The 'Retail Feet' Fixer-Upper

Unless you’ve worked retail at Christmas you’ll never know real emotional and physical exhaustion.  Okay, maybe that’s a touch dramatic (how unlike me) but if you’ve worked a retail orientated Christmas, then you know I’m not far off. The average person walks approximately four miles per day. The average person does not work in retail. 

^The amazing Lush Southampton lot, at our Christmas Staff Meal. One week before Christmas, we're trying not to look so mental.

It’s the aching feet-legs-arms-back and the feeling of being so tired that even your hair hurts. You’ve been smiling at Christmas Shoppers for the last 8 (9, 10, 11…) hours and you never want to smile again, let alone help someone who has no idea what they’re talking about, but is convinced that they do. 

I understand I’m not selling working in retail over the seasonal period very well, but there are upsides. Last year for example, a lady came into Lush with a Christmas list that her daughter had given her. But it wasn’t just your regular list, there were no product names; she’d drawn all the products she wanted and coloured them in the right colours and everything - for a seven year old, she did very well. 

Anyway - seeing as I work for Lush all year round, not just at Christmas, I’m fully aware of what retail feet feel like which is why I’ve planned out the perfect Lush based foot-fixer-upper for anyone who needs it. 

I would suggest doing this once you’ve completed your week and you don’t need to worry about getting things ready for your next day at work. 

1. Tidy up your room a little, I know this is a strange step in a foot-fixer-upper but I’m telling you - you’ll feel much better relaxing in a relatively tidy room than you will a messy one. Change your sheets as well, because climbing into fresh sheets after this routine will be the cherry on the top of a wonderful, wonderful cake. 
2. Grab yourself your warm beverage of choice; coffee, tea, hot chocolate, warm squash (or maybe something stronger, dependant on how hellish your week has been) and slip into your home clothes otherwise known as baggies, slouchies, tracks or pyjamas.
   
3. Foot Soak & Fancy Free, foot soak from Lush. Pop the whole crumbly circle into a bowl of hot-to-warm water and soak your feet in the water. The epsom salts in the water, along with the tagetes will help to soothe your aching feet, take down any hot swelling and soften the skin around your toes and heels. Irish Moss Powder is a magic ingredient when it comes to revitalising tired feet. Foot Soak also contains lavender and chamomile is not only calming and soothing for your feet, the scents will also help to chill you out, settle your mind and help you drift off to sleep tonight. You can do this for as long as you like, I like to do it until all the salt has dissolved or until the water is room temperature; stick Netflix on - you deserve to take your time!
   
4. Once you’re done with your soak, put your water aside for a minute, and reach for your Pumice Power bar. Zesty Orange Oils and pumice will help to boost circulation in your feet, as well as refresh and cleanse the skin. Whilst your feet are still wet, work the Pumice Power in gentle circles around your heels and the balls of your feet - the soak will have helped to soften all that tough skin caused by standing on your feet all day and the Pumice Power will help to slough some of it away. Once you’re done, rinse your feet in your left over Foot Soak Water.
   
5. Once you’ve soothed, softened and scrubbed your feet it’s time to really bring them back to life. Lightly dry them on a clean, fluffy towel and then it’s time for Christingle. Christingle is new to the Lush Winter collection this year and whilst it’s getting many a mixed review, I can’t help but gush about it. Everything from the colour, to the scent, to the… well, tingle! Christingle is a body conditioner, similar to the super moisturising qualities of Ro’s Argan or African Paradise but a bit more festive! Packed full of peppermint and spearmint oils, with a healthy dose of menthol crystals, not to mention a generous helping of grapefruit oils this conditioner is invigorating, reviving and stimulating; perfect for zombie feet. Slather it on and leave for a few minutes; as long as you want really, but I’d say somewhere between 5-10 minutes before rinsing again.
   
6. So, now you have revitalised feet and a clear mind. Pop all your pamper bits to one side and slide into bed (assuming that you’ve already brushed your teeth and washed your face!) I’m sure you wont need any help drifting off, but if you do I can’t recommend Sigur Ros or Helios more for the perfect falling asleep playlist. Check them out on Spotify and drift off into a cloudy, sleepy heaven.
   
   Hopefully we’ll all wake up in the morning feeling a bit more chipper and after a few (well-earned) days off feel ready to tackle another week of mayhem or January Sales. 

For all of those out in the retail world during this end of the year - I feel you. But it’s almost over and I can just about see the non-Christmas lights and the end of the seasonal tunnel of hell. 

See you on the other side - Happy Christmas. 

Cruelty Free.

My new housemate said to me the night before last “Oh, I don’t really pay attention to things like that. I can’t be bothered…” - sadly, she was talking about Animal Testing. 

When I began to list the numbers of animals that are killed and grossly mistreated for the cosmetics industry alone, she said “But I don’t care about mice or rats - kill them.”

How do I explain to her, without coming across preachy, that she is completely and utterly, without a shadow of a doubt, wrong?
I will be completely honest and say that not all of the cosmetics and things in my life are considered animal friendly, but I buy responsibly and ethically where I can and if I know of an animal friendly alternative to something I currently use I will most definitely give that option a try first. 

Working at Lush, one of the things that I hear the most is “Do you really fight animal testing?’/ “Are all your products really animal friendly?” The Queen of Sarcasm inside me is dying to give them the most direct stare and say “No, we don’t. We just thought it would be a good thing to print on the side of our bags and throw into the marketing mix…” purely for the reaction. 

It’s so easy to do a little research and figure out who does what in the world of animal testing now, it seems lazy and arrogant not to do so. Seeing as I’m sure not everyone is as in the loop as they should be, here’s a couple of websites to get you going. All you have to do is click the links below, it’s not that tricky;
The Vegetarian Site.

The Cruelty Free Kitty.
Superdrug: Cruelty Free Cosmetics

Any item or product that sports this leaping bunny logo is approved as Cruelty-Free which is what you’re looking for whilst browsing the aisles at your local supermarkets.
Whilst most brands who are Cruelty-Free are fairly outspoken about it (Lush for example), the brands who aren’t are  a little more shady about it. The Body Shop for example, have always been outwardly cruelty-free and proud, but then they were bought by L’Oreal who are anything but cruelty free, so what does that mean for The Body Shop’s animal friendly ethics? 

It’s sad that animal testing, especially in the cosmetics world, is swept under the carpet so often. I would have much more respect for a company if they openly said “Yes, we do currently test on animals, but we are collaborating with X and channelling £Y into finding ways to make the entirety of our brand cruelty free.” If companies like Lush, Illamasqua, Aesop and Barry M can go about their day to day business without torturing and killing/maiming animals why can’t everyone? Here’s looking at you; MAC Cosmetics, Sephora, Benefit, Clinique, YSL, Dior… the list goes on. 

Through my own research, it would seem that quite a lot of cruelty-free cosmetics are a lot cheaper than drugstore, let alone high-end, make up brands. Why spend £20 on a lipstick that’s been tested on rabbits and has God knows what thrown into the ingredients, when you can spend a lot less and make a more moral, ethical choice with your cosmetics?

If you’re like me and you believe that you’re animal friendly wherever you can be, you’ll be glad to hear that my housemate, after visiting me at work (Lush Southampton) declared “I think I’ll use up all the stuff I have at home, and then just buy this stuff next time…” So whether I managed to change her mind on the policies regarding animal testing, or whether she just fell in love with Lush like so many have, I’m not complaining. 

If you’re still not convinced that you should be on the look out for that little leaping bunny (not only are you an asshole) but here’s some information for you to mull over next time you’re pursuing your local beauty counter… 

I’m not asking you to be perfect, because god knows I’m not, but I am asking you to be considerate.

Frozen Bath Bomb - Lush Oxford Street

As soon as anyone, anywhere says the words; snowman, let it go, ice, or princess only one thing comes to mind – Disney’s Frozen, of course. It’s hard enough to go through day to day life without getting a Frozen song stuck in your head, but now Lush have made it just that little bit harder by naming a new Lush Oxford Street Exclusive bath bomb Frozen. 

Do you want to have a bath bomb?
Do you want to come and play?

Inventor Jack Constantine has many small children so his life was no doubt invaded by singing snowmen and reindeer when Frozen graced screens across the world, so of course he pulled inspiration from where he could, and created a bath bomb. 

 

Belonging to the same scent family that we all know and love, featuring Happy Happy Joy Joy Conditioning Hair Perfume and Sea Spray, Tunisian Neroli and Grapefruit give this pale, yet iridescent blue orb a crisp lightness that fits its name perfectly. Of course, it wouldn’t be Disney without some glitter and it’s quite fair to say that this bath bomb is lustre heavy. Normally, lustre from the bath doesn’t stay on my skin but the sparkles from Frozen certainly lingered – not always a bad thing. 

One of the wonderful things about this bomb is that it’s a slow fizzer, lasting probably ten minutes of solid fizzing. Although some of the faster fizzers are beautiful, I do prefer a slightly longer lasting bath bomb. It’s hypnotic to watch them dissolve and see all the colours creep out. 

Initially, I was unsure about how the Happy Happy Joy Joy scent would come across in a bath bomb but it was beautiful; it’s crisp and fresh whilst being uplifting and clean at the same time. It’s happy! It’s a very happy feeling bath bomb.  I did half expect, knowing Lush, for there to be a paper insert similar to the Fizzbanger, Blackberry Bath Bomb or May Day – “Let It Go!” 

 I sat in the bath and watched the blue spin out, Do You Want To Build A Snowman stuck in my head for the duration. Frozen, the movie? It’s good, but predictable. Frozen, the bath bomb? Yes all around. Neroli has been said to be a natural mood enhancer and the grapefruit oils compliment it with uplifting happy notes, what about that doesn’t sound good?

Frozen Bath Bomb
Lush Oxford Street Exclusive - £3.75
“Do you want to have a bath bomb? Do you want to splash and play? Take this magical blend of uplifting grapefruit and Tunisian Neroli into the bath to thaw even the iciest of moods!”

Prince of Darkness Fresh Face Mask - Lush Oxford Street

Who’s the Prince of Darkness? Ozzy Osbourne, No. I am; the princess, in fact. Any friend of mine will tell you I have an affinity for the morbid, a terrifically dark sense of humour and a penchant for pretty little skulls. Who doesn’t?

On my visit to Lush Mecca/Lush Oxford Street I was determined to check out the new face masks; I’d heard there were three, and I couldn’t wait to see, feel and most importantly smell them all. The truly lovely girl, whose name I think is Lucy but I can’t be sure, was so sweet and so helpful; she told me all about her own skin care regime and how the new masks fit in with what she was using. Personal interaction with staff is one of my favourite things about Lush because you get to hear real opinions, from real people that are (mostly) helpful! 

Lucy (I think) had such great skin, I couldn’t help but ask and that’s when she introduced me to The Prince of Darkness. A shiny black mask with a consistency more similar to The Sacred Truth rather than Cupcake, full of glorious Fuller’s Earth , charcoal and sea salt. Perfect for slightly oilier skins, this mask works well and as you rinse it off, it gives your face a light scrub. 

Tentative towards anything that seems a little harsh, I let Lucy demo PoD on the back of my hand whilst we chatted; it went on beautifully smoothly and remained sticky. I can’t help but think that The Oxford Street Fresh Face Mask station is a little in-the-way of shoppers, it is in front of the tills and directly next to the new Emotional Brilliance Make Up additions which is always going to be an ever-popular station. As Lucy rinsed my hand off, Prince of Darkness scrubbed off well and left my hand cool, calm and exfoliated without a hint of irritation.
Straight in my basket it went. 

I wouldn’t go too far as to say that Prince of Darkness is a wonder-product, nor is it the Holy Grail of face masks, but it has helped me out and I would repurchase; my skin is clearer and ready for summer and I feel comfortable wearing less make up, so alls well that ends well! 

I’m not such a fan of the soapiness of Coal Face and I find Dark Angels works but is just too damn messy. The Prince of Darkness, however is not without its draw backs. It has a similar ingredients list to Dark Angels so the first and second time I used the mask I had to triple rinse and double cleanse after to remove all of the black – the most recent time was much easier, on the other hand. A little warm water and a flannel, I think is the ultimate combination – with a splash of cold water before a quick swipe with your toner of choice! 

It can be a little daunting, pasting your face with black and hoping for the best, but Prince of Darkness cleared what I can only describe as little pimples and brightened my skin. I feel much more comfortable in my skin now – it’s nice now it’s a little warmer too, no one wants to be caked in make up under that sun! 

Prince Of Darkness Fresh Face Mask
Lush Oxford Street Exclusive - £6.95
“We’re on a crazy train, heading for scrubbed up skin with the charcoal and sea salt packed into this mask!”

Rub Rub Rub Solid Body Scrub - Lush Oxford Street

One of my favourite products that Lush sells at the moment is Rub Rub Rub. It’s around £7 for a big black pot and it’s truly glorious. Which is why, when the time came for me to make my pilgrimage to Lush Mecca (aka, Lush Oxford Street) I, of course, picked up the new SOLID formulation of the Mimosa and Orange flower beauty .

Around the same size of current Lush product You Snap The Whip (which I happen to love), Ox St Rub Rub Rub is a pale blue colour and feels a little powdery to touch; each block has a delicate cherry blossom dried and pressed into the top which just makes the aesthetics of this product near enough perfect to me. 

The solid block is far easier handle than the original black pot version of Rub Rub Rub and there’s no chance of losing a blob of this to the sinkhole. With the same perfect scent as the black pot version, the new formulation remains true to its predecessor and comes up as a worthy opponent.

Some people like to use original Rub Rub Rub straight onto dry skin for a rougher scrub, and if you like it rough maybe the naked/solid version isn’t for you. Whilst the ingredients are mostly the same, the liquid content is obviously far less so to scrub yourself, dry, with the solid block would hurt. However, you could wet the block and then scrub onto dry skin if you are craving a harsher exfoliation. 

Whilst the product is aesthetically beautiful, it didn’t seem to be too popular when I visited Lush Oxford Street at the end of May, however I urge you all to go out and buy it. It may not be a brand spanking new product with all kind of newness to discover, but it’s a winner in my book. 

I had doubts that due to the solid nature of the reformulation that the super-silky feeling I have after using original Rub Rub Rub wouldn’t be the same with the block; I was wrong. That silky feeling is still there and the scent lingers just the right amount of time. 

Rub Rub Rub Solid Body Scrub.
Oxford Street Exclusive - £4.75
“A final cherry blossom flourish tops this sea salt scrub blended with Illipe and Cupuacu butters. Scrub your body in the shower or the bath to exfoliate dead skin leaving you smoothed and florally fragrant.”

Lush: Skincare Secrets

In the world of blogging and vlogging and hauling along with not only high street hauls but also high end hauls and drug store hauls it’s time to go back to basics. 

As wonderful as I’m sure Liz Earle and Sunday Riley are with their Micellar Water, Hot Cloth Cleansers and various Face Polishes (?) I prefer the basics; basic packaging, basic ingredients with the best results. 

It’s very easy to get lost in all the science talk of collagen this and plumping, rejuvenating, hydrating that but at the end of the day, I find that products that promise too much let me down a lot because they’re too focussed on trying to do everything, they can’t achieve the one thing they’re really meant to. 

In the morning and evening, I clean my face (the best way I know how) with Lush products.
First things first, the make-up comes off. 

Ultrabland Facial Cleanser:
Described as “beautifully simple and very effective” the cream to oil cleanser works wonders for me. This kind of formula is really popular at the moment but Lush sometimes gets overlooked for skincare because of all of the exciting bath products.
“Almond oil, rose water, beeswax and honey” make this product one of the simplest yet also the most highly effective on my skin. Sadly, the beeswax and honey mean it’s a no-go for you Vegans out there. Ultrabland removes dirt without “stripping away the skins natural defences” because almond oil is used as a ‘carrier’; it mimics the skins natural oil; sebum. This makes it easier for the skin to absorb the soothing rose water and moisturising honey.
Although I was initially wary of rubbing oils into my skin, I have never regretted using this cleanser. Because of the skin-clearing, moisture balancing effects of Ultrabland it feels like a high-end cleanser, without the high-end price tag. 

Eau Roma Toner Water:
After the cleansing comes the toning and I’ve chosen Lush’s light and floral toning water for the task. “Rose water to help soothe redness whilst lavender water will balance the skin” and it does exactly what it says on the recycled black plastic bottle. This toner hydrates the skin effectively, whilst soothing at the same time and clears the skin of any leftover traces of cleanser.
Because I have major frustration with any breakouts on my face, I struggle to find the right cleansing routine. Previously, I have over used products that have been too harsh, such as The Body Shop’s Tea Tree Toner because I thought my skin was bad enough to need it; the standard over emotional, over dramatic reaction. The Tea Tree toner from The Body Shop was too strong for me which meant my skin cleared initially and then proceeded to break out far worse than it had before – my mistake.
Eau Roma is gentle enough to look after my skin, whilst the ingredients are effective enough to get the job done. 

Grease Lightening:
After all my make-up has been removed, I like to apply a little Grease Lightening to any breakouts or problem areas. “Nip any breakouts in the bud without upsetting the skin around the area” which, again, is exactly what it does. One thing that I really love about Lush (among many) is that they don’t make any over compensating promises. Their ingredients do the work for them because they are effective; that’s all that matters. This spot treatment is antibacterial and antiseptic with ingredients like rosemary, thyme and tea tree as well as being rich in antioxidants from grape juice and witch hazel (which is also an anti-inflammatory and astringent).
It’s light enough to be applied in your morning cleansing routine, during the day if needed, and at night post-cleanse.
I don’t like products that claim to be the be-all and end-all when it comes to clearing breakouts but I’ve never felt better in my skin than now that I have a stable routine in place. 

Enzymion:
With one whole lemon in each pot (fact, not scientific jargon to confuse you) this facial cream smells lemony fresh without smelling like bleach which some beauty products somehow manage.  Fresh fruit contains enzymes and “alphahydroxy acids to remove dead skin cells” and brighten complexion which is definitely apparent when using Enzymion; one of my biggest moans about my skin, especially in winter, is that I feel like my skin is very dull and almost translucent. Enzymions zesty ingredients brighten my skin and make me feel happier to go about my day. It sinks in really, really well and doesn’t feel heavy on my skin. I tend to have quite an oily T-zone, but the mattifying properties in Enzymion work wonders and I feel just that much more confident. Usually winter calls for a more heavy duty moisturiser but my skin doesn’t call for it. I can imagine that most people would find Enzymion most useful during the summer months.
I don’t tend to heap the cream on, either, a little goes a long way with this cream which makes it even better value for money.
It comes in a standard Lush ‘black pot’ and counts for your ‘5 black pots’ free face mask which is always a winner!

(For those who don’t know – if you bring back 5 CLEAN black pots to your local Lush, you can choose a free fresh face mask to say thank you for recycling!)

It may sound materialistic and vain to go on and on about skincare and how it makes me feel, but for most people the first thing you see in the morning is yourself in the mirror. If you can’t find any good points in the reflection, then it doesn’t start the day as well as it could. It’s nicer to wake up to clearer skin. Clearer skin = happier days.

Overall, taking into consideration the balance of effectiveness with money spent the best product will usually always come out as a Lush product. You can find all the information about the products above by clicking on the links above, or on the Lush website. Also, anything in those sexy little italics, is direct from Lush. 

Here's an article from Lush that you might find interesting too, it's all about their definitive guide to cleansing! I can also give a thumbs up to products mentioned here, especially Mask of Mag, Oatifix and Angels on Bare Skin.

All of the Lush online channels are listed here;
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