Lush Event - Regent Street

Last Thursday I was so excited to be invited to a Lush event in Regent Street here in London, those of you who read my blog will know that I am a bit more than a fan, I am more like a Lush-a-holic.

The aim of the event was to promote and introduce to us Danger! Cosmetics to Go, a book on the story of the company that preceded Lush which tells the meteoric rise and devastating fall of the the brand in just 6 years.  Written by the beautiful Mira Manga, a musician and writer, she was commissioned to write the book by Mark Constantine OBE, Lush Co-Founder and managing Director.  Mira herself worked for Lush, starting as a Saturday girl in Lush's Carnaby Street Shop (which has since closed).  I was lucky enough to get Mira to sign my copy and for anyone out there, who like me, is a huge fan of Lush, this is a book you should have in your possession because it is a fascinating insight into the world of Lush, the products they have and how they came to be.

As well as meeting Mira, Lush put on a brilliant event with nibbles and drinks to keep those of us present fed and watered and we had exclusive access to the staff to ask as many questions as we wanted, see demonstrations of the products and try out the products that Lush sell.  

All of the staff I spoke to were absolutely brilliant and so knowledgeable in what they knew of each product, some sharing funny stories of mishaps with customers and others giving a real detailed introduction to things I was yet to try and advising on other products that might work well with either my hair, skin or hands.

With Valentines Day not too far away, Lush have their own Valentines Day products out there to grab and my advice is to grab them quick because they are amazing.  I have already taken a shine to the Valentines Shower Gel Prince Charming which smells wonderfully of marshmallows and pomegranate juice.  Then there is the Love Locket Bath Bomb which has three parts to it, not something I am going to ruin for you now, but look out for the review.  There are 11 different products within the Valentines Day range, including three different gift sets, a lip gloss and some soap, all brightly coloured and beautifully packaged.

I had an absolutely brilliant time at this Lush Event and know so much more about the products I liked, loved and swoon over and whats more, I really loved the chance of being able to meet Mira and ask her many questions about the book she has so brilliantly written and it may just feature in its own review.

I was also surprised to get a goody bag and this one was just amazing and below are the contents, each of us was asked to choose Bath or Shower, now for someone who is as indecisive as I am, this was a hard task, but I did choose bath:

Of course I couldn't leave such a fabulous event without something for my beloved hubby could I? Especially when he has his own blog now, so this is what I bought for him:

Ickle Baby Bot was my first choice, designed for children but it is filled with Lavender to help calm and relax before bedtime.  Then there is Dirty Springwash Shower Gel which has the opposite effect to the Bath Bomb and because it is filled with Spearmint and menthol, it leaves you feeling wide awake and alert, ready to tackle the day.

Thank you Lush, the experience and the event was fantastic.

Lush Soak and Float Shampoo Bar

My current Lush shampoo bar goes by the name of Soak and Float and the first thing you notice about this shampoo bar is that it isn't the prettiest thing on the shelf, infact to look at (see below), it reminded me of one of those Coir discs that I use to plant seeds in my propagator and it has stringy bits coming off it at all angles, it's a brown colour with bits in it and its of a circle shape.

So why did I buy it? Well it is on the shelf next to all the other products Lush have in this range and I spotted it because it was the only one which wasn't a bright pretty colour not only that but there was a small blackboard which said "Don't struggle with Itchy and Scratchy" and it promised to 'bring calm to my scalp' whilst being designed especially for sore, itchy scalps and dandruff. It retails at £5.25 for a 55g bar.

As I said, this shampoo bar isn't pretty to look at, but it is full of fantastic ingredients to tackle those scalp problems. Starting with:

• Rose Petals which are said to soften the scalp and help calm a sore scalp. 
• Marigold Petals come next and they help calm redness, for anyone who suffers from an itchy scalp, the urge to itch can be quite strong and whilst it is easy to say resist the urge at all costs, sometimes you just cannot and this is why you end up with a sore scalp. For me the problem arises if I do use high street shampoos, anything like Pantene or Dove leave me simply in agony, so to know that Marigold Petals will soothe my scalp is a godsend. 
• Lavender Oil comes next and I was pleased to see this as an ingredient because I love Lavender, though it isn't the dominant smell. Lavender Oil does aid sleep and relax me but for the hair it is used for its soothing and cleansing properties. 
• The main ingredient is Cade Oil, not something I have come across before but it is interesting. Cade Oil which is also known as Juniper Tar (thanks Google) is used primarily as an antiseptic and in a product such as this it is said to have the ability to help alleviate the symptoms associated with itchy scalp conditions and dandruff. Well that is exactly what I am looking for, something to stop my scalp itching, something soothing and something that isn't going to make the problem worse. Cade oil is described as follows "The cade oil in here may smell of creosote, but that is because it has natural constituents of creosol, guaiacol, cadinene and terpenes. All of which might sound a bit scary, but in fact it makes this a natural antiseptic and antimicrobial, perfect for treating many skin complaints" and it wasn't until I read this bit on the Lush website after using the shampoo bar that I figured what the aroma was, it is a cross between creosote, which I love, and T-Gel, which I sometimes use when I am getting a bit desperate as a quick fix. Cade Oil is also said to soothe other skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema. 

My problem came about because I had run out of my usual shampoo and life at work was pretty manic, so in a morning I grabbed the nearest shampoo I could to wash my hair and the effects of doing so left me wit a dry, itchy scalp. One day I will learn my lesson, but for now, I had to fix the problem.

If you have never used a shampoo bar before, I promise you they are fascinating and easy to use. All you do is make sure your hands are wet, whether you are in the bath or the shower and then simply mimic the actions of using a bar of soap by rubbing the shampoo bar between your hands to form a lather and then as you would with your shampoo put it in your hair and gently rub and massage your scalp ensuring the lather covers every inch of your hair. Once you have covered your hair with the lather the smell is now very obvious and I think it will be an aroma that is one of personal choice, you will either love it or hate it and I am in the love it camp. Anyway, once you have massaged your scalp for a few minutes, you need to use warm water to wash it out and make sure that you removed all traces of this stuff from your hair and scalp, so the water runs clear essentially and then towel dry your hair as you would normally do. 

After using, the fragrance does remain on your hair for a day or so, if you like the smell that won't matter, if you don't then you will mind. Basically this is one product I would recommend you smell before buying in Lush. For me it was and is fantastic, I loved it. I could feel an immediate difference in that my scalp was no longer sore, I was immediately itching and my hair felt soft and smooth to the touch. Once completely dry my hair did have a shine to it, not so much that it looked greasy, but it was more of a natural shine.

I have now been using this shampoo bar twice a week and my problem is now remedied I am happy to say, it really has been a lifesaver. Because I don't use it everyday, the one thing I did invest in was a shampoo tin from Lush a few years ago and I paid around £4 for it. it's a metal tin with a tight closing lid and whenever you are not using your shampoo bar, I would suggest keeping it in this tin because not only does it keep it cool, it keeps the fragrance really fresh and after all the one thing Lush are known for are their smelly bits! I would estimate the life expectancy of this shampoo bar a being between three and four months at least, obviously if it was used more frequently this would be less, for me it is my miracle cure.