Not So Heavenly: Angels on Bare Skin

This may come as a surprise, but I'm about to review a Lush product which I don't like! I know right? It may seem as though my reviews are overwhelmingly positive, but I assure you I aim to be honest and balanced - I just like to, and find it easy to, write about products which I'm passionate about and which have impressed me. But equally I also want you to know about the products which disappoint, which brings me onto Lush Angels on Bare Skin.

This product was recommended to me by a reader as well as a member of staff in Lush after a few questions about my skin, and after hearing that it contained lavender I was putty in her hands! It's a fresh facial cleanser; I never intended to use it as my daily face wash though, but instead have it sit alongside my exfoliator (Lush Ocean Salt - now that is heavenly) for use in the shower for a good deep cleanse.

It says on the tin that it evens out skin tone, reduces redness and improves the health and appearance of your skin, giving a natural healthy glow - sounds perfect right? I'm sorry to say though that I haven't necessarily felt that way. My skin tone isn't entirely even and I do have rosy cheeks and, although it doesn't promise to work magic, I haven't noticed any difference in colour or quality. If anything, I've noticed that my skin has been a little clogged and uneven recently, but I can't prove that it's down to this product which would be slightly unfair. To tell you the truth , even if it did do everything that it said on the tin though, I still wouldn't use it. It's the consistency and smell that I don't like (unusual for a Lush product, I know).

It's incredibly dry and spongy and you really do have to dig your figures into the pot with incredible intent in order to scoop some out; it certainly doesn't come easily. This isn't necessarily a huge problem though as as soon as you mix it with a sprinkling of water it miraculously transforms into a cleansing milk before your eyes, which I do like. The almond milk itself is creamy and leaves you soft and squeaky clean, but I'd much rather skip the transformation process and be able to pour the milk straight from a bottle. Clumps of the product do remain in the milk and all in all it's simply an odd experience as the resulting mixture is difficult to apply - you want to make the most of the product and rub the remaining clumps into your skin but you equally don't want to let the milk slip away between your fingers.

I'm afraid the thing that most offends me though is the smell. I can only describe it as the natural scent you may have come across when making your own soap on a school trip to a Victorian farm (very specific description but every time I open this cleanser it really does take me straight back to that soap-making workshop!!). Victorians probably had to put up with less than perfect scents whereas we have now refined cosmetics to smell beautiful so should have moved on.... It definitely has hints of lavender but the combination with kaolin (clay which absorbs grease) is a little unpleasant in my opinion and hangs in the air a little longer than I'd like.


What I do love about this best-selling product (which means lots of you must love it too) is that it's made from 100% natural ingredients. By taking out the water, a specific move which is why adding water is essential for use and turning it into a milk, Lush have also taken away the need for preservatives. So there is a good reason for the consistency and this also makes it kinder to your skin as it shouldn't upset your skin's delicate micro flora by quite as much. It's also 100% vegan and is, naturally, not tested on animals so full marks there Lush, as always.

 I'm afraid I won't be buying this product again... I may not even finish this pot (sorry Lush!!). To end on a positive note though, when this product was first recommended to me they didn't have any in stock so I was offered a sample of the Fresh Farmacy Cleanser, very similar apparently and so much so that they called it the 'solid version' of Angels on Bare Skin. Now I'm not so sure how they are similar as Fresh Farmacy has none of the same ingredients and is based on a chamomile and marigold infusion. I would, however, recommend this product. I never thought I'd be a fan of solid cleansers but it's great for travelling as you can slice small chunks off at once and it, too, becomes a super soft milk very easily so perhaps try that instead?

Domestic Goddess: Shower Shine

I've decided to start a new series of posts under the title 'Domestic Goddess' as just as you like to be beautiful, so does your house! And for the first blog of the series, I'll be reviewing the Method Daily Shower Non-Toxic Surface Cleaner.

I have no doubt that a beautifully clean house directly impacts upon your mood, or it certainly does on mine, and one of the easiest areas to keep clean, with the smallest effort, is your shower. So one of the best products to slot alongside your sweetest smelling shower gel and favourite bubble bath, is a good daily shower shine! Method's daily shower cleaner promises to clean without the need for rinsing and boasts an improved fragrance and shinier shine than previous models. With 'powergreen technology', it dissolves and prevents soap scum with each spritz and is, of course, super easy to use. Simply spray on damp surfaces after you've bathed or had a shower and leave it to work its magic. It's suitable for use on most sealed surfaces including showers, tiles, fixtures, glass and bath tubs.

It requires minimal effort (except engaging your trigger finger to fire the nozzle device) and you don't have to worry about chemical residues as, best of all, it's non-toxic, plant-based and features organic cleaning salts. Method assure its consumers that it's designed and sourced responsibly from beginning to end and beginning again with the bottle being made of 100% recycled plastic (PCR). It also proudly bears the leading bunny sign to identify that it's not tested on animals and is certified cruelty free.
Surely what you'd really like to know though is does it work? In short, yes. I do get a little trigger happy, but it has a positive effect on my shower as it remains sparkling for longer and means I can go for long spells without a deep clean. It also has a nice light fragrance that is not overpowering and leave you choking after spraying.

My favourite thing about the brand is their identity and promise so I thought I'd type out their brand message to give you a snapshot of who they are. Along with smile-provoking snippets like 'a spray a day keeps the scrubbling away' and 'we suspect there's a direct correlation between clean tiles + big smiles', the bottle reads:

In your hand, you hold the power to join us in the good fight. The fight to make our planet, and home, a cleaner place. We are passionate believers in the Cradle to Cradle design and philosophy, meaning that each one of our products has a past and a future. That's why we make our bottles from old bottles and our non-toxic cleaners are biodegradable. It's also why every material we use is assessed by independent scientists for environmental quality and safety for people because we believe that cleaning products can put the hurt on dirt without doing harm to people, creatures or the planet. They can even smell like rainbows. It might sound like a tall order, but we're a small, passionate bunch with big ambitions.

Available from Tesco and Waitrose it's no more than £5 if I remember correctly and I've been using it for 7 months and it's only half empty.

Now if only my boyfriend got into the habit of using it after his showers and if only I had another one to clean this bottle as it looks a little soap scummy itself!

Recycling is Lush

Guess what?

I've FINALLY got 5 large empty Lush pots which means next time I'm in store I can trade in my empty pots for a free face mask!

A special thank you to my best friend who wrapped up her empty lush pot with my birthday present inside - what a great idea :)

Stay tuned to find out which face mask I chose....

My Lavender Lullaby

Want to know the secret to the best beauty sleep you can get? Spritzing your pillow with the relaxing and calming scent of lavender, of course.
Lavender is hands down my favourite essential oil; I'm a little bit of a junkie, but what's not to love? Lavender is part of the mint family and also has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. Not to mention the fact that it soothes headaches, relaxes the spirit, alleviates anxiety and is proven to have an influence on the quality of your sleep and prevent disturbances. I used to sprinkle undilluted drops of pure essential oil straight onto my pillow at bedtime, but I am currently loving Tisserand Aromatherapy Lavender Linen & Room Mist.

I have come to expect the rich smell of lavender at bedtime now, and although this mist doesn't have the intensity that the bursts of the pure essential oil that used to knock me out had, I've learnt to love its gentle tones and hints. It has 100% natural fragrance and the lavender oil is organic and comes in the form of a fine mist. You can spritz it directly onto your bed cover or pillow to encourage sweet dreams, use it to spray around your room to promote rest and relaxation, lightly scent your bathrodes and towels or even add to ironing water to infuse and fragrance your linens from the word go.
It comes with a pump spray which makes it perfect for all that spritzing! I use it directly all over my pillow just before my head lands, but also along my curtains by my bed as well as on my fabric headboard so there's no way I won't get that dose of lavender I crave.

It doesn't have the fuddy duddy smell of the old English Lavender soap of your Grandma's knicker drawer, but it's truly fresh and invigorating. It really does smell so natural and, if this makes sense, it swirls to perfectly mix a subtlety and strength of scent. Yummy mummies are often encouraged to wash and massage their beautiful babies with lavender to promote a healthy and happy bedtime routine and there's no reason why you shouldn't continue to enjoy the benefits through to old age. On the first whiff I feel myself drifting slowly into a relaxing and undisturbed sleep, floating on a lavender cloud! The other night I felt myself tossing and turning, frustratedly not being able to stop thinking about work, but after a few sprays of this stuff, the next thing I knew it was the next morning and I was feeling refreshed!
Each spray does deliver quite a generous dose of lavender mist so just three spritzes are usually enough for a normal sized pillow - it's not so generous, however, that it leaves your pillow soaking wet! It's that little bit heavier than a burst of perfume, but a similar light mist consistency.

Tisserand Aromatheraphy products are a little pricey. This 400 ml bottle was just under £20, but pure lavender oil-based products do not come cheap. Moreover, I have had it for well over a year and I'm not even a third of the way through. I'm keen to try the Body Shop lavender pillow mist next, but this bottle seems never ending and will keep serving my sleep for a good year or so more. Best of all, it's also 100% vegan and contains no synthetic fragrances. The bottle is also 100% recyclable. So you can not only enjoy the best beauty sleep of your life, you can also sleep easy knowing that no animals were harmed in the making and your carbon footprint is teeny weeny.

Trust me, making lavender part of your bedtime routine really does leave you feeling like a princess.
Sweet dreams!

 

Oh My Mango!

I am glowing! From a lovely natural tan that is as I've just got back from holidaying in Gran Canaria and I can confirm that my summer staple is the Body Shop's best-selling Mango Body Butter.

One of my best friend's bought me this for my birthday and she obviously knows me so well. It's rich and creamy and seriously divine. Made of mango-seed oil and community Fair Trade cocoa butter from Ghana, it's particularly good for dry skin as it provides 24 hour hydration.

The packaging has undergone some changes over the last few years after L'Oreal's takeover (my least favourite thing about the Body Shop - although it has ensured that every single Body Shop product is now BUAV approved). I absolutely adore it as it looks slick, colourful and good enough to eat. My pot is the smaller size, not the 200 ml sizes that you see piled up enticing you in in Body Shop windows. For me, it's perfect though. It means that I can slip it into my travel luggage easily and also switch between flavours without getting bored and having to make myself through an ever-lasting HUGE pot. 

I have to admit that I don't always find time to moisturise (beauty crime, I know). I love an hour-long soak in the bath, but when I get out I'm often straight into a proactive mode before enjoying treating my skin to a moisturising session. When in Rome though (Gran Canaria)... I feel that I have time to do EVERYTHING on holiday so would find myself lounging on the balcony at sunset with my bare legs out in front of me and my pot of mango magic ready to massage into every crevice. I did in fact combine my application with massaging motions and really felt indulgent as it sunk straight into my sunned skin, feeding it one of it's five a day! 

It's super rich and thick but it disappears instantly and made me feel sexy and special with silky soft skin. The exotic mango scent is the piece de la resistance though. It is so so gorgeous and really suits summertime and holidays - it's light but fruity and just plain lovely jubbly.

As it's so PERFECT for summer, the only thing I would change would be to add a low SPF so that it protects as well as indulges.
I would recommend only using it on your body and not the face as its dense consistency is likely to clog pores. I'm not going to lie and say that I use Body Shop Body Butters all the time, despite them being so so popular and the brand's best sellers. I love to use them every so often though and letting them really feed my skin while I'm rejuvenating myself seems like the perfect scenario to me. I'm also planning on trying it out as a shave gel replacement once I finish my current shaving cream. I spied my friend shaving with the Strawberry Body Butter and she gushed about how soft it left her skin and the yummy scent and creamy texture improved the entire experience. I'm not willing to endorse this just yet though as I haven't tried it and you'd need to be careful not to clog your razor.

The butter is not tested on animals, but it does contain Lanolin alcohol (the grease from sheep's wool) so it's not suitable for vegans unfortunately.

My legs infused with mango mojo in paradise:

Summer Shopper

I set myself a challenge a few weeks ago to find a summer handbag to brighten up my otherwise neutral collection and found one I'm more than happy to carry on my shoulder!
This beauty from shoe retailer Aldo ticks numerous trend boxes, including coralicious colour blocking, metallic detail and geometric shapes. And best of all - it's 100% vegan.

I couldn't help but stop when I spotted this bag in the shop window. The bright pop of colour is perfect for summer, but not overpoweringly so. The blend of coral and neutral nude and brown, finished with gold detailing, allows you to have fun with colour whilst remaining sophisticated and chic.
The shopper is also a great size. And to get technical, I'm really impressed with the length of the handles. They are long enough that you can wear the bag on your shoulder, but not too long that you can also carry the bag hanging from your elbow or down by your side.
I cannot understand how women get by with small handbags though. I absolutely have to have everything on me at all times, to account for any eventuality - umbrella and sunglasses, three different lip balms and glosses, nail varnishes in case of a chip, to name a few... This bag is by no means small, but it could be a little bigger. The rectangular shape means that it's rather thin and everything must fit snugly together. Perhaps the one change I would make would be to make it a little wider.

The pocket situation is just as you'd expect from a good bag. There is a zip pocket for your valuables and then two open side pockets which I love to store my phone and keys in for easy access. The phone-sized pocket is too small for modern phones though, especially if you carry yours in a case. There is also a hidden pocket under the coral front which is quite cool. I personally don't use it though as I fear I'm going to crease the front every time I lift it and anything other than a credit card would surely strain the pocket too?

After falling in love with the appearance of this bag, discovering that it was 100% synthetic polyurethane with a cotton and polyester lining was the icing on the cake (as however beautiful a bag is, I refuse to buy anything made of leather or any other skin). I'm also not sure that anybody would even notice that it wasn't leather. I've gotten compliments from this bag from fashion-worshippers who would turn their noses up at me if they knew the extent of my distaste for leathers and beauty heroes tested on animals.

I can't say I've ever really shopped at Aldo before and was prepared to walk straight passed had I not seen this babe in the window. Having ventured inside though, I will definitely be back sometime soon!
It was £50 which I think is reasonable given the quality and lastability. I think it will transcend trends and is an absolute bargain considering the most lusted-after bags will set you back a few grand.

Maybe carrying this bright bag through the clouds and mist will encourage summer to actually turn up....

Lush Haul!!

Yay - it's that time again! I haven't gotten myself down to Lush in a looong long time so, on the day after pay day, I made a special little trip and filled my basket with lots of Lush goodies to last me another few months!

First of all some oldies, but goodies, which I've already reviewed on here before...

Lush BIG Shampoo

This is a big BIG favourite mine. Made of coarse sea salt and organic lemon and lime, this shampoo will give you the gorgeous, voluminous and healthy hair that you get after spending a week by the sea and sun. The texture is magical too as the rocks of salt are great for exfoliation and promote a happy, healthy scalp. It lathers well and adds shine and softness. So simple, yet so special! Try it if you don't believe me!

£11.25 for 330g

Lush Ocean Salt

Salt is really one of the earth's most amazing ingredients and makes up this other salty superhero! Ocean salt is a facial scrub with fresh grapefruit, avocado and coconut. The perfect balance of ingredients means it doesn't dry your skin out as you'd expect sea salt to do, but leaves you feeling soft, buffed and alive! It is a little harsh, but that's just how I like it - really working away at those dead skin cells. It contains lanolin so it's not vegan, but is of course not tested on animals and is vegetarian society approved. Remember though, make sure you mix and stir it up so it doesn't look like the beautiful blue pictured. It comes with most of the salt grouped at the top so make sure you spread it throughout the pot.
I'm still only buying the mini pot though as I assure you it lasts forever!

£6.95 for 100g
Read my full review here

Lush Volcano

I can tell this is popular as I always seem to nab the last pot! I use this every week and slather it over my feet, pop on some spa socks and let it do its thing while I soak the rest of my body in the tub! A kaolin clay mask with papaya, tomatoes and potatoes, Volcano blasts away dry skin and leaves tootsies cool and fresh. Before washing it off, dunk quickly into the water to loosen the mask and then rub the remains into your tricky spots before rinsing away.

£5.75 for 125g

And now for some new appearances...

Lush Curly Wurly

This looks like an unappetising rice pudding, but is a lovely moisturising and conditioning shampoo. This will be my third pot as its coconut, shea butter and vanilla goodness keeps me coming back for more. The pot is full of dessicated coconut and aims to leave curls defined and bouncy. My hair has a natural wave so I can't quite speak for those longing to soften their coils and curls, but I promise that it really does give a light and silky finish.
A word of warning, it's a very, very thick shampoo. You have to dig your fingers into the pot to get a generous scoop and although it may feel like you will never be able to distribute it evenly throughout your style, keep at it as with some elbow grease it lathers into a creamy dream! Now, it is also difficult to wash out. The mini flakes of coconut will sit in your hair even after rinsing. For the first few washes, I was frustratedly trying to locate and remove them all, but I've now learnt that if you just move on to conditioning, by the time you've finished, towel dried and brushed your hair, they will have magically disappeared! And it's certainly worth it for a rich and conditioning experience.

£9.75 for 220g
Fresh eggs make the list of ingredients, meaning this shampoo isn't vegan, but you can rest assured that they're free range.

Lush Sunnyside

How can you resist a trip to Lush without pocketing one of their scrummy bath bombs or melts? It's been particularly grey and miserable recently, so I treated myself to this gorgeous, glittering bubble bar. Break this up under the hot tap while running a bath and enjoy the influx of big, beautiful bubbles. Underneath the surface you'll find you're bathing in liquid gold too like a true goddess or foxy Cleopatra. The glitter will also coat your clean skin so you can enjoy being a shining Goldfinger Bond Girl under your pyjamas or clothes! A sure fire way to give you a smile and ultimate pampering session, Sunnyside is also made with Tangerine, Sweet Wild Orange and Lemon Oil so you can soak amongst citrus sweet essential oils!

£3.65 each

Lush Angels on Bare Skin

Now this is the most exciting product in my haul for me and one I can't wait to try. I haven't tried it yet as am just making the most of the dregs from my last cleanser, but this cleanser is allegedly as gentle and beautiful as being kissed by angels. Made of ground almonds, real lavender flowers, rose and chamomile, Angels on Bare Skin evens out skin tone, reduces redness and improves the health and appearance of the skin, leaving it glowing - sounds perfect to me!
It looks and feels a little rough and grainy, but when mixing your desired amount with water the ground almonds become almond milk in your hands which tone and brighten. It also absorbs grease and softens and moisturises. The simple need to add the water yourself, means that the product can be made with 100% natural ingredients and no preservatives. But my favourite part is the real lavender flowers. I regularly champion lavender as it's proven to calm and relax - so why not add that feeling to your morning cleanse!
I will keep you posted on how I get on!

£6.25 for 100g

As promised, to update on some of the other products I was trying from my last Lush Haul (here)...

Lush No Drought has grown on me a little. It still gets absolutely everywhere and I have to brush down my whole bathroom and outfit after use, but it really does absorb grease if you want to go an extra day without washing your hair. It is also easier to direct right to the problem area compared to the short sharp burst from the more popular cans ending up anywhere and leaving you looking a little skunky.

Lush Fair Trade Foot Lotion is one I won't be purchasing though. I only tried a sample, but it was so runny and gooey it would just get all over my bedding or slippers and wasn't a nice feeling. I much prefer the Body Shop Peppermint Foot Lotion. A lot creamier and indulgent, rather than toe-curlingly slippy!

Let me know what your favourite Lush products are as I'm always excited to try new recommendations!