Lush ALL STARS: Sympathy For The Skin

So, my blog is doing well and better than I'd expected which I love! Thank you to everyone whos' been reading thus far! I've made some big steps, one being the addition of a twitter account linked to the blog (@freshmadelush) where I tweet funny things, and remind people every time I post, and then there's also this new series I'm going to be starting. I'm going to be calling it, Lush ALL STARS (fans of the drag race can unite here!) This series will collate the best of the best Lush products into one smooth category for your viewing pleasure. I don't yet have a frequency at which I plan to post this series, but for now it will be as and when I find a product worthy. So, without further ado, let's begin!

As you can tell by this title, the first product making it's way into this list is, Sympathy For The Skin Hand and Body Lotion.

This cream packs a hella good punch of moisture! I use this all over my body in a morning, and I'm good to go for the whole day. It's predominant ingredient is Fair Trade Vanilla Pod Infusion. Besides this smelling absolutely fantastic, it has a beautifully softening effect on the skin. This, partnered with the Almond Oil, and Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, means this lotion can really deeply moisturise, without feeling at all greasy.

For me, the best part of this lotion is the inclusion of Bananas. Bananas, in the context of cosmetics, are an emollient (Meaning it helps to keep moisture in the skin) and are also highly moisturising and softening, meaning skin is flexible, and getting rid of that tight, dry feeling!

The scent of this is a mix of Lemon, Rose, Sandalwood, Labdanum, and Vanilla, but honestly, all I can smell is cookie dough. The perfume of this is so absurdly delicious. It's strong enough to wear on it's own, but partnered with Vanillary perfume, and you are literally a walking bakery.

Members of the Lush ALL STARS will not receive a rating out of 5. They are an ALL STARS product because they score a 6.

Lets Talk... Temple Balms

For those of you who don't know, Lush has a spa! *Angels sing* There are 10 treatments available over 8 locations in the UK. I've had three of them, The Validation Facial, The Tailor Made, and The Synaesthesia. All of them leaving me feeling fantastic and grounded. I will talk more about the spa in another post, today I'm going to talk about the Temple Balm products used in some of the treatments, that are actually available to buy, only in the stores with a Spa inside.

There are two available, and if I remember rightly (My store is not a spa store) they retail for about £5.75. I own both of them, Whoosh, and Dream Time, both scented with the corresponding products in the store.
So, how do you use them? You warm them up with your finger, and apply them to your temples (I do wrists and sides just below forehead) to provide relief or stimulation. They both contain different essential oils, designed to soak into your skin and 'do a thing'. Do I find they do a thing? No.

Whoosh is designed to wake you up and get you going on your day, which scent-wise I agree, however I don't think the concept of the balm works. This works very well as aromatherapy (smelling it straight from the tin) in a morning, or even in an exam, but I don't think as a balm, it works for the intended purpose. I use this mainly as a solid perfume actually, as Whoosh is a lovely, zesty scent, which is very clean and classy. I don't think this one is worth the money.

Dream Time, however, I do think works. This one is naturally calming and is scented with the Dream Cream scent, or the Dream Time bath oil, if you're lucky enough to have Oxford Street as your local Lush store. This one I apply to my head and within minutes I'll be calm and ready for bed. I find this one amazing for nerves and anxiety in daily life, as a little bit of this on the wrists of the forehead does wonders to soothe and rationalise my thinking and my nervousness. I actually really do love Dream Time. This one is available in the Lush Spa gift set that is sold in all stores for £33.95.

All in all, I'm not entirely sure a Temple Balm is a real thing, I think it's a clever marketing strategy and is a good money maker, and although I do love the Dream Time Temple Balm, I'm not sure I'd pay for it again, as I just don't think they're up to par with the rest of the amazing products Lush has to offer.