Long time no chat, Lushies! I missed you! I thought I’d share some of the products that are itching at my wallet - I’m really anxious for them to launch in-store in the US so that I can get my paws on some! I might get over excited and make a UK order… but am really trying to hold out!! :)

The holiday line up this year is pretty fantastic - hats off, once again, to the Mafia/product creators/everyone involved at Lush. So good!

Without further ado, I NEED:

• Ponche shower gel. GET IN TO MY LIFE YOU CITRUSY, BOOZY LITTLE THANG. Now! A Lushie online friend said that it’s on Slammer Love Level - which means I’ll go crazy over it, I’m sure! GET IN MY SHOWER, RIGHT NOW.
• Christmas Eve bubble bar. A returning favorite, I’ve been missing this little guy! I like they way they look this year too - the moon is cool! I like it better than when it was inside the blue last year.
• Let the Good Times Roll cleanser. This looks so interesting to me! I’ll admit, in the past few months I’ve cheated on Lush with some other products for my skin that I’ve been liking pretty well. I still use some Lush, but I’ve stopped using Lush cleansers -  mostly because I haven’t found one to work well with my Clairsonic. This scrubby little bugger has sparked my interest though… I’ll definitely be trying this one!
• Melting Snowman bath melt. Okay, I realize that not many of you got to try this last year with the original intended EC, but it was SO good! They reformulated the EC to be the Snowcake fragrance so that they could get them out on the shelves, and it was still really good… who doesn’t love marzipain? This year, it’s more spicy and warming with cinnamon and clove - two of my favorites for spicier products! I’m still excited for the little man, even though the description says he’ll melt faster in the bath - what the heck?! That was the best part (long lasting) last year!!
• Snow Globe soap. I STILL HAVE A SMALL PIECE OF THIS HOARDED FROM LAST YEAR. Time to use it up, and let a fresh piece take over again. Yummy citrus-ness. SUCH an all time favorite.
• Crackersnap bath bomb. Lemongrass, bergamot, and rosewood. I think the Lush gods created these new products for me. I can’t wait to sniff this!
• TWILIGHT SHOWER GEL. I just have no words. Well, I do. I go this LE a few years ago… I went through THREE bottles. No words.

Other intriguing products? Sandy Santa scrub, Popcorn lip scrub, Santa’s Sack of bath products, Party Popper bath bomb, and Father Christmas bath bomb. Also, another return for Cinders and a bigger So White bath bomb! Hurrah for Christmas/Holidays!!

*ALSO* Yay for The Boog bath bomb being Retro online!!! Totally making an order at some point for those!!! <3 <3

So, for her 18th birthday I got her The Art of Bathing wrapped gift! She deserves it, and it’s got a few of her favorites plus some ones she hasn’t tried yet.

By my count, she’ll be able to get at least eighteen baths out of these products, which is pretty great for $79.99!

Have you bought any of the wrapped gifts for your family/friends? Which ones are your favorites?

Quite a few people said they’d be interested in a “guide” to the LE products that will be offered at the NA Chat Party on April 12th. Here ya go! For reference, a 250g bath bomb is 6.3 oz, which is the larger size bath bomb… the size of Avobath, Twilight, Big Blue, etc.

Hot Java bath bomb, 250g - $5.95

Scent: ginger, cinnamon, ylang ylang, juniperberry

Spicy and comforting, this year-round bath bomb was discontinued in 2007. Sounds yummy! I read on the Lush Wiki* that this cocktails well with Psychodelic bubble bar, and I’m dying to try that combination! 

Absolute Delight bath bomb, 250g - $6.95

Scent: rose, bergamot, geranium, jasmine, sandalwood

This floral rose scented bath bomb is supposed to be very similar to the scent of Turkish Delight shower smoothie! Yum! Rose lovers delight! (aka, me) :)

Rainbow Delight bath bomb, 250g - $6.25

Scent: bergamot, vetivert, sandalwood

I found the above picture in the Lush Wiki — the outside is plain white, with the color on the inside. I read that there was a pink color inside some of them, and it’s not known whether the Chat Party ones will be yellow or pink! There’s also a slip of paper with a fortune on it that floats to the top of the bath (like the “BOOM” in Blackberry), which seems cool! I think the scent would be really calming.

Silver Cloud bath bomb, 250g - $5.95

Scent: lime, frankincense, sweet orange, gardenia

This was offered at the fall Retro Chat Party, and I’m sniffing it as I write! It smells more floral to me than citrus because of the gardenia extract, but not crazy floral-y… it’s a bit more fresh than a typical flower scent. This has pretty silver glitter in it too!

Psychodelic bubble bar, (unk**) - $5.95

Scent: cinnamon, sandalwood, cardamom, orange

It’s important to understand that the people who run the Lush Wiki have tried A LOT of products. According to the reviewer, “this is my No 1 Lush product of all time… ever.” Craziness! I’ll definitely be grabbing one of these. It’s described as stimulating, soothing, and invigorating all in one scent — how could you not?!

Christmas Kisses bubble bar, 100g - $5.95

Scent: clove, cinnamon, patchouli, lime, sweet orange

This was a LE Holiday product in 2005 and 2006. It has the same scent as another old LE Holiday product, Hot Toddy bubble bar. This sounds a bit more complex than a typical spicy cinnamon scent, and it’s described that way on Lush Wiki as well. I read somewhere that it’s a “spicy coca-cola.” Sounds fun!

Ruby Red Slippers bubble bar, 100g - $5.95

Scent: rose, carnation, tangerine

Same scent as Potion Lotion body lotion (Retro)! This is supposedly similar to Sunnyside bubble bar in format, just a deep ruby red color instead of gold. :) Glitter to the max!

Narcotik shower gel*, 250ml/8.8oz - $14.95

Scent: rosemary, tea tree, lemon, sage

This has a very herbal scent (obviously), but rose and lavender help tone, calm, and balance skin. I purchased a small bottle from the UK a while back when they had it as Retro, and then ended up getting a larger 500g bottle too because I loved it so much! The scent isn’t my favorite, but it does AMAZING things for body blemishes/acne. I started to break out more on my back after I started working out more (sports bras… ugh), and Narcotik came to the rescue! I use this EVERY shower on problem areas, but top it off with a prettier scent when I wash my whole body. I’ll be stocking up on more!

*Spelling for this shower gel is not consistent… I’ve seen “Narcotik,” “Narcotick,” and “Narcotic.” Hmm.

Blue Skies shower gel, 250ml/8.8oz - $14.95

Scent: patchouli, frankincense, cinnamon

Lovers of Blue Skies bubble bar, rejoyce! This has the same scent! I’ve seen batches of this that are a light blue with a beautiful silver luster, but also in a royal blue color.

*Also known as Ol’ Blue Skies is Back shower gel

Something Wicked (This Way Comes) bath melt, 30g - $5.95 

Scent: ginger, jasmine

As a bath melt, the cocoa butter in this will do wonders for your skin. I ordered three of these in my first ever mail order from Lush NA when this was still a Retro product. It definitely has a strong jasmine scent! I don’t remember it being as ginger-y as it’s described as being, but that could have just been my batch! It used to be glittery, but wasn’t glittery in later production years.

*Also, for those wondering, I reference the “Lush Wiki” as a research source a lot. This is a great tool for learning about discontinued products! Here’s the link for your reading/obsessing pleasure: Lush Wiki.

**Size not found.

So, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the LE Chat Party products! What are you going to order? What are you not going to order?

Choosing three is SO hard — I’ve never *hated* a bath product from Lush. That said, there are a few that I reach for more than others.

1. The Comforter bubble bar — I actually really disliked this scent when I was a new Lushie sniffing around the store, but one day my nose started a love affair with this one and never let go. My number one favorite bath cocktail is this and Geo Phyzz bath bomb (almost made it into the top 3!). The softening sea salt with a fresh but sweet scent is literally to die for.
2. Twilight bath bomb — I can’t remember the first bath bomb I ever used, but this was one of the first few. The day after it was released I went to the Lush in Boston and got one (along with Fizzbanger and Dragon’s Egg), and it was one of the first product releases that made me realize how exciting new products are. I love the calming and relaxing scent, and the swirls of pink, blue, and purple form a thick blanket over the water that keeps it warm. The LE shower gel in this scent is one of my coveted products in-shower! You can’t go wrong.
3. Rose Jam bubbleroon — Literally, love at first whiff with this one. Rose is my absolute, all-time favorite ingredient in products because it’s so soothing for the skin and I really enjoy the smell. This isn’t your old grandma’s rose scent — the hint of lemon and geranium is so refreshing with the rose. Plus, because this is a bubbleroon, it’s a bit more moisturizing than a typical bubble bar because it’s made with shea butter and coconut oil. A bath with this while slathering yourself with Ro’s Argan body conditioner (same scent) is a little slice of heaven on earth.

If I could add a few more, these would have made the cut:

• Avobath bath bomb — my first scent love will always be citrus. Yum!
• Phoenix Rising bath bomb — new to Lush, but quickly became a favorite.
• Christmas Eve bubble bar — I will always love you. Come back to me next year again, pleeeease.
• Geo Phyzz bath bomb — fresh scented with softening sea salt! So good!

(Days 1 - 5)

1. How did you find/ get introduced to LUSH products? How long ago was that? What was the first product you ever used?

• the first i had ever heard of lush was on halloween ‘10. my friends and i were on the boat to school and she was whining ( <3 ) about how she really had wanted to get a bar of glitter to AMP her costume. and i’m like WHAT?! A .. b-b-bar of … glitter?! i totally forgot about it afterwards. until december ‘10 right after i had gotten my hanukkah money. same friend and i were shopping in SoHo and she was like ‘this is the place with the bar of glitter!!!’ we went in, i got myself a bar of glitter and … well you know what happened after that. all the cute holiday products were out and i fell in love with the gingerbread house bubble bar. it was the first one i ever used and i was hooked from there :)

2. Top 3 favorite bath products? (bath bombs, bubble bars, bath melts)

• twilight bath bomb - kills my headaches and honestly puts me to sleep so fast. the smell is divine and so unique that it’s impossible to resist.
• sunny side bubble bar - glitter … ‘nuff said.
• gingerbread house/magic mushroom bubble bars - they smell SO GOOD. there’s a reason people called me ‘ginger’ at work … and it wasn’t cause of my hair color ;)

3. What one product that you really want to try but haven’t gotten around to yet?

• recently the product i’ve really wanted to try is the enchanted eye cream. i haven’t been getting any sleep. my eyes have gotten so dark and puffy that it’s gotten to that point where it’s actually bothering me. the magic lumi eye corrector from l’oreal is AHMAZING but i feel like i need to do more. so yeah, enchanted eye cream. really want to try … but waiting for the right moment :)

4. Do you use LUSH skincare? What are your favorite products for your skin, and why do you love them so much?

• my skin care consists of mask of magnaminty (when i feel like it), ocean salt (after my dance classes), and ultrabland (every other time). then i tone with breath of fresh air and moisturize with imperialis. i’ve actually been looking to switch out the toner and moisturizer. i’ve noticed that my skin has gotten super sensitive and it’s a tad dry. i’m hoping to get eau roma water and celestial soon :)

 i also use bubble gum lip scrub on my lips and the colour supplement in jackie  oates cause i am just to darn white for my own good.

5. Aren’t the massage bars amazing? Which is your favorite?

• GLITTERBUG WILL ALWAYS AND FOREVER BE MY FAVORITE MASSAGE BAR. I DON’T CARE HOW SCRUBBY IT WAS. IT DIDN’T DESERVE TO GET DISCONTINUED D:

yet, all i have are the millions of gingerbread house bubble bars that i stocked up with over the holidays. so many decisions … can’t choose … haha

what are some of your favorite cocktails? :)