Lush Gateshead Re-Opening Party And Some New Holiday Releases*

Now I'm not the most social of creatures by any means, but last week I went to a party! Alas there was no jelly and ice cream or pass the parcel, but there was enough glitter to shake a stick it and that certainly makes it a party in my eyes.

Myself, and a small group of my fellow North East bloggers were invited along to celebrate the re-opening of the Lush Gateshead store in Intu Metrocentre, alongside the Lush staff and their families.

Since I became bathless, I've got to be honest and say that I don't go into Lush as often as I used to, the pain that I can't buy bath ballistics anymore is real! When I go into store though, the Metrocentre store is my local, and although the staff have changed over the years, I can never praise the staff enough they are always super friendly and helpful and they always have a smile on their face.

The Intu Metrocentre store staff though, now have even more reason to be happy than most, why? well they have a shiny new and renovated store to work in. Still located in Upper Red Mall, the store has undergone a real transformation, the layout has completely changed, and it seems more spacious than it used but of course you can still buy all of your old favourites including haircare, skincare, fragrance, make up and of course bath and body products.

One new addition that is bound to make life easier for both the customers and the staff, is the introduction of new demonstration stations, which are fully equipped with sinks and hot and cold running water. Instead of having to grab a bowl of water, staff can now demonstrate how products work in a real setting, so you can try ballistics, and rinse off cleansers, body conditioners and shower foams until your heart is content, and your senses are tingling.

To celebrate the re-opening Lush, have made Lush Gateshead one of the first stores in the UK to launch their new Christmas and Halloween products, and we were given a sneaky peek as to what is on offer.

With every year that passes, Halloween in the UK gets bigger and bigger, When I was wee, Halloween involved a carved turnip, a black bin liner, and a witches hat but now there are decorations, costumes, cakes, sweets and even Lush goodies. You can buy pumpkin gift sets, black cat knot wraps, and a wide variety of soaps, bubble bars, bath ballistics, and even lip products (more on that later) to help you celebrate the witching hour. The bath envy is real with this one and if I had one I would definitely have picked a black cat shaped, Bewitched Bubble Bar.

At the risk of offending half of the population, I'm actually not that fussed about Halloween, it means one thing to me and that is Christmas is getting nearer, and you can't argue that the one thing that Lush do incredibly well is Christmas.

Think of Lush and Christmas and I can guarantee that one product will spring to mind and that is Snow Fairy, and the good news is that it is back for Christmas 2017. The original sweet, and fruity shower gel makes a reappearance this year but it isn't the only way to get your Snow Fairy fix. This year there are more Snow Fairy fragranced products than ever before, you can try out the new Jelly Bombs or you could pick up a Cold Pressed Soap, or even a versatile bar of Fun for the bath or shower. If body moisturising is more your thing, or if you want to layer all of that Snow Fairy sweetness, then you can try the new Snow Fairy Sparkle Jar, which is a combination of body shimmer, and a moisturising massage bar or you can try the Snow Fairy Body Conditioner which comes in both in a pot and as a naked product, which you can either use in the shower for a super moisturising treat or you can use a small amount as a body moisturiser.

Lush have always been one of the most innovative brands on the high street, and it goes without saying that they operate under a strong ethical standpoint. More of their products than ever before are suitable for vegans and a lot of their products are becoming more and more eco friendly in fact you can now buy a lot of products in their naked form. It sounds strange but cutting down on unnecessary packaging has always been the Lush way, and following on from the success of their solid shampoos, now they've introduced a wide range of products without packaging. You can now buy solid lip tints, solid lip scrubs, solid body lotions, solid shower gels and solid body conditioners, so say you want to buy some Snow Fairy Shower Gel, you can now buy it as you always did in a plastic bottle or you can buy the Naked version, which is a solid block that lathers up in the shower.

If Snow Fairy isn't for you (if it isn't, what is wrong with you?) then Lush have plenty of other festive products to tickle your fancy including Shower Gels and Jelly's, Soaps, Body Conditioners, and Body Creams, Bubble Bars and Bath Ballistics, and even lip products, with some new Lip Scrubs and Lip Tints, and the new Glittery Lip Block which is perfect for the party season.

I've already made myself a list of the shower things that I want and I'm definitely going to pick up my favourite Santa's Belly Shower Jelly, some Bubbly Shower Gel, the Bucks Fizz Body Conditioner and of course some more Snow Fairy but I couldn't resist buying a few thing on the night

I I ended up buying a couple of lip things I got the yummy tasting Sugar Plum Fairy Lip Scrub which retails at £5.95 and I also ended up getting the fabulous Black Rose Lipstick / Lip Tint from the Halloween range which retails at £6.50; it looks pretty scary, aka black in the tube but it alters with the PH of your skin and it lasts for ages on the lips.

I also picked up one of the new(ish) Jelly Face Masks in Just To Clarify (I'll be reviewing in a future post) which was £6.95 it wouldn't be a seasonal  Lush haul without Snow Fairy so I picked up the also newish, Snow Fairy Body Conditioner which you can use as both a luxurious shower cream or as a light and sparkly body moisturiser and it retails at £8.50 for the 100g size.

The people at Lush Gateshead were also kind enough to gift us a few of the Christmas products to try, and our goodies came beautifully packaged in one of Lush's signature, eco friendly Knot Wraps. I am a bit in love with knot wraps and they make any product look gift worthy in minutes. This is one of the many Christmas designs that they have on offer, but each store also has a wide variety of different designs to choose from and sometimes they even have vintage scarves which they can use as well.

My knot wrap contained two bath products, which I'm passing on to my bestie, a Christmas Sweater Bath Ballistic which contains a warming blend of mustard, clove, ginger, coriander, and Sicilian Lemon, and retails at £4.50, and a My Two Front Teeth Bubble Bar which contains lavender, vanilla, tonka bean and neroli and retails at £3.95.

It also contained a Berry Berry Christmas Naked Shower Gel which retails at £11.75 and contains a combination of cranberry, blueberry, bergamot, sweet wild orange oil, and olive leaf absolute and a piece of Shooting Stars Soap, which contains a fresh citrus mix of lemon, lime and bergamot and retails at £4.95. Make sure your following me on all of my social media channel to find out what I think about these two products.

I filmed a little video on the night, to showcase some of new releases and of course the re-opening party and the newly refurbished Gateshead store that you can see below or via this link.



If you are from the North East I can't recommend heading down to the new Gateshead store enough, the staff are really helpful and there are loads of new things to look at, and try. If you aren't lucky enough to live up North then the Halloween and Christmas ranges will be in all stores soon and of course you can have a look online x There really is something for everyone at Lush, there are loads of individual products for every skin type and every need, and there are plenty of gift sets to choose from for both Halloween and Christmas. Are you a fan of Lush's Christmas products? Let me know in the comments

*Press / Blogger Event 

Molton Brown Festive Frankincense & Allspice Fine Liquid Hand Wash*

You know how it is, you spend ages waiting for something and then it just seems to sneak up on you at the last minute. A few weeks ago it seemed like ages till Christmas but now it's only 4 days away and I still have way too much to do - I have to blog, I have people to see, shopping to do, and presents to wrap, and I'm running out of time!

When it comes to blogging, life really is getting in the way at the moment, and instead of hunkering down and getting some posts up, on Saturday I ended up doing something else. I'm not going to worry about it though, there's enough stress around at the moment as it is, without throwing a bit of blogger guilt in as well - I'm just going to do my best to catch up and post as often as I can x  So here it is better late, than never, a little, belated Molton Brown review x 

Although I've fallen in and out of love with British brand Molton Brown more than once over the years, it's a brand that every now and then, I just keep coming back to. Over the years they've flirted with skincare and make up but now they're focusing on the products that made them famous - bath, shower and body care. They team high quality, natural ingredients, with simple, minimalist and often copied packaging, to produce an aspirational product, that brings a touch of luxury and sophistication into your home

Personally speaking I'd love anything from Molton Brown in my stocking, but something that I think makes a lovely gift at this time of year is a hand wash. Admittedly I'm slightly obsessed with hand washes and soaps but they make a really nice, non offensive present for anyone of any age, and unlike a lot of presents, you can pretty much guarantee that they will get used

Whilst Molton Brown Festive Frankincense & Allspice Fine Liquid Hands Wash, isn't aimed solely at men, I think that's it's the perfect pressie for a house proud young man, or a man that loves his smellies. 

A hand wash was probably one of the first Molton Brown product that I ever used, and I can still remember the fragrance and the mass of creamy bubbles that it produced. There are several permanent washes in the range but this one is specially for the festive season.

Crammed full of vetiver, frankincense, cedar wood and all spice, this hand wash, has a warm spicy scent, that combines all of those spicy festive scents that we know and love, with the warmth and deep woody notes of the frankincense and the vetiver.  Vetiver is an extract that used a lot in men's fragrance and that's exactly what this hand wash reminds me of - an expensive, wood, spicy, masculine scent. 

It does have a tendency to linger on the skin for quite a while, so this is definitely a hand wash to put in a main or maybe a guest bathroom. 

I think that this product would make a great gift for anyone that loves this type of fragrance. I personally think that it's a very male orientated scent, but fragrance is such a personal thing, and I'm sure a lot of women that I know would appreciate this one too x

The bottle I've got here is just a 30ml sample size  but the Molton Brown Festive Frankincense & Allspice Fine Liquid Hand Wash also comes in a 300ml bottle which retails at around £16 and in a special 75ml Hand Wash Bauble Bottle which retails at around £10. As well as their standalone stores and their website, you can also buy Molton Brown products in selected House Of Fraser, John Lewis and Boots, stores and online.

*Sample

Sukin Cleansing Hand Wash - A Review For My Pure*

Yesterday I washed my hands 16 times - is that normal? I'm not sure what the average is - I guess it depends of your circumstances and your lifestyle but it's something that we all do numerous times a day without even thinking about it. I don't need to tell you how important it is to wash you hands, but in this post maybe I'm going to make you think about what you use to do it.

What do you normally use to wash your hands when your at home? Please, please don't tell me that you still use a bar of soap - I don't know what it is but bars of soap at a communal sink makes me feel slightly sick! Thankfully the majority of people now seem to be embracing a more hygienic solution and are using either a liquid soap or a specialised hand wash.

As much as I love some of the fruity, and novelty fragranced  hand washes, they aren't always that good for the skin. They can contain a lot of harsh foaming agents, and whilst they leave your hands feeling clean, they can often leave them feeling dry, tight and a sore, which is a big no no especially at this time of year. Although the worst of the weather is still to come, my hands are already showing signs of winter dryness, so as well as layering on the cuticle oil, and the hand cream, I decided to switch up my hand washes and try something new from My Pure.

One of the best things about My Pure is that the site stocks so many unusual and niche, natural brands that are hard to find elsewhere, I've been introduced to so many brands via the site and this month I'm trying a product from another new one, Sukin.

Founded in Melbourne, Australia in 2007, Sukin is a family business that produces a wide range of affordable, effective and high quality natural skin, body and hair care, products using only the finest quality botanical extracts and essential oils.

The product that I tried was the Sukin Cleansing Hand Wash. which is designed for all skin types but specifically for hard working hands that are prone to dryness. It is sulphate, mineral oil and paraben free, and it's suitable for vegans. It contains a huge array of natural extracts, and ingredients and natural foaming agents. It also contains moisturising oils of jojoba and avocado, soothing aloe vera extract and hydrating rosehip. It also contains a variety of different citrus oils, and lavender for its anti-bacterial properties.

Packaged in a dark plastic pump action bottle, the hand wash is clear in colour (the product contains no artificial colourings), and has a thin, gel like texture. Simply add a little bit to some warm water and you get a gentle lather, that feels creamy on the skin and rinses away with out any dryness, leaving the skin clean and silky soft. This wash has a gentle scent, with subtle lavender, citrus, and herbal hints and it leaves the hands smelling clean and fresh.

One of Mummy Lou's biggest bug bears is hand washes that have too strong a scent. Anything goes in the bathroom, but in the kitchen you want something that will cleanse the hands and remove food odours without overpowering or tainting food. If you're the same, this is the hand wash for you, it cleanses the skin, and leaves it feeling soft, and subtly scented.

Yes you could probably pick up a hand wash for less than a pound but what your getting here is an excellent quality product, from a cruelty free and ethical company, that does what it promises. Sukin Cleansing Hand Wash retails at £8.12 for a 250ml bottle from My Pure. If you have any questions please let me know x Thanks for reading x

*Sample

Bentley Organic Handwash With Cinnamon, Sweet Orange And Clove Bud - A Review For My Pure*

There a couple of things that I'm a stickler for and one of them is hand washing. I can't stand dirty or sticky hands and I can't comprehend people who don't feel the same way. As a nation I think we're starting to move away from the traditional idea of using a bar of soap to wash our hands, so like many homes we've switched to using liquid soaps and hand washes.

In my opinion liquids are a lot more hygienic than the humble bar of soap. Every squirt is fresh and untouched and it hasn't had the opportunity to pick up anyone elses dirt or germs. I also find liquid hand soaps and washes a lot less fussy and messy, and you don't end up having to clean out that horrible gunge from the soap dish!

Over the years we've tried a lot of different hand washes but like most beauty products it can be a bit of a minefield. Like many other washing and cleaning products hand washes can contain a lot of chemicals and foaming agents that can effect the skin, and with some hand soaps, frequent washing can lead to dry and sore hands. There are two brands that we now buy regularly one is A'kin which I reviewed here and the other is L'Occitane. They aren't the cheapest washes out there by any means but they cleanse the skin without drying. Belts need tightening though and sometimes you just can't justify spending that type of money to wash your hands, so for one of this months My Pure reviews I decided to try a more budget friendly offering, in the Bentley Organic Handwash With Cinnamon, Sweet Orange And Clove Bud.

Before seeing the brand on the My Pure website I have to say I'd never heard of Bentley Organics. They are brand whose main focus is soap making, a trade that has been in the family for over 5 generations. They use only Soil Association Certified organic ingredients and like every other brand on My Pure they are paraben and sulfate free, and their products are suitable for vegetarians.

This hand wash which comes in a pump action bottle, contains real cinnamon, clove leaf and orange peel oils, as well as vanilla extract and vegetable glycerin, and plant based foamers.

It has a pleasant fruity, spicy aroma that reminds me a little bit of carrot cake. The smell is quite mild and doesn't really seem to linger on the skin making this ideal for use in the kitchen.

The wash itself has quite a viscous texture, but it foams easily with a small amount of water and you don't need a lot- don't expect huge bubbles though the foam is very light and gentle. It takes a little bit of rinsing but afterwards your hands are left feeling soft, with no hint of tightness or dryness.

I think that this is a lovely hand wash for everyday use and it easily compares to the more expensive products that I've tried. It's hygienic, non-drying and a little goes a long way. The mild scent means that it would work equally well both in the bathroom and in the kitchen. Bentley Organic Handwash With Cinnamon, Sweet Orange And Clove Bud retails at £4.50 from My Pure. If this scent isn't for you, it also comes in 3 other varieties, Olive, Tea Tree and Eucalyptus, Lavender, Aloe and Jojoba and Grapefruit, Lemon and Seaweed.  I can definitely see myself trying more from this line, I've particularly got my eye on some of the body washes and the Olive, Tea Tree and Eucalyptus Hand Wash. Have you tried anything from Bentley Organics before? Please leave me a comment and let me know x

(*Sample)

Lush Snowcake Winners :)

Hiyas
Thank you all for entering my little Lush giveaway, using random.org I selected and 2 numbers and therefore two lucky winners, who are.....drumroll....

Nikki

and

Lucy

Thank you very much for entering ladies and congratulations - please can you e-mail me your postal details to pootle28@hotmail.com and I'll get your soaps out asap x

X

Lush Love In + A Giveaway - GIveaway Closed!

Well I knew it would happen -today yes on a Sunday I received both Lush parcels one dispatched on 28th December ,and one dispatched on the 13th January.
The first parcel contained the original Lush order that I placed with Tea Tree Water Toner, Marilyn Hair Mask, Absolute Delight Ballistic, Fairy Tail Sugar Scrub, Ruby Red Slippers and Christmas Eve Bubble Bar and Cupcake Face Mask :)

I also got a free gift package which contained Angel Delight, Snowcake and Porridge soaps, and Think Pink, Honey Bee, Avobath and Big Blue Ballistics

In the second parcel I got everything I originally ordered bar the Christmas items

and I received another free gift box containing the same soaps and last time, Honey Bee, Think Pink, Supernova and Blackberry Bath Ballistics

I thought it was really nice of Lush to send me the second parcel free of charge it's just typical of the postal service that they ultimately both turned up and on the same day -grr

Anyways both of my freebie boxes contained the one Lush product I really can't stand :( so I am going to give two of my lovely followers a Snowcake soap each - All you need to do is be a follower and leave me a comment below saying Enter Me - I'll pick 2 winners using random.org a week today at 2.30pm - Good Luck xx

Edited to add - yes this giveaway is open internationally so itsybitsyknitsy your entered chick x

Lush Goodies

Just a quick post to show you some of the Lush goodies I won in a recent twitter giveaway (Don't forget to follow me on twitter ;))
I have been a Lush fan since there previous incarnation Cosmetics To Go -I love the shops, I always find the sales assistants super nice and of course the products are gorgeous -so I was really pleased to win the competition

I received a pot of Dream Cream, some Snow Showers and some Honey I Washed The Kids Soap.

Dream Cream - I have used this before and I love it. If you have used the Dreamtime bath melt this is a perfect companion. A soothing body cream with lots of lovely things in it including lavender, cocoa butter, oat milk, and chamomile -perfect for bedtime :)

Honey I Washed The Kids Soap - Despite hating the smell of honey I love this soap it smells amazing like sugar and caramel - so good you could almost eat it

Snow Showers Shower Jelly - this is a new one to me but even without opening the tub the smell is amazing - oranges and cognac according to lush -really nice fresh and fruity -very like the discontinued champagne bath bomb. I am sure I have tried the shower jelly's in the distant past and to be honest I don't think I was that sure about them but it smells good enough and trying to use it could be a laugh, and bath and shower time is supposed to be fun :)

I can't wait to use these products again I love new smellies - which Lush products do you like? I'd love to know I think I have tried most things but you never know. Oh and thanks again to everybody for their kind words regarding my recent post I really appreciate it xx

Holiday Goodie Part 2 - Cosmetics

I know I but a few cosmetics bits in the airport but one of my faviourite thing to do when I am away is to scrat round local drugstores to see what local brands are on offer - Cyprus was no exception - things like L'oreal and Maybelline were available but very expensive but I managed to find a few brands I hadn't heard of that I was really impressed with - I found just a general pharmacy in the resort but omg how much make up etc. did they sell, nail art, amazing lashes so it would have been wrong not to pick up a few bits :)


First of all I got these a set of three nail art pens - alas the green one exploded a bit - you get the idea a strong smell of polish when you open your case thankfully they were sealed so nothing was damaged. They have a nib and a fine brush for detailed work - I used to love my nail art :)



I also noticed a lovely packaged eye shadow by a company calle Sivanna - which is a gorgeous silver, white, beige shade - It was only 3 Euros and it is so velvety soft.



I also picked up yet another gorgeously packaged and patterned pink, lilac shadow by a company callesd fashione which was only 2 Euros


and I also picked up this fab blue / gold marbled shadow by a comapny called Ludanmei Cosmetics which is sooo pretty

There was also another pharmacist in the resort and they stocked a gorgeous line by a company called ERRE DUE - OMG I am so impressed with this brand



I got two wet and dry sparkly eyeshadows in 412 green and 414 dark blue OMG - they are soooo pigmented and so soft - I really love these shadows - they also had a gorgeous gold/green which unfortunately was sold out :(




I also picked up one of their automatic liners in 08 and olivey green which again is so soft, really pigmented and waterproof



and I also picked up one of their nail polishes in 89 in a gorgeous metallic blue


and I also picked up an olive oil Jasmine soap - I got one last year and it was so moisturising


Any questions please ask - I'll hopefully be back later with a jewellery haul x