March Drives Alllll The Way to LUSH

Hey, friends. I’ve already gotten ahold of some of your book recommendations (thanks to whoever mentioned the Marlow Murder Club, and also The Housemaid lol), and I’m reviewing a lovely classic fragrance on my next post. Today, though? I finally sucked it up and went to LUSH and you’re going to hear about it.

missed the damn exit again

For me, the nearest LUSH is an hour’s drive through the desert, all broken pavement and flying rocks and tumbleweeds and velociraptors lurking in a desolate, sun-blasted hellscape, in order to reach “civilization” (okay, Albuquerque), unlike Tom who has to powder his nose and walk down the block, and I haven’t been in a LUSH in … years? Sometime pre-pandemic. The smell of that LUSH store overwhelmed me, and I never went in if I had teens in tow, so they couldn’t buy some stupid glitter bomb. Anyhoo, I’d heard of Sticky Dates but Cinnamon and Tom talking about it sealed the deal.  While I was there, I asked the nice gal to point me toward anything else seasonal and cozy since it’s that time of year. The LUSH store here turned out to be in an outdoor mall which I think made the smell less intense.

oh look, a rock cracked my windshield

I sniffed most of what was on offer, in line with the “smells good” category of scents we’ve been kicking around on the Posse recently, rather than high art. Here’s what I wound up with, in no particular order:

Sticky Dates – oh my goodness this smells delicious, and it’s got an undertone of something earthy (i.e., actual earth) and smoky so it’s not overly sweet. I bought a little bottle of shower gel, but I might order the bigger one. I think it also comes in a body scrub and maybe a lotion. Also, Tom was right about Grass – what a fantastic grassy-green smell. I sniffed but did not buy, I’ll reconsider next spring or summer when I’m wanting something non-gourmand.

Turmeric Latte – doesn’t that sound … revolting? I thought so. I was wrong. Benzoin, tonka, vanilla. “Spritz yourself all over to reveal this rich, warming scent, with milky praline undertones.” It’s rich and sweet with a touch of bitterness that keeps it from being cloying. They were out of the smaller perfume bottles so I bought a decant online. There’s also a “massage bar” which is basically a generously-sized solid perfume, and which probably would have been sufficient for my needs.

Chelsea Morning – “A sweet, sunny and buttery perfume … with bright, biscuity notes and a hint of citrus, tonka and butterscotch create a sweet but not syrupy fragrance; lemon myrtle gives a sunny, citrus quality; fenugreek for a spicy undertone.” I couldn’t decide how I felt about this one? It went from “no” to “oh yes, absolutely” over the course of about fifteen minutes. This is another LE scent and they have two sizes of the perfume bottles plus a much less expensive stick solid.

Snow Fairy – I think this is a regular winter one? It instantly took me back to the years of my kids using their favorite strawberries and cream shampoo, only richer and fancier. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I got the shower gel.

The usual caveats: there’s some overlap between their bottled scents and their body products, and which thing is available in what format is kind of scattershot. Also if ordering anything online read the fine print since they put micro-glitter (ugh) in random products.

Have you tried any of this nonsense? Does the smell of the LUSH store make you want to cry and/or run away? Is it gourmand season for you now … or never?

images via Pexels