Earlier this week I was kindly invited along to the first Lush Basingstoke bloggers event. The evening was full of lots of glitter and giggles, and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Not only were the staff of the Lush Basingstoke store brilliant and very entertaining, but I was also able to meet some great bloggers too!
There were seven of us in total, if you would like to check out the other bloggers, here are their links:
Hannah of ‘Hnnhvbls‘
Sophie of ‘Sophie-Georgia‘
Alyssia of ‘Alyssia Rose‘
Angi of ‘Two Different Worlds‘
Katie of ‘Oce4n Blue‘
Dawn of ‘Dear Mummy Blog‘
Upon arrival, we were treated with drinks, some photo opportunities, a bit of small talk as we all got to know each other, before getting really stuck into the products, after the store was closed for the evening.
I must say, I hadn’t tried a Lush product for years before the evening. I have been so hooked on my luxury brands and beautiful packaging that I had shied away from the natural, earth loving Lush.
The evening was full of exciting product demonstrations, information and the Lush philosophy of saying no to animal testing, championing local ingredients and creating an open, honest and friendly environment for both staff and customers.
The Basingstoke store also kindly sent me away with a goodie bag full of products for me to try out and share with my readers here on Made From Beauty, so lets get into it:
(it’s gonna be a long one, get a cuppa!)
One of my favourite parts of the event was making our own bath bomb. As I mentioned, I haven’t used many of the Lush products before, and honestly their bath bombs hadn’t tempted me before. I’m not a massive bath lover, but now knowing the process and the ingredients that go into a bath bomb like Big Blue my views have changed!
So what does go into Big Blue? First we mixed together two pre-made powder concoctions from the two large tubs in my photo.
As the powders mix together, they start to react, forming a mouldable thick powder. This was the start of the reaction that would cause the bath bomb to harden over the next 24hrs before use. So the race was on to get those powders packed into the bath bomb moulds. In these powders was the sodium bicarbonate (to give it the fizz) the citric acid, the coarse sea salt (to soften and exfoliate the skin) perfume, Arame Seaweed (it is the Big Blue after all), Lemon Oil, Lavender Oil, Seaweed Absolute, Eugenol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool and some colourings to give it it’s bright blue hue.
We sprinkled a little white powder (I’m sorry I can’t recall what that was) and sea salt into the bottom of one half of the bomb mould, before filling both halfs to the top and quickly flipping them together. With a little twist and shake, we had created our very own Big Blue bath bomb.
I can’t wait to try this out! It smells divine! At the Lush Basingstoke store they demoed this fizzing away in a huge bowl of water – that’s when I finally got the hype around these bath bombs! It fizzed and fizzed around the bowl, turning the water a bright ocean blue, letting out a gorgeous lemon and lavender scent!
If you’ve been a regular reader of Made From Beauty you’ll know I love my Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray. So I was really happy to find that Lush had their own salt spray for the hair. Fragranced with neroli, orange flower, grapefruit and rosewood this light spray will give hair volume and grit, whilst keeping your locks fresh and wavy.
This product was one of the most exciting products showcased at the evening. I was first blown away at the idea of a 30 SPF Sunblock in a solid form. How handy would that be for holidays? That’s another liquid to cross off the list, no worries about leaking in your suitcase. But when they told us that you use this solid in the shower, like a soap, I couldn’t wait to try it out.
After washing, just take a third of the bar (the same size piece as I have hear) and rub all over the body, then gently pat skin dry for all over sun protection. You can also use this product like one of Lush’s Massage Bars, rubbing it across the skin, allowing it to melt, so you can top up your protection throughout the day.
Another product I was completely blown away by was the Lush Powdered Sunshine. SPF 15 in a light, slightly lemon fragranced powder that leaves a subtle shimmer anywhere on the body – genius! I think most of us forget to protect our hair and scalp from the sun, so this is a brilliant product as you can shake it through your hair without the worry of greasy roots. It can also be used all over the body, on top of other products or on its own. Definitely a product I’ll be heading back into store to buy!
Another suncare product Lush has thought up is their Sesame Suntan Lotion, although a low SPF of 10, this would be a great addition to your body care for all year long sun protection. Skin will be left soft and silky by walnut leaf and cocoa butter. You’ll also smell delicious thanks to the sesame oil – think peanut with a sweet edge!
Lush describes this as an ‘uplifting and skin softening soap’ and I think they’ve got that description off to a T! Awakening litsea cubeba oil and lemon mixed with the softness of rapeseed and coconut oils all incase a hint of scrub to this soap which insures all skin will be soft, exfoliated and beach ready!
Don’t forget your feet…What was I just saying about being beach ready? Slather this pink lotion onto feet and toes to release a cooling peppermint scent that will have them soft and smooth in no time! The peppermint and spearmint oils in here will deodorise and stimulate circulation also.
Ocean Salt Self-Preserving Face and Body Scrub
This product will get your skin smooth and conditioned from head to toe. Enriched with avocado and coconut oils this will keep skin happy as the sea salt starts to work on any dead skin cells. I have loved this product! I must say though it was a little too harsh on my face, as I don’t normally love manual exfoliants and tend to reach for my acids more often these days. On my body though, it worked well at softening and smoothing the skin and so I would consider purchasing this one!
This product has to be the star of the show for me. A lightweight moisturiser that departs a glow and sheen to the skin whilst delivering a solid SPF 30 to protect against harmful rays – perfect. I have tried to capture the level of glow this product gives in my photos, but it’s hard to show on camera. You’ll just have to trust me that it gives a fresh, lit-from-within quality to the skin!
Bright and Breezy Gift Set
Finally, we are on to the last couple of products! The Basingstoke store also kindly gifted me this Easter Gift Set containing their Each Peach (and Two’s a Pair) massage bar and Rub Rub Rub shower scrub. Firstly, I am in shock! I absolutely love the Each Peach (and Two’s a Pair) massage bar! The idea of a solid moisturiser doesn’t really appeal to me, and I don’t think I would have ever have picked this up in store; but it manages to keep skin moisturised all day long, whilst still keeping me feeling fresh because of it’s zesty scent. The Rub Rub Rub shower scrub is right up my street, packed with sea salt to really get off any dry skin. Lush say this can also be used on the scalp and on the hair – am I brave enough to give that a go?
Phew! I told you that was going to be a long one!
My mind has definitely been swayed to the Lush way of thinking. Going into the event I was a little sceptical about just how many products I would consider putting into my daily routine, but boy was I wrong! Lush really has some wonderful products on offer, that, despite their basic packaging, have some real science behind them. I was also worried that I wouldn’t find anything to satisfy my need for luxury, but again, I was proved wrong!
Next on my list? A visit to the Lush Oxford Street Store, or maybe the Lush Spa!
Thank you Lush Basingstoke for a lovely evening and giving me such amazing products to share with my readers here!
So, spill the beans, what are your favourite Lush products? Have you tried any of the products in this post? Or are you like me, and a bit of a newbie to the brand? Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Sam
The products featured in this post were given to me as PR samples.
Making your own bath bomb sounds so fun, great event!
Emma at http://www.collagemepretty.blogspot.co.uk
It was a great experience! Especially as I didn’t know anything about their bath bombs before! It was a nice event!
Thank you for your comment!
x
such a lovely post! i wish i could go again! xo
Thank you Hannah! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I have my fingers and toes crossed that we get invited back!
Thanks for commenting x
I like the look of most of those products! That moisturiser does look especially good though!
Hannah | Rated In Beauty
Glad you like the look of them, I was really surprised by them! Yes, the Million Dollar Moisturiser was a stand out product for me too!
Thanks for your comment :) x
Loved reading your take on the products. It was nice to meet you :)
http://sophie-georgia.blogspot.co.uk/
I’m glad you liked my run through, it was a mammoth post to get through!
It was lovely meeting you too, hopefully see you at other events!
Thanks for your comment x