Stocking up on L.U.S.H.

My mini haul ^.^

Today I got treated to...(read on...)

Marie Claire's magazine...

...came out ahead of Elle's, so I decided to get it. As I mentioned on a previous post, I usually get Elle & Vogue together, but that might just be changing! I like the fact that for this month, Marie Claire is thicker compared to Elle or Vogue. Plus it does have 2 freebies:

- Olay's new anti wrinkle product (which I won't be using, so it won't be reviewed. Too early to use this product (as much as a lot of women say it's never too young to start using anti aging products... I'm keeping well away!))

- A fairtrade type bangle - which looks simple, fashionable, although it is quite big to fit one's wrists without falling right off when you move your hands....

Now featuring my Lush Treat Haul...

I got another addition to Coconut Deodorant Powder. This smells incredible. Not overpowering; actually pretty light and fresh. For those of you who like coconut... get this. It says deodorant powder, however I don't use it for that purpose. It's great as a dusting off powder after applying overly moisturising products such as body butters or oils. This powder gives your skin a matte skin colour rather than oily/greasy.

Also, this is great for use after showers. I haven't tried doing this...but I would suggest that this would be great to use on oily scalps, rather than using the new dry shampoos coming out (the coconut powder will be much healthier for your scalp!)

9/10

I added more to my collection of Calavera bath bombs. They will be gone after Halloween so I decided to stock up. I didn't open any of them up from their packaging. If you want to see how they look like, click here (I blogged about this not so long ago).

My Review: I used this a while ago and was very impressed! The only let down was that the scent didn't linger on for as long as I was hoping... Lush should definitely make some kind of body scrub of this scent!

Okay, so here goes my review:

As soon as this bath bomb touched the water, it starts off fizzing softly, leaving behind a gentle white foam. After 2-3 minutes, you hear a louder fizz *sssssshhh* and then...out comes all the spectrum of the colour green, mixing in with the white foam. The water turns green slowly, settling in with the white foam. As a surprise, a type of flower/plant's petals/leaves are scattered all over the bath...smelling divine!

It almost feels like being in a rainforest or a pond. Think of the colour green as that (rather than something gooey!)

8/10

Another addition to the Lady Catrina soap. To see how the whole soap looks like, click here! This remains my favourite soap of the season. It reminds me of those Starburst chewy sweets... smells as sweet...

10/10

Finally, I get to blog about my favourite sugar scrub! Sugar Babe is amazing! I've used it so many times and it's luxury on one's skin... I like the silky smooth feeling it leaves your skin with, as well as the scent that lingers on. Jasmine & ylang ylang I believe is in this (?). It smells so fresh... great for a good quick pamper.

10/10

Made with real sugar....

I cut it into 4 pieces like this (I didn't do a very good job here >.>... I used a blunt knife!). See the pink colour in its centre? That has a different scent (more sweeter and stronger) than the white areas.

And I also cut the Sugar Plum Fairy Scrub into 4 bits. I blogged about this a while ago here. As you can see, I have already used 1/4 of this.

My review: This smells of plum as it says... mildly sweet scenting. Almost reminds me of cakes...! Left skin silky smooth. However, the scent didn't stay on for a long while after and my skin didn't feel as silky smooth as compared to using Sugar Babe's scrub.

6/10

This is Lush's anthem (I like to think of it as that)... printed at the back of their paper shopping bags... Read it for yourself. It's truly L.U.S.H.!

Bangalore Express - A Modern Indian Cuisine

'Dinner at Bangalore Express...'

Light, Modern, Healthy...a new Blend of Indian Cuisine!

So today I had dinner at Bangalore Express situated in Waterloo. Not my first time at the restaurant (I actually have been there a couple of times before!) but since I now have a blog... I thought, why not review it?

Enter the restaurant and you see a light, comfortable, relaxed atmosphere coupled with a modern classical beat and loud chats around you. Someone attends to you almost immediately at the door and finds you a table.

Here are some snapshots of parts of the restaurant (I took them in a hurry so they're blurry and ... not the greatest).

What I didn't like however was the dim lighting. Now, I've no problem with dim lights, but this restaurant was way too dim! Maybe you'll see what I mean from the foods' pictures...

This is their bar section in the restaurant.

This is another section showing their cool seating area involving one climbing a ladder to their table to dine in. I've climbed that ladder last year....twice! =P

'Any poppadoms for starters?'

'Yes, one portion please. Thanks!'

Crispy, not so salty as other poppadoms... a great light starter. Not sure what the dips are but... from the top: the yellow dip is sweet (almost tastes of mango), the orange dip (tastes like paprika?) is my favourite - I like the little bits in it even though I'm not sure what they are, and, the red dip is also sweet, has a strange peculiar taste (my least favourite...).

The menu - my order was ticked off conveniently.

The side dishes:

Chilli fries and...

...2 portions of garlic naan bread.

My verdict: The chilli fries were crispy, not too hot...although I don't think these were anything special. If you have tried Nando's Peri Peri chips, you might find these ordinary compared. The naan bread are worth ordering - crispy in some bits, soft in the right bits, already cut into quarters for you.

'May I have the lamb jalfrezi with Roast Aubergine Salad & Pilau Rice please?'

'Um... for me...I would like...the chicken breast jalfrezi with sweet potato mash and mushroom rice.'

'Hmmm... may I please, have the...chicken breast, with low fat medium curry (yes this is my plate...) and potato masala mash...and finally...mushroom rice too. Thanks.'

My verdict: Filling, healthy, tasty, a great mix of everything. As I'm fussy with meat, I'm impressed with the chicken as always. No red bits, cooked thoroughly, soft and fine. For a low fat curry, this is delicious...

'And for me, I would like to have the chicken breast with spinach and tofu, with some pilau rice.'

Bangalore is a new blend of dishes, mixing traditional and modern Indian cuisine. It sure does appeal to lot of people. For this reason, they have opened another branch and are getting more popular. Also, they have raised their prices!

However, if I were to be honest, this isn't one of my favourite restaurants. As healthier as this tastes compared to traditional Indian cuisine... traditional cuisine almost always wins with me because I always find them more unique, and also more simple and tasty. And I also like eating food with a history, an original origin...

But the food overall was delicious. They have added more to their menu now...

It's good news for those who want Indian food without the grease or saltiness.

My Last Weekend (Catching Up...)

Last weekend, I went to watch Despicable Me at IMAX! I enjoyed the whole movie from beginning to end. I didn't use to be a big fan of Pixar, but the more of them I watch, the more I'm getting into them. And with 3D now available, twice the excitement and galore.

I won't add in any spoilers here so I'll make it very brief. Despicable Me is about a 'good' villain trying to make a living of well... being a villain. He meets his competition in a form of another villain called Vector. And both compete with one another to be the greatest villain. In the midst of all this, there are light hearted jokes, both adult and kid humour and some heart warming scenes.

Recommended for anyone and everyone.

I think it'll teach us all a thing or two =)

Picture taken at IMAX.

The next day I attended a Bollywood Concert featuring the singer Shreya Ghoshal.

She sings the voices for actresses in Bollywood movies; her first song began in the movie Devdas. You can watch one of her performances that day by clicking here. That's one of my favourite songs! Perhaps I'll put the video up here in another post =)

I recorded live videos but won't be uploading them online as they're too lengthy, but I'll leave you with (an unexciting) a picture from the concert.

I'm totally into lipsticks right now. For those watching Mad Men - yes it might be a side effect from the female characters there and their sense of femininity. Nothing can ever replace a lipstick! No lip glosses or lip balms or lip scrubs can take its place. A lipstick, I think, defines a woman's lips, imprints femininity onto it. From the moment you apply it.... revealing its old fashioned shape; to looking into the mirror and perfecting its colour onto your lips...leaving a wonderful pout and distinct colour.

Clinique's Creamy Nude Long Last Lipstick is what I'm currently using. Admiring its colour - neutral and blends in so well. I think this is one tone that will suit all women.

And finally, my thoughts on another perfume sample from Superdrug...

Ricci Ricci by Nina Ricci.

I don't like this perfume as much as Nina's apple scenting one because it's too concentrated on the floral notes. This said, this is not so floral as one might expect...although I prefer floral perfumes to have a balanced mixed of some sweet scents to suit all occasions.

Is it just me or are floral scents not suitable for application when you have a headache?

Top notes: Rhubarb Zest, Bergamot.

Heart notes: Moonflower, Indian Tuberose, CentifoliaRose.

Base notes: Patchouli, Sandalwood.

6.5/10

Can't get enough of L.U.S.H.....!

My day started off at...

...Cafe Nero.

Earl grey tea in the morning can be more refreshing than coffee - test it out for yourself.

I bumped into this piece of art work: a huge magnet with lots of pennies on it - cool!

My piece of art.

Then I got treated to L.U.S.H =)
So here's my haul...
(Note: I have not tried any of these Bath products yet. I will review them in a later post. These are mostly new products just out).

Space Girl

If you like grapefruit, mild sweet scents, a lovely purple bath & a Saturn shaped bath bomb ... be sure to try this out. This was inspired by a song about a girl's adventures through the cosmos.

See the Space Girl bath bomb below? To its right, is one of my favourite - the Sex Bomb. To the left is Mrs Whippy (this smelt like caramelised sugar intially...)

No Name (...?)

I cannot remember the name of this bath bomb. Looked through the Lush website too. If anyone knows, do leave a comment! Anyway, I like this scent... apples, citrus... so refreshing. Great for mornings.

Dragon's Egg

Lemon & bergamont sum up the scent of this bath bomb. This is absolutely amazing... if only scents could last, I'd stock up a few and pile them in my drawers!
You can watch the dragon egg hatch into life here. I'm sure the video will convince you =P.
Lush describes this as a 'dragon egg' which hatches into life in the bath, swirling around in orange (representing fire) colours. Popping candy pops in the bath, followed by glitter swirls...
A must have.

Calavera

Again - amazing bath bomb. Lovely scents! I think this is a Halloween edition bath bomb, so get yours now before it goes away. This is heavily concentrated on the citrus scents, particularly lime, with a hint of spicy notes in it. I can feel this almost bursting of scents and surprises.

Lady Catrina

I got another one of Lady Catrina (stocking up before it goes out of stock after Halloween). This is my favourite soap of the season!

See the awesome purple soap? That's Lady Catrina. If only it wasn't so expensive, I'd have bought the whole thing! A must have soap this autumn.

The Joy of Jelly

For those of you following my blog, you will know how much I like the bath bomb called Sex Bomb. This shower jelly smells like the sex bomb! I had no idea this was in store for a long period of time until a Lush staff asked me what scents I was into...then she introduced me to this. Can't wait to see how it is ...

For those wondering how I store this - I usually refrigerate so it can be preserved well and keep its natural shape.

And the orange soap you see is also from their new range. Though on first impressions, I think it looks better than it smells. It smells of light orange/citrus (as you can guess), though the scent was too weak - so I wasn't convinced of getting one.

And finally, for those of you wondering how I store my Lush goodies... well... I put most of them in a sandwich bag! I find that containers take too much space (so I only store a few products in containers). And yes, I do have a lot of Lush goodies, so a sandwich bag is the most convenient and cost effective way!


All products will be reviewed out of 1-10 in a later post.

It's a Lush Life

Belle D'Opium

This is my favourite evening scent right now. It smells immaculate, feminine, powerful...a much fresher version of the original Opium.
I'll let YSL describe it:

'A woman full of ambivalence, elusive and obsessive,
powerful and troubling, ingenue but dangerous.
Her perfume, a disconcertingly bewitching new oriental.
An overdose of rare and precious ingredients:
the narcotic scent of Casablanca Lily
blends with spicy swirling Incense and
mysterious overtones of a Nargileh accord.
Her bottle, tinted with electric blue, is crossed by
a flamboyant red wick, defining the line
that unites it with her skin. '

I'm addicted.





LUSH

I paid a trip to Lush... (yes, I couldn't resist >.<)... I wanted to get all their new products, but I think I shall wait for a few more months before I do. I still have a number of bath bombs, bubble bars, shower gels, soaps, etc...! I keep stocks of Lush goodies, especially the limited edition products. I'll blog about those in due time. So anyway, I got the following - scroll on down ^.^
Top of the Blocks - Honey I Washed the Kids & Karma Soaps

Just 2 of my favourite soaps...

Karma - wakes you in the morning and greets you with a burst of fresh citrus scents. Now, I'm not fond of citrus smelling soaps.. I don't mind them, except for the fact that, citrus, in general, remind me of washing liquid! So Karma isn't like this at all... smell it for yourself and discover what I mean.

Honey I Washed the Kids - who likes toffee and maple and caramel (apart from me!)? This can be used for any occasion... Apparently, Lush staff do say it's the most popular soap. I can see why. Yummy...


Get this as a pack rather than individually if you want to get 100g of each. It'll save you money =)


See the names at the back? Mirek & Iko - followed by dates. These are the people who made the soaps (Lush is all handmade products, which is nice to know) and those dates are when they were made - i like!


Cupcake Face Mask

I usually go for the Love Lettuce face mask. I wanted to try out another one, so I went for this. It smells lightly of chocolate. It's meant to be great for oily skin and teenagers (I'm sure it'll be great and useful for everyone, not just particularly teenagers!)

Below are some descriptions taken from the Lush site.


'Rhassoul mud

Rhassoul is a natural mineral product that also has a foaming, de-greasing action and acts as a natural shampoo.'

'Cocoa powder and spearmint

We use cocoa powder to colour the product. It also works with rhassoul and spearmint to remove dirt and refresh the complexion.'

'Deep cleansing goodness for oily skin.

Rhassoul mud reigns supreme in this fantastic face mask, deeply cleansing the pores, balancing oily complexions and soothing skin that's become irritated by spots. Cupcake is one of our more commercial masks. The scent of chocolate is one of the best you could ask for in a facial.'

'Truly scrumptious.

Sitting with a face mask on for 15 minutes needn't be a chore when it's as yummy as Cupcake. Delicious cocoa powder, peppermint and spearmint turn your facial into a truly scrumptious experience.'

Lady Catrina Soap

This is a limited edition Lush soap. I will be stocking up...! Again... descriptions from the Lush site.. this smells am-az-ing!

'Agave nectar contains fructose and glucose. It is sweeter than sugar and has a low glycemic index. We use organic agave nectar in our Lady Catrina hallowe'en hand and body soap as a vegan alternative to honey for its soothing and softening qualities.'

Shaped like a fruity hat and decorated with flowers, there's a hauntingly beautiful quality to our purple soap, the Lady Catrina. But the zesty fragrance of fruit pastilles and freshly cut limes will revive even Kirkman's Walking Dead when you wash your hands and body.'

Sugar Plum Fairy

Look at how nice this looks like! Below are, yet again, more descriptions from Lush. I don't use this as a whole. It's best to cut it into 4 (with a kitchen knife or anything sharp!) and use those blocks separately. I love the sugar they use in it. It leaves your skin feeling silky. I used Sugar Babe in the past - my favourite sugar scrub! We'll see how well this performs...shall we?

'Plum Kernel Oil

The high oleic acid content of plum kernel oil is suited for lip balms, massage products and other cosmetics for dry skins. It has a nutty, plum-like aroma and is deeply moisturising.'

'Our newest scrubber was inspired by the Tchaikovsky ballet. When Helen was inventing, she thought that plum kernel oil would work a treat because it moisturises the skin and makes it feel silky smooth and adds an almondy scent to the product.'

If anyone has a favourite product at Lush, do recommend!