February Lush Favourites 2016

So, March has been going for a little while, so I thought.. Why not do a February favourites post? This will be short and sweet, with not much of a review for each product, but if they're on here, know that recently, I've been loving them!!


1) 25:43 perfume (shamless double picture use) - This is so sweet, and citrusy that it has been perfect for summoning the spiritual spring that we are all well and truly ready for! I smell lime, and white chocolate, so it's lovely and sweet. I think I've worn this every day since I had it delivered.

2) Whoosh Shower Jelly - I used to HATE shower jellies, like really super hate them, but recently I've been totally digging them. I've found the best way to use them is like a bar of soap, as opposed to breaking pieces off. It works better with the smaller ones because they seem firmer and easier to grasp, but the bigger ones last SO much longer! Whoosh is my favourite because of the smell, it's zesty with a bit of seaweed, it's a quintessential Lush smell to me. It's also perfect to wake you up in a morning!

3) Sunny Day - I've really been loving this recently! It's perfect to absolutely soak your hair in after you've washed it, and then blow dry out! Fly aways be gone, and say hello to sleek, soft hair! It's super easy to use and you get loads of product for your money. PLUS, it's got Lemon Juice in there which makes hair shiny and glossy! 

So those are my 3 Feb favourites! These aren't quite ALL STARS products yet, but I've been using and adoring these throughout February, and probably will do into March!

Review: D'fluff Strawberry Shaving Soap

Shaving is perhaps the most ignored part of the Lush store, and for good reason really, is there anything 'exciting' about a shaving cream? Perhaps not. The answer Lush are giving to this is D'fluff, a strawberry milkshake scented shaving soap.

So, how do you use it? Wet the area you wish the shave, scoop some D'fluff up in your hand, lather it up on the area you wish to shave, and then use that as your shaving cream. Simple enough. This is a product that I really didn't want to like, simply because 'it's boring' but alas, I've fallen in love.

First of all, this contains SO many ingredients to soften and hydrate the skin, which for anyone with dry skin like me, is a MUST when shaving! We have; Coconut Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Glycerine, Cocoa Butter, Strawberries, and Fresh Organic Free Range Eggs Whites, to name to just a few.

This helps to combat after shave fluffy-ness and dryness, by hydrating and smoothing.

This also contains Rose Absolute, which is perfect for avoiding post-shave irritation due to it's soothing nature.

Personal experience of the product? I find it easy to use in the shower, I use it to shave my underarms and belly (I can't stand body hair!) and not my face, I think it might be a little bit too rich for my sensitive skin, but go ahead and try it for yourself. I do notice a notable difference between D'fluff and any drugstore bought shaving cream. It's thick, creamy and luxurious. My only downside is that recently, Lush seem to have added chunks of Strawberries inside of there. This makes it a little bit messy to use at times, especially if in a rush, but apart from that I cannot fault it. I've not had an ingrown hair since using it, and oddly, I find I don't need to shave as often (once every week, as opposed to once every three days) 

I would rate this product a 4.5 out of 5. The only reason it's not a 5 is because of the recent addition of strawberries. Fucking god damn strawberries.

My Current Hair Routine For Thick Unruly Hair

Today I'm going to take you through a really simple routine for hair like mine. Thick and unruly, my hair has a mind of it's own. I have a lot of fly-aways and flicks in my hair where it does not go the way I want it to, and sometimes struggle with grease and oil. This routine would also work really well on thin hair with the same troubles, but don't go as heavy with the conditioner would be my advice!

Step 1 is Big Shampoo. Big is an ultra clarifying and volumising shampoo due to it's high content of Sea Salt. Massaging this into the scalp will add bounce to hair that often falls flat, I love to really work this one in!
Big also contains Lemon and Lime, which will help to add shine to the hair, making it look vibrant and luscious (Pun!)
It also contains Coconut Oil, which will soften the hair, making it more sleek, and taming fly-aways.

Big has almost a jelly-like consistency, with the chunks of Sea Salt floating throughout. It's super easy to use, all you do is scoop out a small amount in your hand, and rub it in to your hair/scalp! It has a really beautiful, yet neutral sea-side fragrance to it, which lingers in the hair too. This is one of the best-sellers, and I have no reason to ask why! If you have thick or even fine hair, that often falls flat and flumps, you need this!

Step 2 is Happy Happy Joy Joy Conditioner (HHJJ) This one is perfect if, like me, you find Veganese too light, and American Cream too strong! This has a luxurious base of Almond Milk, Rose Oil, and Orange Blossom Water, all helping to smooth, add shine, and to protect the hair.
Perhaps the best thing about HHJJ is the scent! It's a mélange of Orange Blossom, Neroli, and Grapefruit. Fans of Orange Blossom Perfume, Sakura Bath Bomb, or Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub will love this! This conditioner is perfumed, and so the scent really does last in the hair. Sometimes after using this, I find I don't feel I need to wear perfume that day, which for me, is a big deal.
The high content of oil in this conditioner, means it lightly coats the hair. Adding gloss and shine, without weighing the hair down, and making it look over-conditioned, or greasy.

Step 3 is really simple. After you've washed everything out, spray Sunny Day generously throughout the hair before blow-drying. This is going to tame those damn fly-aways and stop hair from getting so tangled. Out, damned knot!
It contains Honey to soften the hair, and moisturise it. The number one cause of fly-aways is dry hair, so this really helps as an active ingredient, there's also Lemon Juice to add shine, and Rosewood Oil to tame hair down and make it behave! Sunny Day can also be used on dry hair, though I find it does work best on wet hair.

I'm quite into breaking the cost down for you readers recently, so the subtotal for this routine is:
Big Shampoo: 330g/£12.75
Happy Happy Joy Joy: £9.75/100g (This one IS worth it, I promise!)
Sunny Day (Not Vegan) £9.95/100g

Review: Roots Hair and Scalp Treatment

I've been feeling a love for the minty tingle recently, and so have decided to whack out my pot of Roots! Story time; I went for my hair cutting once after work because I needed it doing desperately and my 'regular' place didn't open that week because the owner was on holiday, but I couldn't wait. It needed doing. I decided to try somewhere upstairs from where I work in the shopping centre. First lesson learnt; Don't get your hair-cut in a shopping centre. I sat down in the chair and told the lady what I liked and how I usually have it done. I must have been talking in French as she did not listen to a word, and instead pretty much shaved the whole sides of my head, giving me a generic dickhead teenager hair cut. Lesson two; Be loyal to your hairdressers, other ones try to hurt you. This haircut was so short and I hate it when it's short. I quickly dashed back to work and grabbed Roots to help out.

Roots is a hair treatment that is pre-dominantly used on the scalp. It contains three different types of mint to stimulate the scalp, and aid hair growth. So if you're struggling with shorter hair that you're wanting to grow, or make look more thick, roots is for you. When it's on the scalp you really can feel the mint, it's very tingly (This is good, it's doing its job!) which stimulates hair follicles over time.

It's recommended for people with thine hair (thin and fine), as it also has honey in there which is fantastic for thickening, and adding moisture. There's also some Olive oil in there to add strength and versatility to the hair, making it appear thicker and fuller.

Apply this before a wash, to the scalp. Really massage it into the scalp as this helps the mint get to work easier, it really works it in this way. Wash it out after about twenty minutes, and voila! Your hair will not instantly grow in the shower, however you should notice a difference after about a week or two. I only use a small amount, as should you, as it is needed mainly on the scalp, and so you should be able to get a good weeks worth of uses out of it, if used daily. Some people use this every fortnight which would work well too, I tested it out daily as I was desperate for my hair to grow!

I would give this product a 5 out of 5, because it works excellently, I've never had an issue with my hair looking oily afterwards, and it did exactly what I needed it to do! Simply fantastic. I am, and will continue to be a fan of Lush hair care. Mark Constantine, CEO of Lush, is a trained trichologist (trichology is the study of hair) and has been studying hair for over 30 years, so he really knows what he's talking about!

Review: Jasmine and Henna Fluff-Ease

Okay, so totally omg favourite Lush product alert! Sound the alarms! I have used this product for over a year now, and gone through more pots than I care to admit. One time, I was able to do the five black pots for a fresh face mask scheme, and all five pots were empty Jasmine and Henna Fluff-Ease pots. Busted.

So, why do I love it? It completely eradicates frizz and fly-aways, completely. It has 11 different oils in to treat the hair. Jojoba and Olive oil are the two most beneficial oils in there, they coat the hair, and help to heal dry split ends, and make hair more flowy (for want of a better word). Almond oil is a fantastic moisturiser too, so that's really going to nourish hair, along with 8 other oils to add shine and condition.

Perhaps my favourite addition is the Red Henna Infusion. Don't worry, this won't colour your hair, there's not enough in there to do so, and you don't leave it in long enough either. This adds gloss and sheen to your hair, to make it looks it's absolute best. It also adds to the scent, which with the inclusion of Jasmine, is damn sexy.

To use it, you're going to coat your hair in it (short haired folk may get 3 uses out of a pot, whilst long haired folk would use a whole pot in one go) leave it in for roughly 20 minutes, then rinse out. The oils don't stick in your hair so don't worry about hair looking greasy. You can use a conditioner after, but I often find this does enough for me to not have to condition for about 4 days.

I see no reason to not rate this product 5 out of 5 stars, as to me, it is literal perfection for my dry, frizzy hair!

Review: Hair Custard

I have been a fan of Lush hair care for years. I've used it almost religiously for six years (swapping to try Ojon and VO5 occasionally, nothing compared) and will continue to do so, even after leaving the company. I struggle a lot of with frizzy hair and fly-aways, and although Lush do great hair treatments for such things (reviews to come!) there was nothing I could really use every day. That was, until I came across Hair Custard.

Hair Custard is exactly what it says on the tub, a product of custard consistency for the hair. The smell is reminiscent of custard because of the fair-trade vanilla inside there. (The worlds FIRST fair-trade vanilla I might add, you can read more about how Lush gets their vanilla, here) Vanilla is really softening for the body and hair, and so works great on my slightly more dry, frizzy hair. In here, we've also got fair-trade cocoa butter, and jojoba oil, both especially moisturising. Jojoba oil helps to strengthen the hair too, and prevent split ends and fly-aways!

So, how do you use it? It's simple really, you only need a very small amount (a finger dab will do for short hair), rub it between your hair before blow-drying to the way in which you would like it to go (Ie style), then simply blow-dry away. You won't feel any product in your hair afterwards, and your hair will be smelling, and looking sweet! I use it daily, and it doesn't weigh down my hair at all, it's simply fantastic to use. If you've got especially dry hair, you can even use it on dry hair to finish off styles, or even just add a perfume to your hair.

I would rate this product a 4 out of 5, as it can sometimes be messy to use, if at first you don't know what you're doing