Christmas + January Lush Haul

Over the Christmas period and at the beginning of January I collected a mass of Lush products. My basket went from being almost empty, save a few bath melts, to over flowing. As a self confessed Lush addict, I obviously had to have a tonne of Lush products on my Christmas List this year and true to form, my lovely family gave in to my addiction and spoilt me rotten with all the beautiful lush products. 

Frustratingly for you, most of these products I'm about to show you are now discontinued as they are seasonal items, but, this may be of use if you're a planner like me and like to be well prepared ahead of time for the seasonal releases... yes that's right, it's January and I'm already talking about Christmas 2017. 

Sleepy Body Lotion 215g - £13.95 full price (paid £6.98 50% off)

I'm not usually someone that is enthusiastic about the body lotion range in Lush. I'm pretty loyal to bath products and face & hair products and don't really tend to delve any deeper than that. However, when my local Lush posted up on instagram last week that they still had 50% off christmas stock in and I saw this little beauty in the photo, I knew I had to get my hands on it. 

Sleepy is the Body Lotion format of the oh so loved Twilight Scent family. Twilight, if you don't already know, is a musky Lavender scent that is just heavenly and incredibly soothing. Making it the perfect choice this aptly named Body Lotion. The Lavender is soft and subtle and there are notes of oat and vanilla that soften it, the body lotion is made with Cocoa Butter and melts into your skin providing perfectly scented hydration for hours. 

I really love using this before I go to bed or if I'm feeling a little bit stressed. The soothing lavender does wonders at calming you down and taking some of that tension out of your day. I think it's a shame that this is only a Christmas release as I would happily use it and repurchase it all year round. 

I for one am certainly keeping my fingers crossed that this makes a glorious come back Christmas 2017. 

Star Dust Bath Ballistic - £3.95 
I actually had 2 of these beautiful little stars but I couldn't help myself but use one of them before I got round to taking the photos. These silvery white stars fizz away in the bath to reveal a multitude of tiny multi-coloured confetti stars that float around in the water until they dissolve away. This bath bomb doesn't leave your water any cute colours but it does soften the water up a treat and smells like vanilla and cocoa with just a dash of something citrusy and sweet.

Do be warned though that this little star leaves traces of very finely milled silver glitter in the bottom of your bath, so be sure to clean the tub thoroughly after having your bath unless you wish to irritate anyone else that is planning on having a bath after you!

Butterbear Bath Ballistic - £1.95 

These little bears are quite common staples with a Christmas Lush haul, their bargain price makes them a popular stocking filler and the soft subtle vanilla smell and cute little faces are ideal for even the most conservative bath fan. 

Whilst these are not my favourite bath bombs, I do appreciate the soft vanilla scent and the moisturising cocoa butter that are heavenly when buddied up with a bubble bar for some colour and fun. 

These also share the same scent as the year-round Butterball Bath Ballistic, so if you know you like that then you are on for a winner. 

Golden Wonder Bath Ballistic - £4.25 

One of the more expensive Bath Bombs in the Christmas range, but a firm favourite with many Lush fans. This little present is just that, whilst covered in golden lustre on the outside, once you plop this into the bath a flurry of turquoise, blue and purple spills into the water, creating a twinkling turquoise bath and is almost dare I say it, galaxy like? 

The scent is zesty with sweet orange oil being a dominant scent, if you like the "celebrate" range or the "bubbly" shower gel then this is your bath bomb. 

Again this product has very finely milled golden lustre that will sit and dry on the bottom of your tub if you do not clean it immediately after your bath. However, it does not stay on your skin, so theres no worries of walking around looking like Edward Cullen. 

Father Christmas Bath Ballistic - £3.75 full price (paid £1.87 50% off)

Another product from the Lush sale, I've never had a Father Christmas Bath Bomb before and as this was half price it seemed like the perfect time to test it out. I've never been massively bothered by this product as it shares it's scent with Snow Fairy. Which, as you may or may not know... I hate. Yes, I hate Snow Fairy, it's too sickly and too sweet and just ... yuck. BUT I wanted to give this a chance as I've not owned any Snow Fairy for a good 5-6 years now and it could win me over one day. 

So scent wise, it's snow fairy, it's sweet, candyfloss like and just oh so sickly. However, as it's in a bath bomb format it's nice and easy to break up and use in Lush cocktails to add some candy-like sweetness, which is exactly what I intend to do!

Shoot for the Stars Bath Ballistic - £4.25 (paid £2.12 50% off) 

Of all the Christmas releases, this has got to be one of my favourites. The striking vivid blue with the contrasting gold stars is such a beautiful combination to look at and the smell definitely matches. The bright blue mellows out into a forest green when in the bath with golden orbs of oil that float on the surface. 

The scent is sweet and toffee like and is a member of the "Honey I Washed The Kids" family, meaning you can expect sweet honey & toffee, whilst not having that sickly cloying scent that some sweet, honeyed products can produce. 

Lord of Misrule - £3.95 

YES YES YES. This bath bomb is ABSOLUTELY amazing. I am totally obsessed with it. After trying it for the first time in 2016, I have already managed to purchase 4 and use 2. The remaining 2 are photographed above for you. This mysterious and beautifully scented bath bomb is deceptive as you expect a lime green bath, yet, once you place this ball of joy into the water you are greeted by a flurry of rich red foam and crackling popping candy. 

This is a total joy for the senses as it turns your bath a wonderfully luxurious Burgundy shade, the popping candy crackles and pops for a good 10 minutes after hitting the water and the warm scent drifts to your nose almost immediately. 

The smell is totally unique, think cracked black pepper, vanilla and tonka with a dash of sandalwood and you are getting close to the joy that is the Lord of Misrule. A highly raved about bath bomb I know, but honestly if you have the chance this Halloween to go in store and give it a sniff, I highly recommend you do so. It is divine. 

Northern Lights - £3.95 (paid £1.98 50% off) 

Northern Lights is a product I've been in two minds about, part of me is intrigued and I love a good purple bath, whilst the other half of me is questioning why Lush included a strong Jasmine scented product in their Christmas range... why give it that smell?? Personally I feel that the Jasmine scents are more suited to the Mothers Day & Easter ranges but that's just me. 

When I found this in the 50% off sale it was one that I really felt I should just try! I do really enjoy Jasmine scented baths (Flowering Tea from the 2016 Mothers Day range was a personal favourite!) so there isn't necessarily any reason for me to not enjoy this bath.

The main selling point for this bath bomb is that when you put it in the bath it is meant to mimic the famous Northern Lights or otherwise known as the Aurora Borealis. As it sinks into the water it creates a rich foam of Purple, Orange and Blue in an attempt to emulate the night sky. It's quite beautiful to watch so I do recommend you hunt out a youtube demo to see for yourself if you're not quite convinced. 

Mine however, seems to be a little faulty, as I have 2 orange faces and no blue.., how this affects the bath water & scent I will have to find out but I am a little disappointed as blue & purple baths are my favourite.  

Satsuma Bath Ballistic - £3.75 

This was an Oxford Street Exclusive this year and I believe the only OSE bath bomb released for Christmas! Satsuma, as the name suggests, is a fruity orange number that brightens up your bath just as much as a Satsuma brightens up your fruit ball in Winter. 

The warm fruity scent is a perfect seasonal choice and was a really welcome change from the bizarrely floral offerings this year from Lush. I feel that this would work PERFECTLY in a cocktail with Cinders, the warm satsuma mixed with the spicy cinnamon of Cinders would have been a dream come true in a bath... but Lush discontinued Cinders in 2016 so that is a dream that sadly won't come to fruition for a lot of us. 

As you can expect, this bath bomb leaves your water a rich warm orange to perfectly match the scent, it really is a you see what you get kind of product and I absolutely loved it. 

A/W 2016 London Haul!

Last Saturday I went to London to see P!ATD perform at the Alexandra Palace... OMG it was so goddamn good! Bredon Urie has the voice of an angel and absolutely killed it + Sophie, Dan and I had a massive laugh over the fact we were some of the oldest there that weren't chaperoning children (apparently P!ATD appeal to a young audience nowadays...) but on the plus side the Bar was basically empty the entire evening! 

So OBVIOUSLY because we had to travel to London anyway we decided to make a day of it do some shopping, have some lunch and meet up with Sophie who lives just outside of Central (and is totally smashing life right now) for a browse around Oxford Street. 

So obviously I had to share what I brought as hauls don't come very often over here on Bambi's Blogs.  

LUSH OXFORD STREET

Lord of Misrule - £3.95

This is a Lush classic, and shockingly, I've never used it before. I don't know why but previously when I've sniffed it in store, it's never really appealed to me. It smelt a little too much like wet leaves to me and I just didn't get it. But this year. Oh boy, did it kick me in the face this year when I picked it up! It's spicy, rich and so deliciously autumnal it is the perfect autumn bath bomb and I am in love. You can tell I loved it because I bought two of them and I never do that. 

I usually cut up my bath bombs to get multiple uses out of them (unemployed graduate life) but this one demanded to be used whole and I am soo glad I did. As soon as you put the ballistic in the water it starts to fizz and emits plumes of green and pink foam which are really beautiful to watch. After a couple of minutes in the hot water, you will start to hear cracking and popping, that's because this little beauty is loaded with popping candy which is quite an unusual experience, especially when you're not expecting it and worry that you bath is breaking 🙈

Once the bath bomb has finished fizzing and fully dissolved you're left with a beautiful wine coloured bath, as photographed below (I was going to upload this to my Insta but I didn't like it enough. Yes that is the side of my thigh 💁) 

Satsuma Bath Bomb (Christmas Oxford Street Exclusive) - £3.95

This is rather self-explanatory and indeed smells just like a satsuma, it's fruity, fresh, citrusy and somehow it smells very Christmassy despite the fruitiness and lacking the spicy element that I associate with the season. I've not used this yet, but I think it's safe to assume that this is going to create a bright orange bath - I think it would be amazing paired with You've Been Mangoed.

Monsieur Gustave Bath Melt (Oxford Street Exclusives) £2

It's becoming a habit of mine now to pick up a couple of the exclusive bath melts every time I go to Oxford Street. I love bath melts and I think they are so brilliantly versatile and I always get a couple of uses out of them as I tend to mix them with a bath bomb or bubble bar. This one has what I can only describe as a blackcurrant/musky smell. I can't really describe it so it's definitely one to go and smell in person. What sold it for me was the prospect of having a glittery purple bath.

Lime Pastille Bath Melt (Oxford Street Exclusive) £2

The second of the aforementioned bath melts. This, as the name would suggest, smells like lime sherbert. It's a beautiful fresh crisp smell that is definitely more appropriate for the summer months but it was too good to pass it up! Although, I could imagine this working very nicely with So White Bath Bomb. 

Can we appreciate the beauty of that YA section in Foyles THO. ^  

I also indulged my other love whilst in London, books. Dan and I have got book shopping in London down to a precise art now and we know exactly what big bookstores and second-hand bookstores we love. We didn't have heaps of time to spend today so my favourite second-hand bookshops were missed and instead we focused on my favourite three... Foyles, Forbidden Planet & the Piccadilly Waterstones (or as I call it, Heaven).  

The Wicked & The Divine - Fandemonium Pt. 2 - £0.00 -  Forbidden Planet

All of the inner fangirl comes out when I walk into Forbidden Planet. It's one of my favourite bookstores ever (the one in Cambridge is great as well), they are well known for their vast array of Graphic Novels, Comic Books & Manga but they also sell a huge amount of YA, Fantasy and Sci-Fi. I adore this shop and could happily spend hours in here and spend a small fortune. However, on this particular day, I didn't have either the time nor the money! 

I've already read the first instalment of The Wicked & The Divine and I adored the artwork, it's absolutely beautiful in the way in which it is illustrated and the story is strange, enticing and mysterious. I really enjoyed the first part and I felt like it finished in such a way that I just had to buy the next in the series. 

If you like stories that are shrouded in mystery and unanswered questions and beautiful artwork, then you will love this graphic novel. 

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch - £0.00 - Foyles
Once we had finished in Forbidden planet we then went on to Foyles. I always insist on browsing the entire store even though I know deep down that I'm only going to end up buying YA. On the day we were there Grayson Perry was doing a book signing a few hours later so we were lucky to miss the rush of fans -  but it's also alerted me to the fact that Grayson has a book out and I really need it in my life.

I picked up this book at the recommendation (read: fangirling) of my lovely pal Ash over at aislingsbeautybytes.blogspot.co.uk. She loved this book and highly recommended it, so as I wholeheartedly trust her opinion I decided it was worth picking up and adding to the overwhelming pile of books to read.

From what I can grasp this is a book with a strong female lead who basically has to restore magic to her kingdom so it can rise to power again. It sounds pretty epic and has a rather impressive 4.01 rating on Goodreads (out of 30,323 ratings) so I have high hopes for this.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - £0.00 - Foyles

This was another recommendation from Ash and is one that I have heard SO much about in the book world due to the sequel "Crooked Kingdom" coming out at the end of September. I know this is set in the Grisha world and many people suggest that reading the Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo first is perhaps a more sensible idea rather than jumping into the world unprepared. 

I do own the first in the Grisha Trilogy so that's probably what I'm going to do, but I'm really excited to get my teeth stuck into such a dense and rich world. 

This is about a group of six different criminals/outcasts who have been tasked to perform a deadly heist that may well make them rich beyond their wildest dreams. This sounds so fun, so unusual and I think it will be a real page turner! I'm going to start the Grisha Trilogy in December as I just can't wait any longer! 

Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige - £0.00 - Waterstones

I'm a huge fan of Danielle Paige's work, I love the Dorothy Must Die series (although I haven't finished it as I'm waiting for "Yellow Brick War" to become available in paperback!) so when I heard that she was releasing another fairy tale retelling but this time it was one of my favourite stories - The Snow Queen - I was absolutely over the moon. 

Can we take a minute to appreciate the beauty of that cover? Have you ever seen a book more appropriate for the Christmas season? I really do think the U.K cover has got the edge on the U.S cover this time!  

This is probably one of the most interesting plots for a novel that I've come across in a long time. The main character Snow has spent her life locked in a Psychiatric Hospital but she isn't crazy. Instead, she finds a way to escape the hospital only to find that she has a kingdom to inherit and a prophecy to complete. 

This is another book that I'm almost certainly going to indulge myself with in December. 

So that's it! It wasn't a huge haul and the day went far too quickly for my liking but it was brilliant and I can't wait to go back to London soon (hopefully for a job!) although I'm sure my bank balance will once again suffer!

Christmas Lush Wishlist

MY FIRST OFFICIAL CHRISTMAS THEMED POST!

I don't care that it's only November, I bloody love Christmas! But to make it less festive I've not gone full on festive with the photography. You're welcome. 

I personally adore the Christmas range at Lush and it is 100% my favourite collection as everything smells so good. So I thought this year I would share what Lush goodies I'm planning/hoping to get over the Christmas season and what I'm thinking of picking up in Oxford Street. I'm going to cut this to 3 products per category as honestly I could just list the entire collection. Instead, I wanted to highlight my absolute favourites from this year's collection. 

BATH BOMBS

So White | £3.75 | I will undoubtedly buy at least one of these every year without fail. I absolutely adore the crisp clean apple scent that this gives off. It's not the most exciting bath bomb but the smell is enough to win it over for me. They've been slightly redesigned this year to have a green leaf on the side of the 'apple' and the inside gives off a green hue this year instead of the usual pinkish red. 

Shoot for the Stars | £4.25 | This is a bath bomb that has been revamped this year and looks absolutely stunning! It has the same scent as Golden Egg (one of my easter favourites!) which is a sweet toffee/orangey smell. It's a bright blue bath bomb with three golden star melts that leaves your bath looking like a starry night sky. Really looking forward to grabbing this one. 

Golden Wonder | £4.25 | Because Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without a Golden Wonder Bath Bomb. This is a firm favourite every year and is one that optimises Christmas at Lush for me. On the outside is a golden present and on the inside is a turquoise, blue and gold centre that fills your bathroom with the fresh zesty scent of citrus. Winner. 

BUBBLE BARS

Peeping Santa Bubbleroon | £3.95 | I bought this for the first time last year and was initially dubious as the thought of a bright red bath wasn't massively appealing. However, the smell of this. OMG. I absolutely adored it by the time I had used it up. The best way I can describe the scent is festive strawberry and if that isn't enough to make you want to buy it then I don't know what will be. 

The Magic of Christmas | £5.95 | One of the most expensive offerings from Lush this year but certainly worth the money. This is Christmas in one reusable stick. Cinnamon, Clove, Almond and Orange - can it be more festive? Not a particularly spectacular product but the smell packs a punch and can be used in Lush cocktails easily (my favourite thing to do with reusable bubble bars).

Santasaurus | £5.95 | Literally the cutest offering from lush this year. This little dino on a stick is adorable and smells amazing! I can't wait to try this out and I love the fact it's reusable as they last ages and as I said above, they work great in cocktails. This is another fresh citrus offering (can you see a theme emerging here) but the Orange is dominant so it still has that festive scent we're all longing for. 

OXFORD STREET EXCLUSIVES

Satsuma Bath Bomb | £3.75 | This is the only Christmas Oxford Exclusive I can find and I will definitely be picking it up later in the month. I love orange citrus scents and I'm certain this one will be no different. It's designed to look like a satsuma so as you would expect it produces a bright orange bath with a strong scent. 

Lime Pastille Bath Melt | £2 | Last time I went to Oxford street I picked up a couple of melts and I intend to do the same again this time round. Lime Pastille seems like a great option, crisp citrus scents are obviously my favourite and the colour is unusual but I imagine mixed in with some other options (maybe So White?) it could make a really stunning bath. 

Monsieur Gustave Bath Melt | £2 | The second melt I'm interested in has got to be Monsieur Gustave. This is for two reasons. 1. It reminds me of the film Ratatouille - Gustave...see the connection? Just me? 2. It's purple. Bright purple. I LOVE purple and blue baths. Anything that can make me feel like I'm bathing in the night sky will make me a happy bunny. This smells like lavender and warmth. It's the ideal night time product, and I'm really excited to use this in a cocktail of some sort. 

I'm actually really sad with some of the discontinued products this year for Christmas. For instance, WHERES CINDERS AT? Cinders was one of my all-time favourite Christmas bath bombs and it's been cruelly ripped away just when I needed it the most. Maybe a tad dramatic but you get the gist. 

What irritates me further is that they haven't replaced it. Meaning that now there is only 1 bath bomb under £3 which is the rather underwhelming Butterbear. Not cool Lush. 

This is as bad as when they took away Ponche (THE ONLY SHOWER GEL I'VE EVER LIKED FROM LUSH!). Apparently, they have made a batch of alcohol-free Ponche for the Oxford Street Store, but I have heard rumour that it lacks the kick of the old version and is by all accounts just a little bit weak. I wish they would bring back the Tequila soaked original Ponche for stores nationwide as honestly, it was the best shower gel Lush have ever made in my opinion and I would buy gallons of the stuff if they brought it back. 

Have you got any favourites from the seasonal range this year? Anything you think I need to pick up from Oxford Street? Let me know in the comments! 

REVIEW: Lush Dark Angels

There is something infinitely intimidating about smearing a black charcoal paste onto your skin and hoping that it miraculously makes your skin better. 

However, despite my initial reservations Lush's Dark Angels has proven that it can and will make your skin clearer, brighter and fresher. 

Lush Oxford Street Haul!

Back in April my lovely boyfriend took me to London to celebrate our anniversary -8 years and I'm starting to feel old!- 

We spent the day roaming London Bookshops (Yesterday's post is a haul!) and browsing around the city before heading off to the o2 to watch WWE Raw Live. 

But of course I couldn't have spent the day in London without beelining to Lush Oxford Street. 

I am so in love with that store. Like Beyonce - "Crazy In Love" style love. I could have spent hours in there browsing and sniffing my way through the countless products but sadly I had a time (and money) limit. I had to operate a smidge of self-restraint. 

That being said, I did still manage to pick up a pretty good haul of exclusives so without further ado....

Mothers Day/ Easter Lush Haul

I am such a huge lush addict so with 2 collections coming out in the space of a month I was pretty excited for my march haul. In the past month we have been given the Mothers Day collection and the Easter collection so I was psyched to get my hands on some of the new additions.

REVIEW: Lush Solid Shampoo - Seanik

If you follow me on twitter you will know that I've recently been trying out Seanik one of the infamous Lush solid shampoos. I have a nightmare with my hair as my scalp acts up whenever I'm stressed (which seems to be more often than not recently!) and my hair is almost constantly oily. I can't go more than 2 days without needing to wash my hair and so I thought it was about time I looked for a shampoo that was not only cost effective but also kinder on my sensitive scalp and hair. 

Valentines/February Lush Haul

This is by far my favourite post of the month to write. I absolutely adore Lush and I'm always pining over new releases and all the fun stuff that comes with looming 'holidays'. As we all know (but many few of us actually care about) Valentines Day is approaching and if you're not into that over commercialised goo fest then fear not there is something to get out of this dreadful day in February... Limited edition Lush stuff. I collected a few bits from my local lush that I liked from the valentines collection and a load of other stuff I just either wanted to try or repurchase! 

January Lush Haul

I love Lush. This will be a reoccurring theme throughout my blog so if you're not a fan then soz. 

This months Lush Haul is a little bit of a cheat on my behalf as they are actually ones that I received over Christmas. I'm not someone that hoards loads of bath bombs and doesn't use them so I won't buy any more until my current stash is looking a little low or there are some new themed ones coming out. I'm already perusing the Valentines selection though and I'm going to be making some cheeky purchases next week so that haul will be out early Feb! 

Onto today's post. This might be abit of a teaser as 3 of the 5 bath bombs I have to show you are Christmas ones and as far as I'm aware they are no longer available in stores but I am going to suggest alternatives that I think are "similar". 

Get Your Christmas On With Lush

Christmas is a time when Lush really up their game and pull out the big dogs. I don't know about you but to me there is nothing better than getting in a gloriously sparkling bath that smells both sweet and spicy and just remaining there for a good hour with a book; blissfully unaware of the Christmas-based-chaos that's occurring all around you. 

If I was to talk about all of my favourite Christmas Lush products from over the years I would be typing for the next millennia so to keep things short I've written about the products that are new to me this year and that I'm excited to try out myself over the Christmas period. 

What's In My Lush Basket Summer Edition

I don't know about you but as much as I adore Lush, I'm never that interested in Lush Hauls. I mean yeah you get to see the product and know it smells good but you don't find out much else and to be honest I could go on to the lush website and find out more information! I decided that I would share with you what's in my lush basket.. the perfectly formed ones and the ones that are merely chunks of indecipherable colour just waiting to be used up, and share not only what it is and the colour, but also the way it works, the amount of uses you can expect to get out of the one product and what mixes make a great lush cocktail!

A Little Lush Haul

Is it just me that can't walk past a Lush store without being compelled to go in?! 

Once again the sweet smells of Lush lured me into its vice like grasp and I had to go ahead treat myself!

Sakura Bath Bomb - £3.25

This pretty little bath bomb has is predominately floral with Mimosa, Jasmine and Lemon Oils creating a sweet subtle scent that lingers. It creates a pale pink bath that is very moisturising. I've yet to use this bath bomb but I've heard many great things about it!

Fizzbanger Bath Bomb - £3.25

Fizzbanger is certainly one of the more eye-catching bath bombs in store. It has a fruity scent with Apple, Lemon, Cinnamon and Ylang Ylang. It also contains popping candy so it really does "fizz" when it's placed into the water. If your looking for a colourful bath this bomb may be for you as it transforms from a bright yellow into a tropical blue before your very eyes. This is a personal favourite of mine and has been repurchased many times! The smell is just amazing. 

Ro's Argan Body Conditioner - Full Size £15.95

This is something that I've wanted to try out but I really didn't want to spend £15.95 on a product that I could potentially not like. Thankfully Lush allow you to take a little sample pot home to test the product first before you buy it! This is such a saviour for me as without this I wouldn't have found out how much I love this product!! It's unlike anything I've ever used before. You simply apply the conditioner to wet skin in the bath or shower and then wash off to reveal smoother than smooth skin that is beautifully fragrant. I will defiantly be buying the full size of this!!!

What are your lush favourites?  

Festive Favourites | Lush - Christmas Edition!

Roll up, Roll up, get your stereotypes here! Yes, it's no surprise that I, much like every other beauty blogger is obsessed with lush products. They smell great, don't test on animals are environmentally friendly and are amazing for your skin... need I say more?