Ciara Sims

It's been a long time since I've entered the heaven that is a Lush shop but, on a recent trip to Oxford Street I went into their new flagship store and I was very disciplined and only left with two items instead of one of everything that they sell (which is what I really wanted). I picked myself up two Oxford Street Exclusives - Refresher Shower Jelly (£3.50) and Intergalactic Bath Bomb (£3.50).

Refresher Shower Jelly is my new favourite thing ever. I could sit there smelling this stuff all day. It's lemony and sweet and smells exactly like Refresher sweets which I love. I do like Lush's complex multi layered scents but often I much prefer their simpler products and Refresher is a prime example of this. There's nothing hidden about it. It's bright yellow and smells like lemons. You're either going to love it or not be that bothered. Everyone in my household seems to love the smell and I wish I could go round smelling like this all the time. I love the Lush shower jelly's and before my favourite smell was Lush's Whoosh (£3.50) but now I think it's definitely Refresher.

I think the shower jelly's are so fun and creative and there is nothing else out there like them. You can use them in any way that you want, as either shower gel or shampoo. You can even stick them in the fridge or freezer for a cold rush in the shower (although why you would want that I don't know so I tend to keep my shower jelly at room temp)! The shower jelly can take a little while to get used to because it is quite slippy but mine has lasted me ages and it hasn't broken up or crumbled without me wanting it to, which is great because I don't want to waste a single ounce of this stuff. The Shower jelly's lather up really well, the scent is strong and you can still smell it on you even a couple of hours after your shower. They're just as good as any shower and much more fun to use.

I haven't had a chance to use Intergalactic yet but trust me it's a beauty. I saw one of the Lush staff demonstrating this in the sinks in the store and it was so pretty that I just had to have it. Intergalactic creates a whole galaxy in your bath. It turns the water a deep blue with streaks of bright yellow and pink and gold for some added sparkle. I love stargazing and I find space really interesting so of course this bath bomb attracted me greatly but, it really does leave your bath looking like a beautiful night sky and I can imagine it being so relaxing.

Intergalactic also contains popping candy which is one of my favourite things ever so I cant wait to stick this in my bath and watch it fizzle away. I think putting popping candy in is such a fun touch and makes Lush's products that little bit more special and different to everybody else's. The smell of this bath bomb isn't something I would usually go for as I tend to favour citrus scents like Refresher but it's absolutely lovely. It's very pepperminty but contains cederwood to give it a much deeper smell and I think there's even grapefruit oil in there so it has a really slight citrus hint. I haven't explained that well at all, but if you get a chance to go into the Oxford Street store then definitely give this a sniff. I think Intergalactic would be perfect for a relaxing bath before bed.

I wish these products were available in every Lush store and I hope that they will be one day. Lush has got some great exclusive products that I would love to get my hands on. I think I will be making another trip very shortly.

What's your favourite Lush product?

Ciara x

It's been a while since I used any Soap & Glory products but I found the Scrub Of Your Life (£7) body scrub at the back of my bathroom cupboard and fell in love with it all over again.

I don't usually use body scrubs as I tend to just put my body wash on with one of those puffy shower things ( I have no idea what they are called but I am sure you know what I mean). I just think body scrubs can be a little bit harsh on my skin as it tends to be quite sensitive. However, Scrub Of Your Life is amazing. It contains scrubbing beads but they aren't at all harsh. I mean obviously you can tell they are there, but they wash away easily (unlike some scrubs where you are finding the beads in all sorts of strange places for the next few days) and don't feel like they are scraping your skin away.

Scrub Of Your Life also smells gorgeous. It is scented with bergamot, mandarin, rose, jasmine, peach, strawberry, oakmoss, amber and vanilla. While that might sound sickly and overpowering, it really isn't. Also I want to stress that this is scented without smelling perfumed if that makes sense. I know some people like to stay away from scented things if they have sensitive skin, but I think this is gentle enough.

I have had tubes of Scrub Of Your Life before but I think this little tube actually came as part of a Christmas present and I am so glad that I found it again because it really does do wonders for my skin and I am going away soon so it is always great to have a travel size. It leaves my skin feeling so incredibly smooth and moisturised at the same time. Scrub Of Your Life contains a 'moisture foam formula' which means you don't have to use a separate body wash as well.

I love this scrub and think it is so lovely. It's quick and easy to use and has amazing results. I will definitely be repurchasing!

Anything you recommend from the Soap & Glory range?

Ciara x

For a couple of weeks now I have been absolutely dying to get my hands on the Lush Unicorn Horn Bubble Bar (£3.25). The design is a little bit girlier than I would usually go for but I love the bright pastel colours that have been twisted together and it has even been decorated with candy stars. It is so bright and colourful and looks as if it has just stepped out of my My Little Pony Annual that I had when I was six.

Lush Unicorn Horn is scented beautifully with lavender and neroli which is so relaxing. I'm saving this one, so I'm keeping in my draw for a while and every time I open it up I'm hit with the smell of lavender and it's so gorgeous I just stand there for a while and take it all in.

I've heard so many great things about Unicorn Horn that I'm so excited to use it and really sad that it wont be in Lush all year round. Plus as it is a bubble bar I'm expecting a lot of bubbles!

I hope you all had a good Valentines Day yesterday.

Ciara x

Lush Golden Wonder (£3.50) is my favourite bath bomb everrrrr. I got Golden wonder for Christmas and I have actually already mentioned it on my blog before, but I just couldn't leave this beauty without a full review.

For starters, it smells a-maze-ing. It contains lime oil and orange which are so fresh and citrusy. I'm a sucker for citrus scents so if I could bottle up the smell of Golden Wonder and spray it all around my room, trust me I would. The smell also isn't too overpowering which is just perfect.

This beauty is filled to the brim with surprises. As this isn't a bubble bar, Golden Wonder doesn't create any bubbles, but what it does is slowly turns the water this beautiful deep teal colour. As it fizzes it creates white foam that makes little whirlpools all over the bath, however this seems to disappear quite quickly. Then into the water, little spheres of colour are released and you get pockets of pink, yellow, purple, orange and green spinning around your bath. Oh and if that isn't exciting enough, hundreds of tiny shimmery gold stars are released into the water, making the whole bathing experience truly magical.

The gold lustre on the outside of Golden Wonder fills the bath with really fine shimmery gold glitter that leaves your skin looking really radiant and like you have been blessed by the gods. The stars also dissolve by the time you are finished with your bath, so there isn't any grime in sight. A bonus in my opinion.

I love this bath bomb and I am so sad that it is only part of their Christmas range. I need Golden Wonder in my life all year round! If you can get your hands on it then I seriously suggest that you do.

What is your favourite Lush bath bomb?

Ciara x

 Ahh Lush Snow Angel Bath Melt (£3.95). This little angel is packed full of glittery moisturising goodness! Not to mention that it's seriously cute.

Because this is a bath melt it doesn't create any bubbles however, there are still surprises ahead. Typically, bath melts don't really do anything to make your bath that exciting. But Snow Angel creates this layer of white foam across the bath, like snow and then underneath is this wonderful glitter filled bath. I think the water was supposed to turn gold but really it went a bit yellow and then quite green. It was still quite pretty though as there was loads of glitter which caught the light and made the bath glisten.

It melted really slowly, fizzing a little bit which I liked because it just lasted so long, so you could have a really long relaxing bath. The top white layer melted away quicker than the gold, leaving a white sort of mist across the bath.

Snow Angel Bath Melt is rich in cocoa butter and contains a blend of rose, benzoin and cassie absolute which gives it a lovely light floral and delicate marzipan scent. I was given the Snow Angel Bath Melt for Christmas and I'm not that keen on marzipan so this isn't my favourite Lush scent. However, it is really nice and sweet. Luckily for me it wasn't too overpowering so I did enjoy it. The cocoa butter in Snow Angel means you leave the bath feeling really moisturised. I found that there was no need for any extra moisturiser at all. Fantastic.

My only issue with Snow Angel is that it left a really nasty rim around my bath and I had to rinse out all the excess glitter that settled at the bottom of my bath. It wasn't hard to rinse away though so maybe I'm complaining about nothing!

What do you think of Snow Angel Bath Melt?

Ciara x

So White Bath Ballistic (£3.20) is a huge round white bath ballistic. It doesn't look like anything special but it smells gorgeous. Before it has been used it smells like apples. Which is slightly odd as it doesn't actually contain anything that would suggest that it smells of apples. This bath ballistic contains bergamot oil, rose absolute, orange flower absolute and neroli oil.

When first plunged into the bath it fizzes a lot and begins to spin around the bath. It doesn't create any bubbles, but creates a white sort of froth which covers the bath. It reminded me a bit of snow. This lasts for quite a long time, whilst the beautiful smell begins to fill the room. Then, and at first I thought this was my eyes playing a trick on me, So White begins to turn the bath pink. It happens really gradually and So White continues to spin all around the bath. eventually what you're left with is this really nice pinky purple coloured bath water. And this is coming from a girl who doesn't really like pink. I then thought that the scent changed slightly and to me it began to smell like Palma Violets. Yum.

I was really surprised how long So White seemed to last. It continued to spin around the bath for the majority of the time that I was in there. Although it may not be the most exciting of Lush Products, this bath ballistic is still very very lovely. It leaves a gorgeous scent that lasts subtly on the skin and is really nice at the end of a long relaxing day.

What is your favourite Lush bath product?

Ciara x

Lush Butterbear Bath Bomb (£1.95) is a gorgeous cocoa butter and vanilla scented, bear shaped bath bomb. I think that it is probably the cutest bath bomb from Lush that I have ever tried and it left my skin feeling amazing.

When first popped into the bath, it didn't really do anything special, there was no colour change and no bubbles. It just sort of fizzed a bit and melted into the bath. However, the room was filled with the sweet and rich scent of cocoa butter and vanilla and when I got into the bath I could instantly feel how luxurious the water had become.

Because this little Butterbear contains cocoa butter, it moisturises your skin leaving you feeling silky smooth and smelling amazing. There is also no need for added moisturiser afterwards. Even the next day my skin felt really soft. Because of how rich and moisturising this little bear is, I did have to let all the goodness sink into my skin for a couple of minutes, however this didn't take long at all or leave my skin feeling greasy.

I love this little bear and think the results are much more luxurious than the price!

Have you tried Lush Butterbear? What did you think?

Ciara x