Last week I was invited to a brekkie at the Mount Nelson with Rowena Bird, one of the founders of Lush Cosmetics. You’d think I’d have grabbed a piccie of her, but noooo, I was too drugged up on migraine meds to remember it so apologies for that. Instead, you can enjoy the mooiness that was tea.

Anyway, as you’d suspect, anyone who’s super passionate about creating 100% vegetarian cosmetics that don’t hurt the environment is also a lovely person. Meeting Rowena made me feel a lot better about that awkward year I couldn’t afford to eat but kept buying the Blue Skies bubble bar like my life depended on it. Interestingly, Rowena said that her own ‘desert island’ Lush pick would be her heart-shaped rose-scented Tisty Tosty bath bomb that’s based on a medieval love potion. How can you not adore someone who’s first thought upon being stranded a la Lost would be a ‘happy ever after’ as opposed to anything practical?

I also really enjoyed learning more about the brand’s ethics (if all companies were run the way Lush was we’d have world piece by now) as well as their fight to put an end to animal testing. (Yep, they don’t simply not do it, they also actively strive put an end to it.)

One of the several ways Lush aims to stop needless testing on our furry friends is via the creation of the Lush Prize. It uses company profits to fund cash prizes for individuals and organisations that work towards ending animal testing, be it via breakthrough scientific research or lobbying and more. The prize is a global one that’s open to anyone so if you’d like to learn more or know of anyone who’s eligible you can get more information over here.

We also got a sneak peek at a new product line that’ll be in store soon – Lush Mouthwash tablets!

As far as Christmas goes, Lush always delivers and this year their limited edition goodies are all self-preserved, meaning they don’t require any synthetic ingredients to keep them fresh. The line up that’s in store as I type includes favourites from seasons past (hello again Snowfairy shower gel!) as well as newbies like a soothing jasmine-scented bath bomb called Mistletoe and another super citrusy one called Never Mind the Ballistics that contains an entire fresh banana!

I left the event with one of Lush’s very lustable Christmas pressies tucked under my arm – Festive Friends. Inside the box you’ll find a yuletide trio (that are also sold separately) in the form of a Butterbear bath bomb (a soft vanilla-scented teddy with a cocoa powdered nose that softens your bathwater with fair trade organic cocoa butter); Father Christmas bath bomb (a candyfloss-scented treat that turns your water a hollylicious shade of green) and The Christmas Penguin bubble bar (an uplifting citrusy bubble bath in solid form).

I’m a sucker for fresh, citrus scents so I got stuck into The Christmas Penguin the other day and loved that it reminded me a lot of my favourite Lush shower gel, The Olive Branch shower gel. (Just a heads up – the way The Olive Branch smells in the bottle is completely different to how it smells in the shower on your skin so perhaps give a test drive at one of the sinks in store if you try it yourself. To me, its pure heaven.) I was also impressed by how little you need to make lots of bubbles while turning your bath water blue.

Anyway, all of Lush’s Christmas goodies are in store as I type. You can also buy their goodies online and, if you’re in Pretoria, you’re in for a treat. A new Lush store will be opening in Menlyn Park on 1 December. Just in time for Christmas…

Love, love

Leigh