Lush Part 2

I felt it was necessary to write about the new products I have played with before the list got out of control. I also wanted to do it before many of the products I tried became discontinued as many of them are only here for the holidays. One thing is certain, the more I play the more I love this stuff. Many of the things on this current list were samples I received at separate times and since I didn't want to take pictures of each individual small sample, many of these are stock photos. I have now tried the hair Henna, Dream Steam, Moon and Stars Steam, Rehab Shampoo, Let the Good Times Roll, Buche de Noel roll, Love Lettuce Fresh Face Mask, and Cosmetic Warrior Fresh Face Mask. If you missed the original Lush post and would like to check out those products you can check that post out here.

Henna in Caca Rouge:

Lush states that they "use the finest Persian henna; the leaves are dried and ground into a powder and mixed with conditioning cocoa butter, which format the basis of our Cacas. Organic lemon juice helps to bring out the redness and gives hair shine and lustre. You're left with stunning, shiny and healthy-looing hair." This stuff comes in a solid brick and is a process to melt it down. They will do this for you in store and even apply it if you ask. You can see in the image above it being melted down to a thick, gooey paste. This stuff is nasty, feels nasty, and is impossible to get our of your hair afterwards. It took 5 shampoos and a few tears to get it out, however once successful, it looks wonderful. I love the redness it gave off. Its a wonderfully orangey red that has a somewhat natural look to it. It also lasts far longer than any other hair dye I have ever used. I'm 5 weeks in and still going strong. The only negative (other than the application of course) which I didn't know before I gave this a try, was that you can't use regular hair dye on your hair after you use this. I'm not exactly sure why, I just know you can't.

Toner Tabs - Moon and Stars and Dream Steam:

These guys are steamer tabs. You throw them in a pot of steaming hot water and put your face over the steam with a towel. The Moon and Stars tab (the second one) refreshes and hydrates your skin with lavender oil, which also has antibacterial properties, so is the "perfect ingredient for a facial steam. Neroli oil helps improve the tone and texture of the skin and is known in aromatherapy to enhance feelings of serenity and well being." 

The Dream Steam (the first tab) was inspired by Lush's Dream Cream body lotion. It contains "the most calming ingredients to soothe troubled skin." This steamer is great for sensitive skin. It contains "rose absolute to calm redness, antibacterial tea tree oil to cleanse and the lavender and chamomile oil blend to make skin and minds feel at peace." Once you are finished with your steam you can throw the extra water into a spritzer bottle and store it in the refrigerator for 2 days to spray face for a pick-me-up during the day. I don't have a lot to say about these guys except that they really hydrate the skin and feel wonderful. I like using them before exfoliating and a mask to open up my pores.

Rehab Shampoo - 

This shampoo was given to me as a sample to help rid myself of the henna from my hair. This is one of their liquid shampoos (I have also tried one of their solid shampoos, but will review that in my next Lush post). This shampoo is called rehab because it is meant to help recover abused hair back to health. "Enzymic papua cleanses, while almond oil softens the follicles." This was a very light shampoo that smelled minty and really got into the nitty gritty henna that was in my hair to remove it. My hair was really quite cleansed with this product (or it might have had to do with the five shampoos necessary). Either way, I liked it and would recommend it if your hair is in need of some TLC.

Cleansing Rolls: Let the Good Times Roll and Buche de Noel

These two cleansing rolls are limited edition for the holidays. They smell like the season and I really wish they would make Let the Good Times Roll a permanent product. Cleansing rolls are Lush's solid facial cleansers. You break off a bit of the roll, add water, and mix it together in your hand until it forms a bubbly paste and then you use that to wash your face like normal. Le the Good Times Roll smells like popcorn. I want to eat it. it is made "with maize flour, polenta and a popcorn topping. We combine these ingredients to give you a very soft scrub, leaving your skin bright, clean, and smooth." I found it too harsh to use as a daily cleanser, but I love to use it as a mild exfolient twice a week. It just smells so GOOD! 

Buche De Noel is very similar to Lush's Angel's on Bare Skin. The major difference is the scent, whereas Angel's doesn't contain any scent, Buche De Noel smells like christmas. "It is names for the log-shaped French dessert. Ground almonds gently exfoliate away dead skin while kaolin clay acts as a mild, deep cleanser. Then we added almond oil and seaweed to nourish and moisturize seasonal dry patches and leave skin softer than a freshly fallen snow." I still liked Angel's better as I found it a bit more gentle and a bit more cleansing.

Fresh Face Masks: Love Lettuce and Cosmetic Warrior

Do you remember how I stated that BB Seaweed was my favorite mask in my last post? Well Love Lettuce has far surpassed BB Seaweed in my affection since then. If you don't recall from my last post, Lush's Fresh Face Masks are made with such fresh ingredients that they must be refrigerated and only have a 2 week shelf-life and as such cannot be shipped. They can only be purchased in store. Love Lettuce is an exfoliated face mask. You put it on like a mask, let it sit for a bit, and then I remove it by making circles so that you get the exfoliating action. This mask is made with a blend of "fresh seaweed to nourish and soften and 1005 pure French lavender oil to balance an oily T-zone and ease any inflammation." This is probably why I like it so much, it combines the softening and hydrating qualities I loved so much in the Seaweed mask with a bit more of a zing cleansing wise by combining the lavender and scrubby ground almonds. It is just an amazing mask. 

Cosmetic warrior is probably the nasties smelling of all Lush's masks. Every time I bring a new product home from Lush, I immediately stick my nose in it as I LOVE the scent of lush products. Please, if you buy Cosmetic Warrior, don't do that. This product is made with tea tree oil and garlic and boy does it smell like those two ingredients. This mask is a bit more aggressive than the ones I have tried before. It is made for more breakout prone skin that needs a bit more cleansing. However, Lush keeps in mind that breakout prone skin is generally a bit more sensitive and as such also includes honey and egg whites to "smooth and tighten pores." So this product really gets in and cleans pores while still being soothing for more sensitive skin. I loved how my skin looked after using this.

These products can be purchased in your local Lush store or online at http://www.lushusa.com

Gabriel Organics

Gabriel Organics is a fabulous organic skincare line that feels wonderful on the skin. It is a very cleansing line that I know is both high quality and made with the best of products. Most of their products contain many products from the ocean such as sea fennel, sea minerals, and seaweed; all natural elements that regenerate and revitalize the body and skin. Gabriel Organics only uses 100% natural ingredients. I was sent to try the White Seaweed Cleanser, Seaweed Nourishing Moisturizer, Sea Clay Purifying Mud Mask, Seaweed Hydrating Mud Mask, Seaweed Revitalizing Bath and Shower Gel, and White Seaweed Hand and Body Lotion. All met and exceeded expectations.

Both the White Seaweed Calming Cleanser and the Seaweed Nourishing Moisturizer are from the normal to combination skin line. The cleanser is described as a "calming white seaweed combined with papaya to give this light emulsion the ability to gently cleanse and lightly exfoliate the skin while maintaining its natural moisture and pH balance." I would absolutely say that this is a wonderful balance between cleansing and moisture. This cleanser didn't suds up, which is general a good indicator that it will be a less stripping and more moisturizing cleanser. However, unlike most lotion-like cleansers, this cleansed my skin effectively where I didn't feel like I needed to use a toner and it left no trace of itself behind after washing it off. The moisturizer is described as "a protective all purpose moisturizer with the nourishing benefits of Shea butter, Vitamin E and antioxidant to help protect skin from premature signs of aging." This moisturizer smelled wonderful and moisturized effectively. This moisturizer and cleanser is a great combination. My skin was left feeling effectively cleansed whiteout feeling tight and dry.

The two masks I tried were the Sea Clay Purifying Mud Mask and the Seaweed Hydrating Mask. I preferred the hydrating one of the two, however the hydrating mask was different than any other mask I have ever tried before. This mask was described as "an active formula of blue and green algae, amino acids and plants extracts precisely blended to provide just the amount of hydration and resiliency needed for all skin types." I really wish I had taken a picture of this product. I opened up the packet and was greeted by a mask of jelly consistency. When I first applied it to my face it was warm and tingly and even burned a bit. Within 5 minutes, that feeling quickly changed to a cool and refreshing  feeling. I knew the mask was finished when the coolness ended. This mask didn't dry at all and thus washing it off was as equally intriguing as the product itself. However, once removed my skin was refreshed and hydrated. Wonderful! The mud mask is something I would only recommend to those with skin that is more on the oily side. It was incredibly drying, however it was also incredibly cleansing. This product was described as "a fresh blend of sea minerals and clays specifically formulated for its purifying, astringent and clarifying effect. This mineral-rich clay mask cleanses and purifies the skin by absorbing surface impurities and excess sebum." The mask was your typical mud mask where it dries down to a flaky consistency and washed off easily. I enjoyed the mask, I would just warn that it is a more drying mask.

The Seaweed Revitalizing Bath and Shower Gel and White Seaweed Hand and Body Lotion are from the bath and body line. They are similar to the face line in that they are also made of seaweed and smell wonderful. The bath gel is "nourishing seaweed extracts and precious botanical oils that are the basis for this purifying body cleanser." This cleanser foamed up nicely and was a great addition to my shower. My shower was only made better after I left it and tried the body lotion which is "an easily absorbed lotion enriched with multi-vitamins, plus ultra-hydrating white seaweed and active plant oils that eliminate dryness and dramatically improve the texture and elasticity of dry, lackluster, skin." It was very moisturizing and made my skin soft and supple.

This line was a great find. I really enjoyed playing with it and would encourage others to give it a try. As you can see I am a big fan of organic lines and I often shout for the hills when I find a new one that is fantastic and affordable!

This line can be bought from http://www.gabrielcosmeticsinc.com

Sponge

I would like to thank fellow blogger Lola for introducing me to Sponge. She was kind enough to spend time emailing back and forth to discuss the best lotion for me. As such I have tried Krema Triantafillo, Krema Imeras, and Gel Katharistiko. This brand is well worth investing in as it is a fabulous find. Sponge is a Greek brand that harnesses natural plants and herbs in a chemical-free process to "improve circulation, promote overall skin health, and a glowing, youthful appearance." Sponge makes natural skincare products based in olive oil and are not tested on animals and are hypoallergenic.

The Krema Triantafillo is made with rose hips and sage. It "helps strengthen, moisturize, and protect even the most sensitive skin types." I loved this the most out of all the lotions I tested. It is wonderfully moisturizing while still remaining light and refreshing on the skin. I know that many of the more hydrating moisturizers tend to feel heavy and greasy, not this one. This is healing and soothing and smells like roses!

The Krema Imeras was one I was talked into purchasing (as can be seen on the Barney's Haul). The lady was very insistent that this was the product for me. It is made with linden, sage, and rosemary and is "a day moisturizer with anti-aging benefits that is formulated to hydrate and protect the skin from the effects of environmental impurities, free radicals, and daily stresses." I have to say I loved the smell of this the most out of everything. It just smells clean and refreshing without being overpoweringly perfumey. This is a very, very light cream (as it is meant to be as a day cream). I feel like it is more mid-range as far as hydration goes and as such I feel like it would be for someone with more normal to oily skin.

The last product is their cleanser: Gel Katharistiko. It is made with wild herbs and "pH balanced and anti-oxidant rich, this formula deeply cleanses while promoting clarity and radiance in all skin types." I felt like this cleanser cleansed well without stripping my skin and of course, like all other Sponge products, had a pleasant scent. While not the best cleanser I have ever used, I have nothing negative to say about it. It didn't leave any residue behind and I felt thoroughly cleansed after.

Don't these products sound fantastic? Have you tried any Sponge products? What other products could you recommend?

Sponge can be purchased from http://spongeskincare.com or from your local Barney's retailer (or online).

Lush - My new favorite organic brand

Recently I discovered the brand Lush. Lush is fresh, handmade, and all natural and my new found love.  I seriously love this place. I love this place so much that I went back the week after discovering it to get more samples and products to try! It is really lucky that there happens to be a shop quite close to me. As you can see from the pictures, there is a lot of products for me to discuss. I will also continue updating this post in the future with more of their products as I continue to play with this awesome brand! So far I have tried two of their Fresh Face Masks (Catastrophe Cosmetic and BB Seaweed), 2 of their cleansers (Aqua Marina and Angels on Bare Skin), their lotion in Sympathy for the Skin, 2 of their new Emotional Brilliance Fresh Face Colors (lipstick in Drive and eye color in Happiness) a bath bomb (Twilight) and one of their Shower Jellies in Whoosh. Few! That's quite a few products! Let's Begin =)

I'm going to start with the Fresh Face Masks because they are by far my favorite of their line thus far. These guys are so fresh that they must be kept in a fridge (sorry to those who don't have a Lush near them, because this means they can only be bought in store) and have a two week expiration date. But not to worry, they are $6.95 and you can get around 5-6 applications from the pot (depending on how often you apply masks). Fresh Face Masks are made from the freshest fruit, vegetables and essential oils. 

Out of the two I tried so far I preferred the BB Seaweed. The BB Seaweed is "a redness reducing, scrubbing oceanic mask for any time." It contains rose, Vancouver Island seaweed, sweet violet, and ground almonds. This mask went on quite thick, but was wonderfully moisturizing and made my skin feel soft, supple, and clean. I liked the texture and the scent and overall loved the experience. The Catastrophe Cosmetic mask felt more like your typical mud mask. Whereas the Seaweed mask didn't constrict my face as it dries, the Catastrophe Cosmetic one did. Catastrophe Cosmetic is made with "calamine and blueberry to expertly combine to calm and mother your skin." It contains Irish Moss seaweed to soften and chamomile blue oil to chill out stressed skin. This mask felt far more cleansing than the previous mask, but not as gentle or moisturizing. The texture was also much like a mud mask in that thick and muddy sense. I liked it, just liked the Seaweed one better. Those who have skin on more of the oilier side who want a deeper cleanse would most likely prefer this one.

Another plus is that if you save the black containers that most of Lush's products come in, you can get a free Fresh Face Mask. All you have to do is turn in 5 cleaned containers! What an awesome deal.

Fresh's cleansers are produced in solid rolls. They contain minimal to no soap content so they are gentle yet effective. Aqua Marina is for dry, sensitive skin and is described as looking kinda like a sushi roll (because the roll is wrapped in seaweed) and contains calamine to sooth and moisturize. I found this cleanser to be too gentle. It left my skin feeling soft and nourished, but I didn't feel like it left me feeling as clean as I would have wished. I found that I much preferred Angels on Bare Skin. It contains an almond base, soothing lavender, and hydrating rose extract. I found it to be just as gentle and nourishing as the Aqua Marina, while being more effective at cleansing the skin. I do have to say though, these little rolls were fantastic! They are just as fresh as the fresh face masks while having a longer shelf life (due to them being made as a solid), contain no preservatives, and felt awesome on my skin! 

The lotion, Sympathy for the Skin, was definitely not my favorite of all the things I tried. As much as I loved the scent, I felt it wasn't as moisturizing as I prefer my lotions to be. This lotions is made from fresh bananas, vanilla, and sandalwood. It is made with a loos emulsion so that it absorbs into your skin really quickly. Because of this, I found I needed to use more of it than my usual moisturizer to cover my body. If you love the smell of bananas as much as I do though, you will surely love this scent. I have taken to using my sample as a light hand lotion, and love it for that purpose. I just like something a little thicker as a body lotion. 

Recently, Lush has taken steps to foray into the world of makeup and I loved both of the samples I tried! The lipstick comes in a little bottle with a sponge applicator (not pictured because I received a sample and they don't have this product listed on their website yet so I could not get a picture for you). The makeup is all vegan (which is really nice for products that you are placing on your lips) and they come in an array of amazing colors. The color I received was Drive, which is a Pinky Purple. It went on super smoothly (I applied with a lipstick brush) and lasted all day. I have worn it matte and with a gloss on top and neither ways made my lips feel dry at all. The lip color can also be worn as a blush, just dab it on your cheeks and blend well. I was told that in theory, the eye colors can be worn on lips and the lip product on the eyes, but found that the lip product was much thicker (as can be seen in the picture, the eye color settled on the bottom of the container while the lip product is still sitting on the side where it was placed in) and probably wouldn't work well on the eyes. I tried the eye product in Happiness, which is a pretty copper color. I really liked using it as a second eyeliner for the new double eyeliner fad. It really stands out, glides on smoothly, doesn't smudge, and lasts all day. I am in LOVE with these products! 

The bath bomb in Twilight I was lucky enough to receive as a prize. The Lush by me had a Halloween party and the first 20 people who walked through their door got this bomb. It was a lot of fun! It turned my bathwater pink, then orange, then blue, and finally settled on a midnight purple color. It released the scent of lavender and tonka and was wonderfully relaxing. It even created bubbles in my bath. The smell was so pungent that my bathroom smelled like the bomb for 3 days after and my living room (where the bomb was housed until I used it) smelled like the bomb until it's use. I almost feel like these things can also be used as a room freshener. I loved this bomb so much I wanted to try another. I have since gotten Dragon's Egg, and will let you know when I try it.

Lastly is the Shower Jelly in Whoosh. I really love this thing. It is so much fun to use in the shower. It is a gelatinous soap that smells like lemon, lime, and grapefruit. The scent is absolutely wonderful and the gel feels awesome when rubbed all over yourself in the shower. It suds up nicely and the jelly kept its shape for quite awhile before falling apart. Now I just brake off pieces to use. Even better these are made with "aromatic essential oils and carrageenan seaweed gel, which is full of minerals and vitamins to nourish and soften skin and hair." I love things that are both fun and good for you. 

A few things on my wish list that I still want to try is: Let the Good Times Roll Exfoliating Cleanser, Love Lettuce Fresh Face Mask, Cosmetic Warrior Fresh Face Mask, and Henna Hair Dye. What are some products you would want to try?

Well, that is all the products for now. Can't you just tell how much I love this company? These products can be purchased at a Lush near you or at http://www.lush.com/

One Love Organics

I first heard about one love organics through birch box. Their april box had a nice sample of their skin savior. You are meant to use this in conjunction with their New Best Friend Skin Shammy, which of course was not sampled along with it. However I did become intrigued with the company and recently sent out for some samples. For $4.95 they will send you samples (featured above) of all their products. This time I also purchased a shammy to go with my samples as I wanted to get the full experience.

One Love is a company that prides itself on being all natural and handcrafted in small batches. Their premise is to use only the highest quality, most effective ingredients that directly benefit your skin. They are paraben free, they are cruelty-free, faire-trade when possible, and there are not chemicals. They only used the highest quality cold-pressed oils.

I am going to start with the skin savior waterless multi-balm. This is said to be the start of your nightly ritual and possibly your morning ritual. One Love uses a double cleansing ritual where you clean your face with this cold-pressed oil before cleansing. This balm can also be used as a moisturizer, in ones hair, and can be mixed with mineral foundation powder to make a custom treatment foundation. As stated above, it is meant to be used with their new best friend skin shammy. You rub it all over our face and then remove the oil with the shammy. Although I do use oils in my skin ritual, I have yet to clean with an oil. My skin felt fantastic after use. I did not even feel the need to put moisturizer on after. You can also use the shammy by itself with warm water in the morning. The shammy is made with a special microfiber that pulls dirt and oil into the structure of the fabric. I loved this as a really gentle way of cleaning my face in the morning.

EDIT: I loved the skin savior so much that I bought a jar of it. I found it to be so moisturizing that my skin felt more moisturized after cleansing than before. When I ran out of the sample I felt I couldn't live without it and so bought the product. It always amazes me how much dirt comes off onto the shammy, especially since I use it in the morning and have cleansed thoroughly at night. It cleans much better than your average cleanser. I whole heartedly recommend at least trying this product. It is a life savior. 

Easy Does It Foaming Cleanser – This cleanser is touted as a do it all. You can use this as a face wash, body wash, and a shampoo. While I was hesitant to use this on my head, I have heard really good things about this as a shampoo. I did try this as a cleanser and found that I liked it. It was non-stripping and I felt like really refreshed after use.

Brand New Day Microderma scrub and Masque – This is touted as a scrub that is so gentle it can be used everyday. It contains pea flour and fresh pineapple enzymes to polish off dead skin cells. This can also be mixed with honey or greek yogurt to make a masque once a week. I personally have really sensitive skin and as such felt that this would be way to harsh to be used on my skin more than once a week. I tried it with yogurt as a masque and found that I really did not like how it felt. It was really gritty and washing the mask off after did not feel great. My skin also broke out the day after I used it. 

Morning glory and love springs eternal – These are two oils that are meant to be used after cleaning. Morning glory is for use in the morning to wake up and brighten up your face while love springs eternal is a youth preservation serum meant to be used at night. I personally found them to be a little bit to greasy for me to use in conjunction with the skin savior (and the rest of my regular beauty routine). I did see my face being a little brighter in the morning with the morning glory, though I did not specifically like the love springs eternal. I might try both on their own at some point to see if I could like them if I gave up other products I use. 

Conclusion: There are definitely some products in this brand I like. I will keep using the shammy as part of my morning routine and would most likely repurchase this when I need a new one. I do like the skin savior as a moisturizer. However, I found that I do prefer the cleanser I currently use and did not specifically like the oils (I use oils as part of my everyday routine so I do like oils in general, just not these). I also found the exfoliant to be a bit harsher than expected. Others may find they like them. I would give this company a B+ and absolutely would suggest them to others, if only because they are organic and I love that. I would give them a try especially since you can sample the whole range of products very easily.

http://oneloveorganics.com/

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