Clean Your Scalp & Your Golden Highlights with LUSH

Warmer temperatures meant two things for hair- scalps get oilier, hair gets sweaty, and if you have highlights, they are going to get brassy in the sun. Luckily one stop at LUSH gets you two shampoos that can take care of both of these concerns beautifully. 

LUSH I Love Juicy shampoo is the perfect solution for oily hair. And by oily hair I mean oily roots, because that is where the issue lies. And this delicious shampoo is one of the best I've used. I originally gave it to my teenage daughter, who also loves it, but now I use it as well. Fresh pineapple, papaya, kiwi and mango juices add a delicious, refreshing scent and make your hair feel squeaky clean. Some sea salt adds beachy volume and they've added some seaweed gel for extra softness. Result? Shiny clean bouncy hair. It rinses out easily and leaves my hair feeling clean and smooth, not a dry, frizzy tangly mess, so this tells me it is gentle to my hair while being tough on my scalp. The fruity scent is totally unisex so get this for your guy as well. I love it.  

My other concern is the brassy yellow tone that can happen to highlighted or coloured hair that is exposed to sun, pool or seawater, or even just the hard water and chlorine that comes out of our showers. A violet shampoo treatment is perfect for blonde, grey and frankly any hair colour that you'd like to keep rich and true. I have used many many many violet toned shampoos to keep the brassies at bay but they either don't work at all (Aveda) or work a bit too well with my blonder highlights ending up slighly, well, purple (Shimmer Lights). Another issue with some of them like Shimmer Lights is that they smell strong and actually make my hair as dry as straw at the ends, requiring tons of conditioner and detangling spray. I am so glad I found LUSH Daddyo! Fresh citrus juices and seaweed gives your hair softness and shine, while the violet leaf, rose and bergamot oils create a scent that stays on your hair throughout the day. The violet scent stands out to me, but its not a sweet powdery violet- it is more like a wild violet in the forest with a whiff of salty sea air scent. This one also leaves my hair soft and easy to manage. Amazing.

Both of these shampoos are available at LUSH stores and online and cost between $9-$30, depending on size.

My Bath Is An Explosion of Roses

That is not me in the bath.

I love to languish in a hot steamy bath. I am lucky enough to have a really deep tub, and my bathrooms have huge skylights, so I can lie back and look at the sky while I soak. A scented bath really ups the ante for me, and given my rose obsession of late, LUSH bath bombs really fit the bill. One of the best things about a LUSH bath bomb, is that if you leave the bathroom door open, the scent travels out and perfumes the house. I love that, of course. 

LUSH Rose Queen

The rosiest of rose baths can be had just by tossing a Rose Queen bath bomb into your bath. We all know that LUSH bath bombs are full of water and skin softening goodness, so even plain old hot water feels better. But Rose Queen ups the ante with rose blossoms, petals and rose fragrance to die for. It's like somebody said "This bomb needs MOAR ROSE EVERYTHING!" and LUSH listened. What more can I say? Get this, and luxuriate in it's rosy goodness.

LUSH Tisty Tosty

Another rose bath bomb I adore is the sweetly named Tisty Tosty, which is full of sweet & sexy rose along with orris root. Orris root is often called "iris" in scent, and has a calming & sensual earthy aspect that I adore. Along with wee little rose buds that float around the tub, this one brings a softness to the water that is excellent for dry or rough skin. The scent is a calm and happy one, which makes sense as LUSH calls this one "an enchanting love potion". Tisty Tosty is English childish slang, historically used to refer to a ball of flowers and even pine cones. Sweet and charming.

Both of these leave a soft gentle scent on the skin after bathing and are soothing for dry irritated skin. Love it.

Bath Bombs are available at LUSH stores and online for between $5-$8.

I'm All Soft & Silky Thanks To LUSH Ro's Argan Body Conditioner

Skincare fanatic that I am, how could I NOT try LUSH Ro's Argan Body Conditioner? A cream you apply in the shower just before hopping out then rinse off to feel all moisturized and soft? Yes please. In spite of the silly name. 

Firstly, the "Ro's" is a play on words and by that I mean ROSE. This product has rose coming out the yin- yang, even though it was created by a lovely lady named Rowena. Rose, as we know, is basically heaven for your skin and senses and is full of all kinds of goodness. It's also one of my favourite beauty ingredients, perfume and skincare-wise. Combined with a skin beautifying cocktail of coco butter, almond oil and the miraculou argan oil, the scent becomes like a sort of candied rose but also warm and comforting. I love it. Unlike many LUSH products, Ro's Argan Body Conditioner is actually softly scented and the scent stays close to the skin. It is uber concentrated so one needs only the tiniest amount to spread head to toe to reap the benefits. Trust me- I applied way too much the first time. I was doubtful that this product would actually deliver what a million drugstore body washes promise to and fail to do. You know, moisturize in the shower? Before rinsing off? How does that even work? Well, it does. Amazing, frankly. 

Rose Harvest ~ Henry Siddons Mowbray 1887

This product would be perfect for someone who doesn't feel like putting on lotion after the shower (hello- most men?!) or if your skin is so dry you need to seal in that moisture. This is serious moisture therapy and I am loving it. No itchy dry skin! LUSH Ro's Argan Body Conditioner comes in a big tub for around $30.  My only complaint would be that it would be better in a squirt bottle. I hate repeatedly dipping my fingers into any beauty product, and it gets water in it in the shower. But whatever, not a deal breaker.

The Lemony Loveliness of LUSH Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter

How have I not written about this incredible stuff? I say that a lot as I go through my daily high maintenance routine, pulling up my Holy Grail items, and realize how little new stuff I have to acquire in order to share my beauty love & expertise. Heh heh, my beauty prodz hoarding tendencies are a whole other post....

Anyways, as we are all Mad Manicure Ladies in da hizzouse ( I am the mother Emilie of The Beauty School Dropouts, after all!) of course we take care of our hands. Lush Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter is probably the best cuticle treatment that I've used as well as an amazing value. At around $15 for a 50g jar that will last you ages, your money is well spent. I remember the first time I used it grabbed a huge blob of product to rub in and it was almost enough to grease my whole body down. Use caution, dear reader, as Lemony Flutter is rich and concentrated and a wee bit goes a very long way. I like to use it at bedtime for transformed cuticles when I wake up. And it actually improves the looks of your hands immediately upon application as well. The zingy lemon scent makes your hands smell yummy & clean too. 

One thing you need to know about a cuticle treatment and why they are so important- it is not just for the health and strength your cuticles but for your nails as well. A quality cuticle treatment is made of certain oils that have a certain molecular structure that can penetrate the nail bed, as well as a carrier for other oils. Oils also act as water repellers. Too much water in the nail bed area weakens the nail as it expands. Lemony Flutter is full of rich ingredients like avocado oil, shea butter, coconut oil, mango butter, glycerin flaxseed oil and lanolin. You know how wonky your nail shape becomes after a bath or doing the dishes? I actually hold my hands above the bath water when I soak. So- protect them and coat them with good stuff, like Lemony Flutter. You will see a huge difference in the health and appearance of your cuticles and nails.

Veruschka! I coveted my bff's big sister's bottle of Cutex Opaline 

LUSH products are available in their boutiques or you can shop online. You can even order a catalogue, if you are into that kind of thing.