Lush has to be one of the most aptly-named cosmetics companies on the block! They LOOK lush, they SMELL lush and they just ARE lush, full stop.
Their image and ethos is also super-distinctive and uber-unique. I’ve talked about them before briefly in my Lush Cupcake Mask review but just to recap – their products are all handmade, their packaging is all recyclable and they have a firm animal-friendly eco-friendly stance, using mostly natural vegan ingredients in their gorgeous goodies.
Given their shops are usually piled high with their colourful bath-time products and they always look and smell good enough to eat (although, as also previously mentioned, do not actually try eating them like my friend did!), the theme for their Lush Christmas Factory – where they introduced their entire line of upcoming festive products – was Willy Wonka-inspired… right down to the Golden Ticket invite that dropped into my inbox!
It was a totally awesome event, entirely befitting of Lush’s fun, quirky and creative identity! I went with my friend Mirander (on hand for translation duties) and had an absolute ball! Everyone was in fancy dress (there was even a magician!) and all the products looked AMAZING.
There are three key themes for their Christmas range. Candy Cane Delights are generally pink, girlie and super-sweet. I loved the Magic Wand Bubble Bar ($89) – an enchanted sweet-scented star that you waft around your tub (for up to three uses) to create a truly magical bubble bath!
You can also see the super-cute citrusy Satsumo Santa Bath Ballistics ($55), the scrumptious-looking Candy Mountain Bubble Bars ($55), which reminded me of marshmallows and produce tonnes of vanilla foam, and the peppermint Candy Cane soap bars ($55).
Gold Rush is pretty self-explanatory! Lots of festive golden goodness – and something that looked really disturbingly like a delicatessen sausage (not pictured, freaked me out too much).
My favourites here were the Melting Snowmen Bath Melts ($49), which melt into your bath to create softening vanilla, cocoa butter and almond-infused water, and the utterly adorable Gingerbread House Bubble Bars ($55), straight out a fairytale and with a scrumptious ginger snap scent!
Finally, To Infinity And Beyond, space-themed stocking-fillers for all the little (and big!) boys out there. Trying to resist all out-of-this-world puns…
The star product here is the Rocketeer Bath Ballistic ($55), which zips around the bath like a space shuttle set to zoom! I’m also keen to try the Australian Igloo Sugar Scrub ($59), a body buffer made with sugar, coconut oil and eucalyptus – no prizes for guessing that this smells totally delish!
All their gift sets look absolutely incredible and beautifully-packaged (basically everything you see in a box or gift-wrapped in my photos is a set) and they’re great value, total no-brainers for Christmas presents. A few of my favourites are shown above *hint hint*
Lush also encourage wrapping their items in scarves as opposed to wrapping paper for a more eco-friendly – and adorable! – approach. I have to mention the Penguin Knot Wrap (just $19) that makes me coo with its uber-cuteness, and re-using these lovelies would certainly make me feel less cheapskate than saving up used wrapping paper!
There was fro-yo on tap and Lush even managed to theme the flavours around their products – I suppose it’s the nearest we’ll come to getting to taste those scrummy smells!
We also got to make our own bath ballistics. It was interesting to see all the ingredients that went into it (they really are au naturel) and I stuffed mine with loads of lavender and rose-petals. It smelt more gorgeous than it looks, trust me!
Alas, a future as a Lush Bath Ballistic maker probably doesn’t lie in wait as mine disintegrated at the slightest touch! Hence why it is still sorrily entrapped in its mould.
We also got to take home a goodie bag of some products of our choice. Here’s the goodie bag bar in a rare moment of peace and quiet. Lesson of the day: never come between a beauty writer and free product! There was a massive scrum there for near-enough the entire afternoon (not helped by inclement weather ensuring that all the lovely stuff outside had to be bubble-wrapped up to stop thousands of dollars of stock being ruined and a huge bubble bath engulfing the place); Mirander said most of the Canto chatter she heard was discussing how and when to pick up all the freebies!
Most of the stuff on offer was bath stuff and, as we learnt from the last time I won something from Lush, I don’t actually have a bath… so here’s what I managed to bag.
Actually, a few words just for the gift bag! So cute! So colourful! Love it!
In addition to the Magic Wand Bubble Bar I already mentioned (yes, I know I don’t have a bath, but it was TOO pretty to pass up), I picked up a big bottle of Glögg Shower Gel ($249), some Jilted Elf Shower Jelly ($79) and some pretty Celebrate and Snow Fairy Lip Tints ($89).
The Glögg is inspired by a traditional Swedish festive mulled wine drink – it smells of cinnamon and sweet beer, an unusual but not unpleasant combo! Meanwhile, I was told the Jilted Elf jelly (and it really is jelly, it looks like that silly putty stuff you played with as a kid!) contains vodka – needless to say, I can’t wait to try it! Apparently, you can even freeze it for future use, which is pretty cool. If you click for the enlarge, you can see it even has some gold glitter sprinkled in it, plus it has an awesome name (no enlargement required).
The Lip Tints were flying off the shelves quicker than they could keep them in stock, so I’m betting these will be extremely popular stocking fillers for girls of all ages come Christmas. They smell super sugary-sweet and look as if they’ll be pretty pigmented too. Even just after touching their products for just a few minutes, my hands smelt divine so I can’t wait to try them properly. As ever, in what is fast becoming a catchphrase for my blog, expect some full reviews soon.
It was a totally fab event and hopefully I’ve shared a bit of the adventure (you can click on any of my photos for enlarged versions, which pick up some more of the finer details and vibrancy of the colours). Big thanks to Lush for inviting me and I CANNOT wait to go on a major Xmas shopping spree soon!
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