Review: Ghost

I used to work in the fragrance department at Macy's many many many years ago.  My favorite moments are when someone would come up and say, "I'm looking for a perfume for my mom."  I follow up with, "Well, what kinds of scents does she like?"  Their response: "Something floral."
....
......... Really?  You gotta give me more than that, buddy.

I'm sure most of you are aware (assuming I have an audience of Lushies) that different flowers produce a vast array of different scents.  Rose does not smell like jasmine does not smell like gardenia does not smell like lily.  I could go on forever.  But I won't.  I'm here to write a review about the wonderful limited edition shower gel, Ghost.

Ghost shower gel and Pumpkin soap!

It's white (hence the name) with iridescent glitter.  The glitter does not come off on your body, so it really just looks pretty in the bottle.  And boy, is it pretty. (:

Ghost has a nice floral scent.  LOL.  It smells like lilies.  Do you like lilies? Chances are, they probably don't offend you.  It's a really mild, sweet smell.  I will warn you, though, smelling Ghost directly from the bottle is kind of like taking a whiff of grandma's linen closet.  It's pretty pungent.  But once you shower with it, it's wonderful!

Also, it's very liquidy.  I'm used to thick shower gels like Back for Breakfast and It's Raining Men, which are both honey based.  Ghost is runny, so be careful not to use too much -- it's still a Lush product and a little goes a long way!

I'm a little bummed that this is a limited edition item that only comes around Halloween time, but I'll definitely get another bottle next year. 

Haul: UK Forum Order

Lush UK had a weekend-only special with their forum perfumes.  I had no hesitation to purchase a few bottles of perfume as well as other products that aren't sold in the US.

In the photo are:
- American Cream and two Twilight perfumes (coming to an eBay near you!)
- Narcotics, a limited edition shower gel that is supposed to be terrific at fighting body acne
- Snowshowers, a limited edition shower jelly that smells like the infamous Golden Wonder bath bomb

I was surprised at how quickly the package arrived.  Everything was in great shape, but no samples.

Haul: Christmas and More

My three year old loves all things pink and princess.  So naturally, I had to buy some Snow Fairy products for her.  The Snow Fairy gift set included Snow Fairy shower gel, a star shaped Angel's Delight soap, and a Shimmy Shimmy.  I also bought 2 Magic Wands and a large bottle of Snow Fairy shower gel -- the small one will not last long enough! 

I also purchased the Gingerbread Tin -- mostly for the cute reusable tin!  But it also contained lots of Christmas items I have yet to try: Cinders and So White bath bombs, and Gingerbread House and Candy Mountain bubble bars.  Unfortunately, no Golden Tickets in either gifts.  Maybe next time!

Oh, and a big bottle of Veganese that'll last me a few months. (:

Review: Butter Cream Soaps and Mud Flats

Lately, I've had a run in with a lot of weird Lush soaps lately -- not bad, per say, just not for me.

Two of them are the soon-to-be-discontinued butter cream soaps: Lemslip and Ring of Roses.  They are called butter cream soaps because they contain cocoa butter, to moisturize the skin.  Unfortunately, this cocoa butter prevents the soap from lathering!  It took a lot of effort to get my bar of soap to actually act like a bar of soap.  If I rub it on a sponge or washcloth, I'd get a little lather, but when using it solo, I was very dissatisfied.  Sure, the end result was good -- I was clean and moisturized -- but the experience was not up to par.

Ring of Roses had a really nice floral scent, but Lemslip was too lemony for my taste.  If I wanted zing, I'd grab a bar of Bohemian.  For both soaps, the scent was mild at best.  It just didn't have the "wow" factor for me.

Mud Flats was a whole different experience.  I was eager to give it a shot, because I wanted to see how effective the Rhassoul mud was in soap form.  Right off the bat, I was hit with an overpowering herbal scent.  I get it -- it's got rosemary oil, tea tree oil, and sage oil -- all, combined with the Rhassoul mud, should be very astringent.  But again, herbal scents are not for me.  Then I smelled it again and got a strong peppermint scent??  It was weird.  I looked at the list of ingredients and didn't see anything that would smell minty.   Did it get me clean?  Sure.  Would it clear up spots and body acne?  Hard to say.  But the scent alone would prevent me from testing any further.  But if you're into that woodsy, herbal scent, you should try Mud Flats. (:

MY SCORE: 1 OUT OF 5

I never thought there would be any Lush soaps out there I didn't love.  What's the phrase?  Can't please them all? (:

Review: Aromarant

Most antiperspirants contain aluminum.  Yes, like the stuff your cooking foil is made of.  Think about little microscopic particles of aluminum plugging your pores so you don't sweat.  Pretty gross, right?  Well, that's why you should think about switching to natural deodorants!  And yes, they are deodorants, not antiperspirants.  It's good for your body to sweat.  Sweat is a good thing -- stink is not. (:

With that said, if you've been using an antiperspirant for a long time and you switch to a natural deodorant, your body will need to adjust.  So be aware the first few days of using a natural deodorant, your sweat will smell stinkier than it's ever smelled before.  That's because your pits are detoxing and purging all those chemicals that were clogged up!  But after a few days, you'll be glad to have made the switch.

It's true-- some Lush products just aren't that easy to use.  Their deodorants are one of them.  Lush deodorants come in two forms: powder and bar.

• Coconut - too messy
• Greeench - too messy, and I don't like the herbal smell
• T'eo - more for heavy sweaters (which I am not) and the powder leaves some residue on skin and/or clothing
• Aromaco - patchouli?  no thanks!
• Aromarant - winner!

It's truly been a love/hate relationship with Aromarant.  When I first started using it, I was very surprised.  It smelled really pleasant -- but of course, I'm a sucker for sandalwood.  There's also a hint of lemon -- yes, just a slight hint -- not a distinct smell, but definitely enough to brighten the muskiness of the sandalwood.  I loved the way it was able to absorb some moisture, because of the witch hazel and sodium bicarbonate.  I also loved that my pits didn't smell like anything.  It didn't smell like body odor, or Aromarant.  It just did not smell.  And that's the point, right?

A few weeks after happily using Aromarant, something weird happened.  I got fire pits!!  (Lots of reviews on Lush's website talk about getting rashes or "fire pits" after using Aromarant)  It was truly bizarre.  I've been using the product for weeks now, and suddenly, I get fire pits?  So sadly, I stopped using it and went back to Tom's of Maine.

Then one morning, I had a bit of an epiphany: the rash may have been because my skin was too dry and irritated.  So I tried something unusual -- I put some Dream Cream on my pits before using my deodorant.  The thinking is, the Dream Cream contains soothing ingredients that will calm and moisturize my skin before I apply deodorant.

Hallelujah!!  It's been working for several weeks now, and I am a happy fresh-pit-smelling girl!

MY SCORE: 4 OUT OF 5

My score is not a 5 because it's so dang difficult to use.  Couldn't Lush put it in a nice, traditional deodorant container??  I know, I know... carbon footprint, trash, etc.

Helpful hint: Keep your Aromarant wrapped up in a ziplock bag.  This will keep it soft and makes it easier to apply.  If you leave it out, air will basically oxidize it and make it hard.  If it does get hard, just use a butter knife, or your fingernail, and scrape off the outer layer.  Sometimes before applying, I soften the bar (just the part that will be in contact with my skin) by rubbing it with my fingertips.