It's A Lush Life (Lush)

Member Name: FourPaws

Product:	Lush
Date:	28/12/07 (343 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Against animal testing, fantastic products, friendly staff, fresh & handmade

Disadvantages: None.

*What is Lush?*
Lush is a chain of high street stores that make a large variety of fresh handmade cosmetics with no added preservatives or nasty ingredients, they are also completely against animal testing. They launched in 1995 in Poole, Dorset and have became increasily popular ever since, with now more than 400 stores in 39 different countries.

*Why shop at Lush?*
I have always been *completely and utterly 100% against testing cosmetics on animals*, I shall not rant on but in my opioion it is way out of order- no animal should have to die just so a human can smell sweet or look pretty and Lush is a company that believes in this too, none of their products or ingredients are tested on animals, nor do they contain any products an animal has died for, making them suitable for strict vegetarians like myself. However, some products do contain egg, honey or milk meaning vegans can't use certain Lush products.

Even if animal testing doesn't really bother you, theres still plently of reasons to shop at Lush.. they're products are absolutely gorgeous, miles ahead of The Body Shop and although slightly more expensive than some other brands, they are so worth it! Most larger towns have a Lush store, the several I have been in have all been spacious and airy with access for disabled customers, the staff have always been pleasant too with makes shopping much more pleasurable.

*What do they sell?*
As I mentioned earlier, Lush sell a very large range of cosmetics ranging from shower gels and shampoo's to bath fizzers and body lotions. I buy all my cosmetics except make-up from Lush (or the Body Shop) so they really do sell everything you need!

-Bath Bombs-
Prehaps their biggest seller and what they are most well known for are their bath fizzers or 'bombs'. They are constantly changing the scents of them, but do keep the 'regulars', many are brightly coloured and turn your bath water the same colour although thankfully they don't stain either your skin or the bath tub. The majority of them also contain little sparkly bits, petals, coloured foil ect, which do look very pretty but are highly annoying to clean from the bath afterwards as they tend to stick to the tub rather than wash down the plughole with the water! I have a Bath Bomb every evening and there are plenty of different scents so you couldn't possibly get bored, my favourites have to be the 'Honey Bee' which is, surprise surprise- a honey scented fizzer and 'Sex Bomb' which contains jasmine and ylang ylang.
Most bath bombs cost between £2-£3.

-Bubble Bars-
Occasionaly, instead of a Bath Bomb I'll have one of their Bubble Bars which, as the name suggests, create a tub full of light soft bubbles! They are incredibly moisturising on your skin and the scent lingers all day, and unlike the Bath Bombs you can easily break them in half and get two baths from one piece. I only ever have 'The Comforter' which is a pink and white blackcurrant scented bar, the Bubble Bars cost slightly more at between £2.50 - £4.

-Shower Gels-
I am not a morning person, and the only way I can possibly wake up is to haul myself from the bed, sleepwalk to the bathroom and have an ice cold shower. Again, Lush is my choice of product. The shower gels come in either the traditional liquid style or 'jellied'. The scents of all the shower gels are very strong, and certainly wake you up- the scent also lingers on your skin yet isn't so strong it interfers with your perfume. I use 'Happy Hippy' as it is a grapefruit shower gel and a really bright zesty smell to really wake you up! I buy the large 500g bottles which cost £10.50 and they last around a month being used everyday. Smaller bottles are also available.

-Shampoo-
Lush does sell traditional liquid shampoo (which I haven't used) but their most popular product is their solid shampoo bars which you simply rub on wet hair and create a lather, then rinse as usual. The bars last absolutely ages, I have long hair and I wash it everyday and I've had the same bar for at least the past 3 months, I use their 'Ulimate Shine' bar which is a violet leaf oil scented bar packed with sparkles which makes hair shine like no other shampoo I've used in the past- I have ''dirty blonde'' hair and the Ulimate Shine bar suits it very well- its very moisturising and doesn't weigh down hair. For brunettes, there are bars with henna to enrich your hairs natural colour. Prices range from £3-£4. Conditioners are also available yet I find the shampoo bar alone is enough to keep my hair in great condition.

-Soap-
In all the bathrooms around my house, you will be certain to find a slice of Lush soap sitting on the sink. They are great for all skin types and have gorgeous scents which linger of your hands for a while after use. I generally buy the 'Rock Star' which is vanilla scented, 'Ice Blue' which is peppermint or 'Happy Soap' - a great zesty orange one. Prices vary depending on the soap, but a 100g slice generally costs between £3 - £5.

-Lip Balm-
Out walking for several miles at a time two or three times a day with my dogs in all weathers means I can sometimes suffer with dry chapped lips, and the Lush lipbalms are lovely. They come in tiny silver tins and are applied from the tin using a finger, they are instantly soothing to chapped lips and help get rid of any roughness, leaving lips smooth again. I have the 'Whipstick' which is a chocolate orange flavoured one and 'Lip Squeak' which is apple pied flavoured. For a 10g tin they cost £3.95 but last ages.

-Moisturisers-
There is a moisturiser to suit all skin types at Lush, I personally use the 'Ultralight' all year round- it is a light yet effective moisturiser with the added benefit of sunscreen, it isn't greasy and can be used all over the body including on the face. It costs £7.95 for a 45g tub, which is expensive as it doesn't last long yet still way cheaper than Clinque or the like! Lush also sell hand creams, face masks, cleansers, toners and shaving lotions.

As you can see- there isn't much in the way of cosmetics that Lush doesn't make- they also sell dusting powders, fragrances, massage oil, deodrant powder and temple balm.

*My opioion*
I absolutely adore Lush- their products are not just gorgeous, they are also animal cruelty free- and thats something I feel strongly about and the main reason I use their cosmetics. Lush isn't just for girls either! They do a selection of products for men too, aswell as a few products specially designed for children.
Overall, I am very loyal to Lush and will continue to be for many years to come.


To find your nearest store and check the full range of products go to ''www.lush.co.uk''.

Summary: Outstanding store, I cannot speak highly enough of their products.