LUSH SUMMER OF BORDEAUX - It's raining samples in June

Earlier this month, I wrote about my experience with LUSH in Bordeaux and the products that I purchased from there. If you haven't read that post yet, please click here to read it: Bordeaux Diaries - Lala's "LUSH" life.

I have to admit that I am a huge fan of LUSH products ever since my discovery of the shop in my city. I go there once at least a week even if I am not buying anything to just look around, maintain a mental "to-buy" list and have a little chit chat with the super friendly staff.



I was planning to do my next LUSH post on this blog only when I would buy a bulk of products whenever feasible to me and my budget. I would have had stick to this plan but than I saw this announcement by LUSH France on their official Facebook page.

 

The announcement says that each Monday, throughout the month of June, you can visit any preferred LUSH boutique near you along with a friend to receive samples of their products. The only thing you have got to do is register yourself and your friend for the newsletter. Both of you will be leaving LUSH with a whole batch of samples.

This activity is a perfect opportunity for someone like me who just recently started exploring LUSH products and would often have to buy an entire product, even if its the smallest size available, in order to try it out for myself. Even though you get samples on your purchases, let me be honest, one can not always afford to buy something from there, no matter how much we would want to. Also, since some products such as 'Fresh Masks' come with a three weeks life before expiration, buying an entire package isn't always a great idea especially if you only want to try it out for once to experience it. Imagine the scenario where your purchased product doesn't turn out to be the perfect match for your skin or its fragrance isn't as delightful as the other one you let go of as "opportunity cost" and now you can not do anything but use it half heartedly or wait for it to expire away in front of your eyes. For me, an expenditure leading to such a scenario can be a real regret. Even though LUSH products will never harm your skin and the staff will always try their utter best to help you make the best choice, you deserve the worth of your money where each application should make you feel like you made a great investment!

I had already miss first two Monday's of June to avail this offer. I spoke to some of my friends and made a plan to benefit from the opportunity. So, on the third Monday of June 2014, I went to LUSH with a friend not only to avail this opportunity to try out some products which I was really interested in but also to buy something which was long due on my list. That shower gel sample which Quentin offered me last time literally made me fall in love with it. Having tried "Happy Hippy" I couldn't get myself to think of using any other shower gel than this.

I went straight up to the counter to verify first whether LUSH Bordeaux was also a part of this activity. Trust me, the promotion is really too good to be true and couldn't have had been conducted at a better time than full summers right now in my city. I remember going all "Yippeeeeeee!" when the girl at the counter nodded affirmatively to respond to my inquiry.

I was assuming that I will be given randomly the samples of some pre-selected products by Lush but like someone great once said: "If you want to know something, just ask. Don't assume." The smiling Lush girl (I really need to start taking supplements for my memory!) started by inquiring what kind of product samples am I interested in. I asked her about what kind of samples is she giving away and her response was: "Whatever kind you choose! Hair products, facial care products or body care products, whatever you say." Let me admit, I was totally delighted at being given a choice on the sample type. When I expressed my long term desire to try any one of their fresh masks, I wasn't aware that I was in for a real treat!

I had a wide grin on my face as she accompanied me towards the Fresh Masks display. There, she started off by inquiring what type of skin I had and whether or not I am allergic to anything. As I defined my extremely oily T-zone and otherwise flaky dry skin as "complicated combination type" with no allergies, she reached out for the relevant masks on the display. Just few seconds later, she was holding two silver bowls of fresh mask in front of me explaining their properties for my skin type. Since I am known for not making great choices, I requested her to make a choice on my behalf. To my surprise, not only did she made a choice of the mask on the basis of my skin type but also on my preference of the fragrance. Moreover, while she was demonstrating the application method of the mask on my hand, she asked me if I am pleased with the texture of the product. While waiting for the mask to take a little resting time on my hand, she explained to me its ingredients and resulting effects upon regular use. Afterwards, she proceeded to offer me the samples of all the relevant products for my skin type such as toner, makeup remover, facial cleanser, moisturizing serum bar and a day/evening moisturizing cream. She applied all those products on my hand one after another to ensure that I like them. Also, the demonstration allowed me to understand the order of the application for optimal results.

This friendly and helpful Lush angel carried out the same process on my friend's hand according to his skin type. Simply put, we were both offered the samples for an entire skincare routine for morning and night. Here is the list of the products we recieved:

The samples were in generous quantity and were sufficient for daily use for minimum a week. This is the great thing about LUSH products that you only need a small quantity. I have stopped using any other brands currently to be able to see clearly the result of this routine. I use the make-up remover in the morning to wipe clean my face gently. This is followed by the "Princess de Néroli" moisturizing cream which is also functioning as an effective day cream for me before applying "Eau d'Arbre à Thé". At night, I skip the makeup remover and simple wash my face with "Angels on bare skin" and moisturize with the massage bar - "Sérum État de Grâce". I alternate the Fresh Mask application, each with a gap of at least one day to understand how effective they are for me. Trust me, after a hot summer day, nothing feels better on skin than a cold (You have to keep these masks in the Fridge) natural ingredients based mask. 

So far my skin is loving the nature's touch and I can already feel my skin doing well. But on a more practical note, I am going to give this routine some more time before giving any final opinions.

And today, the 4th Monday of June, I am going to go back again to LUSH, this time with another friend of mine so she can also benefit from this offer. Apart from my own personal love for LUSH products, I am enjoying this June activity as a Blogger as well because these samples will allow me to write better reviews in future based on my own experience of them. Today, I will go for some new products involving another Fresh mask (They have 9 masks available currently so I would like to try at least a few before finally deciding to invest money in a pot. Also, I have heard a lot of good things about the Facial cleanser called "Dark Angels" so today is the day for it. Apart from these two products, like usual, I will let the lovely LUSH ladies suggest the remaining products. I trust their selection for my best.

Thank you Lush team in Bordeaux for being so informative, hospitable and encouraging me to ask questions and take pictures every time. Also, thank you to the brand itself for coming up with such great promotional activities to allow people to have the true LUSH experience and make better decisions with their long term skin care products. And of course, everything just gets even better when you are accompanied by a great friend! Ting.