In case you needed another reason to love Lush as much as I do, they have decided to give you one. Lush announces an addition to their line up with two different exfoliating sugar scrubs.
Like many of Lush's other products, these don't come with a bunch of packaging. If you've ever been in a Lush store, you know you can pick up their bath bombs and soap bars and use their paper bags to keep them in. It's very environmentally friendly.
The all-natural ingredients of the bath bombs includes sugar, sodium bicarbonate, and cream of tartar. According to Helen Ambrosen, LUSH Product Creator & Co-Founder, “One of the most important things to do is to keep your skin gently stimulated and maintain a healthy circulation. By doing this you’ll encourage the elimination of toxins, ensure a healthy turnover of cells and stimulate muscle tone.” Rub one of our two new sugar scrubs all over wet skin and feel them work their sugary magic, leaving you with bright, smooth and healthy glowing skin.
The first option, Sugar Scrub, includes both fresh fennel and fennel oil, which acts as a tonic for the skin. Lavender helps soothe the skin and ginger warms up the skin. This is a vegan product, and retails for $4.95.
Sugar Babe, the other new scrub, has a hard sugar outside but a soft center of hydrating coconut oil and beeswax absolute moisturizes and soothes the skin. Scented with ylang-ylang and mimosa absolute, it also retails for $4.95.
You can find the new Lush offerings at any of the 103 Lush stores in the US or online at LushUSA.
We don't have a Lush store here in Virginia Beach, but the next time I'm in Washington DC or New York, I'll be stocking up on these.
Lush Releases New Sugar Body Scrubs
Product Review: Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub by Lush
I'm not going to lie: I am addicted to this stuff. In fact, I'm kind of hoarding it. I won't let anyone else in the house use it, and now that I'm getting down to the bottom, I'm a little freaked out because there isn't a Lush store in my town and OMG, what am I going to do?
It smells absolutely divine, slightly citrus-y, a little floral, but not overwhelmingly so. It has sea salt in it, but it's not huge chunks that hurt when you use it. Quite the contrary - you don't even realize that you're using a scrub until you see the effects on your skin afterwards. Don't expect lots of lather, although if you're a Lush fan, you probably don't expect that out of any of their products - and that's a good thing. It's made of natural and/or organic stuff as well as "safe synthetics," if you care about that sort of thing. I personally don't, I just love their products.
Lush says you can use it as a shampoo, "if you're in a hurry," although I haven't. I bet it would get your hair squeaky clean, though.
Grab yours at the Lush online store for $8.95 - $23.95.
Summer Loves: Soap and Glory Flake Away Spa Body Polish
We all know I am obsessed with exfoliation, specifically body scrubs. There are so many reasons for a good scrub, especially if you use self-tanners on any sort of regular basis. It also keeps your skin super soft, and keeps that ashy look away. But it can be hard finding a good scrub that isn't too rough on skin or that actually exfoliates anything at all - I'm always searching for that middle ground.
I picked up Soap and Glory's Flake Away Spa Body Polish at Target a while back, remembering some of the excellent reviews that I have seen on this company's product line. The founder of Soap and Glory is Marcia Kilgore, who also founded Bliss, a beauty line that I bet you might have heard about. Originally, Soap and Glory was to be a mass market line in the UK, but has found it's way to our shoes, fortunately for us.
This scrub is nice and thick, with salt as the underlying exfoliant. Unlike other scrubs I have used before, the salt isn't overly large or coarse, making it easy to apply and rub in. It has a base of excellent oils, which linger long after you have toweled off without being overly greasy. I think the scent will be the main point of contention for many, as it's the type of scent that you will either love or hate, with not much of a middle ground. According to Boots.com (which is the only place online I was able to find Flake Away), the listed notes are leafy greens, bergamot and mandarin, with floral and fruity middle notes, and a soft, sexy, musk, oakmoss, amber and woody drydown. Regardless if this is up your alley or not, you might be relieved to know that the scent doesn't linger overlong after the shower. And if you follow the advice on the back of the jar that encourages you to apply another layer of body oil after your shower, you may not notice it at all. (I used Bobbi Brown's Beach body oil, and found that the two scents complimented each other perfectly.)
Overall, I found this scrub to be excellent, especially given it's price point, which was less than $12. I have rarely found a drugstore type scrub that works this well for this kind of price. I will certainly be interested in trying out more of this brand after having such a good experience with Flake Away.
Unfortunately, as I mentioned, I was unable to find Flake Away online anywhere, with the exception of Boots online. Because the dollar is so weak, you may find that paying 6 pounds for this item not to your liking. Try popping over to your local Target and seeing if they have it in the cosmetics section. While it wasn't at Target online, there were quite a few in stock at my Target. Good luck! It's worth it!
Favorite Body Scrubs
Have I mentioned that I'm obsessed with exfoliation? I truly am. I will buy any body scrub on the market and use it until it is all gone, regardless of whether or not I actually like it. I love the feeling of scrubbing all the rough spots until they are nice and smooth and then using an exceptional moisturizer. If they are scented with something that I wear in my daily perfume, so much the better. Pulling out a note (such as ylang ylang or bergamot) of my scent for use in bath products is one of my favorite ways of "matching." I pay more attention to that then whether or not my outfit matches. Truly. So I decided to put together a list of my favorites that I have discovered. And if you know of a body scrub that I should try, please let me know!
My most recent purchase is Boots Mediterranean Olive, Bergamot, and Walnut Body Scrub. This is a gentle and non-abrasive scrub that would be great for sensitive skinned people. The scent is lovely without being overwhelming, and it offers light moisturizing. One of my requirements for a great scrub is that they don't require me to use an additional product for moisturizing after I get out of the shower, and this one just barely qualifies in that regard. But the price is right, and you definitely don't have an oily feeling on your skin after the shower.
Neutrogena Energizing Sugar Body Scrub. This was the very first scrub I ever used. There is nothing exciting about it - the scent is exactly what you would expect, a basic citrus that is supposed to be invigorating. The exfoliatiors are sugar crystals, which aren't harsh on sensitive skin, and it has better than average moisturizing ability. But it is definitely lacking a "wow factor," although it really is a good basic scrub.
The Body Shop Strawberry Body Polish. This isn't a scrub in the true sense. It's a body polish, which means that it has great exfoliating ability, but not much in the way of moisturizing. Which is fine, especially if you like to control the amount of moisture your skin gets. I love the scent on this product, and often follow it up with their Strawberry Body Butter. With the addition of salicylic acid, it certainly keeps the rough spots to a minimum.
L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Sunless Scrub. I mention this precisely because it is almost the opposite of all my other favorite scrubs, yet there is always a tube of this in my shower. This offers no moisture at all. None. Don't expect it, you won't get it. And you don't want it, either - this scrub is designed to prepare your skin for self-tanning, and you don't want a layer of oils to prevent that bronze from developing. This scrub has BHAs and salt as it's exfoliant, so don't use it after shaving! Take it from me!
The Body Shop Bergamot Salt Scrub. I have to confess that I don't have this in bergamot. I have the ylang ylang option (sensual ylang ylang, natch), but it is exactly the same with the exception of the scent. This scrub is very, very moisturizing. No lotion needed afterwards at all. Because it's salt, it's another scrub that must be used prior to any shaving that needs to be done. Also, the salt grains are quite large - don't keep scrubbing until they dissolve, as you won't have a top layer of skin any longer. But the scent is heavenly, and the product is decadent.
Lush Buffy Body Butter. And I saved the best for last. I recently discovered the Buffy bar at the Lush store in Atlanta (great SA's there, by the way - they are awesome! Shipped my things to me because I wouldn't be able to get them on the plane), and I haven't stopped using it since. This solid bar can be used at the end of your shower, right before you get out. Not only are you treated to the most luxurious moisture, the exfoliating grains remove any bad patches you might have. And these grains aren't salt - they are ground rice, almonds, and aduki beans. This bar makes my skin the softest it has ever been, and I plan to keep a bar around from now on.
Posts
