Lush

I just don’t understand the craze of Lush, going into the store and picking up beauty products, such as bath bombs, simply because they apparently smell nice. I don’t see anything wrong with going to the local pound shop or supermarket, and spending just a few pounds on toiletries, so coming in here, and spending your hard earned cash on stuff like this is beyond me, I’d expect something that costs £3−4 pound or even more to do at least one use, but still a bath bomb bomb for example you can only use once.
Now back to the Manchester Arndale Lush store, it is a small store situation by the toilets, and also very close to Next and Starbucks on the ground floor, it even has free wi-​fi, which I do not have any idea why you would need it in a shop like this, especially such a small one, where you probably wouldn’t spend your time sat on your phone.
The store is quite small and often gets crowded, and they is often little room to get up and down when considering how narrow and how busy it is.
The staff here seemed enthusiastic and helpful, but perhaps they were too helpful, I had staff coming at me in every corner, to the point I was getting more publicity than Rand Paul did in the US Presidential Race, and I simply didn’t like it. Although I agree it was nice to be approached by staff, too many were just approaching me, to the point it actually made my shopping experience slightly worse, as I was basically being «annoyed» by members of staff, in such a small space and time period I must have been stopped 4 times. I’m a person who just likes to shop and get out of somewhere in minutes, and if I could I’d do all my shopping online, including clothes and groceries, but that is not always the case, so I was upset with Lush on this occasion.
They seemed to stock a good range of beauty products and toiletries, but still all the products together seemed to create a bomb of their own, of a terrible smell of all the flavors mixed into one, I’m not saying they all smell poorly individually, but together in one giant swoop it smells as bad as a Debenhams in the fragrance Isle.
If you like this sort of stuff this is probably a good shop for you, but for me it was like Hell on Earth and I don’t understand why anyone would choose to shop in a place like this, and the only time I would probably visit again is to sit outside and steal their wifi, therefore I sadly feel it deserves a single one star.

I am not a manly man, I like baths maybe 7 or 8 times a year (the rest of the time I am a shower man), they are comforting when ill and make me feel safe and secure. When I go into a shop like Lush I do not expect to be asked if I am shopping for my girlfriend or mother… when I have to explain that as a man I like being pampered myself from time to time, it feels sexist to be asked ‘are you shopping for your girlfriend’, quite frankly I thought as a society we have managed to move on from such stupid questions. I am polite when asked such questions, and will on the whole over look it the first time, but, this was the second time in the same shop.
So here I am exacting my revenge with this slightly scathing review as I am now fed up of this kind of question, it is quite different if I ask for help buying a gift for my girlfriend/​boyfriend/​mother/​whoever but don’t make assumptions dear shop staff, us men are not all confused when looking at bath bombs and other nice things for the bath, sometimes we are just shopping for ourselves.
And the reason for my Lush visit is unsatisfied as it is not always best to buy these things online. Sometimes I do want to sparkle but sometimes I most certainly don’t.

Friendly and helpful staff who doesn’t make you uncomfortable if you are only browsing. They are happy to demonstrate and help you chose the right products.
Lush are against animal testing and support animal rights which is an extra plus. My favourite place for bath bombs and lotion.

This Lush is huge! I mean it is soooo big compared to the one on Market Street! And big stores only mean one thing, more choices and more variety!
Tables stocked with huge bath tablets, bath bombs, bath melts and lots of bath things! So if you’re blessed with a massive bath at home, please do get these lovely things and try them out! They also do realy herbal and fruity face masks and scrubs which leave you feeling absolutely refreshed by the skin! The best thing I like about this place is that it is all so damn colourful! It is heartbreaking in itself to leave this place without actually buying something!
Its not exactly cheap, but it is still all worth it!

If you’re looking to stock up on beauty products for 2010, head to this branch of Lush instead of the Market Street one. It’s about four times the size of the original branch and has a bigger range of products.
There’s tables with gigantic stacks of colourful bath bombs, bath melts, bubble bars and ballistics, a wee fridge section with fresh face-​masks & shower jellies and shelves & shelves of natural body butters, moisturisers, shampoos, conditioners & skincare. In true Lush style, some of it smells of sweet and subtle honey, vanilla and lavendar. The majority however, smell of more bold and powerful flavours like mango, olive, coconut and chocolate.
Just don’t forget to take your purse — all those lovely, fairtrade, beauty products aren’t cheap.

Masquerading as a happy marriage between capitalism and the hippie dream, lush is a store with dark dark secrets.
Lurking behind the staff room door is an atmosphere that would make small children cry. Far from being the all welcoming, all loving crowd that they claim to be, hippies are actually the cliquiest people around and entirely unforgiving to those who aren’t like them. Their mythical world is just that– a myth and the bedrock of their ideals is built on sinking sand with broken glass thrown in for added ‘fun times’.
Oh and the products are shit and the shop is hangover inducing.

I praise the fact that LUSH do not test on animals, I also commend the fact that they promote fair trade products and help local communities. However when I was student I used to work in LUSH and as an employee LUSH was not as friendly/​hippy as it appears to be.
Employees of lush are pushed hard to achieve sales targets which creates a very competitive feel to the place. During the run up to Christmas you may find 3 or 4 salespeople approaching you trying there very hardest to sell the target of gifts they have been set that day.
The products are good especially as they are made from natural ingredients. The original concept behind the shop was a stroke of genius. However after working their for 4 months I cannot go near the shop again as the smell of the place now gives me horrendous migraines.

LUSH! Pretty self-​explanatory really!
This is a lovely little shop, one of two in the city centre but this one is a little bigger than the one in the Royal Exchange shopping centre.
Lush sells cosmetics and tolietries but these are no ordinary everyday products, these are a little different in every way!
First of all, everything is handmade. From the soap to the solid shampoo, all of it.
Also, nothing is tested on animals. They don’t even buy ingredients from companies that test on animals.
Another thing is that everything is made from organic fruit and vegetables.
So it’s pretty fancy really.
The prices are a little high but you kinda expect it and you don’t mind so much. The staff are friendly but not overly pushy, more enthusiastic that anything else, happy to open up any product for you too test, not pushing you to buy it, more happy to show off how cool it is.
My favourite things are the bath ballistics, so many different types to try and they’re so good, even if you don’t like baths, it’s a nice treat every now and again.