown theme, but finally settled on the lovely Cinders. An absolutely divine product to use Christmas Eve, to wind down after all of the Christmas hustle and bustle and relax before the big day itself. Cinders is another product I was really happy to see make a return this year. Not only is it lovely just as it is, it also cocktails well with so many of this year’s Christmas products.

Cinders is one of the smaller ballistics which is certainly reflected with the price tag. It’s beautiful golden yellow in colour, with a patch of red salt crystals on the top. LUSH describe Cinders as ‘Feisty, Fiery Spice Ballistic’, and have obviously spent some time and effort in the design to reflect this fiery theme.

Cinders’ scent is truly Christmassy. The fresh scent of sweet orange oil really lifts the mood, while the cinnamon relaxes and de stresses and gives you that lovely warm, comforting feeling. In the water the true magic happens adding to the warming, comforting experience. When Cinders hits the water it disperses it’s warm golden yellow colour around the tub, with the red combining with it in swirls to give the overall water a fire like effect. When the colours mix the water turns a warm orangey colour. As the ballistic is fizzing away the fizzing candy crackles like an open log fire.  The overall bathing experience with cinders is mesmerising and relaxing.

To see Cinders in action in the water take a look at my Winter Warmer Cocktail video http://pixie-loves-lush.blogspot.com/2010/10/winter-warmer-cocktail.html . Skip to 11mins 58sec to just view Cinders :)

Following your bath you’ll feel like all the stresses of Christmas shopping, wrapping and general rushing around will have been washes away. Cinders leaves you so warm and cosy and ready for a good night’s sleep before Santa arrives the next day ;) I great product for Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Cocktails well with: Glogg shower gel; Christmas Kisses bubble bar; New Shampoo Bar; Gingerbread House; Bearded Lady; Snowcake soap; Wiccy Magic Muscles; Once a Year massage bar; Bob Soap; Hot Toddy bubble bar.

Gingerbread House Bubble Bar

(Owed for Friday the 17^th December)

On the eleventh week of Christmas LUSH limited gave to me......

11 Gingerbread Houses,

10 Sacred Truths,

9 Snowcake soaps,

8 Buffy body butters,

7 Sonic Death Monkeys,

6 Bearded Ladies,

5 CHRISTMAAAAS EEEEEEEEEVES!

4 Ghost shower gels,

3 Hottie bars,

2 Halloween specials,

and a Snow Fairy lip and cheek tint!

  

Gingerbread House

(Dedicated to Rachael Juma) 

Price: £2.45/100g.

Product category: Bubble bar.

Contains: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar and Sodium Laureth Sulfate to give you masses of thick, rich, frothy, Hollywood style bubbles; Ginger Oil for its warming effects, circulation stimulating action, and its astringent and antiseptic properties. Ginger is also for soothing aching joints and relaxing tense muscles; Lemon Oil for its antiseptic and cleansing properties, and its uplifting fragrance; Buchu Oil has a sweet fruity blackcurrant scent and is used for its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties by aroma-therapists; Ginger Powder promotes relaxation, helps our bodies eliminate toxins, stimulates circulation and warms the skin; Cinnamon Stick for decoration (the cute little chimney).

Other Interesting facts:

·         In Chinese medical literature, ginger was mentioned around 400 B.C. Wowza!

How to use: Start running your bath, crumble bar (or ½ a bar) into the bath while water is running (crumble under the running water). Give the water a really good swish, enjoy the mountains of bubbles.

Verdict:

I must admit when LUSH released their Christmas line this year, I was super excited about the Gingerbread House. For its appearance to its scent description, they had me hook line and sinker. I did my usually trip to my local LUSH store to give all the new items a good sniff and inspection and I have to say, I was a little underwhelmed by the scent of this product . As cute as it was I decided not to purchase it during my trip and off I went home with my bag full of other Christmas lovelies.

That was until a couple of weeks ago, when one of my friends presented me with a bag full of LUSH for my Christmas present. In there was a little Gingerbread House, and out of the LUSH store the scent definitely grabbed my attention more and of course it’s cute design had me at the word go. I happily gave this product a go the day after receiving it and I was so glad that I didn’t miss the opportunity of using this product before it goes, as I absolutely adore it. I’ll definitely be buying more in the New Year before it disappears!

OK so onto the review and let’s start with the design/appearance. Its design is an adorable, chubby gingerbread house, decorated with white mock icing (for the roof), hundreds and thousands sprinkles and a little chimney made of a cinnamon stick. Enough to make even the scrooges stop and go awww! As for the size, I feel that while it can easily do two baths, any more and you wouldn’t get the full effects of the scent and bubbles.

Gingerbread House’s scent out of the bath is much a more subtle warm gingerbread cookie scent, but it really comes alive when it hits the water. The orange house part of the bar crumbles easily, however the white roof is much firmer and I struggled to crumble it (with my feeble lack of strength). In saying that I easily managed to break it into small enough chunks to melt away merrily in the tub. Half a bar created lots of lovely soft bubbles even with my dismal water pressure, and the water turned a lovely warming, burnt orange colour.

Like I said the scent really comes alive in the water. Gingerbread House brings a sweet (not sickly), subtly spicy and fruity scent to your bath. It’s quite a difficult scent to describe as it seems to have layers which hit you during your bath but those are the key notes that hit me. It’s a very warming, comforting scent that definitely reminds me of freshly baked gingerbread cookies with fruity notes coming through from the buchu oil. The ginger comes through in a sweet cookie sense, not a fresh ginger root way if that makes sense. It’s not an overpoweringly strong scent, or a scent that’s super subtle. LUSH seem to have got the perfect balance of sweet, spicy, warming and comforting with Gingerbread House.

Gingerbread house leaves your skin lovely and soft once you’ve dried off. Admittedly it’s not as softening and moisturising as some of LUSH’s other bubble bars, but my skin definitely felt pleasantly soft after my bath. The scent on the skin is subtly sweet and comforting, and I felt so snugly and warm after my bath. Gingerbread House is a winner for those cold winter nights; its gorgeous scent will warm you right up, and wrap its arms around you in a comforting, relaxing cuddle.  Try taking a yummy cup of hot chocolate with you to enjoy in your Gingerbread House bath. Trust me it’s a winner!

You might also like: Hottie massage bar (sensual warming blend of ginger, vanilla and black pepper); Bob Soap (chocolate orange with spicy cinnamon and clove); Cinders (spicy cinnamon, fresh orange and softening almond, crackling ballistic); Butterball (super softening ballistic packed full of cocoa butter and ylang); Brandy Butter (softening cocoa butter, warming cinnamon and brandy and fresh tangerine); Egg Snog lip balm.

On the twelfth week of Christmas LUSH limited gave to me.......

tune in on Christmas Eve for the final instalment of my Christmas countdown.

Snowcake Soap

(Owed from Friday the 3^rd December)

On the ninth week of Christmas my LUSH limited gave to me......

9 Snowcake soaps,

8 Buffy body butters,

7 Sonic Death Monkeys,

6 Bearded Ladies,

5 CHRISTMAAAAS EEEEEEEEEVES!

4 Ghost shower gels,

3 Hottie bars,

2 Halloween specials,

and a Snow Fairy lip and cheek tint!

Snowcake Soap

Requested by and dedicated to meeee!

Price: £2.60/100g

Product category: Soap.

Contains: Water (Aqua); Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil for their moisturising and softening properties and as an alternative soap base to palm oil (see below); Benzoin Resinoid calms and soothes irritated, cracked, sore and dry skin conditions. It also leaves a protective film on the skin, which prevents it from loosing moisture; Rose Absolute soothes and moisturises the skin, and helps improve the skins appearance helping to create a smoother effect; Cassie Absolute for its beautiful uplifting aroma; Glycerine (palm free) is softening and moisturising on the skin and is also used to effectively carry oils allowing the skin to absorb them and benefit from their properties.

Other interesting facts:

·  Tradition methods of making vegetable soap have for many years used palm oil as a base. Palm oil plantations themselves cause severe deforestation, problems for indigenous populations and the animals that live there. LUSH discovered that cosmetic companies are responsible for around 7% of the worlds palm usage, so in an effort to reduce this problem, went off to the labs to work hard in creating a new palm free base to their soaps. They now use rapeseed and coconut oil with glycerine as a base to all their soaps. 

·  You may be wondering what gives Snowcake its almond/marzipan scent, when there’s no almond oil/almonds to be found in the ingredients (I know I was). Well after doing a little research I found that it’s all down to the clever blend of cassie (aka sweet acacia or prickly Moses), rose and benzoin that give products like Snowcake, Marzibain and Smitten their sweet (not sickly) almond scent. Cassie has a fresh sweet, spicy floral aroma, Benzoin a sweet warm vanilla like aroma and Rose absolute a sweet floral aroma, and blended together they create the most beautiful almond scent that’s not too sickly sweet. So there you have it :)

·  Rose absolute is great for dry, rough, mature, sensitive and irritated skin due to its gentle, moisturising, and soothing properties for the skin.

·  Cassie absolute has uplifting properties due to its beautiful sunny aroma, making great for treating stress, exhaustion, and depression.

·  Benzoin has been used for thousands of years to treat various skin conditions. It has also been used as an incense to drive a way evil spirits, and inhaled to help with respiratory conditions. 

How to use:

1. As it’s a creamy soap it melts a lot quicker than some of LUSH’s other soaps. Because of this I find chopping the bar into small chunks rather than using the full bar, helps make the bar last longer.

2. Take the small chunk and wash all over your body, working it into a beautiful creamy lather and rinse.

TIP: Try not to submerge the bar in water as it will melt very quickly. Step out of the shower stream, or lift the areas your washing out of the bath, to make your soap last longer.

Verdict:

I absolutely had to include this product in my Christmas countdown (don’t worry I’ve not forgotten about the requests I’ve received). I’ve been using this product for years since its release, and was so happy to see its return again this year. I always make sure I get a reasonably big slab after Christmas in an attempt to be able to enjoy it all year round (though I never get one big enough slab).

LUSH describe Snowcake as ‘marzipan- scented soap cake’, and that’s exactly what it is. Snowcake has the most beautiful almond/marzipan scent with subtle hints of rose. It avoids being sickly sweet by blending sweet floral scents into the mix. It’s far more subtle than Smitten in my opinion and reminds me very much of the retro bubble bar Marzibain. To me it’s a perfectly balanced (not too sweet, not too floral), pretty, comforting scent that I never tire of.

Snowcake has a simple design, your chunk of soap is cut from a white rectangular slab, decorated with delicate snowflakes. The design was inspired by Russian cakes that look like this, each with an individual message on them. Don’t let its simple appearance deceive you though, Snowcake is a real piece of luxury.

LUSH have done it again with their carefully thought out blend of ingredients. Not only does the blend of rose, cassie and benzoin give Snowcake its delicious almond/marzipan scent; but these ingredients also have great properties for the skin too.  The winter weather can leave your skin feeling dull and dry, but Snowcake comes to the rescue with its moisturising and softening blend of ingredients, leaving your skin moisturised, soft and silky smooth.

Snowcake is very moisturising and hydrating on the skin, without leaving the skin feeling greasy or leaving a film/residue on the skin. It gentle cleanses the skin without leaving it feeling overly squeaky clean and stripped of moisture. Snowcake produces a beautiful creamy lather over the skin which feels really luxurious, and it’s an absolute joy to use. The scent lingers on the skin after your bath/shower in a subtle way for hours.  As it’s one of LUSH’s creamier soaps it doesn’t last as long as some of the others (as it melts much quicker) but I feel that this is reflected in its reasonable price tag.

At the moment I’m loving cocktailing Snowcake with lots of different LUSH products. My favourite combos with Snowcake at the moment are Glogg, Sugar Plum Fairy scrub, Marzibain, Cinders, and Lil LUSH Pudd. Though for a cherry bakewell theme it’s yummy to use with Sweetie Pie, Happy Blooming, Skin Sin and Comforter too.

I’m sure if LUSH released this as an all year round product, it would be a best seller. But until they do, I shall be awaiting its return each Christmas with bated breath.

Complimenting products- Smitten, Skin Sin, Marzibain, Lil LUSH Pudd, Butterball, Happy Blooming, Comforter; Coconut and Almond Smoothie, Summer Pudding, Sweetie Pie, Sugar Plum Fairy scrub (trust me it works).  

Bearded Lady Bubble Bar

On the sixth week of Christmas LUSH limited gave to me......

6 Bearded Ladies

5 CHRISTMAAAAS EEEEEEEEEVES

4 Ghost shower gels

3 Hottie bars

2 Halloween specials

and a Snow Fairy lip and cheek tint

Requested by Loise McCan

Bearded Lady (vegan product)

Price: £2.50/100g

Product category: Bubble Bar

Contains: Cocoa and Shea butters melt over the skin leaving it moisturised, soft and supple; Oat milk calms and soothes the skin; Extra virgin coconut oil gives a natural balance to the skin while softening and moisturising; Organic jojoba oil softens and moisturises the skin; Almond oil is nutritious for the skin with its high vitamin E content and leaves the skin silky smooth and soft; Fresh organic bananas are highly moisturising and leave the skin soft and supple; Fresh organic avocado is rich in vitamins A, B, C and E, which help to maintain healthy skin and rehydrates, soothes and softens the skin; Sandalwood oil cools, rehydrates, soothes, softens and moisturises the skin; Tangerine oil improves the condition of the skin and uplifts; Rosewood oil has antiseptic properties which leaves the skin fresh and clean; Lavender oil has antiseptic and soothing properties for the skin while calming and relaxing the mind.

How to use: Crumble bar (or ½ a bar) into bath while water is running (crumble under the running water), give the water a really good swish, enjoy the mountains of bubbles.

Other interesting facts:

·  Cocoa butter and Oat milk relieve dry, itching, and irritated skin.

·  Jojoba oil has a natural resemblance with our skins sebum, which makes it easily absorbed and tolerated by our skin.  

·  Avocado oil is thought to be beneficial in reducing the appearance of scars and age spots and also for treating wrinkles and fine lines.

·  Aroma therapists use Tangerine oil to treat insomnia, and as an anti depressant.

Verdict:

Despite its humorous name Bearded Lady just reminds me of Santa in its design. It’s absolutely adorable with its white, beard, Santa hat and chocolate drop eyes.  It’s a reasonable sized bubble bar that could do two baths if you wished, though I use a full one if it’s the only product I’m using. As for the scent, I feel it comes alive in the tub. It’s not a strong scented product but I can definitely pick out the tangerine, subtle banana, calming notes of the oat milk, cocoa and shea butters. It reminds me of chocolate orange meets banana smoothie, reminiscent of King of Skin (as it actually contains grated pieces of KOS) and Ceridwyn’s Cauldron with a tangerine twist. I personally find the scent very comforting and soothing.  

In the water Bearded Lady doesn’t disappoint. She creates heaps of soft bubbles and turns the water milky and pale peachy pink in colour. The water is unbelievably silky soft and the scent stays with you throughout your bathing experience. All the beautifully moisturising, softening and nourishing ingredients really get to work on your skin. The result, kissably soft, silky and supple skin that’s delicately scented. Imaging Butterball’s results from a bubble bar and you’re not far off. This product is simply amazing for caring for your skin and locking in some much needed moisture during these colder months. I’ll definitely be stocking up!

If you want a truly indulgent bath try cocktailing ½ Bearded Lady with a Butterball ballistic or Ceridwyn’s Cauldron.  

If you like this why not try: King of Skin body butter; Oatfix fresh face mask; Floating Island bath melt; Butterball ballistic; Ceridwyn’s Cauldron; Porridge soap.



Christmas Driftaway Cocktail

Verdict:

Second of my LUSH Christmas Cocktail videos. This one is so relaxing and unwinding. Very floral and pretty! It was a surprisingly softening cocktail that left my skin beautifully and delicately scented with jasmine and ylang. The Christmas Eve was the dominant scent and the Christmas Carol just enhanced its beauty. I opted for the Figs and Leaves to wash with (to enhance the ylang) and Ghost for the hair. Didn't use Fever in the end (didn't want to lose the unique scent on my skin), just a little dab of Cocktail which went beautifully!

Check out my full reviews on:

Christmas Eve: http://pixie-loves-lush.blogspot.com/2010/11/on-fith-week-of-christmas-lush-limited.html

Ghost:  http://pixie-loves-lush.blogspot.com/2010/10/on-fourth-week-of-christmas-lush.html

Jasmin and Henna Fluff Ease: http://pixie-loves-lush.blogspot.com/2010/09/lush-review-jasmin-and-henna-fluff-ease.html

Christmas Eve Bubble Bar

On the fifth week of Christmas LUSH limited gave to me......

5 CHRISTMAAAAS EEEEEEEEEVES

4 Ghost shower gels

3 Hottie bars

2 Halloween specials

and a Snow Fairy lip and cheek tint

Christmas Eve

Price: £2.60/100g

Product category: Bubble Bar

Contains: Irish moss powder to soften and soothe the skin; Jasmine absolute for its sensual fragrance and benefits for sensitive skin; Ylang ylang oil for its heavy sweet aroma and stress relieving and mood lifting properties; Gardenia extract for its exotic scent and stress and tension relieving properties; Iridescent glitter for subtle, light reflecting, shimmery bubbles.

How to use: Crumble bar (or ½ a bar) into bath while water is running (crumble under the running water), give the water a really good swish, enjoy the mountains of bubbles.

Other interesting facts:

·  Jasmine and ylang ylang are great for looking after sensitive skin

·  Jasmine is known for its antidepressant and stress reliving properties as well as relieving muscular complaints.

·  Irish moss forms a gel like solution when its added to water which is very soothing and softening on the skin

Verdict: I’m so happy that Christmas Eve has made a return this year, as it’s one of my favourite LUSH scents. It’s so uniquely beautiful and not like any other product scent LUSH do. You’d think it would be similar to Fairy Jasmine or Christmas Carol as they all contain jasmine and ylang ylang. Though Christmas Eve’s scent really stands alone. It has a beautifully intense yet gentle floral scent that is relaxing, soothing and unwinding. The jasmine isn’t heady like Lust or Flying Fox, it’s much softer as a result of being blended with the sweet floral ylang ylang and exotic gardinia.

The bubble bar itself is a beautiful shade of blue in colour with a yellow moon design on it. It also contains iridescent glitter which make the bubbles sparkle beautifully in the tub, but doesn’t overly stick to the skin (a plus for me). It turns the water a relaxing pale shade of blue and creates lots of beautiful bubbles from just ½ the bar. Christmas Eve leaves the beautifully soft and supple to touch and delicately scented.

It’s definitely a product to use to de stress and unwind after a busy/ stressful day and will sweep you away to a tranquil and peaceful place with its beautiful scent. I’ll be stocking up on this gorgeous product so I can enjoy it all year round.

Snow Fairy Lip Tint

On the first week of Christmas LUSH limited gave to me......

A Snow Fairy lip and cheek tint

Price: £4.64/10g

Product category: Lip/cheek tint- Christmas ltd edition.

Contains: Extra virgin coconut oil for its moisturising and softening properties; Japan wax and Shea butter (emollient/softening); Carnauba wax prevents moisture loss/protects lips; Cupuacu butter nourishes and moisturises; Murumuru butter (protective/soothing properties); Glycerine provides a protective barrier;  Dried raspberries for colour and sweetness; Sherbet and Icing sugar for sweetness and texture.

How to use:

Step 1 (optional): Apply Bubblegum Lip Scrub (£4.50/25g) to the lips to gently exfoliate. This product gently scrubs away dead skin (with castor sugar), while smoothing and moisturising the lips (with jojoba oil). It has the same scent/flavour as Snow Fairy so goes great with this product, leaving your lips kissably soft.

Step 2: Apply tint to lips building up layers for a stronger effect. Apply clear gloss if desired (no gloss in pictures).

Step 3: For a subtle pinched cheek glow apply tint to cheek area blending well.

Verdict: Admittedly I very rarely where colour on my lips, and when I do it’s usually a slick of gloss or LUSH’s It Started with a Kiss lip tint. Although I’m not a girly girl (pink fluffy marshmallows), I can’t help but love this frosted pink tint. The more you apply the stronger the candy pink colour. It looks great with and coat of gloss over it, simply lined eyes and lashings of black mascara (great for those xmas parties); or eau natural with just a slick of mascara for those Christmas shopping trips. I love the way it looks on the cheeks too, though just a tip, it doesn’t blend well if you’re wearing powder foundation. Though it doesn’t show up great on the pictures it gives you a lovely pinched cheek glow.

All the lovely ingredients leave the lips feeling protected and moisturised (great for those cold winter days). The best thing of all it leaves your lips smelling and tasting deliciously sweet, with its typically Snow Fairy scent/flavour. The only down side is that it’s not very long lasting and comes off/transfers easily, so you do need to reapply quite regularly. Though not much of a negative, as it’s so easy to apply and such a joy to wear. If you or someone else can refrain from licking/kissing it off deserve a medal! So for a deliciously frosted pink pout, and pinched cheek look, pop on this candy flavoured balm.

On the seccond week of Christmas LUSH limited gave to me....tune in next week to find out ;)

Exciting News :)

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

For all you excitable little elves like me, you will have already realised that tomorrow marks the 12 week countdown to Christmas Eve (woohoo). So in celebration of this I will be reviewing one LUSH product each week in the style of infamous song ‘The 12 days of Christmas’ (see what I’ve done there? Replace the days with weeks). Singing along is absolutely essential, so get practicing!!!

For the baah humbugs among us, don’t worry the reviews won’t ALL be Christmas items, I will also be reviewing Day of the Dead (Halloween specials) and some of my favourite regular/retro LUSH products too.

So it will go a little like this....

‘On the first week of Christmas my true LUSH gave to me.....’

Well that would be telling (hehe) make sure you tune in tomorrow for the first review!!!! :)