Lush-ious
6 Jan
I’m a pretty big Lush fan. I’ve been using BIG shampoo for such a long time, it’s one of my HOH products. I use it every couple of shampoos and I cannot even begin to tell you what an amazing difference it makes on my hair. I go through a pot of it every few weeks.
But for the last few years, even though there is a store in the area, I’ve been ordering from Lush UK. Want to know why?
This is an example of my usual order, I place this about once a month -
BIG Shampoo
US Price : 21.35$
UK Price : 8.35£
CoalFace Soap
US Price : 10.95$
UK Price : 3.51£
Flosty Gritter
US Price : 5.95$
UK Price : 2.78£
Shipping
US Price : 10.95$
UK Price : 5.95£
Total
US Price : 48.73$
UK Total : 20.59£ or about 32.80$ US
For the exact same product, exact same sizes, I paid almost 16$ less. Actually you get a little more ordering from the UK. The size of the US Big is 11.6 ounces, which is about 328 grams and the UK Big is 330 grams. Not much, but it’s still more, and it’s like that with most products.
If I’d have just gotten them in the Lush store I’d still have been paying 37.95$ plus almost 10% tax here in CA, so it’s STILL cheaper to order them online. On top of costing less, Lush UK often has great shopping incentives such as free products and samples.
Shipping from the UK takes about a week, tops. I usually order on a Monday and have my goodies on Saturday.
I needed a little pick me up today, so I was so excited to get my box!!
Even when I worked for Lush, I still ordered from the UK. :B (I personally prefer Lush UK over Lush NA any day, too.) Big is one of my favorite shampoos, but I prefer the NA formulation over the UK. Just wish the price wasn’t as iffy.
I don’t have anymore Big now, but it was the most perfect clarifying shampoo, too! Have you tried Washday Greens? I think that one is actually my HG shampoo. It does wonders for the hair and smells of mint greenery!
Also, ordering from the UK is awesome because they take out VAT as well.
I haven’t, but now I want to!! Next time I need my Big, I’ll have to try some of that as well
oooh, this is good info to know.
I don’t remember how I stumbled across it, but that first order was HUGE!
The store will give you a sample if you ask.
Well, good stores who don’t hassle their customers or look at them as a walking sack of cash…
I’m not sure where you’re in CA, but the one on Powell Street I heard is amazing (and was one of the best shops in NA).
The store here doesn’t do samples, only of CERTAIN products and certainly nothing I’ve asked about
Hrm, Lush corporate policy is to sample out products, especially if a customer requests it. A lot of stores, however, interpret their own rules. They can sample out all dairy (bottled stuff) and things that are cut from bulk. Molded items can’t be sampled out (like massage bars, bubble bars, bath bombs).
A huge complaint amongst many customers is just how inconsistent Lush’s sampling policy is. If a store is horrible, you can call the corporate offices, and they will do their best to make it up to you. However, if you really want to try a product that can be sampled, and they refuse, I would just buy the full size and return it if it didn’t work out.
Sad that so many stores don’t realize how beneficial sampling actually is instead of having a return!
Yup, my Lush only give ‘limited samples’ of ‘what’s currently being promoted’ to purchases of 100$ or more.
i thought i’d compare the LUSH New Zealand Prices
Big Shampoo = $28.50 NZD = $21.08 USD
Coalface Soap = $16.90 NZD = $12.50 USD
FLosty Gritter $8.50 NZD = $6.28 USD
i’m pretty surprised how similar the prices are to the US prices, things are usually waaay more expensive comparitively!
I wonder why it’s so much more expensive?!
I’m a LUSH fan, too! I got Big as a sample once, and loved it. In fact, I’ll probably buy some next time. The coalface cleanser is definitely a HG product for me — even better than Angels on Bare Skin, which I also love. Enjoy your LUSH haul!
I am a big fan of Coalface living in a warmer climate. I should probably just break down and admit it’s a HG for me, too.
P.S. You should try their fresh face masks, if you haven’t yet. They’re all vegan! My favorite is the Catastrophe Cosmetic. Mmm, blueberries…
Erm, sorry to comment again — just correcting myself. The fresh face masks aren’t all vegan, actually. Several of them are, though. Just woke up from a nap and me brains aren’t quite right yet
I tried on, can’t remember what it was… I should see if I an figure it out, but most of those can’t ship overseas. And I hate fighting the megamall my Lush is in.
Yeah, I guess the “freshness” of those masks wouldn’t do too well being shipped overseas! They’re very nice & soothing cold out of the fridge, though. I don’t blame you for not wanting to go to your local LUSH. Now that you’ve clued me in on the UK price difference, I’ll probably be ordering online from now on, as well!
My local Lush is in the megamall – Mall of America. Half of the time I go there, I wind up seriously annoyed from all the people.
My favorite deep conditioner is Nexxus Humectress. I have long, fine, naturally wavy hair, and it does not get greasy or weighed down at all; but I don’t use it more than once a week. Humectress rescued my hair after I used some terrible shampoo and conditioner from L’Oreal for about two weeks. It left my hair totally stripped of all moisture. It was crispy on the ends, and slimy at the roots. Gross. However, I have not tried their new sulfate free line. And I never will; I tried the regular line twice and that’s enough of a chance.
I don’t have an HG daily conditioner, but I will say that I think Matrix Sleek Look is overrated and overpriced, so don’t bother with that one.
Awesome, great info to know! I’ve never ordered/purchased anything from Lush, so now that I know how to get a good bargain, I’ll be sure to order soon.
Thanks, Grey!
P.S. Sorry to hear about your hand.
I hope you’re doing lots better.
It itches. Of all the things, it itches like CRAZEE.
I love Lush! Some stuff however, you should only buy depending on the climate you’re in. The “I Love Juicy” shampoo makes my hair feel dull and greasy when I’m in midwestern Canada, but makes my hair nice and soft when I’m in the East Bay or Vancouver. I love, love, love their melty massage soaps – and! – their Dream Cream cleared up this weird rash I got from stress. Thanks for the tip about buying from the UK though, it’s hard not to walk in to Lush and spend $100.
Also, I knew a guy whose wife used to work at Lush in Vancouver, and he said that the Body Shop basically ripped off all of Lush’s frame and concept, so I haven’t stepped in to a Body Shop since.
I’d like to know how Body Shop allegedly did that – they don’t carry the same types of products at all. If that claim is based soley on Body Shop’s ingredient sourcing and aims to be “natural,” there are plenty other companies that do so as well, and Lush certainly doesn’t have a patent on it.
I have to admit, I’m not a fan of Lush. I thought their stuff was overhyped to begin with, but then they built a store near me, and I thought I’d give it a shot…the employees were not any kind of helpful or, well, nice, when I was in there (and no, it was not peak season or the holidays), and the place just SMELLS so bad that I got a headache.
I guess it depends on the city and franchise owner? While Lush *always* has that weird, health food store patchouli smell that I don’t care for either, I’ve always been helped out by someone super nice. Even when it was busy, or they were about to close. I won’t go to a store/restaurant/place of business where the employees are mean. It ruins my day.
The Constantines (and their friend Liz) were contracted by The Body Shop to make a lot of their initial products. Anita Roddick and Mark were good friends at one point. When TBS realized that half of their formulas were not theirs, they bought out Mark’s share. With that money, he started Cosmetics To Go, which did well but was poorly planned that it eventually flopped. After an investor tried their Prince shaving gel, he invested some money into what would eventually become Lush.
Lush doesn’t advertise itself to be all natural but rather, handmade and “cruelty-free.”
I have no issue with TBS aside from the fact that Anita Roddick sold it to L’Oreal who still tests its products on animals. I have no idea why TBS is so heavily endorsed by Caring Consumer when it’s owned by L’Oreal and other L’Oreal brands are condemned. I’ll be surprised if Peta actually responds to my tweet.
Thank you for clearing that up – TBS’s website indicates they started up before 1980, but, amazingly, Lush’s US site has jack and crap about their company history that I could find, which is kind of wierd.
I’d heard that a while ago, myself. I personally don’t like TBS anyway. I think they ‘train’ their employees to be nasty or something. No matter what one I’ve gone into, in like 6 different states, they have all been just tools.
Ugh, yes. For a while, a TBS near me hired this really nice guy and he was the only one I would talk to. He would sample lotions with me, give me coffee beans to sniff when I would start to get headaches from all the different smells, basically convince me to fork over a good amount of my paycheck. I guess he was too nice though, because he only lasted the 3 month trial period!
Thank you so much for this post!!! I have been really wanting to try the coal face soap, and now when I do I’ll order from the UK =) Thanks again!
You’re welcome!!
Lush is one of about… 4 examples of things being cheaper in the UK, as opposed to the US. It’s great that they still ship to the US though, so people can take advantage of that.
I’ve never really caught the Lush bug. I’ve tried their Buffy bar on recommendation for the stupid little dot thingies on my arms, and it didn’t do anything ‘cept cost a lot and get used up fast. There’s Lush stores everywhere though, maybe I’ll wander in and give them another try.
Do you mean the small, reddish, raised bumps on the backs of your upper arms? That’s keratosis pilaris, or chicken skin, as it’s sometimes called in the States. I believe the common non-prescription treatment is an AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) lotion. I’ve had so-so results with that, and decided to do my own thing, which is working surprisingly well. I use a scrub on the arms every other day for the winter, and in the summer, I use the scrub and then alternate an AHA lotion one day, then a BHA (beta hydroxy acid /salicylic acid) lotion the next. I guess you’re not supposed to use a scrub, but everyone reacts differently, and it works great for me.
Yep, that’s it. Thanks for the recommendation, I’ll look into it. Drives me mad, although I’m not a tank-top-wearing kind of girl anyway, but it’d be nice to have the option without looking… stippled.
I don’t know about the Buffy bar, but Lush’s Dream Cream lotion has done wonders for my KP, especially when combined with some exfoliating in the shower.
Woah, thanks for the info Grey! I’ve been wanting to order Lush since there isn’t one around here. Now I know to order from the UK website.
Thanks for saving mah money!
You’re quite welcome!!
Thanks for the UK tip! I don’t buy much from Lush and I always go to the store when I do, but it might some in handy if I feel like hauling something.
I love Angels on Bare Skin; my acne cleared up nicely after I first started using it, though it might’ve been because I was nearing the end of my teenage years. I’ve often asked for a sample of Coalface whenever I need to buy more AoBS. It’s so pretty and shimmery when I lather it up.
I’ve never tried Angels, but I keep hearing about it, I might need to try some!!
Right on! I never knew it would be cheaper this way! I just did 2 carts to see a difference for myself.
Order 1 from Lush UK was
Checkout
Name SKU Price Qty Subtotal(excl.UK tax)
Shimmy Shimmy
L1318 £3.65 1 £3.11
Jumping Juniper
L554 £4.65 1 £3.96
Two Timing Tart bubble bar
R2192 £3.05 1 £2.60
Subtotal: £9.66
Shipping and Handling Fee: £5.95
——————————————————————————–
Total: £15.61
($25.76 CDN)
Second order from Lush Canada with the same products, the total was $36.15
I’d save almost $10 just on 3 products!! I wish I had known this ealrier though, just received my order for Candyfluff perfume, Cinders perfume and 2 bath bombs so it was pricey to start
From now on I’m shopping lush UK (especially since our dollar keeps getting higher
)
I should have posted this sooner!
Tis ohtay! Now I know for future splurges!
You saved my bank balance a little bit more with this 