Lushie Recipe | Panic & DeStress Release

 

Welcome to another installment of Lushie Recipe. This recipe is based off of my need last night to calm my nerves. I suffer from panic disorders & had an extreme attack yesterday due to my oldest littles school placing him on the school but without my permission when I told them he was a car rider. But that is neither here nor there! Anyhow, I needed a nice relaxing bath & jumped out of my usual citrusy-candy smells for a calming lavender & chamomile.

"Ickle Baby Bot" from LushUSA.com

 The first up on the calming bath release is the Ickle Baby Bot. IBB is an adorable robot shaped bath bomb that is scented with lavender, sandalwood, & chamomile. These bombs were actually designed with kids in mind (& it is usually what I drop in my kids baths at night when they get too over stimulated) but it added the perfect amount of essential oils needed to start soothing my worries.

See IBB in action!

Blue Skies & White Fluffy Clouds from LushUSA.com

To add onto the IBB, I added half of this ginormous bubble bar called Blue Skies & White Fluffy Clouds. The bubble bar is scented with Patchouli & Frankincense Oil for a calming, grounding scent. Purchasing this bubble bar was actually a big leap for me because I didn't like the way it smelled in the store & was super hesitant about even using it in the bath last night. However, once it was frothing up in the tub, the herbal scent wasn't as strong & it was actually quite pleasant. 

Blue Skies in action!

Dream Time Bath Melt from LushUSA.com

My final ingredient in this Lush Cocktail is the remaining half of my Dream Time Bath Melt. Loaded with lavender, chamomile, & sandalwood essential oils, this small chunk of moisturizing butters & oils helped lull me off into a calming sleep for the first time in ages (& by calming, I wasn't up every 2 hours, instead I got up 3 times between midnight & 7am - which is a miracle!). This bath melt, along with the skin softening properties of the bubble bar & bath bomb, made my entire body silky smooth & so relaxed just from the properties of the essential oils.

Mixing these 3 products turned my water into a gorgeous sea blue & left my bathroom smelling like I was in a high class spa. I am really glad I decided to jump out of my comfort zone & purchased these items, despite not generally liking these type of scents.

What do you do to destress? What is your favorite lush cocktail? Are you looking for a perfect recipe & not sure where to start? Let me know what you are looking to achieve with your bath & I will create the perfect recipe for you.

Lushie Recipe | Tension Release

 

 Welcome back to another Lushie Recipes post! This bath I decided to dedicate to "Tension Release".  The products I am using from Lush arent necessarily used for tension release, but they helped me calm down since their scents werent too strong.

 

 

First up, I used Jumping Juniper solid shampoo bar to help tame my nasty locks (8+ hours of helping demo a house can really mess up a girls mane!) I had never used a solid shampoo bar until a year or so ago when my friend Kristyn introduced me to the heaven that is Lush. Jumping Juniper is a gorgeous violet, lavender-y purple solid shampoo bar with a real lavender twig imbedded on it. I was recommended this bar to help with my oily scalp & it definitely does the trick! The Lush website describes this bar as: " 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 incredible herbal duo, lavender and rosemary are superpowers if you’re having troubles in the oil department. Rosemary has been used for hundreds of years for its anti-bacterial capabilities, while lavender is known for its ability to balance and soothe the scalp" The scent is very fainty, with a slight foral-fruit. Nothing too strong that it would mess up using any other good smelling hair product.

Like my conditioner, for instance! Just 2 weeks ago, I was recommended this glorious products that all the Lushie in-store girls raved about: American Cream Hair Conditioner. Let me tell you, it was love at first smell! This light weight conditioner smells very much like strawberries & cream. Can we all just die a little here?! The only problem I have with this is that since my hair is pretty long (mid back ish) & thick, I have to use much more than most people. BUT! It does make my hair suuuuuuper soft. I let this soak into my hair while I relax in my scalding hot bath. (yes, i know a super hot bath is bad for your skin but it helps with muscle tension).

 Into the bath I popped a Youve Been Mangoed Bath Melt (which was completely melted in the seran wrap from the immense heat thats in my room). The sweet little square of mango-y goodness, is such a great bath water softener. & the smell is subtle once it mixes with the bath water but my-oh-my is it amazing. The excerpt from the Lush website says that its "bright and breezy citrus perk-me-up bath melt, loaded with nutritious mango and avocado butters to condition and moisturize the skin. One of the zingiest, most invigorating scents in all of LUSH, its unmistakable fruity fragrance comes from skin toning lemon and lime essential oils, with just a drop or two of invigorating lemongrass to really get things going. Perfect for early morning soaks in the tub, the scent will keep you in a good mood all day long."

After I poured (remember, it was melted) my mango melt into the tub, I popped in half of my Yuzu & Cocoa Bubbleroon Bubble Bar. I shouldbe put the whole thing in because the bubbles simmered away after a few minutes, but I mainly wanted it for the smell. The 2 halves pulled apart fairly easily & the smell seemed to intensify slightly when I broke it open. Or maybe I was just imagining it. Lush deems this little beauty as "Inspired by the unusual Japanese fruit the yuzu (kind of like a Satsuma orange), this Bubbleroon has a delectable orange chocolate fragrance, with exotic tropical undertones and an uplifting grapefruit top note. It makes mountains of fluffy white bubbles and the most sublimely soft bath water you’ve ever had. With Extra Virgin coconut oil and Fair Trade Shea Butter (like all of our Bubbleroons) Yuzo and Cocoa is the crème de la crème of chocolatey, moisturizing, and soothing baths."

 

 Finally, I popped a Floating Island Luxury Bath Melt into the bath &, to be honest, I have no idea how to use this pretty hard melt. It wasnt as soft as the mango one (pre-melting) & I was having a hard time crumbling it like you would a bubble bar or bomb. I decided, while doing this blog post, to research how to use it & at first I thought I was doing it wrong by just dropping it in the tub & letting it melt. Nope. Thats how you use it. Just pop it in the tub & let it melt & work its skin softening magic. "Escape to your own fragrant island and float away to the scent of vanilla, sandalwood and lemon foam to calm a weary mind and restless body." -- as says Lush.

& of course, I couldnt very well take a tension releasing bath without my Dark Angels Face Scrub!

Now, before I say this is the end of the Recipe, I decided to do a little bonus bath & throw together a quick cocktail that was kid friendly!  

For my kids mid-day bath, I used half of a Creamy Candy Bubble Bar (Lay back into sweet, frothy, and fluffy bubbles that smell like delicate vanilla candies and cotton candy  -- ala Lush.com) & they each got a chunk of their Fun Soap - green (Zesty lemon and lime sudser) & red (Sunny mandarin mood-boost). I usually - at night time - forgo the bubble bar & use Ickle Baby Bot Bath Bomb when theyre getting a night time bath. Just a mention though, mixing all the products for the kiddos may make the bath smell sweet (or relaxing depending on what scents you use) but will not make their bath water very appetizing. Hah hah.

 So that is my recipe for the week. Do you guys have any particular Lush products lying around that youre not quite sure how to make a concoction out of? Leave me a comment with what your favorite products are or what youre wondering how to use & I will make a delicious cocktail next week!

 

 

 

Lushie Recipe | Relaxing Mermaid Bath

This post is dedicated to all you Lushies out there - new & seasoned, alike. Every Lushie loves being a mixologist when it comes to playing with their bath goodies, but sometimes the combinations may not be as good in the bath as they are in your head! So here at Secret Life of a Navy Wife, we are taking the guessing game out for you with these tried & true Lushie Recipes. Sometimes I will be posting my failed recipes & sometimes (like today!) I will be posting amazing recipes I either have combined together myself or learned when I went into my local Lush Store. So lets hop into my basket of goodies that I relaxed into...

 

Big Blue Bath Bomb

The first wonderful Lush product I dropped into my tub was Big Blue. This magical, ocean salt, beachy smelling bath bomb is heaven is a beautiful blue sphere. Lush describes this as: [a bomb] Packed with minerals, salt helps the body rid itself of toxins, while seaweed softens and soothes your skin. The scent of Lavender helps relax your body. I will say the only thing I do not like about this bath bomb (SHOCK!) is that it is naturally packed with real seaweed. I have seen on Instagram of people complaining about this feature & it has been suggested to place the bath bomb in a panty hose or strain it through a sifter to keep from getting the seaweed all over the tub. I knew this going in & I didnt listen. LISTEN TO MEEEEE. Make sure you do the above or you will be relaxing in a tub of  seaweed.

 Sunny Side Bubble Bar

The next step in my wonderful Relaxing Mermaid Bath is the Sunny Side Bubble Bar. This beautiful golden bar is packed full of glitter & tangerine oil for that wonderful pick me up. Now I know youre wondering why would we add a citrus scent that is a perk up to a bath bomb that has lavender thats relaxing you? Because..... thats why. Hahhah. In all seriousness, this is the recipe that the wonder Lush Girls at the Oklahoma City store introduced me to. The mix of this sweet bubble bar & oceany-salty bomb turns the water into this shimmery, mermaid-tail teal with a TON of bubbles! Just sitting in the tub during the bubble explosion & I can feel my skin starting to soften. Definitely an amazing mix!

 

Now for how I took care of the rest of my skin.

RubRubRub Shower Scrub (left) & Aqua Mirabilis Body Butter (right)

Oh my arms! They are atrocious. I get horrible hives from stress & heat & this year has been the worst! (with the move cross country & the change in climate, its wreaking havoc on my body) These 2 products (combined with any lotion of choice - today I used my Lush Charity Pot) are definitely something that I use almost every other day to soothe my skin irritation - it just really all depends on how bad my hives have gotten that day.  I do a 3 step process with these 2 scrubs:

1. Scrub with a later of RubRubRub a hard as I can stand on dry skin; then rinse off.
2. Rub Aqua Mirabilis on those spots & let it soak in before rinsing it off.
3. Before finishing up my soak, scrub with RubRubRub one last time, rinse off & apply lotion. 

Cupcake Fresh Face Mask

To enjoy my spa day even more (while binge watching some Youtube videos), I applied a layer of the Cupcake Fresh Face Mask. This mask is specifically designed for oily skin.. & even though I have combination skin, I love the way this makes my skin feel after I rinse it off. Lush describes this as: If you suffer from oily or spotty skin, slather it in this cocoa concoction. With spearmint oil to cool, vanilla absolute to calm redness and Rhassoul mud to deeply cleanse- Cupcake is a sweet savior for young faces.  

 

& it doesnt help that this mask smells good enough to eat!

I also scrubbed my lips with their Bubblegum Sugar Lip Scrub & applied Gorgeous Facial Moisturizer after my face mask. Total pampering.

So that is my Lushie Recipe. Heres the run down for the bath water:

• (1) Big Blue Bath Bomb
• (1) Sunny Side Bubble Bar
  
  & here is the skin care regimen:
• RubRubRub Shower Scrub
• Aqua Mirabilis Body Butter
• Charity Pot
• Bubblegum Sugar Lip Scrub
• Cupcake Fresh Face Mask
• Gorgeous Facial Moisturizer
  
   So there you have it folks! My first Lushie Recipe in a series of many. Do you have your own favorite Lush mix that you do? I would love to hear about them!
  
  
  
   

 

Lush Haul | June 2015

I have become quite the lushie since my friend K introduced me to the full organic goodness that is bathing with Lush Cosmetics. This isnt my first Lush haul - not by a long shot! (however, if you want to see my FIRST EVER haul, check out this video) - but I havent done a Lush haul video in a long while. I did not mention prices of the products in my video (save for Jungle, but I think it was wrong), so for those wondering what the prices are for these products, they are listed below with a direct link to them:

• Lifes a Beach $6.95
• Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly 3.5 oz $6.95
• Stepping Stone $4.50
• Volcano Foot Mask 4.4 oz $13.95
• The Olive Branch Shower Gel 3.3oz $9.95
• Dragons Egg Bath Bomb $6.25
• Jungle Solid Conditioner $8.95
• Bubblegum Lip Scrub $9.95
• Body Butter Tin $3.95
  
  
  
  

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?