Curly Wurly shampoo review: "For it's scent alone this is a winner"

Curly Wurly (£10.25/220g) was one of those impulse buys from Lush.  I don't really have curly hair and I don't really need a moisturising hair shampoo either.  But yes, I bought Curly Wurly nonetheless.  I was actually going to buy Big shampoo but that didn't happen - until next time.

On the pot, it explains Mark Constanine gets really "cross" when companies make a coconut shampoo but don't actually have real coconut in them.  So Mark was inspired to do the complete opposite with his coconut shampoo and has put a hell of a lot of coconut in it.  You can actually see, feel and smell the true coconut inside this shampoo.

This is a really personal product to me even though it probably isn't the best shampoo Lush can offer my hair type. Curly Wurly doesn't just leave a fragrance I like for my hair but a smell of a personal memory.  Every summer when I was a child, my family and I travelled to America where I would be at the pool everyday for two weeks.  I'm not kidding it was hours on end... 9am to 5pm everyday.  At the pool side there were certain things I smelt, just like at the seaside.  At the pool, I would smell chlorine, palm trees, hot air and coconut.  The fans around the hotel blew these scents in my face as well.  Curly Wurly delivers such a personal memory and experience of these fragrances that I've not experienced in years.  I swear I even smell chlorine in Curly Wurly but that obviously isn't possible when it isn't in it.
The coconut oil, vetivert oil and vanilla infusion come together to make a holiday destination, a really beautiful and sweet scented product.   For it's scent alone this is a winner.

Not only does the product smell a-freakin-mazing its pretty amazing itself.  It is a really moisturising product with all of the butters, oils and fruit.  Curly Wurly contains Papayas and Avocado butter - have I ever wrote before I LOVE both of these ingredients?  Avocado anything will receive my unconditional love.  Both of these fruits add nourishment and betterment to the state of hair.  Curly Wurly also contains eggs so unfortunately it isn't a vegan product for any vegans out there.  That kind of makes me sad that you'll miss out on this experience but then again it is personal, no one else may feel the way I feel about Curly Wurly.  But the eggs provide a conditioning and strengthening element to the product that will benefit hair, and lemon Juice provides a good clean by refreshing the hair.

Although Curly Wurly isn't a skin care product but rather a hair care product, I had it tested on my arm in my Lush store and it felt incredible.  It was super soft and gentle - which surprised me with the desiccated coconut.  It was also really thick and spread like a paste before water got involved.  It also felt really creamy and bursting with goodness.

The first time I used this in my hair I was a little apprehensive.  It was so thick and sticky I didn't know how it was going to lather, and I also felt nervous in case it wouldn't come out my hair! But, as usual, Lush products aren't to be underestimated or misjudged.  To be fair, Curly Wurly didn't lather as quickly as shampoo bars do (HIWMH being an example).  It took more than a couple of palms to bring its lather out but overall it's alright.  The shampoo made a thick white lather that felt really juicy and fluffy, full of goodness and being palmed into my head.  However, as I've wrote, it's lather is a little weak compared to Lush's shampoo bar.


Curly Wurly is the fourth shampoo I've tried by Lush and I opted for this over Big because of its smell.  I have found myself a little disappointed by the lather of this shampoo considering I used a generous amount.  Nonetheless, I'm rather thankful I bought this shampoo opposed to Big as I found Curly Wurly's desiccated coconut pieces a challenge enough rather than pieces of sea salt.  The coconut pieces were tangled in my hair and I spent more time brushing my hair to get them out.  I love the fragrance of this shampoo and if the pieces of coconut are necessary then dismiss my criticism.  But if the product could survive without, I'd be much, much happier.  I do recommend Curly Wurly shampoo as it is a really beautiful hair care product that stands out from the crowd.  With its incredibly sweet and emotion-tied fragrance this was a winner to start with.  But after using it, it's fragrance lingered in my hair naturally and I even had compliments from people.  My hair didn't feel as soft as I pre-thought it would without a conditioner, but it certainly felt nourished and not in need of moisture from a conditioner.  My hair was easier to brush out after using this compared to shampoo bars, and it also had a lot of bounce and lightness to it that it usually doesn't have.  I wouldn't say it adds volume to your hair but it definitely succeeds in lifting it discreetly to bounce about and also revives my childhood curls slightly.  Curly Wurly adds a look of health to hair and my hair certainly felt better using it.  

Thanks for reading!

Instagram: @lushvoyage

Facebook: LushVoyage 

Ingredients: 

Ammonium, Laureth Sulphate,

Desiccated Coconut

,

Cetearyl Alcohol,

Propylene Glycol

Water (Aqua),

Fresh Organic Lemon Juice

,

Glyceryl Stearate & PEG-100 Stearate,

Perfume

Linseed Infusion,

Fresh Papaya

,

Lauryl Betaine,

Fresh Organic Free Range Eggs,

Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter,

Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

,

Shea Butter,

Organic Jojoba Oil,

Avocado Butter

,

Fair Trade Vanilla Absolute,

Vetivert Oil

,

Benzoin Resinoid

Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil,

Alkanet Extract,

Lanolin

Cetrimonium Bromide

*Coumarin

 

Lush Face Care Haul

Today I've got a Lush Haul for you! A face care one - moisturiser, cleanser, soap, toner and so on!

I've suffered acne since I was eleven years old and it's been rocky waters since.  I went through my early teens with a face covered in loads of yellow heads, then in my mid teens this cleared to the odd yellow head but my face was bombed with blackheads.  Now, my very late teens/hedging twenty, I no longer have yellow heads but a face blooming with blackheads and everyday I'm dealing with a new cyst spot.  I have never suffered with cystic acne before until around a year and a half ago, with it increasing every month to it being a part of my daily life.  So I'm now a sufferer of cystic acne.  I'll note here as well, I have a really weird skin type.  It's extremely oily... extremely.  I have to dab down my face every two hours because it gets so oily! But, really strong acne treatment products for 'oily skin' strip my skin's oil away too much and makes my face all flaky and I break out in a rash, drying it out to almost cracks.  

I don't want to dwell on skin issues and bore people, but for me, acne isn't about how it looks - it is about how it feels.  Cystic acne is f***ing painful! PAINFUL! It's like a hard lump the size of a frozen pea under the skin that won't burst when you try to burst it.  PLEASE don't try to burst these kinds of spots - it causes more infection, increases their size and causes scarring.

I asked what Lushies use for their face and what they would recommend for my current skin issues, and I've plucked and tweaked Lush Face Care Routine suggestions from the lovely Lushies on Instagram. 

And here's my Haul! 

Ocean Salt Self-Preserving: £7.75 for 120g or £13.95 for 250g

I've heard of Ocean Salt more times than I can remember but have never looked into it for myself.  Why? Well, I saw an untouched pot of Ocean Salt once and it looked very rough.  By rough, I mean raw salt and that was it.  It looked like bath salts filled to the top of a Lush pot.  I ignored Ocean Salt's existences assuming that it would be too harsh for my skin.
But it's overwhelming fan base (love you guys!) intrigued me so much so I actually looked into it to see what it really was.  I mean, how could the fan base use this? It's salt and would hurt! Ehhh... WRONG!  I wish I could underline that even more.

My favourite bath bomb is Avobath since I'm a big fan of Avocado based products.  Guess what? Ocean Salt is an Avocado based product! How did I miss this?? It's also got Grapefruit infusion which makes it even more splendid.  I'm very excited to start using this product.  Avocado butter soothes and conditions skin and I'm well accquinted with its qualities.  Avobath is a necessity for me all year round - even cooler baths in summer with Avobath.  So I'm really, really, really, reaaaaally excited to use this.  The Grapefruit Infusion provides a cleansing and toning property to Ocean Salt to improve the condition of your skin as well.  These two ingredients working together will be a kick-ass product for sure.  Ocean Salt definitely smells similar to Avobath bath bomb which has made my heart soar.  I'm desperate for the Lush Kitchen to make Avowash shower gel and there have been no signs... Yet... But I've found this! It's a body scrub as well and I know I'm going to have to try it out as one.  It smells incredible.  The lime is very obvious - more obvious than in Avobath - and I'd say you can smell the vodka too.

And there are four Ocean Salt variations available.  You have the original and the new self-preserving available in store.  But you can also get the original and a self-preserving version without alcohol.  These are available online and the difference between them is, well, there's no alcohol in the two.  Alcohol Free!


Vanishing Cream: £18.75 for 45g

I would say this is the product I was most hesitant to buy.  For the small amount with a big price I was really unsure.  But... The majority of suggestions recommended this facial moisturiser.  So I just had to get it.  Desperation makes people do crazy things or is the reason for a lot of judgement calls.  This is one of those times.

It's most interesting ingredients to me are lavender oil, honey, organic jojoba oil and witch hazel extract.  These ingredients make me confident about this cream because honey is one of the best things you can use for your skin.  It's antiseptic and antibacterial qualities do skin wonders in general, not just acne.  It helps skin repair from damage, it kills bacteria and helps inflammation too.   The Lavender Oil is to calm your skin down and soothe any anger the acne bacteria is causing.  And Witch Hazel Extract is in a lot of acne products... A lot! It's an anti-inflammatory so just like the lavender, in its own way, should calm the skin down as well.  And last but not least the Organic Jojoba Oil.  Jojoba oil is naturally moisturising and is as close to the oil we naturally produce on our face.  It should do my face wonders. 

After really reading about what is in Vanishing Cream, I'm hoping my acne does just that... Vanish!


Coalface: £4.95 for 100g / £12.38 for 250g / £24.75 for 500g

One of the three solid facial soaps Lush has to offer.  I was VERY put off buying this because I'm not keen on solid cleansers and soaps.  But I wanted something that would really assist in controlling the oil production of my face rather than a product simply cleansing it and cleaning it.  Half the battle of acne is about prevention and that's exactly what Coalface should do in the long run.  Powdered Charcoal helps to balance the skin by absorbing excess oil which I feel my skin is in desperate need of - it's all over the shop.

Also in Coalface, is Liquorice Root with its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and moisturising qualities.  Different to honey but works very similiar.  It will help healing the wounds acne cause and will help the skin find itself again.  There is also Rosewood Oil which works in the same way as Powdered Charcoal to balance the skin.  

It smells like liquorice with a little scent of coal from the fire.  I think the smell of this would surprise people slightly, considering it's black and it's name proposes coal... It doesn't really smell like charcoal.  Definitely more liquorice. 


Grease Lightning: £6.40 for 45g

Gooooo Greased Lightning, you're burnin up the quarter mile .... Go Greased Lightning! Go Greased Lightning! I'm sorry, I just HAD to! First off, this is a pretty small bottle.  I almost missed this in store it's so small.  I had to ask where it was! Of course it's size is my opinion - others may find it big.  It smells an awful lot like Vapour Rub and I'm guessing that's the Witch Hazel, Thyme and Aloe Vera coming together to make this scent.  It isn't an unpleasant fragrance but more a treatment/medicinal fragrance.  Just smelling it you can tell its meant for something - not a fragrance of leisure like Snow Fairy.

Grease Lightning contains Grape Juice as an antioxidant for the skin.  Grape Juice also helps other ingredients to be absorbed by the skin.  
There's also Fresh Sea Water and Aloe Vera Gel.  The Fresh Sea Water is full of minerals making it good for the skin and Aloe Vera Gel helps to reduce redness, and it provides protection.  My skin is known to react to Aloe Vera Gel occasionally so I'm a little nervous about this product.  Hopefully with the other ingredients, Grease Lightning will be an effective and saving product but I won't know until I've tried it.  With the raving suggestions and reviews this gets I really do have high hopes for it.

Mask of Mag: £9.75 350g or £5.75 for 120g

Mask of Magnaminty comes in an original form or a self-preserving form - introduced in 2014.  Definitely one of Lush's most popular face masks since its effectiveness is supposedly great, and it is the only face mask Lush has to offer that comes in generally good sizes.  Every other Lush mask is 75g whereas the smallest pot of Mask of Mag is 120g.  Also, Mask of Mag doesn't need to be refrigerated like other masks too.  This can be a benefit for folk - like me - who keeps their Lush stuff all in one place.  Or someone who never has a bare fridge and needs all the room possible.  *Raises hand*

The main fragrance is mint and that is pretty much the dominant scent out of all that come through.  This mask does contain Peppermint Oil, which is cooling and invigorating for the skin.  This should provide a cool sensation so there isn't any pain.  When my eczema was in a really bad state, someone suggested to mix Peppermint Oil and water together and dab my eczema with it.  First I will write - it hurt like a MUTHER FXCKER.  But after forty seconds of pain (I actually counted this) there was a really cool sensation which did give me relief.  I no longer wanted to claw at my skin as much as I had.  However, please don't try that.  I found more relief with Lush's Sympathy for the Skin.  The reason I made reference to that was to explain a sort of understanding of the effects of Peppermint Oil.
I smell the honey and talc in Mask of Magnamity - they come through pretty strong.  There's also, African Marigold Oil which is said to reduce blemishes and inflammation and help protect the skin.  Let's get these spots vanquished! I'm quite eager to see how effective the Kaolin is as well, it should draw out impurities and excess oil - cystic acne's new best friend! 

Tea Tree Water: £4.25g for 100g or £7.95 for 250g

There aren't many ingredients in Tea Tree toner water but don't underestimate it.  I guess that's what a sales person would say? I don't know.  But seriously, there's only three ingredients in this toner water.  Tea Tree water, Grapefruit water and Juniperberry water.  There is the parabens and a perfume but they aren't the fighting acne qualities of Tea Tree Water.  Even though this contains perfume, I honestly don't really smell anything.  Maybe a little tea tree but that's it.  It just smells like water to me.  But the Grapefruit water will improve skin tone, which is definitely needed when your skin is a mess.  It's like having a bad hair day... But with your face.  What I was surprised to learn though, was Juniperberry water helps toward clearing skin with its antiseptic qualities.  I didn't know that.  And when you consider Tea Tree water clarifies skin, this really should be a Fairy God Mother product making my dreams of clear skin come true.

Here's a list of the products I've shown above:

• Ocean Salt Self-Preserving
• Coalface
• Mask of Magnamity
• Grease Lightning
• Vanishing Cream
• Grease Lightning
• Tea Tree Toner

And that's my face care haul! I can't wait to use all of these products and get some reviews going.  The majority of them are new to me - a part from Coalface as I've used a sample before.  But even then, I didn't use it long term and use it sensibly or generously.  I'm hoping all of this will band together and clear my skin of cystic acne.  That's all I want.  Fingers crossed!  Now, if you have any questions about any of the products or are even interested in how this new regime is coming along, don't hesitate to leave a little comment below and I'll get back to you.  Or talk to me on Instagram!  I'd also be really interested to know what your regimes are with Lush.  

Thanks for reading!

Instagram: @lushvoyage
Facebook: LushVoyage

Hot Toddy shower gel review: "It's like a layered cake"

Can I say before I go on further, how I feel so crap for missing Hot Toddy at Christmas.  I feel like Christmas never even happened if I'm honest.  So I'm quite eager for Christmas to roll around again... Only 7 months to go! Yay..... *whimper*

BUT thankfully in the mean time, I found someone who wanted rid of their 250g Hot Toddy and I jumped at the chance.  I'll write at this point that I got a 500g bottle from another fabulous account as well.

Oh my Toddy... This shower gel really is something special.  It smells just like Atomic Fireblast candy.  I think its the same as Red Hots too.  It is such a beautiful shade of red, such a beautiful shade.  The gel is a totally different colour in the shower opposed to the colour seen in the bottle.  It's kind of like a neon red colour and it's rather impressive how different it is.  I can't even compare it to other shower gel colours... The colour of the gel outside the bottle is kind of like Heart Throb bubble bar.  Also, the shower gel has a beautiful gold shimmer of glitter through the gel kind of like Yummy Mummy with silver shimmer.  But as with most Lush shower gels, the majority of the glitter has sunk to the bottom of the bottle (look below).

Hot Toddy smells exactly like Atomic Fireblast / Red Hots candy.  I can't even begin to stress how identical these candies are to the fragrance of Hot Toddy.  It is a sweet cinnamon scented gel.  Very spicy but underneath that spice is a lovely sweet and sugary fragrance.  And also kind of grounded since, personally, I can smell the patchouli in Hot Toddy.  I'm a patchouli warrior but - I smell it in everything! It's like a layered cake.  It's like a cup of coffee.  You smell the coffee first and then gradually get a waft of the sweetner you've put in it.   Well, with Hot Toddy, you get the waft of cinnamon and ginger first and I'd say the lemon juice, lime, and orange oils follow to make that lovely sweet depth.

I use a wash mitt in my shower routine and the shower gel soaks well into it to create a delicious lather.  It spreads quite thin! But not water thin like Happy 4 Sad.  And out of all the layers of Hot Toddy, I'd say it is most definitely the cinnamon which lingers on the skin.  I've used it a couple of times now and the fragrance can last for about five hours.  After using the gel, my skin felt clean and refreshed... Very squeaky clean! And it also felt soft courtesy of the carrageenan extract.  Surprisingly, I also felt this shower gel was rather sensual.  The kind of Lush product that makes you want to purr... Yeah, a lot of people might not get that description and some might just think it's crazy.  But I'd recommend Hot Toddy as an "intimate" shower gel.

A great combo with this is King of Skin or Sympathy for the Skin.  Both of these calm the vibrant cinnamon scent and bring it to a more gentle finish.  They bring out the sweeter scent of Hot Toddy as the spicy notes are more prominent than the sweet in general use. 

The only thing I'm not liking about Hot Toddy at the moment is how I feel after using this shower gel.  I feel as if I'm breaking out in sweats whenever I use this.  And although there is fair warning on the label, I didn't expect this to really make you feel warm.  But it does.  Oh Toddy it does.   Almost an hour after using the shower gel I still feel warm.  So, why is this a problem? Well come the summer weather when I'm constantly roasting, burning, panting and fanning myself continuously - this gel will probably be my worst nightmare.  The heat it gives you is unbelievable.  Unless you're well acquainted with cinnamon or this gel you won't understand what I'm trying to convey with words.  Just imagine lying by the pool and feeling very, very warm and desperate to jump in the swimming pool.  Just imagine the way you feel when lying in a sunbed after the ten minute mark.  That is what Hot Toddy does to you.  


This is a lovely shower gel by Lush and is perfect for the Christmas season.  It's colour fits in, it's fragrance is that of baked goods for Christmas and it just screams Christmas.  With its warming tendencies, I definitely wouldn't recommend using this when summer comes about - unless you are having a cold shower.  

All in all this is a great festive creation by Lush and I'm very, very pleased I've got my bottles.  I'm hoping Lush will bring it back for the 2015 Lush Christmas Collection.  However, I'd like to see Glogg or Ponche since... (oh boy)... Ihaven'ttriedthembefore.  Oh that felt good to confess but still pains me.   But when the other shower gels offered for Christmas are Snow Fairy, Rose Jam and So White... Hot Toddy is a refreshing difference.  

Ingredients: Ginger Infusion, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Fair Trade Aloe Vera Gel, Laurly Betaine, Propylene Glycol, Fresh Organic Lemon Juice, Fine Sea Salt, Clove Leaf Oil, Patchouli Oil, Lime Oil, Benzoin Resinoid, Cinnamon Leaf Oil, Sweet Orange Oil, Carrageenan Extract, *Cinnamal, *Eugenol, *Limonene, *Linalool, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Benzyl Cinnamate, Coumarin, Hexyl Cinnamal, Perfume, Colour 14700, Colour 17200, Gold Glimmer Lustre, Methylparaben
*Occurs naturally in essential oils


Thanks for reading!

instagram: @lushvoyage 

Golden Egg Review - 'Golden Egg really is one of Lush's most specialbath products a Lushie can try'

As of late, at least one product from Lush's seasonal goodies is a beautiful, sparkling, glitter bomb (or bubble bar).  There was Sparkly Pumpkin in the Halloween Collection, 

Holly Go Lightly bubble bar and Star Light Star Bright bath melt in the Christmas Collection and the Lonely Heart bubble bar in the Valentines Collection.  And in the delightful 2015 Easter Collection there is once again Golden Egg.

Golden Egg is the bath bomb/bath melt all lush employees seem quite pleased to see the back of when Easter is over.  Glitter goes everywhere and I mean everywhere.  There is no escape from the Golden Glitter of Golden Egg!

But whether you love or hate the glitter monster, Golden Egg really is one of Lush's most special bath products a Lushie can try.  When I first discovered Lush, it was Easter and Golden Egg was one of the first bath products I tried.  I immediately fell in love with its toffee and caramel fragrance... Its fragrance is very much like Honey I Washed the Kids soap, Honey I Washed My Hair shampoo bar and It's Raining Men shower gel.  Smelling Golden Egg and It's Raining Men together, there is a difference between the two fragrances but all in all the similarities overrule their differences.  I'm guessing it is the lack of honey in Golden Egg which causes the slight difference. 

It's price is £3.75 and it's a steal when you consider it's a bath bomb and bath melt.  When you plop the egg into the water the bath melt gets to work first and then when that's melted, the bath bomb begins to fizz away.  Trust me, you'll see the difference.  

The fragrance stays constant throughout the entire bath.  I was in the bath the other night for almost over an hour and the fragrance didn't die down whatsoever.  And the fragrance left behind on skin? YUM.  The way Golden Egg smells when picked up in store or delivered in hauls is exactly how you smell when coming out of the bath.  This would be a really good pre-outing bath product since it leaves a beautiful glitter blanket on the skin and you smell delicious, incredible and you surely will feel comfortable in your own skin.

As soon as you step into the bath you can feel within minutes your skin is moisturised and nourished.  It may feel greasy and for some people it may actually be too greasy but that's a personal preference.  Imagine your body after using King of Skin, African Paradise conditioner or Ceridwen's Cauldron bath melt.  Just don't expect to go into a bath with Golden Egg and come out with 'soft' or 'smooth' skin by the likes of Honey Bee ballistic.  The bath melt is a bath melt regardless of it being a bath bomb as well.

The only criticism I have for Golden Egg is it is one hell of a mess to clean up after using it.  Even if you just shower the bath down whilst your draining it - the glitter still sticks to the bath! It kind of annoys me that some Lush employees tell customers this doesn't happen OR a specific employee once told me; it's because I used hot water. And why wouldn't I use hot water? It's a bath! But that's really besides the point.  Please just be aware that the glitter does stick to the bath, particularly the bottom, and it will also stick to the sides if you don't hose the bath down whilst draining.   Last year I got out the bath and drained and walked away to get a drink and planned to clean it later.  When I went back... My bath looked similar to sandpaper.  And it felt like it too, actually.  It took me half an hour to clean my bath - going through a quarter of cleaning product and it ruined my cleaning cloth too.

As I previously said, Golden Egg is a treat for any Lushie to try and you'll see why yourself when you try it.  It's kind of special.  I'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried it before.  And I'll conclude by writing that Golden Egg is the best Easter product in the Easter Collection by Lush.

Click here to see Golden Egg demo 


Thanks for reading!

Instagram: @lushvoyage


 

Ingredients: 

Sodium Bicarbonate, 

Fair Trade Colombian Cocoa Butter, 

Citric Acid

Laureth 4,  

Cream of Tartar, 

Sodium Laureth Sulfate, 

Perfume

Sweet Wild Orange Oil, 

Bergamot Oil, 

Olive Oil

Cornflour, 

Lauryl Betaine, 

Amyl Cinnamal, 

Citronellol, 

Geraniol, 

Lilial, 

*Linalool, 

*Limonene

Gardenia Extract, 

Colour 19140:1

Radiant Gold Lustre, 

Gold Glimmer Lustre

Why I'm Happy Lush Cosmetics supports Fin Fighters UK

I can't remember exactly when I became obsessed with Sharks.  Maybe it was the time I found a sharks tooth on the beach.  It might even have been the time I first saw Deep Blue Sea.  I don't know.  I just remember arguing with a boy named Fraser in primary school about how he was a nasty little creep for hating sharks and wanting them to die.  I decided because of that experience to learn everything I could about sharks and 14 years later I'd definitely say I've progressed.

First off, I now know it wasn't hatred he had for sharks but it was fear.  This fear stemmed from the famous summer blockbuster Jaws.  I think I can safely say the majority of people have seen Jaws, it's like Star Wars, you can't not see it.  I'm sure I'd seen it before I actually saw it.  The chilling music... The daunting music... It's famous.  So why was he afraid? Well, it's the first movie to install shock into a young mind or even the mind of an adult that there is the possibility if you step into ocean waters you may lose your leg.  Or life.  There wasn't a movie of its kind back in the 70s and suddenly people were scared of the water.

Jaws taught us there's a really big shark that eats people.  

And not only does it like to eat people, it likes to stalk ocean shores waiting for little boys on floaties to go out for a paddle.  And this was as powerful as it gets.  Why? Well, we are either that little boy as we're around his age and think a shark would eat us.  Or we're an adult and maybe even a parent who can replace that little boy with a little kid we know ourselves.  Kids are as innocent as it gets in this world and a shark ate one.  It's the devil walking but swimming.

It's a great thriller.  It's even a great book if you've got the chance to read it.  But that's what it's down to... The story is fictitious.  It's been grafted, expanded and exaggerated enormously on true events that happened 10 years before the book was written.  Peter Benchley wrote the book based on personal events and events in 1964 of a man who purposely hunted down Great Whites for sport.  Sounds familiar? Hello Quint.

When Jaws came out in cinemas there was a great enthusiastic reaction to sharks as people wanted to learn about them to be like Hooper (a marine biologist)  On the other hand, there was a really bad reaction which no one foresaw.  Groups of men went out on a shark killing spree to be like Quint and they slaughtered so many sharks wanting to catch "Jaws".   But they entirely ignored Jaws was a fictitious piece.

Today, 40 years later the slaughter still goes on.  However, it's even worse as it really is for personal gain rather than a reaction of underlying fear hidden by a shaking pride and ego.  Sharks are brutally murdered for their fins for a delicacy in cultures.  Shark Fin Soup is a delicacy in China usually served at weddings and for anniversaries.  This sickens me.  What sickens me even more is how this comes about.  Sharks are hauled onto fishing boats by bait and their fins are cut off.  The sharks are then dumped back into the ocean to die an inhumane death.

Organisations like Fin Fighters UK are working to serve and protect an animal that should be left the hell alone to begin with.  It shouldn't need defending.  It's the King of the Ocean! But sadly they aren't left alone.  And even more devastating is sharks actually need our help.  I was so pleased when I heard Lush were supporting Fin Fighters.  I'll try and put it into words actually; I felt this really funny feeling in my stomach and it fluttered up to my chest and my chest swelled and felt tingly.  It felt lighter even though my heart beat a little faster.  I was so proud to be a Lushie that day.  In America I know Lush do 'Shark Fin Soap' in protest to this horrible act and I asked whether Lush UK would consider doing the same campaign.  It doesn't matter if the UK doesn't have shark 'attacks' or finning occur... The UK can be a voice in this issue and we are neglecting it terribly.

Although Lush support and respect this cause, I'm aware quite a few Lushies might not know a lot about Sharks even if they know about the cause.  Here's some things that I found really cool when learning about sharks:

• The most threatening shark to humans actually isn't the Great White ("Jaws") It's the Bull Shark as this shark can come into shallow water and can be found in rivers, unlike Great Whites.  You can be knee high in water and a Bull Shark can grab you - I've seen it! It's also pretty aggressive and territorial and if you're on the receiving end of an 'attack' you would have a fight to get away opposed to Great Whites.  When a Great White 'attacks' it usually takes a bite - which unfortunately can result in the lose of limb, have you seen how big their jaws are? - it quickly realises you aren't what it wants and will go away.  Whereas the Bull Shark likes to continue on in 'attacks' since you are its prey regardless of you tasting good/bad
• The majority of shark 'attacks' are a case of mistaken identity.  From the depths of the ocean humans tend to look and sound like sharks delicacy of seals.  The way we flap around and move in the water amits the same frequency seals do in the water.  This is where Great Whites releasing you ties in as they quickly realise you aren't a seal and don't taste great. Also wearing a watch in the ocean can be a big no-no. 
• Places like Sea World and other Aquarium places like to use the Sand Tiger Shark as the shark to display, as it looks pretty terrifying in dimmed lighting and being in a tight room like you've got no escape only makes this fear worse.   But in reality, it's pretty much non-threatening and won't harm humans.  It's only known to attack when provoked.
• The fastest shark in the world isn't even the Great White either, it's the Mako Shark.  
• Sharks are much older than Dinosaurs! They were roaming the Earth's ocean long before Dinosaurs existed.
• The biggest shark in the ocean is the Whale Shark and although it's big in size, it poses no threat to humans.  It must use its entire body to swim so it won't attack humans like other sharks do.  However, don't be mistaken.  If you are hit by its tail it could cause some serious damage as the force would be really, really strong.  The Whale Shark glides along in water and takes food from water it picks up.  Basically, it filters food from water it takes in.
• And a Great White has really impressive teeth.  Not the kind of teeth a dentist wants to look at though! Its teeth can tear through flesh, meat and bone effortlessly.  So just remember - if a Great White wants to eat you, it certainly will!

And here is a true picture of a Shark that needs our help.  Not an electronic flop.

I also want to write about why you should support this cause.  I use to wonder how people couldn't be fascinated by sharks since I was fascinated by them.  I didn't realise then it was a personal interest and not a global or shared one.  It's like a hobby in one way.  Some like the piano and some don't.  Some aren't interested in sharks and some are.

My breath was taken away when I first learned and then saw Sharks breach the water when jumping for prey.  Yes, this is true! I've watched a lot of documentaries involving Chris Fallows who was heavily involved in Cape Town Africa capturing (photographs) the first ever Great White breaching the water.  It's truly something magical for shark lovers when you first see it.  Every time you see it afterwards its always really amazing but there's nothing like the first time you see it. My breath was taken away.

Sharks are amazing creatures and humans are killing them.  They are one of the oldest creatures (if not the oldest one) we have remaining on Earth and they are being slaughtered.  They hold so much history humans can't compare to and they're not receiving respect where it is due.  Sharks are not like chickens or sheep where humans have fields of them and breed them for human diet.  We have no control over their breeding like we do farm animals (please note I'm not saying farm animal breeding is right I'm only stressing we're about to cause extinction beyond the cruelty already served for sharks)  We are about to cause extinction in sharks.  And it's rather incredible that the king of the ocean becomes the size of an ant to our hands.  I hope and hope and hope we will be 'Fin Free by 2023' ending the sale and distribution of sharks fins.  And with Lush supporting this amazing organisation I feel more free to speak my mind on the matter as I know Lush and Lushies are behind this organisation, behind me and behind the creatures I love.

Thank you for reading.

Instagram: @lushvoyage

Click here to go to Fin Fighters UK website 

All images in this post are from Google.  I did not take or create any of them and I do not take ownership of them.  I use them as part of this post in support.  

'Fin Fighters' graphic is from Fin Fighters UK website.