Pow Wow Lip Scrub

Lush have released many lip scrubs over the years, and it is only in the last year or so that I've managed to get my mitts on a handful of vegan ones. Pow Wow is one such lip scrub that I found wandering the empty listings on eBay, felt pity on it, and decided to give it a home amongst my vast Lush collection.

What first attracted me to this particular scrub was the inclusion of lime in the ingredients. I recognise that Lush create these products to remove dried skin and soften lips. However, my initial thoughts are always whether or not a particular scrub is in any way edible. After discovering edible Snow Fairy (Bubblegum Lip Scrub), I've since been on the look-out for other Lush products that I can digest. Strange I know, but I'm sure some of you cannot deny having licked a soap or two, just to see....

This scrub was first released as a festive product back in 2011, and is aimed at getting those lips smooth and noticeably softer for those 'mistletoe moments'. Featuring jojoba oil, rose hip oil and argan oil to moisturise and hydrate those lips, this scrub is a feast for those weathered-looking pouts. And as if this wasn't enough, Lush have also added in a combination of caffeine powder and ginseng root powder to stimulate the nerves in your lips and keep them feeling and looking fresh all night.

To give it that extra 'pop', the creator also included popping candy in the ingredients, which is supposed to snap, crackle and pop as soon as you begin to use this on your lips. Unfortunately, I didn't experience any these theatrics, although this could be to do with the fact that my pot of Pow Wow is not as fresh as it could be. 

What I did love about this scrub was it's scent and taste. The lime oil is definitely the dominating fragrance here, and mixed with the sugar, gives it a sweet and fruity smell that is both fresh and sexy; it's smell reminded me a lot of those old-fashioned chocolate lime sweets that I used to get as a child. Pow Wow's taste, although not really something that relevant to a cosmetic product, tastes lovely and reminds me of sherbet.

However, despite it's pleasant aroma, it didn't really work that well as a scrub. Firstly, what I noticed about this product, was that the pieces of sugar seemed a lot bigger than other Lush lip scrubs. This made it extremely difficult to apply to my lips, as the pieces tended to fall off and litter my floor. Secondly, the smaller, more manageable pieces, were rock solid, meaning that it was difficult to spread Pow Wow without making a mess and missing almost your entire mouth.

I understand that my tub may not be as fresh as it can be. However, having read other reviews, my concerns seem like problems that have happened to a lot of people, most of whom had these same issues with freshly made batches. 

Therefore, it's not a scrub I would buy again. On the positive side, if you do battle with the large chunks of sugar, you will find that it does leave your lips feeling soft, no doubt due to the many oils found in this product. However, it could do more to remove dried skin and seems like a lot of effort, for what is undoubtably, an unimpressive outcome.

Quantitative Ingredients: Popping Candy, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Rose Hip, Argan Oil, Lime Oil, Spinach Powder, Goji Berry Powder, Ginseng Root Powder, Caffeine Powder, *Citral, *Geraniol, *Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

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Rose And Lemon Fresh Face Mask

It's not often that I get overly excited about a product coming out that matches the description of this face mask. While I am always keen to try out brand new items and equally keen to sample rarities from the Lush vault, it's normally the fruity cosmetics that have me the most invested in spending my money. Yet there was something about the rarity of this release that had me eager to purchase a couple of tubs and smother them all over my face. 

Rose And Lemon Fresh Face Mask is as rare as they come - a product that although is used daily in various stores, is only offered as part of Lush's new The Planets Spa Experience. This means that the release of the mask in the Lush Kitchen last week might very well have been the only opportunity regular fans of the company will get to try it out without forking out on the full treatment.

While its name may inspire fans of Rose Jam and Amandopondo to hyperventilate a little, I was initially slightly annoyed to find that this product does not share its fragrance with either of the two popular scent families. In fact, the smell of this face mask was far from the sugary-sweet floral aroma that I was expecting - a welcome surprise once the initial disappointment had dispelled. 

Containing a blend of rose hip oil, cinnamon leaf oil and creamy soya yoghurt, this beautiful fresh mask is packed with essential ingredients to nourish the skin, radiate your complexion and leave you feeling like a new person. The addition of lemon oil helps to bring a little colour to your cheeks as well as remove any stubborn dirt from the pores, while the cinnamon adds a subtle note of fragrance to the mix and helps to absorb excess grease that may be causing your skin to feel heavy and constricted. 

How this differs from the recent Rosy Cheeks Face Mask is that this one smells far more natural and fresh. This is not a powdered, dry-smelling rose scent - it's more of a light, grassy offering instead. To me, this face mask smells like a freshly picked rose that has been blended down into a syrup and then mixed with a few bonus ingredients to expand the scent. 

There is a little lemon present in the overall aroma here, but it gives only a light and rather gentle background note that compliments the floral element without stealing the limelight. Alongside this is a slightly syrupy layer that reminds me somewhat of date syrup and dried figs. 

Rose And Lemon is quite an easy face mask to apply - spreading evenly over the face to form a thin, shiny layer that sets very quickly. Once it was on my skin, it felt a little like when glue sets on your fingers and you have to peel off the thin layer coating your hand. Once the mask has been applied, you're supposed to leave it on your face for a good 15 - 20 minutes before rinsing it off with warm water. What you're left with is a clean, clear and rather radiant looking complexion that is smooth to touch and ready to face the day ahead. I loved how refreshed and uplifted it made my face feel after use and I would definitely use this again. 

While Lush doesn't advertise it as being so, I think that this face mask is a good all-rounder - meaning it would suit every complexion going. I only say this because the kaolin makes this great for absorbing excess grease, while the cocoa butter helps to moisturise and maintain drier skin. 

Together with the kaolin, Rose And Lemon will leave your face rejuvenated, your pores feeling clean and clear and your complexion noticeably radiant. I was amazed how fresh-faced I felt after using this, and I only wish that it was a regular product available for purchase. One of my favourite Lush face masks to date. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Glycerine, Cornflour, Kaolin, Marshmallow Root Decoction, Soya yoghurt, Fresh Lemon Juice, Organic Rose Hip Oil, Rose Clay, Fresh Rose Petals, Organic Rose Hip, Cinnamon Leaf Oil, Everlasting Flower Absolute, Geranium Oil, Sodium Alginate Sulfate, Citronellol, Eugenol, Perfume.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £6.50 each.

2017 Price: £6.50 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2015.

Magical Moringa Facial Moisturiser

Normally when I'm going to invest in a more expensive Lush product, I tend to find that I need to mentally prepare myself to part with my hard-earned money. When the company brought out their range of sun-care products last year, it took me a good couple of weeks before I was able to justify spending so much on a small tub of 'stuff'. 

Caught up in the flurry and excitement of the Oxford Day opening event, I mindlessly threw a small of tub of Magical Moringa Facial Moisturiser into my basket, and it wasn't until I was checking my receipt later on that I realised it had set me back a rather impressive £28. 

Made from only six ingredients, this unique and rather original moisturiser is a power-house of ingredients - intent on not only revamping and invigorating your complexion, but supporting the skin before, during and after the application of make-up - leaving your face looking radiant and well-nourished.  

Named after one of the ingredients featured, this product has been carefully crafted to work at one with any skin. Moringa oil, which also features in Lush's best-selling Charity Pot, is a light and antioxidant rich oil that boasts many benefits for the skin. Pertaining a gentle aroma not unlike fresh leaves, this oil is rich in protein, essential amino acids, potassium and calcium - working alongside the argan oil to repair and condition dry, damaged and tired looking skin. 

Magical Moringa also features rose hip oil which is rich in vitamin C. This gives your skin a natural, healthy-looking glow; while the cocoa and shea butters act as emulsifiers to hold all of the ingredients together and help the application of the product onto your face. 

What sets this apart from your usual moisturiser is the consistency - something that makes this product one that you'll either love or hate. On removing the lid, you'll discover that this facial moisturiser comes as a hard wax - a little like you would expect a styling wax or lip balm to look like in the tin. To use, you need to scoop out a raisin-sized amount and either rub it directly onto your face or melt it in-between your fingers before massaging it into the skin. 

When I first tried this out, I was really unsure as to whether or not it was going to work. While a normal lotion would leave a subtle damp feeling on the skin, Magical Moringa doesn't do this at all. In fact, the inclusion of cornflour as the main ingredient means that when you do apply this, you actually get a slightly powdery feeling which stays on your skin for a short while after application.

To begin with, I really disliked the feeling of rubbing this into my face and I didn't appreciate the lack of moisture I felt once the lotion had been fully distributed across the skin. This facial moisturiser is not one to leave you feeling particularly refreshed - which was a problem for me in the beginning. Furthermore, if you suffer from dry skin, you may wish to use a toner water or similar product beforehand, to give you that boost of moisture you're probably used to. 

Having said this, once Magical Moringa has been given 5-10 minutes for the skin to fully absorb, the moisturiser leaves you with a wonderfully soft complexion that is ready for anything life chooses to throw at it. While it took a little while to get used to how it felt on my skin, it only took me a few days to be convinced that it worked wonders.  

Lush also claim that this product can be used as a primer and after testing this out across multiple days, I can honestly say that it is perfect for this. After massaging it into my face, I found that my make up was really easy to apply and left me with a beautiful matte complexion - something that those with slightly oilier skin will no doubt appreciate.

While I see this as more of a treat than a product I would wear daily, it's definitely one that I'll rely on when my face is perhaps not feeling or looking as calm as I know it can be. Lush have yet again created something so different from anything else that is on the market right now, and yet again, they have triumphed in doing so. It may not be a product that bowls you over straight away, but stick with it and you may find that it surprises you further down the road...

Quantitative Ingredients: Cornflour (Zea mays), Argan Oil (Argania spinosa), Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Moringa Oil (Moringo pterygosperma), Rose Hip Oil (Rosa canina), Organic Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii). 

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £28 for 75g. 

Year Of Original Release: 2015. 

Santa Baby Lip Tint

I have no need for a lip tint - I thought I'd put that out there straight away. I wear very little make-up as it is, and aside from the lip balm I smear on my lips once or twice a day, I don't invest in gloss, tints, lipsticks or just about anything else that the market is currently trying to flog consumers. For this reason, I am able to really evaluate the usability of this product from a completely objective viewpoint.

Santa Baby Lip Tint was a new product for the Christmas 2013 range - making an entrance alongside a sugar scrub that unfortunately wasn't vegan. This tint has a rather impressive list of ingredients - some of which you wouldn't initially expect in a lip tint, but ones that clearly make this as great a product as it turned out to be.

Firstly, the product has an array of butters and oils to help soften and nourish the lips. Shea butter is a very effective moisturiser and also helps the absorption of other ingredients; cocoa butter is further down the list but is equally as gentle on the skin as is castor oil, which also helps to emulsify the ingredients together. While it wasn't the most moisturising of products, it was fairly gentle on my lips and didn't dry them out. 

   

The first surprise ingredient is carrot oil - a product that Lush don't seem to use a lot, but one that boasts an impressive array of properties. As well as being nourishing on the skin, this oil works to strengthen and repair skin tissue as well as using it's antioxidant powders to clean and support the skin. Not just a super food, eh?

Lush have also included a range of ingredients to give this lip tint it's cola fragrance; cherry and date extracts to give it a rich, natural smell, lime oil to add a citrus kick and extracts of cinnamon to add a subtle Christmas spiciness to the mix. It really does smell like cola bottle sweets - more of a candied-cola than the drink, but it's a pleasant aroma.

The consistency of Santa Baby is very sticky and reminds me of something in between a solid perfume and a lip balm. It's not as oily as a lip balm, meaning it stays on your lips rather than melting away over time or being wiped off. However, it is rather heavy and I found that I was very aware that I had it on throughout the wear.

I would recommend that you do as I did when applying this; brush a cotton bud across the surface of the lip tint and then brush it across your lips. Firstly, this helps to give good precision so you don't end up smudging it everywhere - it's very easy to do! Secondly, this tint tends to stain your fingers and it took a lot of scrubbing to get it off - not the easiest of lip products to use when you're out and about.   

Once it's on, it gives the wearer a very vivid shade of red that states put. I didn't have to reapply this at all throughout the day and it was still very prominent some six hours later when I returned home from. While it's labelled as a lip tint, I would say that this is strong enough to be a lip stick - it's a very bold colour to use and not at all as subtle as I was expecting.

On the negative side, I did find this tint to be rather drying, and when I was applying it across my lips, I did need to moisturise with a lip balm during and afterwards to help it glide across my skin easier. However, once it's on, it can withstand eating, licking and general 'wear and tear' that your lips go through throughout the day - I was surprised to find that I didn't need to reapply at all during my 10 hour work day.

Even though this is not a colour I would normally use on myself, I can see the value of this lip tint and appreciate the fact that it does exactly what it's supposed to. Santa Baby is a very festive product but one that sports one of the most popular shades that people wear on their lips, so one that can be worn all year round. Priced at £5.95, this product will last you months and months and months. You really don't have to use a lot each time so I can see one stick of this lasting an entire year - just in time to buy yourself a fresh one when the seasonal products come back around. While it's not one that I'll invest in again, this is because my tube will easily last me two - three years, and it's definitely made me rather curious to try other lip tints that Lush offer.

Quantitative Ingredients: Fair Trade Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii), Extract of Cinnamon Stick and Mandarin (Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Citrus nobilis) , Organic Rose Hip Oil (Rosa canina) , Organic Castor Oil (Ricinus communis) , Japan Wax (Rhus Succedanea) , Extract of Cherries and Dates (Prunus cerasus, Phoenix Dactylifera) , Sunflower Wax (Helianthus annuus) , Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter (Theobroma Cacao) ,Cupuacu Butter (Theobroma Grandiflorum) , Flavor ,Carrot Oil (Daucus carota) , Persian Lime Oil (Citrus aurantifolia) , Aniseed Oil (Illicium Verum) , Black Pepper Oil (Piper nigrum) , Benzoin Resinoid (Styrax tonkinensis pierre) , Titanium Dioxide , Citral ,Geraniol , Linalool , Limonene , D&C Red 28 , D&C Orange No. 5 , D&C Red No. 30 Aluminum Lake , D&C Red 30.

Vegan?: Yes.

2014 Price: £5.95 each.

2015 Price: £5.95 each.

2017 Price: £6.50 each.

Scent Family:
Santa Baby Lip Tint
Santa Baby Naked Lip Tint
Santa's Christmas Naked Shower Cream

Santa's Christmas Shower Cream