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Home Before Twilight

Seeing as how I'm one of those people who usually takes a shower again at night before bed, I'm always looking for night-appropriate shower gels because as much as I love my fruity ones to get me going in the morning, they don't really say "relaxing" before bed.  So I am all over LUSH's new Halloween shower gel, Twilight.  It has a bunch of different essential oils in it, including lavender flower infusion, lavender oil and ylang ylang, and it smells sooo relaxing.  It reminds me of something you would find in a spa because the lavender is really strong in it, so it really is the perfect thing to use right before you put on pajamas and crawl into bed.  Plus, like all LUSH products, it totally makes your entire bathroom smell like it, so it's like a double bonus for your money.  And apparently, it also comes in a bath bomb, which I did not know until this very second, but which now means that I have to drive to Santa Monica this weekend to pick one up.  (Damn you, LUSH!)  The shower gel is a limited-edition and available for the holidays only though, so stock up while you have the chance.  So worth it. 

Note:  A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with LUSH

It's Raining Men

When I packed for vacation, I took along a small bottle of LUSH's It's Raining Men shower gel mainly because it was the first one I encountered in my closet and it was a small enough size that I figured I could just leave it in Spain when I packed up again and I wouldn't care if I had to throw some out.  And then.... then!  I used it.  Oh my gosh, you guys, it was love at first squeeze.  It smells AMAZING, sweet like honey with just a kick of citrus in it (LUSH's official description is that is "smells like toffee-fudge, with refreshing sweet orange and bergamot oils to give it a little extra sweetness").  I can't even think of a better word than amazing, other than that it makes me want to drink it down in one gulp.  It's delightfully sudsy and moisturizing when you use it and it leaves the entire bathroom scented with its delicious fragrance.  (The other people on vacation with me were like, "What IS that?"  I love it when my product obsession is catchy!)  In fact, I liked it so much that when we were leaving, I noticed that I still had about half a bottle left and there was no way I was leaving that much behind, so I had to go and find another Ziploc bag to wrap it in for the journey home because I have very bad luck with liquids exploding all over my suitcase.  (This one, I am happy to report, did not).  Now when I get in my shower, it's like I brought the vacation home with me.  (Although it would've been nice if a few of the pitchers of sangria could've followed me as well!)  I'll definitely be heading to LUSH to pick up the large size of this one as soon as I'm out. It's raining men - hallelujah!         

My Fair Lady

My love for LUSH is well known (especially amongst my family, since I basically stock my bathroom there with everything LUSH whenever I visit).  Their gift sets during the holidays are legendary - so many to choose from and so many great products in them.  I could stand in the store for hours just looking at all of them.  This year, my favorite one though is the My Fair Lady gift set.  Here's what you'll find in it:

• The Olive Branch Shower Gel (3.3 ounces)
• Creamed Almond and Coconut Shower Smoothie (3.5 ounces)
• Smitten Hand Cream (1.5 ounces)
• Charity Pot Body Lotion (3.5 ounces)  
• Ultrabalm Body Balm (.5 ounce)
• Buffy Body Butter (3.1 ounces)
• Figs and Leaves Soap (3.5 ounces)

This is my favorite probably because I've tried every product in it and love them all.  The Creamed Almond and Coconut Shower Smoothie is seriously one of my favorite LUSH products of all time and I adore the Smitten Hand Cream.  And Buffy?  It's always in my shower.  As much as I love their bath bomb gift sets, until I have a nice jacuzzi tub to soak in, baths aren't really happening at my place, so this one is the best value for my money since I know I'll use every single item in it.  Also, I love the smaller shower gel bottles because I can take them with me when I travel and not have to worry about using the horrible hotel soap that makes my skin ridiculously dry.  (Seriously, what do they put in that stuff?  Sandpaper?)  One glorious day I will make tons of money and at the holidays, I will buy every single LUSH gift, but until then, My Fair Lady is my pick. 

Note:  A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with LUSH

Help Save The Sharks

Okay, I have to admit, sharks aren't exactly my favorite fish of all time and are actually probably part of the reason I stay out of the ocean.  (Insane, I know).  But over the past few decades, their population has dwindled by over 90% because of people's demand for shark fin soup and other shark products.  That's just crazy.  (Also, apparently this does not make me a gourmet, but how disgusting does shark fin soup sound?  No.  Just no).  LUSH has teamed up with one of the leading marine conservation organizations, Shark Savers, to help bring an end to shark fining.  Their limited-edition Shark Fin Soap sells for $5.95, with 100% of the proceeds going to Shark Shavers to support their work.  I mean, even if you don't like sharks, how can you resist the adorable soap with the decorative paper fin?  It's impossible!  The soap itself is packed with seaweed, sea salt and lime oil and sounds delightfully refreshing.  Wouldn't it look super cool on your bathroom sink?  This one must be mine on my next trip to LUSH (and gives me an excuse to stop by this weekend).  Done and done.

Burger Time!

All you bath addicts out there, take note.  LUSH has just announced a special partnership with urban artist Jon Burgerman for a limited-edition Bathtime Favourites gift set.  The tin is decorated with Jon's art (which I'd never seen before, but kinda love) and inside, you'll find nine of LUSH's best-selling bath bombs (Pink, Big Blue, Avobath, Honey Bee, Keep it Fluffy, Geo Phyzz, Sex Bomb, Butterball and Blackberry Bath Bomb).  LUSH bath bombs are seriously the best, and after you use all of them, you can keep the tin and store anything you want in it.  At $49.95, it would make a really nice hostess gift as well.  (Such a nice change from flowers or wine).  You can find it in stores and online, but it won't be available for long, so snatch it up quickly.  

Get Dirty

Normally, when I hear the word "unisex," I run quickly in the other direction, but when I saw it applied to LUSH's new Dirty collection, I overrode that urge because I love LUSH so much.  There are four products in the collection:

• Dirty Spring Wash Shower Gel - Don’t be a dirty rotten scoundrel.  Recreate your very own mountain spring and wash with this tingly, softening, minty shower gel that contains spearmint, thyme, and sea salt. 
• Dirty Shaving Cream - Shave it all off using our ultra-softening oats and benzoin shaving cream.  There’s also lavender and sandalwood in there to soothe any irritations.
• Dirty Hair Gel - Refresh your coif with our conditioning and softening, firm hold styling product.  Made with fair trade coconut oil, linseed gel and balm herb infusion for the perfect just-got-out-of bed style.
• Dirty Body Spray - If you don’t have the time for a full-on Dirty routine in the morning, take a quickie instead and spritz yourself liberally with this body spray before you head out the door.  No one will ever know.

I tried two of the products - the Dirty Spring Wash Shower Gel and the Dirty Body Spray.  I'm totally in love with the shower gel.  Like, first date, head over heels in love.  It's a great product for the mornings because it kind of kicks your ass a little.  (It's also great post-workout).  It's sort of zingy and uplifting and I can definitely smell the spearmint when I use it.  I have such good luck with LUSH shower gels.  They're like the MVP's of my shower.  Seriously.

The Dirty Body Spray definitely smells more manly on me though.  I would love to smell it on my boyfriend, but on me... not so much.  It's just a little too masculine for my tastes (although like I said, I tend not to like unisex products, so it definitely might just be a personal thing).  I do think the packaging is genius though for a body spray.  It's in a bottle that looks like it would be some kind of cleaning product for the bathroom, but it definitely makes spritzing it on easier and it also makes it easily portable since there's a tab that makes it unable to spray unless you take it off.  I want to try the Shaving Cream next, since I'm always on the hunt for a good one of those. 

Note:  A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with LUSH

Tiny Hands

Clearly I have watched far too many episodes of "Forensic Files," because when I first saw LUSH's new Tiny Hands online, all I could think was how much it looked like something that would be used in one of those dramatic recreations of a crime scene they do.  In person though, I'm happy to report, that is not the case at all.  Tiny Hands is a moisturizing bar (for hands, obviously!) and it's different from traditional hand creams because it's a solid.  To use, you simply rub it across your hands and then rub them together to smooth in the product that it leaves behind.  It works a lot better than you would think - when I first heard about it, I was kind of like, eh.  But in person, I love it.  First of all, the product it leaves behind is amazing.  It totally moisturizes my dry hands without making them greasy at all, and it smells gorgeous, with its mix of vanilla and floral scents.  So pretty!  It's way more portable than you would think too - I just left it in the little baggie it came in and I've been keeping it in my bag that I drag back and forth to work every day.  I feel like with all the typing I do, my hands kind of take a beating, so I'm always on the lookout for ways to keep them in tip top shape and Tiny Hands delivers in an easy to use, fun way.  I even got one of the men in my office hooked on it, which is kind of hilarious to me.  It really is a new world out there, people!

Note:  A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with LUSH       

Give Your Mom A Lush Mother's Day

LUSH has a whole host of fun options for Mother's Day this year.  They're all limited-edition and totally worth gifting (and possibly buying for yourself - we won't judge).

Mums Bath Bomb ($5.95) There are three different scents of LUSH's uber-popular Bath Bombs for Mother's Day.  The Purple Mum is comforting, with the blackcurrant fragrance of their Space Girl bath bomb.  The Yellow Mum has the calming vanilla and sandalwood mix of their Vanilla Fountain Bath Bomb.  The Green Mum is uplifting with the lemongrass scent of their Avobath Bath Bomb (my personal favorite).

Happy Mother's Day ($24.95) is all three Mums Bath Bombs in one gorgeous bouquet.  The fragrant bombs are planted in a vase made from their jasmine and vanilla Keep It Fluffy Bath Bomb and wrapped with their Knot Wrap scarf, which your mom can reuse. 

The Mamma Mia gift ($39.95) is a great mixture of bath and shower products.  It's filled with an Olive Branch Shower Gel, Sugar Scrub, Creamed Almond & Coconut Smoothie, Tiny Hands (which I've been dying to try) and Miranda soap.  Perfect for the mom who likes to try new products all the time.

The Mum Gift ($57.95) was inspired by a garden and has everything your mom could want for a relaxing day of bathtub beauty.  It has a Pop in the Bath Bubble Bar, a Dorothy Bubble Bar, a Purple Mum Bath Bomb, a Keep it Fluffy Bath Bomb, a Honey I Washed the Kids soap, and Dream Cream and Grass shower gel.  She'll think of you every time she uses it!

You can check out all these gifts and more at lushusa.com (where you can also put together your own gift for mom if that's more your style).

Shop To Help Japan

Yet another reason why I love LUSH so much is that they make a conscious effort to give back.  With the country still recovering from the recent earthquake and tsunami, LUSH has decided to aid the relief effort by selling limited-edition products where 100% of the purchase price will go to various Japanese charities.   

The Rising Soap Sun, which retails for $5.95, looks like the Japanese flag and will moisturize skin with a sweet cherry scent.  All proceeds from the sale of the soap will go to Peace Boat, which is a Japan-based non-profit organization that has been organizing volunteers, transporting aid, and providing hot meals to people affected by the disaster.

They've also released three limited-edition Charity Pots for $5.00 each.  The body lotion is made with Fair Trade organic cocoa butter and has a hint of ylang ylang and geranium. All the money from the sale of each Charity Pot will be donated to three Japanese humanitarian and animal welfare organizations:

• Rescue Stock Yard – a Japanese domestic disaster non-profit that has started emergency relief and preparation for long-term support for thousands of survivors.
• NGO Collaboration Centre for HANSHIN QUAKE Rehabilitation – members of this center have been in the Miyagi Prefecture providing support for the victims.
• Animal Peace – a grassroots animal welfare group that has been providing medical care, food and blankets for displaced animals.

The products will be in stores in North America on April 18th and will also be available on lushusa.com, if you'd like to pick them up.  (They would make great gifts, too).  What a great way to do some good without even having to leave your couch. 

Bargain LUSH

Let the after holiday sales begin!  LUSH is clearing out all their holiday items, holiday gifts, year round pre-wrapped gifts and soap stock to make room for all their new 2011 goodies.  Right now, when you buy any holiday item or soap, you'll get one free and when you buy any holiday gift or year round pre-wrapped gift, you'll also get one free.  Awesome, right?  Move quickly though, because the offer is only valid while supplies last and they usually go quickly.  There's a maximum of 10 freebies per order and you don't need a promo code - you'll just be asked at checkout to choose the free products of your choice.  Even better?  The offer is available on lush.com and in stores, so if you have a LUSH near you, you don't even have to wait for it to be shipped.  Time to stock up!