Lush Spa Gift Box review

"Brown paper packages tied up with string" was in Julie Andrew's list of her favourite things and since last week, when this rather fabulous gift box arrived from Lush, it's in mine too ! I love Lush at the best of times but they've really outdone themselves with this packaging. It looks just like you've received something from some exotic location on the other side of the globe and that is exactly what they were trying to achieve - they say : "This brand new Spa gift box is a brown parcel with stamps representing the different treatments, journeys and experiences. The idea behind the gift came from wanting to recreate the feeling you get when you receive a postcard from a friend. The parcel is an invitation to travel inspired from each of the treatments (which are a different journey in themselves). Wrapped in brown parcel paper, tied with twine and a hanging parcel tag gives this gift a vintage-inspired English feel to it."

But you can't judge a book by its cover. Time to discover the all important contents.

Big Blue bath ballistic ... "A sea salt and seaweed packed ballistic to relax every bone in your body! Featured in the Tailor Made and The Good Hour treatments, Big Blue is great for aches, pains and relieving any unwanted toxins. Lavender is also used to calm the mind and lemon oil to tone the skin." Having by now got the Madhouse Mini-testers all excited about all things Lush, and being pretty much an exclusively shower-girl, I kindly handed this one over to the kids, knowing that I'd benefit from the gorgeous fragrance when I washed their hair anyway. As is our routine, we all lined up at the side of the bath to watch the bath bomb whizzing around the bath, turning the water a gorgeous shade of turquoise that reminded us of a sun-drenched hotel swimming pool (just what you need when you're having a bath to warm up after sledging in the freezing temperatures outside !). Then I heard "err Mum, what are all those those black things that look like worms?"! When Lush say packed with seaweed, they mean packed with big chunks of seaweed which can be a bit off-putting, but it doesn't detract from the whole relaxation experience - even if I did have to pick all the bits out of the plughole afterwards !

Peace massage bar ... "Based on our signature treatment Synaesthesia, this massage bar treats the skin to lashings of olive oil and cocoa butter for tired souls in search of a little peace." Ahh well, I may have shared the bath bomb with the kids but this is definitely one for the grown-ups to enjoy when the kids are tucked up in bed ! It's lovely and relaxing, as well as being very nourishing for the skin - just what you need with all this cold weather - and the fragrance is delicate and unisex, smelling chocolatey from the cocoa butter with slightly herbal topnotes, reminiscent of walking through a forest in springtime. (Well, that's what it makes me think of anyway !) According to the Lush website, this was created as Lush's response to the 2011 UK riots and contains lashings of Forgiveness, Acceptance, Calm and Content. Sounds just what the doctor ordered after a stressful day at work. I would suggest buying a massage bar tin to keep it in though because it gets messy when it's melting and needs to go hard again.

Full of Grace serum bar ... "Developed for the Validation Facial treatment, this pink serum bar balances all skins with rose water and portobello mushrooms. Glide on under a facemask or use as an overnight moisturising lotion before bed to restore your skin’s natural glow." Never in a million years would I have put together roses and mushrooms - wouldn't it just smell of mouldy rose petals?! - well, no it doesn't, but I'm never overly keen on the smell of roses so this isn't my favourite fragrance. The product itself is lovely on dry or dehydrated skin. It seems strange using a serum in a bar but it works really well, melting quickly and sinking into the skin. It does feel slightly oily to me so I prefer to use it at night before bedtime.

Stepping Stone foot scrub ... "The pumice powder in this lemon and sea salt foot scrub fizzes and removes

unwanted skin from feet, leaving them soft and pampered. Featured in The Spell treatment, this punchy scrub leaves you wondering how you ever lived without it!" Wow, I love this foot scrub on a number of levels - the cute green foot shape, the gorgeous citrus fragrance and the way it leaves my feet feeling refreshed and smooth. You rub it over wet feet then rinse. It's not ideal for use in the shower because you need to make sure the bar doesn't get too wet and start dissolving as that would be a waste. It's quite crumbly so I just break off a piece at a time and use it sitting on the side of the bath. It's a lovely way of pampering cold tootsies that have been trekking through the snow and ice on the way home from work.

So there you have it. It's a lovely selection of products that will mentally transport you to exotic, summery locations so it's perfect for lifting your spirits in this sudden cold snap.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £24.99

for more information : http://www.lush.co.uk/product/6231/Spa-Gift

Disclosure : I received a Lush Spa Gift Box in order to write an honest review.

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