Not So Heavenly: Angels on Bare Skin

This may come as a surprise, but I'm about to review a Lush product which I don't like! I know right? It may seem as though my reviews are overwhelmingly positive, but I assure you I aim to be honest and balanced - I just like to, and find it easy to, write about products which I'm passionate about and which have impressed me. But equally I also want you to know about the products which disappoint, which brings me onto Lush Angels on Bare Skin.

This product was recommended to me by a reader as well as a member of staff in Lush after a few questions about my skin, and after hearing that it contained lavender I was putty in her hands! It's a fresh facial cleanser; I never intended to use it as my daily face wash though, but instead have it sit alongside my exfoliator (Lush Ocean Salt - now that is heavenly) for use in the shower for a good deep cleanse.

It says on the tin that it evens out skin tone, reduces redness and improves the health and appearance of your skin, giving a natural healthy glow - sounds perfect right? I'm sorry to say though that I haven't necessarily felt that way. My skin tone isn't entirely even and I do have rosy cheeks and, although it doesn't promise to work magic, I haven't noticed any difference in colour or quality. If anything, I've noticed that my skin has been a little clogged and uneven recently, but I can't prove that it's down to this product which would be slightly unfair. To tell you the truth , even if it did do everything that it said on the tin though, I still wouldn't use it. It's the consistency and smell that I don't like (unusual for a Lush product, I know).

It's incredibly dry and spongy and you really do have to dig your figures into the pot with incredible intent in order to scoop some out; it certainly doesn't come easily. This isn't necessarily a huge problem though as as soon as you mix it with a sprinkling of water it miraculously transforms into a cleansing milk before your eyes, which I do like. The almond milk itself is creamy and leaves you soft and squeaky clean, but I'd much rather skip the transformation process and be able to pour the milk straight from a bottle. Clumps of the product do remain in the milk and all in all it's simply an odd experience as the resulting mixture is difficult to apply - you want to make the most of the product and rub the remaining clumps into your skin but you equally don't want to let the milk slip away between your fingers.

I'm afraid the thing that most offends me though is the smell. I can only describe it as the natural scent you may have come across when making your own soap on a school trip to a Victorian farm (very specific description but every time I open this cleanser it really does take me straight back to that soap-making workshop!!). Victorians probably had to put up with less than perfect scents whereas we have now refined cosmetics to smell beautiful so should have moved on.... It definitely has hints of lavender but the combination with kaolin (clay which absorbs grease) is a little unpleasant in my opinion and hangs in the air a little longer than I'd like.


What I do love about this best-selling product (which means lots of you must love it too) is that it's made from 100% natural ingredients. By taking out the water, a specific move which is why adding water is essential for use and turning it into a milk, Lush have also taken away the need for preservatives. So there is a good reason for the consistency and this also makes it kinder to your skin as it shouldn't upset your skin's delicate micro flora by quite as much. It's also 100% vegan and is, naturally, not tested on animals so full marks there Lush, as always.

 I'm afraid I won't be buying this product again... I may not even finish this pot (sorry Lush!!). To end on a positive note though, when this product was first recommended to me they didn't have any in stock so I was offered a sample of the Fresh Farmacy Cleanser, very similar apparently and so much so that they called it the 'solid version' of Angels on Bare Skin. Now I'm not so sure how they are similar as Fresh Farmacy has none of the same ingredients and is based on a chamomile and marigold infusion. I would, however, recommend this product. I never thought I'd be a fan of solid cleansers but it's great for travelling as you can slice small chunks off at once and it, too, becomes a super soft milk very easily so perhaps try that instead?

Domestic Goddess: Shower Shine

I've decided to start a new series of posts under the title 'Domestic Goddess' as just as you like to be beautiful, so does your house! And for the first blog of the series, I'll be reviewing the Method Daily Shower Non-Toxic Surface Cleaner.

I have no doubt that a beautifully clean house directly impacts upon your mood, or it certainly does on mine, and one of the easiest areas to keep clean, with the smallest effort, is your shower. So one of the best products to slot alongside your sweetest smelling shower gel and favourite bubble bath, is a good daily shower shine! Method's daily shower cleaner promises to clean without the need for rinsing and boasts an improved fragrance and shinier shine than previous models. With 'powergreen technology', it dissolves and prevents soap scum with each spritz and is, of course, super easy to use. Simply spray on damp surfaces after you've bathed or had a shower and leave it to work its magic. It's suitable for use on most sealed surfaces including showers, tiles, fixtures, glass and bath tubs.

It requires minimal effort (except engaging your trigger finger to fire the nozzle device) and you don't have to worry about chemical residues as, best of all, it's non-toxic, plant-based and features organic cleaning salts. Method assure its consumers that it's designed and sourced responsibly from beginning to end and beginning again with the bottle being made of 100% recycled plastic (PCR). It also proudly bears the leading bunny sign to identify that it's not tested on animals and is certified cruelty free.
Surely what you'd really like to know though is does it work? In short, yes. I do get a little trigger happy, but it has a positive effect on my shower as it remains sparkling for longer and means I can go for long spells without a deep clean. It also has a nice light fragrance that is not overpowering and leave you choking after spraying.

My favourite thing about the brand is their identity and promise so I thought I'd type out their brand message to give you a snapshot of who they are. Along with smile-provoking snippets like 'a spray a day keeps the scrubbling away' and 'we suspect there's a direct correlation between clean tiles + big smiles', the bottle reads:

In your hand, you hold the power to join us in the good fight. The fight to make our planet, and home, a cleaner place. We are passionate believers in the Cradle to Cradle design and philosophy, meaning that each one of our products has a past and a future. That's why we make our bottles from old bottles and our non-toxic cleaners are biodegradable. It's also why every material we use is assessed by independent scientists for environmental quality and safety for people because we believe that cleaning products can put the hurt on dirt without doing harm to people, creatures or the planet. They can even smell like rainbows. It might sound like a tall order, but we're a small, passionate bunch with big ambitions.

Available from Tesco and Waitrose it's no more than £5 if I remember correctly and I've been using it for 7 months and it's only half empty.

Now if only my boyfriend got into the habit of using it after his showers and if only I had another one to clean this bottle as it looks a little soap scummy itself!

Recycling is Lush

Guess what?

I've FINALLY got 5 large empty Lush pots which means next time I'm in store I can trade in my empty pots for a free face mask!

A special thank you to my best friend who wrapped up her empty lush pot with my birthday present inside - what a great idea :)

Stay tuned to find out which face mask I chose....

My Lavender Lullaby

Want to know the secret to the best beauty sleep you can get? Spritzing your pillow with the relaxing and calming scent of lavender, of course.
Lavender is hands down my favourite essential oil; I'm a little bit of a junkie, but what's not to love? Lavender is part of the mint family and also has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. Not to mention the fact that it soothes headaches, relaxes the spirit, alleviates anxiety and is proven to have an influence on the quality of your sleep and prevent disturbances. I used to sprinkle undilluted drops of pure essential oil straight onto my pillow at bedtime, but I am currently loving Tisserand Aromatherapy Lavender Linen & Room Mist.

I have come to expect the rich smell of lavender at bedtime now, and although this mist doesn't have the intensity that the bursts of the pure essential oil that used to knock me out had, I've learnt to love its gentle tones and hints. It has 100% natural fragrance and the lavender oil is organic and comes in the form of a fine mist. You can spritz it directly onto your bed cover or pillow to encourage sweet dreams, use it to spray around your room to promote rest and relaxation, lightly scent your bathrodes and towels or even add to ironing water to infuse and fragrance your linens from the word go.
It comes with a pump spray which makes it perfect for all that spritzing! I use it directly all over my pillow just before my head lands, but also along my curtains by my bed as well as on my fabric headboard so there's no way I won't get that dose of lavender I crave.

It doesn't have the fuddy duddy smell of the old English Lavender soap of your Grandma's knicker drawer, but it's truly fresh and invigorating. It really does smell so natural and, if this makes sense, it swirls to perfectly mix a subtlety and strength of scent. Yummy mummies are often encouraged to wash and massage their beautiful babies with lavender to promote a healthy and happy bedtime routine and there's no reason why you shouldn't continue to enjoy the benefits through to old age. On the first whiff I feel myself drifting slowly into a relaxing and undisturbed sleep, floating on a lavender cloud! The other night I felt myself tossing and turning, frustratedly not being able to stop thinking about work, but after a few sprays of this stuff, the next thing I knew it was the next morning and I was feeling refreshed!
Each spray does deliver quite a generous dose of lavender mist so just three spritzes are usually enough for a normal sized pillow - it's not so generous, however, that it leaves your pillow soaking wet! It's that little bit heavier than a burst of perfume, but a similar light mist consistency.

Tisserand Aromatheraphy products are a little pricey. This 400 ml bottle was just under £20, but pure lavender oil-based products do not come cheap. Moreover, I have had it for well over a year and I'm not even a third of the way through. I'm keen to try the Body Shop lavender pillow mist next, but this bottle seems never ending and will keep serving my sleep for a good year or so more. Best of all, it's also 100% vegan and contains no synthetic fragrances. The bottle is also 100% recyclable. So you can not only enjoy the best beauty sleep of your life, you can also sleep easy knowing that no animals were harmed in the making and your carbon footprint is teeny weeny.

Trust me, making lavender part of your bedtime routine really does leave you feeling like a princess.
Sweet dreams!