Hello friends!
It’s Jo here. Remember our post about our grad trip to Hawaii? Well, one thing we didn’t mention was that we went to Lush (fresh handmade cosmetics) in Lahaina… 3 times. Lahaina was an hour away from where we stayed, mind you. If you’ve never been to a Lush, then first, you have no idea what you’re missing, but second, you won’t understand why we would want to go to the same store 3 times in a 10 day trip. (I think it was all in the span of 4 days too…)
Lush is, there’s no better way to say this, Heaven on earth. You even walk by, and you can smell it’s wonderfulness. But walking in is like walking into this whole new world. There’s usually 2 or 3 super sweet and super pretty girls (sometimes a guy, but not usually in my experience) that say hello, and instantly one comes up to you to ask if you want to try out some lovely concoction (like a hand scrub and lotion). These concoctions have ALWAYS left me feeling amazing. I suddenly can’t stop rubbing my hands together to feel how soft they are. It’s beautiful.
The problem is, everything is this, if not more, awesome. If you don’t want to spend any money, I suggest leaving your wallet in the car. (But please, make sure you hide it.) They have a huge variety of all-natural, NOT animal tested, completely handmade products (with a picture of the person who made each product and their name on a sticker somewhere on the bottle to prove it). Read: only good for you ingredients all hand mixed together by some lovely person that didn’t harm some cute little bunny out there. Are you getting it yet?
Luckily, the third time we went, I had run out of money (it was towards the end of the trip), so I couldn’t buy anything more. But I would like to tell you all about my experience with the purchases I made on the first two trips. This will be done in a couple posts (because, well, I may have bought quite a few things…).
And while their products aren’t super cheap, they also are actually really well priced for the quality that you are getting.
So, first on my list to review: The Lush Beach Box
This unfortunately isn’t available anymore as a kit, but everything in it IS still available for full price (which is 100% worth it).
It included…
Sea Vegetable Soap $7.95 for 3.5oz
Dream Cream Body Cream $26.94 for 8.4oz
Ocean Salt Cleanser $21.95 for 4.2oz
Sea Spray Hair mist $12.95 for 3.3oz
Seanik Solid Shampoo $11,95 for 1.9oz
Now okay, in my kit I actually got 3.3oz of Sea Vegetable Soap, 0.5oz of Dream Cream, 2.4oz of Ocean Salt Cleanser, 1.6oz of Sea Spray, and 0.5 of Seanik Solid Shampoo. So keep that in mind when I am talking about how long it lasted me.
First on the list, Sea Vegetable Soap!
This soap is, in one word, amazing. I usually HATE bar soap because it slides all over and I can’t control it. But this stuff has the seaweed on top, which, even though I doubt this was their intention, helps me to get a better grip on it. It doesn’t get overly sudsy, and it leaves you feeling nice, clean, and soft afterwards. And, it smells so good and makes you think you’re on the beach. I am down to my last couple uses with my baby bar, and it’s really depressing actually.
How long have I been using it? Almost 2 months, everyday, and it’s going to last me maybe a weeks more of washes.
Worth the purchase? Well to me, soap is soap. So if you are a soap connoisseur, then I say buy the soap. But if you don’t really care about your soap, you can save a couple bucks.
Second up is the Dream Cream!
I only got a teeny tiny little tub of this guy, which has made me try to savor it. I have used it a couple times on my legs after shaving, once on my full body, a few times on my hands and elbows, and even once on my face when it was really really dry. And I’m still only halfway through the tub! It spreads on very nicely, so you don’t have to use a lot. It moisturizes like crazy, and keeps you rejuvenated throughout the day. Downfall, the smell isn’t amazing. I mean it’s not gross, just nothing special about it. Also, it leaves you a little bit sticky feeling for a couple minutes after you use it. But that goes away, and then you feel wonderful.
How long have I been using it? Sporadically as listed above. It lasts forever though.
Worth the buy? If you have been looking for a good lotion and have really dry and sensitive skin, I would really recommend this. If your skin already is moisturized, it’s not really necessary.
Next, the Ocean Salt scrub.
This scrub is my new favorite thing. I use it once every couple weeks as a face scrub, but because my skin is really sensitive, I put some in my wet hands and rub it around there first to break up some of it’s salt crystals, then I rub it on my face. It is a great exfoliator, but if your skin is crazy overly sensitive like mine, I wouldn’t recommend use any more often than twice a month. However! I rub this on my legs right before I shave, and the exfoliation makes it so I don’t have to shave as often, and the moisturizing properties in it make it so I don’t even have to moisturize after I shave! It’s beautiful.
How long have I been using it? Once or twice a week for two months, half way full still.
Worth the buy? Absolutely. It will change your life.
Almost done! On to the Sea Spray hair mist.
I have naturally curly hair. But you see, I have this problem with the top layer of my hair–it likes to be stick straight. Literally, my under layers are perfect tiny ringlets and as it goes farther to the top, the blonder and straighter it gets until it’s bleached blonde and perfectly flat. I don’t understand. However, when I go to the beach, my problem is suddenly cured! It’s wonderful (have you noticed how many times I’ve said this, it’s all so great that I’m running out of good adjectives). And this spray has the exact same affect. I actually have tried other beach sprays and have hated them because my hair gets all crunchy. I’ve even tried the pinterest, make your own stuff (which, DO NOT TRY, it was horrible). Nothing has worked. But this stuff smells great (when wearing it, I’ve been asked if I got a new perfume in Hawaii because I smell so lovely and beachy) AND you don’t get a gross crunch. I even sometimes will use it as hairspray on styled hair, and it has the perfect amount of hold. If you can’t tell already, I love it.
How long have I used it? 2 or 3 times per week in the past 2 months, and it’s still 3/4s of the way full! (It only takes 3 or 4 sprays on my hair)
Worth the buy? Yes, Yes, YES.
Annddddd last but not least, the Seanik Solid Shampoo.
This was really weird to me. Solid shampoo? What? But this stuff is actually really good at cleaning your hair. The only issue I have is that it leaves my hair a little dry feeling, and since I have crap conditioner right now, it’s a bit of a struggle. Curly hair is already naturally dry, so the fact that this takes away extra oils from your head makes it not the best option for my hair. But it smells wonderful, it lasts ages, and it does it’s job–cleans your hair. Even if I am disgustingly greasy it takes it all away. How do you use solid shampoo, you ask? Well you get your hands wet, rub it around in your hands until you get plenty of the product on them, and then rub it into your scalp. See, now that wasn’t so hard.
How long have I used it? Every day for the past 2 months. There’s still probably enough for the next 2 months. Like I said, you really don’t use a ton of the product.
Worth the buy? If you have a naturally oily scalp, I would HIGHLY recommend it. If you have a problem with already dry hair, it could still be a smart buy for those times when you haven’t showered in a couple days or have worked out a lot.
Overall, I am really happy with my Beach Box, and will definitely be re-buying the majority of the products in it once I run out.
Let me know if you bought one, and how you’ve felt about the products! We always love hearing from you. Keep that summer going!
With love, Just Jo
Weeknight Whimsies 