Having A Lush Trip! | Lush Liverpool Spa Trip - May 2022

 Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post. Today, I thought that I would talk to you all about the time I went to Lush Liverpool Spa a couple of weeks ago. 

Myself and Alex had decided to visit Liverpool to celebrate my 25th birthday. The main reason that we went was because well Liverpool has one of the biggest Lush's in the world and well we all know what I am like with Lush. The weather was quite warm and humid on the first day of visiting Liverpool which caused me some anxiety so we decided to spend the second day of our visit checking out Lush Liverpool Spa. 

We walked into the superstore and decided that it would be best to have a quick look around and then grab what we wanted due to there being a plethora of products on the ground floor alone. We walked up and down the ground floor nosing at all of the products. 

The first section that we wandered to was the Fresh section. The Fresh section is actually made at the Liverpool store itself hence the name. This section consists of exclusive fresh products to Liverpool Spa itself. This includes Fresh Cleanser and Scrub Rolls. A couple of these (Aloe Bamboo and Ilipe Of Faith) have made their way to most of the stores in the UK but Liverpool Spa had a few others. The one that most stood out to me was Oaty McOatface because well that name! This section also contains all of the Fresh Face Masks that are stored in their own little section on ice in most stores and some more. The Liverpool Spa had exclusive masks such as Matcha, Date Night, Brush Strokes & Prince Of Darkness (which contains Patchouli, Lavender and some other goodies). I still have a tiny bit of both Matcha and Date Night and well Prince Of Darkness was calling to my inner dark so I decided to grab it. I think with this post, instead of doing a haul, I'll do reviews of the products themselves when I can so keep an eye out for them. The Fresh section also has an Enfleurage section which Alex and I spent some time looking at. What is an enfleurage?, I hear you ask. Well, an enfleurage is a sheet of creamy goodness that gets cut, rolled and packaged right in front of your eyes. If you have tried a Massage Bar from Lush before then imagine that but a bit creamier and in one big sheet instead of bars. I realised that I still had some Wiccy Magic Muscles enfleurage and none of the sheets had a product card attached to it so we were unsure which was which. This was a bit of a shame as i was sure there was an exclusive one to Liverpool but couldn't tell due to the lack of product cards.

 When we decided to start walking again, we noticed the Peau-Paris Bath Bombshell. This bomb comes in two parts and can be personalised. The way this bomb can be personalised is through selecting what local flowers you want in the middle of it sourced by the wonderful staff and florists at Lush Liverpool Spa. This bomb shares the same scent as Rose Jam so if you're ever at the store and love that scent, definitely pick one up. As I knew that we were both travelling quite long distances back, neither of us decided to grab one just because we were not sure how it would hold up through a long train journey. It is priced at £15.

The next section that we scurried over to was the Hair section. I had heard that there were a few exclusive products in the hair section and even if I have sniffed or seen them before, I had to check them out again. The main three that stood out to me were Aga's, Valkyrie & Goddess Hair Treatment. I bought Valkyrie a few years ago when it was available online and I wanted to see if they had repackaged it at all. My reasoning for this is that, to me, Valkyrie is too thick to be stored in a bottle and in my opinion should be stored in a tub like some of the other hair products sold at Lush. This conditioner contains Hydrolized Wheat Potein to help repair and thicken the hair and has the iconic Rose Jam scent which consists of Rose, Lemon Oil and some other goodies. Alex has forever not been sold on the Rose Jam scented but adored it when they smelt Valkyrie... The next product that caught my eye was Aga's. For anyone who misses the Plum Rain Shower Gel or loves the Plum Rain Body Spray sold at Lush then this hair conditioner is definitely up your street. Aga’s shares the same scent with Plum Rain. To me, Plum Rain smells of Plums being rained on in a massive field. The scent is to die for. Aga’s again contains the Hydrolized Wheat Protein that is also in Valykrie but also is a purple conditioner. This means that it is perfect for anyone who bleaches their hair a lot as this conditioner will not only condition the hair but also tones it at the same time. I mean, who doesn't love a versatile product? The final product I loved the look of was the Goddess Hair Treatment. I kind of wished that I got the smaller size of Goddess perfume in the sale of 2021 as I am now finding that I quite like the scent notes of Goddess. I also should've got a sample of this product but I already asked for one of Aga's and was unsure if I could get a sample of it or not This shares the same scent and contains some amazing butters and oils to really nourish the hair.

 The next part of the ground floor that we decided to discover was the Perfume Library. This contains every possible perfume that Lush has to offer. We sniffed ones that we had not sniffed in a while and decided to conquer a quest of all things perfume. Alex has had a very old solid perfume for a while. They weren't sure of what scent this solid product was so we decided to sniff a fair few fragrances and see which one it was. After some time, we figured out the it was Cocktail. 

Once we were done conquering this quest, we both decided to take the lift to the first floor. 

We had a wander around and decided to head into the corner where we found some exclusive products. We found all of the perfume bubble bars that were on offer. After Alex's sniffing section at The Perfume Library, they decided to grab the Cocktail Perfume Bubble Bar which made sense. I decided to grab the Karma Perfume Bubble Bar. Anyone that knows me personally knows how much I love Patchouli and in turn how much I love the Karma, Lord of Misrule and all of the other scent families that include Patchouli such as the 4:20 range and the Tank Battle perfume, just to name a few. After this we noticed the particulary huge Party area that was cordoned off. In this party area, there is a wonderful wall of some of Lush's well known products. A staff member noticed us looking at the wall and asked if we wanted to go in and snap a few pictures. We said yes of course. 

Carrying on the first floor forage, we walked on and stopped in our paces when we noticed the cool conveyor belt that was zooming in circles and full of iconic bath bombs that are sold at Lush. We stood for a few minutes staring and getting lost in the laps that all of the products were taking. We then decided to go around the belt and look at some of the Shower Jellies that are sold at Liverpool Spa and the other anchor stores.  In a nutshell, the exclusive jellies are Crash (Celebrate scented, lime, orange and cognac), Bongo (Pineapple and Coconut scented), Beats (Maypole scemted - a sweet sort of mint candy cane like scent), Rumba (So White scented - a fresh green apple scent) and Gong (Golden Pear - cardamom and pear scented). We both sniffed them. Alex's favourites were Crash and Rumba. My favourites were Gong and Crash. I just love that sort of spicy kick to the fact that Gong gives especially on a cold morning. 

Alex then decided to gift me a personalised Sleepy Body Lotion as Liverpool Spa is one of the only stores in the UK that has a personalisation station. The personalisation station lets you personalise a label of a product that you are about to purchase. Due to multiple reasons, Lush only keep the personalisation to one scent family at a time. This time it was Sleepy/Twilight. Alex spent a good twenty minutes deciding on what design would be perfect for me and what font would represent me the most. After spending some superb time on this mini digital art project, we submitted it and then found out that they weren't doing the labels today and that it would be best to come back the week after to do it. The sad part though was that we wouldn't be able to come back the week after to do it all over again. I was kind of looking forward to a personalised pot of Sleepy Lotion. Not only that, but I also felt bad that Alex had spent their hard time on creating this label to then get nothing in return. Was quite sad actually. 

we decided that after this, we would stop off at the Cafe and grab a much needed coffee. I stuck to a Oat Latte. I'm not the biggest expert on Coffee but I really enjoyed the Coffee that was in this Latte. After some much needed rest, we decided to grab some more bath bombs such as the limited edition Orangutang Bomb that shared it scent with Lord of Misrule, a Dirty Bath Bomb due to it being out exclusively for Fathers Day and an Intergalactic Bomb due to well it just felt like a day where Intergalactic was needed. We had a look t the hair treatments that are exclusive to anchor stores and then made our way onto the Spa/third floor. 

When we got there, I noticed a board for the Take A Bath Spa Treatment. I think that Lush's Spa Treatments are definitely for a special occasion and I was a bit annoyed with myself that I didn't know about this exclusive treatment that was only happening at Liverpool Spa as the premises of it sounded amazing. A spa treatment where you get to take some time for yourself and have a bath with the Diamond Dust Bomb. Sounds amazing. If I had known before going, then I would've considered booking it. I really need to try out some of the treatments at some point. Gladly I live near Lush Leeds Spa so the option is always there. I decided to grab a Dreamtime Temple Balm for a friend of mine whilst I was on the third floor which contains Lavender and can be used to help you go to sleep. I mean who doesn't need that at the moment? Alex picked up a Whoosh Temple Balm which can be used as a pick me up. I have one and mainly use it when train journeys are just that little bit long and I'm that little bit drained of energy after a long hard day of doing things. 

After this, Alex picked up a solid T'eo Deodorant and then we decided to call it a day. Such an amazing time wandering around and getting to have a look at some of the exclusives that the Anchor Stores have such as the Get Closer Solid Deodorant. 

Have you been to Lush Liverpool Spa? Let me know down below. 

Check out Lush. 

Check out Alex. 

Thanks for reading! 

Jamie x

Ritter Sport Buenos Dias & Hi There! (White, Mango & Passionfruit & Salted Caramel) Review

 Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post. I recently found two new flavours of the chocolate brand Ritter Sport and I thought that today I would talk to you all about them. 

‘Buenos dias or good morning from Costa Rica. Forget the morning, with this bar it's going to be a good DAY. Enjoy fruity mango and passion fruit wrapped in our creamy white chocolate. Deliciosa!’. - Ritter Sport UK. 

The first thing that hit my mouth was the texture of the chocolate. The White Chocolate has a creamy luscious texture to it that pretty much instantly melts in your mouth. After this, the thick mango and passion fruit cream hit my tongue which added to the smoothness of the white chocolate. after all this smoothness, the biscuit provided a much needed crunch which enabled me to go back for more and more due to that textural contrast. 

The taste of this bar was sublime. The first thing that hit my tongue and lingered on it until the end of me eating this bar was the White Chocolate. The White Chocolate provided a rich and creamy flavour that reminded me of quite sweet milk. White Chocolate is a little bit lost on me due to thinking that it always tastes like a mixture of milk and cocoa butter. After this, the mango bursted through and coated my tongue in a fresh yet quite sweet Mango flavour. I love anything that is Mango. Finally, the Passion Fruit came through mainly as an after taste. Sour yet very much needed due to the richness of the White Chocolate. Absolutely amazing. 

‘Hi There! from the south west! This bar is a must for any road trip not just route 66. Delicious salted caramel crisps & crunchy caramel pieces smothered in our creamy milk chocolate. Just make you ride SHOTGUN so you get your hands on it first!’ - Ritter Sport UK. 

The texture of this bar was nice but not amazing for me. This bar delivered a lot of crunch but that was it for me. I think that I need to stop instantly associating caramel with being a runny liqud. The reason I say this is because when bars offer caramel in the crunchy format I get annoyed due to this instant association. The crunch was nice when I took a bite of this bar but there wasn’t much contrasting against all that crunch except the chocolate itself. 

The first thing that I tasted when I took a bite of this bar was the smooth and creamy chocolate . The taste of the exterior of the bar tasted crramy and rich but not sickly which I really enjoyed. The caramel had a sweet yet slightly smoky taste to it which I adored. I love it when a caramel is slightly scorched but not completely cremated. The final thing that I tasted from this bar was the salt. I mean, if anyone knows me I am forever screaming for more salt when a product states that it is salted and this was no different. Even if I did want more of a salty flavour, what I liked about the salt in this bar was that it was sprinkled throughout the bar which meant that I got pops of slightly subtle salty flavour. 

Would I buy these bars again? 

Yes, I would. I think that if I saw either of these bars I would instantly grab them. Maybe the mango one more than the Caramel one but if I see them both when I am next out shopping for food then I will definitely pick them up. I’d give the mango a 8.5/10 and the Salted Caramel a 7.85 out of 10. 

Have you tried either of these bars? Let me know down below. 

Check out Ritter Sports here. 

Thanks for reading! 

Jamie x

Lush Candles (Orange Blossom, The Olive Branch & Sleepy) First Impressions

 Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post. I recently saw that Lush had released candles and well I had to tell you all my thoughts about them so I thought that I would talk all about them to you today. 

Orange Blossom 

All of the candles featured in this blog post include a base of rapeseed, coconut and castor waxes and coconut oil. This base of waxes and oil ensures that the candles that Lush creates are paraffin, GM, soy and palm free. This candle contains Orange Flower Absolute, Bergamot Oil and Lebanese Neroli Oil. To me, the candles burn quite well. I had mine on for a duration of four hours to review them and after I left the candle to cool, I noticed that not a lot of oil had burnt which meant I could tell that I would get a good few 4 hour usages out of one candle. To me, this candle smells like when you walk into a spa that is filled with wood furnishings and bowls full of fresh oranges which contained some that are peeled and some that aren’t. I think that I will burn this one when I am using a citrus product in the bath or when I want a little citrus kick in the house by burning it in my hallway. 

The Olive Branch 

This candle contains Bergamot, Orange Flower Absolute and Galbanum Oils. To me, this combination creates a sort of citrus and green fragrance. Do I get olive trees? Not really as I think that this candle misses that sort of fresh woody note to it for me to counter it as a olive tree fragrance but I think that to me it reminds me more of sitting in a field full of olive trees with olives marinating through the  sun. I realise that this sounds bizarre but I think this is how I visualise the Galbanum Oil that provides that fresh green note. The burn was same for me as the one previously mentioned and I think that I would burn this along side a sort of fresh bath in the middle of Summer or in my front room. My only qualm with Lush releasing Orange Blossom and The Olive Branch is that they have similar ingredients and slightly similar notes (one focusing more on fresh and green and one focusing more on fresh and citrus). I wonder why they have brought these candles out that share similar scents and didn’t release one of these and something that doesn’t have similar scent notes such as maybe Breath Of God to replace one of the above but that’s just me. 

Sleepy 

This candle contains Lavender and Yoang Ylng Oils. Again, barely any wax had burnt at the four hour mark which means that I know that I’ll be able to get a fair few uses out of this candle. To me, even though this shares it’s name with the well known range at Lush, this candle has a more herbal note to it from the lavender rather than the sort of floral note that Sleepy had. I quite liked it. I think that this candle would be best burnt alongside a night time bath or in the bedroom. I did use it in my bedroom before bed and not only did it make my room smell amazing but also settled me for the night. 

Would I buy them again? I think I would but I think that I would probably only buy two out of the three mentioned due to my previous comments about similar ingredients and scent notes. I really wish that Lush release more of these candles. I would love a Karma scented one as I love all things Karma, a Junk scented one and a Breath Of God scented one. I mean a Rose Jam scented one at Valentines would sell amazingly at Lush. I love the jars of these candles but I do wish that they were bigger. I’m not a size queen but at £12 I’d like a little bit more bang for my buck. I also would like to see if the base could be changed as someone who is sensory based I can give or take the rough texture on the top of the candles but I get why due to the waxes used. I can’t wait to see if Lush release more of these candles. 

 Have you tried these candles? Let me know down below. 

Check out Lush. 

Thanks for reading! 

Jamie x

This a blog was written in return for gifted items. All ramblings, views and opinions in this pos5 are my own and not influenced by the gifting of products.