Twilight ballistic

Lush have become quite creative and adventurous with their ballistics - that's bath bombs for the Lush-uneducated - where they've released four new ones. Two I like, and two I don't. The first one that I like (obviously) is called Twilight.

OK, roll your eyes and get it over with.

It smells very, very nice. "Lavender and Ovaltine", the website says, and I'm not too sure if that's what it smells like but it's very nice indeed. It's subtly sweet and relaxing. Idea for just before bed. It also makes skin very soft, which is always a good thing.

Where the magic happens with Twilight (and likewise with their other new ballistics) is when you drop it into the bath. Twilight turns the water pink first, and the bright blue before the two mix and make purple. It's very very pretty and a lot more exciting than the monotone you usually get with ballistics. Watch the video below to see what I mean.

Caca Rouge henna

I think this might be a review in two installments. One now and one in a few weeks time after the hair has settled or whatever it is it might be doing.

Lush's 'Caca' range is simply henna hair colouring.

I know what you're thinking. Anyone who has heard of henna has heard the horror stories. Hair falling out or burning, disintegrating or turning green. And yes, that does happen, if you use the wrong kind of henna.

Yes, I've done my research.

The wrong kind of henna would be any henna that comes in bottles, packaged up with such things as a bottle of developer, or anything to mix with it, like regular hair dyes do. Those 'henna' dyes rarely even contain henna in the slightest amount. 'Henna' with added metallic compounds are the ones that do the most damage. If you're going to try henna make sure you know whats in it. For example, added silver compounds turns hair (especially already dyed hair) green, while added copper compound will actually dissolve your hair and burn your scalp. Not an attractive look. So DO NOT BUY HENNA WITHOUT CHECKING THE INGREDIENTS FIRST.

There are two safe ways of using henna, as far as I am sure of. You can buy tattoo-quality powdered henna, which is purely the henna plant all ground up. You have to add your own oils,etc, to make it work properly. Anyone that will sell this top notch henna will give you full instructions on what to do and how to do it. You're more likely to find such people on the internet, but do be very careful and check what they are selling. Remember you want the powder stuff, not bottles of developer.

Or if you want an easy, simple, cost effective way to do it, go to Lush. They sell their henna already mixed with essential oils and butter, compounded into a dry-but-slightly-oily brick. It looks like a giant chocolate bar, but really doesn't smell like one. They come in four shades...

Actually, that reminds me, henna ONLY comes in red and variations of red. If you see anything claiming to be henna that is blonde or blue or crazy non-red/brown then DON'T GET IT. It's one of those metallic compound ones. In fact, even black henna isn't 100% henna... but black henna is safe... allow me to continue...

Where was I? Oh, yes, four shades. Caca Brun is the mellow, subtle brown one. Caca Maron is like a chestnutty, mahogany, dark reddish brown. Caca Rouge is the red one, which they actually tell people to only get if they want their hair RED! And Caca Noir is henna and indigo (another plant) which can make your hair black with either purple/blue hints or red hints, depending on whether you let it dry or keep it wet and warm during the development time.

You should also know that Henna doesn't work like ordinary dyes. It stains the hair and the endresult will be relative to your natural or previous colour. For example, Caca Rouge on dark brown hair will make it deep chocolate brown with reddish highlights in the sun. Caca Rouge onblonde or grey hair will turn it vibrant ginger. This works really great it you have a few stray strands of grey hair of old highlights on dark hair, as these will turn gingery red while the rest will go brown. I will, however, warn people with blonde or grey roots that it WILL turn your roots ginger, and leave the rest of your hair dark. It will look silly. So go for Caca Marun or Brunor Noir instead.

Henna colour is permanent.
Once you put the slop on your hair it takes AT LEAST one hour to develop, but they recommend 4 hours 'officially', but the majority of Lush Henna people will say to leave it on longer, or even overnight. Why? Well, because it's like a mud mask for your hair as well as a hair dye! It leaves your hair thicker, softer, less likely to tangle, easier to manage... it's really amazing stuff, so why wouldn't you leave it on for as long as possible? It's GOOD for your hair!

I will say that it is very messy and very tedious to prepare it. You will need help (thank you again, Laura) if your hair is longer than a few inches.

It is definitely worth it, though.

As with everything, if you are going to henna your hair, get instructions (provided by lovely Lush staff) and stick to them. Trust me.

Fresh Farmacy cleanser

I've had a hard time with Lush facial washes in the past. I'm allergic to Angels On Bare Skin. I wanted to try something that wasn't going to give me a rash or turn my face to a grease machine. So I tried Fresh Farmacy. It's the peachy coloured solid soap they sell with the aim of reducing spots and redness of the face.

I don't really suffer from spots that often, so I can't really say if this works in that respect or not. I can't see why it wouldn't though, because this soap is very drying. It's super important to use a moisturiser afterwards, but that's the case with most spot- and redness-fighting cleansers out there.

It does leave the skin very very soft though, and very clean, so the temporary dryness is well worth it. It's inexpensive as it lasts a very long time. It smells slightly floral and calming.

To use, you lather it up like a regular soap and rub it over your face, scrubbing gently with your fingers before rinsing it off completely. Then use your moisturiser!

If you're not sure about whether this is the right product for you, ask for a sample in your local Lush. Most branches are more than happy to give your a little bit to see if it works for you. Go on, give it a go.

Sakura solid perfume (discontinued)

Sakura is the Japanese word for cherry blossom. Are you surprised I've picked this up?

For those of you that don't know, cherry blossom is my favourite scent in the world. Plus, it's very pretty!

Lush make a bath ballistic called Sakura, too, and if you like it - and I don't know why you wouldn't - you should give this a try. I will say now that as with all of Lush's solid perfumes, Sakura smells differently on different people. This happens when the body's natural oils mix with the oils and butters in the perfume and subtly changes the fragrance. It should also be noted that a person's 'scent' can change over time, especially if the person moves to a different environment.

What I mean is, when I lived in London and my skin was assaulted with pollution and grime 24/7, Sakura smelled really bad on my skin. American Cream and Champagne Snow Showers were better behaved. Now that I'm living in a much kinder environment my skin behaves differently, and so Sakura smells very nice.

Now, if you're thinking you don't want to smell all floral like an old lady, then reread what I just said, and also keep in mind that Sakura doesn't just smell like cherry blossom. In the tin it smells quite musky and sensual, almost mysterious, if a smell can be called mysterious. It doesn't smell "like" anything else. It barely even reflects the scent of the bath ballistic. It's as thought Lush took three or four familiar, identifiable scents and put them all together and my some miracle they worked out.

Out of the pot it becomes more subtle and, while I can't tell you what it would smell like on your skin, I can tell you that when I'm wearing it I can't stop smelling myself. I'll make the excuse of scratching my head just so I can sniff my wrist.

Mint Julips lip scrub

Lush's lip scrubs are probably the weirdest thing they produce. They're basically sugar mixed with oils into a paste, that they put in little jars and sell as lip exfoliation. It's quite clever really.

They come in three flavours. Mint Julips (mint chocolate, made with vanilla extract, cocoa butter and peppermint oil), Sugar Lips (chocolaty, made with cocoa butter and vanilla extract), and Bubblegum (sweet, smells like Snow Fairy shower gel).

You take a little bit of the sugary stuff and rub it into your lips where the sugar granules scrub away dead and hard skin, the butters and oils leave your lips soft, and then you lick off the sugar. Yep, the only Lush product that's as edible as it smells. It tastes really, really good too! Of course, you can always get someone to kiss it off for you...

I'd recommend it as a treat, as a little pot costs almost €7 (£4.50). If you do use them be careful not to use yours too much, as more than once or twice a day makes your lips sore and sometimes the oils can just be too much if used often on sensitive skin. Use it wisely and you will love it.

Buffy body butter

I bought a box from Lush for €12.50 called "The All Inclusive Package". It really is fantastic value and is only "while stocks last"... which is a bit silly because you can buy all the items separately anyway. The Buffy body butter and Glorious Mud scrub together should cost more than €12.50, and then they go and throw in little tins of Fair Trade Foot Lotion and Ultralight moisturiser and A Token To The Forest Gods sauna tab AND a Stepping Stone foot scrub. Phew! You get about €18 worth of stuff for a lot less money. So even that is reason enough to buy it! I haven't used anything other than Buffy so far, though, so that's what I'll review.

Buffy was around when I first started buying Lush. It was then called Buffy The Backside Slayer, which is why it stuck in my head from the start. They had to change the name for some reason, probably because it offended someone at some point. Anyway, it's taken me this long to try it.

I love my moisturisers. My skin is really dry and I would have a shower in oil if I could. Actually, I remember when I used to bath in water mixed with baby oil. Hey, it worked!

What I don't love about moisturisers is having to get totally dry after a shower and then having to get all damp again waiting for the stuff to sink into my skin. I'm impatient and don't like being naked, contrary to what you might have heard. (That's a joke, guys.)

So you have your shower, and turn off the water. Then rub yourself all over with the bar of Buffy. It'll feel greasy and grainy at the same time, but that's the best part! The little pieces of rice, almonds and beans exfoliate as you scrub and the cocoa and shea butters get into the pores straight away to instantly moisturise. When you're all scrubbed up - and they tell you to give your butt an extra scrubbing because apparently it helps with all your lumps and bumps we call cellulite, hence the old name - rinse off the little grains, remembering all the nooks and crannies that might collect them. Pat yourself dry and voila! Super soft and yummy smelling skin that you don't have to moisturise. And for those lazy at heart - like myself - even drying yourself afterwards is faster, because the butters make the shower water sit on your skin like raindrops on wax paper. Yes, it is strange to watch. Yes, I stood in the shower watching water freak the hell out on my skin. You will too.

Oh, and there's no need to moisturise afterwards. That's the whole point! It's super softening, extra moisturising, little bit lazy. What's not to love?

New shampoo bar

I really did not like this at all when I smelled it. I don't like cinnamon or cloves, and that's what this smells like. Why did I buy it? Because I wanted it's scalp-friendly properties to work it's magic. And they sort of did.

I bought it specifically because - and I hate to admit it in public, but I've been on a roll lately - due to a medical catastrophe of hormones, treatments and medication, my hair has been falling out. It's not very noticeable right now but girl it a few years or ten and it may be a different story, if I can't slow it down. I've been trying to prepare myself for looking like a cancer sufferer (sorry, that is NOT in jest or bad humour, I assure you).

So, back to New. The cinnamon and cloves really do make your scalp tingle, which is what stimulates the hair follicles, or so I hear. So yes, it does it's job. It also moisturises which to me is a really big help too.

So, if you have thinning hair or dry scalp and don't mind the smell of spices, try it out. It's expensive (costs about twice or three times as much as a standard bottle of shampoo) but it lasts a long time (mine lasted almost four months).

Demon In The Dark soap

It's the green soap with the black skin.

Firstly, make sure to peel the wax off before you use it. That's the purple/black stuff. Why they use it, I don't know, and it's a bitch to peel off, but it has to be done.

If you like warming mint-ness, you will love this soap. It smells so damn good. It'll wake you up in the morning if that's what you're looking for. It makes your skin tingle too, which is a strange feeling, let me tell you...

If you really love the smell you can leave it on your desk, as the peppermint (and clove bud) is meant to stimulate the senses and the brain, and get those creative juices flowing. Strangely, my boyfriend could smell the clove bud more than the peppermint, and I was the opposite, but whichever way you get the whiff, it does the same thing: wakes you up and leaves you ready for the world.

Don't, however, use it right before going to sleep, unless you want pretty active dreams. That might just be me though.

Unfortunately, I think my skin just isn't suited for most Lush solid soap. Nearly every one I've tried dries my skin out. Though after I plough it with moisturiser you can tell it does at least leave the skin brighter and smoother. The dryness was definitely worth it for the smell. I'm a sucker for mint!

Goth Juice hair gel (discontinued)

Buy it because it's purple and the tag line is "Made from the tears of Robert Smith."

For the record, I hate the Mighty Boosh, but that line makes me laugh.

ANYway, Goth Juice is Lush's medium hold hair gel. They have a firm one and a soft hold one too, which I will never review. Why? Because Goth Juice is so damn perfect! (But please, if you want a different hold strength, do go for one of the others. If you're undecided, try this one and see how it works out for you.)

I have extremely curly hair and was reluctant to go near anything with 'gel' in the product description. It took me several years to build up the courage to try one of Lush's.

Regular hair gel makes my hair sticky and hard. Goth Juice doesn't.
Moose makes my hair crunchy. Goth Juice doesn't.
Spray makes my hair mat together. Goth Juice doesn't.
Serum makes my hair greasy. Goth Juice doesn't.

It is a little pot of perfection.

You wash your hair as you usually do, condition it well (especially if you have dry hair, which you would be conditioning anyway, I think), and rinse. Now, the key is to apply it to wet hair. Not towel dry, not dry dry... wet. Use a little bit (my hair is shoulder length and only requires me to dip two fingers into the pot and use what comes out on my fingers) and work it through your hair, and scrunch it or twist it if you've got curls. Then leave it to dry. It will be perfect, believe me.

And the best part? It's actually GOOD for your hair, unlike almost all styling products out there.

The smell though might not be for everyone. I love it, but I love trees and forests... yes, it smells kinda like musky trees. I think it's the Oakmoss.

A Crash Course In Skincare fresh face mask (discontinued)

I know, I know. Two Lush Reviews in a row. Well, both were so important (for different reasons) I had to...

A Crash Course In Skincare is a fresh face mask. And it's being discontinued. SO GO BUY IT NOW WHILE YOU STILL CAN!!!

Admittedly it is one of the more expensive ones, but if trust me, if you have dry skin you will not want to miss out on this before it's gone completely.

Firstly, it's super smooth. I don't know if it's always smooth but my batch was. Every other Fresh Face Mask I've bought from Lush has been lumpy, but not this one. Not that that matters terribly.

Secondly, it smells like a lemon cheesecake! Lush have a lot of lemon and citrus products on their shelves (Lemslip, Lemony Flutter, Sexy Peel, etc) and for the most part I'm not a fan (except for Lemony Flutter...) but A Crash Course In Skincare is made not only with lemon, but avocado and yoghurt, so it smells almost creamy and dessert-like. Mmmm.

Apart from smelling like you could eat it, it really leaves your skin soft and moisturised, but not too much. It just sucks that I only discover the best face mask for my skin right when they retire it. Sigh.

Dream Cream lotion

Lush cite their Dream Cream hand and body lotion as "as good as it gets." It's also their best selling product, so I thought my probably regular reviews of Lush stuff should start there.

The first thing you notice is the scent. It's is strong and I understand how it might not be for everyone. Lavender, chamomile and rose make you feel like you've just fallen face first into a summer flowerbed. I wasn't too fond of the scent at first, but after I used it for the first time I couldn't leave it alone.

It really is a little pot of comforting, soothing magic. Use it on red and blotchy skin after you shave or wax, on dry patches and any kind ofirritation, or all over your body if you really want to indulge. Its soothing effect is almost instant. I used this when I waxed my eyebrows (but only a little, as it is a hand and body lotion and will sit heavy and greasy if you use it as a face moisturiser - remember, the skin on your face is very different to the rest of you) and within a minute the redness vanished and the itching stopped. It's also great to soften tight scars and stop them from cracking.

If you like floral scents, get it.

If you want something to cool and calm skin that makes you want to cry, get it.