On a hot Summer day back in February, I never expected that I would take a look down the Rabbit Hole which is Lush and end up falling down it.
As you all know, I'm pretty much a department store cosmetics gal, always with an eye out for a Gift with Purchase (don't worry, I have another one for you today). However, I was torn from the pristine Cosmetics counters of Bourke Street and drawn to, what I initially thought was, a strictly "hippie" store in which I had no place being let alone shopping.
I was out buying a birthday gift for my bestie who is probably best described as the polar opposite of me. Hence how I found myself in the Swanston Street store of Lush. Lush is all about handmade products produced locally and sourced from ethical ingredients which are not tested on animals. Already, I was feeling like a better person for just standing in the store. Being what I would probably consider to be a hippie store, I guess I expected everything to look a bit drab and brown and be maanned by greasy haired and B/O infused sales assistants. Whilst some of the sales assistants did fit that category (who am I to judge, my sisters used to call me 'Neil Neil Orange Peel' ref. the Young Ones), what I was surprised to see was shelves filled with beautifully crafted products, colours, gift sets and even sparkles! I do love a good sparkle. After carefully selecting a gift set for my bestie and a Valentines Gift for my hubby (hand a body scrubs cos he's a bit of a green thumb and handy man), I quickly picked up a copy of their catalogue and took the gifts home to be hidden in the back of my closet until it was time.
It wasn't that long until I found myself inside the Lush store again, although this time I had a shopping list. Needless to say, the Birthday and Valentine's day gifts went down very well and, after pouring over the Lush catalogue, my husband sent me with a laundry list of items he wanted to try. To give you some kind of idea, my husband is not a blokey bloke, nor a typical Gen Y. He's French, from a hospitality background turned househusband and now handyman. Hence, he can get pretty dirty, sweaty and generally a bit gross after a day's work, even if it is just with the kids. For some unknown reason, he was drawn to the Lush products like, well, me in a cosmetics department full of GWPs. I don't think there was an item in the catalogue that he didn't tick, but fortunately was able to whittle it down to a precious few. That day I left the Lush store with a few boxes of Toothy Tabs (for heinous smelling breath, sorry hubby), a Godiva shampoo bar (seriously, shampoo in a bar?), matching shampoo bar tin, Porridge exfoliating soap and a few extra samples the lovely sales assistants put into the bag.
A few days later something strange came upon me during my morning shower routine. I was washing my hair, trying to figure out what the heavenly smell was. I love my Enjoy Luxury Shampoo, but that wasn't it. Using my keen sense of smell I traced it to the Godiva shampoo bar. Every time I hopped into the shower I looked forward to starting my day envigorating myself with that luscious perfume eminating from the Godiva shampoo bar. I didn't use it cos, like, gross - it had my husband's hair in it which kinda looks like something else unmentionable, but it was intoxicating.
The next time I visited Lush it was to stock up on Toothy Tabs for hubby and also ask if they had a similar fragrance in a shower gel. Lo and behold, the powers that be smiled upon me that day because out came a bottle of the nectar of the gods under the guise of a Flying Fox:
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| Flying Fox, a.k.a Heaven in a bottle |
I think it was the mixture of Jasmine, Ylang Ylang, Palmarosa and honey that got me. If you look at their website, and I quote "Our boss, Mark C, originally thought that it’d suit stroppy women prone to moods. By all means, write to him with your opinions on that." He might possibly be right on that one. But that wasn't the only thing that drew me into their products. You will see on the back of each product a sticker with the date it was made, expiration date, and even the name and avatar of the person who made the product! I bought a small 100ml bottle a month or so ago and it was made by Kale. Not the leafy green that seems to grace the ingredients list of any juice commanding $10 a pop, but a real boy! That would be the first time that I have ever really seen the person who has made any of my products. Maybe it's a marketing gimmick, but I think it's part of their brand ethos, so I'm willing to be a bit naïve. If anybody wants to prove or disprove the "made by" sticker, feel free to leave a comment.
I returned to Lush a couple of times, tempted to buy another bottle of Flying Fox, but just couldn't come to terms with forking out $30.00 for a 500ml shower gel. Sounds ludicrous when you can get 1 litre of Palmolive for $9.00 at Priceline. It wasn't until yesterday that I realised how much I had become addicted to my morning pick-me-up. Faced with using the last few drops of the elixir of the gods, I felt that I couldn't face the day without it. After work, I did my usual check of the Bourke Street stores for the latest GWPs, tried some swatches of M.A.C kaleidoscope eyeshadows (mostly sold out, but on my hit list), and finally succumbed to what was my fate. Flying Fox was part of my life and I could not go on in denial. After taking a few hits of the delicious fragrance, I decided to jump in the deep end and purchase the 500ml bottle. Now, can you take a guess at who made it?
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| My mate Kale, plus the list of ingredients |
After all is said and done, buying a product which supports the local economy seems to justify the spend and, in my opinion, I smell heavenly. Plus I think the boss, Mark C, was onto something.
With that, I am going to sit down with a glass of bubbly and enjoy the Lush Life.
