Welcome Lush haul

The new Lush store opened yesterday in Place Stephanie, Brussels so I went down there to join the fun. There was a band playing outside and lots of pretty sales assistants dressed up in fifties-style dresses with matching hair and make-up. The store is teeny tiny, but there was a good, fun atmosphere and everyone was obviously very excited.

I picked up some old favourites along with some new things which I hadn't tried before.

Jungle solid conditioner - my no 1 Lush product of all time.

Jungle solid conditioner (€4.95 / £2.95) was the first thing I threw into my basket. I need this in my life, really I do.  It's amazing for my thick, curly hair and smells like a lush tropical paradise. It's pretty small, it used to come in a massive block like their soaps which they would cut for you in whatever size you wanted. I preferred it the old way as these little ones don't last me long. I have a serious amount of hair, which is why I never go the hairdresser because I'd feel sorry for them having to deal with my crazy mane. Anyway, this baby Jungle will last me about 20 washes, so it's not bad really. Most bottles of conditioner last me for about 15-20 washes.

Karma Komba shampoo bar

 I've bought this little shampoo bar (€8.75 / £5.00) so many times. It smells like orange and patchouli and makes me more than happy to wash my hair. These do last a long time, Lush estimate about 60 washes, I'd probably get about 30-40, plus Mr P likes to use this too, so I'll have to re-stock sooner probably. It detangles beautifully and pairs exceptionally well with Jungle.

Snowglobe soap

Mr P loves his soaps. His favourite is Ice Blue which I couldn't see there yesterday, so I picked up Snowglobe (€4.50 / £2.50) instead. It's a Christmas one, but it doesn't smell very Christmassy. This is very citrus and fresh. There hasn't been a Lush soap I haven't liked yet, so I'm looking forward to getting to know this one.

Dirty Shower gel

Another purchase for Mr P. I love the smell of this though and I think we'll be fighting over it. It smells 'clean', slightly herby, and slightly minty too. (€7.95 / £4.95 for 100ml)

Grass (Supergrass en Belgique!) shower gel

Grass shower gel (€8.25 / £4.75 for 100ml) was my freebie which they threw into my bag at the till. I wouldn't have picked this up off the shelf, but I'm glad they chucked it in. I used it this morning and it really is a gorgeous, complex mossy green smell. Like cut grass in 3D. It's meant to be a smell that reminds you of Spring, but I actually find it very Autumnal. I think Mr P will like this too.

Vanishing Cream (L'Oracle) moisturiser

 I'm running very low on my Effaclar K (La Roche Posay) and seeing as my skin is behaving a little better I thought I'd invest in a slightly richer moisturiser. As it get's colder I'm going to need that extra bit of moisture barrier which Effaclar doesn't really give me. The sales assistant recommended L'Oracle (€ 25.95 / £16.95) (Vanishing Cream in the UK/US) as being great for sensitive, breakout-prone skin. It smelt divine too, so into the basket that went.

Colour Supplement in Dark Yellow (Jaune foncé)

 I was very excited to finally try one of the Colour Supplements (€15.95 / £7.95). They are tiny pots of highly pigmented cream which you mix with moisturiser or use neat. They can be used as foundations, tinted moisturisers and concealers.

Dinky, but this is the full size and not a sample!

 As you can see from the picture above, the pot is tiny, but a little goes a long way. I picked the Dark Yellow shade (there are 5 shades altogether but most of them are pretty light). I was attracted by the versatility of this product, and the fact that you can vary the coverage depending on the ratio of colour to moisturiser that you choose to mix. Today I gave it a try for the first time, mixing a little with Vanishing Cream. I don't think I got the ratio right, I felt I needed a bit more colour. Having said that it seems to blend into the skin beautifully, even when applied neat. I had trouble getting the swatches below to show up because every time I applied a streak of product to my skin it would just blend in completely! A good sign I guess.

Colour Supplement (Dark Yellow)

Dark Yellow swatched on hand

Dark Yellow swatched thickly on arm

 Catastrophe Cosmetic fresh face mask

 

I haven't used a Lush face mask in years. I'm trying to use masks more regularly as I think that my skin benefits a lot the more I use them. I've recently finished up a load of half used tubes of mask (great for Project Pan!) so I figured it was time to try something new. Catastrophe Cosmetic (€10.95 / £5.50) is a calming and purifying blueberry based mask which is meant to prevent breakouts and reduce inflammation. It's fresh, so you keep it in the fridge. I can't wait to try this out.

The only thing that upsets me somewhat is the price difference between euros and sterling. Some prices are comparable, and others are just doubled. It makes me feel a bit sore about spending my hard-earned cash there in future. Still, this is Belgium. Most things are more expensive here, apart from high-end cosmetics strangely enough, which I often find to be slightly cheaper than in the UK.

Detailed reviews of Vanishing Cream, Catastrophe Cosmetic and the Colour Supplement to come!