Lush Honey I Washed The Kids shower gel

You can see I’m right up to date – it’s the middle of March and I’m only now doing my February empties post! Well, things have been busy especially with the horses. I finished up some mascaras and I decided to throw away a couple – I have a tendency to hang on to mascaras longer than is perhaps wise. You should really only use mascaras for three months, then toss. This is because bacteria could get in the tube and transfer to your eyes. I’ve never had this happen but better safe than sorry I guess. Mind you, I actually think it’s a marketing ploy on the part of cosmetic companies to get you to buy mascara regularly.

Anyway. Here’s what I finished up during February.

Lush Karma Komba solid shampoo: That’s the white wrapper you can see left hand side of the bottom row. I’m a little on the obsessed side when it comes to Lush’s Karma range. Karma is the signature scent of Lush – it’s a spicy patchouli with lemongrass, orange oil and pine. I have Karma soap and Karma Kream, which is the most divine almond oil-based body lotion that I slap all over myself. Now, I’m not talking 1970’s old hippie patchouli smell. It’s a far more subtle fragrance due to the citrus.

The Karma solid shampoo I tend to travel with because it’s a smallish round soap that fits snuggly into a Lush metal tin. No leakage or spillage. You only need a little water to work up into an amazing lather and the bar lasted me for around 80 washes. This is my second Karma bar. The only thing I’m disappointed with is the inclusion of sodium lauryl sulfate – you know what I think of SLS. For a company that prides itself on offering “fresh handmade cosmetics”, there’s an awful lot of suspicious (aka potentially toxic) ingredients I’ve seen listed on their products e.g. Ammonium Lauryl Sulphate, Cocomide DEA, Lauramide DEA, Methyl- and Propyl- parabens, Sodium Laureth and Lauryl Sulphate, Sodium Hydroxide. Go off and research these nasties so you can draw your own conclusions.

So I’m not sure I’ll be repurchasing the solid shampoo bar. I’m currently researching how to make my own solid shampoo and recreate as best as possible the patchouli citrus scent. Other than the SLS issue, Karma Komba is a wonderful shampoo that always leaves my hair feeling soft and clean.

Mascaras: Five of them! Woohoo! Three I finished and two I tossed due to the three month-rule. The mascaras are Innoxa Lash Define (in Black); Moisture Mist Impressive Lash (in Black); Elizabeth Arden Ceramide (in black); L’Oreal Volume Million Lashes Luminizer for Blue Eyes; and Dr Hauschka Volume mascara (in Black).

The ones I would repurchase are Dr Hauschka and Innoxa. I’m keen to try the Dr Hauschka volume mascara in Aubergine. But at the moment, I have two Almay mascaras on the go (Intense I-color volumizing mascara in Sapphire and Intense I-Color Play-Up Volumizing Mascara in Raisin Quartz – I’m moving away from plain old Black mascaras for awhile).

Lush samples: the two small plastic containers were samples from Lush: Lemony Flutter cuticle cream and Helping Hands hand cream. Lemony Flutter was wonderful, although strongly scented. Apart from lemon, ingredients include beeswax and avocado oil. You only need a little amount and it can be used on cuticles, hands, elbows or any dry patches. Helping Hands has cocoa butter, honey and chamomile – so it’s very soothing and moisturising. Of the two, I preferred Helping Hands simply because Lemony Flutter was a bit too lemon-smelling for me.

On the top row from the left:

Melaleuca: The Gold Bar. I’ve talked about Melaleuca before and I like their soaps. The Gold Bar is French-milled with a subtle citrus scent and contains glycerin and aloe vera to soften the skin. I also buy Lush soaps with my favs being Karma and Sultana of Soap. I have a bit of a soap fascination and am gearing up to make my own. I can make soaps using the melt and pour method but I’ve been wary of using lye. I plan to suck it up and get into soap making.

Moroccan Oil: Who hasn’t tried Moroccan Oil for the hair?! I’ve been through probably four bottles of this argan oil-based hair treatment. It certainly gives my hair shine but this will be my last bottle. Why? I’ve discovered nasty ingredients in it, that’s why. Argan oil is actually the sixth ingredient listed on my bottle, with other ingredients being: Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone and Cyclomethicone (all cheap silicone polymers). Silicone builds up and becomes increasingly harder to remove with shampooing and your hair tends to get drier. Cyclopentasiloxane can cause mild skin and eye irritation. Another listed ingredient, Butylphenyl methylpropional, is a synthetic fragrance and is known for causing contact dermatitis. Benzyl Benzoate is also listed and has been linked to immunotoxicity. Basically, there’s a lot of silicons and synthetic fragrances and a minimal amount of Argan Oil – for a product that costs around NZ$60.00-67.00. I no longer consider it worth the money and am now using extra-virgin coconut oil on my hair.

David Babaii for Wild Aid Bohemian Beach Spray. HG product for me and I will always repurchase. This is the only product that gives some boof (as in bouffant) to my fine hair. It’s eco-friendly, cruelty-free and non-aerosol. No sulfates, parabens or nasty petrochemicals either. It contains sea salt from the Dead Sea; mineral rich volcanic ash from Vanuatu for increased volume; blue algae, mango and kiwi for hydration; shea butter, jojoba and hemp oils; and cupuacu butter for moisture retention. When I spritz it on my hair, I feel like I’m wearing a pina colada. It’s yummo! I sometimes use Seaspray from Lush – it’s also a spritz that gives me a bit more volume but the Bohemian Beach Spray is far better. LOVE.

Honey I Washed The Kids shower gel by Lush: This 100g bottle lasted quite some time. It’s supposed to smell like toffee and honey and is a Lush flagship product (the soap version is probably more popular). I liked it but don’t think it’s anything sensational. For a honey-based shower gel, I much prefer NZ brand, Wild Ferns’ Manuka Honey Revitalising Body Wash.

I’m hoping to finish up some eye shadows, bronzers or lippies for my March empties. I must say it’s pretty satisfying finishing up stuff but I’ve got a lot of makeup to get through!