“Beauty is an inexhaustible source of joy for those who know how to discover it.”
Alexis Carrel.
Hello, young Padawan
New year, new year. Yes, if you’re a regular fan of this blog, you know I’m not a big fan of New Year’s greetings or resolutions. You will find two answers to the “why” here on letting go, and there on discipline, my previous two articles on New Years Resolutions, or so.
So, rather than bend over backward to say that we will be a new person when the stroke of midnight has struck, or wait for the epiphany to start a diet (now you can, it was yesterday, FYI ! ed), what if we took care of ourselves, for real? Is this not the main thing? To love each other for one day, possibly, to change the little habits that bother us? Because how can we put actions in place, have discipline if we do not trully like ourselves? Dear Padawan, the first step towards self-love is self-care.
However, if you love yourself badly, you will love others badly too, so you might as well reverse the trend, especially if you want to be happy in your life. So, since it is impossible to really love others or do good around you if you do not love yourself, the first stone is to be taken on the way to well-being for this new year, build which will lead us to love for ourselves, then to love for others. And I promise, this post is not sponsored by Dorcel, lol.
The little package that brings joy in the heart
A few months ago, I saw that Lush, one of my favorite natural cosmetics brands, had released a cute box to receive every month. So I took a look because I had been looking for one for years but could not be seduced by the plethora, indeed, but tasteless offers in the cosmetic box market.
Already, for those who would ask the question, it’s been about ten years since a new market emerged: that of the box that you receive every month (or more, or less, ed), with a few “surprises” products to try inside. There are some in different areas, but we will talk about a cosmetic box here.
At first, the concept was original, but all too often, there was no real effort on the part of the brands involved. A very good value for money, certainly (the box usually costs less than if the customer buys the products separately, ed), but the products are seen and reviewed. Then when it comes to makeup or moisturizer, knowing that all customers receive the same products, it’s often difficult to please everyone – because even if some boxes offer to enter the type of skin and complexion, the color is often wrong and the customer is disappointed. In addition, I do not see the point of receiving only existing products. I had been waiting for years for a brand that was creative enough to offer box-specific formulas in the batch of products received. Never mind, I dreamed it; Lush did it.
Lush Fresh & Flowers
So I discovered this cute box box in March of last year, and since then, I might as well tell you that it’s a “party in my heart” around the 20th of each month.
It’s a beauty box where you find a whole bunch of cute products to take care of yourself: a mini bouquet of fresh flowers that come back to life in one to two hours in water (magic!), a fresh mask for the face of a formula that you cannot find on their site, a small soap with, again, an unseen formula, or a bath bomb, from time to time there are scrubs, a lotion, or a body cream, in short, about five items that are mostly created especially for the box, with fresh and seasonal fruits, vegetables and flowers, as little waste as possible, and finally: the jars are recyclable in Lush stores (for those who do not know: when you bring back five of them, they offer you the fresh mask of your choice, ed).
Like most of these box, you can cancel whenever you want—no obligation of anything.
The December box
Should I specify here that Lush is an English brand and that the English people are particularly festive, especially when it comes to the end of the year celebrations? It’s simple; you visit England in August, you tell them “Christmas,” they sing Jingle Bells to you! Lol. They’re crazy about Christmas, but that’s also why we love them. Anyway, that’s why I waited for this one in particular, to see the different puns, jokes, or decorations they would bring. And I was not disappointed.
Already at the opening, two little jokes, yes I laughed, lol, then, I put the flowers in the water before discovering my little English surprises from Claire and Mo Constantine, mother, and daughter – who design the products of the Fresh & amp; Flowers box. You can see this charming duo unveiling the Christmas box here.
-The two orange stars are a jelly mask to decongest the eyes and smooth fine lines. Marigold, chamomile, and saffron for a fresh and rested gaze.
-The “The magic of Christmas” shower powder contains oatmeal to provide maximum softness to the skin and give it a sweet citrus scent. A delight!
-Fresh “Hollywood” cleaner (it’s the white thing with a holly leaf). It is a cleanser to massage the body and leave skin soft. It mainly contains ground almonds, almond butter, kaolin, and dried apricots. You smell the almonds and candied fruits cake after that, happiness.
-A cute soap! The right size, I always finish it a few days before I get the new box. Great. The little rolled-up soap below is called “Snowstopper”, and it smells like Christmas cookies. Yes, the seasonal theme is respected.
-Finally, the best for the end, even if I admit that I always open the face mask first, to soak up the atmosphere of the box. No doubt, we were in Christmas mode. The Merry Berry mask smells (and contains) cranberries, clementines, oranges, and almonds. It is a mask that contains kaolin to make baby skin without visible pores, ground almonds to exfoliate the skin gently, and fresh mixed fruits to provide a shot of vitamin C for a fresh and awakened complexion. Happiness.
-And the little bonus gift for Christmas: a pretty green furoshiki with printed leaves.
So much for the Lush fresh & amp; Flowers of December. Over the past few months, if you’re wondering, I’ve had turmeric, cucumber, squash, parsley-basil soaps, blackberry masks, and lemon soaps, a few bath bombs, and body creams, body or face scrubs with various scents and all seasonal. The small bouquets of flowers last at least one week each time; you just need to refresh them by putting them in water and regularly cutting the ends of the stems as with any bouquet, in short, a real moment of happiness.
It is not necessary to receive a box every month to take care of yourself, of course, but in these times when it is more and more challenging to have qualitative time, it can be a good reminder. You can also decide that you will give yourself an hour to take care of yourself every Sunday. A good exfoliation, a mask, a bath in your favorite scent, a tea, and a good book on the background of your favorite music will restore your mood. Again, this is the cornerstone of building self-love and remembering that you have to love yourself to love and do good to others. A great lady once said to me: “take care of yourself as you would take care of your own child,” you now know what you have to do.
XO 🌷
