Review: LUSH Godiva Shampoo Bar

Happy Friday everyone! It's a bright and sunny day and I'm feeling really good right now since my colds are gone yay! :)

Today, I will be reviewing another shampoo bar from Lush Cosmetics. I really like their hair care line because they didn't break me out and there's also minimal to no hair fall whenever I use them.  I have been contemplating which shampoo to try and have decided to get the popular Godiva 2 in 1 shampoo bar.

*photo courtesy of Lush USA website because I was unable to take a picture before I used it*


According to Lush:
Our vegan, 2-in-1 shampoo bar cleans and conditions your hair with moisturizing nut oils and shea butter. These butters and oils care for dry, processed locks and leave you with glossy, shiny, and softened tresses. Long used as a tonic for the hair and scalp, jasmine also perfumes your locks with an ultra-sexy fragrance with serious staying power. Named after a certain naked protestor, Godiva gets to work sending a message to your hair. 

INGREDIENTS:
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate , Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao) , Cetearyl Alcohol and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate , Glycerl Stearate & Peg - 100 Stearate , Propylene Glycol , Perfume , Hibiscus Extract (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) , Stearic Acid , Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii) , Cetearyl Alcohol , Cetrimide , Camella Oil (Camella japonita) , Organic Cold Pressed Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia chinensis) , Organic Macadamia Nut Oil (Macadamia ternifolia) , Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera) , Jasmine Absolute (Jasminum officinale) , Ylang Ylang Oil (Cananga odorata) , Cypress Oil (Cupressus sempervirens) , Palmarossa Oil (Cymbopogan martini) , Jasmine Flowers (Jasminum officinale) , Cupuacu Butter (Theobroma Grandiflorum) , Cocamide DEA , Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides) , Benzyl Alcohol , Geraniol , *Limonene , *Linalool


NET WT: 55g
PRICE: Php525 


MY THOUGHTS ON GODIVA SHAMPOO BAR

YAY!

- This cleanses my hair and scalp thoroughly. All the build up of products that I have used before were gone after one wash. Can be used as a clarifying shampoo but not as drying like other brands.

- Keeps my hair soft without the need of a conditioner which saves me time and money hehe. You might think at first that your hair is too squeaky clean (while it's wet) and is in need of a conditioner but just wait until your hair dries and it will surprisingly felt soft.

- It gives my hair volume. I have limp hair so having a bouncy full locks without the use of a styling tool is a big plus.

- Keeps my scalp and hair smelling good the whole day.

- I did not experience any hair fall. Whenever I use commercially available shampoos, I get a lot of hair fall during my shower but I didn't experience that with this.

- Did not irritate my skin so no breakouts on my scalp and back. That's one of my problems with other brands and those acne were painful to the touch and hard to heal. I'm so glad Lush is always there to the rescue to help me heal.

- One bar is said to be good for 80 washes (equivalent to 3 bottles of shampoo). I have long hair now (past bra line) so I think I can get around 60 washes from this instead of 80...actually, I think this can last me for 4-5 months because I have already used it for a month and it's still looks the same.

- Lastly, having great customer service is always a big plus in my book. I always buy from Lush SM North because the staff there is so accommodating and helpful everytime I visit the store.


NAY!

- This is softer and easier to melt compared to the other shampoo bars that I have tried from Lush. Maybe it's because it has a lot of oils in it to make it moisturizing so it's not that solid. I just place it in a container where it can dry completely and won't get reached with water whenever someone takes a shower.

- It is not enough to make your hair tangle free. My hair is soft and volumized but it can get tangled at the ends very quickly. My hair is naturally like that so I think I need to do a weekly deep conditioning to help Godiva along.


- It is quite pricey at Php500+ for one small bar. It is still worth it though :)


OVERALL RATING: 4.5/5

I love everything about it! No wonder Godiva is such a popular and well loved product. It does everything it said it will and you definitely won't get disappointed with the performance. I just hope it doesn't melt that fast.


WILL I REPURCHASE? Yes but not anytime soon. I plan on trying out all of Lush's shampoos, both the solid bars and the liquids, but I can definitely see myself using this for a long time.


What's your favorite Lush shampoo? I would like to know yours so that I can try them too! :)


Thank you for dropping by!
 

Review: LUSH American Cream Conditioner

Happy Saturday!! I'm pretty sure everyone is happy because it's a rest day today. I actually spent my day lounging in my room reading a book while playing with my pets (and Sims!). I'm more excited for tomorrow though, coz Sunday is always a family day for us so we will go out together after church in the morning :)

For today, I have decided to share my thoughts on the Lush American Cream Conditioner that I use together with the Ultimate Shine Shampoo Bar that I reviewed the other time. I always use them together every time I wash my hair. I have been trying this out for more than a month now and I am now ready to give my thoughts on this hair conditioner.

LUSH says:

"American Cream is our dreamy, medium-strength for soft, shiny and bouncy locks. Softening honey, scalp clarifying lavender and fresh oranges make a conditioner suitable for all hair types to soften rough ends and keep hair calm. Not to mention the absolutely delectable strawberry vanilla cream scent. Mark was inspired by a vision of 1950s US milk bars, where teenagers would meet and drink frothy, creamy milkshakes. He concocted our best-selling conditioner to soften and control, all while evoking memories. No wonder it remains such a customer favorite year after year!"

FEATURES
- Smells like teen spirit: Suitable for all hair types, just about anyone can enjoy soft hair scented with gorgeous strawberries and vanilla.

- Double your pleasure: Our medium-strength conditioner leaves your hair calmed, softer and transformed.

- Fresh is best: Strawberries are rich in vitamin C and have cleansing properties.

Source: Lush website


INGREDIENTS:

PRICE: Php375.00
NET WT: 100gms

YAY!!!

- This smells so good! I really love the scent of this - Vanilla with a hint of something else. 

- The scent lasts until my next wash (I wash my hair every other day) which is awesome!

- Makes my hair softer and manageable.

- This doesn't weigh down my hair like other conditioners I've tried before.

- I love the packaging as the cap gives you control on how much product you want to dispense.

- This is cruelty free and vegetarian friendly :)

NAY!

- Quite expensive. It costs Php375 for the smallest bottle that contains 100gms of product

- If you have very dry hair, this won't work for you as it is very light. There are days that this won't help that much when I'm having a bad hair day.

OVER-ALL RATING: 4.5/5

Although I hope this is more moisturizing, I really love the clean vanilla scent that it gives my hair plus it lingers for 2 days which is the best thing. Even my sister loves this because her bf complements her whenever she uses this hehe boys love the scent of this too. The only problem I have is the price.

WILL I REPURCHASE? Definitely! Although I might be checking the other conditioners first because I'm a product junkie and I can't resist trying out new stuff even though I found good products already haha :)

What's your favorite Lush conditioner? Do share them with me on the comment section below. I wanted to get some recommendations from you all on what I should try first :)

Thanks for dropping by!

Review: LUSH Ultimate Shine Shampoo Bar

Happy Thursday! How's your week so far? I hope it went well for everyone :)

For today's post, I will be doing a review on my current shampoo which is from Lush Cosmetics called Ultimate Shine. It is another solid shampoo like my previous one (Soak and Float) because I really think I can get more use with these ones compared to their liquid versions, plus it's great for travelling.

WHAT LUSH SAYS:

"Our beautiful, glamorous solid shampoo does exactly what it says; it gives you gloriously softened locks with Ultimate Shine. How do we do that? It's simple; each gently cleansing bar is filled with exotic essential oils to promote a happy scalp and shiny hair. Fragrant ylang ylang makes dull hair gleam once again; to boost your shine even more we add in golden glitter for a subtle shimmer. Floral violet leaf decongests, and gets things moving on your scalp again and toning elemi oil cares for your scal and calms nerves. Wash away and be left with gorgeous, shining stresses."

Features:

• Shine on: Ultimate Shine makes your hair super glossy without the need for a conditioner.
• Beautiful and effective: Our violet-infused bar cares for your scalp, keeping it clean and oil-free.
• Double duty: Aromatherapists use uplifting ylang ylang to treat stress and depression but it is also effective for balancing the scalp and hair.

INGREDIENTS: 
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Perfume, Elemi Oil, Ylang Ylang Oil, Violet Leaf Oil, Gardenia Extract, Golden Glitter, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene, Linalool

source: Lush website

What it looked like:

NET WT: 100g
PRICE: Php425


YAY!

- Gives my hair volume. 
It really removes dirts and oils that weighs down my hair so I don't really need to use a separate clarifying shampoo.

- It cleanses my scalp and hair very well but gently. 
Very minimal hair loss (maybe 3-5 strands only) whenever I shower which is great.

- I love the light fresh scent too. Very mild and not overpowering. 
This shampoo can be combined with any conditioner as it won't clash with other scents.

- This lathers up really well. 
I just need to wet the bar a little and rub it between my hands to create enough lather for my medium length hair.

- As with all the solid shampoos from Lush, 1 bar is almost equivalent to 3 bottles of a liquid shampoo because this can provide around 80 washes or more depending on the length of your hair and how you store it.

- Perfect for travelling as it saves space in your kit and you won't worry about any spilling during the trip. 

- This doesn't melt quite easily. I love that I know I'll be using this for months and months before I need to repurchase again.


- Lush is a cruelty free brand :)
NAY!

- It might look pricey to some people as 1 bar costs Php400 and not everyone would like to shell out that much money for one product.

- This is not as hygienic as shampoos in a bottle.

- Can be drying if you let the product stay on your scalp/hair for more than 5 mins. 
If you let any shampoo stay on your hair for a long time, it will become a clarifying shampoo and remove everything. 


- This has sulfates and some people don't like products with SLS. TIPS:

- Keep in a dry place. I store mine in an empty tub of moisturizer so that it won't melt in the shower.
- Create a lather on your hand instead of directly on your scalp to prevent hair breakage due to friction.
- Always follow up with a good conditioner to make your hair softer as this can be drying sometimes.


OVER-ALL RATING: 5/5

I really love this shampoo! Even though it is not moisturizing, I love the fact that it cleanses my hair and scalp perfectly without making me lose my hair in the process (I'm prone to hair loss). I wash my hair every other day as suggested by hair experts and I'm happy to announce that my second day hair is not greasy at all. It actually looks and smells fresh until my next shampoo! I really recommend you try this one when you do drop by at Lush.

By the way, I just received a text from Lush that they are having 50% off SALE for all their Christmas products until the end of January so do visit their stores to check out their items =)


Thanks for dropping by!

2012 Hits and Misses

Check out my "Hits and Misses" for 2012! 

I'll put a link if I have done a review for them already...BUT if there's no link, it means I will be reviewing it in the near future :)

*in no particular order*

BEST PRODUCT FINDS OF 2012

1. Google Nexus 7 

This is the best 7 inch tablet ever! Super fast and responsive since this contains the latest android (Jelly Bean 4.2) on it's purest form. It can also play full HD videos, pictures and music plus i'ts a good ebook reader. There's also a lot downloadable applications (games, programs, etc) at Google Play. 


2. Allue Lip Conditioner

This is one of the best finds I had this year because it is very affordable and it works!


3. Artist Studio Brushes

Again, you can never beat the affordable price of these brushes AND you are getting high quality product at the same time. Definitely the best makeup brush to start your collection.


4. Payless "Lower East Side" flats

*sorry about the dirty appearance of the shoes*

These are my favorite pairs of flats. They are really comfortable and is built to withstand everyday abuse. Full review to follow as these babies need more attention :)


5. Lush Hair Duo: Ultimate Shine Solid Shampoo + American Dream Conditioner

These combination is absolutely divine! Long lasting cleanliness and your hair will definitely smell great until your next wash. I will post a full review soon :)


6. Laser Hair Removal - Underarm

I got a gift coupon from Ensogo that entitled me 8 sessions of UA LHR for only Php3,000! I am done with my 8th session this month and I am just waiting for at least 5 weeks to gauge the result. Will post a more in depth review :)


MISSES OF 2012

1. Bench Jeans

Definitely poor in quality especially for the price.


2. The Face Shop eyelash curler

Oh my, I can't use this even if I have all the time in the world to be careful. The shape of the curler is definitely not a match for my eye-shape as it keeps on pinching my lids.


3. Skin Food Black Bean Eyeliner

This liner sucks big time! It is too creamy that even if you wait for it to set, you'll still get panda eyes after 1 minute. 

4. My Phone Cellphone

This has low quality...It's definitely a waste of money because even though it's cheap, it gets broken quite easily.

5. Lush Soak & Float solid shampoo

I can't get over the smoked scent and it didn't work for me either in controlling my dry scalp.

5. Ipanema FlipFlops

It's too flimsy to be comfortable to use for walks. It makes my feet hurt after an hour of walking so I still prefer my Havaianas over this one. 

6. Styli-Style 24hr Liquid Liner Pen

This dried up very fast. I believe this just lasted me 2-3 months..That's too fast and it's quite pricey too at Beauty Bar. 

Those are my Hits and Misses for the year 2012. All of these items are purchased and used this year and were tried extensively by yours truly before I decided which should go to which.

Thank you for dropping by!

December Hauls: LA Girl, Lush & stuffs from Japan!

I have bought a couple of stuffs this month and I wanted to share them with you all because these are the items that I will be reviewing starting January 2013. I am still testing them out and I will start sharing my thoughts on them after the holidays. I promise :)

LA GIRL

LA Girl is part of LA Colors and I really wanted to try something from this brand because 1) it's a cruelty-free brand and 2) they are really affordable. They had a sale before Christmas and I decided to try their lipsticks and concealer. The lipsticks are both red but with different finish as I've been searching for the perfect red color for the holidays. I also got their HD pro concealer for my undereyes since I have a bad case of dark circles. The SA gave me a travel size perfume which is perfect to bring along on your kikay kit.

These are sold at SM Department stores, if you are wondering.

LUSH

I am in need of hair products and I really love LUSH so I decided to drop by at their SM North The Block branch and got myself a shampoo and conditioner. After talking with very friendly SA, I decided to go for a solid shampoo called Ultimate Shine and the popular conditioner American Cream. I have been using these duo for more than 2 weeks now and I believe I will review this soon as I have tested it out extensively to give my verdict on these 2 :)

JAPAN HAUL

And lastly, all of the items I got from Japan that were brought by my Japanese friends in the beginning of this month. I got a Hada Labo facial wash, Hada Labo antiaging lotion, Hada Labo BB cream, Aroma Resort body milk and 4 kinds of face masks. I haven't tried the masks so it will take time before I can review those. BUT I have tried all the Hada Labo stuff already since the first week of December and I will give my two cents on those soon :)

See, I have a lot of stuff to try and review. Please do follow my blog so that you can see my reviews for these products as soon as they got posted. :)


Thanks for dropping by!

Review: LUSH Soak & Float Shampoo Bar

Happy Monday everyone! I hope all of you had a nice weekend like me. My family and I spent the whole Sunday in our place at Tagaytay with some family friends for my dad's birthday.. I really enjoyed eating a lot of delicious foods :)

For today's post, I decided to do a product review for LUSH Soak and Float Shampoo Bar. I have read and watched a lot of good reviews for this shampoo that it is great for itchy flaky scalp. I have been having problems with my scalp for a long time and I can't find a shampoo that works...I decided to try this because 1) I haven't tried a shampoo bar and 2) this is made by Lush and is popular among Lush fans.

Ingredients/Description from LUSH.com
- Antibacterial dandruff prevention -

"We’re just going to say it upfront: this shampoo bar smells like tar and campfires. A rather pungent shampoo bar, Soak and Float is incredibly effective at fighting flakes and dry scalps. Cade oil is what gives Soak and Float its distinctive smell, and works wonders against the microbes that cause dandruff, and it also works to alleviate bothered scalps that are dry and itchy. Lavender oil helps to improve the smell, and works its magic with marigold petals to soothe and clear up dry and irritated scalps. Don’t be ashamed, if you have dandruff all you need to do is Soak and Float."

WHAT I LIKED:

- cleanses my hair and scalp really well. 

It made my hair feel lighter since it removes all excess oil that weighs down my hair. I really love the clean feel I get after every wash.

- Helped in lessening the itchiness of my scalp. 

There's definitely improvement in the condition of my scalp.

- A bar of this shampoo is said to last 80 washes. It's a really good deal for the price.

I think this can be true because it doesn't melt easily. I have used mine for a month already and it still looks the same as when I bought it.

- Lathers really well for a shampoo bar.
You just need to run it under water and rub your hands with it to create enough lather to coat your scalp and hair.

- LUSH is a cruelty-free brand that uses natural ingredients which is always a plus in my book.

WHAT I DON'T LIKE:

- I hated the smell.

It really smells like smoke just like in the description. I love sweet smelling shampoos so this is a sacrifice for me. I don't like the idea that I smell like I've been sitting near a campfire when my bf is hugging me.

- It didn't totally helped in removing the flakes.

I used it very consistently and though it helped with regards to the itchiness, I still have flakes on my scalp.

- It dried up my hair and increased hair fall. 

This shampoo definitely needs a conditioner as a partner. The ends of my hair are so dry and tangled because this doesn't give any moisture to it. Also, I noticed a lot of hair falling whenever I shower.

- You can't use this directly on your scalp because it will break the strands.

I did this the first time I used it and I had a lot of hair falling due to breakage. It is really best to lather it on your hands and then apply it on your scalp.

OVER-ALL RATING: 3.5/5

This is a good clarifying shampoo. It definitely leaves your hair and scalp feeling light and clean after every wash. I just wish it works as great as what the reviews says with regards to dandruff treatment.

WILL I RE-PURCHASE? No. I wanted to try other shampoo bars from Lush once I've used this up...maybe Seanik or Godiva.

What is your favorite shampoo from Lush? Please share them with me so I can check them out too :)

Thanks for dropping by!

Review: LUSH Fresh Farmacy

Happy Tuesday! 
Finally! I was able to take some pictures for my reviews using the DSLR of my sister...it was so hard to operate compared to my point&shoot digital camera. So please pardon me for the quality of the photos (until I get a new digicam or until I get the hang of this cam) hehe I really don't know what I'm doing ^_^

I have been using the LUSH Fresh Farmacy facial soap 2x a day for more than a month already. I have chosen to try this because it had garnered a lot of raves from acne prone skin people all over the world and also LUSH is part of the cruelty-free brands available locally.

Here's a close up look of the label so you can see the description of the product, ingredients and the price.

 

PRICE: P395 per 100g.

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: Calamine and Chamomile

I had mine cut into smaller pieces (about 2-3 inches cube) at the store so that I can keep them fresh a lot longer and to prevent them from melting all at once. The SA at SM NORTH was so nice because she even wrapped them individually with paper :)

WHAT I LOVED ABOUT THE PRODUCT:

- It helped in calming my skin. My breakouts was also lessened -- I believed this because I don't have any acne treatment on my skin care regimen now.

- I liked the scent of calamine and chamomile. It makes me feel like I am putting some good quality natural stuff on my face which won't aggravate my skin condition haha ^_^

- This lathers really well. It's not bubbly/foamy like regular cleansers but at least it lathers enough for me to feel like I am cleaning my skin. I am not a fan of cleansers like Cetaphil because it doesn't lather at all.

- You can use everything up to the last melted soap to clean your face. I just scrape the container clean with my fingers :)

- Great for traveling. You won't need to worry about spilling anything on your bag because this is a solid soap.

- This product is 100% cruelty-free!


WHAT I HATE:

- It melts so fast! You really need to place this in a dry cool place because it melts quite easily. A small piece of soap can last me 2-3 weeks depending on how I store my used soap.

- This made my skin a lot drier. Now, I have oily skin and my face feels taut right after washing my face. I can't imagine people with dry skin using this.

- This is unhygienic. I prefer soaps in liquid form because I hate the idea of dipping my fingers and contaminating the rest of the product.

- I think it's a little pricey for some people especially if you're not used to buying higher end brands of skin care products.


OVER-ALL RATING: 4/5

It works great on oily, acne prone and sensitive skin. I just hope it doesn't melt that easily.


WOULD I REPURCHASE? Maybe. I am the type of person who likes trying new stuff so I'll probably buy something different once I used this up. I only have 2 more cubes and I'm done.

What's your favorite LUSH product? Do share them with me so I can check them out. I am definitely gonna try their other stuffs :)


Thank you for dropping by!

Review: Lush Soap (Honey)

Hi everyone! Remember my Japan gifts post? There's a lot of Lush products there but I only tried this soap because the other one is for bath tubs and I don't have a bath tub to use it..anyway, the bar looks and smells like honey. I'm not really sure of the name of this because the label is in Japanese but I did a research in the net and I'm thinking that this might be the name..

Honey I Washed The Kids


According to the site:
"Mouth-watering honey soap for washing you, the kids, the dog and the granny. Real honey hand and body soap to soothe and sweetly scent your skin."
Price: Php 245.00
Although my bar looks different from the one on the site, I'm really guessing that they are the same because it was the only honey soap there haha ^_^

I have tried this soap and here's my review:

PROS
- smells great
- moisturizing
- doesn't melt that easily (if kept dry)
- soft on the skin (unlike some organic bath soaps that scratches because of the content)
- the size can be cut into 3-4 pieces..so it is a big bar


CONS
- the smell it leaves on the skin only lasts for a couple of minutes :(
- a little expensive for me


Will I purchase this? hmm I still can't decide. If ever it did something good on my skin after I finished the whole bar, then I will buy it if not..probably not..I'll just get a good smelling body wash from Marks & Spencer (the scent of these last long on me).


What about you? Have you tried any Lush products? Are they worth the price? Share your experiences in the comments area..or you can put the link of your review so I can read them..Thank yoU! till my next post! ^_^