Showing posts with label cruelty free. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cruelty free. Show all posts

Monday, 6 November 2017

LUSH Bloggers Breakfast

Okay, so admittedly, I've been a slow burn with my love of LUSH products... but as the brand grows, so does my love! I really love their passion for cruelty free, less packaging and also their innovation for new scents & products. Last month I got to invited to their Bloggers Breakfast Event which involved seeing their new products before the store opened. What more could a beauty lover ask for? Oh, pizza? There was also pizza! (And who doesn't love pizza for breakfast??)






The pizzas were courtesy of Pizzastorm, also based in Eldon Square. Vegan and packed with flavour.




The colours and smells are a joy for the senses on entering the shop, but I was dying to get down to the nitty gritty of the products. There's so many beauty brands these days that its easy to get lost in the sea of insta faves but Lush continue to bring in new exciting products season after season. 
We were split into groups and rotated round different stations. Our first stop was a bubble bar making masterclass which i totally loved and wish was a regular thing in store! We followed a recipe and mixed all of the ingredients...





Adding the glitter, was the best part (especially for a total self proclaimed magpie, like myself.) It was floating around the shop like some sort of magical dust. We had to make sure the ingredients were well mixed and this required some kneading. I loved getting stuck in, and my baking skills came in handy too.






The mixture had to be left to prove, a little bit like making bread... so whilst that was left to do its thing, we moved onto our next station to hear about new products. The naked lip scrubs and tints are a new products which really got my attention.... more nourishing on the lips and less packaging! What could be better?! I really do suffer with dry lips when the cold weather rolls in so I'm always on the hunt for moisturising lip products. These babes come in a range of different colours and are packed with cocoa butter for goodness. The lip tints are a great alternative to lipstick or gloss if you fancy more of a lip stained or blush effect. 




I then got my eye on this little gem of a soap. I've never bought any soaps from LUSH but the Golden Pear is full of pear puree and oh my days, it smells delicious. And how adorable is this? Pears have been used for years throughout the Christmas celebration so this addition to their Christmas range is a perfect festive fancy to the range. 





For anyone who loves the infamous Magic Wand Bubble Bar will probably see some resemblance in this festive retake. Stuffed with star anise, almond oil & cinnamon, The Magic of Christmas literally oozes the traditional warm, Christmas scents. Wave your wand, and in minutes your bathroom will have you feeling nostalgic about Christmas times passed. The good thing about bubble bars is that you can reuse them.... you hold these under running water until you have the right amount you'd like, then wrap away for next time. 





We were then showed more new products in the form of naked shower gels. We all know and love the Snow Fairy but the naked shower gels are a slight variation on the original gels.




The naked shower gels are basically a soap bar in appearance, however in contact with water these react more like a shower gel in texture. I am in love with this concept and not only are they cute and shaped like a bottle but they have no plastic which means less plastic in our seas and buried in the earth. 





I spotted these little fellas whilst at the naked shower gels sections and was intrigued. They are like rice paper teddy bears for your bath! Whatttt! The Butterbear Wash Card is the same scent of the Butterbear bath bomb but in the form of a wash 'card' and again these are reusable and amazing if you're travelling light and need to keep your packing easy! 




I'm a sucker for a cute novelty item from LUSH and The Snowman indulges me in that. They have so many little characters for different times of the year, and the LUSH team are always making me fall in love with new little faces! 




The next station was the bath bombs & the jelly bomb range. I am known to splurge on a bag full of bath bombs from Lush, from time to time. Hence, why I was excited for this part! I love watching them fizz around the bath with different smells and colours exploding from them. My new favourite bomb has to be Thundersnow. Full of peppermint oil, this is a refreshing but comforting scent. This one is a real active bomb, so if you love a bomb that whizzes around the bath, spewing out a rainbow of colours, this one is for you! 






Sherbet Dip (unreal) and  Ectoplasm (inspired by Ghost Busters) are 2 others which I think I'm going to have to get my hands on! 

The Man In The Moon is another cute character I fell in love with. I asked where the inspiration comes from in the LUSH head quarters and apparently inspiration comes in many forms. One bath bomb was created by a customer who created it for her daughter. Other products are inspired by other things like movies. The Man in the Moon was one of those cases, inspired by a black and white 1920's movie. How magical and fascinating!






We returned to the bubble bar making and pressed our mixture into moulds which we got to take away with us. I loved this interactive part of the event and being able to make my own bubble bar. The mixture had got more firm whilst we were off sniffing and seeing everything else!







LUSH continue to win my heart in their war against plastic and excess packaging, and of course in gorgeous beauty products. If you're young or old... I think there'll be something for you in the new range! 

Until next time...


X

Sunday, 3 July 2016

Organic Beauty: Smudge Cosmetics


So if you follow me on Instagram, you'll have known this post was on its way. Recently I was sent some beautiful organic, handmade beauty & cosmetic products. These are from a new brand called Smudge!
 

 

The products I was sent were a Strawberry Lip Gloss and a Patchouli Hand & Body Cream. They also sent me a lip balm, but that I'm saving for a separate post because I seriously love it! (lip balm lover over here.) I was so excited receiving them as they are 100% organic and it is lovely when brands are resourceful instead of packing products full of chemicals & fillers. It's refreshing to know the ingredients are sourced from natural oils and such.




The first thing I tried was the Patchouli scented Hand & Body Cream. This is a very strongly scented cream with a natural fragrance, so if you like Patchouli... you'll love this! It has a gorgeous consistency of a thick, creamy, silky yoghurt and then tin is a perfect size. There's enough to last you a good while but not too big to throw in your handbag to keep your skin hydrated on the go.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 The great thing about this cream is it soaks in quite quickly. I can't sit still so this is important for me! I love applying this after a long soak in the bath and shaving my legs. I am a sucker for creams after suffering from dry hands but I will gladly add this to my collection.
 
 
 
 
The Strawberry Lipgloss is perfect for anyone who's not keen on straight up lipsticks or lip-glosses. It's a great combination of these two things! The texture it not too sticky and you almost forget you're wearing it. It has a lovely shimmery look which gives a nice shine on the lips and can also be worn very faint (by dabbing onto the lip with your finger) or as a heavier colour with the applicator to build it up.
 

 
 
 The applicator is such a great shape & is lovely and soft!
 
 
 
 
 
 The packaging is great and stylish. This wouldn't look out of place is any make up bag.
 
 
 
 
 
 For anyone looking for organic, cruelty free cosmetics, Smudge is totally for you! I have also heard they are moving into candles & home scents too which I am very excited about! Nothing like a beautiful smelling home (and if its organic then all the better!)
 
 
 
 
You can catch up with Smudge over on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram! So head over now to order yours.
 
 
Until next time..
 
X
 


Monday, 11 April 2016

Say hello to Smudge Organic Cosmetics

I'm loving organic products more & more these days. Living in a "throwaway society" I think it's very important to be more mindful of where our products come from and how they are made. So when I was approached by Smudge Organic Cosmetics, I thought this was a great opportunity to try some handmade, organic (and cruelty free) cosmetics made very local to myself.
 
 
 
 
 
The founder & creator of Smudge Cosmetics has a passion for organic cosmetics but didn't love the price tag a lot of them hold. Also, the range was spurred on by recent awareness of animal testing in bigger cosmetic corporations. With this in mind, she done her research and created her own 100% organic lip gloss, then the range expanded from there! All ingredients are sourced inside the UK too - cannot beat a bit of British trade! The company is aimed at people who love organic beauty buys, are conscious of the environment or conscious of what they use on their body but also looking good!
 
 
 
 
 
 
I will soon be reviewing the lip gloss, moisturiser & lip balm. So excited for the lip balm - one of my beauty must haves! I will be posting a review and images via my Facebook/Twitter & Instagram so keep your eyes peeled! I have heard that the range will be expanding into products such as body scrubs, shampoos, conditioner and more cosmetics products too.
 
The brands ethos is true to organic and affordable, but as a new business they really could do with some a little more help. So if you'd like to see them grow and progress on their organic journey you can donate via crowdfunding HERE. I feel like these will be one to watch in the organic beauty market as I've heard the lip balms have already sold out in their 1st week of business.
 
Until next time...  
 
 
X