Hey everyone!
Welcome to a brand new blog post! Lush kindly invited me to the Lush Manchester Arndale store to check out the brand new Holiday Launch the day before the range drops in Lush stores and online alongside some of the other ranges coming very soon and I thought that I would talk to you all about what I got up to at the event.
(Just a heads up, I was gifted a few items at this event which will mentioned towards the end of the post).
Myself and Luke grabbed the train to Manchester Victoria. Once we arrived, we slowly made our way to Lush Manchester Arndale. I say slowly because Manchester and Luke and a cane sometimes doesn’t go smoothly. People sometimes barge into him and don’t say sorry because they’re in a rush or the cane sometimes has trouble going over the tramlines that are outside of the wonderful shopping complex.
Once we arrived at the store, we were greeted by some of the wonderful staff and was talked through what the event would consist of. It had been a while since I’d popped into the Manchester Arndale store but the store was decked out in all things festive and honestly it already felt like it was Christmas and not the end of September and raining.
We made our way to the Co-Create station and was greeted by Luka. If you’re unfamiliar of what the Co-Create Ranges are at Lush then let me tell you all about them. Co-Create is a concept by Lush that focuses on collaborating with staff at Lush who celebrate cultural holidays and letting them design and create products for that cultural holidays range at Lush. For example, Luka (who works at Lush Manchester Anrdale) helped to create the upcoming Hanukkah Range and was talking to us about all of the current and upcoming Co-Create Ranges.
We started off with the Dia De Los Muertos Range that has dropped in stores and online. We went through the range and smelt everything. Sadly the Damas Del Sol Bubble Bar was unavailable but if you love all things Butterflies or love the Guardians Of The Forest scent from Lush then I do urge you to grab it as it’s now online and should be in stores. Luka showed us the Cempasúchil Bath Bomb and Shower Gel. Cempasúchil is also known as Mexican Marigold. This flower is known as a significant symbol during Dia De Muertos and is used to guide spirits from the dead back to their families during Dia De Muertos. For Lushies that have been shopping at Lush for a while then you will be glad that both the Bath Bomb and Shower Gel share the Iced Wine scent from Lush. The Cempasúchil Bath Bomb contains Bergamot Oil, Buchu Oil and Grapefruit Oil. The Shower Gel contains Marigold Petal Infusion, Fine Sea Salt, Lactic Acid, Bergamot Oil, Buchu Oil and Grapefruit Oil. This amalgamation of ingredients creates a bright zesty scent with a peppery floral undertone to it. If you are already missing Summer and want a blast of citrus to help you during the colder days then definitely grab either or both of the Cempasúchil products.
The lovely Luka then went onto the upcoming Diwali Range.I had the opportunity of smelling the upcoming Lotus Blossom Bath Bomb. This bath bomb contains Jasmine, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Black Pepper and Clove. Oh my god, this smells gorgeous. I love all the ingredients in those. I adore Patchouli, Black Pepper, Sandalwood and Clove and I slowly grown to love Jasmine especially in Lush products such as Flying Fox Shower Gel and Lust Perfume. Luka discussed with us that not only will there be a Bath Bomb for the Diwali range but there will also be a Shower Gel with the same scent alongside some other goodies fropping on 3rd October (this Thursday) and I can’t wait to grab both. If you’re an old time Lushie then you may remember the scent of the upcoming Diwali Bath Bomb and Shower Gel via the Old Delhi Station Perfume from Lush.
We then smelt the Hanukkah range that Luka has helped to create and I adore it. There are two products for this range. The Dreidel Dreidel Dreidel Bath Bomb that has had a little bit of a colour change from last year and the Gelt Soap. The bath bomb shares the same scent as the Apple Crumble Bubble Bar which contains Myrrh Resinoid, Orange Flower Absolute and Cinnamon Leaf Oil which creates a spiced Apple scent. I love anything spiced Apple scented and to me that’s what this smells of. The Gelt Soap smells of all things gorgeous and is a scent that Lush has dubbed ‘Vegan Chocolate Orange’ and I get why because that’s what it smells like to me ! I think if you love the Yuzu and Cocoa scent from Lush then you will adore this! We then discussed the Sticky Dates range. I’m sure that everyone reading this is aware of the very viral Sticky Dates range from Lush. I discussed with Luka that I have been using my Sticky Dates products throughout the year sparingly until I heard that they were staying around for good because I wanted to use the Sticky Dates range during the Autumn Season.
We finished up discussing the ranges and I grabbed some photos and then Luka kindly escorted us to our next station. Perfume!
We were greeted by the brilliant Ben. Ben sat me down and asked me what sort of scent profile I enjoy the most. Now I am a very indecisive person and honestly perfume for me compliments the way I’m feeling on the outside and inside and what my mood is for the day. Honestly this is why I love Lush’s Perfumes. I adore everything at Lush but I think that Perfumes at Lush are sometimes a little overlooked and thus I am glad that they are now getting their flowers via certain Perfumes going viral over the past year. All of Lush’s Perfumes are for everyone and aren’t categorised into the ‘for men’ and ‘for women’ boxes that a lot of perfumes are these days and I love that. As someone who’s non-binary, I don’t really care about if a perfume is marketed towards men or women because that’s really restrictive. Perfume is all about a feeling and Lush definitely help with that. I love how I can go into a Lush store, get some advice on some new scents to try and not get ushered into only smelling the for men ones that happens in other stores which in turn can make me feel quite dysphoric.
I told Ben that I usually go towards smoky/spicy but also sweet scents and that the scent I was wearing was the iconic Snow Fairy. I was tempted to wear Turmeric Latte because I love that but I thought well it’s the first day that the iconic Snow Fairy is back for 2024 so I had to showcase the scent on myself whilst going to a Christmas event at Lush! Ben suggested a few scents such as Vanillary, 4:20, Lord Of Misrule, Rose Jam, Karma but after a while of sniffing we decided on trying two of the new perfumes that Lush had recently released. One smoky, one sweet.
Before spraying, Ben told me some Perfume Top Tips such as applying a moisturiser before spraying helps to increase a perfumes longevity and I mean we all want a perfume to last as long as it can on our skin! Ben applied some of the Magik Massage Bar on me after asking if I was okay with using CBD and gave me a hand and arm massage which I adored. After the beautiful oils of the Massage Bar sank into my skin, Ben spritzed Vegan Leather Jacket on one wrist and Chelsea Morning on the other. Vegan Leather Jacket contains Clove Bud Oil, Vetivert Oil, Tonka Absolute and Tobacco Absolute which creates a deep smoky scent with a hit of spice. Chelsea Morning contains Tonka Absolute, Lemon Myrtle Oil, Fenugreek Oil and Vanilla Absolute which creates a sort of sweet and citrusy scent. To me, Chelsea Morning reminds me of a Caramelised Croissant or a Caramel Latte next to some fresh Lemons.
The next station on our list was the Bath Bomb Making Station! Lush Manchester Arndale has a little Greenhouse at the back of the store that they have turned into a Snow Fairy Grotto for Christmas. I was guided into the Greenhouse and was met with the ultimate festive looking grotto decked out in all things pink and Snow Fairy. If you love Snow Fairy then I think that you will love this little section of the Manchester Arndale store.
The wonderful Mark told us that we were going to be making our own Snow Fairy Bath Bomb. I love all things Snow Fairy so I was excited to get my gloves on and make my own Bath Bomb. After I got my gloves on, Mark guided me through how to make the iconic festive Bath Bomb. First, I grabbed some glitter. I probably grabbed a little bit too much glitter because I love glitter. After I sprinkled some glitter into the bottom of one of the Bath Bomb moulds, I layered the two Bath Bomb mixtures into my mould ensuring to pack it down into the mould and to layer it. After this, I repeated the layering with the other bath bomb mould and then Mark happily squished them together to ensure that the bath bomb would stick together. In the past I’ve had trouble with this part when making bath products at Lush as you have to squeeze quite hard and sometimes it can go wrong so I was more than grateful for Mark doing this for me. After this, I was told to leave it for at least 24 hours before using this wonderful Bath Bomb! I haven’t used it yet but I think once this blog post is published, I will definitely be treating myself to my very own handmade Snow Fairy Bath Bomb.
After making the wonderful bath bombs, we had a wonderful conversation about all things Lush and the Christmas Range with the wonderful Mark.
If you would like to make your own Snow Fairy Bath Bomb in the Snow Fairy Grotto then pop by to Lish Manchester Arndale on a weekend from now until Christmas to do so! The bath bomb making is priced at £5.50 which is the same price as the Snow Fairy Bath Bomb.
After making the iconic Snow Fairy Bath Bomb, I then went to the Skincare section of the store. Ben sat myself down and asked me what my skin type was like. I am mainly dry and acne prone and with the weather dropping right now, my skin seems to get extra dry. Ben listened and told me that they were going to grab some products from Lush that they thought would suit my skin type and needs.
The first product that Ben brought over was BB Seaweed. BB Seaweed is a Fresh Face Mask from Lush that contains Ground Almonds, Toothed Wrack Seaweed, Glycerine, Fair Trade Organic Aloe Vera Gel, Honey, Fresh Rose Petals, Rose Oil and some other great ingredients. The Ground Almonds help to scrub away dead skin without being too stripping, the Honey, Glycerine, Seaweed and Aloe Vera Gel help to add moisture to the skin and the Rose helps to stop redness. I can definitely see why Ben recommended this to me as my skin does need help with moisture and redness.
Before this lovely face mask was applied, Ben applied the Full Of Grace Serum Bar to my hand to ensure that my skin would definitely feel the nourishment and get the full effect of what the Face Mask is made to do. Full Of Grace contains Murumuru Butter, Cupuaçu Butter, Calamine Powder, Fresh Rose Persl Infusion, Organic Almond Cool, Fresh Portobello Mushrooms, Chamomile Blue Oil, Rose Oil and Tagetes Oil. The lovely blend of Butters and Oils help to moisturise the skin, the Rose and Chamomile help to keep the skin calm and soothed and the Mushroom is full of Vitamin B and C which is known to help the skin. I did mention to Ben during the consultation that my acne can be quite eruptive and can come from either being stressed, general life or the occasional slip up from lactose intolerance so it was importsnt to include products that would help to soothe the skin.
After the Mask was applied onto my hand, Ben suggested some other products from Lush and talked to me about how they would help my skin. They suggested the very viral Let The Good Times Roll Cleanser which contains Maize Flour, Glycerine, Polenta, Corn Oil and Fair Trade Organic Cinnamon Powder. Ben recommended this to me because the Polenta creates a fine scrub without being too harsh on the skin which is great for not only dry skin but for all skin during the colder months of the year where skin can be dried out easily from being in the cold to being in warm environments such as places that have their heating on whether this be shops, restaurants or your home. The Glycerine in this Cleanser helps to keep skin moisturised. Let The Good Times Roll also has a beautiful popcorn smell to it which helped the product and the Body Sprsy version of Let The Good Times Roll go viral online. After this, Ben told me all about some of the beautiful Body Care products at Lush and asked if I had tried the new Shoot For The Stars Body Scrub that is a part of the brand new Christmas Range. I hadn’t just yet but I adore anything and everything scented in the Honey I Washed The Kids scent so I was eager to try it. Ben brought me some over and demoed it on my arm and I fell in love with it!
Ben recommended this Shoot For The Stars scrub as it contains Fine Sea salt which helps to buff away dead skin without stripping away the natural oils of the skin and Creamed Coconut which helps to condition the skin and give a lovely glow go the skin. If you havent smelt Shoot For The Stars or any of the products at Lush that share the same scent such as Honey I Washed The Kids Soap or Honey I washed The Kids Shower Gel or Honey I Washed The Kids Body Spray then imagine a true honey-toffee scent with a big background note of pure Orange that helps to ensure that the honey-tofffee scent isn’t too sickly sweet. After this scrub was massaged into my skin and then rinsed off which left my arm feeling the softest that it has in a while, it was time to wash off Bb Seaweed. Ben massaged the Ground Almonds in for the last time as he had done this wonderful at the beginning of applying it to my hand and then rinsed it off and patted my skin dry.
To ensure that all of the Mask was rinsed off, Ben went in with the brand new Snow Bear Soap. This soap has been created to help dry and sensitive skin during the festive period. This Soap contains Oat Milk, Rapeseed Oil:; Coconut Oil, Glycerine, Soya Yoghurt, Roce Bran Oil, Yonka, Minosa and Vanilla Absolutes and Bwnzoin Resinoid. Oat Milk and Soya Yoghurt are known within the Beauty Industry for being spotting and nourishing to the skin whilst Tonka, Minosa and Vanilla Absolutes alongside Benzoin Resinoid blend together to create a sort of creamy scent that reminds you of Christmas Cake and Custard mashed into one.
I said thank you to Ben and had a little chat about skin care in general before moving on to the final station.
Sadly it’s time to board the final stop on our journey around the Lush Manchester Arndale store. We arrived at our final stop and it was a station all about wrapping and gift sets. Lush have released some amazing gift sets for their Christmas 2024 Range. If you’re a fan of Intergalactic, Yog Nog, Sleepy/Deep Sleep or Snow Fairy then Lush have you covered with some amazing gift sets.
For Intergalactic lovers, Lush have released a gift set for the festive season that is full of Intergalactic goodness. If you suffer from colds during the holiday season then this gift set might be a great one for you too. This gift set contains an Intergalactic Bath Bomb, Intergalactic Shower Gel (120g), Intergalactic Soap and Intergalactic Mini Bubble Bar. If you haven’t smelt Intergalactic then Intergalactic contains Peppermint, Grapefruit, Vetivert and Cedarwood Oils to create a complex mint scent that’s truly out of this world! This gift set is priced at £29.
Lush have released a Yog Nog gift set for those who love this seasonal delight! Yog Nog Gift Set contains Yog Nog Bath Bomb (which is an exclusive product to the Gift Set), Yog Nog Shower Gel (100g), Yog Nog Body Lotion (50g) and Yog Nog Body Spray (100ml). If you haven’t tried Yog Nog before then Yog Nog contains Clove Bud Oil and Ylang Ylang Oil. The combination of these two oils creates a sweet yet multidimensional Maple based caramel scent that is made for the colder months. If you love anything that falls under the gourmand category of scents then you will fall in love with this scent. I love how this gift set has all of the Yog Nog you’ll need in one box! Priced at £44.
For all you Sleepy lovers, Lush have created a gift set especially for you and I got to see this in person at Lush Arndale so I thought I would tell you all about it. Sleepy Bear Gift Set contains all of your favourite Sleepy products. This gift set contains Sleepy Bear Bath Bomb, Bubble Bear Bubble Bar, Sleepy Bath Bomb (an exclusive product to this gift set), Sleepy Bear Shower Gel (120g) and a Sleepy Body Spray (100ml). Not only does this gift set contain all of the products that will help you get to sleep easily but they all come wrapped up in an adorable Bear Drawstring Bag! Priced at £54.
Do you love all things Snow Fairy? If your answer to that was yes then you will love the new Glow Fairy Gift Set at Lush. This gift set contains Glow Fairy Shower Gel (110g), Snow Fairy Shower Jelly (90g), Snow Fairy Soap, Snow Fairy Body Lotion (50g) and Fairy Dust Dusting Powder (70g). If you are wondering what Glow Fairy is then don’t worry I will explain! Glow Fairy is a brand new version of Snow Fairy. I guess in a way it’s the version of Snow Fairy where the Fairy has had a bit of a glow up. Glow Fairy still contains Synthetic Musk and Persian Lime Oil which makes up the scent of the iconic Snow Fairy but this version also has Oat Milk, Fresh Cherry Juice and Luminescent Zinc Sulfide. Not only does these ingredients provide a bit of moisture to the skin but the Zinc means that this Shower Gel will glow in the dark so now Snow Fairy will always sparkle even when the lights are off! Priced at £40.
Not only did I get to check out these new gift sets but I also got to check out some of the other iconic gift sets such as the Lush Advent Calendars whilst at Lush Manchester Arndale. Did you know that there is a refill Advent Calendars available this year (online only) which helps you to cut down on packaging and helps you recycle/repurpose the packaging. I am very tempted to grab a Lush Advent Calendar this year. I won’t spoil it all but I heard that one of them contains a spicy Perfume that’s exclusive to the Advent Calendar that I’m dying to sniff!
Whilst I was going around the store, at every station I was gifted an item or two to take home with me. The Wrapping Station is focused on using one of Lush’s fabulous Knot Wraps to wrap the items gifted to me in an amazing package.
The items that were gifted to me are the Sticky Dates Body Scrub from the wonderful Luka at the Co-Create Station, Chelsea Morning Perfume from the wonderful Ben at the Perfume Station, the Snow Fairy Bath Bomb that I made with Mark and a tub of BB Seaweed Fresh Face Mask and a tub of Shoot For The Stars Body Scrub from the amazing Ben at the Skincare Station.
The lovely James guided us through how to wrap up our products with a lovely knot wrap. The Knot Wrap that James chose was the Manchester exclusive Knot Wrap which looks absolutely amazing. There are multiple different textural formats when it comes to Lush’s Knot Wraps but the Manchester exclusive one falls into the sort of silk style texture and it feels amazing! We had a little chat then decided to have a in-depth look at the Retro wall at Lush Manchester Arndale and the new Christmas Range and pick up some goodies. (The haul will be in a different blog post).
Throughout the event and whilst looking at the Christmas Range, both myself and Luke got to chat with the wonderful Rachel from the Community Team who not only looked after us but also gave us some information about some of the products in the new Christmas Range and helped us grab some of the new products! Did you know that this year Lush have released five different versions of the iconic Snow Fairy Shower Gel to suit everyone’s needs including those who love glitter and those who have dry and sensitive skin! How great is that?!
Again thank you so much Rachel for being amazing and helping us throughout the event! Thank you also to the wonderful Lush Manchester Arndale staff and those mentioned in the blog post for putting on such an amazing event and for gifting me with the items mentioned. Thank you to both the Community Team and the staff at Lush Manchester Arndale for inviting me to this event! I’ll definitely be back in Lush Manchester Arndale very soon!
Thanks for reading!
Jamie x
This blog post is in return for being invited to the Holiday Preview Event at Lush Manchester Arndale by Lush and the Lish Community Team. Some products mentioned in this post were gifted to me at the event. All views, opinions and ramblings are my own.
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