I am a Lushie.

I have been a Lushie for about a year and a half now. I am open about my addiction. I am aware of it, and am not entirely sure it's a bad thing.

A friend from work who lived too far away from Lush to ever go would ask me to get things for her during my errands. I eventually tried something, and fell fast and hard for the scentual aromas of Lush.

Favorites include bath bombs Sex Bomb (jasmine-y goodness!) and Butterball (smells so good, makes you soooo soft!). Also can't resist the soaps... Honey, I Washed the Kids is a classic, and smells good on everyone (men, too)! I Should Coco has a nice exfoliating factor, with the coconut, and the Extra Virgin Olive Oil is great.

I used Fresh Farmacy, the soap bar for sensitive, acne-prone skin, and didn't find it helped me. At first, I loved it, but in the test of time, I found the results weren't any different. I still use my Tea Tree Water Toner, and my Gorgeous moisturizer, occasionally, but probably won't buy more when I run out. I'm using Philosophy's Purity made Simple as a cleanser, and am waiting for my new RareMinerals Blemish Therapy to come in the mail. If that doesn't work, I'm gonna see what all the fuss is about with ProActiv.

The Lush massage bars are nice, too. Solid form, but smoothes right out with a little warming from the hands. Nice coverage, nice smell, and a great moisturizer, too. Favorites include Amazonian (nice, earthy smell), and Soft Coeur. My man loves them, too. I find them more manageable when you cut pieces off and store the rest in an airtight container. Amazonian is a massive bar, and you're gonna spend more time chasing it on the floor than massaging if you attempt to deal with the whole thing, I've found.

I love my The Soft Touch body bar. Makes you smell great for the whole day. Although they say you can use it in the shower, and rinse if off, I use it as a lotion bar, after my shower. I've had people compliment me around lunchtime, and it makes your skin so soft! Buffy the Backside Slayer, which is recommended for use in the shower, is a hazard. It makes your tub soooo slippery! I ended up not finishing the bar, and won't buy it again.

Also tried some of the hair products. Jasmine and Henna Frizz-ease makes your hair smell great, but I haven't (as of yet) noticed a real change in my hair after using it. Curly Wurly (coconut shampoo) smells pretty good, and isn't as awful to rinse out as some claim. I don't find that it helps make my curly hair more manageable or hydrated, though. Same goes with American Cream, the conditioner. Smells great, but doesn't help me brush through my hair. Retread, a conditioning treatment, is alright, but I prefer Aveda's hair care products overall. There was an incident a few weeks ago when I was going out, and on a flight of fancy, decided to use Sonic Death Monkey, a shower gel that claims to double-task as a hair 'gel'. Wow, was that a mistake. It left my hair looking greasy as hell up at the roots, and didn't help the frizzies by the ends. My hair isn't even all that frizzy and dried out, either. So that was a definite 'never again'. But, speaking of shower gels, Flying Fox does make you feel like a sex goddess after a shower. The jasmine-y smell, which I wasn't really into until Lush, is irresistible.

The solid perfumes are pretty good. I like the Flying Fox one, although use it sparingly! Honey I Washed the Kids is also good, but again.... less is more. Lip balms... couldn't live without my Whip Stick (tastes like mandarin and chocolate.... mmmm), but recently bought a lip brush to use with the tub, 'cause I hate jammin' my finger in there.

I stock up on Lush products every Boxing Day. They usually have great deals. I was fortunate, two years ago, to come across a 'Spend $35, get anything made before Dec. 1 free'. I got one of the huge gift boxes worth over $200 (with a lot of stuff I'd never tried), and another big one with somewhat less stuff. I've now tried just about everything, and have at least now discovered which products I'm willing to pay full price for. Bath Bombs, soap and massage bars are must-haves; the rest I usually get elsewhere. The Lush website has an active customer feedback area under the listing for each product... not everyone's experience is the same with the products, so it's up to you to decide what works for you....

However, HUGE props to Lush for being so environmentally responsible and globally conscious. I love that the packaging is minimal, and the ingredients as natural as possible. Organic, in many cases, as well. I'm willing to pay extra to ensure that ingredients grown in underdeveloped countries are purchased under fair conditions... how are people going to feed themselves and their family, and fulfill their dreams if we don't pay what their labour is worth?

Peace out.