Lush Event - Regent Street

Last Thursday I was so excited to be invited to a Lush event in Regent Street here in London, those of you who read my blog will know that I am a bit more than a fan, I am more like a Lush-a-holic.

The aim of the event was to promote and introduce to us Danger! Cosmetics to Go, a book on the story of the company that preceded Lush which tells the meteoric rise and devastating fall of the the brand in just 6 years.  Written by the beautiful Mira Manga, a musician and writer, she was commissioned to write the book by Mark Constantine OBE, Lush Co-Founder and managing Director.  Mira herself worked for Lush, starting as a Saturday girl in Lush's Carnaby Street Shop (which has since closed).  I was lucky enough to get Mira to sign my copy and for anyone out there, who like me, is a huge fan of Lush, this is a book you should have in your possession because it is a fascinating insight into the world of Lush, the products they have and how they came to be.

As well as meeting Mira, Lush put on a brilliant event with nibbles and drinks to keep those of us present fed and watered and we had exclusive access to the staff to ask as many questions as we wanted, see demonstrations of the products and try out the products that Lush sell.  

All of the staff I spoke to were absolutely brilliant and so knowledgeable in what they knew of each product, some sharing funny stories of mishaps with customers and others giving a real detailed introduction to things I was yet to try and advising on other products that might work well with either my hair, skin or hands.

With Valentines Day not too far away, Lush have their own Valentines Day products out there to grab and my advice is to grab them quick because they are amazing.  I have already taken a shine to the Valentines Shower Gel Prince Charming which smells wonderfully of marshmallows and pomegranate juice.  Then there is the Love Locket Bath Bomb which has three parts to it, not something I am going to ruin for you now, but look out for the review.  There are 11 different products within the Valentines Day range, including three different gift sets, a lip gloss and some soap, all brightly coloured and beautifully packaged.

I had an absolutely brilliant time at this Lush Event and know so much more about the products I liked, loved and swoon over and whats more, I really loved the chance of being able to meet Mira and ask her many questions about the book she has so brilliantly written and it may just feature in its own review.

I was also surprised to get a goody bag and this one was just amazing and below are the contents, each of us was asked to choose Bath or Shower, now for someone who is as indecisive as I am, this was a hard task, but I did choose bath:

Of course I couldn't leave such a fabulous event without something for my beloved hubby could I? Especially when he has his own blog now, so this is what I bought for him:

Ickle Baby Bot was my first choice, designed for children but it is filled with Lavender to help calm and relax before bedtime.  Then there is Dirty Springwash Shower Gel which has the opposite effect to the Bath Bomb and because it is filled with Spearmint and menthol, it leaves you feeling wide awake and alert, ready to tackle the day.

Thank you Lush, the experience and the event was fantastic.

Biosculpture Spa Range Nail Care

One of my goals for 2014 was to to take better care of my nails because they have become quite weak and brittle not to mention prone to peeling and snapping which is really annoying when you finally manage to get your nails to a length you are happy with.

Apparently the cold weather can be harsh on your nails because the change in weather means they have to as the change in continually adapt to dealing with either the freezing cold outside or the warm centrally heated indoor environment much like your skin which can also turn dry, flaky and be in need of a little more TLC.  The constant cold and change in temperature can cause your nails to weaken, crack and split easier, more so in the winter because dry air destroys keratin, the protein that keeps them strong and flexible.

Biosculpture have just introduced a new Spa Range of manicure and pedicure products and I have been lucky enough to try them. I have the handcream, Executive Base, Cuticle Oil and Top Coat. However there are quite a few more products within the range and you can go along to your nearest salon to have the products used and manicures start from £25 please visit www.biosculpture.co.uk for further information and to find your nearest salon.

Described as:

Bio Sculpture supports healthy nail care as the treatments nourish and protect the natural nail underneath. An application keeps nails well conditioned throughout use whilst ensuring manicures and pedicures are long lasting and maintenance free. Vitamin Dose and Executive Base, infused with vitamins & essential oils, are products used in the treatment preparation in order to nurture nails and protect nails. No primers or bonders are used that might de-hydrate or damage the natural nail; and unlike other treatments, the natural nail is not buffed prior to application, again ensuring maximum protection is maintained.

The Cuticle Oil which is enriched with Vitamin E, helps to re-hydrate cuticles and it is formulated with Almond Oil, Jojoba Oil and Avocado Oil. This products retails for £5.40.  The brush within this oil makes application so much easier to do and once on the nail bed it feels absolutely lovely and only takes a few minutes to sink in.  If like me you apply a little too much, you can of course rub it into your entire nail for a extra bit of TLC.

Executive Base which is described as being multifunctional strengthening base which compresses the nail keratin to strengthen soft, weak nails.   This product retails for £8.00.  Again the brush within this base coat makes application really easy because the brush fans out across the nail.  Once applied, it takes less than a minute to dry and then you can apply your nail polish.  What I have found by using this is that my nail polish glides onto the nail so much easier.

The final product I have been using is the Top Coat.  I have found that this is a really fast drying top coat which leaves your nails with a lovely gloss finish as you can see from the photos below, I have been wearing Essie Luxedo for the last week and it has yet to chip, so I am really impressed with this top coat.  

I think you can tell that I am really impressed with these nail products, more so given the extra length of time I have been able to wear my favourite Essie nail polish. My nails are less brittle though not quite yet near perfect, but my cuticles do look so much better and are in a far better condition now than before I used the cuticle oil.

For me these are a worthy investment and something I am going to continue to use. Hopefully in a few months time my nails will stop being brittle and weak and become the strong nails they once were.