LUSH! {My attempt at a review}

I heard of LUSH the first time on Zoella's channel/blog. I immediately fell in love with this lovely colored bath bombs with funny names like, Granny Takes a Dip, Blue Sky and Fluffy White Clouds and Sex Bomb.

Lush only recently came to South Africa with only 4 S T O R E S and how lucky is Cape Town to have 3 of the 4! As Murphy would have it, way far away from where I live (like 1300km to 3 of them and 700km to the other).

Luckily hubby went to Leeds, UK in September last year (yes, I am only writing my review now 'cause I had to try it out first, right?) and bought back a few for me to try out. That's after I had to search for the address and directions to get to the shop in Leeds, but we did it!

So, to get the most out of this I decided to divide every piece in half and tried them all out (before the heat wave struck us) and keep a few pieces for Winter.

This is my thoughts.

♥Granny Takes a Dip

This one is gorgeous in the bath water. It turns the water a psychedelic color and makes it all fun. When you throw it into the water it starts fizzing and goes on for quite some time. It's got ginger, pepper and lemon as ingredients. The lemon helps boost your mood, the ginger and pepper is just warming. Of all of them this is actually not my favorite. But, I will buy it again. I enjoyed it and the scent is really inviting.

♥Sex Bomb (Bath Bomb)

I love the scent of this one and it makes you feel really relaxed, but you would not expect anything else from it with ingredients like Jasmine- Clary Sage and Ylang Ylang. This is perfect for a night in and I think in winter when you can make the water really warm this will work wonders for a pamper before bed. Definite re-purchase.

 ♥Blue Skies and Fluffy White Clouds & Brightside (Bubble Bar)

I have combined these two because the fall in the same category. They melt into the bath water. Oh my! All the oils! And the feeling on your skin!

The Blue Skies turns the water blue with white "cloudy" spots. The Blue Skies have Patchouli (the relaxant) and Frankincense (the exotic relaxing fragrance). It also contains cinnamon leaf (I ♥ cinnamon) that adds a spiciness to the fragrance.

Brightside is full of oils that makes your skin feel soft and the scents just makes you feel happy with bright colored orange water. It's got Sicilian mandarin, Bergamot andTangerine essential oils. I really enjoy citrus scents and bright colors.

Both these are definitely worth a re-purchase.

I can not wait to visit on of the shops here in SA!

Then last, but not least-my favourite one of the bunch (that is until I have tried the other products!).

♥Butterball (Bath Bomb)

This little beauty is filled with Ylang ylang and cocoa butter pieces! I remember the feeling like yesterday and the smell is divine! As soon as the butter pieces melt your skin is covered in something feeling like a combination of satin and butter. I don't know if that is even possible. It smells so good! This one is for use after a long, hard day to calm the nerves and just relax you. Ylang ylang is known to help treat stress, depression, relaxing the nervous system and to help relieve anger, panic and fear. I loved this one the most! I am really looking to the first very cold winters evening to pop this one back into my bath water!

I am really looking forward to trying out their skin range. They don't only specialise in bath products. The best part is, these are all hand made and they are totally against animal testing. YEAH for Lush!

Let me know in the comment section below if you have tried it before and what you would recommend? I would love to hear from you!

Speak to you soon...or sooner!

xoxo

The Book Thief {My jumbled thoughts}

I don’t actually know how I am going to express my thoughts and feelings on this one.

It took me quite some time to actually pick it up and start reading. All the hype and reviews keep playing in my mind and shouting for me to start, they would not leave me alone! I completed The Book Thief at the beginning of January (after spending a few months on it..) and I gave it a 5 stars. I remember, after I finished it, sitting there and knowing that I have so many books to choose from (for my next quest), but I just could not bring myself to do it, because I was processing. I messaged my friend straight away and told her “oh gosh I feel changed”! (Keep in mind, this friend of mine lives in Australia and when I finished that book it was already the start of the next day seeing that they are 6 hours ahead. That’s how changed I felt!)

I am not a fan of historical fiction, I find myself rather going for the “nowadays” stuff, if you know what I mean. I also struggled getting into the book. At one point I did put it down and then I picked it up again. It was when I picked it up again that I could not put it down. It is one of those books that actually needs all of your undivided attention without any interruptions. 

Now, if you don’t know what The Book Thief is all about, go read the summary H E R E and also check it out the reviews on GoodReads 

The writing style was easy to follow, easy to read and just overall the book is wonderfully written. This book is narrated by Death. How cool is this?! His point of view is totally different and it also gives you another perspective on the characters’ lives. I loved how the characters developed throughout the book and that the characters were relatable (Well, I have never been part of a war, but they were “human”. I hope this makes sense.).

What struck me is the story had two sides (well, actually many), the Jews and Germans (well, every story does but I don’t always think about this particular situation i.e WWII). It also struck me that there were Germans who tried helping as best they could and who sacrificed their safety in the process. I never thought of that. I know this is fiction based on a true “event”, but still, I don’t always think about everything. It also hit me that although the Jews really suffered, so did the German families. Fathers had to leave and go do their “duty”. Mother and child were left behind, Germany were bombed as well (Well, of course Germany was bombed.  It was after all a war and a lot of parties were involved.)

I probably sound like a total idiot, but just bear with me. We learned about the WWII at school, but not in a lot of detail and very selectively. Now that I am older, it makes a difference. WOW!

This book was filled with emotions. I laughed, I felt sad, I felt anger, I cried and I had compassion and sympathy with the characters. The story still plays in my mind from time to time and someday I will re-read it.

It just had an impact on me that I cannot put into words. I think this is the best it is going to get. I will recommend this book to anyone actually. It is different than your usual war stories. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

If you have read this book, please leave a comment below and tell me what you thought about it.

Speak to you soon...or sooner!

xoxo 

  

I am missing Mauritius

Hey guys!

I hope you are doing well. I was a bit busy over the weekend and trying to decide what I am going to share with you. Lately I have really been missing Mauritius. I had the privilege to visit this beautiful island twice and my heart is longing to go back. 

Last year March, my husband and I went for our 2nd anniversary and we stayed at the 4* Tamassa hotel (It is part of the LUX group). We had an awesome time and I even picked up a nice caramel skin colour! hehe Sunbathing, eating, swimming, reading, what more do you want! AND the coconut ice cream...there is no word! It's little like little fairies moon walking on your tongue!

Just a little review. I LOVE the LUX hotels. The whole feel of this hotel group is light and crisp and the rooms just makes you feel "floaty". White with bright pink, green and even some orange. Some of the hotels have a few perks too (like ice cream and massages on the beach, but that is a story for another day). We really enjoyed this hotel and the beach is beautiful! We went snorkeling and took a catamaran cruise (unfortunately the weather didn't play along, BUT we still had a  great time).

Definitely a 4/5 for me. I would  recommend this hotel for sure. The rooms are spacious, clean, fresh, the staff is so helpful and friendly. They really make you feel at home away from home. The food is well prepared, but the problem with resort's restaurants, in general, are that it gets really boring after a few days. Maybe spice it up with some hamburgers! hehehe The only downside is the Spa is really pricey. We would have love to go for a treatment or two, but we had to pass. Maybe next time!

When are we going back!?

Speak to you soon...or sooner

xoxo