LUSH Halloween 2013 : Creatures of the Baaaaaath! review + photos

          Fresh from their haunted perfumeries on the other side, LUSH presents Creatures of the Baaaaaath! The collection includes a number of spooky bath-time products that will bubble, pop, and fizzle, turning your ordinary bathtub into a burbling cauldron!

            Along with some returning favorites and regular line items, LUSH Halloween 2013 introduces two new unearthly inventions : Pumpkin Mumkin and Lord of Misrule. I've been enjoying my package of Halloween goodies, courtesy of LUSH, and have reviews to share with you today!

LUSH Pumpkin Mumkin bubble bar

           Pumpkin Mumkin bubble bar is my favorite of the bunch. (After all, I do have a penchant for the cute!) In addition to a cute countenance, Pumpkin Mumkin shares the same scent as LUSH Fig and Leaves soap.

LUSH Demon in the Dark soap

          Demon in the Dark soap is a forest green cleansing treat, hidden beneath a black wax peel. This mystically patterned soap may look like an arcane concoction born of dark magic, but its scent is pleasantly natural, featuring fresh mint, apple juice, and clove for a crisp and cleansing wash.

          Ceridwen's Cauldron is a delightful bath soak wrapped in muslin. Lavender, rose, and sandalwood soothe, while cocoa butter and oats calm and moisturize skin.

LUSH Ceridwen's Cauldron bath melt

           Lord of Misrule bath bomb was the most potent potion in the package. I could smell the black pepper and patchouli wafting through the house long after I opened the fragrant box! Inspired by the ruler of the Pagan Feast of Fools, Lord of Misrule sports a green exterior with a rich wine interior, complete with silver sparkles and popping candies.

          The Enchanter Bath Bomb (reviewed here) certainly lives up to its name! The big, bright bath bomb returns from last year to fill baths with streams of pink, yellow, and peach bubbles. The suffusion of lime and neroli offer a sweet, uplifting soak.

LUSH Enchanter bath bomb and LUSH Lord of Misrule bath bomb

          The 'Creatures of the Baaaaaath!' in LUSH Halloween 2013 are spook-tacular concoctions fit for chilly October nights. Considering my 'burbly' personality, LUSH Pumpkin Mumkin bubble bar is my favorite of the bunch. As for Mr. Lovey, I have a feeling that he's going to enjoy the mysteriously minty LUSH Demon in the Dark soap!

          Thanks for reading! Have you picked up anything from LUSH Halloween? What LUSH products have you been loving lately?

Love, Dovey.
Disclosure: This post contains product(s) sent to Cute and Mundane for consideration. The ideas and opinions in this post are genuine and my own.

LUSH Spring Tin review + photos (2013)

             Spring has sprung --- and with it, a whole new batch of fragrant goodies at LUSH Cosmetics! Today I'm sharing the LUSH Spring Tin, which I've been enjoying thanks to the folks at LUSH. If you've been following Cute and Mundane for some time, you might know that 1) I collect LUSH tins and 2) I love art! The LUSH Spring Tin is a wonderful amalgamation of those two things; the cover and sides are decorated with the artwork of German artist Roman Klonek. Klonek has a passion for woodcut printing and finds inspiration in old fashioned cartoons, especially Eastern European styles.

          Inside the LUSH Spring Tin, there's a collection of seven different items that channel the fresh cut grass and flowers of springtime. They include: The Brightside Bubble Bar, Sugar Scrub, Carrot Bubble Bar, Grass Shower Gel, Bohemian Soap, Avobath Bath Bomb, and Secret Garden Bath Bomb.

          LUSH The Brightside Bubble Bar is a big (7.0 oz!) and bright bubble bar that you can crumble under running water to create a heap of citrus scented bubbles. I think you could split this into at least 2 or 3 baths (but no-one's going to judge if you toss the whole thing in and go for a literal mountain of bubbles).

          LUSH Sugar Scrub is a classic LUSH item. It's a ginger and fennel scrub that's great for working away unwanted bumps and cellulite. LUSH Carrot Bubble Bar is LUSH's best smelling 'vegetable'. This reusable bubble bar isn't crumbled; if you hold it by the green tuft under running water, lemon and buchu scented bubbles will appear! One 'carrot' can be used for multiple baths.

          Grass Shower Gel is a fresh scented shower gel full of wheatgrass extract; it's almost like showering in a meadow! There's also a dash of uplifting neroli. LUSH shower gels get a lot of love in my household (even from the Mr.) so this gets a thumbs up. Bohemian Soap is a lemon-scented soap. It's full of real lemon oils to cleanse and tone the skin, as well as to stimulate the senses.

          Avobath Bath Bomb is one of my favorite bath bombs! It has a zesty lemongrass scent that's a perfect energizer after a long day. It's full of avocado and olive oils to moisturize. Secret Garden Bath Bomb is part of LUSH's limited edition spring collection and is also sold separately. It's full of rose absolute, sweet wild orange, and rosewood oil. You'll find that this bomb releases a number of real flower petals too, to decorate your bath (a secret garden indeed)!

          The LUSH Spring Tin ($56.95) is a fresh set, perfect for adding a sprinkle of spring to a shower or bath-time routine. Roman Klonek's artwork decorating the tin is awesome and and I like that most of the products can be used multiple times. Overall, two thumbs up --- a great gift for oneself or for moms on this Mother's day!

Thanks for reading! Have you ever tried LUSH tins? Which products from the LUSH Spring Tin stand out to you?

Love, Dovey.
Disclosure: This post contains product(s) sent to Cute and Mundane for consideration. The ideas and opinions in this post are genuine and my own. 

LUSH 'Hoppy Easter' review + photos

            This Easter, the LUSH Hoppy Easter knot wrap is back again, filled with fragrant surprises! One of these bunnies hopped into my hands, thanks to the folks at LUSH, so I have a too cute review to share with you today!

         LUSH knot wraps are re-useable kerchiefs fold into cute shapes to store your LUSH goodies or other items. When you unwrap this particular bunny, you'll find a carrot and an egg within!

           LUSH Fluffy Egg bath bomb is a perennial favorite at LUSH. The bright pink bubblegum scented bath bomb will color your bath pink and has the same scent as their holiday Snow Fairy shower gel. (They're also sold as singles, so you can pick up a dozen extras if you need your Snow Fairy fix).

          LUSH Carrot bubble bar is a best 'smelling' Easter veggie! This generously sized lemon and buchu scented bubble bar is meant to be re-used up to seven times. (Carrot is also sold as a single item). My favorite way to use the more solid (i.e. non crumbly) bubble bars is to hold them under a stream of water as the tub fills --- bubbles are more readily made this way. The green tuft comes in handy for both holding Carrot under water, and as a way to hang-dry the bar when you're not using it.

          LUSH Hoppy Easter gift set ($17.95) is a very 'hoppy' gift indeed; it's sure to delight anyone who finds it in their basket come Easter Sunday. As for me, I'm looking forward to some very fragrant baths this coming weekend! Thanks for reading! Are you planning on picking up anything from the LUSH Easter collection? What are your favorite LUSH bath bombs or bubble bars?

Love, Dovey.

P.S. For more cute LUSH knot wraps, be sure to check out my reviews of Mr. Bumble and Mr. & Mrs. Frosty!
Disclosure: This post contains product(s) sent to Cute and Mundane for consideration by PR. The ideas and opinions in this post are genuine and my own.

LUSH Mr. Frosty and Mrs. Frosty gift sets (Holiday 2012) review + photos

          For Holiday 2012, LUSH Mr. Frosty is back, as cheery as ever and filled with bath-time treats. Also as a special surprise LUSH Mrs. Frosty is making an appearance for the first time! (A whirlwind courtship and wedding took place at the North Pole during the holiday off-season). The Frostys each have three bath treats packaged in re-usable LUSH knot wraps.

           Mr. Frosty features a selection of warm and delicious bath-time treats. LUSH Cinders bath bomb is a sweet and spicy cinnamon scented bath bomb that evokes the warmth of a hearth. It's the perfect bath bomb to use after a chilly day. Pop rocks embedded in this bomb make crackling fireplace sounds as they dissolve in water. Almond oil moisturizes dry winter skin. LUSH Golden Wonder bath bomb is an enormous citrus and champagne scented bomb. As the bomb dissolves, you'll find a colorful surprise within! LUSH Butterball bath bomb creates a fragrant and hydrating bath. It has a wonderful vanilla and ylang ylang scent, accompanied by chunks of moisturizing cocoa butter.

Below, the embedded crystals in LUSH Cinders give it the look of warm embers!

           Mr. Frosty's better half, Mrs. Frosty, prefers sweet and fruity scents. LUSH So White bath bomb has a fresh and beautiful apple fragrance. The delicate fruity floral bath bomb also contains neroli, bergamot, and rose oils to induce relaxation. So White is a returning holiday favorite; however this year it's bigger and has a fizzy pink surprise at the center. LUSH The Comforter bubble bar is a sweet and fruity blackcurrant scented bar. It's named for its ability to envelop you in a soft and warm layer of bubbles, much like a downy comforter. Each bar can create two baths. Finally, you'll find a LUSH Butterball bath bomb; it's what Mr. and Mrs. Frosty have in common!

Below, LUSH 'The Comforter' bubble bar crumbles to reveal its soft white and pink interior.

And finally, here's a portrait of the happy couple!

          LUSH Mr. Frosty ($21.95) and LUSH Mrs. Frosty ($21.95) are an oh-so charming couple. They will surely bring smiles to a lot of faces this holiday season. Mr. Frosty contains yummy treats that could please anyone, while the sweeter contents in Mrs. Frosty would be better suited to female recipients. I'd have a hard time choosing between the two, so I'm glad I have both the Mr. and the Mrs! I'm planning on re-using and re-filling them for years to come. Thanks for reading! Which Frosty (Mr. or Mrs.) would you choose if you had to? Have you bought or explored LUSH Holiday 2012 products? What are your essential LUSH bath bombs or bubble bars?

Love, Dovey.

P.S. Check out my photos of LUSH Mr. Bumble, another super-cute knot wrap!
Disclosure: This post contains product(s) sent to Cute and Mundane for consideration by PR. The ideas and opinions in this post are genuine and my own.

LUSH Mr. Bumble gift review

           Today I've got the 'buzzz' on a darling new gift set at LUSH: Mr.  Bumble! LUSH Mr. Bumble is a LUSH knot-wrap filled with honey scented goodies. I love bees for their cheerful coloring, hardworking behavior, and the delightfully buoyant look they have during flight. You can imagine my delight at getting my hands on this charming honeybee themed gift from LUSH!

          LUSH Mr. Bumble is a knot-wrap. LUSH knot-wraps are patterned cotton kerchiefs that can be folded to create a small parcel (or gift wrap) for LUSH goodies. LUSH knot wraps are sold as a wrap alone or pre- packaged with products like Mr. Bumble. There are variety of patterns available from florals to stripes to rubber ducks.

          LUSH Mr. Bumble has the cutest bee face and wings. He's even got a stinger on his bee butt! The knot is convenient for picking him up. You can smell the sweet candied honey scent through the fabric of his body. It's absolutely gorgeous.

          Below you can see what LUSH Mr. Bumble looks like unfolded. Folding him into bee-shape is quite simple. Once the products are inside, fold the tail end in first, followed by the head end. To finish, make a double knot with the 'wings.'

           Inside Mr. Bumble, there is a full size LUSH Honey Bee Bath Bomb and a semicircular molded piece of LUSH Honey I Washed the Kids Soap.  LUSH Honey Bee Bath Bomb has a sweet honey toffee scent that smells wonderful straight from the bomb. In the water, it becomes a nice mellow scent. Inside the bath bomb there's uplifting orange oil and Moroccan Rhassoul Mud to soften skin. I've tried LUSH Honey Bee a couple times already and can't wait to put this one to good use. LUSH Honey I washed the Kids Soap has a delicious caramel honey scent. The creamy soap contains real Canadian Honey and orange oil to pamper the skin. It's one of LUSH's most loved soaps. The contents of Mr. Bumble are detailed on the product tag and on a little sheet so the gift-ee will know exactly what's inside.

          LUSH Mr. Bumble ($15.95) is a sweet as honey gift that is bee-yond cute. This has to 'bee' the cutest packaging I've ever seen, and the products inside are wonderful too. Eventually, I'll have to use contents of Mr. Bumble, however since the knot wrap is reusable, I'll be sure to fill him with another bath bomb so he can live on. Thanks for reading! Have you seen Mr. Bumble in stores? Have you tried LUSH Honey I washed the Kids soap, Honey Bee Bath Bomb, or any other LUSH knot-wraps? What are your current LUSH favorites?

Love, Dovey.

Disclosure: This post contains product(s) sent to Cute and Mundane for consideration by PR. The ideas and opinions in this post are genuine and my own.

LUSH Enchanter Bath Bomb review

          Today I enjoyed a spell-binding soak with LUSH Enchanter Bath Bomb. LUSH Enchanter is a limited edition bath bomb from the LUSH Halloween 2012 collection (read my collection overview here). True to its name, LUSH Enchanter has a couple tricks up its sleeve. The peach and lemon striped exterior suggests a bath with yellow orange bubbles. This does happen initially. However shortly into the release process, large streams of pink bubbles become apparent. It's quite mysterious as pink is nowhere to be seen on the bath bomb's surface. Out of curiosity, I did a little excavating and found that indeed there is a pretty pink surprise hidden in the core of the bomb.

          The effervescent peach and pink, yellow, and peach bubbles fizz away to reveal an orange tinted bath. With the orange tint, one would expect to sniff a clementine or orange, however the bath reveals a citrus of a different sort. LUSH Enchanter imparts a the sweet and tart scent of lime gummy candies. It's an uplifting and delicious scent that brings to mind Halloween sweets. The lime and neroli oils in the bath provide toning benefits to skin. The bath bomb imparts a clean feeling after stepping out (as opposed to a moisturizing residue found in conditioning focused bath bombs).

          LUSH Enchanter Bath Bomb is quite the enchanter, with unexpected colors and scents up its sleeve. The refreshing lime aroma will please citrus lovers and fits in well with the Halloween spirit. Thanks for reading! Have you tried or sniffed LUSH Enchanter? What are your favorite bath bombs? Will you be picking up any Halloween themed bath products this year?

Love, Dovey.
 Disclosure: This post contains product(s) sent to Cute and Mundane for consideration by PR. The ideas and opinions in this post are genuine and my own.

LUSH Halloween 2012 collection review

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          LUSH has a spook-tacular lineup of items for Halloween 2012 that I’m so excited to share with you today. These fizzy, bubbly, sparkly, and jiggly bath products are bound to bring out the trick-or-treat spirit in both young and old spirits alike. The in-store Halloween collection consists of LUSH Twilight Shower Gel, LUSH Calacas Shower Jelly, LUSH Enchanter Bath Bomb, and LUSH Pumpkin soap.

          LUSH Twilight Shower Gel is lavender scented shimmery purple shower gel. The sparkly purple seems to reflect the dimmed color of dusk when twinkling stars start to make themselves known. LUSH Shower gels are very sudsy with natural scents that are amplified upon use in hot water. LUSH Twilight has a full-on herbal lavender scent that is supplemented with a slight sweetness from Tonka. It's is a relaxing scent that is perfect for bedtime showers. LUSH Twilight is a nice addition to the lush lineup, which already has a sweet vanilla and heady jasmine. I'm happy to add it to the five other LUSH shower gels that already populate my shower! Unlike last Halloween’s single size Ghost shower gel, Twilight will be available in three different sizes. Twilight is a part of both the Halloween and Holiday 2012 collections and is the only item here that will be available throughout the winter season.

          While Twilight may be the perfect sleepytime scent, LUSH Calacas Shower Jelly is the perfect pick-me-upper for cold winter mornings. LUSH Calacas is a green jiggly jelly soap molded into the shape of a Day of the Dead sugar skull ('calacas' means skeleton in Spanish).  This shower jelly has a zingy lime gummy candy scent. Though I’m a serious LUSHie, this is the first time I’ve tried a shower jelly. They're essentially bars of soap in jello form. Like most LUSH shower products, they’re quite sudsy. You can also freeze these jellies for a really cool hot-cold experience in the shower.

           If you love the lime scent of LUSH Calacas, LUSH Enchanter Bath Bomb might be up your alley as well. It’s a festive bath bomb with a citrusy lime scent that mirrors that of LUSH Calacas. When in water, the bath bomb fizzes into a citrus orange, followed by bursts of bright pink. The Lime and Neroli oil are toning and brightening for skin, not to mention uplifting for tired spirits.

          LUSH Pumpkin Soap is a molded Jack-O-Lantern shaped soap from Halloweens past. This creamy limited edition soap smells like an aromatic slice of pumpkin pie. The cinnamon, clove, cardamom, spearmint, and fresh pumpkin scent epitomizes the season and adds fragrance to your bathroom as well as your hands. The size is slightly larger than my palm and roughly equivalent to your typical bar soap. LUSH Pumpkin Soap looks fun, smells delicious, and is a practical to boot.

           LUSH Twilight Shower Gel ($9.95 - $27.95 for 3.3oz - 16.1 oz.), LUSH Pumpkin Soap ($6.95), LUSH Calacas Shower Jelly ($4.95 for 3.5oz.), and LUSH Enchanter Bath Bomb ($4.95) have just become available in LUSH stores. The bright colors and delicious scents are fun pick-me-ups for the fall season. Be sure to scoop up these spooks soon; they’ll be gone in a ‘bat’ an eyelash! Thanks for reading! Have you seen LUSH Halloween in stores? Which product sounds the most up your alley? How are you getting ready for Halloween?

Love, Dovey.

Disclosure: This post contains product(s) sent to Cute and Mundane for consideration by PR. The ideas and opinions in this post are genuine and my own.