Lush Haul

To my great surprise, I found a Lush store at Ambi Mall in Gurgaon! Lush used to be available in Singapore's Isetan Orchard department store in the 1990s but it pulled out after a couple of years, probably 'cos few Singaporeans were keen on the idea of $10 bath bombs. And being a tropical country, most people take showers rather than baths. Although Lush is also available in Japan where I lived for a few years, I never got into it but I got to know the distinctive aroma of a Lush store as there was one just two minutes from my apartment in Tokyo.



But my buddy, The Muse is a big Lushie fan and reading her reviews got me interested in trying out a few products. I picked up:
1. Mask of Magnaminty (125g, Rs380)
2. Herbalism Cleanser (Rs 550 for 100g)
3. Angels on Bare Skin Cleanser (Rs 550 for 100g)
4. Fresh Farmacy Cleanser (Rs 520 for 100g)
5. Coolanlin conditioner (250g, Rs 750)
6. Veganese conditioner (240g, Rs 720)

I've only tried out the Herbalism Cleanser and really liked it. It's a kaolin and glycerine-based cleanser with ground almonds, rice bran, rose petals, powdered nettle, rose absolute, chamomile oil, sage oil, and chlorophyllin water. It's meant to be mixed into a paste with some water and then applied in a scrubbing motion. It left my skin baby soft, smooth and feeling refreshed!



As you're supposed to use only a peanut size amount each time, this little tub should last for about three months, which is the typical shelf life of Lush's skincare products as they contain no preservatives. It costs 550 rupees for 100g, which is about S$16.60, which is quite affordable and about the same price as the US where it's US$10.75 (about S$16.13) for 100g. Once you add in the US sales tax, the prices in India work out to be cheaper! UK is still the cheapest though, where it costs £5.14 (S$11.40).

Angels on Bare Skin



Mask of Magnaminty



I've also tried out the Veganese hair conditioner which has lemon for shine and seaweed for softness, plus lavender flower infusion and rosemary infusion. It worked quite well and left my hair smooth and untangled without any heavy buildup that you sometimes get from heavy conditioners. I wished it had a stronger lemon scent though!