Heaven in a sweet-scented shop (Lush)

Member Name: leanne8686

Product:	Lush
Date:	06/10/08 (163 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: everything!

Disadvantages: addictive, can get expensive

Right so I've reviewed a couple of Lush products, now its time to review the store and everything Lush! My favourite shop by far, never loved a shop for the smell before, thats for sure!!

As I've mentioned in my review before, there isn't a branch of Lush in Huddersfield :( which is mad I think, I am definitely going to email them to suggest it straight after i've wrote this!
So my nearest branch is in Leeds or Meadowhall, both lovelt stores (as are all Lush shops) but a bit of a trail when I need a quick fix.


~~My first Lush experience~~
I was 13, I remember the day well....Christmas day 1999.
My very cool cousin Michael and his wife Abi (equally cool) were over from Jersey for christmas and this was my present, I was excited before I even opened it: the wrapping paper was beautiful!
It contained a 'Floating Island' bath melt and 'Blue skies and fluffy white clouds' bubble bar slice.

WOW!! The products were wrapped in Lush branded tissue paper but the most heavenly smell was already seeping out of the packaging!
That night I used my Floating Island bath melt and it was love at first bath....



~~My first time in a Lush store~~
This was in lovely Chester, out for the day with my mum and dad (we were thinking of moving down to Chester at the time)

It was the year after that first Lush christmas and I hadn't been able to track down a store anywhere near me, I had almost given up hope when walking down the high street in Chester we smelt the most amazing mix of aromas and there it was in front of me; a big green and yellow sign saying 'Lush'.

So I dragged my mum with me into this grotto of loveliness and daren't look at the prices at first (Michael and Abi were known to be pretty flash!)
When we dared to look, we were pleasantly surprised. No, Lush has never been cheap but in this case you really do get what you pay for!

That day I was pretty restrained, still only being 13 at the time wasn't exactly rolling in money.... I bought a lip balm and a couple of bath ballistics, I forget which ones; it was 8 years ago!


So ever since then I have been hooked, I can smell a Lush store at more than twenty paces and cannot walk past one without going in. I know you can buy online but really, most of the pleasure of buying from Lush is within those four walls of a Lush store!



~~The stores themselves~~
All Lush shops look pretty similar inside, they have white walls and wooden floors usually.
All of the products are laid out on shelves and tables throughout the stores and the smell...breathtaking literally!

There are always plenty of staff in Lush stores, All really helpful and approachable, they're always keen to help.
They really know their stuff too, if you need advice for a present or you have a certain type of skin/hair problem they have the answer in Lush product form!

My favourite store is the one in Covent Garden, London.
Its right in the middle of the market buildings and looks tiny when you first enter it, but the main part of the store is downstairs.
They have all the soaps upstairs and every other product you could need is downstairs. The smell is intensified in this shop as there are no windows or doors on the lower floor.



~~Lush Beliefs~~
None of the ingredients in Lush products or the finished products themselves are tested on animals.

They believe we need to cut down on packaging, one of the reasons they create solid products wherever they can.

Lush have always used paper bags when you buy your products, long before other shops jumped on the band wagon. If you re-use your bag 5 times they will reward you with a gift too.

They use natural ingredients wherever possible and no artificial colourings or preservatives. Another reason they create solid products is to cut down on these harmful preservatives.



~~What do they sell?~~
As I've mentioned Lush's Unique Selling Point is their solid bath, skin and hair products.
In solid bar form they make: Shampoos, conditioners, henna hair dyes, bubble baths, bath bombs, shower jellies, skin cleansers, massage bars...the list goes on.

They also sell some liquids, these are all packaged in recyclable plastic bottles.
These include traditional shampoos, conditioners, shower gels, toners, cleansers, moisturisers.....

And fellas, its not all for the ladies; Lush sell a range of mens products too: shaving gels and creams, hair gels etc. Aswell as the specific mens products, the shower gels, soaps and everything else can be pretty unisex really!

Whether you have greasy hair, problem skin, dry heels...there's a product to sort you out at Lush, and they really do what they claim too.
Next to each product in store is a little black card which describes the ingredients and the benefits they have to the hair, skin etc.

Aswell as dealing with any specific problems you may have, I've found all Lush products to be great and suitable for very sensitive skin like mine. At first you will think how can something so strongly fragranced be ok for sensitive skin? but its mostly natural and that is the secret!!

All year there are little gift sets you can buy as presents but at Christmas time they sell the most gorgeous gifts ever, these are in store now as I noticed at the Meadowhall branch last week.
I have my eye on the 'Secret Santa' if we decide to do secret santa at work this year, its £5 and a complete surprise as there's no clue to what is inside the wrapped box.

They have gifts from this price rising up to deluxe boxes of products that cost up to £150!!
I always dream one christmas I'll wake up to one of these.....



~~Prices~~
Lush isn't cheap but its unique and original, most girls would be over the moon with a pressie from Lush!
To give you an idea of what you'll be paying, I'll give you a quick run down of the price of some of a few products:

Shower Gels; small bottles cost around £4 while big bottles can cost anything up to £12.

Soaps; these are bought by weight and for a 'normal' sized bar of soap exect to pay around £3.50.

Bubble Bars; cost from around £1.95 for the smallest to £3.50 for the largest ones.



~~The Lush Times~~
This is free when you go into a store, it used to only be free when you made a purchase.
Its the Lush newspaper (printed on recycled paper of course!)

Inside are all the products and this comes out seasonally. Its like a catalogue and I love reading through looking at all the newest products and especially the gift sets.
The Lush Times includes all the product details, what its good for, price, ingredients and a little picture.

I don't know if they still do this but they used to print pictures next to the products that people had designed and sent in.
I sent one in for the 'Creamy candy' bubble bar and was so happy when it was printed next to the product description!



Right I think thats everything you need to know about Lush, there are lots more stores open than when I first started visiting back in 1999 so I'm sure there'll be one near you, if not its worth a short trip!
Check out the Lush website at www.lush.co.uk to find out where.



And if you've never visited Lush beware, It can quickly turn into a pretty expensive addiciton!

Now i'm looking forward to having a bath tonight with one of my many Lush products, its cold outside and I need cheering up today, the only decisin left to make is which one to choose.....

Summary: My favourite shop, pleasing for the eyes and nose!!