Christmas Time With Lush Cosmetics!

 Christmas came early for me this year!  After my excellent experience w/ Lush Cosmetics Halloween line I of course jumped at the chance to try and sample some of their products from their current Holiday collection.

If you're struggling w/ a gift for an friend, family member or someone in the office some of these little treats would make an excellent addition.  As I mentioned before Lush Cosmetics are handmade and fresh w/ little to no preservatives or packaging.  All products are vegetarian friendly and many are vegan friendly.  The only thing some people aren't a fan of (and I mentioned this before) is the fragrances.  The products do tend to have a lot of natural fragrance so if that's not something you're cool w/ you might want to pass on these things.

Now on to the treats!

Sandy Santa - This is a shower body exfoliant in the shape of Santa.  Good for buffing away that dry Winter skin for your feet, legs and elbows.  I'd probably avoid the face w/ this one as I think it would be a little too coarse or rough for that.  This year they've also added coconut oils and shea butters to soften the skin while exfoliating.  It's a good product but beware that Santa's red cap does bleed once wet so can be a little messy and your shower might need a bit of a rinse...I think my boyfriend referred to this product as "bloody Santa" or "bleeding head Santa" lol.

Buche De Noel - Another exfoliant/cleanser but this one is for the face.  It usesground almonds to gently exfoliate the face and almond oil and seawood to hydrate and nourish it.  I like this product and I do find a little goes a long way....which is great b/c my one complaint about some Lush products is that they get used up very quickly considering the price.  I personally wouldn't use this as my everyday face shower cleanser maybe more like 1 or 2 times a week.  Because of the ground almonds...even though they are ground finely I think it could be a bit much for the skin to use it everyday...plus I sometimes worry about the the micro tears almond exfoliants can create on the skin b/c of the rough edges (even when finely ground).  I do really enjoy the smell of this product though and I do not find it drying to the skin.

Snowcake - This bar soap has been a hit w/ my boyfriend...so much so I'd say I actually only used it a couple of times lol.  He even said he'd consider buying other soaps from Lush as sort of "special soaps" to sometimes use instead of his regular day to day "man soaps".  I really liked the almond icing and marzapan fragrance and I did overall find the soap very moisturizing...although I'll be totally honest and admit I'm more of a shower gel girl anyway ;)

Rose Jam - Speaking of shower gel this leads me to my next product and actually probably my FAV out of the bunch.  I LOVED the way this shower gel smelled!  And I'll be honest I'm not usually a big "rose" fragrance fan but I really like this!  Plus unlike a lot of other shower gels the fragrance stayed w/ me after the shower.  I remember one time in particular thinking what is that lovely smell...then I realized it was me lol!

Bombardino - These are one of those cute and fun stocking stuffer type gifts!  It's definitely a little treat for your skin and a bit of an indulgence b/c they aren't really long lasting but that's what makes them perfect to give as gifts.  I personally love gifts that I'd never actually buy for myself but would still like to try and this little bath bomb is perfect for that!

Santa's Lip Scrub - This lip scrub feels and tastes so yummy on my lips.  It's very moisturizing and the sugar exfoliates while the coconut oil moisturizes.  Sure you could make this scrub (minus the flavour and colour) at home but this is a nice little treat that's easy to keep in your purse or again throw in a stocking or gift bag for a friend!  It has a cherry cola fragrance and taste and it's edible so you just lick it off your lips after you exfoliate...it tastes so good I also lick it off my finger after I apply it too lol!

Santa Baby - This is a perfect companion gift for the Santa's Lip Scrub.  Made w/ shea and cocoa butters to moisturize lips during the cold, harsh Winter mths.  This lip tint/moisturizer does give some intense colour pay off so if you're not looking for some rosy lips I'd try something a little more neutral like the Eggnog Lip Balm. Another neat trick - you can use this lip tint to give your cheeks a nice rosy flush...I love when products have duel purposes!

The Christmas Penguin - Last but definitely not least!  How did Lush know my fav animal is the penguin ;) This little guy is another bubble bath bomb and every penguin is unique as they are each made from hand.  I thought this one was just too cute!

This is just a sample of the items available in the Holiday Collection by Lush this year so there's definitely something for everyone and definitely worth checking out online or in-store!