A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I’m bubbling over with love (geddit?) for the product development team at NEOM who have managed to inject actual bubbles into an sls-free bath foam formula.  Which, by rights, shouldn’t have much in the way of foam to write home about.

Did I mention that it smells heavenly too?

NEOM Organics new Tranquility Bath Foam delivers a sudsy hit of relaxation with plenty of (albeit not massively long-lasting) bubble-age.  By the time I was reaching for a towel, there was not a bubble left in sight, which Mr. L said was “rubbish”.  I happen to disagree because there’s nothing I hate more (except for spiders) than having to karate chop/swipe bubbles off my legs as I’m about to step out of the bath.  Also, the final head dunk for Leila… her hair is washed, I don’t want it bubbled up again!

But I digress…

If your skin is sensitive to the usual bubble bath offerings on the market, you’d be wise to take a look at the bubbling sls-free alternative that is Tranquility Bath Foam by NEOM Organics.  Available online, priced at £20.00 for 200mls.  You can just about get away with half a capful per bath, which will probably bring the price down to around 60-70p a bath.

Or… even better, you could take advantage of an exclusive 25% discount code for Lipglossiping.com readers….

www.neomorganics.com
Code: lipgloss (enter at checkout)
Discount: 25%
Terms: Can only be used on full price items.  One code per order.
Expires: midnight Monday 1st October

Bubbles… do you need them to enjoy your bath?

This Valentine’s day, why not share a bath with someone you love?  Just make sure that you don’t get the tap end.

LUSH have released some new delights and brought back some old favourites in celebration of the mushy occasion!

New to the LUSH party this year are…

1. Be Mine (£26.95) … A sexy selection of six scrumptious treats that’s sure to make the one you love ‘be yours’ this Valentine’s Day. Inspire someone to melt into a marshmallow bath, let it rain men in the shower and get up close and personal with a Soft Coeur massage. A gift to ensure they’ll stay yours as well! Contents: Melting Marshmallow Moment bath melt, The Frog Prince bath ballistic, It’s Raining Men shower gel (100g), Sex Bomb bath ballistic, Sugar Babe sugar scrub, Soft Coeur massage bar, Lust solid perfume.

2. It’s Raining Men shower gel (£4.25 for 110g / £7.95 for 260g / £14.25 for 510g) … hallelujah! A divine shower gel scented with our best-selling Honey I Washed the Kids fragrance … amen! Shower with this luxurious honey and tropical flower gel and your skin will be left deliciously soft, scented like crème brule and extremely lickable!

3. The Frog Prince bath ballistic (£2.75) … kiss this cute little character (on his bright red, pursed pout), throw him in a tub of warm water and, as the fairytale goes, marvel as he dissolves in front of your eyes to reveal your very own Prince Charming … or in this case, a sticker of one of our charming compounders from the Lush factory! And as you would expect for royalty, he has his own, exquisite, sultry brand new fragrance – a majestic blend of jasmine, sandalwood, rose and neroli.

4. Love Birds soap (£3.00 for 100g) … something for all those lovers out there, this gorgeous new soap is scented with some beautiful aphrodisiac essential oils to make Valentine’s Day that extra bit special! It’s the Keep It Fluffy fragrance, which includes sensual jasmine and vanilla for a romantic soap that will soften and moisturise skin, while leaving it delicately scented.

5. P.S. I Love You (£13.95) … say it with Lush and tell that special someone what you’ve been meaning to say for ages. This cute little gift is a foursome of romantic products to leave your special someone feeling in no doubt of your feelings. All wrapped up with love birds and heart embossed paper. Contents: The Joy of Jelly shower jelly (100g), Strawberry Feels massage bar (mini), Love Birds soap, Sex in the Shower emotibomb.

1. Truly Scrumptious (£27.25) … a delectable collection of Lush’s sweetest treats, what better way to tell someone you’re sweet on them?! Contains Lush’s best-selling Honey I Washed the Kids soap, a chocolately Whipstick lip balm, Space Girl and Butterball bath ballistics, Vanilla Dee-lite body lotion, Creamy Candy bubble bar and a Melting Marshmallow Moment bath melt. All in all, it’s exactly what it says on the tag!

2. Ex Factor bath ballistic (£1.99) … a gingerman shaped little friend to join those Valentine-less folk in the bathtub, who may be feeling a little blue at this time of the year and fed up with all the lovey dovey paraphernalia wherever they look! He dissolves in the warm water in a swirl of ylang ylang and vanilla to reveal a small pink candy heart. The delectable mix of essential oils is the same as our best-selling Butterball bath ballistic, so will leave you feeling happy, relaxed and ready to meet someone else!

3. Magic Mushroom bubble bar (£2.30) … a fun-guy to share Valentine’s Day with, this charming toadstool is a frothy strawberries and cream scented wonder for your bath. The fragrance is a blend of Lush’s best-selling Vanillary and the popular strawberry-sundae Yummy Yummy Yummy. Crumble under running water for masses of skin softening strawberry and vanilla scented bubbles.

4. Hello Gorgeous (£17.90) … it’s always good to tell people they’re gorgeous and what better way than with a selection of Lush’s most gorgeous products. There’s a Japanese influence, with a cherry blossom design on the outside and the mimosa scented Sakura bath ballistic on the inside. Also contains a small tin of Gorgeous, our extra special orange blossom moisturiser; Helping Hands hand cream; cherry and mimosa Rub Rub Rub shower scrub (100g) and a lovely pink luxury bath melt made with marshmallows.

..

I haven’t decided if I’m falling in line with the marketing this year or going all-out I HATE HEARTS AND FLOWERS.

Are you a Valentine’s celebrator?  However I’m feeling about all that love stuff, I never fail to use the occasion as a magnificent excuse to do things that I couldn’t get away with on an ‘ordinary’ day… hello Chinese takeaway, self-indulgent baths and leftover Quality Street.  Love yourself I say!

Growing up, I was a shower freak and would be one of those annoying people that come out with the (much overused) line about not wanting to soak in my own dirt.

Nowadays?  I’m a bathing convert.  In the Summer, it’s still a rare occurence… but now the nights are becoming cooler, I can appreciate the enjoyment that wallowing for an indecently long period of time in a tub of hot water brings.  Especially if I lock the bathroom door first so no-one tries to come in for a crap and ruin my zen.

I don’t know about you but… for me, part of the enjoyment of bathing is the whole ritual that sits alongside.  And a true simple pleasure is using a new bath oil/ballistic/melt/whatever for the first time.  I always love the idea of lighting candles but mostly am a bit slovenly for all that.

My latest indulgence (and at £18 it is a little bit of an indulgence) is my India Hicks Island Night Milky Bath from Crabtree & Evelyn.

India Hicks is the designer grand-daughter of the late Earl Louis Mountbatten, who is well known round these here parts and buried just up the road.  I don’t know why that’s relevant… it’s really not…I’m doing that bloody automatic writing again.

I use just a capful and it fragrances the water nicely.  It’s a tropical scent… but not like I’ve just poured a can of Lilt in the tub.  It’s soft and delicate… like I’m bathing with my window open and the scent of jasmine is being carried in on a warm breeze.  Slap me, I’m sounding pretentious.  But that’s the only way I can describe it.  It’s not a BIG floral, it’s just evocative.

It leaves my skin feeling soft (but not soft enough to forego moisturiser) and Mr. L says that he can still smell it on my skin when I use an unscented moisturiser afterward.  At £18 for 250ml, I’d quite like it to clean the bath and re-grout the tiles too but it makes for a lovely ‘special’ treat when the day has been a little too much to bear.

India Hicks Island Night Milky Bath is priced at £18 and available online and instore at Crabtree & Evelyn.

What are your favourite bath-time indulgences?

I’m a confirmed night owl.  I’ve always been happier to work and play when others around me are sleeping.  I won’t lie, it’s tough balancing that lifetime ‘philosophy’ with being a Mum.

When I do eventually drag myself to my pit bed, my mind is usually swimming with ideas and thoughts of things I want to accomplish the following day.  I simply find it hard to switch off.

Rituals say:

Research in the UK has shown that following a warm bath, you go to sleep around 10 minutes earlier and enjoy a deeper slumber.  So: immerse yourself in the water, leave all tension and thoughts behind, experience deep peace and relaxation. In Chinese Wu Wei, this ‘Go with the Flow’ is a key concept in Taoism.

Wu Wei is a cream bath foam that forms part of their new Tao Rituals line up.  I wrote about this range last month and have been putting this sample through it’s paces in the name of relaxation and bubbles.

The packaging is adorable… well, not quite… the lid is adorable.  Stupid thing to get hung up on, but it’s bamboo… it’s *squee* cute.  Ok, I’m over it now.

What can I tell you?  Wu Wei bubbles nicely… feels creamy on my skin and it smells like a 1000 angels have pooed in my bath (that’s a good thing by the way).

A little goes a very long way indeed… I’ve been using this 500ml bottle twice a week for the past month and don’t think I’m even halfway through the bottle yet… so that’s *counts on fingers* 8 baths so far which works out far cheaper than those pesky Lush Bubble Bars no?

Does it help me fall asleep faster?  No.  Anyone got a big mallet?

Rituals Wu Wei (£10.50) is available to buy online and in selected stores (check the website for details).