Violet Nights Bath Oil

Violet Nights was one of my first ever Lush Kitchen products and I bought it to celebrate my exams finishing.  I bought this on a pure whim thinking full heartedly I couldn't not like it because I assumed it would smell like parma violets.  I was very lucky, because initially I didn't like Violet Nights as my hope for a Daddy-O fragranced oil fell through.  Violet Nights isn't anything like the violet scents Lush have been producing but it's fragrance can be found in their Tuca Tuca.  The bottle reads Violet Nights "will leave your skin as smooth as silk" which isn't an exaggeration I swear.

As I wrote above, Violet Nights isn't like Daddy-O or Lush's earthy violet scents in Ultraviolet, but more of a blend in between somewhere.  It isn't candy-violet like the shampoo and it isn't grassy/earthy like the bubble bar.  It's rather strange to explain.  It has the distinctive violet background which is sweetened beautifully by the addition of vanilla.  It's actually the same scent as Tuca Tuca for anyone who has smelt that - so you have your answer.  Violet Nights is a nice addition to Lush's current taste for violet.  The shower gel Don't Rain On My Parade smells just like it which I'm very pleased about.  Finally Lush are going for a sweet violet!

Whilst £14 may at first seem pricey and too costly it is in fact fair.  You see, there is no way anyone would use this less than at least ten times (especially when bath combos happen).  In the long run it is a cost effective product but on the other hand, you don't get the variety of ten different kinds of bath bombs.

The oil from the bottle is a very deep and dark purple colour but the most peculiar part is... It is a milky cloudy colour when poured into the bath!  The colour outcome is most strange indeed.  Some people will love it and some will hate it but honestly it just makes Violet Nights even more special.  The first time I used this I expected the water to be a lilac colour at least.  But no it was like a murky white colour that once you've seen it and experienced with - you couldn't imagine it to be anything else.

I left the bath with silky and soft skin that felt and smelt incredible.  Containing Soya Oil makes Violet Nights a really rich skin benefiting product since this oil softens and conditions the skin.  The difference in how soft skin is after using Violet Nights is undeniable.  My skin didn't feel dried up but rather silky and soft.  I guarantee anyone who buys this bath oil will be enthralled with it entirely.  I could see all the oils in the water showing just how rich Violet Nights is.  Depending on how this bath oil is used it can also create a foam layer just like bubble bars do.  However, the foam layer I found was very different to what bubble bars produce - it was softer which I preferred.
I found this to help really relax me and comfort me - especially when I paired it up with The Comforter bubble bar.  It is one of the best (if not THE best) bath combo's you could try.  Trust me, you need to try that out!

Violet Nights is the kitchen product I'd still argue should be available in store.  This gives everyone a magnificent bath that undoubtedly would be suitable for Cleopatra.  It's different from all of the other bath time products and I've heard other customers ask employees if Lush do any bath oil when I've been in store.  With the Oxford Street bath oils proving popular and a treat, Lush should really think about bringing this purple beauty back to shelves... Nevertheless, we'll enjoy the new bath oils Lush are offering us but will continue to indulge in Violet Nights when the kitchen makes it.





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Photos of Violet Nights:

Ingredients: Soya Oil, Laureth 4, Perfume, Cassie Absolute, Fair Trade Vanilla Absolute, Sandalwood Oil, Vetivert Oil, Violet Leaf Absolute, Ylang Ylang Oil, Alpha Isomethyl Ionone, *Citronellol, *Eugenol, *Benzyl Alcohol, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Farnesol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 60725, Propylparaben
Suitable for Vegans

Lord of Misrule shower cream: "I am he who smells divine"

Don't be scared, don't scream or shout, don't try to escape... I am he who all loves.  I am he who all desire.  I am he who smells divine.  I am the Lord of Misrule.

Yes! Lush have finally acted on the cries and pleas from Lushies far and wide to finally introduce Lord of Misrule to Lush's all year round line up(fingers crossed it's nationwide!). Usually a bath bomb released during the Halloween and Christmas season for anyone who does not know, Lush have finally captured this mischievous scent in a newly created shower cream.

So Beware... Continue reading to be bewitched and spellbound into a magical world where you can summon your inner Lord of Misrule.

Lord of Misrule has the signature fragrance of the bath bomb.  But when I smelt this from the bottle I knew I'd smelt something very similar in another form.  At Halloween Yankee Candle releases their seasonal candles and ironically one of their candles has the exact same fragrance as Lord of Misrule.  This candle is called Witches Brew.  But for those of you who have not smelt either of these products, Lord of Misrule smells like a mash up of patchouli oil and vanilla with a little sprinkle of pepper.  There's an earthy/airy aroma by the patchouli which is sweetened by the presence of vanilla.  And just slightly on top of these aromas is a spicy note by the black pepper.  It's absolutely gorgeous.

All of the new shower creams have different ingredients to provide the 'cream' effect.  Yuzu and Cocoa has cocoa butter, Comforter has almond oil, and Lord of Misrule contains wheatgerm oil.  I found this a really peculiar addition to the ingredient list since wheatgerm oil is a vegetable oil usually used in diets.  It's high in vitamin E and has numerous health benefits.  On the bottle Lush explain wheatgerm oil is included to provide a creamier texture on the skin and will leave your skin "strokably soft".

And it is indeed true! Lord of Misrule does leave the skin soft and smooth.  Albeit the bottle reads 'shower cream' I'd say this isn't anything like a cream or lotion as it isn't thick outside of the bottle.  It's actually quite runny and spreads almost water thin.  It doesn't have the consistency of a shower gel either, making this a totally different shower experience to Lush's usual shower gel.  But the strangest part is Lord of Misrule doesn't really lather.  I can create a small foam but it mainly spreads across the skin like a body conditioner.  This is the biggest difference I noticed and believe this is where the 'shower cream' design kicks in.  It is a noticeable difference in consistency when all you've ever used by Lush is their shower gels.

Also, the signature fragrance of Lord of Misrule magnifies within the shower tenfold.  It's a really relaxing and sensual fragrance that takes you to your happy place.  I didn't want my shower to end!  But it didn't end there.  My skin smelt sooooooooo good.  It really is a blend of what the smell is in the bottle and I've been told I smell really good when I've used this.  So without a doubt this leaves such a strong scent on the skin and lasts hours on end.  At least five hours.

I've actually been really impressed with how effective all three of Lush's shower creams have been.  I admit albeit a little embarrassed I also suffer from "chicken skin" aka Keratosis Pilaris which is loads of little lumps like swollen pores on the body.  For me it's on my upper arms and only there.  The success is that my chicken skin is gone! Yay! Gone, gone, gone! Just like eczema these have always made me a little self-concious.  So I am absolutely thrilled the creams have cleared this up.

I recommend LOM for anyone who is a massive fan of the bath bomb and has withdrawl from it who don't have anymore in their stash and have to wait for Halloween.  I recommend it for it's skin benefits and pleasant shower experience.
Lord of Misrule has taken his time to transform into something more than a bath bomb.  And what can I say he came through in not just an incredible shower cream but also a body butter and FUN (Rough With The Smooth and Monsters and Aliens FUN).  The shower cream is a fantastic creation and fingers crossed an outstanding addition to Lush's product range.  I really don't see why they won't let this mischievous ruler rule the land because he would dominate their sales without a shadow of doubt.  And he would enchant us Lushies every single time we bathe and shower.  Since after all, he is the Lord of Misrule.





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Instagram: @lushvoyage

Photos of Lord of Misrule shower cream:

Ingredients: Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Patchouli and Peppercorn Infusion, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Glycerine, Stearic Acid, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Lactic Acid, Organic Wheatgerm Oil, Black Pepper Oil, Patchouli Oil, Fair Trade Vanilla Absolute, Titanium Dioxide, *Limonene, *Linalool, Snowflake Lustre, Colour 42090, Colour 47005, Methylparaben, Propylparaben
*Occurs naturally in essential oils
Suitable for Vegans

Sympathy for the Skin review: "Thirst be gone!"

Sympathy for the Skin (£11.75/240g) was the first lotion I ever tried from Lush and undoubtedly my favourite for how good it is. Definitely a lotion tipped for greatness when the label Lush produce informs us that this lotion is very popular so much so they've never been able to discontinue it.

I'll give you a little bit of my background story here.  I came across Sympathy for the Skin when I went into my local Lush crying because of how bad my eczema was.  The hour before that I'd been doing gardening with my mum - I didn't think about how it was going to affect me.  My eczema was in the inside of my arms and it was raw to the point I couldn't bend my arms.  I'd been getting into Lush at this point and talked and talked and talked about it to anyone who would listen (still do in fact, hehe!)  So when my mum suggested we try out Lush I jumped for it, even if it were just a trip to smell the stuff. 

There I was taken under the wings of two lovely Lush women who advised me to try out Dream Cream.  However, due to its ingredients, it only aggravated my skin and inflamed it more.  Sympathy for the Skin was then slapped onto my arms generously and instantly peace was restored.  I felt a coolness spread across my arms and a strong soothing sensation.  It felt lovely to feel such a sensation.  And within 5 days of applying this cream, my skin cleared completely.  My eczema and other skin issues were really severe where I had to wear oat patches everyday to prevent infection and to try and let things heal.  My skin had suffered for 15 years, but had been a true mess for 11 years and not once in that long, long time did it clear once.  Not with steroid creams, moisturisers, emollients, shower treatments, oat patches, light treatment and so on.  I went through the process of dermatologists and their treatments for 11 years entirely unsuccessful.  And in 7 days Lush's Sympathy for the Skin cleared my skin entirely.

The ingredients speak volumes for how good this is for your skin.  It's like how good smoothies are for your insides... But a lotion for your outside.   The main ingredient in this is fresh bananas which are very, very good for your skin because of how nourishing they are.  Bananas are full of vitamins and minerals and when used for the skin they are a great moisturiser and emollient.  Anyone who has skin that is parched and thirsty smack this baby on it.  Thirst be gone!  It will feed life into your skin once more and bring health to it.  It also contains lemon oil which will not only be refreshing and cooling for the skin, but the oil is believed to stimulate white blood cells that defend our body against infection.

Sympathy for the Skin is probably Lush's most water-thin lotion available all year round.  This is compared to Dream Cream (both types), New Charity Pot, Vanilla Dee-Lite, Karma Kream and Forumlae Known As.  It's almost like a milk consistency - not as thin as milk but it certainly looks as though it is.  When spread across the skin it disappears so quickly and sinks into the skin.  Yes, there is a creamy oily greasy look across the skin but the majority of the lotion does sink into the skin.  It feels so rich and light, not heavy and thick at all where the lotion sits on the skin.  It's perfect in that regard, light enough to give comfort and save time whilst it works wonders.

Word of warning though, if you knock the pot over, the lotion will start running very quickly.  You'd maybe have a couple of safe seconds with other lotions but you'd need to act fast with Sympathy.  It's runny!

The smell of this lotion is a blend of bananas, cocoa butter and vanilla.  It has such a tempting fragrance since it smells delicious.  I'd actually believe this was edible if it wasn't a lotion - it smells that good! You can definitely smell the vanilla which provides the sweetness but I'd argue the bananas provide a rich base smell for the vanilla to blend to.  It smells yummy! Kind of mirrors the smell of vanilla ice cream but it isn't strong either.  You need to stick your nose into the pot to smell this.

I recommend Sympathy for the Skin for anyone who has eczema or psoriasis despite Dream Cream being the number one recommendation by Lush.  My recommendation is purely from my experience and how well it has fared me and how well I do believe it will fair others.  Dream Cream contains both Lavender oil and Tea Tree oil which if your skin is open and flared, it could possibly sting and burn your skin aggravating it further.  It simply depends on how sensitive your skin is.  When my skin was open and oil kept oozing out my sores, Dream Cream did nothing but make this more painful than what it already was when I walked into the store.  As soon as Sympathy was on my arm - no burning, no stinging, no itching - it was one the most apprehensive and frightening moments of my life.  I was waiting for the pain to come like all the other stuff I had been given before.  And it never came.  My arm actually felt soothed and cooled by Sympathy for the Skin.  I'd recommend if you can, go into your local Lush and test both out aka 'patch test' them because it stopped me from making a mistake.  I would have ordered Dream Cream online for sure if I didn't feel so comfortable with my local Lush.  So I need to thank them here for being the loveliest, greatest and most friendly people I've ever came across.

Sympathy for the Skin smells amazing, feels amazing and works better than any other Lush cream.  All Lush lotions work differently and smell different but this lotion has so much love from me.  It is a skin saver with no doubt about it.  Whenever my eczema flares up I slap Sympathy on it and 12 hours later its minimized it greatly and by 4 days its calmed it and cleared it.  I get great results with this lotion and I hope it gives other people the relief and life line it gives me.  It has a sweet, comforting and yummy fragrance that makes the product all the better.  It feels great on the skin and nourishes it beyond nourishment.  The Almond oil is a great addition to the lotion with its hydrating qualities.  All of this, makes it my favourite Lush lotion and if you try it out, especially if you suffer eczema, you'll soon know why yourself.

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Ingredients:

Fresh Organic Fair Trade Banana, Fair Trade Vanilla Pod Infusion, Almond Oil, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Stearic Acid, Glycerine, Triethanolamine, Sandalwood Oil, Lemon Oil, Labdanum Resinoid, Cetearyl Alcohol *Limonene, Perfume, Methylparaben, Propylparaben

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.  

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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