Last week, I was invited to my first blogger’s event.
But it wasn’t just any event, it was an exclusive evening at my local Lush store. Exciting stuff, right?
I had been invited after responding to a Facebook post requesting bloggers in the area to get in touch. Once I received my invite, I just couldn’t wait. Not only was Lush one of my favourite brands but it was going to be a great networking opportunity.
Contrary to my expectations, I had been emailed the evening’s itinerary a few days before. This only made me more impatient for 25th February to arrive.
I would be making my very own fresh face mask, getting an exclusive peek at this year’s Easter range and receiving a personalised perfume consultation.
This was definitely right up my street.
So I finished work in kind of a hurry on Wednesday and arrived, without a second thought, confident and early outside Lush.
I was armed with a dozen business cards, my notepad and an open mind.
After being invited in, I started talking to the other bloggers and vloggers. It was great hearing about their backgrounds and varied interests on make up, reviews, Lush products and their recommendations.
I immediately felt at ease among the group as we introduced ourselves and our blogs/channels.
We started with their Gorilla perfume range. We were given testers to smell whilst the staff talked us through the products individually.
It was great to learn that most of the products had a name with a personal and metaphoric meaning behind it. Names that were fixed to memories or ideas of how something would smell.
They told us that the essential oils in the perfumes, once heated up on the skin, would change and smell differently throughout the day. I found this aspect fascinating and I could really tell a lot of thought and creativity were put into these products.
Whilst I listened, there were many different smells hitting my nose as the testers came round. Patchouli, orange zest, lavender, vanilla, just to name a few.
I personally found all the scents were a little too strong for my taste. The rich ingredients were quite overpowering, even in the lighter scents.
After this, we all split off to receive our perfume consultations. I was asked to choose my preferred scent as I was given three sets of two tester strips.
I ended up being matched to Lust. A flowery, jasmine scent with strong hits of sandalwood and vanilla. It was musky, earthy and sweet all at once.
Surprisingly I didn’t seem to mind the scent after I warmed the mixture on my skin, it seemed the heat theory was working.
Next we moved onto the Easter range. We gathered round a table, watching with anticipation, while the staff unveiled a selection of products.
Lush had done an impressive job to say the least. The array of colours and themed ideas made for a great display.
There were gold bath melt eggs and shower jellies, carrot bubble bars (my personal favourite), rabbit bath bombs and a super sized, rainbow soap bar.
All of them were put to the test in bowls of warm water and were passed round the group. It was safe to assume that everyone was thoroughly impressed.
As mentioned above, the accurately named: “Bunch of Carrots” was my favourite bath product out of everything.
When mixed, they turned the water into what looked like a super bubbly yet weak mix of Fanta orange.
Who wouldn’t want a bubbly, orange bath?
What also made it better for me is that the bars smelt so refreshing and light.
I really enjoyed the freshness of their lemon and grapefruit mixture after the overly sweet scents of the other bath melts.
This one completely won me over and I haven’t stopped thinking about getting some since.
Last but certainly not least, we started on making our fresh face masks. The one we were recreating was the Catastrophe Cosmetic. A calming, moisturising mix with fresh blueberries, chamomile, rose and almond oils.
According to Lush, this particular mask is great for keeping skin in top condition during the winter months and can help to fight spot breakouts.
I’m a lover of blueberries and their antioxidant properties so I was definitely sold on this one.
Its dull, grey colour wasn’t the most eye-catching of the selection but it smelt wonderful as we mixed together the dried powders, water and blueberries to a smooth consistency.
The staff member, who was guiding us, was so informative and talked us through the entire process of the ingredients and production of the masks.
Ensuring they are kept on ice during the day and in a fridge at night, the masks are kept as fresh as possible while in store. Top points to Lush for effort here.
Once our masks were all potted up, there was just enough time for a group photo and, most excitingly, our Lush goody bags.
Overall I found this experience a great one and I couldn’t have been more glad I went along. It was eye opening to learn more about Lush and their products, not to mention that I met some lovely new people.
As far as blogging events go, Lush can definitely receive a thumbs up from me. The staff were very welcoming and made the evening into a success.
If you love Lush as much I do then make sure you ask about events happening in your local store, I would highly recommend them!
If you have any Lush product suggestions or recommendations, I’d love to hear from you. Otherwise, please check out the talented writers and vloggers that I met at this event below:
Chrissie – Shimmering Beautiful
Iqra – The Blushing Giraffe
Tasha – Tasha Meline
Lastly, for any readers that are interested in the products mentioned in this post, I have listed prices and descriptions below. Or alternatively, visit the Lush website.
Featured products (prices correct March 2015):
Gorilla perfume – Lust. Price range from £6 to £48
Golden Egg Bath Bomb – £3.75 each
Pot o’ Gold Shower Jelly – Price range from £3.50 to £6.95
Bunch of Carrots Bubble Bars – £5.95 each (3 bars)
Hoppity Poppity Bath Bomb – £2.50 each
Somewhere Over the Rainbow Soap – Price range from £4.25 to £21.25
Catastrophe Cosmetic Fresh Face Mask – £6.50 for 75g.
