It was about ten years ago that I drifted into the
Lush store in the wake of an overwhelming tide of curiosity. I liked the whole set-up except for the price range and came away with a tiny lip balm. Since then I've become a fan of their concept of hand-made cosmetics that veered toward eco-friendly, fair trade, and organic ideas. They have done away with unnecessary packaging and look down on plastic, which was the one thing among others that truly impressed me.
Now Lush is one of those places I go to when I have the urge to splurge and still feel sensible. The splurging is well-compensated by the quality, the luxuriousness, and the eco-friendliness of Lush. You can expect to find a range of hand made cosmetics, potions, creams, cakes, and confectionery-like stuff for your face, body, hair, and even cuticles. They have a special range of products for men as well as thoughtfully concocted items for kids and even babies. I also find Lush products make great gifts. They have specially packaged products for just this purpose.
Lush is more than cosmetics; it is a community of believers in a natural way of life that is vibrant with the colours of the rainbow, fragrant as a garden on a warm summer's evening, and tinged heavily with a fantastic sense of humour that is delightfully irreverent. The word Lush encapsulates all of this perfectly. I like their philosophy and attitude to life and beauty and that's what drew me to Lush products.
Humour? Ask me why. To get this facet of the Lush personality, you have to read their newsletters. Where else would you find a shampoo called Blousey, of all things? Or bubble bath cakes called Dorothy with the description,
somewhere over the rainbow, baths are blue. This might sound weird but I read every line of this 40-odd pages literature crammed with pictures and witty descriptions. You can either pick it up from their stores or
subscribe online.
Generally cosmetics that claim to be natural or organic come off smelling quite, well, earthy, and looking drab and dull. But at Lush, they come out with bright hues and startling shades that make their stores look as if a bunch of kids had the run of the place and went crazy with the play dough and crayons.
And the fragrance is equally mind blowing. You can know you're in the vicinity of a Lush store from the heavy fragrance that hangs in the air. Jasmine, rose, orange blossoms, vanilla, and more lead you by the nose to the store even if you were blindfolded.
So are all Lush products completely organic? Not really. But they do have a huge section that only contains organic ingredients. Others involve minimal use of chemicals and preservatives that come in minimal quantities to hold things together and not disintegrate before you've had a chance to get going. These are all stated clearly and all you have to do is get a good look at the label. Propylene Glycol is not my idea of pure and natural, but Lush cosmetics do appear to be doing their darndest to keep the usual suspects out of their products.
And so over time I've come to have a few can't-do-withouts where Lush products are concerned. These are mainly hair products such as Roots and Happy Happy Joy Joy. They smell divine and make my hair soft, shiny, and manageable--all that you'd expect expensive products to do.
The last time I was there I picked up a shampoo bar that works really well. It's not just that it works well, it's also incredibly eco-friendly in that it does away with the need for a plastic container and does not contain nasties such as sodium laureth sulphate and those other unpronounceables.
