Red White and Bluebonnet -- a cheaper Lush?

[Kragey]

So, I absolutely love Lush products, but I can't afford them. :/ Plus, because I rarely get to go in to the city, I always have to pay their mildly ridiculous shipping costs, and I can't test out the scents to see if I like them. I grew up in a house with a father and a brother who are VERY allergic to deodorants, fabric softeners, fragrances, etc., so the house was essentially scent-free and I'm therefore always hyper-aware of the smells around me. Hence, I have bought a few things from Lush online that I had to throw out because the smell was too much.

Well, I was bull-crapping with my friend Joel a few weeks ago, and we got to talking about how much we love Lush. I brought up this eBay seller, Red White and Blue Bonnet, and how she sold a lot of the stuff that Lush sells at super-cheap prices AND you can pick your own scent if you want! Joel has super-sensitive skin and breaks out very easily, so he sent me $20 and asked me to try it out, then report back to him.

I ordered 2 bubble bars (one pre-made, one "pick your own scent"), a bag of 3 bath bombs (all one scent, but you get to pick your own), and a "cupcake" (a bath bomb with "whipped body frosting," AKA body wash, on top). The whole order cost about $35, including shipping, and it arrived super-fast. Plus, the lady who makes the products, Carol, was very nice when I spoke to her via email. (My scent choices didn't go through, so she had to ask me about them.) Oh, and it came fast, considering it was all hand made; it was here a week after she'd e-mailed me.

If you're wondering what the stuff looks like (and it's all super-cute!), I put a bunch of pictures in a haul thread -- http://www.specktra.net/forum/f195/m...-heavy-154312/

I tried one of the Nadira bath bombs just an hour ago, and...okay, I know it's bad to rave about a company (for lack of a better term) when you've only used one of their products, but OMFG, I am IN LOVE. And I usually need something exciting like bubbles to get me interested, LOL! It fizzed for a minute or two and made the water super-silky. When I touched my skin after I'd been soaking for a few minutes, it was so silky and smooth, just...GUH! I stayed in the bath for an hour and a half watching South Park. (LAME RIGHT YEAH I KNOW.

) I even--get this--STUCK MY FACE AND HAIR IN IT! And I am super-funny about what goes on my face and what touches my waist-length hair.

Now, while I was in the bath, I was a little disappointed, because the bomb DIDN'T color the water, and I felt like the sandalwood smell was too faint. And I thought it hadn't clung to my skin. Then I got out and dried myself off and realized I was WAY wrong! My skin was so so so so SO soft, I didn't even use lotion, except for on my feet (which didn't even need it, but hey, force of habit!). That's huge for me; I ALWAYS use lotion in the winter! And--are you ready for it?--MY SKIN DOES SMELL LIKE SANDALWOOD!!! I'd just been so immersed in the smell that I'd stopped noticing it, LOL. I can't stop smelling myself, or walking in to my bathroom, because the smell is GUH.

In short, I never tried a bath bomb before tonight because I always favored bubble bars and body washes. Oh, I have seen the light!

I know I'm raving, but I'm just wowed by this product! I'm not going to tell everybody to run out and place a gigantic order with her, because I haven't tried the other products yet. But as for the 3-for-$4.25 bath bombs (current on sale for $3.83!), I will DEFINITELY be a repeat customer!

And I'm forcing myself not to take long-ass baths every night just so I can use more stuff. :X I'm sorry, Lush, but I believe you may have lost me for good, unless you can create something beyond uber-expensive bubble bars, bath bombs, and body washes that I'm actually interested in!

The storefront is here: eBay My World - redwhiteandbluebonnet

 

[nebbish]

I mean, that sounds awesome, but Lush has all their stuff patented. So you're not buying Lush, you know what I mean? It's like buying fake MAC. Sure, it's cheaper, buuut .... God knows what that lady put into her stuff.
I might be a bit biased [work there] but it's kind of like buying cheap champagne versus the real stuff. Remember that you get what you pay for.

 

[Kragey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nebbish I mean, that sounds awesome, but Lush has all their stuff patented. So you're not buying Lush, you know what I mean? It's like buying fake MAC. Sure, it's cheaper, buuut .... God knows what that lady put into her stuff. I might be a bit biased [work there] but it's kind of like buying cheap champagne versus the real stuff. Remember that you get what you pay for.

I'm aware of that. However, she does include a complete ingredients list, and an aunt of mine who makes similar products (but lives in a whole other country) has told me that they're all very standard, including Lush's.

It's not like buying fake MAC, in my opinion, because she's not pretending they're Lush products. She straight out says that her stuff may be similar and she's duped a few scents, but she doesn't pretend to be something she's not. Lots of people make homemade bath products. I've said it before and I'll say it again: some popular brands really do make great stuff that can't be beat, but if I can get a relatively similar product at half the price, I'll take it, brand recognition be damned.

Again, I haven't tried everything, so I can't really speak for all of her products, but the bath bombs are great and are definitely worth the money.



EDIT: erm, just realized this sounded a little meaner than I meant it to, LOL! Sorry, tone doesn't exist on the internet.

 

[nebbish]

lol yer good. I'm just sayin' be careful, you know?

 

[Kragey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nebbish lol yer good. I'm just sayin' be careful, you know?

Oh, of course. I made sure I picked a seller that had nothing but positive feedback, and I checked all of the ingredients and even asked my aunt.

It's kind of like homemade make-up: if you only stick to the stuff that's tried and true and comes from a big-name company, you'll never get to try the amazing, cheap stuff some people come out with.

 

[shatteredshards]

I've bought homemade bath products from eBay and Etsy before to. As long as you do your research you should be fine.


And what exactly about Lush's stuff is patented? Most of it is basic ingredients, basic process.

 

[BEA2LS]

i have seen bath bombs in stores before i even knew lush exsisted (i still have never even seen a lush store in my life). i am pretty sure their stuff is basic and i know many people have bought home made soaps and stuff online so as long as she is not pretending it is something it's not i do not see a problem with it.
that said i myself am leary of buying anything like that online, i am just paranoid over my sensitive skin i guess.

 

[shatteredshards]

The Mall of America got a Lush a year or two ago. They moved in just on the other side of the rotunda from my favorite bath store, The Basin.

That Basin closed last spring because they weren't making enough money at that store to keep it open. Rediculous, because they sold the same stuff as Lush, only better-smelling and cheaper, and they had been in the mall for a long time.

Now I have to settle for ordering online, or taking a trip to Disneyland or Disneyworld to visit their remaining stores.

 

[Kragey]

A lot of it is brand name recognition, let's be honest. If a make-up counter with products just as good as MAC's, but cheaper, popped up near a MAC counter, it wouldn't last long. People would just keep buying MAC, either because its reputation is established or...well, because they're namebrand whores, which I've run in to on occasion.

 

[shatteredshards]

Yeah, it sucks. I was pretty pissed when Lush moved into that spot, because I knew it was bad news for Basin. Total shame, with Basin having much friendlier employees and having such a good product selection (better than that Lush, honestly). I went inside that Lush once, and had to fight to keep from coughing because everything stank.

 

[Kragey]

Just a quick update: tried one of their bubble bars last night, the Karma dupe. I feel like her bubble bar scents are TOO intense when they're in bar form; it's actually a little annoying. But they soften in the water and make LOADS of bubbles.

They're also easy to break, which can be a good or a bad thing. I would think the shattering would be annoying in one of her bigger bubble bars, because you'd have a bar that was good for 4+ baths in a ton of chunks. But I just bought the 2.5 oz ones, which are good for about 2 baths, and I just figure I'll dump what's left in the bag in next time.

But beyond that, they're great.

2 baths per 2.5 oz bar is nothing to sneeze at, the scent was lovely, and it softened the water...and turned it bright yellow! That kind of made my life. A lot of the smells from my bath stuff "rub off" on my sheets during the night, as was the case with the Nadira bombs, but I still smell a bit like patchouli today.