Tokyo in the Tub

Oh hai! I haven't posted in a while because I've been doing more stuff on Tumblr these days. Look for me on Tumblr under LuceileLush, where I do the majority of my posting.

To the point! Last night I concocted what is now one of my favorite cocktails of all time. It smells pretty nice, like a sweet vanilla candy, but it looks EPIC. The color is such an amazing neon pink with a tinge of bright orange, it's beautiful.
So follow me as I show you how to bring the lights of Tokyo to your bubble bath with a LUSH cocktail that would make Hello Kitty green (or pink) with envy.

First, crumble 1/2 of a Flosty Gritter into the tub and start the water. If anybody has been a LUSHie for a year or so, they know about Flosty Gritter. It's glittery like SunnySide, with a slightly finer luster, but it's pink and smells of Vanilla. It got discontinued last year, much to the chagrin of, well, everyone.
I don't know why LUSH got rid of one of the prettiest bubble bars with one of the most versatile scents (vanilla matches well with pretty much any other scent), whilst leaving something as horribly scented and horribly ugly as Creamy Candy on the shelves.
Hopefully Flosty will return in the form of Retro, or maybe one day they'll catch wise and take the Miranda route by bringing it back to stores. One can only dream. In the meantime, if you've depleted your Flosty Gritter rations or didn't discover LUSH in time to nab one, then The Comforter bubble bar should do fine and dandy without changing the cocktail too much.

Secondly, I climbed in the tub and dropped in the Vanilla Fountain bath bomb. The water turned a faint orange color, so I decided to add a little pizazz by adding my Pink! (formerly known as Think Pink) bath bomb.
After that dissolved...WOW is all I can say. This bath cocktail is not complete without Pink! It brings the water to a bright neon pink with just a hint of neon orange and, thanks to Pink!, there was little pink heart confetti floating around. Plus, Pink! Has a vanilla candy scent so it fits right in with the rest of the gang in this cocktail.

I washed up with my little decant of Snow Showers forum special shower gel that my boss, Miss Cherry Chola, so generously gave to me. This shower gel is awesome, because it smells exactly like realbubblegum.
Tangent Time: I normally hate bubblegum-ish scents, but this one actually didn't aim for that fragrance, it just happens to smell like real bubblegum, like from the 25¢ gum machine, not Snow Fdairy's or Bubblegum lip scrub's or Rock Star soap's versions of Bubblegum. If there's one scent family that I think LUSH [and every other company in the world] should stop doing, it's bubblegum.
It's never ever good when anyone attempts to make a bubblegum scent, it's always too heavy and overly sweet or childish, there are no exceptions. However LUSH, in their amazingness, stumbled upon a way to accidentally create a true and beautiful bubblegum scent, but I don't know if they're aware of what they have on their hands with this one.

Anyway, I smelled like sweet and awesome epicness long after my bath was over and I must say that Snow Showers is one of the most exquisite shower gels that LUSH has ever offered. I would buy this shower gel year round for the rest of my life and die happy as a clam.
However, if you didn't manage to get your hands on some of this orgasmic-smelling shower gel, the Vanilla In The Mist hand and body soap or It's Raining Men shower gel would be good matches as well.

One could add Happy Blooming to this bath if they needed a little extra boost of moisture or some soothing calamine for their skin, and I bet it would only enhance the lovely experience that is the Tokyo in the Tub bath cocktail.

Easy Tips for a LUSH Environment! Black Pots Edition

LUSH LIFE Environmental Tips
How To:

Turn your black LUSH pot into a flower pot or vase

  

 

Step 1: Use up all that lovely LUSH product until you've gotten every last drop!

Step 2: Remove labels from pot & lid.

Step 3: Clean pot & lid thoroughly. (A drop or two of I Love Juicy shampoo is the eco-friendly cleaner!)

Step 4: Screw lid tightly onto pot. Poke a small hole (smaller than a dime) into the lid with the screwdriver.

Step 5: To cut the bottom of the pot off, use the knife in a sawing motion to make a notch about 1/3 of an
             inch from the bottom of the pot, then poke a hole in the notch. Cutting through the pot is difficult
            with the knife alone, so we're using the knife to make a spot to insert the blade of the scissors. Insert
            the scissor blade into the hole and begin cutting all the way around the pot (it should stay in a straight
            line pretty easily on it's own) until the bottom is removed. Now, turn your pot upside down, if you
            haven't already.
Step 6: Fill with soil, then plant your seeds.

For A Vase:

Follow steps 1-5

Step 6: Fill with gravel, pebbles, marbles, etc. about halfway or less.

Step 7: Insert flowers, fill halfway with water.

ENJOY YOUR NEW LUSH ENVIRONMENT!

Two Baths Worth Writing Home About!

I've taken a bath two consecutive nights in a row and they're both too darn fabulous not to blog about, so come join me in this very special two-bath edition of LUSH LIFE.

Le Premier Bain (The First Bath):
For this bath, I used a few products I hadn't used before; thusly, I was extremely excited.
The first product was the French Kiss Bubble Bar, I've used this one before so I knew it would go perfectly with this bath cocktail. It's full of lavender absolute, rosemary oil, and thyme oil. It's makes for really nice herbal lavender bubbles. Delightful!
Then I used a Twilight Bath Bomb, now I've demoed this bath bomb and even bought this bath bomb goodness knows how many times, but my 9-year-old cousin loves this bath bomb and I just can't say no to her, so my Twilights have always ended up in her baths. It is delightful to see a child enjoy something more than an adult ever could; ah, blissful childhood joy, how I miss thee. But I digress; I finally got my Twilight bombs from store to tub without a hitch. And, oh, what joy! The relaxing lavender oil! The gorgeous Tonka scent! It starts out pink but turns the water into a lovely purple color. This bomb turned my bathtub into the night sky; white clouds of froth, dark purple water makes the sky, and silver glitter completes the illusion as twinkly little stars. This bomb smells like cotton candy and feels absolutely silky smooth and delightful. Another wonderful LUSH invention!
Then I dropped in a chunk of the Happy Blooming Bath Melt. Even though it's 50% calamine powder, it still has a lovely cherry/berry scent. The calamine powder and cocoa butter softens my skin and soothes those summer bug bites on my ankles. Then passion flower seed oil makes up part of that signature sweet scent, as well as promoting that feeling of happiness and calm.
In this bath I used Alkmaar soap....AMAZING! If you like sultry, creamy soaps then this is the soap for you! It's got a marvelous blend of jasmine absolute and honeysuckle infusion with smoky vetivert notes throughout and a decadent creamy lather. The luxurious bubbly lather is possibly the best part of this soap, due to the fact that it's so surprisingly creamy; usually soaps are either give a great lather or they're creamy, but LUSH has managed to conquer both ends of the spectrum! If you like the Snowcake soap from Christmas, then this is it's year-round buddy; it's not the same scent, but it's that same moisturizing, creamy feeling.
Then, after the bath, I topped it off with the Fever Massage Bar. This delightful massage bar is, unfortunately, discontinued, but I got the last one at my shop and I am savoring it. It's composed of sensual jasmine, seductive rose, and mind-clearing sandalwood essential oils. It's seductive and smoky, just like the Alkmaar soap.
I locked in the moisture from my massage bar using Silky Underwear Dusting Powder. It has the same wonderful scent as the Alkmaar soap, so this helped layer my scent even more. Plus, it's got some cocoa butter bits mixed in to keep your skin super soft. I actually sprinkled some on my sheets before I got in bed, it made my sheets super soft and wonderfully scented!

Le Deuxième Bain (The Second Bath):
I had an awesome day at work so I decided to take an "I'm On Top Of The World Bath". This must be tried by anyone who has had a day to remember.
It started with the Dorothy Bubble Bar, a fresh, clean-scented bubble bar with the same lovely fragrance as the Figs & Leaves soap. It's full of orange blossom absolute, which is floral and citrusy, and ylang ylang oil, which is intensely relaxing. It's blue, it has a rainbow, and it smells like spring time...what's not to love?
Then I dropped in a Fizzbanger Bath Bomb; it has the classic Love scent from LUSH, a delightful scent that changes from crisp apples to warm toffee while it turns your bathwater green and crackles with the pop rocks inside. It contains cinnamon leaf oil for it's spicy, warming scent and petitgrain oil for a fresh, green scent. Super fun, super lovely!
Lastly a combo of Sugar Babe Sugar Scrub, a fair trade sugar scrub with a bit of mimosa absolute to soften skin while exfoliating, and limited edition Uluru shower gel finished the bath off perfectly. Allow me to inform you guys of something: when a shop has an anniversary party, which is once every year, there's a special product made for this occasion and it's usually a shower gel. One of the stores in my area had an anniversary a couple of months ago and their shower gel was Uluru; it has the same scent as the Uluru Bath Bomb, which was a recently discontinued retro item. It has rosewood, sandalwood, and lemon  myrtle oils and is inspired by Australian sunsets. This shower gel is a beautiful orange color and its gorgeous scent, fairly reminiscent of orange juice, lingers on your skin well after you're done bathing.
So here's a tip: Go to your local LUSH shops and ask them when their anniversaries are. It's worth knowing, because you can get some sweet exclusive stuff!

Try these cocktails (you can substitute Uluru with Happy Hippy) and let me know what you think!
-LuceileLUSH

LUSH LIFE - New Members of the LUSH Family!

Hello, Hello, Hello LUSHies!

So as we all know, there's been a ton of new products and product lines flowing out of LUSH headquarters lately; those crazy Brits never stop inventing! But some of you may not know about some awesome new items that are the most recent additions to the LUSH family.

Introducing:

Jumping Juniper Shampoo Bar

This zippy little shampoo bar smells like a lime tonic and is choc full of lovely ingredients to sort out congested scalps and bring limp, oily hair back to life!
There's a healthy dose of Juniperberry Oil, whose astringent properties will quickly banish grease and oil from stringy hair and clear the slate for a scalp with problems in the oil-production department. A combo of lemon and lime oils will give the hair an extra boost of clean and shine, while also contributing to the delicious, fresh scent. Lastly, rosemary and lavender decoctions jump in to save the day for the scalp in need of some balance; osemary has been used for hundreds of years for its antibacterial capabilities, while lavender is known for its ability to balance and soothe the scalp.
Jumping Juniper is perfect for balancing sebum production and giving you soft, shiny, clean hair.



Snake Oil Scalp Treatment

The Snake Oil Scalp Treatment is the perfect solution for anyone who suffers from dry, itchy, flaky scalp and/or dandruff. The LUSH website describes it best, saying it's great for anyone whose "scalp is shedding like a snake".
You see, dandruff is caused by a lot of things, such as yeast-like microbes, and it's made worse by stress (which is, ironically, often a result of having loads of dandruff).
Lavender oil, as mentioned when we were discussing Jumping Juniper, is antimicrobial and super soothing for a variety of skin conditions, including this one. Tea tree oil kills dandruff-causing microbes, while peppermint oil sorts out the scalp and soothes burning or redness. Then the cocoa butter base softens and moisturizes the scalp to reduce that terrible itchy feeling.
Take the bar and melt it in your fingertips, then work the melted product all over your scalp. Let it sit for 20 minutes or so, then wash it out with the Soak N' Float Shampoo Bar. Use regularly until your dandruff is a thing of the past.
The smell of this one is quite delightful. Imagine if the Soak N' Float Shampoo Bar and the Hair Doctor Scalp Treatment had a baby: it would be as effective as this on dandruff, and would smell the same, too. It has a very subtle campfire scent like the Soak N' Float, but a delightful peppermint aroma like the Hair Doctor.



Miranda Soap!

Miranda soap is a super fruity and fresh hand & body soap. It's filled with fresh, organic kiwi fruit which is rich with vitamin c, toning and brightening on the skin, gently cleansing, and the seeds act as a mild exfoliant.
There's also a bit of bergamot oil, which provides some of the fruity citrus scent, then ylang ylang petal and juniperberry oils tone, clear up congested skin, and refresh.
It's named after Carmen Miranda, the famous samba singer who wore a headpiece filled with tropical fruits. This soap is delightfully fruity and rather reminiscent of the Angel's Delight soap from Christmas 2010. It was resurrected from the Retro line for a reason, because it's fabulous!

Stop by your local LUSH shop, or order online at www.lushusa.com, and get your LUSHie hands on these exciting new products!

-LuceileLUSH

LUSH LIFE - The Stash

So, it's very well known that if you're truly a LUSHie, you've got yourself quite a stash of LUSH products and a lot of LUSHies like to take a picture of their stash and show it off.
Well, get ready, because if you thought your stash reigned Queen, then mine is the almighty Empress:

From Left to Right(ish):
3 Fresh Farmacy Cleanser pieces
1 Glorious Mud Shower Mud Mask
1 Brimstone Shower Cubicle
1/2 King of Skin Body Butter
1 Buffy Body Butter
1 Too Drunk Emotibomb
1 Calavera Bath Bomb (Halloween 2010)
2 So White Bath Bombs (Christmas 2010)
1 Rainbow Worrier Bath Bomb (Discontinued Retro '11)
2 Cinders Bath Bomb Balls (Christmas 2010)
2 Cinders Matryoshka Dolls (Christmas 2010)
1 Lil Lush Pud (Christmas '10)
1 Vanilla Fountain Bath Bomb
3 World Peace Bath Bombs (Discontinued Retro '11)
1 Blue Skies Bubble Bar
1 Butterball Bath Bomb
1 Honey B Bath Bomb
1 SunnySide Bubble Bar
5 Freedom Foamer Bubble Bars (LE '11)
4 Melomint Bubble Bars (Discon '11)
2 Flosty Gritter Bubble Bars (Discon '10)
2 Christmas Eve Bubble Bars (Christmas 2010)
1 Happy Bubble Bar (Retro)
1 French Kiss Bubble Bar
1 Pop In The Bath Bubble Bar
2 Sicilian Bath Bombs (Retro)
1 Bon Bomb Bath Bomb (Retro)
1 Big Blue Bath Bomb
4 Satsumo Santa Bath Bombs (Christmas '10)
1 Haagen Bath Bath Bomb (LE Year: ?)
1 Twilight Bath Bomb
1 Breath of Fresh Air Toner
1 Grease Lightning Spot Treatment
1 Enchanted Eye Cream
1 Enzymion Moisturizer
1 Gorgeous Moisturizer
0.5 Once A Year Massage Bar (Christmas '10)
1 Hard Water Shampoo Bar
1 NEW! Shampoo Bar
1 Squeaky Green Shampoo Bar
1 Cosmic Dreamcatcher Massage Bar (Retro)
1 Each Peach Massage Bar
1 Business Time Massage Bar (Discon '10)
1 Therapy Massage Bar
1 Wiccy Magic Muscles Massage Bar
1 Silk Stockings Massage Bar
1 Irridescent Glitterbug Massage Bar (Discon '10)
1 Shimmy Shimmy Massage Bar
1 Fever Massage Bar (Discon '10)
2 Fizzbanger Bath Bombs
3 Hippy Chick Bath Bombs (Easter '11)
1 Hokkaido Winter Bath Bath Bomb (Christmas 2010)
1 Gingerbread House Bubble Bar (Christmas 2010)
1.5 Bearded Lady Bubble Bar (Christmas 2010)
2.5 Dorothy Bubble Bars (Made by me!)
4 Pheonix Bubble Bars (Discontinued Retro '11)
1 Pillar of Fizz Canister (Discon) Filled With 4 So White Bath Bombs (Christmas '10)
1 Fair Trade Foot Lotion
1 Handy Gurugu Hand Lotion
1 Dirty Shaving Cream
3 Pieces of Mandarin's Tea Party Soap (Christmas '10)
1 Piece Snowglobe Soap (Christmas '10)
1 Piece Lemslip Soap
3 Pieces Snowcake Soap (Christmas '10)
1 Piece Lady Catrina Soap (Halloween '10)
2 Street Party Bath Bombs (LE Summer '10)
1 Hot Java Bath Bomb (Discontinued Retro '11)
1 Ceridwen's Cauldron Bath Melt
1 Happy Blooming Bath Melt
0.5 You've Been Mangoed Bath Melt
6 Pieces of So White Soap (Christmas '10)
2 Pieces of Angel's Delight Soap (Christmas '10)
1 Retread Conditioner
1 Curly Wurly Shampoo
2 The Strokes Hair Treatments
1 R&B Leave-In Hair Moisturizer
1 Dirty Hair Styling Cream
1 Rehab Shampoo
1 Veganese Conditioner
1 Coolaulin Conditioner (Discon '10)
1 American Cream Conditioner [500mL]
1 Okra Conditioner [500mL] (Retro)
1 Ibiza Party Shampoo
1 Ice Blue Shampoo
1 Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub
1 Daddy-O Shampoo
1 Dirty Shower Gel [500mL]
1 Narcotick Shower Gel [500mL] (Discontinued Retro '11)
1 Butterball Shower Gel (LE Shop Anniversary Party '11)
1 Cynthia Sylvia Stout Shampoo
4 Uluru Shower Gel [500mL] (LE Shop Anniversary Party '11)
1 Uluru Shower Gel [250 mL] (LE Shop Aniversary Party '11)
1 The Comforter Shower Gel [500mL] (LE)
1 Tramp Shower Gel
1 Grass Shower Gel
1 Avoshower (LE Shop Anniversary Party '11)
1 Karma Shower Gel [500mL] (LE Shop Anniversary Party '11)
1 Glogg Shower Gel [500 mL] (Christmas '10)
1 Sugar Babe Sugar Scrub
1 Tiny Hands Solid Hand Moisturizer
1 Dirty Toothy Tabs box
1 Demon In The Dark Shower Gel [100mL] (LE)
1 13 Rabbits Shower Gel [100mL] (Retro)
1 Snow Showers Shower Gel [100mL] (Forum Party '11)
1 Olive Branch Shower Gel [500mL]
1 Happy Hippy Shower Gel [500mL]
1 Calacas Shower Gel [500mL] (Forum Party '11)
1 Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter
1 Mint Julips Lip Scrub
1 Jackie Oates Colour Supplement
1 Ultrabalm Body Balm
1 It Started With A Kiss Lip Tint
1 None of Your Beeswax Lip Balm
4 Toner Tabs (T Tree, Vitamin E, Vitamin C)
2 Stepping Stone Foot Scrubs
1 Potion Lotion (Retro)
2 Breath of God Perfume [9mL] [Solid]
2 Lust Perfime [9mL] [Solid]
1 Tuca Tuca Perfume [Solid]
1 Dirty Perfume [2mL] (LE)
1 American Cream Solid Perfume (Discon)
1 HIWTK Solid Perfume (Discon)
2 Sakura Solid Perfume (Discon)
1 Karma Solid Perfume (Discon)
1 The Comforter Solid Perfume (Discon)
1 Day of the Dead Perfume (Forum Party '10)
1 American Cream Perfume (LE)
1 Dirty Body Spray
1 The Greench Deodorant
1 Smitten Hand and Body Cream (Retro)
1 Sympathy for the Skin Hand and Body Lotion

Not Pictured:
2 Bathos Bubble Bars (Gift Only as of '11)
4 So White Bath Bombs (Christmas '10)
6 Frog Prince Bath Bombs (Valentine's '11)
1 Pot Goth Juice Styling Gel (Discon '10)
1 Ice Hotel Bubble Bar (Retro)
1 White Wedding Bath Bomb (SE)
3 Irridescent Glitterbug Massage Bars (Discon '10)
5 Business Time Massage Bars (Discon '10)
1 Calacas Shower Jelly (Halloween '10)
3 Iced Wine Shower Jelly (Christmas '10)
1 Whoosh Shower Jelly
1 Okra Conditioner (500mL)
1 Glogg Shower Gel [500mL] (Christmas '10)

So, I may be addicted to LUSH, but it's the healthiest addiction anyone will ever have and I just can't pass up the chance to get limited edition goodies from my favorite cosmetics company!
Let's see your stashes, LUSHies! Who's got the goods?

Whip 'em out and measure,
-LuceileLUSH
PS. Post pictures of your stashes or let me know if you have questions/input in the comments section! :)

The LUSH LIFE Survival Guide to A Day at The Water Park!

Yesterday, I spent a great deal of time at Hawaiian Falls Water Park for my dad's birthday.

It was awesome fun but the sun, the heat, and the chlorinated water made great effort to take their tolls on my hair and skin. However, the elements were no match for a LUSH user like me.

I brought along a few LUSH lifesavers that kept me going, and utilized a few more afterward that helped me recover; these are their stories....[I watch too much SVU]

The Water Park Survival Kit:

1. Tea Tree Water Toner
I spritzed this refreshing toner water on my face while taking breaks from the water slides and the lazy river; it rejeuvenated my face and kept it clean and oil-free.
2. Dirty Body Spray
A minty, refreshing body spray to keep you cool and smelling clean when you're taking a break from the water.








3. Fair Trade Foot Lotion
This foot lotion kept my feet cool and soft in spite of the scorching-hot, rough concrete walkways at the water park!

 








 4. Lip Service Lip Balm
This no-nonsense lip balm protected my lips from chapping under the hot sun!

The After-Fun Repair Kit:
You survived the day, now do some damage control on your sun-drenched body.

1. Eau Roma Water Toner

I accidentally got a little too sun-kissed during the trip, but a spritz of this toner water remedied the inflammation and soreness of my sunburn, quickly sweeping away that raw feeling on my skin.

2. Enchanted Eye Cream

This soothing eye cream really moisturized the dehydrated skin around my eyes and relieved some redness on my slightly burnt nose.

3. Sympathy For The Skin Hand and Body Lotion

Helps heal that damaged, sunburnt skin.

4. H'Suan Wen Hua Hair Mask

Give back the nutrients to your hair that all the chlorinated water took away.

5. Rehab Shampoo

Put your sun-dried hair into Rehab to clean out the chlorine while strengthening those tresses.

6. American Cream Double-Strength Conditioner

Moisturize and calm dry, fly-away hair with this super softening strawberry and vanilla conditioner.

7. Tramp Shower Gel

Did you receive a few too many kisses from good old Mr. Sunshine? Treat your sensitized skin with this ultra-soothing melissa and patchouli shower gel.

If you've just been on a day trip to the water park, or are planning one in the near future, take this list and head to your local LUSH shop or http://www.lushusa.com/ to prepare yourself for battle against the elements and/or fill up your LUSH stash with these products so you can repair any damage that does happen.

There should be more survival guides to come, but that's all for now!

-LuceileLUSH

LUSH LIFE Banishes Sore Muscles!

Hey there, hi there LUSHies!

I recently went to my best friend's birthday party, where we played a game of 'serial killer' in the heavily wooded golf course near her home. While this game was uproarious fun, it involved me sprinting at full-speed wearing a pair of Dr. Marten combat boots which, by the way, weigh a few pounds each thanks to that trusty rubber sole. So, as you can imagine, my legs have been in crazy pain for the past couple of days. So tonight, after having spent the whole day walking around and swimming at a waterpark while celebrating my dad's birthday I'm popping in a LUSH bath full of lovely goodies designed to relieve my soreness, lest my legs just give up and burst into flames.

I started off with a generous crumble of the Ice Hotel bubble bar, an uplifting minty bubble bar from the fabulous retro line at LUSH. This thing is packing some serious heat (or chill) in the mint department; it's choc full of peppermint oil, which helps cool you off after spending a summer day in the triple-digit heat. It's also got a sprinkling of lavender as well, which helps calm a hectic mindset and promote an ethereal feeling that settles you into a sleep. But don't let that lavender fool you; this zippy foamer is a blast of cool ice peppermint fragrance. After all, the bar is inspired by the uber-chic ice hotel in Sweden.

Then I plopped in a Geo Phyzz bath bomb, available in LUSH stores everywhere, as well as online. This fizzy little green bomb is packed to the brim with cypress oil, which is a miracle-worker on sore, tired muscles, and Hawaiian volcanic clay salt, whose antioxidant properties draws all the impurities out of your skin.

Then I washed up with a healthy dose of an extremely special shower gel. I believe I may not be at liberty to reveal how I attained this shower gel, so I daren't mention more about it. It's in the picture below and trust me, you cannot get your hands on it; I know this for absolute fact, so don't even bother.
However, if you're looking for a shower gel that you can get your hands on to go with this muscle-relieving bath cocktail, give a shout to Dirty shower gel, the newest addition to the LUSH shower gel collection; originally designed for men, but loved by all, this minty shower gel has spearmint oil, menthol crystals, and a bit of super fine sea salt to keep you fresh and soft.

If you've got sore, aching, overworked muscles, then this recipe is your one-way ticket to ultimate relief.

Happy Bathing!
-LuceileLUSH

LUSH LIFE On The Move!

So, after a short stint trying to live with some friends and be able to save money/afford food at the same time, I've moved back in with my dad because, while he's cabin-sitting for his awesome friends' lake cabin for several weeks at a time, I'll be house-sitting his house. So he'll be putting my rent money in a savings account for me each month while I'll be able to live on my own because, honestly, I cannot live with other people.
But, the point is, I've been moving! And I think we all know what that means; heavy boxes, heavy lifting, and tons of physical labor. For the past two days my back has been screaming at me, so I put LUSH effectiveness to the ultimate test.

I asked the question heard throughout LUSH stores, online forums and customer chat rooms everywhere:
Does the Wiccy Magic Muscles massage bar actually work like a natural icy-hot to remedy sore muscles?

Allow me to kick things off by explaining what a massage bar is: LUSH invented massage bars as a "naked" (AKA packaging-free) solution to body lotion, which also makes getting (or giving!) massages an easier experience that just so happens to save the environment. They all have a base of shea and cocoa butters, along with their special blends of essential oils. The bars melt with your body temperature, so as you rub your skin with the bar, the oils and butters turn into a luxurious lotion.
The Wiccy Magic Muscles massage bar, in particular, is a spicy massage bar that is known for being a pain reliever on sore, overworked muscles; it's said to work like a natural icy-hot. It's mix of cinnamon leaf oil, a spicy-smelling oil that warms up you muscles as you rub in the lotion, and peppermint oil, which cools muscles and relieves some of the swelling that causes pain. Plus, the aduki beans on the top feel like little massaging fingers that are blasting the knots out of your muscles.

Given that I live alone, I couldn't exactly demand someone give me a back rub so I gave one to myself. I rubbed the massage bar between my hands then rubbed my lower back, my shoulders, and my neck; just as the name implies, my pain went away like magic!
After rubbing the melted massage oils and butters into my skin my knots were untied, my kinks were loosened up, and the soreness was a mere memory (not to mention, my horrible grouchiness had gone away...hmph, interesting...)
I've used this massage bar more times than I can mention for tension headaches (use on the back of your neck, it's fab) and for the purely awesome cinnamon-mint smell, but I've never been able to test it out on sore muscles until now, and it was amazing.

The answer to the original question is The Wiccy Magic Muscles massage bar is spectacular at relieving sore, tired muscles like a natural, moisturizing icy hot.

If you're a college kid moving into your first dorm, an athlete who goes through ice packs like a woodchuck through a small spruce tree, or a sufferer of arthritis, then this massage bar will be your little daily miracle.
Go pick it up at your local LUSH store or order it online at http://www.lush.com/ if you don't have a store near you.

LUSH LIFE Celebrates Christmas in July!

Hey LUSHies! Are you guys ready for Christmas 2011? I sure am! Today, I found myself thinking about the upcoming holidays at LUSH and how they're getting closer with every month! I just can't wait 'til the holidays so, to quench my thirst for LUSH Christmas products, I decided to revisit some of the lovely items I had stashed away from last winter.

Firstly, I started with a crumbling of the Christmas Eve bubble bar. This adorable purple bubble bar has a yellow crescent moon on top and a smattering of shimmery blue glitter. It's scented with a gorgeous jasmine and ylang ylang fragrance that helps calm your mind and take you to a relaxing state of bliss.

Then I dropped in a So White Bath Bomb (or two!) and watched as the fizzy little ballistic filled my tub with a crisp green apple scent. This bomb is my favorite from last winter. It's absolutely delightful!

I finished up by lathering a bit of the Iced Wine shower jelly all over myself. It's a deliciously fruity jelly soap that smells like absolute heaven! It's scented with fresh grape infusion, real iced wine, grapefruit oil, and bergamot oil. I seriously can't get enough of this jelly, thank goodness I bought 4 (count 'em, 4) big pots of it!

This bath cocktail was amazing!

LUSH LIFE Loves Equality!

So, I haven't posted in a few days but I took a wonderful bath last night that I just have to share.
I used a couple of different LUSH products. The first, was the Freedom Foamer bubble bar. It's a limited edition bubble bar that LUSH sold a couple of weeks ago. It's green, it's glittery, and it's SUPER citrusy. 100% of the proceeds, yes I said 100% of the proceeds, from the sale of this bubble bar went to the Freedom To Marry organization which fights for the rights of gay couples to legally marry.
Anyways, back to the bubble bar. It looks like this:

Isn't it adorable?

It's packed full of lime, lemon, and grapefruit oils to relax and revive your spirit. I crumbled a bit in the tub and as the water filled up, it turned bright green, which was awesome.

Secondly, I used the Fizzbanger bath ballistic. It's a LUSH staple; it's carried year-round in LUSH stores and online. It smell starts out with a hint of a green, citrusy, sweet apple scent, then transforms into a lovely cinnamon toffee scent. It has the signature scent from the B Never Too Busy to Be Beautiful Cosmetics perfume of the same name (B Never was a sister company to LUSH that has recently been closed), that was made by the LUSH founder, Mark Constantine. He says the scent reminds him of young French school girls, and I agree!

This is what the lovely bomb looks like:

Also adorable!

As you can see, the shell of the Fizzbanger is yellow, but it has a blue core inside which means that once the bomb starts fizzing away (and adding a bit of froth, thanks to ground up bits of bubble bar) it turns the water green! Which means that, with my already green Freedom Foamer water, this bath was a gorgeous shade of super green!

Not to mention, the smell was absolutely delectable. I went to the grocery store after my bath and a lady who walked by me told me I was the best smelling person she'd ever encountered. Being 100% honest, this is not the first time this has happened to me after I've started using LUSH products. I have very similar occurences at least twice a month. No joke.

Here's a picture from my awesome Freedom Fizzbanger bath:

I finished off the bath using the Happy Hippy shower gel, which turned out to be a wonderful edition to this symphony of scent. If you managed to nab a Freedom Foamer bubble bar, give this bath cocktail a try. If you weren't lucky enough to get your hands on one of those limited edition bubble bars, the Dorothy bubble bar also makes a nice companion to Fizzbanger.

Happy Bathing!

-Luceile

LUSH LIFE Loves Squishy Soaps!

Shower Jellies!!!!!

Big ones, small ones, purple ones, blue ones, glittery ones; I love shower jellies! "And just what is a shower jelly?" you might ask. Well let me tell you, good sir [or madame]!

A shower jelly is a squishy, squiggly shower soap that's super fun for anyone of any age to get clean with! Although they're jiggly like Jello, they contain no gelatin so they're vegan! [With exception to Whoosh (the blue one) which has honey water to balance out the citrus juices, which can be drying]

The jiggle is caused by a seaweed base, which helps soften your skin without clogging pores. You can also stick them in the freezer or fridge and they get cold, without freezing. The combination of a warm shower and a cold jelly is great for circulation. [Cold jellies are also a great cold compress. Just sayin']

The Joy of Jelly is a super sensual jelly packed full of ylang ylang and jasmine absolute (a natural aphrodesiac) It also contains a dash of lily and rose petals, which are super calming, not to mention tightening/firming, on the skin. Great for sharing a shower *wink

Oh, Sweetie Pie. You smell of black cherry soda, you jiggle and shimmer. You make me a pretty princess with your smattering of glitter. Plus, an antioxidant cherry infusion keeps that shimmering skin in perfect condition. Girls, young and old alike, will always love this twinkly, purple shower jelly.



 Whoosh doesn't let those deadlines rush by. It's cocktail of lemon, lime, and grapefruit juices wakes you up with a citrusy smack to the face. Lastly, a bit of honey water moisturizes your skin and locks it in for all-day softness. Makes for a perfect shower on those mornings where you just can't keep your eyes open.

I used the Whoosh today after I got home from work. I was hot (it's 105 degrees again) and tired and in desperate need of a shower. I grabbed my Whoosh from my freezer and jumped into the shower. There are two ways to use this wonderful little shower soap; you can pinch off a piece and smoosh it into a loofa, which makes it lather and be more bubbly, or you can hold it and use it like a bar of soap (a very slippery bar of soap, so hold on tight!) which yields less lather, but cleans just the same.

After sudsing up with this cold, jiggly shower buddy I felt refreshed, awake, and totally clean.

Want to get clean, smell great, and feel refreshed and soft?

Consider it done.

Stop by your local LUSH shop or order online at lush.com to nab one of these awesome little sudsy buddies.

Happy Showering!

-Luceile

LUSH LIFE Independence Day!

Here in Texas, July 4th is a big deal. Not just because it's Independence Day, but because it's the best day for all the classic car collectors to take their beautiful automobiles out for a cruise!

I headed down town and took a gander at the local classic car show, and let me just say, I was not disappointed. The cars were b-e-a-utiful!

Mind you, I walked around for 45 minutes looking at these cars in 105 degree heat, so that's dedication. But totally worth it, because.....here comes the LUSH.....I totally got to come home and spray myself down with the awesome new Dirty Body Spray from LUSH Cosmetics.
This body spray is part of the brand new line of LUSH products named Dirty. It's originally a men's line designed for dirty boys to keep clean with, but I love men's scents and I couldn't pass up this wonderfully minty and herbal body spray.

It's got spearmint oil, peppermint oil, thyme, tarragon, and a dash of lavender. Think "stuck my face in a handful of mint leaves while watching the sun rise over a shore in Scotland". The peppermint and spearmint oils are super cooling on hot bodies that have to suffer through awful southern summer heat.
I keep my bottle in the fridge, and once I got home from the car show I spritzed my body with it and instantly felt cool and comfortable.
Love, love, love it! This spray is a must-have for anybody who dreads that crazy summertime heat!

That's all for now!
-Luceile

LUSH LIFE Does Charity!

The Animal Welfare League's Wabash location animal shelter in Chicago has had their air conditioners stolen by some nasty little thieves and their animals are in danger of overheating in the sweltering summer heat. Their budget is tight since they are a no-kill shelter (which means they don't get funding from the state) so they're having to spend a large amount of their miniscule funds on industrial fans to keep the animals cool. This means they don't have the money for a lot of other necessities for these poor critters.

You can read all about their plight in this Huffington Post article
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/01/south-side-animal-shelter_n_889022.html

And you can visit the Animal Welfare League's website here
http://www.animalwelfareleague.com/

To donate, click on the link in the Huffington Post article, or visit the Donate page on the AWL website and learn about other ways to donate to the shelter, like bringing them your old newspapers, or bringing/sending them supplies that can be found on their wishlist.
I, myself, and sending them all my old newspapers and I'm going to call up the Lowe's in their area and order a couple of nice fans for them that they can pick up and use at the shelter.

-Luceile

LUSH LIFE In The Tub!

As you lovely readers will come to find, I spend a great deal of my time in the bathtub. Sure, I'm a busy-bee just as much as the next person, but I always make time for a relaxing bubble bath if I need it. After all, if we don't all allow ourselves a little zen time, we'd all lose our darn minds.
Anywho, I recently took a bubble bath that was so amazing that I just have to post about it. I used a few bath items from my favorite cosmetics company, LUSH Cosmetics. Everything is fresh, handmade, & organic and makes you feel & smell so good!

The products I used in my bath were what are considered 'Retro' items, which are products you can only purchase on the online store, http://www.lushusa.com/

I crumbled a little sliver of the Happy Bubble Bar in the tub before I turned the water on. It's adorably blue and it's scented with tangerine, neroli, and orange blossom oils, as well as a little sandalwood to balance. Once the tub was full, I turned on the jets and a thick, foamy layer of bubbles grew to epic proportions.

Secondly, I plopped the Sicilian Bath ballistic into the water. The Sicilian is a wonderfully fizzy little bath buddy who fills the tub up with a bit of baking soda to clean and a whole bunch of orange oil and actual orange. Once the bomb fizzes away, there's a slice of an actual orange left. It's a delightful reminder that LUSH uses real fruit and really does put the whole darn fruit in! This is, by far, my favorite LUSH ballistic in the whole wide world.

Lastly, the piece de resistance was a bit of Happy 4 SAD shower gel, which is a wonderful little purple shower gel filled with neroli oil to lift my spirits and aloe vera gel to soften & soothe my skin.

This bath was a relaxing & reviving citrus heaven; a welcome end to a very long & hot day in the Texas summer heat.

That's all for now, just thought I'd share this tidbit with you readers because I am so in love with this bath concoction.

Ok bai!

Living the LUSH LIFE On A Wednesday Night!

So I'm not going to lie; despite the fact that I'm home alone and looking rather askew, I'm totally living la vida lush right now. There's a face mask on my face (thank you, LUSH Cosmetics), a movie on the television, and a big, fluffy, gray cat named Ponteouf asleep on my lap.
Oh, by the way, I'm a crazy cat lady. And at only 19. I was taken too soon. Shame.
But really, he's my only kitty cat and he's fabulous. You know...fabulous. Not even kidding; if I bring home hair extensions, fake nails, makeup, false eyelashes, bedazzled clothing, or leather anything he sits on it and it is his. Did I mention my kitty cat is gay? Because he is. Sadly, his cuddly gay lover was given away to a family friend, but he survives, much like Gloria Gaynor.

So today I've been cleaning my room out Spartan-style (where you throw things away without giving thought to silly sentimental attachment) and I came across some rather fun drawings I did about a year ago when I was back on the "I'm gonna be a fashion designer" wagon. This inspired me to completely stop cleaning (how convenient) and start online shopping the hell out of one of my favorite styles: film noir-era.
And just so you know what I'm talking about:

Why don't women dress like this anymore? (Because now that Mad Men is a thing, dresses like these are bombastically overpriced, that's why.)

I say we bring this style back in style before I blow my brains out.
Because if I see one more girl in a pair of pants that say PINK across her ass I'm going to lose my damn mind.

Just sayin'.

Tonight's Living La Vida Lush Product: Cupcake Fresh Face Mask from LUSH Cosmetics