#Gains Protein Spray

Out of every product that Lush have ever produced, this one spoke to me more than any other. When two worlds collide: #Gains not only appeals to me from the perspective of a consumer looking to improve the quality of my hair, but also in the sense that I'm an avid weight lifter and constantly focussed on getting in some 'gains' myself.

When the bottle arrived, I couldn't contain my excitement and began to use it right away. All I will say is that is didn't take me very long to recognise - and see with my very own eyes - the benefits that this purple beauty has to offer, and my hair has been grateful ever since. 

First made available in the Liverpool store a couple of months ago, this spray then made a reappearance last month as part of the Lush Labs release, and there's a reason that it sold out so quickly. With an impressive and equally intriguing list of ingredients that have gone into making the product, there's no wonder it's proving to be so popular. So where should I start...

To begin with, the scent of this is incredibly yummy and definitely what you'd describe as a 'foody' scent. While ultimately I don't think that a product's smell is all that important, unless it's a bath product, #Gains offers a rounded fruity aroma that smells a like bubble gum to my nose, albeit a little more sultry and rich.

For those who haven't been able to visit Asia and experience fresh jackfruit for themselves, you wouldn't really be able to compare it to the scent of this protein spray. However, the fragrance definitely has a sweet and rather interesting syrup-like fruity twist that reminds me of the taste of the fruit itself. The smell of this is unlike anything else that Lush have released before, so I cannot even compare it to anything to give you an idea of what to expect. 

To use, you need to spray on towelled dry hair and then comb through to allow for equal coverage. I have rather thin hair, although it sits roughly halfway over my boobs, and I found that 4-5 sprays was enough to coat my entire hair and experience some wonderful results. To be fair, I think it's worth trialing it out for yourself to see how much you need, but my above example should act as a rough guideline. To much of this and I found that my hair became flat and rather lifeless, so it's important you find the right balance for your own locks.

Once your hair has dried, you will immediately begin to notice the results. Firstly, I could both feel and see that my hair appeared thicker, especially towards the end where I had put on a little more of the spray after combing through my initial squirts. I was able to wear my hair down without it looking thin, and when I ran my hand through my hair, I could feel that the spray had added a little volume.

What impressed me the most however was how quickly the condition of my hair turned itself around. Within a week of using this, I found that there were less strands falling out of my hair whenever I brushed my locks. I could also see that my hair just looked healthier and shinier, and my split ends didn't feel as dry and brittle as they had done beforehand.

While immediately impressions might be that the 100g bottles that they come in might not very long, I have been using mine daily for the last three weeks, and have only just gone below the the label line towards the top of the bottle. If you're somebody whose hair isn't particularly dire, a few times a week is more than enough to add some goodness your locks, and your 100g bottle would diminish even slower than mine.

Ultimately, my only qualm with #Gains is that the aroma tends to fade after about 45 minutes, which is a shame as I love it when a product can double up as a hair perfume as well. However, I am really happy with how this product has improved my hair in such a short space of time, and I cannot imagine this leaving my daily routine now. A great little number from Lush.  

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), DRF Alcohol, Alfalfa Juice, Jackfruit Puree, Fresh Wheatgrass Juice, Glyceryl Stearate & PEG-100 Stearate, Perfume, Ethyl Macadamiate, Propylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, *Limonene, Fresh Lemon Juice, Behentrimonium chloride, Clove Bud Oil, Geranium Oil, Brazilian Orange Oil, Sicilian Lemon Oil, Vanilla Absolute, Cetrimonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Arginine, HCL, Leucine, Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten, *Anise Alcohol, *Citral, *Citronellol, *Eugenol, *Geraniol, *Linalool, Colour 60725.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £15 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

Cereology Soap

As someone who places soap far down my list of favourite things from Lush, it's amazing just how many pieces I currently own in my collection. It's also impressive how excitable I get when an old release makes an appearance for the first time, despite knowing that it'll probably only get a handful of uses before being discarded as my focus moves onto something else.

Cereology Soap arrived as a surprise announcement one morning, when I was browsing the website for a bit of pre-work retail therapy. Without reading the description or doing any research on the product prior to my purchase, I secured two pieces with little hesitation and didn't think anything more about it until the soap arrived through my front door.

While I paid little attention to the ingredients list, a quick scan of the soap when it was on the website painted a picture in my head of what this soap was going to smell like. Imagine my surprise when it arrived and I found that it was nothing like I had envisaged it would be. This might have dampened my excitement just a little, if it wasn't for the fact that the soap smelt far better than I had bargained for. 

'Nothing is as it seems' is a phrase that Lush use to describe Cereology Soap, and I couldn't agree more. While the ingredients list suggests something very dry-smelling and green, the reality is very far removed from this. Much like the study of crop circles that this soap is named after, the reference to the unworldly phenomenon stretches far beyond the physical design of this soap.

Featuring a whole array of different ingredients, it is the wheatgrass, wheatgerm and vanilla absolute that make initial contact with your nose. From the start, the former ingredients create a dry, musty and slightly nutty aroma - one that reminds me of the hazy scent you get when dry, weathered haystacks are dishevelled a little from a passing breeze.

Alongside this, the vanilla adds a sugary, almost syrup-like layer that rounds these elements together. The neroli adds a very subtle note of sweet, green honey that gives the vanilla a little more depth, and the lavender emerges itself into the background, rounding the soap off with gentle herbal notes that you might almost miss if you're not looking for them.

There is something about the fragrance of this soap that I find so rich and beautiful, and I love how warming it smells on the skin, while still remaining gentle and non evasive. This is not in any way a sickly scent - this is for those who want something natural with a little added sweetness thrown in for good measure. I have read that people refer to the fragrance of this soap as being like green beans combined with sugar. However, Cereology has far more to offer than that description, and I feel I would be doing it a disservice if I left it at that. 

Alongside the smell, this soap is incredible for your skin, and you can see and feel the results after just one use. Wheat germ is known for being really rich in Vitamin E, which helps to repair and heal damaged skin and scarring; soften out creases and reduce the appearance of stretch marks; support the skin and allow it to look and feel far more youthful and radiant.

I found that this was the perfect soap for me to use in the evening, as my skin felt instantly rejuvenated and I felt as if the product rehydrated my weathered skin following a long day at work. While I haven't tested out my theory yet, I would hazard a guess that Cereology would make a great spring/summer soap as it is so light on the skin and would really compliment the warmer weather.   

Under the water, this soap was incredibly easy to lather up - producing a thick, fluffy foam to massage across the skin. It was most easiest to stimulate between my hands and then transfer this onto my body to wash myself with. While I didn't give it much of an opportunity to do so, I feel as if this soap would shrink quite quickly if kept under the water for a long period of time. For this reason, I made sure that I patted the soap down after each use, and found that a 100g bar could easily last 3-4 months with daly usage. 

Ultimately, this is a soap that I had very little expectations for - yet one that won me over fairly quickly and established itself as a permanent feature of my bathroom. The soap was easy to use, generous with its scent and its lather, and stayed on my skin long enough for a work colleague to make a comment about my 'perfume' some two hours later. While perhaps the best format for Cereology, I would definitely be interested in trying it out in other formats, and I would buy this again if it made another appearance in the Lush Kitchen.   

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil, Glycerine, Wheatgerm, Sodium Stearate, Perfume, Fresh Wheatgrass, Organic Wheatgerm Oil, Lavender Oil, Tonka Absolute, Vanilla Absolute, Neroli Oil, Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, *Limonene, *Coumarin, Chlorophyllin.

2017 Price: £4.95 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2005.

Eye's Right Mascara

As silly as it sounds, I never even considered Lush to be a company I could buy my make-up from, despite using them for every other cosmetic need on the planet. A part of me always thought of them as being rather expensive; I would sometimes browse their Emotional Brilliance range but not even consider investing in anything to try out. That was until I went to buy my usual eyeliner at my local SuperDrug store, and realised that the price was actually not that far off Lush's fresh, more natural variation. So for Christmas last year, I asked my mum to buy me their Eye's Right Mascara. 

Packed full of wheatgrass, Eye's Right claims to help condition and nourish your lashes, using natural ingredients with plenty of vitamins and minerals, to strengthen and lengthen them. This mascara also boasts key elements to ensure that this product does not irritate or worsen sensitive eyes.  

When my mascara first arrived, I was a little bit taken back by the size of the container. Housed in an apothecary-style bottle, my first impression was that you don't really get a lot for your money. However, after investigating further, I realised that there was the same amount in this bottle, as there is in any other average-sized mascara tubes available commercially. 

One key difference between Eye's Right and any other mascara, is that Lush offer a much more practical packaging solution for their customers. The short brush means that the mascara doesn't get 'lost' or wasted in the bottle and it's a lot easier to monitor how much you have left, without running out beforehand. Additionally, it also means that you have much more control when applying it; this helps you to style your lashes much more effectively. 

Another difference is that Eye's Right contains both Japan and Caranuaba wax, two ingredients that prevent smudging and flaking once the mascara has been applied. With previous mascaras, I always expected to have to wipe away liquid that had rubbed off, onto my face, because I had blinked at some point during application. With this one, I found that this didn't happen at all. 

The main ingredient in Eye's Right is fresh wheatgrass, a natural, gentle plant extraction that helps to make this mascara really sensitive on your eyes. Boasting the inclusion of only one preservative (most mascaras can have up to six), this mascara is suitable for anyone looking for a simple, caring alternative to commercial products. 

What I found is that this product didn't feel heavy on my lashes. Neither did it dry, harden or clump; something I have found every other mascara to do. In fact, a few months prior to receiving this product, I was finding many of my lashes were falling out, most probably due to the heavy and unnatural elements in the products I was using. Ever since I switched to Eye's Right, not a single lash has fallen out.  

I cannot believe that I have taken so long to invest in Eye's Right. It's easily the best mascara I have ever used, and I love the fact that I know it's completely cruelty free. It gives me great coverage throughout the entire day and is easy to remove in the evenings, before bed. It sits wonderfully inside my handbag and works a treat if I ever need to top up throughout the day. I'm hooked!

Quantitative Ingredients: Fresh Wheatgrass Infusion, Water, Japan Wax, Stearic Acid, Talc, Triethanolamine, Carnauba Wax, PVP, CI77499, Methylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes

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Grass Shower Gel

I have a seriously sweet tooth when it comes to both what I consume as well as the sorts of cosmetics I usually reach for when I want to try something new. However, I am also a huge advocate for fresh, non-synthetic products and scents, which is why I chose to grab myself a bottle of Grass during a recent Lush splurge.

Grass Shower Gel doesn't beat about the bush: it does and smells exactly as you would expect. If you like the scent of freshly-mown lawns; that fragrant summer smell that reminds you of gentle rain on a warm day, then this is the product for you.

Packed full of wheatgrass, a plant that is known to be filled with enzymes, vitamins and minerals to condition and maintain healthy skin, this shower gel will leave you feeling and smelling amazing. It really is incredibly soft and gentle on your body and leaves it feeling clean and crisp: neither drying nor making your skin oily.

Grass possesses an uplifting smell that really makes you feel revitalised and reenergised: it makes your skin feel smooth whilst leaving a slight lingering scent that stays with you throughout the day. Whether it be the winter or the summer, this shower gel will provide a comforting and uplifting experience - one that is completely different to the citrus bursts I normally opt for, but one that is just as refreshing and crisp.

Grass is great all year round, despite it's scent being reminiscent of those warmer, more favourable months. In the winter, it works as a form of escapism from those unsavoury chills and frosty weather conditions; in the summer, it works with the heat to cool and cleanse your body and removes that clammy feeling you sometimes feel after a hot day. 

This shower gel, as with most other Lush gels, can be used as a shampoo as well as or instead of a gel. However, I have yet to use any of their shower gels in this way so I am unable to comment on it's performance in this area. However, I can imagine it working really well - proving a light, fluffy lather to wash your hair with and leaving a gentle 'green' smell that will follow you around all day. 

Some may find this shower gel expensive compared to other Lush alternatives. However, with it's unique and invigorating smell, it's definitely worth the £16.95 price tag for a 500g bottle, or a reduced £4.95 tag for a smaller, trial-sized bottle if you're just looking to dip your toes. 

I love to use it in the mornings as it's really lightly scented so it's not too overpowering, yet it perks me up and helps to make those 5am mornings slightly more tolerable. It's consistency is neither thin nor overly thick, which means that it lasts a lot longer than other Lush shower gels. I'll definitely be buying this one again, and I would recommend every Lush fan tries this at least once, to experience it's unique and magical properties.

Quantitative Ingredients: Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Fresh Wheatgrass Juice,Lauryl Betaine, Chlorophyllin Water, Perfume,Propylene Glycol, Sandalwood Oil, Bergamot Oil,Neroli Oil, Fine Sea Salt, Benzyl Alcohol,*Coumarin, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool, Methyl Ionone, Methylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes

2014 Price: £4.95 for 100g, £9.95 for 250g, £16.95 for 500g. 

2016 Price: £11.00 for 250g. 

2017 Price: £11.25 for 250g. 

Scent Family:
Against Animal Testing Soap
Autumn Leaf Bath Ballistic
Grass Body Lotion

Grass Bubble Bar

Grass Shower Gel

Grass Solid Perfume

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