Sparkled Beauty

Another special collection from Lush, this time for the holiday. Squirt and I have enjoyed testing out the products quite a bit :)

The Melting Snowman bath melt feels like a sign of Christmas to us :) With skin softening benefit (thanks to cocoa and shea butter) and hot toddy scent (i.e. herbal to our noses), he is different from other Christmas items.

He works like a bath bomb - dropped in the tub with hot running water and he dissolves like a real snowman, lol, even his carrot nose and dairy free chocolate drop eyes. He turns your bath water into a cloud and softens your skin!

I have to admit, the scent is very different, not my utmost favorite but I love how my skin feels afterward. And we can't deny the fun factor he offers.

Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Icing Sugar, Citric Acid, Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), PEG-6 Caprylic/ Capric Glycerides & PEG60 Almond Glycerides, Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis), Titanium Dioxide, Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii), etc.

He'd cost you $5.95 for 2.1oz/ 60g.

Just as exciting is the Secret Santa double layered bath bomb, modelled after the first Lush shop in England. The (exclusive) scent called 29 High St. is easy on the nose with notes of jasmine, lime, tonka and Sicilian lemon. It is sweet and pleasant.

The house is about twice as big as regular bath bombs, so I got like 3 uses out of it. It turns your water into a clear (see-through) orange dream - think orange popsicle! So much fun!

Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Fragrance, Ylang Ylang Absolute (Cananga Odorata), New Caledonian Sandalwood Oil (Santalum Austro-Caledonicum Vieill), Indian Jasmine Absolute (Jasminum grandiflorum), Lime Oil (Citrus aurantifolia), etc.

The house is $9.95 for 9.5oz/ 270g.

A new to me product is the Sandy Santa body butter and scrub. A 2-in-1 product with improved formula including coconut oil, murumuru and shea butter to intensify moisturization.

I have never tried a (moisturizing) solid scrub before, really enjoy using one at this point :) A bit of warning though, the scrub feels quite rough upon contact, even with a light hand on wet skin. However, it is gentle when you rub out the particles once they are on the skin. And the skin feels amazing after rinsed.

Another warning: Santa's hat does come off red on your skin, so don't be alarmed when you see red streaks appeared. They rinse out thoroughly, no staining effects though.

The solid form makes it easy to travel with. Once used, the ball softens a little, would be best to be carried in a ziploc bag. The scent from orange, rose and sandalwood oils is quite uplifting.

Ingredients: Sugar, Murumuru Butter (Astrocaryum murumuru), Sodium Bicarbonate, Organic Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cream of Tartar (Potassium bitartrate), Sand, Lauryl Betaine, Brazilian Orange Oil (Citrus sinensis), etc.

This Santa is $9.95 for 4.58oz/ 130g. I definitely would repurchase, if he comes back next year without the red hat.

Another twist in product design - a cleansing roll :) This is Buche de Noel facial cleanser, imitating a cake log.

The ground almonds in the formula exfoliate while kaolin clay acts as a mild but deep cleanser. Almond oil and seaweed moisturize dry patches, and satsuma brightens. All sounds really good.

Despite the log format, the cleanser is meant to be used the same way as others. A pea sized chunk in the palm, worked into a paste with a bit of water, applied to damp face. I got good result with using the cleanser, however, I cannot deal with the herbally scent in it, which is a shame. It smells like coriander herb to me, and I don't wish to wear it on my face :(

Ingredients: Ground Almonds (Prunus dulcis), Kaolin, Glycerine, Fresh Satsumas (Cutrus reticulata), Dried Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon), Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Brandy, Almond Essential Oil (Prunus dulcis), etc.

This pot of 3.5oz/ 100g is $12.95, also available in 8.8oz size. It does have an expiry date, so use it up quick if you have it :)

And this is a full-on kids' item - Gold Fun, a 4-in-1 mouldable soap (shampoo, soap, bubble bath and toy) with LE gold luster and Honey I Washed the Kids (honey toffee) scent. Not to say that adults can't enjoy it but we just don't find the playing stage as fun as the actual bath stage like kids do.

Squirt spent a bit of time playing with a piece of Gold Fun making shapes and spreading them all over her. Then I let the warm water run in the tub smushing the pieces in, there came bubbles. More play time! The luster disappeared when we started playing, no worries there.

The scent is pleasant, a little sweet but not overwhelming.

Ingredients: Talc, Cornflour (Zea mays), Glycerine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Radiant Gold Lustre (Potassium Aluminum Silicate, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides), Sweet Wild Orange Oil (Citrus sinensis), etc.

The roll is $6.95 for 250g. A fun holiday gift for the kids in your life.

One of the gift sets Lush offers this season is the Snow Fairy Box ($22.95). It's pink and it jingles :)

The items inside:
- Snow Fairy shower gel (3.3oz/ 100ml)
- Shimmy Shimmy sparkle bar/ body tint (30g), and
- Angels Delight soap (70g).

The wrapping paper is made from recycled material, the snowflakes are holographic on top of the bright coloured background and a silver string to tie a bow with. The hot pink tag shows you the items inside, with the little jingle smiling face to decorate.

The Snow Fairy shower gel has been talked about so much, I don't think we need to say anything further, except this year, the plastic glitters are replaced by environmentally friendly shimmers.

The Shimmy Shimmy sparkle bar/ body tint has made it to my travel bag for the trip. A solid body lotion with a hint of shimmer, in a heart shape, to be rubbed on pulse points, shoulders and anywhere else for that holiday glow, what not to love? It smells like vanilla and lavender. Win win!

The Angels Delight soap in the set is all pink, with silver bits embedded, different from the individual Angels Delight soap which is in multi coloured chunks. The scent is still fruity with tangerine, orange and blackcurrant.

And there you have it, some Lush holiday products that I think are special and worth a try, if you are in a shopping mood :)