Cocktail: Shampoos and Conditioners

Ok, so not so much a "cocktail" as a perfect pairing of Lush shampoo and conditioners.

I think I love Lush hair care more than anything.  It's done wonders for my hair and the shampoo bars are just so dang ingenious!  I've tried most of the shampoo bars, aside from the obvious that wouldn't work well with me (Soak and Float, Jumping Juniper), and my husband has toiled around with all of the liquid shampoos.  The winners?  Well, he loves Rehab.  My favorites are:

Irresistible Bliss shampoo bar with American Cream conditioner -- I was really surprised with Irresistible Bliss and the mild honeysuckle scent that lingers.  However, its cleansing agents are also mild.  It leaves my hair a little dry, so I feel like I need to use a heavier conditioner with it.  Luckily, the scent of American Cream conditioners pairs nicely and my hair smells yummy all day.

Karma Komba shampoo bar with Veganese conditioner -- I never thought I would like anything Karma scented, but the orange oil really balances out the patchouli smell.  Also, its magical oils (orange and lavendin) really nourishes my hair, so a light conditioner like Veganese pairs well.  Also, the light citrus scent of Veganese matches the citrus tones of Karma Komba perfectly.  Lush really knows their stuff, huh? (:

Godiva solid shampoo bar with Forever in Bloom -- Godiva is my favorite shampoo bar, and I've reviewed it before.  Because there's no need for conditioner, I use it on my three year old.  In the past, I've rarely used it because I used to pair it with American Cream, and the combination of the two was really too heavy for my hair.  But since, I've discovered Forever In Bloom...

Forever in Bloom was made to be paired with Godiva!  The consistency is very runny, similar to Coolaulin, both more runny than Veganese.  I also feel like it absorbs into my hair quickly, so I find myself using more of it than my other conditioners.  But it works, so I don't mind.  It has infusions of chamomile, jasmine and honeysuckle.  The scent is very mild -- you don't feel like you've been hit with a heavy floral scent, but it does pair nicely with floral shampoos.  If it works for you, you could also pair it with Irresistible Bliss.

With the many shampoos Lush has to offer, I feel like there's something for everyone.  These are just a few of my favorites.

Cocktail: Vanillary Lust

Yesterday, Lush NA released 13 new fragrances -- currently only available online:

1. Love
2. The Smell of Weather Turning
3. Ladyboy
4. 1000 Kisses
5. Dear John
6. B Scent
7. Superworld Unknown
8. Cocktail
9. Smell of Freedom Part 1: Fire Tree
10. Smell of Freedom Part 2: Old Delhi Station
11. Smell of Freedom Part 3: Qudh Heart
12. Inhale
13. Exhale

 I ordered sample sizes of the ones in bold. :D
Yesterday, Lush NA also had a Twitter chat party to exclusively talk about Lush perfumes.  Although I did not win any prizes (I never do -- too slow!) I did learn something terrific.

I am head over heels in love with my Vanillary solid perfume.  I rub a little on my  neck and my wrists, and it will last about half the day.  I've discovered that the point of perfume (for me, at least) isn't for smelling good to other people -- it's about smelling good for yourself!  I love turning my head and catching a whiff of the warm, vanilla fragrance on my neck.  It really makes me feel beautiful.

I purchased a Lust solid perfume, hoping I would like it because I love jasmine.  Turns out, it's too potent for me.  So what I do is "mix it" with my Vanillary solid perfume, and it works!  The vanilla really tones down the jasmine and I love the scent, so I started wearing both and layering them on my skin.  I had wondered if I could just melt a little of the two -- maybe 1/3 Lust and 2/3 Vanillary -- and re-solidify it in a perfume tube.  It would work, right?  Well thanks, Lush, for validating my assumption!  Now I'm eager to make my own concoction. :D

Another thing I like to do with Lush perfumes is add them to lotion.  For example, you could take a small amount of Vanilla Dee-Lite and add 2-3 spritzes of Lust perfume in it to make a scented lotion.  Warning: the alcohol in the perfume will dry out the lotion a little.  I also wouldn't mix too much at a time -- you never know how the contents in the perfume will react to the natural ingredients in Lush lotions.  I like to mix a handful plus one spritz of perfume -- it's enough lotion to cover my arms and chest and leaves me with a fragrance that lingers all day.  If you really really want to mix a small batch, I wouldn't keep it around for more than a few weeks.