Hello everyone! I hope that you are all having a wonderful day. I know that things are still iffy in the world, but they will get better, even if it doesn’t seem like it. The goal for today was to start open discussions. This is not part of the One Planet series. It is an open forum and safe space to talk about various topics/ask questions in a mature manner, without judgment, and backed by science and personal experiences.
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LUSH Kitchen Mini Haul
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| This little box o’ happiness came sooner than I expected. |
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| A look inside the box. |
I recently made a purchase through the Lush UK site. Even with shipping the products can be cheaper. Things have changed, so the difference isn’t as good as it used to be, but I digress. About a week ago I bought a few things, and the parcel arrived exactly 7 days after it was dispatched. I’m not sure if every product is unwrapped when it ships, but everything was this time (except for the soap). When I have placed orders in the past, products were usually wrapped in a cellulose film with an ingredient list sticker. I digress… What’s in the box? Well, let’s take a look!
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| The products, unboxed! |
1. Mouthwash Tabs
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| Two of the three they offered. |
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| More fun little Polaroid cards… not sure what to do with them. |
Both of these mouthwash tabs have menthol in them. If you aren’t a fan, then I suggest skipping them the next time they are available. Personally, I love menthol– it opens up my sinuses. To use them, pop one in your mouth sip some water. Next, chew it up, just as you would with a toothy tab. Swish, spit, and you’re ready to go! These are are less compressed than the toothy tabs, and break up quite fast. You can also feel them fizz because of the combination of ingredients. Each bottle contains approximately 75 tabs. The were a Kitchen item, and I don’t think they’re available anymore. But, they may bring it back.
- Creme de Menthe
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| Green, shimmery, and minty! |
These little tabs really pack a punch. They are very minty because they contain peppermint powder AND peppermint oil. My mouth was first hit by the saltiness of the baking soda. Next came the menthol, followed by mint and a hint of sweet. The cooling effect lasted for about 30 minutes. I think that is mostly because I didn’t have anything to eat or drink in that time.
- Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster
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| Light, shimmery yellow tabs! |
This product smells like a lemon & menthol cough drop. They have a real Asian herbalist quality to them. Because of the sweetener, there is a definite diet-taste to them. Initially I was hit by sour/salty flavor, followed by a stinging sensation and that sweet, diet flavor. It, literally, tastes like a super strong Ricola (save for the diet part). My mouth felt refreshed thanks to the menthol, but there was a little bit of grit, simply because of the formula. This tab didn’t foam as much as I expected it to, but I could feel it breaking apart, due to the acids and baking soda reacting with the liquid. There was also an aftertaste of diet-y sweetness, lemon, and menthol, but it didn’t last more than about 10 minutes for me.
2. Hairy McClairy Solid Shampoo
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| I think this looks like a light green, melting Rice Krispy bar. |
During Valentine’s there was a product that smelled remarkably similar to this shampoo, mixed with something else that I can’t pinpoint. Maybe Prince Charming? Ugh, I can’t remember. This solid shampoo is supposed to help with testy scalps, and because of the weather, my scalp is really off. I have been using it every other day. It does do a thorough job of cleaning my hair, and leaves it conditioned and shiny. I have noticed that my hair doesn’t get greasy as fast (thanks to an oily scalp), but no other noticeable changes. Maybe it takes more than a few washes to see the change.
3. Soap
- Hippy Cold-Pressed Soap
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| I think that’s supposed to be a lion in the center… |
This is probably one of my least favorite products, scent-wise. It’s very strong of patchouli, and reminds me of the lumber department at Home Depot. I have not used it because I actually bought it for a friend. I’m sure you’re wondering why I would say something negative that I bought for someone else. Well, she loves patchouli, so I figured it would be the perfect for her. Sadly, the center doesn’t look like anything recognizable…
- Quinquireme of Nineveh
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| Sam made the soap! |
The smell of this milky, white soap reminds me of Trichomania. It contains coconut, orange and vanilla oils, as well as other nourishing ingredients. I really want to try this on my hair to see how it works out. I liked the little Polaroid card with the photo of who made the soap (Sam).
4. Solid Conditioners
I have tried the U.S versions of these two solid conditioners, and wanted to see if the formula was any different. I have purchased Ocean Salt from the U.S. and U.K. stores, and both were different. The U.K. version had more salt and was a different color. One thing I have noticed with the solid conditioners is that I really only notice its effectiveness after my hair is completely dry. The same hold for the Avocado Co-Wash (read more about that here).
- Sugar Daddy-O
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| Goes great with the Daddy-O shampoo. |
This bar matches the shampoo in color (minus the shimmer) and fragrance. It is supposed to be more for blondes as it helps to rid tame brassy tones. The shampoo was great for my hair (brown w/gold & red tones) as it kept it shiny and beautiful. I have yet to try this conditioner, but I hope it works as well as the U.S. one.
- The Plumps
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| Got about ½ as much as the Daddy-O . *sad* |
I have been using this for the past three days, and I have not noticed a difference (yet). The scent is really indescribable; earthy/herbal with a sweet finish is the best I can describe it. The scent does not linger in my hair. While my hair feels conditioned, it is NOT more voluminous. Also, if you’re thinking that the bar will look like the picture, it doesn’t as far as the color is concerned. It is a much deeper pink. Do you remember the Easter LifeSavers? The pink one was cotton candy, and that’s what the photo reminded me of.
5. Samples
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| Thank you so much to whoever provided all of these! |
In the comments box, I asked to sample the new toothy tabs, since we don’t have them in the U.S. yet. They were kind enough to send me samples of ALL of the tooth products! Obviously I have not tried them yet, but as I do, I will provide updates. I think it’s interesting that they have left the Toothy Tabs in their pre-pressed, powder form, and have pressed nearly all of the new flavors.
- Limelight
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| Image courtesy of lush.co.uk |
- BOOM!
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| Image courtesy of lush.co.uk |
- Oral Pleasure
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| Image courtesy of lush.co.uk |
- Atomic (powder)
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| Image courtesy of lush.co.uk |
- Ultrablast (powder)
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| Image courtesy of lush.co.uk |
- BLING!
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| BLING! tabs are covered in a light gold shimmer powder. |
Between the old tabs and this one, I have to say this is one of my least favorites. I was excited because I love orange, well anything citrusy really. I should have realized, though, that the guarana powder and frankincense oil would overpower the flavor. I do like the tab easily broke apart when I chewed it, unlike the old ones. The old tabs would leave me spitting out big chunks of product no matter how much I chewed them.
- Miles of Smiles
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| Image courtesy of lush.co.uk |
- Tooth Fairy (powder)
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| Not the best photo. You can’t see the sparkles, but they’re there. |
Have you used any of the new LUSH products? Let me know if you have a new favorite, or what you’d like to try.
Stay beautiful!
My LUSH Hits & Misses: The NEW Shampoo Bars
Happy (Makeup) Monday! Recently, LUSH Cosmetics released 6 all-new shampoo bars, so I went down, bought four of the six, and tried them. The shampoo bars, from left to right, are:
Top Row: Jason and the Argan Oil, Copperhead, Honey I Washed My Hair
Bottom Row: Lullaby, Brazilliant, Montalbano.
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Shampoo Bars (new)
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Hit
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Okay
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Miss
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Brazilliant
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x
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Honey I Washed My Hair
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x
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Montalbano
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x
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Copperhead
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x
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Brazilliant, prior to use, is strong of ylang-ylang with a hint of orange. When I used it in the shower, I expected my bathroom to fill up with those scents, and yet it did not. Once out of the shower, I normally use a leave-in conditioner, but I wanted to see how this shampoo bar acted on its own. I carefully brushed through my hair and let it air dry. Taking the towel off, there was no scent of oranges and just the tiniest hint of ylang-ylang, which didn’t last. I was reading the comments, and other users had said the same thing. Once my hair dried it was softer but dull. I asked the opinion of my family, and they said the same thing. After reading the reviews, I had expected quite a bit of shine, so I was disappointed. Brazilliant is supposed to condition and shine up your ‘do, as well as, “…leave your hair with an intoxicating citrus scent” (lushusa.com, 2015). It did condition, but did not provide shine. Perhaps you will have different results. If you are looking for a conditioning bar that doesn’t leave your hair scented, this may be for you. I suppose it’s a good thing, too, if you use other perfumes/fragrances. Mixing scents is not always a good thing.
Honey I Washed My Hair is loaded with one of my favorite scents! It smells just like It’s Raining Men and Honey I Washed The Kids. If you’re not using the shower gel or soap as shampoo, this will complete your set. This bar is supposed to be moisturizing as it contains a ton of real, fair trade honey (it’s the second ingredient on the list!). The first thing I noticed was my hair’s texture in the shower and after rinsing. It was significantly less stringy. My hair was also far more perfumed, which isn’t saying much. I have used the It’s Raining Men shower gel as a shampoo. If you’re looking for perfumed hair that is the way to go. I was able to brush through my hair easier with the use of this bar over the others, and I noticed a good amount of shine. The shine was comparable to Montalbano.
As we all know, lemons are amazing. They are good for us on the inside as well as the outside. Montalbano contains a lot of lemon: juice, peel, peel powder, and oil, along with other ingredients such as green olives and popping candy. Yes, popping candy (anyone up for some Pop Rocks?)! It smells just like, the now discontinued, Lemslip with a hint of gardenia. Montalbano should clarify and add shine and simultaneously soothe irritated scalps (lushusa.com, 2015). I found Montalbano to lather just as well as the others. At first, it filled my senses with lemon and a hint of custard, but the scent did not linger for long. Like the other shampoo bars, once my hair dried, it smelled like absolutely nothing. My hair, once it dried, was soft and shiny, more so than after using the others.
I used to love Reincarnate, which has been discontinued, because it brought out all of the tones in my hair. My hair is a light-medium brown with red and gold natural highlights. These highlights are more pronounced when I spend a day in the sun, and it lightens up. Since I don’t like being in the sun, I bought this. It has one of the worst scents, but as others have commented, it does not last and doesn’t attach to hair. It smells of henna, earthy cologne, and a hint of coffee. My gripe is that this bar is so much more fragile than the others. After swirling Copperhead around my hair, I put the bar down, and noticed a considerable amount of bar particles in my hand. This makes me think that the bar will not yield 80 washes. If you store it in a tin, definitely wait for it to dry completely, or it will fall apart. Copperhead is supposed to be great for color treated hair since it contains red henna (lushusa.com, 2015). It is also supposed to condition and provide loads of shine, without adding color; the henna will not alter your hair color, treated or otherwise (lushusa.com, 2015). Now, on to my results: My hair had a bit more shine than with Brazilliant. I think it may take some time before I really start to see results from the henna. Out of the four, this has (ironically) been my favorite thus far, simply because of the results.
Overall Impressions
The new shampoo bars are fun to try out if you are into changing up your routine. They may not have perfumed my hair, but there were definitely some hits. Effectiveness trumps the fragrance part, and I am excited to see how these bars work over time. Since I can have a problematic scalp, especially when the weather changes, it is important to note that I always used a Selsun Blue equivalent on my scalp. I rinsed that off thoroughly and then applied the shampoo bar all over. My hair is over 12 inches long, and it literally only took THREE swirls for a great lather on all of the shampoo bars. I also love the fact that they are travel-friendly, and won’t take up space in my liquids bag. Admittedly, I did not purchase Lullaby, which smelled of fresh lavender, nor did I purchase Jason and the Argan Oil, simply because (1) it was out of stock and (2) I don’t care for the Rose Jam scent…or anything l
ike it for that matter. Should you purchase the shampoo bar tins, you ought to know that (1) they may not fit perfectly because of the compressing process and (2) the shampoo bar is likely to stick after you put it in. I recommend letting the bar dry, otherwise you might end up with a gooey mess. The bar might stick, and it can be hell trying to pry it out.
ike it for that matter. Should you purchase the shampoo bar tins, you ought to know that (1) they may not fit perfectly because of the compressing process and (2) the shampoo bar is likely to stick after you put it in. I recommend letting the bar dry, otherwise you might end up with a gooey mess. The bar might stick, and it can be hell trying to pry it out.
Have you tried any? If you have, I would love to know which bar is your favorite go-to.
Stay beautiful!
Reference
Lushusa.com. (2015). Shampoo bars. Retrieved from http://www.lushusa.com/Shampoo-Bars/shampoo-bars,en_US,sc.html
Darphynia's Diary 
