Shower Me in Lush

So if you subscribe to me on YouTube, you would have seen my recent posting on my $100 Lush Haul Challenge with Kristyn of Scattered Us. You mean you haven't?! Well I'll just wait right here while you watch it. Go on, I'll wait. 

Well, I decided today (since I needed the pick-me-up this morning) to take a Lush inclusive shower & treat myself to a delicious morning. 

This morning I used my Jumping Juniper solid shampoo bar, Ocean Salt, & finish off with my Charity Pot lotion. Like I said, I deserved this treat. The first thing I decided to give a whirl was the solid shampoo bar. Now I have never used a solid shampoo bar so maybe I was doing it wrong - or maybe I did it right! - but I am, in either case, in lalalaLOVE 

Jumping Juniper is a purple solid shampoo bar that weighs approximately 1.9oz (as per the Lush website) & smells lightly of a fruity lavender then embedded with a cute little lavender twig. The website describes this little cutie as follows: "It cleans away grease and balances sebum production for soft, shiny (in the good way) hair. Fruity juniperberry oil sorts out your oily, congested scalp, while lemon and lime make your hair clean and shiny and give it an extra fresh scent" - the lemon & lime definitely show why there's a hint of a fruit note to it. It lathers quite nicely once you get it going. I first started off by trying to suds it up in my hands then rubbing those bubbles onto my scalp & I felt like it wasn't working right so I just decided to rub & massage the bar all of my scalp until I felt that typical shampoo sudsy buildup. I worked the shampoo bar on the eds of my hair in the same fashion & man did it smell & feel wonderful!

My next skin treat to heaven was Ocean Salt, a mix of varying salt grain scrub. This smells just like the name implies: the ocean - or if you're like me it reminds you of sipping a margarita while basking in the crispy sun on a beach front porch. Am I being over dramatic? Naaaahhhh. Okay, maybe a little but this stuff smells heavenly & reminds me of being back on the east coast. & besides, who doesn't like a lovely light oceany blue color?! ^.^

Lush describes this loveliness as: "taking your face on a trip to the seaside for an invigorating splash in water". They couldn't be more right! Ocean Salt contains vodka soaked organic limes ... Well, just the juice anyway! ... Which helps with brightening your skin. It says you can use it on your face but I decided to just use it as a body scrub & notices an instant change in softness to my normally dry skin. 

After I was all squeaky clean, I lathered myself up with Charity Pot cocoa&shea butter lotion 

The Charity Pots are a wonderful body lotion that Lush has made where 100% of the proceeds go to their grass fed charities (everything from animal activism to fighting back against bullying in schools - which is the charity listed on my pot: Foundation Jasmine Roy). It's silky smooth & non greasy with a light cocoa scent that comes naturally in unrefined cocoa butter. 

I quite enjoyed my first (mainly) Lush shower. I think my favorite part, honestly, was the shampoo bar because it was the product I was most skeptical about. Lush has pulled through, as usual, & given me the ultimate bath experience. Have you tried any Lush products? Which are your favorite to add to your bath routine?

You Fail, BirchBox.

Another month has passed & it is now time for my September Birchbox! As you can tell from the title, I was not at all pleased with this month's box. Not that there's anything wrong with the box, it's just that the products didn't appeal to me this month. :/  If you want to see my open box review {aka: my first impressions of this months box}, check my YouTube video here. Forwarning: this is a looooooooooooooooooooooong indepth post from my quick review on my channel.

I want to start off by saying that the employee who responded to my email at BB was quite nice. I emailed them on the 12th of September inquiring where my box was. The site {& my confirmation email} both said that the box shipped on the 8th & that it would take up to 10 days to reach the west coast. Well, I don't live on the west coast, I live in the smack dab middle of the country so I figured MAYBE by the 15th. I constantly check up on my tracking numbers {because I'm paranoid like that. Hah Hah} & kept finding my tracking number being marked as "Computer monsters have stolen this ID number & are refusing to let any information go" {totally joking!} not received by UPS/UPS Mail Innovations. Well, if it shipped on the 8th like the site & my confirmation said, shouldn't it have updated that it was at least at the origins sorting center? Mind you, BB is located in New York - my parents live in New Jersey. It takes a package from my parents approximately three days to get from their house to my house in Oklahoma; I'll give BB another day or 2 because it is UPS to USPS & that usually takes a bit longer so shouldn't my BB have been in my mail box by we'll say the 15th or 16th at the latest? Well, this day was the 12th & there was no update on where my box was.

Emails - nicely - ensued. They responded rather quickly saying that if I have not received my box by the 19th to contact them again & they shall send out another box. Two days later I checked my tracking number again & lo & behold! My number had updated that it had just left the New York UPS sorting center the FOURTEENTH. the FOURTEENTH PEOPLE! That's 6 days after they said it shipped. WTH!? All I was thinking was that this box better be worth it. It finally arrived on the 20th - 12 days after it allegedly shipped & 6 days after my tracking number updated that it actually left New York. Fishy. Hmmm..

Lets take a peek in the box to see if it was worth this odd wait time.

This month's outter box is a goregous hot pink box! I looooooooove pink! So far, so good on the wait. (:  Last month's box was a Tangerine Orange. Let peek inside, shall we?

This box came with the standard post card with information on what each product is & on the opposit side it tells you a little bit of information on why the articles that are in the box are, well, in the box. This box also came with a little magazine called "The Fall LookBook". It gives tips and tricks on how to wear your hair, different outfits, & makeup tricks for fall as well as current trends. It's cute. :3 After you do away with the reading material you are greeted with nice bright teal tissue paper. Then your eyes meet the goodies!

This looks like slim pickin's to me but I'm most excited about the ColorClub nail polish! I love nail polish. (: First item on the card is the Color Club Birchbox Custom Polish. I got the color #5786 Insta-This. The card says "We teamed up with Color Club to create this custom shade, inspired by the Fall 2012 collections" & that a full size is $8. I do believe the size I got {7ml} is full size - please correct me if I'm wrong. 

Side Note: I watched the "Sneak Peek" video & they gave a little snippet about these colors - they were designed & named after social networking. I just happened to get "Insta-This" which is based off of Instagram, of which I am obsessed. ^__^

Next item up for grabs is the Jouer Matte Moisture Tint. If I stopped swatching the gosh-darn thing it might be enough for a once or twice all over face application. "This SPF 15 oil-free tinted moisturizer blends in beautifully to even on skin & control shine" - a full size retails for $38. As you can see from the picture below {er.. just barely, but in person it's noticable!} you can tell that this color is like a shade or two darker than my natural ghostly white self.

The moisturizer is on the upper part of my hand {the side closest to the Jouer photo} & the bottom half has nothing on it.

This would be a great moisturizer when I get a tan {which only happens in the summer months & well, we just entered fall - kinda.}

The next item on the card is the Kate Spade New York Fragrance in Twirl. The card reads "A blend of fruity & floral notes, this modern classic feels joyful & carefree". It says the full size is anywhere from $18-$80! ...which is why I will probably only ever own a sample.  This sample has a nice little spray top instead of the usual ones where you have to pull a plunger & then dab the stick on your pressure points. I like that. ^__^ Inside the sample card is adorable. It says "She had a cocktail in her hand & confetti in her hair". How cute!! ^.^  I'm not too sure how I feel about this perfume; definitely smells more floral than fruity. It's not bad! Definitely a feminine-date-night scent {which I did wear on my date the day I got the box. Tehee! Husband approved.}

Next item up for bid is the Skin, An Apothecary Soy Body Whip in Poppy, "infused with vitamin C & soy proteins, this mousse-like lotion soothes dry skin without feeling greasy". It is a very floral scent! But a clean floral - does that make sense? I'm assuming since it said "in Poppy" it means the scent is Poppy. It's definitely not my cup of tea but it's a nice soft scent. It does stick with it's description of a non-greasy texture {which I like} & I feel a slight difference in skin feel after I applied it.  Still not too keen on the scent. Blehk. Full size is $27.

Final product in the box is a twistband Birchbox Custom Lace Hair Tie, "Designers went gaga for lace this season & we don't blame them. Get on board with these outch-free hair ties". A set of 6-12 is anywhere from $14-$22. Honestly? It's a rip off. It's a piece of decorative elastic. Total fail. 

Oh! At the bottom of the card is says Lifestyle Extra: Hollywood Fashion Secrets Hollywood Fashion Tape - aka: double sided sticky tape to hold your strap strap, hem, or blouse in place. Full size ranges from $4.99-$8.99; another fail, BB. & at the veeeeeeeeeeeery very bottom, there was a card they claim is a gift card. It's a COUPON code for $25 OFF an order of $75 or more off Madewell! Totally not worth it, at least in my opinion.

So overall, between the odd shipping fiasco & the lack luster box.. I'm not quite happy. Yeah, I got my $10 worth {MAYBE a bit more - not sure how much the size of the Skin lotion is worth} but last box was a million times better. Here's hoping October's box is so much better! & considering next month is Halloween, i hope they do something spooktacular! 

Did you get a box? What all did you get & what do you think? What color polish did you get? I'm dying to know!

HugsxoKisses