Review: LUSH Valentine’s Day Limited Edition 2017

Guys, guys, are you sitting down? Okay? Ready? I think I’m more excited about this post than I have been about anything other than the comfort of my own bed and not getting up at 5am since my holidays started (which are, alas, are about to finish).

It’s no secret that I am a giant LUSH fangirl. Given my love of overly luxurious baths, beauty products and cosmetics in general, this isn’t really surprising. In saying that, it’s not just the products LUSH makes that I love; as previously discussed, I’m also a big fan of their sustainable business model and the amazing charitable works they take part in. I go through a truly exorbitant amount of cosmetics (seriously, it’s becoming a problem) so for any one brand to stick out for me they have to be truly exceptional. LUSH fits that bill and then some.

Suffice to say, I may or may not have squee’d like a child at Christmas when the postman arrived on my doorstep holding a package with the LUSH logo plastered on the side. I was actually so excited that I didn’t do my usual procrastination trick and instead rushed upstairs to photograph and try the range immediately so you guys could share in my truly ridiculous excitement.

The Range

LUSH’s Valentine’s Day collection launches online on January 23^rd and in store on January 26^th. LUSH does this for most of the various holiday seasons and it’s always worth keeping an eye out as many of these limited edition products are worth hoarding because they’re ridiculously awesome. As someone who is terminally single, Valentine’s Day itself is not something I look forward to (apart from to spy on, and judge, the various flowers people get from their significant others because frankly I’m just weird like that), but the abundance of rose-scented products that come about is something I can get behind.
If rose scented ISN’T your thing, don’t despair. Although there are several rosey features, there’s plenty more for those of you less keen on that particular scent. Aside from old favourites like the Unicorn Horn Bubble Bar and The Kiss lip scrub there’s also a range of new bath bombs, bubble bars, soap and gifts to get excited about. Prices range from as little as $6.95 for some of the bath bombs and soaps right up to $59.95 for the largest gift pack so there’s something to suit everyone. LUSH kindly sent me four of the range to share with you guys.

The Kiss Lip Scrub* – RRP $9.95

LUSH lip scrubs are deadly in the sense that I just want to eat them. The Kiss Lip Scrub is no exception to this problem (or advantage? You decide). This scrub is a blend of fine sea salt, caster sugar and fair trade cocoa butter. Its scent and taste is a little difficult for me to pin down – it kind of reminds me a bit of a mix of fairy floss and bubble gum. Either way, it’s very sweet smelling and troublingly tasty to lick the remnants off your lips once you’ve done the scrubbing. It tastes less sweet than it smells – the sea salt in it kind of tones town the sweetness. It’s odd but I really like it!
I use LUSH lip scrubs a fair bit because of my penchant for hoarding matte lipsticks which are drying on the lips and LUSH scrubs go a long way to helping keep lips soft and smooth. The Kiss Lip Scrub was no exception – it exfoliated my lips gently and left them feeling smoother. Despite my frequent use, I find the scrubs from LUSH last a long time. You don’t need much to be effective so long as you resist the temptation to overuse it to enjoy the taste! On a side note, I love the cute addition of the mini hearts in The Kiss Lip Scrub:

The Kiss Lip Gloss*

I’ve tried lip balms and lip tints from LUSH before, but never actually a lip gloss. The Kiss Lip Gloss has a similar, but slightly toned down, scent to the scrub. Very sweet and sugary. The gloss contains Kalahari melon, organic jojoba oils, illipe oil and agave syrup – all of which basically means it’s very hydrating as well as pretty. The colour is a very soft shimmery pink, as you can see here:

The pic was taken in sunlight so you can see the pretty shimmer the gloss has. Going on the lips it feels a bit more like a balm than a gloss but you can feel the slight coarseness from the shimmer. It’s not uncomfortable at all though – in fact, as glosses go it was probably one of the most comfortable I’ve ever worn. There’s absolutely no stickiness to it whatsoever which is nice. Because it’s not a super wet formula like many glosses I also found it lasted a bit longer. Worth noting that the sheen might make your lips slightly paler, so if you’re of the skin tone where pale colours wash you out you might want to layer it over another colour! I’m borderline on this front and found it was fine for me but if I were any lighter it might have been a problem.

Ladybird Bubble Bar*

This bar is too cute – I didn’t want to use him and break him up! The ladybird bubble bar has a refreshing fragrance though it’s not quite what you’d expect. Its main ingredients are geranium oil and peppermint oil but it’s not as floral this would lead you to believe. It has a bit of a sharper, sweeter scent than you might imagine and not really like anything else in the LUSH range that I can think of. It’s really refreshing and invigorating, perfect for the warmer weather this time of year! The bar turns the water itself a nice reddish pink colour. My bath is much larger than most so I only got two baths out of this with fairly low-level bubbles, but for most standard baths I think you could stretch it to three unless you like drowning in a cocoon of bubbles (which I avoid because I prefer to have my arms free to hold a book!)

Love You, Love You Lots Soap (New)*

This soap is a new addition to the Valentine’s range. It contains rose petal infusion, rose oil, rose syrup and even fresh rose petals. Suffice to say, the rose lover in me was thrilled. The soap smells lovely and feels nice, however I’m still not a soap user in general. I can’t really explain it but I don’t like the feeling soap leaves on my skin so I prefer shower gels and body washes. I might use this as hand soap though as it smells so nice!

Final Thoughts

As per usual, this range from LUSH doesn’t disappoint. I’ll definitely be dropping by a store to pick up some extras as well as check out some of the new bombs (and pick up some of the Prince Charming shower cream because frankly that’s as close as I’m getting to the real thing). I’d definitely recommend checking them out when they launch in stores on January 26^th!
As for me, well at least I know that my Valentine’s Day this year will involve an absurdly luxurious bath, if not flowers from a secret admirer (but… you know… there’s still time!).