Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics
803 NW 23rd Ave
Portland, OR 97210
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- By Appointment Only: No
17 Reviews for Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics
Lush is really wonderful and really special!
It does smell strongly, but it is such a sweet, happy smell.
If you get overwhelmed- sniff some whole coffee beans!
-problem solved!
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Everyone is so nice in Portland
the store was about to close but i had no idea, they didn't have the look of disappointment when I came strolling in and said I was just looking. they didn't even hint they were hoping i would leave shortly.
I asked the adorable staff which bath bombs to get, and got some awesome suggestions after I told them which scents i like.
I bought four.
- Honeybee bomb: vanilla and turns bath pee yellow, as unappetizing as that sounds it was still freaking awesome.
- Sex Bomb- well duh, that is a given for me.,
- Butterball
- All that jazz? I forgot if that was it, but it is blue and jasmine.
I didn't see the massage bars till after my purchase, damn.
got to get those soon.
but I left and saw her closing the door, I felt relieved that I wasn't pressured.
Well, I think it's safe to say, that if you are going to a place that handcrafts cosmetics and bath products that the scents are going to be strong. Lush definitely fits that profile.
I didn't mind the delightful scents at all as I strolled the tiny shoppe, but apparently others are way more sensitive to it than I am.
I adore their products, my fave is a massage bar with sparkles in it. You can use it as a body balm when going out and shimmer.
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Put on your best Michael Jackson-esque mask and dive on in. Sure, you
can smell Lush from a block away, but doesn't it make it easier to
find? Or something... As everyone else said, this place is not for
boyfriends nor the faint of heart--it reeks of bubbly bathy goodies.
The only benefit that comes from this is that I don't have it in me to
linger around the store for hours--money saved! At the same time,
there are some products there that, if I went without them, my happy
level would dip dramatically.
The bubble bars are amazing--enough
bubbles to make yourself a little Varsity Blue's-like bikini and prance
around...or just to soak deep into a bath where the bubbles are actually still hanging around by the time you get out.
American Cream conditioner is another of my favorites. It smells awesome, and it leaves my color-damaged hair soft and tangle-free.
I am usually really weary of trying new face care products (I tend to break out), but I gave the calamine-based face wash a shot. It comes in a solid bar so it lasts forever, and it left my skin clean and healthy. No drying, no grease--a perfect balance.
The list could go on and on. The products here are high-quality, and really do the job they promise to do. There have been a few that I didn't like the smell of, or they didn't mesh with my body, and I brought them back with no questions asked. The helpful Lush staff will also make up a sample of nearly everything they sell, so that you can try before you buy. Honestly, the only things they won't give out as samples are things that can't be broken up into small pieces. Many of the products are produced in an earth-friendly manner, and Lush is really pushing for "green" packaging and products. I approve, and just writing this makes me realize I need to go in there and check out what's new.
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I don't like taking baths as much as I like taking showers, but LUSH changed my mind about baths. Those bath bombs are just awesome and I actually feel relax when I'm taking my baths.
Their face masks are awesome. It's feels good on my skin. I love the Chocolate Cupcake one, so attempted to lick it all over my face, but I might end up in the E.R.
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i first loved lush in brighton UK. then i found them in toronto. i was thrilled when a shop opened up here in portland.
while i only trust dr. hauschka on my face, i love lush's bath products. they are truly luxury (at $5 a pop - or more) and help one relax into a royal bath after a hard day. their deodorants are also innovative and very effective. while there are more natural cosmetics lines out there, this is packed with happy wonderful scents.
i also highly recommend the stout shampoo which is rich and feels really nourishing for hair and the veganese conditioner, which is like fresh squeezed lemons. im addicted to the scent of Angels on Bare Skin, which is a scrub, though i dont use those things on my face so i never buy it.
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HELP ME! I feel like my nose is getting gang raped by the fragrance fraternity...and my pepper spray is only making matters worse.
Don't get me wrong, I like to Lush-it-up like the next girl. And when a single Lush product is doing its thing in my bath or shower, I'll take a moment to relish in fragrant fizzing, essential oils, or natural butters.
But as much as I like Lush, I like my nose more - and if not only for its sake, but from the utter terror that my nose might team up with my eyes, head, and gag reflex to put up a respectable counterattack...the closest you'll find me is a safe click distance away at lush.com.
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i'm a lush. i love lush. it all works out.
i agree with everybody about funky smells in close quarters buuut some of the products i have purchased there are the greatest things i have ever used.
Big-- is shampoo that is full of lime juice & sea salt -- sounds weird but my hair never gets as clean & smooth as when I use big (its a once a week not everyday thing)
Lemony flutter- is a cuticle cream that smells like you have just squeezed fresh lemon juice straight in yo' nose --but without the burning sensation-- I use it on my hands, elbows and heels.. makes
'em smooooth.
Goth juice -- is a bright purple, extremely stinky hair goop that makes my hair stay exactly where i want it all day.
Slap a clothespin on your nose and go to town!
ooh and the last time I was in there they gave my hands a scrub down with sea salt and then slathered them in lotion.
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I think I missed the point, but the smell definitely nailed me upon walk in. Well over $5 - 10 per pound for even some of the least expensive soaps. I don't get it. Unless it's going to take my morning shower for me while I'm asleep and make me wake up a beautiful Goddess admired by all for my happy skin and yummy smell, one trip here was plenty.
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I certainly do enjoy this store. You can find so many different bath bombs, bath melts, and bubble baths along with lotions, massage bars and shampoos. Things are on the expensive side but things are fresh and work well with sensitive skin.
The employees are very friendly and helpful. They know exactly what product you should try with your type of skin or hair.
The store is an awfully small place which can get packed. Sometime it seems like there isn't any room to even move around. Plus there are so many different smells that you start to lose track of which thing is actually in your face. You know you're around Lush when you can smell it a block away.
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Lush makes me wish I liked to take baths. They have so many good smelling bath bombs that I would love to try them if only I knew I would actually enjoy the bath. Aside from the bombs, they also have a lot of other bathing and skin type products including shampoo bars. I personally love their facial masks. While it may seem a little expensive, you get so many uses out of the tub that I think it's definitely worth it.
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Okay, so I want to eat the soap...Is that so wrong! My brain thinks everything in this store is candy so I just want to sneak one bite. Not only does everything look like candy, but it even smells like something you would want to eat. They really should have a disclaimer or something: Eating soap causes you to bubble from the mouth...I think that would stop me.
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IF you're sensitive to scents --- prepare to have your nasal passages ASSAULTED by the plethora of bath fragrances!!!
If you've NEVER been to this store --- it should be treated like a school field trip: come prepared to learn and explore EVERYTHING about bathtub bougie-style.
The staff at this store are sweet folks and SUPER helpful.
Stinky. I'm sure vanilla bean mango smells real good on its own, but when its crammed in a tiny store with 500 other scents, it just makes me want to throw up.
Expensive and kind of pointless (I like my soaps to actually clean, thank you very much!).
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I've been to a few Lush stores. The first was in Brisbane, Australia, then London, and then San Francisco, Oahu, and even San Jose. I've mail ordered too. I like Lush. But I don't like it so much anymore. What started as an eco-friendly, funky Canadian based goofy company with smell good reasonably priced products has become a huge expensive conglomerate that seems "folksy" in a forced way. I really like some of the products, like the Pied de Pepper foot creme that leaves me smelling like chai tea (I used it this morning, but am not going to take off my socks and smell my feet to see if the fragrance lingers). I liked trying all the different soaps, even if Demon in the Dark did leave dark wax smears in my bathtub. I still LIKE the products, but they cost way too much. I don't go into the stores at all anymore, the smell overwhelms my delicate olfactory nerve and makes me want to hurl. Candle stores do the same to me. So does the detergent aisle at the grocery store. What can I say, I'm a delicate flower. I've tried their henna cacoa or caca or whatever they call it stuff, and I can't say it did anything for me but it didn't hurt me either. It was a blah.
Anyway, Lush products in small doses are great, but only if you can afford them, so I guess small doses are all most people can get anyway. Avoid the store unless you have a gas mask.
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I've become a Lush addict since about September 2006. I usually can't walk into the store without taking something with me. They have a great range of bath and body products. Hair care, massage bars, and bath bombs being my favorites. Some things are a bit pricey, but they are worth the splurge every now and then. They have some very natural and fresh alternatives to a lot of the chemical filled products of most stores. They have very good beliefs as a company as well, looking out for animal-free testing and environmentally friendly packaging. It's definitely worth the look through. Remember to ask for samples! The SAs will always try and accommodate!
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Even though I live in Seattle, I refuse to drive to the eastside to visit Lush, so whenever I'm in Portland, I make a little pitstop to the Lush store there. This place is a bit overwhelming at first, what with all the smells & lotions & soaps jumping out at you, but once you do a lap around the store, you realize that it's not all that intimidating and that smelly things are good! I'm not all that thrilled w/ their prices, however I really like their Sympathy for the Skin lotion & their Karma soap and always turn into a complete noodle once I come across those products.
Go see for yourself. You'll see what I'm talking about.
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