Gingerbread Man Sparkle Jar from Lush

The very first sparkle jars, Twilight and Snow Fairy were released back in Winter 2017. When I heard that Lush were bringing them back for Winter 2018 as well as releasing a brand new one, I was over the moon.

The newest addition to the sparkle jar clan is, the Gingerbread Man Sparkle Jar; It is easily the cutest looking of the 3 released so far – There is just something about Lush products with faces that are so hard to resist!

Gingerbread Man Sparkle Jar

Sparkle jars are hollow massage bars that have Lush dusting powder in. The were invented by Lush as a plastic free alternative to their bottled dusting powders, the plastic bottle that held the dusting powders has been replaced with a massage bar/dusting-powder-shaker instead.

The sparkle jars are designed to be used just as you would a salt or pepper pot. Each of the sparkle jars have 2 sealed holes in, the idea behind them is that you poke the holes through once the product is with you at home.

Lush massage bars are a brilliant way to hydrate your skin and when used for massage, are a great way to relax tired muscles and clear your mind of any stress. Dusting powder isn’t something I use every day but I find it particularly helpful in the Summer, I add it to anywhere I ordinarily sweat as it helps with the absorption of any perspiration with minimum effort.

Sparkle jars bring the massage bar and dusting powder products together. Once you have pierced both holes the sparkle jar is ready to use; To use them I gently rub the massage-bar-jar into my skin before carefully adding a pinch of the shimmer, obviously you have to keep the jar a certain way up so that you don’t accidentally lose any of the powder. This makes things a little difficult but not so difficult that I dislike the product.

Out of the 3 sparkle jars that have been released so far, I think that the Gingerbread Man sparkle jar is actually my favourite. It has the perfect Christmas scent and is a scent I wish Lush catered out to us more.

Containing ginger, clove and cinnamon the Gingerbread Man sparkle jar is the perfect spicy treat, it reminds me of some of my most favourite past Winter products such as the Christmas Sweater bath bombHot Toddy shower gel and Gingerbread House bubble bar. It’s not the exact same as any of those but  it has the same soothing and warming effects on my body.

As I said in previous sparkle jar reviews, the massage bar part of them aren’t quite as workable as the ordinary massage bars, they do not melt nearly as quickly in your hands and with them being hollow aren’t at all suitable if you are looking to use them for a deep tissue massage. If used carefully the sparkle jars are the perfect way to add a little sparkle to your body as well as a gentle boost of hydration too. I think of them more as a super-fancy highlighting tool than anything else!

I am a little sad that Lush didn’t create a sparkle jar for their First Snow dusting powder as well as the Gingerbread Man. First Snow was always my favourite Winter-dusting-powder and I miss it dearly. I have however enjoyed the surprise of a brand new scented dusting powder, spicy, home-baked scented products are always very welcome in my house.



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Snow Fairy Sparkle Jar from Lush

Snow Fairy Sparkle Jar

This year Lush have decided to change the cosmetics world forever by creating and releasing packageless ‘naked’ products. Yes, they already do bubble bars instead of liquid bubble bath etc but this year they’ve taken things even further, products that you’d never even consider as being without a plastic bottle or glass tub now actually exist. They’ve given us naked shower gels, naked body lotions and even naked lip scrubs too…

The word that is currently on everyone within the Lush communities lips is, NAKED. Although  the Lush community appear to be somewhat divided on whether they are for or against the ‘naked’ products, I always like to give everything a try at least once.

Today I’d like to introduce you all to the Snow Fairy Sparkle Jar. As a part of Lush’s 2017 Christmas range, Lush have released 2 sparkle jars, the Twilight sparkle jar and the Snow Fairy one. Lush sparkle jars are hollow massage bars that have dusting powder in. Gone are the plastic bottles of dusting powder, what we now have instead is a massage-bar dusting-powder-shaker instead.

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The sparkle jars are designed to be used as you would a salt and pepper pot, both have 2 sealed holes in, the idea behind it is that you poke the holes through once the product is with you and ready to use.

The Snow Fairy sparkle jar contains the best selling Fairy Dust dusting powder, once you have pierced both holes it is ready to use. To use the Snow Fairy sparkle jar, I gently rub the massage-bar-jar on where I am going to put the dust – obviously you have to keep the jar a certain way up so that you don’t lose any of the powder by accident.

This does make things a little difficult but not enough to make me disregard the product completely. With the recent discontinuation of so many of Lush’s massage bars I was ecstatic to hear of this wonderful new invention and wanted to give it a good try before I made up my mind on it.

When I refer to The Snow Fairy sparkle jar as a massage bar I don’t want to mislead you completely. The sparkle jar isn’t quite as soft or workable as an actual Lush massage bar, they are more robust and solid like the naked shower gels. They do not melt nearly as quickly in your hands and aren’t at all suitable if you are looking to use it for a deep tissue massage, I imagine the pressure required for a deep tissue massage would break the sparkle jar, spreading its dusting powder guts everywhere, (which no one wants!)

Regardless of this I am still a huge fan of the sparkle jars. Once you have finished rubbing the massage-bar-jar in to your skin, all that is left to do is sprinkle the powder out of it, lightly dusting your skin.

Using it as a gentle massage bar before applying the dusting powder leaves you with a subtle sparkly sheen while also adding an extra layer of fragrance to your skin too. After applying it, my skin is not only fragranced with the Snow Fairy scent but is also smooth to the touch. It makes your skin feel silky soft and works wonders in areas of your body that are prone to sometimes get excessively sweaty such as under your boobs, armpits etc.

Although it’s not an antiperspirant it does help keep sweat away for a little longer than when you go without. Overall I am really impressed with this new Lush invention and am eager for others to come out too, A First Snow one would be a Lush dream come true!



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Love Spell Massage Bar from Lush

Last year (2016) I thought that the Valentine’s Day range was Lush’s best Valentine’s one yet. I honestly wasn’t expecting very much quantity wise. After all, the Christmas line that finished only a month before had spoilt us rotten.

Stating the very obvious, the Valentine’s line is always the first line to come out once the New Year is in full swing, after all of the busy Christmas work Lush has done over the last few months, you would expect them to calm things down a little. They however never do and the Valentine’s line of 2016 blew my mind!

My expectations would have been fulfilled with 2 or 3 limited edition, lovey-dovey themed products. I would have been perfectly satisfied with those 2 or 3 too.love-spell-massage-barAs for 2017 we are only in January and Lush Cosmetics have over excelled themselves again. 2017’s Lush Valentine’s line, blows the likes of 2016’s out of the water. Lush never fail to surprise me and this is why I have made them a part of my everyday life.

The Love Spell Massage Bar was first released as a part of 2016’s Valentine’s range as an Oxford Street exclusive. Imagine my delight when I found out that for Valentine’s 2017 it would be making a return and not just as an Oxford Street exclusive but in all stores and online too!

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Love Spell’s scent is a hard one to describe. It has a subtle and musky rose aspect to it. It is a very gentle scent, after using it I feel content, relaxed and carefree.

Though the design of this massage bar is very simple, it really stands out to me when it is in amongst the other Lush massage bars. Love Spell leaves my skin smooth, well hydrated and smelling gorgeous. Lush really need to make a dusting powder that shares its scent. Although Love Spell isn’t my favourite massage bar but it’s up high on the list of my must haves.

The beautiful shade of pink and its heart design will catch many peoples eye. As I mentioned in my review of the Tender is the Night massage bar, massage bars can be used as body lotion too. The sky really is your limit when it comes down to Lush products. I love how versatile they all are.

Love Spell is a fantastic addition to the Lush massage bar collection and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Lush decided to add it to the every day, all year through range.



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This post was originally posted on this website on the 29th of January 2016. I have been slowly updating each post on this blog as with time my photos have improved(ish) as has my product knowledge – Lulu @ Lush Upon A Time


Tender is the Night Massage Bar from Lush

tender-is-the-night-massage-barTender is the Night was my very first Lush massage bar. When I first started to get into Lush I remember seeing it on Instagram all of the time. It was a popular, stand out product. To look at I don’t think the other Lush massage bars are ugly, Tender is the Night was just the one that first caught my attention.

I was actually visiting my friends and family in London when I got around to finally picking one up. Lush Oxford Street didn’t even exist back then… I don’t know what I even did when I visited London before it opened?!

Tender is the night 2

The Stratford shop space in the Westfield centre is where I picked up my first Lush massage bar. This particular store is all on one level so before Lush Oxford Street was a thing, it was my favourite store as I always got to have a good look at everything.

Being in the wheelchair does limit me a lot so whenever I am in London I always try to visit the Oxford Street store as well as Stratford’s as they are fully accessible – legs or wheels.

Tender is the Night is the standard shape Lush massage bar. I say standard as most of them are the oval shape like in the photo above. Not too big and not too small, it fits nicely in the palm of your hand. There are however a few massage bars that are slightly different in shape such as the Soft Coeur, Hottie and of course the Strawberry Feels Forever.

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Regardless of shape, all of the Lush massage bars are ridiculously moreish. I was hooked within seconds of using Tender is the Night. Originally released as a Valentine’s day product, Tender is the Night has a very romantic scent, the ylang ylang, vanilla and jasmine absolute in its ingredients reflects love perfectly.

The fact that it is now an all year round staple store product also says a lot. It’s more than a best seller!

Lush massage bars aren’t just for massages either. They can also be used by yourself as an all over body-moisturiser.

I find Tender is the Night very hydrating, the scent also stays with you for hours after using it. My skin remains soft and in a great condition for the best part of a week after using it too.

Tender is the Night 3

I have been asked a few times about how long a massage bar lasts when in use. Some say you can get at least 6 generous, all over body massages out of one.

Using it as a moisturiser however it seems to last forever! I think all of the Lush massage bars are excellent value for money.



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This post was originally posted on this website on the 18th of February 2016. I have been slowly updating each post on this blog as with time my photos have improved(ish) as has my product knowledge – Lulu @ Lush Upon A Time


Sleepy Head Massage Bar from Lush

Sleepy Head Massage Bar.pngThe Sleepy Head Massage Bar is unlike any other that I have had the pleasure of using before. Whenever it is a part of the Lush Kitchen menu I always jump at the chance to get hold of some.

When my very first Sleepy Head Massage Bar arrived I was amazed by how big it was. It’s called a massage bar but looking at it and feeling its weight in my hand makes me think that the term massage ‘brick’ would be a better and more fitting description.

As a diagnosed insomniac anything with the word ‘sleep’ in it catches my eye. Although (thanks to the help of my doctors) my sleeping abilities have improved somewhat, the whole getting enough sleep issue still sits at the back of my mind niggling away. I am very conscious that sleep is an essential part of life and that it is also the key to staying healthy. I used to go days and days without sleep, I don’t even know how I managed to get to work and then how I managed to last the day, week, month. You just do. No sleep however has a knock on effect and it is one that catches up on you all too late.

For people like me, sleeping isn’t a talent we have. Introducing essential oils and Lush Cosmetics into my daily routine has however been a game changer. I’m a huge fan of lavender oil simply because of its soothing properties. It is an extremely versatile essential oil and is useful for a number of things. Being both soothing and antiseptic it is marvellous for skin complaints such as sunburn and insect bites. It is also not just soothing for your skin, lavender is also my go-to-night-time essential oil because it helps clear and calm your body of negativities and stresses, slowly helping you to ease into the right frame of mind for a restful and good nights sleep.

The Sleepy Head Massage Bar lathers up very quickly, with its generous amount of cocoa and shea butter it makes for a real treat for thirsty, weather abused skin.

Its gentle lavender and ylang ylang scent stays with you hours after you have massaged it into your skin. Although as an insomniac I am not the best person to ask whether it made a difference to my sleep pattern, I do know that it helped me drop off to sleep quicker than I would have if I hadn’t have used it at  all. It pairs perfectly with the Lush Spa temple balm.

The lavender in it is useful in both winter and summer therefore making it a perfect massage bar no matter what time of the year it is!



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