LUSH Curly Wurly Conditioning Shampoo

Okay so this is my fifth LUSH product in a row, and after this I’ll go back into some other brands.  Today I’m going for LUSH Curly Wurly Conditioning Shampoo.  I love love love this shampoo.  Now I don’t technically have curly hair, but my hair waves if I let it dry naturally, and without proper product, it’s a frizzy disaster in a muggy environment.  So as a result, I often use products targeted at curly hair, because they often seem to control the frizz and actually make my hair sleeker.  If you have any frizz issues, no matter what your hair texture, try out a curly hair shampoo and see what it can do for you.  

Curly Wurly is coconutty goodness.  The container says that it has 15% coconut for conditioning.  And desiccated coconut is listed as the second ingredient.  It’s kind of weird at first, because you can see a whole lot of coconut flakes right in it.  You’re thinking, “Why would I rub coconut on my head, what’s that gonna do?” and “Is that stuff gonna get stuck in my hair?” Lol.  But it’s fabulous.  By the time I comb out my conditioner (which I always do just before rinsing it), all the flakes are gone.

It actually doesn’t look like shampoo at all really.  It kind of looks like some sort of coconut goo dessert.  And smells like one too.  It smells absolutely delicious.  Kind of like a coconut almond cookie or something.  It’s supposed to be coconut vanilla, but I feel like it’s more of a coconut almond scent then vanilla.  Also, it’s not liquid like a normal shampoo, but actually a thick, creamy goo.  And when you grab that goo and rub it into your wet hair, and it starts getting all sudsy and creamy, it’s a scentual delight.  Get it, scentual?  Lol.  But really, it’s quite an experience.  And it helps make your hair smooth and frizz free.   What more could you ask for? 

Scent: 5 (Delicious.  Calorie-free dessert!)
Health: 4 (Does contain sulfates.)
Ethics: 4 (LUSH is great, but not perfect.)
Price/Value: 4.25 ($21.95 per container, but it lasts a long time because you don’t need a lot and it’s a pretty big container.)
Does what it says: 5.25 (I give this one extra because it works for hair of all kinds of textures.)

Overall: 4.5 (A yummy smelling smoother!) 

Secret Moments Island Escape Sheer Fragrance Mist by Victoria's Secret

Get it while you can!  I stopped by Victoria's Secret the other day when I heard that the semi-annual sale was on again and discovered one of my favorite scents in the clearance bin.  That usually means that they are discontinuing it!  I was so disappointed.   It looks like the entire Secret Moments collection is going out.  That's kind of sad, since I feel like it just came out pretty recently.  Like, within the last two years.  While I didn't like all the scents, the Island Escape scented items were fabulous.  Anyway, you'd better go pick some up while you can! 

The Secret Moments Island Escape scent is listed on the bottle as beachy coconut and sugarcane.  I can smell more sugar than anything but there is a light coconut note as well.  The Sheer Fragrance Mist is a burst of refreshing sweetness.  It's uplifting and so delicious that it gets instant attention whenever you refresh it.  I always get complimented when I wear it.  It is a mist, which means it won't last as long as a perfume would, but its so yummy it's worth the re-apply just to remind yourself how delicious you are.

The Secret Moments collection also carries a body lotion, a body cream, a scrub and a shower gel in each scent.  I didn't really like any of the other scents, but it's all personal, so check them out.  And, they're super cheap right now so it's the time to do it!  I don't mind paying for good quality products, but a deal is a deal.  And I enjoyed all the other items in the collection as well.  Sweet scent, sweet price.  Do it up.

Scent: 5 (Totally delicious!)
Health: 4 (The ingredients seem decent, I don't see anything that I know of as unhealthy on the label.)
Ethics: 3 (VS doesn't have any obvious redeeming nor any really horrible qualities, that I'm aware of. )
Stay-ability: 3.5 (Lasts decently on skin and better on clothes)
Price: 5 (Right now it's a steal! Get it while you can!)

Overall: 4.25 (Sweet product, sweet deal.)

LAVANILA Laboratories - The Healthy Body Butter - Vanilla Coconut

LAVANILA Laboratories has created a body butter that it deems "The Healthy Body Butter".  Sounded great to me!  I am a total vanilla person and always looking to be healthier, so I was obviously immediately interested in this product. 

The funny thing is that I completely hated the Pure Vanilla scented products that they make.  That scent is very very strong and floral.  I am not into floral vanillas at all.  I want like sweet, yummy, edible-smelling vanilla.  I find that funny too because I find vanilla as a flavor to be really boring, but as a scent extremely pleasant.  Makes no sense really, but there it is.

So anyway, after I was disappointed with the Pure Vanilla scent, I almost gave up on LAVANILA altogether.  But then I noticed that there was a Vanilla Coconut scent!   I clearly had to try it and when I smelled the deliciousness I clearly had to buy it.  If you don't like sweet scents, they also make a Lavender Vanilla and a Grapefruit Vanilla and a few others as well.

The body butter is not nearly as thick as (what I think of as) a normal thickness for lotions deemed "butters", but it is still very pleasant.  It is very rich, yet absorbs easily and is a great moisturizer.  The scent is pretty light and not overwhelming.   It's a great light butter for supple summer skin with a light beachy scent.  Fabulous and yummy!

Ratings:

 

Scent: 4.5 (Delicious but not too sweet or overwhelming.)
Texture: 4.5 (Smooth and creamy and easily absorbed.)
Health: 4.5 (The company seems dedicated to Healthy products!)
Ethics: 4 (Haven't heard anything about good works, but they do healthy well.)
Does what it says: 4.75 (A great light moisturizer with a great light scent.)

Overall: 4.5 (Dreamy!)

LUSH Sugar Babe Shower Scrub

LUSH is my new obsession.  I love their stuff.  My friend got me into it by talking about all their wonderful products, and of course I was not hard to attract to a company who hand makes their products, cares about where their supply is coming from, is conscious about packaging their products, and puts mostly fabulous ingredients into them.  And their logo is bright and catchy too.  Yay!

Anyway, so their stuff is fabulous, and my friend and I started a monthly trip to LUSH for supplies.  This month is only the second trip, but we are excited.  I expect the tradition will live on.  It's definately a day out activity because there are only two stores in CT.  One is at the Danbury Fair Mall, and the other is at Mohegan Sun.  In bigger city areas, they are easier to come by.  Or you can always order online.  

So yes, about the Sugar Babe Shower Scrub.  When I think shower or body scrub I always think  liquid (well, cream or gel, really).  This is a solid scrub.  At first it weirds you out a little.  But I've figured out how to use it, and I LOVE it. 

What I do is break off a chunk to take into the shower or bath. Once the half ball is broken, the center is softer, and easier to use.  I place the chunk on the side well away from any water spray (it will fall apart if you get it fully wet) until I am ready to use it.  Once I am at that stage in my shower process, I step out of the spray, grab the chunk and use my fingers to take a little bit of it into my palm.  I rub that small amount on one part of my body, (i.e. thigh) and smooth around to exfoliate.  Then I continue using little bits on different body parts until I've covered all the body parts I wanted to. :)

The relatively small half sphere lasts longer then you'd expect.  It really depends on how much you use, and how many body areas you cover.  For me (and I cover most of my body when exfoliating) it lasts 5 or so showers.  That's really pretty decent.   It's less than $5, and though most scrubs may be bigger and last a little longer, they are also more expensive.

You do have to be careful with it, because it can crumble easily.  That's why I don't attempt to break off small pieces, but use big chunks and then just pull a little crumble off with my fingers.  And I also don't store it in the bath, but in the closet so it doesn't get wet and become mush.  Also by bringing in only a chunk, if it does get wet by dropping it or something I don't lose the whole thing. 

Sugar Babe is dreamy.  The smell is delicious, and it has a core of coconut oil, so not only are you smooth from exfoliating, you are also given an extra dose of moisture as well.  I exfoliate as my last step in the shower, and so I get that little boost of moisture at the end to prepare my skin for the day.   So you feel totally smooth and wonderful all day.  Who doesn't want that?  

Ratings:

 

Scent: 4.5 (Delicious but not too strong)
Texture: 3.5 (A great exfoliator, but falls apart easily.)
Health: 4.5 (I recognize most of the ingredients. No parabens, but it does contain sulfates.)
Ethics: 4.5 (Lush uses fair trade and fresh ingredients, seems great as far as I can tell.)
Does what it says: 4 (A great exfoliator but it falls apart easily so it can be a little hard to use.)

Overall: 4.25 (Very lovely!)

Some other fav LUSH products: