Hi guys, my name is Meridyth and I’m a Lush-aholic.
What does this mean? It means I can’t live without Lush! As evidenced by my weekly visit to their store and that im reasonably certain that at least two of their employees recognise me purely on how many times I’ve been in. And after thinking long and hard about it, I’ve decided that instead of overcoming my addiction, I’m going to review the store and the products because the only thing this addiction is hurting is my bank account!
As not everyone will be interested in every Lush product, I’ve divided this article into five sections so simply scroll to what you’re interested in! The sections are classics (bath bombs etc), Skin care, Hair care, other and finally the Lush store in Aberdeen.
Bath
#1 Bath Bomb
To start off with, let’s go to what Lush is best known for – bath bombs. I absolutely adore these bath bombs, I guarantee that if you walk into a store you will find at least one that you will love! Simply fill the bath, throw the bath bomb in and let it explode into a wonderful variety of colours and smells (not to mention the glitter!). Bath Bombs are what first drew me to Lush, I’d heard great things from my friends so decided to pop into a store and get one for myself. Lush bath bombs are guaranteed to leave your skin feeling moisturised and smooth and leave your mind relaxed!
My top picks? Currently, I’m desperate to get my hands on the valentines limited edition ‘Love Boat’ and my all-time favourite the ‘Goddess’ bath bomb (inspired by the ‘God is a Woman’ music video).
Top Tip: To make the most of your bath bomb, take a knife and cut it down the seam for an even and *relatively* clean split.
My rating: 5/5
#2 Shower Bomb
Inspired by the experience of a bath bomb but designed for those who don’t have a bath or enjoy baths is the shower bomb. This is a relatively new idea from Lush but it’s also one of their best! Simply hold the shower bomb under running water and watch it foam, then simply wash your body as normal and enjoy how completely moisturised and smooth your skin is left feeling!
What makes this product even better is that it foams in layers, meaning that if you don’t want to use it all at once that’s ok because this product will do 2-3 washes, and for only £2.75, I’d say that’s a good deal!
My all-time fav? Koyaanisoatsi – the scent is AMAZING
My rating: 5/5 foams in layers, should do 2-3 washes
#3 Bubble Bars
I also love Lush’s bubble bars. If you don’t know what a bubble bar is, it’s basically all the benefits of a bath bomb but with the added bonus of bubbles! What’s not to love?! To use these it’s simple, just hold the bubble bar under running water as your bath fills and watch your tub become a bubble kingdom! These bars cost usually cost between £5-8 and then can udo between 3-6 washes (size dependent) which only sweetens the deal! It doesn’t take long for the bubbles to start flowing and the relaxation to start rolling! The only small drawback to this product is that you have to hold it under running water for the bubbles to take full effect, so lighting those candles, and grabbing your book (not to mention the cheeky glass of wine?) will have to wait!
My all-time fav: Divination – the scent floored me, the colour was amazing, and it came on a string so I could just hang it on the tap while I grabbed my fav book from another room, by the time I came back the bubbles were rising and there was plenty of bubble bar left for my next bath!
My rating: 4.5/5
Skin Care Products
When I moved to Aberdeen in first year, I became more and more aware of how plastic usage can affect the environment and how a lot of skin care products are packed with chemicals, not all of which are bad but I’m not chemist and don’t understand the benefits/side effects of those chemicals, so I decided to switch to all-natural skin care products. This meant I had to do the one thing we’re all afraid of, I had to talk to a Lush employee. I will always remember the first time I went into Lush and was cornered in the bath bomb section where the sales assistant was telling me all about how one of the Lush creators was strolling through a park in London when he smelt the flowers on a tree and was inspired to create the bath bomb, I was looking at! Since then I tried my best to avoid the staff but as I was changing my skincare routine, I knew I had to talk to them, why? Because each product lush makes are targeted to help different types of skin. I am prone to oily skin in the T-zone, and dry/red/hot skin on my cheeks, I’m also prone to acne breakouts, so I knew when I walked into Lush, I wanted to make sure the products I bought would actually have a positive effect on my skin.
#1 Cleanser
The first thing I was recommended was Herbalism which is a fresh facial cleanser. The only way I can think to describe this product is as a dry paste that you add water to, then you scrub it on your face like normal face wash – except its anything but normal. This product (and others in this category) are guaranteed to make a mess, the more used to it you are the easier it will be to minimize the mess, but after a year of using it I’ve not been able to get rid of the mess completely. That being said I have used it for a year, so it does work!
My Rating: 3/5 – effective but messy
#2 Soap
An Alternative to these facial cleansers is their soaps. Based on my skin type I was recommended Coal face, this product is amazing! It’s a normal soap so works easily and is completely mess free! I definitely saw improvements after using it.
My Rating: 4/5
#3 Moisturiser
Lush Moisturisers have also become a part of my daily skin care routine, they work as any other moisturiser does but are packed with natural ingredients and again every product is targeted to specific skin types. Personally, I use Enzyme and I’ve found it helped my skin a lot!
My Rating: 5/5
#4 Face-Masks
Another product I’d recommend their face masks! SO far, I’ve tried ‘Rosy Cheeks’ and ‘Mask of Magnaminty’, both of which I LOVE. Rosy cheeks are a fresh face mask, so it has a shorter shelf life, BUT if you bring back 5 black pots its completely free! Mask of Magnaminty has a longer shelf life and honestly, I need to run to lush now and grab another pot because it’s amazing!
My Rating:
Fresh Face Masks: 4/5
Normal Face Masks: 5/5
Hair Care
#1 Shampoo Bars
I’m also a keen user of their shampoo bars, a friend of mine told me that store-bought shampoo’s just coat your hair in chemicals and don’t actually clean it. Is this true? I have no idea, but it was enough to get me to use Lush shampoo bars which is one of the best decisions I’ve made for my hair yet! Shampoo bars are another product that I strongly recommend talking to the staff about, everybody has a different hair type so make sure to grab a product that will help your hair, not just the one that smells the best, especially seeing as they have around 3 shampoo bars for each hair type.
I am prone to greasy hair, so I use their lemon bar, I have done since first year and I have ZERO intention of stopping. Since switching to this bar my hair has become shinier, smoother and healthier. I can go longer without washing it with shampoo than I could before, and my mother is always commenting on how much nicer my hair has become. Each shampoo bar is meant to do between 60-80 washes depending on how you wash your hair and how long your hair is. You can also buy a tin or cork box to put it in when not using but be sure to take it out of the bathroom to dry or it will stick to the base!
My rating: 5/5
#2 Oil Hair Treatments
I’ve also taken to trying the hot oil hair treatment on days when I really want to pamper myself. These are so easy to use, just put it in hot water for 20 minutes, then put on your hair before a shower, leave for 15 minutes and rinse! These products always give an extra boost to my hair and make me feel amazing afterwards!
My Rating: 5/5
Other
#1 Anti-Persirant
During the summer my mum started telling me all about how anti-perspirant’s (deodorants) just put harsh chemicals into your skin to kill bacteria and for some when they stop using these they can smell for weeks and develop rashes as their body tries to flush out all the harsh chemicals. This is another thing that I don’t know if it’s true, but I turned to Lush anyway! I decided to try the T’eo deodorant. It’s a solid deodorant bar and to be honest, I probably won’t use it again. It’s not that it doesn’t work because it does! It works just as good as any other deodorant I’ve had, its more that its very rough to rub directly onto skin, so you have to scrap a bit off so it’s a powder and put that on your armpits, which creates a huge mess. The products effective it’s just not for me, next time I think I’ll try one of their other deodorants that appear more oil based and apply smoother.
My rating: 2/5
#2 Shower Jelly
Have you ever used a shower jelly before? No? Well, maybe you should reconsider! I first tried one in December following the Her Campus Christmas Dinner when I gave one to a friend in our secret Santa. She came back to me a few days later telling me how much she loved it, so I decided to give it a go myself. These products take a minute to foam up, but when they do, they’re amazing! And so fun to use! While they may not be a product that im ready to have permanently in my routine, at £5 they are definitely worth it for the experience! I gave one to my mother for Christmas and since then she’s ordered two more because she loves them so much!
Be warned though! As these products are made of jelly, they can be quite slippy! But with a firm hand and keeping it close to the skin there’s nothing to worry about!
My Rating: 4/5
#3 Magic Crystals
Another product I tested this past Christmas was Magic Crystals which is another shower gel. One sniff of the product and I was instantly in love! Bright purple and with a strong smell of mint, I was instantly hooked! Be warned! This product can leave some purple stains on the tub (Don’t worry! They come out easily with water!) and can be quite cold especially in *sensitive* areas but personally? I’d say this product is completely worth it purely for how exfoliating it is, and how it can snap you awake at any time of morning! Something which I’ve found I really need…
My Rating: 4.5/5
Lush Aberdeen
As an added bonus I’ll rate the Aberdeen store for you prospective Lushies! Without any doubt, the store and staff get a 5/5. Every time I go in I’m greeted with huge smiles and plenty of hellos, one employee will always offer help and if you decline, in the majority of my experiences, they’ll all leave you space to shop until you ask for help. The staff are always excited to give a demonstration and let you test a product, so the next time you go in say hello and be open to their help. These guys know what they’re doing and love Lush as much as the rest of us!
My advice to all current and future Lushies is if your shopping for skin or hair care then talk to the employees, either online through live chat or in store. The employees are trained to know which products work for what (I know this because I’ve walked in on many the 9am training session!). As a bonus type, if you choose to chat via live chat when they recommend a product, they will also link an article that explains why that product is helpful. When it comes to Lush one of the main priorities of Lush is the environment, so whether your order online or in store you can know that zero harm is being done to the planet, even those packing peanuts your deliveries come in are dissolvable! Seriously, it’s amazing!
While my Lush addiction may be bad for my bank account, it’s good for my mind and if I’ve learned anything from life it’s that self-care is incredibly important! So, while I try and budget my Lush spending, I encourage you to every now and then go to a store you love – Lush or not, and buy something for yourself, or go to a café alone or the cinema or anything! Lush makes me happy and is a great way to treat yourself, so find something like that for you and talk to the Lush employees the next time you go in!
And as a parting message to Lush all I have to say is – Hire Me. Seriously. Hire Me. Lush is job goals.
XOXO – Your local Lush-aholic