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

As a lover of all things spacey, Lush Space Girl (£2.35) is one of my favourite bath bombs ever. This space dust filled bath bomb creates an absolute galaxy in your bath tub, so zip up your space suits because this one's a dream.

To me Lush Space Girl smells exactly like Parma Violets. You know those funny little purple sweets you used to get in party bags as a kid? I don't really know why though as Lush Space Girl is actually scented with grapefruit, bergamot and almond oil, not a violet in sight! Anyway I love the smell, it is really sweet and comforting and lasts nicely on the skin without being overpowering.

This purple flying saucer shaped, pink glitter covered bath bomb turns the water a beautiful deep glittery purple red. But the real magic about Lush Space Girl is the fact that it contains popping candy. I love this as it crackles and spins around the bath when you drop it in like a shooting star. The attention to detail that Lush put into all their products is amazing and one of the reasons why I love this brand so much.

I love Space Girl and it is one of those Lush products that I will be forever repurchasing.

Have you tried Lush Space Girl? What did you think?

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

Well it's no secret that I have a little obsession with Lush. So when I got the beautiful Lush Merry Christmas Gift Box  (£19.95) for Christmas, I was so excited. Even just that beautiful ribbon excited me and I continued to wear it in my hair all day.

The Merry Christmas Gift Box contains 5 festive bath bombs/bubble bars. I was so happy as I haven't had the chance to get to Lush and try out any of there Christmas offerings this year as I've been so busy buying for other people. Karma eh? I haven't had the chance to try any of these out yet so this is more of a first impressions post and I've included links to full reviews so you can see all the bath goodies in action.

Lord Of Misrule:

Christmas Eve:

Father Christmas:

 

Cinders:

Golden Wonder:

One ¦ Two ¦ Three ¦ Four ¦ Five ¦ Six

I hope you're all as excited for Christmas as I am! I've been thinking about my Christmas wish list for ages now and I think I finally have it decided so in case you're a little bit stuck with what to ask for, here is my Christmas wish list.

What's on your Christmas wish list this year?

Ciara x

I was lucky enough to receive the *Lush Sultana Of Soap (£3.40 for 100g) along with the beautiful *Lush Ro's Argan Body Conditioner in a gift set (£8.95) for my birthday from my friend. While the body conditioner really intrigued me, I wasn't that excited by the *Sultana Of Soap as it contains dried currents which I hate. Just the thought of having them in a product that was going to touch my skin made my hair stand on end. However, I couldn't possibly allow this product to sit in my bathroom unused.

The soap does smell really nice, which is probably thanks to the bergamot oil in it. It is also not just a soap, it's supposed to act as a gentle exfoliant as well which also adds moisture to the skin. I do have to admit that after only using this soap like twice, I did notice a huge difference in the condition of my skin. It was much much softer and smelt lovely.

I've recently been using this all over my body instead of my usual shower gel and I think I have been converted. I think this is a really lovely product for the winter too as it contains dried currents and cranberries which are things that I associate with Christmas.

What's your favourite Lush soap?

Ciara x

*This post contains items which were gifted to me. Full disclaimer.

The body conditioner contains so many rich and nourishing ingrediants. Such as argan oil (which is also great for your hair), cocoa butter, brazil nut oil, almond oil, shea butter and cupuaçu butter. (Cupuaçu butter comes from Cupuaçu trees which are native to the Amazon Rainforest.) All of these beautiful ingredients mean the body conditioner is packed full of vitamin E and essential fatty acids, leaving our skin supple and radiant.


I think this stuff is great. I was lucky enough to receive it in a gift set for my birthday along with the beautiful Sultana Of Soap which I won't talk about as I have a full review coming soon. I've been using this a lot recently because it really does pack loads of moisture into the skin so it's perfect for the cold wintery months. Also if like me, when you get out of the shower in the winter you just want to wrap yourself up in your favourite fluffy onesie to keep warm, using the body conditioner in the shower means you don't waste precious warm time putting on moisturiser in the cold. It's a win win situation.

Will you be stocking up on the Ro's Argan Body Conditioner this winter? Or perhaps getting it for a friend for Christmas?

Ciara x