Cruelty Free – Lush Upon A Time

Lush Lashes Lengthening Mascara from Lush

When I first heard about Lush’s brand new, cruelty-free mascara I was keen to try it BUT being honest as always, I didn’t allow myself to get too excited about it until I’d actually had a chance to give it a good go.

I’m not quite sure why I felt like this, I think it was a mixture of me really wanting it to be out-of-this-world amazing while also being a little nervous that it wouldn’t live up to its hype. All in all, I think I was just full of mixed feelings over it because decent cruelty-free mascaras are very hard to come by.

This review will be in a slightly different format in comparison to my usual Lush reviews. I’ve decided that because it is a mascara review (and there’s only so much you can say about a mascara) that I’d make a bullet point list of what I personally like about it and then another bullet point list of things I think could be tweaked to make it better.

What I love about the brand-new Lush Lashes Lengthening Mascara:

– Its jet-black colour, I have really light coloured eyelashes that are somewhat invisible without a splash of mascara, I always ordinarily go for a black-as-I-can-get mascara as it makes all the difference for me, the darker the mascara the better and Lush Lashes is a brilliant black.

– It adds volume to your lashes and really defines each lash, it is also somewhat lengthening too and very easy and quick to apply.

– One coat of it is perfect on my eyelashes, it is however very buildable so if you prefer bolder lashes you can apply several coats.

– It doesn’t clump AT ALL, just one coat spreads the lashes out evenly, it’s so fine that it looks like I just have naturally long, dark lashes. One coat looks very similar to what my lashes look like after I’ve had a lash lift and lash tint. It’s the most natural looking mascara that I have tried and again, if you like a more dramatic and bold lash, just keep adding coats. A little goes a long way.

– A small amount of the mascara goes a long way making it very cost effective.

– It’s cruelty free. Lush DO NOT TEST ON ANIMALS, their products are tested for safety and effectiveness on human volunteers.

– The mascara contains super conditioning virgin coconut oil and protective acacia gum, both of these ingredients work together to protect and coat the lash hair. I have even noticed that since I started using it, my lashes seem to be stronger, I have definitely noticed some lash growth.

– It is also a very easy mascara to take off at the end of the day, I use a reusable cloth to remove mine, all you need is to soak the cloth in hot water and gently wipe it away.

I guess now I should list the negatives. I’m always honest and I’m pleased to say that the list of negatives is a lot shorter than the positives…

What about the Lush Lashes Lengthening Mascara could be improved:

– The only real negative I have found with the Lush Lashes mascara is that after 6 or 7 hours it does start to flake a little. I’d however like to point out that 6 hours is a fairly long time for most mascaras, most dry out (enough to flake) much sooner than that. A quick sweep of your little finger over the tops of your cheeks gets rid of any flakes easily so it’s not a huge issue.

– The fact I can’t think of another negative to add to this list, I now feel silly for writing this post in bullet points. Haha!

Overall, I am really impressed with the Lush Lashes Lengthening Mascara and think it is worth every penny. I am confident that it will truly charm the socks off of absolutely anyone and everyone who tries it. 😊

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Goddess Bath Bomb from Lush

Allow me to introduce you to the unique and captivatingly beautiful Goddess Bath Bomb. Inspired by the singer, songwriter and actress Ariana Grande, Goddess has been one of the most sought after Lush products of 2018.

Originally Goddess was only available to buy at the September 2018 Lush Showcase BUT as of a few days ago, it is at the time of writing this review now available to purchase from the London based, Lush Oxford Street store and also through Lush’s UK website.

There hasn’t been hype behind a bath bomb quite like this since the release of 2016’s limited edition Roller bath bomb. When it comes down to the Goddess bath bombs shape, unique is the first word that comes to mind. There has never been a bath bomb of its shape before. I don’t even know where to begin when describing its shape.

Goddess is a round bath bomb, one side of it has a slight flat edge allowing it to sit as it is in the photo below. On its other side is a huge, round crater. I am not quite sure why Goddess is made in this strange shape, I do however get out-of-space vibes from it which I guess ties in with its Goddess name.

Goddess’s ingredients include jasmine, sandalwood, rose and oudh oil. Even with its long and varied list of ingredients the Goddess bath bombs scent is one of Lush’s most gentle fragrances yet. Although very subtle, Goddess’s scent is primarily floral; The sandalwood and oudh add a sweet yet woody layer to the jasmine giving its scent a warm and comforting edge.

The Goddess bath bomb is a very quick fizzer, so quick that I didn’t manage to capture any of its bath art on my camera. There were gushes of purple, silver and plenty of fizzing bubbles. Its scent once in the water still remained subtle, if you’d like to get more out of it fragrance-wise I’d suggest using it in shallow bath water.

Once Goddess has completely dissolved you are left with sparkling, silky-soft, milky-purple bath water. For those that really enjoy its scent you may be a little disappointed as the scent seems to fade fairly soon after it has dissolved, it didn’t last the bath for me. With me not being a huge fan of the floral scents this however was not a negative finding for me.

Its magical bath-water left my skin feeling exceptionally hydrated, so much so that I didn’t have to use a body lotion once out of the tub. Visually the Goddess bath bomb is a stunning work of art. The only thing that bugs me in regards to it is its steep price. I don’t like to go into price with my reviews but for almost £6 a bath bomb I believe it should be something I mention. It’s certainly a luxury product with a luxury price. I’d recommend trying it even if its just the once as it does make for a very relaxing bath.

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Ectoplasm Shower Scream from Lush

Ectoplasm Shower Scream

After yet another Lush Halloween line without my beloved Calacas shower gel there was a lot riding on the shoulders of the brand new Ectoplasm Shower Cream ‘Scream’. Sharing its name with the Ectoplasm jelly bomb I was very excited to give it a try. The first thing anyone notices about the Ectoplasm shower cream is definitely its shade of colour, its fluorescent yellow formula demands to be seen.

The Ectoplasm shower cream is supposedly from the same scent family as the Ectoplasm jelly bomb, it however carries itself quite differently in the shower cream format. Much like its jelly bomb equivalent, the Ectoplasm shower cream contains tangerine, grapefruit and litsea cubeba oil.

When I smell the shower cream straight from the bottle, I feel as if its scent is more tropical than that of the jelly bomb, I feel like there’s almost a pineapple element to it. I’d actually go as far as to say that I prefer the Ectoplasm scent in the shower cream format, it’s a beautifully haunting fruity affair.

Consistency wise the Ectoplasm shower cream is gloriously creamy-thick. It is however very easy to get out of the bottle, while also not being so runny that you accidentally get out a little too much prior to its use.

Once the steam of the hot shower blends with the Ectoplasm shower cream its scent really takes hold. Its gentle zest packs a subtle sharpness, just the right amount of lemony-freshness to help lift and refresh your spirits.

Although I found that the Ectoplasm shower cream wasn’t great at making much of a lather it did still leave my skin feeling refreshed, clean and delicately scented. A little amount of it goes a long way and with its wonderfully inviting scent it’s very easy to over indulge on.

As I expect from a shower cream as apposed to a shower gel, the Ectoplasm shower cream is super hydrating on my skin. It’s nice to have a product that doesn’t leave your skin bone-dry, it hydrates your skin while also not leaving it oily. This is a huge plus for me when using the Ectoplasm shower cream.

As said above, a small amount of the shower cream goes a very long way. I found a 2p-coin-sized amount more than enough to spread out and use on the whole of my body.

Overall I am very pleased to add the Ectoplasm shower cream to my shelf of Lush shower gel and creams, I wasn’t expecting to like it quite as much as I do which has come as a pleasant surprise. It’s actually the first seasonal shower gel that I’ve bought more than one bottle of in a very long time, I definitely recommend grabbing a bottle before the Halloween season is over.

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Sultana Shower Gel from Lush

Sultana Shower Gel

I have wanted to try Sultana Shower Gel ever since I heard the rumour that a prototype of it existed back in February 2017. I feel like I have waited an eternity to get hold of some and words cannot describe how happy I am to finally own a bottle of it!

The Sultana shower gel shares its scent with the discontinued Blackberry bath bomb which happens to be one of my favourite Lush products. Although visually the Blackberry bath bomb isn’t spectacular, it happens to be the only not-over-the-counter product on planet earth that helps me combat my worst enemy, insomnia.

Any Lush product that shares the Blackberry bath bombs scent/ingredients is therefore understandably a must have for me, even more so since the bath bomb was discontinued.

Sultana shower gels scent isn’t your typical Lush-fruity-fragrance. Its magic ingredients are frankincense (olibanum) and bergamot, this superb blend of essential oils are perfect for helping you wind down of an evening. The frankincense offers a sweet and gentle woody aroma while the bergamot gives it a delicate citrus-fruit edge. I know Lush make a lot of citrus based products but Sultana is so different that the word ‘citrus’ doesn’t spring to mind upon first sniff.

The shower gel itself is quite runny, a small amount of it does however go a very long way. A ten-pence-piece-sized amount is more than enough to wash your whole body. I love Sultana so much that I always over indulge and use a lot more than necessary, whoopsy! Unfortunately with it being quite a runny consistency over indulging and using too much is very easy to do.

Although the consistency of the Sultana shower gel is quite runny it’s not on par with how the old Olive Branch shower gel used to be, it’s also quite creamy so I don’t see its runny consistency as a huge issue, I actually think some shower gels work better when they’re not super thick. I have even used Sultana shower gel in my hair, I always find that the thinner shower gels work great as shampoo too.

As you rub Sultana shower gel into your body it’s gentle and super relaxing scent fills the shower space, breathing it in with the hot steam helps to draw out any stress that you’ve held onto from your day. After using it my muscles always seem less tense and I always feel ready for bed as soon as I’ve stepped out of the shower.

In the Summer I grew quite fond of pairing the Sultana shower gel up with the Sultana of Skin body conditioner. Although I find that the Sultana shower gel is more than capable in keeping my skin perfectly hydrated ( which not many other shower gels do), with the super hot weather we’ve had here in England I just felt my skin needed a little bit more tender loving care. I am really sad that Sultana shower gel was only available for a short while as a Lush Kitchen exclusive, I think Lush should rethink and make it a store wide shower gel as it really is beautiful!

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Brightside Solid Perfume from Lush

Brightside Solid Perfume Back in May the Lush Kitchen team put a list together of Lush’s most popular scents. We (the Lush community) then had to pick our ultimate top 5 scents from that scent list. With this list the Lush Kitchen had promised to make several never-before-been-released products with those chosen top 5 scents.

I was really happy but not surprised to see that the Brightside scent had been chosen as one of the 5. Brightside is a beautiful scent family and one that I wish Lush had expanded on, with other products long before now. Alongside a Brightside body lotion the Lush Kitchen also decided to release a Brightside Solid Perfume.

As soon as my Brightside body lotion and Brightside solid perfume arrived I squealed with delight. Previous to this I believe there had only ever been two other Brightside scented products, the bubble bar and the Sunrise soap. The Bubble Bar was one of my very first Lush products so its scent will always be one I think fondly of. As soon as you take off the Brightside solid perfumes lid you can see and smell exactly why Lush describe it as the ‘antidote to gloomy days.’ The bergamot, tangerine and mandarin oils within it all work together to make one of Lush’s most uplifting fragrances.

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Lush’s solid perfumes consistency visually resembles Vaseline, they are however not as soft and easily manipulated to the touch as Vaseline is. I’d describe them as more like a cooled, solid candle wax. The warmth of your finger heats up just enough of the product to put on your wrists and neck. I like its consistency as it stops you from using too much by accident. A downside to the solid perfumes is that I can’t spritz a little on my clothes or hair.

Applying the Brightside solid perfume is very easy, even when you’re on the go. It can slip in your pocket or any hand bag or purse ready for when you need it. Much like the Brightside bubble bar and body lotion I had such high expectations of this solid perfume. Unfortunately I found that even when I applied a more than generous amount to my wrist its scent faded within 10 minutes. I have heard this is very common with products that are applied to the skin when they have bergamot, tangerine or mandarin oil in though.

Maybe one day Lush will create a liquid perfume in the Brightside scent, I think being able to spray a little on your clothes and hair would help carry the scent for longer. It appears that skin just seems to soak Brightside solid perfume up leaving no trace of it at all in just a few minutes. I do however feel that the solid perfume while in the tin, was a perfect match scent wise to the much loved Brightside bubble bar, Lush did well with this product in that aspect.

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Secret Arts Jelly Bomb from Lush

It seems that since Lush Cosmetics released their brand new Jelly Bomb range earlier this month everyone has gone mad for the darkest of the 4 first, the Secret Arts Jelly Bomb (formally known as the Dark Arts Jelly Bomb). Inspired by Harry Potter, the ~~Dark Arts~~ Secret Arts jelly bomb is like nothing I have used from Lush before. Some mistakenly think it is a lot like the Metamorphosis bath bomb. From the outside I agree, I can see why people may compare it, inside of it is however a completely different story.

Seeing as this is the first jelly bomb that I have reviewed I thought it would be wise to explain what they are. Jelly bombs look just like the average Lush bath bomb, they also work in the same way, the difference between a jelly bomb and a bath bomb is, instead of creating foam, jelly bombs produce a foam-like-jelly that floats on the surface of the water instead. Although I was initially a little freaked out at the idea I found the experience quite pleasant. It wasn’t like wading through a bath full of gunge at all.

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As soon as the ~~Dark Arts~~ Secret Arts jelly bomb hits the water its scent fills the room. ~~Dark Arts~~ Secret Arts shares a scent with one of my favourite discontinued, Christmas-time bath bombs called Cinders. It is always a pleasure to revisit a Lush scent through a different format, the ~~Dark Arts~~ Secret Arts jelly bomb has a delicate sweet, musky, warm and spicy aroma. Instantly after coming into contact with the water ~~Dark Arts~~ Secret Arts begins to spin, spreading a thick and jelly like foam on its surface.

At this point I was hesitant to how much mess this jelly bomb was actually going to make, I felt like a killer whale in an oil spill. The jelly foam was a sparkling black and the water underneath it was growing darker and darker with every second. Pushing this anxiety to one side I lay back to enjoy ~~Dark Art’s~~ Secret Art’s cinnamon scent.

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It didn’t take long before the temptation to play with the jelly got too much and I couldn’t help but grab some to have a feel. At the point of grabbing a handful the realisation of how dark and thick this jelly was hit me, I knew it was going to be a completely different bathing experience from what I had ever had before, it just felt so alien and bizarre to me.

Looking at it in my hand I was instantly filled with dread, if my husband see this in our bath tub he’d go mad. Once the jelly bomb had all dissolved I swished my hands around it a bit, the jelly was getting thinner. Underneath me I could feel myself slide forward in the bath tub, it was at this point very, very slippery. I made a mental note to always use jelly bombs when I was already in the bath just to avoid any accidents.

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The inside of the ~~Dark Arts~~ Secret Arts jelly bomb is a bright pink, this surprise was however short lived as the blackness soon overtook the little pink that had frothed out of the jelly bomb. As I sat in the bath I noticed that the jelly had slowly turned to just water, all that was left in the bath tub was very dark but fantastically soothingly-soft water. I prepared myself to get out, grabbing a flannel to help remove any dark residue that had been left on my body. I was shocked to find out that there wasn’t a splash on me. I asked my husband to wipe off any that was left on my back, again there wasn’t a single blob.

I was really, really surprised by this. As the bath drained I was completely lost for words when there wasn’t a ‘dark mark’ in sight (sorry for another Harry Potter reference…) I was expecting the aftermath of ~~Dark Arts~~ Secret Arts to be like that of the Lava Lamp bath bombs and it wasn’t at all.

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I gave the tub a quick rub over with a sponge and Fairy Liquid before I got out, my husband then rinsed it out as he always does. I find the darker colours in Lush products tend to cling to any residue left in the tub, so doing the fairy liquid and rinse after every bath always helps things to stay clean. It honestly takes less than a minute and requires minimum effort.

Overall I am still very surprised with how much I enjoyed using this jelly bomb, I was expecting a royal mess and it wasn’t even an inch as bad as I had feared. It leaves my skin in tip top condition for days and days after using it, I have never gone so long without needing to moisturise. The scent still sits on my skin the next day too.

With it I do however recommend using it in a clean bath, just to avoid any of the colour gripping onto any old residue left in the tub from previous uses. If you’re unfortunate enough to get marks left in your bathtub I recommend using hot as you can stand it water and a dab of fairy liquid ASAP, it sponges off in no time and doesn’t break you into a sweat to do either!

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Cheer Up Buttercup Bath Bomb from Lush

The Cheer Up Buttercup Bath Bomb made its debut appearance at the February 2017 Lush Summit. Alongside it was a wide variety of other never before been released bath bombs such as Groovy Kind of Love, Yellow Submarine and Thundersnow. In amongst all of these beautiful new bath bombs it was hard for the rather plain looking Cheer Up Buttercup bath bomb to stand out.

Unfortunately for me, the Cheer Up Buttercup was the last of the Summit bath bombs that I tried. I wasn’t able to get hold of one until months and months later when it came out in the Lush Kitchen. I believe it has been an Oxford Street store exclusive since late April 2017, I however live roughly 4 hours away from the flagship store so never got an opportunity to try it even then. Luckily it is now a staple store product so everyone can get it from the UK website and in UK stores.

The version of the Cheer Up Buttercup that is now readily available is a much smaller version than what was available at the Lush Summit. The Lush Summit version was the same size as the majority of Lush bath bombs such as the Blackberry and Intergalactic. This new and rather dinky version shares its size with the smaller variety of Lush bath bombs such as the old Think Pink, Butterball and Cinders bath bomb. Although I never tried the larger sized version of the Cheer Up Buttercup its smaller size makes no difference in its quality at all.

If you thought the Avobath was a good bath bomb to use to awaken your senses then Cheer Up Buttercup will blow your head off. For such a small bath bomb it really does throw out a serious amount of zingy, energy boosting vibes.

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Bright yellow in colour and decorated with a light dusting of blue cornflower petals, the Cheer Up Buttercup is bright and bold. Packed with lemon, lime and neroli oil its scent cannot be ignored. When my postman delivered my parcel of my Cheer Up Buttercup bath bombs I could smell its gorgeous scent before even opening its lid. I know some people don’t like the strongly scented Lush products this one is however a game changer.

I don’t know any other way to describe this bath bombs scent, it’s got the zestyness of Dragon’s Egg, the sharpness of Avobath and then some more. Before I had even put the Cheer Up Buttercup bath bomb in the bath I knew I was going to love it.

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For its smaller size the Cheer Up Buttercup bath bomb doesn’t dissolve as quickly as I had thought it would. What surprised me the most is how its scent stayed with you throughout your whole bath. Some Lush bath bombs lose their scent over time, the Cheer Up Buttercup however held its ground and I have never felt so lifted from a bath bomb before.

The Cheer Up Buttercup bath bomb lives up to its name, its scent really does lighten up a dark mood, I find a lot of Lush’s citrus products to be refreshing none are however on par with Cheer Up Buttercup. Hidden inside the Cheer Up Buttercup is also a fair bit of coco butter. I had no idea that it did and was very surprised when I realised, what was already soft water was now soft and super, duper moisturising. The mix of the citrus oils and the coco butter leaves your skin soft, well hydrated and much brighter.

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The Cheer Up Buttercup bath bomb has a warm pink inside, once it has fully dissolved you are left with light orange bath water with a pinch full of blue cornflower petals floating on its surface. Once out of the bath the amazing scent of Cheer Up Buttercup remains on your skin, it however is more subtle which will suit those who prefer the gentler Lush scents.

Making the Cheer Up Buttercup bath bomb smaller was a very wise decision made by Lush. I am sure the larger version was just as good however you really don’t need it any bigger than it is now, the smaller size has the perfect quantity of everything in it. I’d go as far as saying it is one of my favourite bath bombs from Lush.

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