LUSH Easter Range

So it arrived online on lush.com and lushusa.com but today came the release of the new Easter Range!  It consists of;

- 5 New Bath Bombs (4 returning from last year, one brand new!)
- 1 New Shower Jelly (Brand New!)
- 2 New Soaps (1 returning from last year, 1 brand new!)
- 1 New Bubble Bar, well bunch of 3 (Returning from last year!)

Golden Egg - Bath Bomb/Melt, £3.75

Absolutely covered in gold lustre this one is for lovers of glitter.  It is a hybrid between a bath bomb and a bath melt - meaning under the glitter there is a thick layer of shea butter, and then the bath bomb itself.  Therefore this will be a very moisturising bath.  It smells like honey and toffee and will leave your bath looking like liquid gold.

Scent family; HIWTK soap, HIWMH shampoo bar, It’s Raining Men shower gel and Gold Fun (Christmas Limited Edition)

Hoppity Poppity - Bath Bomb - £2.50

Smaller than the others (and cheaper) this bath bomb is the only brand new edition this year.  I love the look of it and it smells like what a rabbit would smell when froliking in the springtime grass.  This earthy scent bring a scent other than floral or sweet and instead hits you with fresh herbal experience.  I love it!

Scent family; Grass shower gel, green bubbleroon, squeaky green shampoo bar and sugar scrub.

Fluffy Egg - Bath Bomb - £2.95

Lovers of Snow Fairy rejoice as this bath bomb joins the ranks once again.  Sickly sweet and bright pink it stands out on the shelf and is a favourite among LUSH fans.  Although the scent is not for me, it is shaped beautifully and I can see why people love it.

Scent Family; Snow Fairy shower gel (Christmas limited edition),bubblegum lip scrub, rockstar soap, candy mountain bubble bar (Christmas limited edition), Pink FUN and creamy candy bubble bar.

Immaculate Eggception Pink - Bath Bomb - £6.95 

Immaculate exception is massive.  It works very like Valentine’s Day’s “Love Locket” as you break it in two - and inside there is a bomb inside.  Geddit? Egg-ception, inception?  :P  This is a citrus scent with lemon and grapefruit oil high on the ingredients list.  You can get up to 3 baths out of this one, so definitely worth the hefty price tag!

Immaculate Eggception Yellow - Bath Bomb - £6.95

This bathbomb is the same premise as it’s pink sibling, and is the exact same size with a mini bomb inside!  I have to admit that I don’t think this one is quite as pretty though, although it is very Easter-y.  As far as I can tell the only difference is the colour… so I am not convinced why both need to exist!

Pot O’ Gold - Shower Jelly
100g/£3.50, 240g/£6.95

My least favourite by far.  I was really excited about this shower jelly!  It promised orange and pineapple infusion and instead all I could smell was the musky scent of Myrhh.  Sadly I just don’t like the smell of this, but it looks absolutely gorgeous.

Over The Rainbow - Soap - £4.25/100g

Spectacular as a whole, and even as a slice this soap is stunning.  As of it I haven’t been able to get a real scent of it.  I wanted to give this soap a good go so I asked for a sample and I got given at least 50g of it!  Lesson would always be; always ask for samples, especially of soap.

Carrot - Soap - £3.95/100g

I have left the best until last.  It has got to be the best soap I have ever used.  It smells like sweet tropical juice and is so soft.  On speaking to the sales assistant in store she tells me that this has a lot of cocoa butter in it - making it non drying and gentle on skin.  This can also be used on the face!  

The huge verson of this is shaped like a huge carrot.  Seriously almost tempted to buy it.  As this is an expensive month for me, I again asked for a sample of this and got over 50g! I am delighted and so excited to use this!

Scent Family; Snowman shower jelly (Christmas limited edition), Snowman FUN and Bunch of carrots reusable bubble bar.

Bunch of Carrots - Reusable Bubble Bars - £5.95

Aren’t these the cutest things you ever did see?  I think they are adorable and the cutest out of the range.  They share the scent with the carrot soap.  These are excellent value for money as for under £6 you get three reusable bubble bars lasting 2 - 3 baths each.  That is up to 9 baths!  In love with these, absolutely had to get them. They are so novel!

Scent Family; Snowman shower jelly (Christmas limited edition), Snowman FUN and Carrot soap. 

What are your favourite out of these, what ones will you pick up first?

Lovelove.

x

How to drink more water!

As I get older and more health conscious, one thing I amalways told to do is drink water. Typically I used to drink Sprite, Coke, Fanta Lemon, Peach iced tea etc.  All arguably delicious but also full of sugar and empty calories.  As I looked into become a healthier person these were the first things I cut out and I was bored with drinking water almost immediately.  Here are some things that worked for me.

Buy a Sippy Cup

I work in a nice office with a cold water filter in the kitchen.  Filling up mugs is annoying because they don’t hold much and I am scared in case I knock it over.  My office is 99% female and there has been a trend of drinking from these plastic cups.

Once I got one I started drinking far more straight away.  The straw makes you drink more, faster. I fill it up in the morning, and anytime it is empty I immediately fill it up again.  Having a constant supply means you keep hydrated because it is there.

I first found it difficult to find where to get there but you can get them in Primark, Tesco, and Starbucks.  I got mine in New Look and they have quite a selection.

Add freshly cut lemon

Once the novelty was over I wanted something OTHER than no-taste water without pouring sugar into the water – I was ready to try something new.  Again, the girls in work were trying drinking lemon with the water.  I was instantly sold on this because I love lemon.  I also found it helpful as it gave me that sour taste of sour sweets without eating packet after packet of tangfastics!

If you don’t like lemon you can use any fruits, but it works best with citrus fruits. Try lime or oranges! 

Green Tea

If you get bored of cold water, and want a healthy hot drink – green tea is a good choice. We always hear about how green tea is amazing for you but sometimes find it hard to stick to.  For me, in the morning the kitchen is always packed so I leave it so long I tend to forget.  A better option might be to challenge yourself to drink 2 cups a day – one at 10am and another at 2pm.  

There are many varities such as green tea with cranberry/lemon/pineapple etc. I found drinking loose leaf green tea to be good too, it bring something a little different into my routine and makes me more interested in drinking it.  If you don’t like green tea there are many other herbal teas try vanilla chai, or raspberry.  You can also add some lemon to these.

Hot Chocolate

Hear me out on this one.  I don’t mean a Star Bucks one with cream and marshmallows! I mean the Cadbury’s Highlights range.  Personally I LOVE the Fudge one, but it is very sweet and despite all the compliments I get when drinking it I have yet to meet somebody who doesn’t think it is far too sweet.  It is 40 calories per mug, and the drink is very rich and creamy.  Simple to make with boiling water, and sometimes I sprinkle a little hot choc powder over the top for extra sweetness.

Sukie

Sometimes when I need something tasty and I don’t want water, or flavoured water I go for Sukie. This had a lot of vitamins and is only 50 calories for a full 500ml bottle.

Hope this helps!

Lovelove.
x

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Old English sheepdogs

Old English sheepdogs

The Old English Sheepdog is my dream dog and in order to own one later in life I want to learn as much about them as possible.  Here is a small profile of the breed and FAQ.

Origin; OES originated in England as a herding dog on farms.

Alternate names; Shepherds dog, Bob tailed sheep dog and bob-tail.  The last two were named as such due to it being common practice to dock the tail of this breed at birth.  I do not agree with docking at all.

Appearance; Categorised as a large or XL dog, with a typically shaggy coat.  Although as puppies they are usually black and white, with age the coats will usually turn grey with a few exceptions.  The hair is usually longish and covers the face and eyes, with the ears lying flat to the head.  The hair only sheds when brushed.

They can have bright blue eyes or brown eyes, and commonly one of each! (I like the dark eyes!)

Size; a male OES can grow to about 61cm at the withers, and typically females are slightly smaller. They can weigh up to 100pounds in weight.

Life Expectancy; 10 – 11 years.

Common Health Complaints; Hip Dysplasia, eye problems (like cataracts, glaucoma, entropion) thyroid problems, deafness, diabetes, HD, PRA, allergies and skin problems.  They are also prone to heatstroke in hot weather and therefore need short hair in the hotter months.  Many OES die of Cancer too.

Temperament; Breed Standards describe the OES as never nervous or aggressive. They can be lazy “couch potatoes” and due to their herding nature can “bump” into children attempting to heard them!  They are intelligent animals, very affectionate, sociable and adaptable. They can also be trained very well.

Ideal Setting; Due to the size of this dog a rural setting is ideal, but OES can be very happy in an urban or suburban environment.  The dog would need at least one walk a day and should not be denied the company and warmth of people.  So as long as you spend a lot of time with and it has space to live in – the dog will be very happy.

Exercise; A least one walk, run or jog a day.

Grooming; the coarse shaggy coat needs constant care and grooming.  The hair needs brushes right through to the undercoat at least 3 times per week or it can develop skin problems or become host to parasites.  

Counting the days! Anybody else obsessed with Sheepdogs?!

Lush Shower Gel Reviews

Shower Gel is a pretty big staple for all of our bathrooms and when it comes to LUSH shower gel you can see why people are put off – the price.  At the minute a small bottle of shower gel ranges from £3.75/100g to £4.95/100g. When cheaper options are available from barely £1, I did avoid the shower gels available from LUSH for a long time.  I started off with free samples of the shower gels, and slowly ended up buying quite a few shower gels and having quite a selection.

So what makes it worth the price? 
Firstly these shower gels have very delicious unique smells – ones that you cannot find elsewhere.  I find myself falling in love with the scent and subsequently needing the shower gel. Secondly the shower gels are very concentrated and a little goes a long way.  This means that they last a long time, create a huge lather and leave a scent on the skin.  

Due to the shower gels lasting so long, I only ever buy 100g bottles – or else I don’t think I would use them up in time!  I also like to swap them about from time to time so I don’t tire of the scent.

So without further ado, let’s get reviewing.

NB; Some of these shower gels are limited edition and will be clearly marked.

So White – Limited Edition – Christmas 2014£4.50/100g

Inspired by the success of the So White bath bomb this shower gel excited LUSH fans around the globe.  The shower gel is a pure white colour and it said to smell like fresh apples, but to me it did smell more like fresh linen.  Although I did enjoy this, I am not sure I would rush out to buy it again. On further inspection of the actual consistency of it – it was quite lumpy.  I gave a sample to a friend and he described it as ‘baby sick’ which afterwards I couldn’t get out of my mind!

If you like very fresh, clean scents – this is the one for you, but it doesn’t have a very strong smell. 

Grass
£4.95/100g, £9.95/250g, £16.95/500g

The name says it all – this one smells like a freshly cut meadow.  Although not for everyone and certainly not a typical ‘girly’ scent this shower gel really offers up something different.  This shower gel also contains sea salt to soften the skin and leave it feeling stimulated.  This shower gel could also be seen as more of a manly scent due to its earthiness, but it does offer something I have ever seen in a shower gel elsewhere.  I feel I should note as well this does not have a dark undertone of patchouli which I always fear in these kind of smells.

The Comforter – Limited Edition – LUSH Kitchen
£10.25/250g

My ultimate favourite shower gel.  This one the first Kitchen purpose I woke up early for and stalked the website for. If you are familiar with the scent, you will understand my obsession.  A sweet, fruity scent which is strong.  By using the tiniest bit and you can smell it on yourself all day.  Deliciously girly but I have spoken to a few men who are also obsessed with this scent.

If you have the opportunity – smell and hoard this baby.  When I was in Japan I was able to snap up a 100g bottle for a friend – she was delighted!

Scent Family; Comforter Bubble Bar, You Snap the Whip, Comforter Lotion (Limited Edition – Lush Kitchen), Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly, Reindeer Rock Soap (Christmas Limited Edition)

Happy Hippy
£3.75/100g, £7.50/250g, £11.95/500g

If you need a shower gel to wake you up in the morning – this is it! Smelling of grapefruit and citrus fruits this shower gel really puts the zing into mornings.  As well as being super awakening and fresh this shower gel leaving your skin energised and clean.

Hot Toddy – Limited Edition – Christmas 2014
(Price unknown – sorry)

Christmas in a bottle. This is a spicy shower gel with warming scents and rose gold glitter.  I think this is a great winter shower gel for when you are ice cold and you need a warm bath – it warms you from the inside out.  It smells of cloves, patchouli and cinnamon leaf, and contains seaweed to soften the skin.

Scent Family; Holly Go-Lightly Bubble Bar (Christmas Limited Edition), Melting Snowman Bath Melt (Christmas Limited Edition)

Flying Fox£4.95/100g, £9.95/250g, £16.95/500g

For me, this shower gel smells purely of jasmine.  Made from honey, and essential oils this is said to be an anti-bacterial shower gel. Unfortunately all I can smell is jasmine – which I hate.  So this one definitely is not for me.

Scent Family; Godiva Shampoo Bar

Rose Jam – Christmas Limited Edition

(Price unknown - sorry)

This one isn’t for everybody but I love it! It does smell like roses (obviously) but also had a sweet syrupy scent to it.  In fact, on further inspection people have suggested it smells like Turkish delight and I completely agree.  Despite hating the sweet treat, I love the scent of this in a shower gel.  The shower gel is nourishing and softening on the skin and is more of a grown up scent than the likes of The Comforter.  I think this is an elegant feminine scent which is enjoyed by lots of LUSH fans over the Christmas period.

Scent Family; Jason and the Argan Oil Solid Shampoo Bar, Rose Jam Bubbleroon, Pearl Massage Bar, Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner, and Sparkler Bath Bomb (Halloween 2014 Limited Edition)

It’s Raining Men
£4.75/100g, £9.50/250g, £15.95/550g

Sweet Tooth like me? What about a toffee and honey shower gel? This made from lots of honey, which is antiseptic and soothing to the skin and is beautifully sweet.  The shower gel when rubbed into a loofah creates a big creamy thick lather and feels very luxurious.

Scent Family; Honey I Washed the Kids soap, Yellow Fun, Honey I Washed My Hair Shampoo bar, Honey Bee Bath Bomb 

Dirty Springwash
£4.75/100g, £9.50/250g, £15.95/500g

The shower gel from the Dirty range could be seen as a product marketed for men – but this is never explicitly stated by LUSH. The range is based on a minty menthol smell, which invigorates the skin and gives you the fresh and tingly sensation. The scent is also perfect after a workout or in hot weather!

Scent Family; Dirty Soap, Dirty Toothy tabs, Dirty Body Spray, Dirty Hair Cream, Dirty Shaving Cream, Dirty Perfume, Dirty Massage Bar

YOSushi!

Happy Tuesday!

Last night a few friends and I wanted to head out somewherefor dinner, we wanted something different and we were partial to an offer if there was one.  

None of us particularly liked sushi or at least had gave it a real chance, so we decided to take the plunge and head to the new YOSushi in Victoria Square.

Before heading I had researched that it was Blue Monday, and therefore all plates were £2.50.  The menu of what was on offer was pretty great. It ranged from hot to cold, cooked to warm and also had a few desserts on the menu.

Menu;http://www.yosushi.com/static/downloads/menus/5797%20BlueMond_placemat_V1lores%20May%2014.pdf

The chefs prepared all food at the start of the sushi train – adding the finished plates to the train to be picked.  At the beginning we took a few things off the belt to share, but after a while the same 15 things kept circling around and we felt a little cheated.

I called a waitress over and asked for some of the stuff we didn’t see, and she said we can order anything we don’t see and it will be brought down ASAP.  

We tried

·       Spicy Chicken ISO

·       Duck and Mango Roll

·       Seared Beef Nigiri

·       Cooked Prawn Nigiri

·       Beef Tsukune

·       Spicy Pepper Squid

·       Duck Gyoza - AMAZING

·       Chicken Katsu

·       Chicken Firecracker Rice

·       Custard Dorayaki – AMAZING

On the table; There are two filtered cold water taps at each table, fizzy or still.  There are chopsticks, cutlery, soy sauce, and pickled vegetables.

The Bill; came to £13 pound each which I thought was very reasonable.  Overall we thought the atmosphere was great and there was quite a good variety of food - would go again!