Oh My, Your Skin Feels So LUSH Today!

My life has been changed, and it all happened by accident.

Being impatient sort of pays off sometimes, and this life-changing thing happened when I was too impatient to wait at the Origins counter at Macy's as my friends purchased their favorite Ginger scrub. 

I wandered right into the arms of LUSH Cosmetics, met by a sales staff who felt like long-lost friends and were all decked out in TOMS. How much time did I really spend hanging out at Lush? So much time that my friends came in to find me, only to become just as obsessed as I. We actually screamed! And the sales staff encouraged it! They even had a Scissor Sisters quote on their wall, and I LOVE THE SCISSOR SISTERS.

See? I'm still screaming.

So here's the truth: I'm not one to buy something because it's vegan or eco-friendly or natural; instead, I buy what I like and don't really consider the impact it has on anyone but me. I was an only child for 13 years, give me a little bit of a break in the selfish department, okay?

But LUSH just so happens to be animal-testing-free and eco-friendly and natural and simultaneously decadent and DELICIOSO-SMELLING, and that, my friends, is how it's changed my life. I love all of those things now because I truly notice a difference in the products. My skin! My hair! My smell! It's all so good, I could hug random strangers to prove the power of these products!

I could go on and on (and on and on, really) about these products. I really could. Instead, I'll share with you some of the key players in my fairytale cosmetic love story, starring LUSH:

This, my possibly hesitant readers, is BUFFY. We like to call her Buffy the Cellulite Slayer, but it is so much more than that. It's a $20 best-friend-like heaven that lasts for 60 amazing and skin-softening uses. It's basically a cube of moisturizing lotion (omigod you guys, the smell...SO GOOOOOD) with exfoliant that completely eliminates the need for lotion after your shower or bath. No, seriously. Your skin comes out lotioned and smoother than a baby's bottom and it lasts all damn day.

Real-life testimonials from my friends who were with me the day I fatefully stumbled into LUSH:

"Dude, that Buffy! I'm asking it to marry me tomorrow!!!!" -My friend Bailey's actual Facebook status

"Buffy is the love of my life!" -My friend Heather's Twitter update

Enough. Said. Moving on!

This is Godiva solid shampoo, and it makes the richest lather I have ever felt in my life and it has the most delicious jasmine scent. Did I know that jasmine is my favorite smell ever? Not until I met this shampoo bar. I can't even talk about it because it gives me the overwhelming urge to wash my hair. OVERWHELMING!

Oh, and the best part: Since using this shampoo bar, I haven't had to douse my hair in conditioner and go through more bottles than a hair salon in a month. Major money saver!

Another all-time favorite item (really, how many all-time favorite items can one have?) is the Aromaco all-natural deodorant, minus the plastic deodorant tube, plus baking soda, witch hazel and PATCHOULI. You heard me right. Hippy pits are happy pits, and mine have never smelled better.

It lasts through my warmest and most awkward and nervous moments, which is incredibly important when you're klutzy and oftentimes find yourself in embarrassing situations.

 

When it comes to LUSH, I splurged like a shopaholic off her meds let loose in a mall with Daddy's credit card, but I don't feel bad because the quality is amazing and the stuff just lasts. In addition to the products I just gabbed about, I also now use a rejuvenating face mask, jasmine-scented body wash, solid jasmine-scented perfume (are we noticing a trend yet?) and some intensely repairing hair lotion. And guess what? I've gotten compliments on both my skin, which is looking fiercely vibrant; and my smell, which is, in my mind, exotic and natural and love-inducing. 

Have you ever wondered what Carmen Sandiego would smell like? I secretly imagine I smell how I think she would smell. Worldy. Mysterious. Perfect for wearing a red trench coat and large-brimmed hat.

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Be sure to check out LUSH for yourself; word on the street is that they do absolutely no PR or marketing, instead relying on word of mouth and happy customers. And, obviously, blog posts from the aforementioned happy customers. OH, and did I mention everything is handmade? Just one more reason to geek out about LUSH.

Any other fans out there? Have I tempted you to try some for yourself?

*All photos in this post from the LUSH website.

  

Stay thrifty,
Hollie

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Comments

[lizzie]

i love lush.
excellent post, lady, they are worth freaking out about!

[Van]

Thank you for the review. I'm always looking for natural skin care alternatives. As a fellow curly haired chick, I noticed my hair changed completely with a switch to just a 100% natural, moisturizing shampoo. No need for conditioner! And my hair is softer than it's been in maybe a decade :)

I love the natural stuff for selfish reasons too; because it WORKS BETTER.

[Brett]

The Buffy is a DREAM and the Deod smells sooo gooooood! Mine is kind of minty! I want to go back ASAP to get all the items I had as samples, plus get more samples and MAYBE some shampoo, because I like that it is in a bar! haha

[Ariella (@LIBudgetBride)]

Oh my god I LOOOOOVE Lush. I am not the kind of girl to spend a buttload of money on beauty products. I generally buy whatever is on sale or what I have a coupon for. Lush, is a completely different story. My cousins introduced it to me during Christmas. They gave me some pieces of soap, a Buffy and a bubble bomb. They were telling me about this stuff with their mouths moving a mile a minute. When I got back to NC I tried it and I. Was. In. Love.

And it was meant to be because there is only ONE Lush store in North Carolina and it is in the mall 10 minutes from my apartment. I went there and spent way too much on more bath bombs and a Buffy. This is how awesome this stuff is. I used one of the bubble bombs and then exfoliated with a Buffy and I could shave my legs WITHOUT shaving cream. No razor burn or anything. After the wedding I want to try the hemp hair color.

Unfortunately, with my financial situation the way it is, I only splurge on the bubble bombs and use them sparingly. But when I finally get a job that allows me some kind of spending money, watch out.

[Hollie]

Woot! Lush cheerleaders!

[Hollie]

You aren't kidding, it works SO MUCH BETTER. Maybe because our hair soaks so much product up on a daily basis? Who knows...but I don't have to use conditioner anymore either, and it's such a flipping money-saver.

And seriously, if you haven't tried LUSH, GO & RUN TO IT. They also have some all-natural repair hair lotions for curly girls. OH, and they have a delicious coconut-scented shampoo called Curly Wurly that I've heard great things about.

[Hollie]

Remember when Bailey Sue said that powder was for her MOUNTAIN DEW & we died? I must buy another Buffy and some more face mask. I'm seriously planning on stocking a few just in case I run out and need a back-up!

[Hollie]

ARIELLAAAAAAAA, this makes me so happy! Thank GAWD you know the power of Buffy, or else I would make you go to that store 10 minutes away right now & purchase one!

You're right, it is kind of expensive. But you know what? I would rather splurge a little and be completely happy with the products and know that they're good for me, too. It certainly helps that I haven't found beauty products I like this much in a long time...possibly ever. How could we possibly deprive ourselves of much-deserved pampering?!

I haven't tried the bath or bubble bombs, but I really want to start (hello, I'm an addict). Do you have a favorite? Which would you recommend?