Heaven delivered to your doorstep (Lush.co.uk)

Member Name: AmandaB123

Product:	Lush.co.uk
Date:	27/10/09 (95 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Everything

Disadvantages: Nothing

I am not a big drinker or a smoker, but my vice in life is Lush. I adore it and I do think its become an addiction, despite the cost. If I won the lottery my dream would be that all my toiletries and cosmetics would be from Lush. My bathroom would be lined with all the black pots I could fit in - Heaven!

I first discovered Lush when I moved to Nottingham just over 10 years ago. There hadn't been one in my home town of Cambridge, although there is now. I remember the smell, thinking how lovely it was. Then my husband bought me my first gift set, addiction set in and I was hooked.

Now the problem I have is twofold. We have moved away so that we don't live as close to town as we did, and when I do manage to get into town I can never get into Lush because either my husband is bemoaning the money I spend, or my older children bemoaning the smell of the shop, which I quite like - but I can see why others would find it over powering.

So my saviour is the Lush website. It has been my friend for the last 18 months and I use it probably once a month or so.

Lush is a natural company, they make products that are organic and vegetarian and that don't contain anything harmful, like preservatives. The products are not tested on animals in anyway and they use the smallest amount of packaging they can

I find the website bright and easy to navigate. It has split all the products into easy categories of Bath, shower, Hair, Skincare, Fragrance and Gifts. Then each section has been split down again, and you can find these sub-categories by hovering over the main one so if you know your looking for a certain product it isn't difficult to find it even from the main page. Each product has its own page, showing a detailed picture of the product, a thorough description of the product, how it works and a list of the ingredients. I think this is a great idea so you know exactly what is in the product rather than just getting a vague idea of the main ingredients. Some of the products have video demonstrations of how to use them, and all the products have the option of writing reviews (like a mini Dooyoo) so you can see what others think about the product - helping you decide if its for you if you haven't tried that particular one.

The gift section is a favourite of mine, as many of my family will tell you. One thing I like is that the gifts are broken down by price, so I can shop for an item within my Budget.

There is a link to Lush's sister site 'B never be too busy to be beautiful' a forum where you can chat about all things Lush and a new Encyclopedia which explains about all the ingredients in the products, where they come from and what they are good for.

The 'Retro' section is great, its basically it's a place to find all the products that have been discontinued. Its really annoying if you like a product for it suddenly to disappear to be replaced by something else. This helps to solve that problem. Its only available online and not instore. I have used it to buy a couple of products which I really liked.

When you place your first order you are asked for your email address and password, which you can use to log onto 'Your Lush'. A homepage for you which shows your favourite products, and products you have ordered. You can write a wishlist on there and send it to others. It also keeps all of your address details so you don't have to fill them in again. They will also send you emails every so often, and a copy of the 'lush Times', which is basically a catalogue disguised as a newspaper in the post.

You can pay on the site via Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Solo and Electron. There isn't a charge for using your credit card. I know that when my mum uses the site she gets all worked up and worried about security and so she phones her order through, which you can do too. I don't know why she worries (It's a Mum thing, and she does it with all websites), I use my card and I have never had a problem as it's a secure site.

The delivery charge is £3.95 for standard or £6.95 for next day. I have never used Next day as I have found standard to be fine. I placed an order on Saturday night while I was watching X-faxtor and it has been delivered this morning (Tuesday).

The parcels are packaged up well, wrapped tightly with tape and the products are sitting tight inside with packing peanuts to stop any mishaps in transit. You open up the box and the smell of Lush hits you. It makes me so happy.

I suppose I should really mention the products. I know that I am biased but I think they are all fab. I have yet to come across one I don't like.

WWW.LUSH.CO.UK

Summary: *****