Shopping Until I Drop… A Bath Bomb Accidentally | Lush Boxing Day Sale At Lush White Rose

 Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I recently managed to go to the Lush Boxing Day Sale at Lush White Rose in Leeds so I thought that today I would talk to you all about my experience and what I managed to pick up! 

Myself and Luke managed to grab a taxi on the morning of Boxing Day and head to White Rose Shopping Centre. This didn’t take long and even the taxi driver commented on how quiet the roads were which was unusaual for them! 

We arrived at White Rose, thanked the taxi driver and headed to Lush. We got to near Lush and was told to join the queue which we did. Sadly Luke sometimes struggles with queues due to use a cane and trying to manage the narrow barriers and getting their cane caught underneath them sometimes. We did tell the staff who were managing the queues this and was ignored. Luke decided to just carry on as the staff may have not heard them and it was a busy day (I did instantly message White Rose when this happened). We joined the second queue to the store and after a while the lovely Jas found us and escorted us to the store which meant that we could skip the queue which was very kind of them to do so and that Luke could save some energy trying to manage the queue with this cane and enjoy the sale and shopping at Lush White Rose.

We had a chat with the wonderful Jas before Jason greeted us and very kindly told us that they would be guiding us around the store to ensure that we had an amazing shopping experience. We’ve done Lush Boxing Day Sales in the past and it can be overwhelming and a little bit dangerous for both myself and Luke. Luke has been barged into and nearly had his cane knocked out of his hand before and I’ve been elbowed a fair few times in previous years for being near those gloriously pink tinted Snow Fairy products.  
Jason guided us around the store beautifully and went through every product that was on sale including some goodies that weren’t a part of the Christmas Range and instead were a part of the Retro Wall which surprised me as I wasn’t expecting anything from the wall to go on sale!  

After perusing the shelves for a while and grabbing products for both of us, we made our way over to the tills where Jas found us again to escort us to the tills to ensure that we weren’t struggling waiting in the queue which was really amazing of them to do. 
We chatted whilst the lovely Sarah packed our bags and talked to us about the Christmas Range as a whole! I would like to also add that the lovely Lorna was an absolute star. When it comes to access for trips and events such as the Lush Boxing Day Sale, I like to email ahead and when I did this year for the Sale, Lorna helped in every way possible including asking what accessibility features would work best for myself and Luke and planned according to our needs. This is amazing as I stated at the beginning of the post that we have both had some mixed experiences doing Lush Sales in various different shops and knowing what to expect beforehand and getting some help beforehand just takes a bit of weight off myself and Luke and helps us to have a great day out shopping. Lorna was even so lovely to let us check out the Lunar New Year Range before it launched to stores and online. (It’s out by the time this post will be live so go check it out if you can). 

Haul: 
I thought that it might be best to bullet point what I got. 

• Sleepy Bear Shower Gel 
• Tramp Shower Gel 
• Snow Fairy Two Tone Shower Gel 
• Polar Bear Dreaming Shower Jelly 
• Smugglers Soul Face Scrub 
• Elbow Grease Moistursing Bar
• Candy Rain Conditioner 
• Snowdrift Bath bomb 
• Shoot For The Stars Bath Bomb 
• Bubble Bear Bubble Bar 
• Magical Santa Bath Bomb 
• Dreaming Of A White Christmas Bath Bomb 
• Star Of Wonder Bath Bomb 
• Groovy Fairy Bath Bomb. 

I’ve also created a TikTok post about my Lush Boxing Day Sale Haul. Click here to watch it. 

 Thank you again to all of the wonderful staff at Lush White Rose especially those mentioned in this blog post for helping myself to have a great shopping experience during the busiest time of the year! 

If you can then definitely do pop a visit to Lush White Rose! 

Did you manage to grab anything from the Lush Boxing Day Sale? Let me know down below and on social media! 

Thanks for reading! 

Jamie x

It’s Time To Put The Holiday Cheer Into Your Bath Tub! | Lush Manchester Arndale Holiday Preview Event 2024 (GIFTED)

 Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post! Lush kindly invited me to the Lush Manchester Arndale store to check out the brand new Holiday Launch the day before the range drops in Lush stores and online alongside some of the other ranges coming very soon and I thought that I would talk to you all about what I got up to at the event. 

(Just a heads up, I was gifted a few items at this event which will mentioned towards the end of the post). 

Myself and Luke grabbed the train to Manchester Victoria. Once we arrived, we slowly made our way to Lush Manchester Arndale. I say slowly because Manchester and Luke and a cane sometimes doesn’t go smoothly. People sometimes barge into him and don’t say sorry because they’re in a rush or the cane sometimes has trouble going over the tramlines that are outside of the wonderful shopping complex. 

Once we arrived at the store, we were greeted by some of the wonderful staff and was talked through what the event would consist of. It had been a while since I’d popped into the Manchester Arndale store but the store was decked out in all things festive and honestly it already felt like it was Christmas and not the end of September and raining. 

We made our way to the Co-Create station and was greeted by Luka. If you’re unfamiliar of what the Co-Create Ranges are at Lush then let me tell you all about them. Co-Create is a concept by Lush that focuses on collaborating with staff at Lush who celebrate cultural holidays and letting them design and create products for that cultural holidays range at Lush. For example, Luka (who works at Lush Manchester Anrdale) helped to create the upcoming Hanukkah Range and was talking to us about all of the current and upcoming Co-Create Ranges. 

We started off with the Dia De Los Muertos Range that has dropped in stores and online. We went through the range and smelt everything. Sadly the Damas Del Sol Bubble Bar was unavailable but if you love all things Butterflies or love the Guardians Of The Forest scent from Lush then I do urge you to grab it as it’s now online and should be in stores. Luka showed us the Cempasúchil Bath Bomb and Shower Gel.  Cempasúchil is also known as Mexican Marigold. This flower is known as a significant symbol during Dia De Muertos and is used to guide spirits from the dead back to their families during Dia De Muertos.  For Lushies that have been shopping at Lush for a while then you will be glad that both the Bath Bomb and Shower Gel share the Iced Wine scent from Lush. The Cempasúchil Bath Bomb contains Bergamot Oil, Buchu Oil and Grapefruit Oil. The Shower Gel contains Marigold Petal Infusion, Fine Sea Salt, Lactic Acid, Bergamot Oil, Buchu Oil and Grapefruit Oil. This amalgamation of ingredients creates a bright zesty scent with a peppery floral undertone to it. If you are already missing Summer and want a blast of citrus to help you during the colder days then definitely grab either or both of the Cempasúchil products. 

The lovely Luka then went onto the upcoming Diwali Range.I had the opportunity of smelling the upcoming Lotus Blossom Bath Bomb. This bath bomb contains Jasmine, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Black Pepper and Clove. Oh my god, this smells gorgeous. I love all the ingredients in those. I adore Patchouli, Black Pepper, Sandalwood and Clove and I slowly grown to love Jasmine especially in Lush products such as Flying Fox Shower Gel and Lust Perfume. Luka discussed with us that not only will there be a Bath Bomb for the Diwali range but there will also be a Shower Gel with the same scent alongside some other goodies fropping on 3rd October (this Thursday) and I can’t wait to grab both.  If you’re an old time Lushie then you may remember the scent of the upcoming Diwali Bath Bomb and Shower Gel via the Old Delhi Station Perfume from Lush. 

 We then smelt the Hanukkah range that Luka has helped to create and I adore it. There are two products for this range. The Dreidel Dreidel Dreidel Bath Bomb that has had a little bit of a colour change from last year and the Gelt Soap. The bath bomb shares the same scent as the Apple Crumble Bubble Bar which contains Myrrh Resinoid, Orange Flower Absolute and Cinnamon Leaf Oil which creates a spiced Apple scent.  I love anything spiced Apple scented and to me that’s what this smells of. The Gelt Soap smells of all things gorgeous and is a scent that Lush has dubbed ‘Vegan Chocolate Orange’ and I get why because that’s what it smells like to me ! I think if you love the Yuzu and Cocoa scent from Lush then you will adore this! We then discussed the Sticky Dates range. I’m sure that everyone reading this is aware of the very viral Sticky Dates range from Lush. I discussed with Luka that I have been using my Sticky Dates products throughout the year sparingly until I heard that they were staying around for good because I wanted to use the Sticky Dates range during the Autumn Season. 

We finished up discussing the ranges and I grabbed some photos and then Luka kindly escorted us to our next station. Perfume!

 We were greeted by the brilliant Ben. Ben sat me down and asked me what sort of scent profile I enjoy the most. Now I am a very indecisive person and honestly perfume for me compliments the way I’m feeling on the outside and inside and what my mood is for the day. Honestly this is why I love Lush’s Perfumes. I adore everything at Lush but I think that Perfumes at Lush are sometimes a little overlooked and thus I am glad that they are now getting their flowers via certain Perfumes going viral over the past year. All of Lush’s Perfumes are for everyone and aren’t categorised into the ‘for men’ and ‘for women’ boxes that a lot of perfumes are these days and I love that. As someone who’s non-binary, I don’t really care about if a perfume is marketed towards men or women because that’s really restrictive. Perfume is all about a feeling and Lush definitely help with that. I love how I can go into a Lush store, get some advice on some new scents to try and not get ushered into only smelling the for men ones that happens in other stores which in turn can make me feel quite dysphoric. 

I told Ben that I usually go towards smoky/spicy but also sweet scents and that the scent I was wearing was the iconic Snow Fairy. I was tempted to wear Turmeric Latte because I love that but I thought well it’s the first day that the iconic Snow Fairy is back for 2024 so I had to showcase the scent on myself whilst going to a Christmas event at Lush! Ben suggested a few scents such as Vanillary, 4:20, Lord Of Misrule, Rose Jam, Karma but after a while of sniffing we decided on trying two of the new perfumes that Lush had recently released. One smoky, one sweet. 

Before spraying, Ben told me some Perfume Top Tips such as applying a moisturiser before spraying helps to increase a perfumes longevity and I mean we all want a perfume to last as long as it can on our skin! Ben applied some of the Magik Massage Bar on me after asking if I was okay with using CBD and gave me a hand and arm massage which I adored. After the beautiful oils of the Massage Bar sank into my skin, Ben spritzed Vegan Leather Jacket on one wrist and Chelsea Morning on the other. Vegan Leather Jacket contains Clove Bud Oil, Vetivert Oil, Tonka Absolute and Tobacco Absolute which creates a deep smoky scent with a hit of spice. Chelsea Morning contains Tonka Absolute, Lemon Myrtle Oil, Fenugreek Oil and Vanilla Absolute which creates a sort of sweet and citrusy scent. To me, Chelsea Morning reminds me of a Caramelised Croissant or a Caramel Latte next to some fresh Lemons.

 Ben also let me smell No Way To Say Goodbye which contains Blackcurrant Absolute, Litsea Cubeba Oil, Rose Absolute, Rose Oil and Benzoin Resinoid to create a sophisticated Berry scent. The best way I would describe it is if The Comforter Body Spray from Lush represents a person who’s a student going clubbing then No Way To Say Goodbye represents that same person now in their mid thirties hosting dinner parties.

The next station on our list was the Bath Bomb Making Station! Lush Manchester Arndale has a little Greenhouse at the back of the store that they have turned into a Snow Fairy Grotto for Christmas. I was guided into the Greenhouse and was met with the ultimate festive looking grotto decked out in all things pink and Snow Fairy. If you love Snow Fairy then I think that you will love this little section of the Manchester Arndale store. 

The wonderful Mark told us that we were going to be making our own Snow Fairy Bath Bomb. I love all things Snow Fairy so I was excited to get my gloves on and make my own Bath Bomb. After I got my gloves on, Mark guided me through how to make the iconic festive Bath Bomb. First, I grabbed some glitter. I probably grabbed a little bit too much glitter because I love glitter. After I sprinkled some glitter into the bottom of one of the Bath Bomb moulds, I layered the two Bath Bomb mixtures into my mould ensuring to pack it down into the mould and to layer it. After this, I repeated the layering with the other bath bomb mould and then Mark happily squished them together to ensure that the bath bomb would stick together. In the past I’ve had trouble with this part when making bath products at Lush as you have to squeeze quite hard and sometimes it can go wrong so I was more than grateful for Mark doing this for me. After this, I was told to leave it for at least 24 hours before using this wonderful Bath Bomb! I haven’t used it yet but I think once this blog post is published, I will definitely be treating myself to my very own handmade Snow Fairy Bath Bomb. 

After making the wonderful bath bombs, we had a wonderful conversation about all things Lush and the Christmas Range with the wonderful Mark. 

If you would like to make your own Snow Fairy Bath Bomb in the Snow Fairy Grotto then pop by to Lish Manchester Arndale on a weekend from now until Christmas to do so! The bath bomb making is priced at £5.50 which is the same price as the Snow Fairy Bath Bomb. 

After making the iconic Snow Fairy Bath Bomb, I then went to the Skincare section of the store. Ben sat myself down and asked me what my skin type was like. I am mainly dry and acne prone and with the weather dropping right now, my skin seems to get extra dry. Ben listened and told me that they were going to grab some products from Lush that they thought would suit my skin type and needs.

The first product that Ben brought over was BB Seaweed. BB Seaweed is a Fresh Face Mask from Lush that contains Ground Almonds, Toothed Wrack Seaweed, Glycerine, Fair Trade Organic Aloe Vera Gel, Honey, Fresh Rose Petals, Rose Oil and some other great ingredients. The Ground Almonds help to scrub away dead skin without being too stripping, the Honey, Glycerine, Seaweed and Aloe Vera Gel help to add moisture to the skin and the Rose helps to stop redness. I can definitely see why Ben recommended this to me as my skin does need help with moisture and redness. 

Before this lovely face mask was applied, Ben applied the Full Of Grace Serum Bar to my hand to ensure that my skin would definitely feel the nourishment and get the full effect of what the Face Mask is made to do. Full Of Grace contains Murumuru Butter,   Cupuaçu Butter, Calamine Powder, Fresh Rose Persl Infusion, Organic Almond Cool, Fresh Portobello Mushrooms, Chamomile Blue Oil, Rose Oil and Tagetes Oil. The lovely blend of Butters and Oils help to moisturise the skin, the Rose and Chamomile help to keep the skin calm and soothed and the Mushroom is full of Vitamin B and C which is known to help the skin. I did mention to Ben during the consultation that my acne can be quite eruptive and can come from either being stressed, general life or the occasional slip up from lactose intolerance so it was importsnt to include products that would help to soothe the skin. 

After the Mask was applied onto my hand, Ben suggested some other products from Lush and talked to me about how they would help my skin. They suggested the very viral Let The Good Times Roll Cleanser which contains Maize Flour, Glycerine, Polenta, Corn Oil and Fair Trade Organic Cinnamon Powder. Ben recommended this to me because the Polenta creates a fine scrub without being too harsh on the skin which is great for not only dry skin but for all skin during the colder months of the year where skin can be dried out easily from being in the cold to being in warm environments such as places that have their heating on whether this be shops, restaurants or your home. The Glycerine in this Cleanser helps to keep skin moisturised. Let The Good Times Roll also has a beautiful popcorn smell to it which helped the product and the Body Sprsy version of Let The Good Times Roll go viral online. After this, Ben told me all about some of the beautiful Body Care products at Lush and asked if I had tried the new Shoot For The Stars Body Scrub that is a part of the brand new Christmas Range. I hadn’t just yet but I adore anything and everything scented in the Honey I Washed The Kids scent so I was eager to try it. Ben brought me some over and demoed it on my arm and I fell in love with it!

Ben recommended this Shoot For The Stars scrub as it contains Fine Sea salt which helps to buff away dead skin without stripping away the natural oils of the skin and Creamed Coconut which helps to condition the skin and give a lovely glow go the skin. If you havent smelt Shoot For The Stars or any of the products at Lush that share the same scent such as Honey I Washed The Kids Soap or Honey I washed The Kids Shower Gel or Honey I Washed The Kids Body Spray then imagine a true honey-toffee scent with a big background note of pure Orange that helps to ensure that the honey-tofffee scent isn’t too sickly sweet. After this scrub was massaged into my skin and then rinsed off which left my arm feeling the softest that it has in a while, it was time to wash off Bb Seaweed. Ben massaged the Ground Almonds in for the last time  as he had done this wonderful at the beginning of applying it to my hand and then rinsed it off and patted my skin dry. 

To ensure that all of the Mask was rinsed off, Ben went in with the brand new Snow Bear Soap. This soap has been created to help dry and sensitive skin during the festive period. This Soap contains Oat Milk, Rapeseed Oil:; Coconut Oil, Glycerine,  Soya Yoghurt, Roce Bran Oil,  Yonka, Minosa and Vanilla Absolutes and Bwnzoin Resinoid. Oat Milk and Soya Yoghurt are known within the Beauty Industry for being spotting and nourishing to the skin whilst Tonka, Minosa and Vanilla Absolutes alongside Benzoin Resinoid blend together to create a sort of creamy scent that reminds you of Christmas Cake and Custard mashed into one. 

 I said thank you to Ben and had a little chat about skin care in general before moving on to the final station. 

Sadly it’s time to board the final stop on our journey around the Lush Manchester Arndale store. We arrived at our final stop and it was a station all about wrapping and gift sets. Lush have released some amazing gift sets for their Christmas 2024 Range. If you’re a fan of Intergalactic, Yog Nog, Sleepy/Deep Sleep or Snow  Fairy then Lush have you covered with some amazing gift sets. 

For Intergalactic lovers, Lush have released a gift set for the festive season that is full of Intergalactic goodness. If you suffer from colds during the holiday season then this gift set might be a great one for you too. This gift set contains an Intergalactic Bath Bomb, Intergalactic Shower Gel (120g), Intergalactic Soap and Intergalactic Mini Bubble Bar. If you haven’t smelt Intergalactic then Intergalactic  contains Peppermint, Grapefruit, Vetivert and Cedarwood Oils to create a complex mint scent that’s truly out of this world! This gift set is priced at £29. 

Lush have released a Yog Nog gift set for those who love this seasonal delight! Yog Nog Gift  Set contains Yog Nog Bath Bomb (which is an exclusive product to the Gift Set), Yog Nog Shower Gel (100g), Yog Nog Body Lotion (50g) and Yog Nog Body Spray (100ml). If you haven’t tried Yog Nog before then Yog Nog contains Clove Bud Oil and Ylang Ylang Oil. The combination of these two oils creates a sweet yet multidimensional Maple based caramel scent that is made for the colder months. If you love anything that falls under the gourmand category of scents then you will fall in love with this scent. I love how this gift set has all of the Yog Nog you’ll need in one box! Priced at £44.

For all you Sleepy lovers, Lush have created a gift set especially for you and I got to see this in person at Lush Arndale so I thought I would tell you all about it. Sleepy Bear Gift Set contains all of your favourite Sleepy products. This gift set contains Sleepy Bear Bath Bomb, Bubble Bear Bubble Bar, Sleepy Bath Bomb (an exclusive product to this gift set), Sleepy Bear Shower Gel (120g) and a Sleepy Body Spray (100ml). Not only does this gift set contain all of the products that will help you get to sleep easily but they all come wrapped up in an adorable Bear Drawstring Bag! Priced at  £54.

Do you love all things Snow Fairy? If your answer to that was yes then you will love the new Glow Fairy Gift Set at Lush. This gift set contains Glow Fairy Shower Gel (110g), Snow Fairy Shower Jelly (90g), Snow Fairy Soap,  Snow Fairy Body Lotion (50g) and Fairy Dust Dusting Powder (70g). If you are wondering what Glow Fairy is then don’t worry I will explain! Glow Fairy is a brand new version of Snow Fairy. I guess in a way it’s the version of Snow Fairy where the Fairy has had a bit of a glow up. Glow Fairy still contains Synthetic Musk and Persian Lime Oil which makes up the scent of the iconic Snow Fairy but this version also has Oat Milk, Fresh Cherry Juice and Luminescent Zinc Sulfide. Not only does these ingredients provide a bit of moisture to the skin but the Zinc means that this Shower Gel will glow in the dark so now Snow Fairy will always sparkle even when the lights are off! Priced at  £40.

Not only did I get to check out these new gift sets but I also got to check out some of the other iconic gift sets such as the Lush Advent Calendars whilst at Lush Manchester Arndale. Did you know that there is a refill Advent Calendars available this year (online only) which helps you to cut down on packaging and helps you recycle/repurpose the packaging. I am very tempted to grab a Lush Advent Calendar this year. I won’t spoil it all but I heard that one of them contains a spicy Perfume that’s exclusive to the Advent Calendar that I’m dying to sniff!

Whilst I was going around the store, at every station I was gifted an item or two to take home with me. The Wrapping Station is focused on using one of Lush’s fabulous Knot Wraps to wrap the items gifted to me in an amazing package. 

The items that were gifted to me are the Sticky Dates Body Scrub from the wonderful Luka at the Co-Create Station, Chelsea Morning Perfume from the wonderful Ben at the Perfume Station, the Snow Fairy Bath Bomb that I made with Mark and a tub of BB Seaweed Fresh Face Mask and a tub of Shoot  For The Stars Body Scrub from the amazing Ben at the Skincare Station. 

The lovely James guided us through how to wrap up our products with a lovely knot wrap. The Knot Wrap that James chose was the Manchester exclusive Knot Wrap which looks absolutely amazing. There are multiple different textural formats when it comes to Lush’s Knot Wraps but the Manchester exclusive one falls into the sort of silk style texture and it feels amazing! We had a little chat then decided to have a in-depth look at the Retro wall at Lush Manchester Arndale and the new Christmas Range and pick up some goodies. (The haul will be in a different blog post).

Throughout the event and whilst looking at the Christmas Range, both myself and Luke got to chat with the wonderful Rachel from the Community Team who not only looked after us but also gave us some information about some of the products in the new Christmas Range and helped us grab some of the new products! Did you know that this year Lush have released five different versions of the iconic Snow Fairy Shower Gel to suit everyone’s needs including those who love glitter and those who have dry and sensitive skin! How great is that?! 

Again thank you so much Rachel for being amazing and helping us throughout the event! Thank you also to the wonderful Lush Manchester Arndale staff and those mentioned in the blog post for putting on such an amazing event and for gifting me with the items mentioned.  Thank you to both the Community Team and the staff at Lush Manchester Arndale for inviting me to this event! I’ll definitely be back in Lush Manchester Arndale very soon! 

Thanks for reading! 

Jamie x

This blog post is in return for being invited to the Holiday Preview Event at Lush Manchester Arndale by Lush and the Lish Community Team. Some products mentioned in this post were gifted to me at the event. All views, opinions and ramblings are my own. 

Costa Coffee Christmas Range 2023

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post. I thought that today I would talk to you all about the new Costa Coffee Christmas range. Yes, I know it may be a bit early for some of you to see Christmas but who doesn’t love hearing about some new delicious goodies that are coming to a Costa Coffee store near you very soon? 

Sticky Toffee 

Who doesn’t love a good Sticky Toffee Pudding when the days get dark and cold very quickly? 

The Sticky Toffee drinks come in two formats. A Latte to keep you warm when the weather gets chilly and a Iced Latte that will help to refresh you when the Christmas shopping gets a little bit too stressful. 

Both of these drinks will feature a yummy sticky toffee flavoured sauce, topped with Light Whip, and drizzled with even more sauce, finished with a sprinkling of bronze shimmery, angel-like dusting. 

Black Forest & Cream Hot Chocolate 

Black Forest is back baby! I know a lot of people including myself were devastated when Black Forest was scrapped for last years Christmas range and then had to rush to try and grab it in a store during the last week leading up to Christmas. This year, Costa has brought Black Forest back with a bang! 

The iconic drink features a rich hot chocolate with cherry sauce topped with cream and drizzled with cherry sauce. 

If you are a Costa Club member and have the App then you are already able to get the Black Forest & Cream Hot Chocolate in stores before the rest of the range and before non-members can grab it on 2nd November. All you have to do is scan your card and ask for one at the till or order one through the Click and Collect feature on the Costa Coffee App. 

I must admit, I may have already grabbed one through the Costa App when I was out with Luke the other day and oh my god it was worth the wait. Delicious and fruity. Utter perfection. 

Roasted Hazel 

Is it just me or does the scent of roasted nuts makes it  feel like its the beginning of the festive season? Now you can enjoy that feeling in a drink! 

Roasted Hazel will be available as a Latte and a Hot Chocolate. Both of these warming drinks will include a flavourful roasted hazelnut syrup, topped with Light Whip, and completed with a beautiful, bronzed shimmer and mini gold stars. 

I do love Hazelnut and this screams a very me drink so I am intrigued to see what Roasted Hazel tastes like. I also love the addition of gold stars. I bet it looks pretty and adds to the festive vibe! 

Gingerbread & Cream Latte 

Gingy is back and  they’re looking tastier than ever! 

This drink features a milky coffee laced with a generous slurp of sugar free gingerbread syrup, topped with cream and adorned with a mini gingerbread person.

I love anything Gingerbread so I will definitely be grabbing one of these. 

Inspired by After Eight® Hot Chocolate & Terry's Chocolate Orange® Hot Chocolate

Who doesn’t love a good couple of After Eights after a filling Christmas Lunch? Well Costa have made an After Eight® Hot Chocolate so you can have it all Christmas season long! 

Is it just me who associates Terry's Chocolate Orange® with Christmas? I just imagine one of these tasty chocolate balls in the bottom of my Christmas stocking. Costa has also decided to bring back the well loved Terry's Chocolate Orange® Hot Chocolate for those who love a good Chocolate Orange drink throughout the festive period. Both of these drinks come with either a  Terry's Chocolate Orange® Segment or an After Eight® slip on the side. 

Costa Express:

Costa Express customers can enjoy a taste of the festivities with the new Sticky Toffee Latte, new Sticky Toffee Hot Chocolate, and new Sticky Toffee Iced Latte (only at Costa Express’s Hot and Iced self-serve machines). 

Shell customers can get exclusive access to the new Roasted Hazel Latte, new Roasted Hazel Iced Latte (only at Costa Express’s Hot and Iced self-serve machines) and new Roasted Hazel Hot Chocolate.

Food:

Pigs In Blankets Toastie

Pigs In Blankets is an ultimate staple of Christmas Dinner for a lot of people in the UK so cramming these beauties into a toastie sounds like a perfect idea to me. 

This brand new product for Costa Coffee features succulent pork sausage and maple cured bacon, with sweet, caramelised onion chutney, all in tempting garlic, onion and sage crumbed cheese-topped bread. 

Vegan Turkey & Trimmings Toastie

Just because Christmas is full of meat doesn’t mean that we can leave the vegans out of having some delicious festive food

This toastie consists of vegan turkey with stuffing, yummy cranberry sauce, vegan mayonnaise, vegan gravy, all in toasted white bread. 

I love to incorporate some Vegan products into my diet a lot of the time so I will definitely be trying this one out! 

Honey Roast Ham & Wensleydale Ciabatta 

All I’m going to say is Cheese, Gromit, Cheese! 

This sandwich features juicy British Honey roast ham and Wensleydale cheese, mature Cheddar and honey and béchamel sauce, packed into a cranberry stuffed ciabatta.  

I have been enjoying sandwiches and burgers with a Bechamel sauce recently so I may try this to see how Cranberry, Honey, Roast Ham, Wensleydale and Bechamel all work together. 

Melton Mowbray Pork Pies & Sausage Rolls

Who doesn’t love some good picky bits? 

The Melton Mowbray Pies consisting of seasoned uncured British pork baked in a rich hot water crust pastry. The Sausage Rolls have seasoned pork sausage meat, pulled pork and divine Bramley apples, in an all-butter puff pastry topped with a wonderful festive pastry star. 

I love both a Pork Pie and a Sausage Roll so I’ll definitely be tempted to grab one of each. The Sausage Roll sounds divine to me. Savoury, full of flavour and still utterly seasonal. 

What’s Returning? 

The following savoury delights are returning for the festive season at Costa Coffee. 

Brie, Bacon & Cranberry Panini, Brie & Cranberry Toastie, Turkey & Trimmings Toastie and the Turkey Feast Sandwich. 

Sweet Treats: 

Belgian Chocolate Ganache Cake

I mean, who doesn’t love Chocolate Cake? 

This new product is a rich chocolate cake, filled with chocolate frosting and topped with an indulgent chocolate ganache and star sprinkles. 

Honestly, this sounds amazing! I love anything that has a ganache in as it adds some texture to the cake. I just hope that the cake itself is terrifically tender! 

Sticky Toffee Loaf Cake 

A piece of Sticky Toffee Loaf Cake and a Sticky Toffee Latte? Can anyone imagine a better pairing? I can’t! 

This afternoon delight consists of a toffee flavoured sponge cake which is topped with caramel frosting, caramel drizzle, and indulgent fudge pieces.  

I love the different textures that are going on in this cake. You have the cake itself paired with the smooth frosting and the chunky fudgy pieces. A definite must try! 

Vegan Christmas Cake Slice 

 Vegans need a sweet treat too! 

A rich fruit cake base and is topped with a layer of marzipan and white icing.

Honestly, I’m not a big fan of Christmas Cake. If you are then this will definitely be a treat for you! 

Polar Bear Gingerbread & Christmas Tree Shortcake Biscuits 

A cute biscuit can really perk up the dullest of days! New for 2023, Costa have released two cute biscuits to go alongside a drink and a catch up with friends. There’s a cute Polar Bear shaped Gingerbread Biscuit and a festive Christmas Tree shaped Shortcake Biscuit. Definitely a great treat for a catch up or those little ones who need a sweet treat. 

Bags Of Sweet Treats 

Sometimes when you are out and about with either friends or your own, you just want a little bag of something. Well, Costa has come to the rescue with these amazing bags of goodies that are new fof 2023. 

There is Salted Caramel Honeycomb Bag (Salted honeycomb coated in caramel flavour milk chocolate, in collaboration with Mighty Fine). There’s also Clotted Cream Fudge bag (rich, crumbly fudge made with West Country clotted cream and handmade by Mr Stanley’s)., These would be great alongside a warm drink or stashed in your bag for when you need a little pick me up. 

What’s Returning? 

Back for 2023, we have Vegan Mince Tart, All Butter Mince Pie, Terry's Chocolate Orange® Muffin (which is available in Costa Coffee stores right now), Gingerbread Muffin, White Chocolate Trillionaire’s Slice and the Crispy Festive Wreath. 

Will you be trying any of the Costa Coffee Christmas 2023 range? What’s your favourite festive drink? Let me know! 

Costa Coffee’s Christmas Menu is available to purchase and try on 2nd November. 

All photos are from Costa Coffee PR. 

Thanks for reading! 

Jamie x

Lush Christmas 2022 Range - Body, Lip Care, Candles & Fragrances

 Hey everyone1

Welcome to a brand new blog post! With Christmas being around the corner, I thought that I would continue the Lush Christmas range blog posts. I may have left it late but late is better than never. I thought that today I would talk to you all about the rest of the range including body products, lip products and fragrances. 

Body: 

Fairy Dust Dusting Powder 

It’s always good to sprinkle a little bit of Fairy Dust at this time of year. Fairy Dust is a staple at this time of year. If you are not familiar with Dusting Powders then imagine a bottle of powdered goodness that can be used to nourish the skin after a bath, used to help stop chafing or used to add a little bit of sparkle and an amazing scent to someone’s day. This dusting powder is scented with Persian Lime Oil and Synthetic Musk and smells like Pear Drops mixed with Candy Floss. To me, I use these mainly to stop chafing when out and about and boy do they do the job! I’d suggest this for anyone who loves Snow Fairy as they may not know about the Dusting Powders from Lush or for anyone who is out and about a lot. Priced at £9 for a 70g bottle. 

Snow Fairy Body Conditioner 

Let’s not be dry this year. A product that has been on the Christmas shelves of Lush is back for another year. If you’re unsure on what a Body Conditioner is then imagine sort of a Body Butter that you apply and wash off in the Shower. I guess a final Shower step to ensure that you stay soft and supple all day long. I love this as it saves me time when I am in a rush in the morning. Scented with the Snow Fairy scent which consists of Persian Lime Oil and Synthetic Musk to create a sort of sugar Candy Floss like scent. If you know someone who loves Lush but doesnt have a bath tub then this may be a good gift for them. Priced at £10 for a 100g tub. 

Snow Fairy Body Lotion 

Snow Fairies have to be soft and supple too! Who doesnt love a good body lotion when it comes to having a full on pamper session? I have quite dry skin so I am partial to a Body Lotion or a Massage Bar. This is a brand new product for 2022 but I am quite surprised that it hasn’t been brought out before. Scented with the Snow Fairy scent which consists of Persian Lime Oil and Synthetic Musk. I quite love this product and I love the slight glimmer of shimmer that is in this body lotion too. If you know anyone who loves Snow Fairy including yourself then I’d recommend trying this product out although for me it did take a bit of a while to sink in which I know may be a problem for some. Priced at £10 for a 100g tub. 

Candles: 

Snow Fairy Candle 

Who doesnt love a good candle? People have been demanding Lush to create Candles for years and now they have listened. This Candle contains Castor, Coconut and Rapeseed Waxes and Coconut Oil with the addition of Persian Lime Oil and Synthetic Musk to create Lush’s iconic Snow Fairy scent. I love that Lush have created candles but my personal problem with this candle is that it could be stronger in terms of scent throw/pay off but that’s just me. I know that candles are a favourite gift for most when it comes to Christmas so this could be a perfect gift for a significant other/friend who is a bit indecisive when it comes to choosing a gift like myself. Priced at £12. 

Snow Fairy 4 Wick Candle 

The bigger the candle, the bigger the burn? Just like the above candle but bigger and with more wicks so this one will be short. This is massive and would make for an amazing gift for a friend who loves Snow Fairy or is forever buying candles because they would look pretty somewhere in the house. This candle is also giving very much Jo Malone/Aldi Hurricane Candle vibes. Priced at £36. 

Lip Care: 

Coconut Iice Lip Scrub 

Brrrr. This lip scrub is new for 2022. This scrub contains Caster Sugar, Organic Shea Butter, Organic Jojoba and Extra Virgin Coconut Oils, Coconut Milk Powder, Fir Balsam Resinoid and Vanilla Absolute. Not only does this scrub without stripping the moisture due to the addition of the Coconut Milk Powder but this lip scrub to me smells like Milkybar White Chocolate. Weird, I know. I quite like it due to this as I was expecting it to pretty much taste a little bit like Furze but to get creamy white chocolate was a pleasant surprise. Priced at £6.50. 

Cinnamon Stick Lip Oil

Who doesnt like a thick Cinnamon Stick? Winter can make our lips dry. To stop this, Lush have create a light yet nourishing Lip Oil. This Lip Oil contains Organic Castor, Linseed and Jojoba Oils, Sunflower and Candelilla Waxes, Cinnamon Leaf, Brazilian Orange and Patchouli Oils. To me, the taste of me reminds me of a sweeter Cinnamon Roll Bubble Bar or a very warming sort of sweet yet spiced hot drink. The Oil is light and nourishing and not greasy which I adore. Definitely one to stock up and use during the festive season. If you like spicy scents like myself then you will definitely enjoy this Priced at £5.

Salted Caramel Lip Scrub 

Let’s spread that Salted Caramel all over our lips and lick it off. When I heard this was dropping this year, I was intrigued because well I love salty and sweet things. This Lip Scrub contains Caster Sugar and Golden Caster Sugar, Organic Jojoba and Argan Oils, Fair Trade Shea Butter, Extra Fine Sea Salt, Sandalwood Oil, Carob Resinoid, Benzoin Resinoid and Cocoa Powder. Anyone that knows me knows that I complain that most Salted Caramel products doen’t have enough Salt in but with this product I can actually taste and feel the Salt. Is it Salted Caramel to me? Not really. Does it remind me more of Sticky Toffee? Yes which I think comes mainly from the Carob Resinoid. This product also does share the same scent as Sticky Dates Shower Gel and to me that screams Sticky Toffee to me. Priced at £6.50. 

Snow Fairy Lip Jelly 

Spread that Jelly real smooth! A new product for 2022. To me, when I first heard about this product I was a bit confused on what a Lip Jelly is. After trying it, a Lip Jelly is pretty much a sort of more glossy version of a Lip Balm. This Lip Jelly contains Organic Castor Oil, Glycerine, Berry Was, Persian Lime Oil, Cold Pressed Raspberry Seed Oil and Raspberry Juice. This to me still tastes and smells like Snow Fairy even if it doesn’t have the Synthetic Musk in it. I wasn’t sure about the texture when I first tried it but now I adore it. I also love that it leaves the lips with a slight pink tint and I can just apply it on the go for when I want a bit of nourishment, colour and a pick me up in regards to my gender expression. Priced at £8. 

Fragrances: 

Fun Times Body Spray 

Let the fun times begin! I love a good Body Spray. Beautifully scented and easy to take on the go. This new Body Spray contains Brazilian Orange and Sicilian Red Mandarin Oils to create a vibrant and uplifting Orange scent. I think that this Body Spray is meant to emulate the Satsuma that some of us receive at the bottom of our stockings. To me, this reminds me more of Calacas/Zesty but with Orange rather than pure Orange which I still love but when there is more than one type of Orange in a product I was expecting it to be pure Orange. The creaminess that comes across in this Body Spray took me a while to get used to but now that I am used to it I love it and have been using it off and on all festive season long. Priced at £25. 

Snow Fairy Body Spray 

Spritz, spritz. This is definitely the Body Spray that would cause an uproar if it was discontinued. This body spray has become associated with Lush Christmas for a fair few years now.  This Body Spray contains Persian Lime Oil and Synthetic Musk which creates a scent that reminds me of a mixture of memories with friends, pear drops and bubblegum. I actually need to see how much of this spray that I have left in case I need to stock up on it as I do like to use it now and again. I do also have friends that are obsessed with this Body Spray and has to buy it every year no matter what. Priced at £25. 

Turmeric Latte Perfume 

Baby, it’s cold outside so lets warm up with a terrific Turmeric Latte! Okay so I may be a bit bias but I adore this fragrance. I love all of the Turmeric Latte products that Lush has created. I still have some of the Shower Gel and Body Spray left which I use very sparingly. This perfume contains Benzoin Resinoid, Tonka Absolute and Vanilla Absolute. With the Tonka and Vanilla, you would expect it to be sickly sweet but it is not. This perfume to me is the combination of all things baked mixed with smoke. I love it. It’s not too smoky. It’s not too sweet. To me, its the scent id expect to smell when the protagonist of a Christmas movie (maybe the main man in the new Falling In Christmas) wears on a date night., Rich, smoky, complex and all round amazing. I was kindly gifted the 30ml bottle of this by the wonderful Betty at Lush White Rose as I was going on about it and how I was surprised that it is the only perfume and not body spray that has been released for this range. I may do a full review of this perfume when I have the time but that may not be until 2023 so I am not sure if there is much point in doing so. Priced at £30 for a 30ml bottle. 

That’s all folks for the Lush Christmas 2022 range. Have you tried any of the products? 

Thanks to the wonderful staff at Lush White Rose especially Betty, Sandra and Katrina for showing all of the products to myself and Luke and for just creating a great environment for us to enjoy sniffing and trying out the products. 

Thanks for reading! 

Jamie x

Photos provided by Lush PR/ A product in this post was gifted to me by Lush White Rose. All views are my own.