Shave the Planet from LUSH
Shave the cheerleader, shave the world? Okay, that makes no sense (unless Marni Gras were to become their new spokesperson), but Lush’s latest gift bundle Shave the Planet certainly does.
Shave the Planet is a quartet of LUSH products to scrub up your man: Shave the Planet shaving cream for super smooth shaves, Cosmetic Lad moisturizer to soothe sensitive faces, Bamboo soap to tone and leave skin smelling like the rainforest, plus a Business Time massage bar to get him in the mood to get busy. The package is wrapped with a fun comic strip, and makes a great gift for the superhero in your life.
My partner and I took the opportunity to try out these products ourselves.
I’m not quite sure what a rainforest smells like, but I have to say the Bamboo soap does have a nice, masculine scent to it – nothing flowery or sweet, but rather earthy and even a little musky. The scent isn’t terribly strong, so I doubt it would irritate anyone with sensitive skin.
The shaving cream is not quite what you would expect – it doesn’t lather whatsoever, and in fact, the label states that it’s not supposed to. This comes in handy if you are maintaining a finely sculpted beard because you can see your face perfectly where the cream has been applied, so you know exactly where touch-ups are needed. Because of the slightly waxy consistency of this cream, you need to be mindful to use warm to hot water otherwise removing it from your shaver (and afterwards, from your face) gets a bit difficult.
Afterwards we applied the moisturizer - not that our faces were feeling any sort of razor burn thanks to the shaving cream. We weren’t exactly sure if it is intended to replace aftershave, but the soft, cool cream felt a good deal more pleasant than the usual sting.
The Business Time massage bar was probably the most interesting of the collection of products. In the bag it felt solid like a bar of soap, but the moment it came into contact with our hands, the surface began to melt like butter. You are then left with slippery oil with the smell of rose, fennel and lavender that makes for a pleasurable massage that moisturized your skin. Depending how much gets slathered onto you, you may need a shower before getting back into your day-clothes – I’m not quite sure how fabric friendly the massage oil might be. Or, you may simply want to save it strictly for bed time...
Shave the Planet Gift goes for $29.95 at a LUSH store near you. For more information, visit www.lush.ca.
Luck of the Irish Bath Bomb from LUSH
We also got to preview the limited edition Luck of the Irish Bath Bomb, available from LUSH this month in anticipation of St. Patrick’s Day. The label reads, “A refreshing bath for the morning after a pint or two of Guinness. Drop quietly into a soothing, warm bath. Lie in the water until you feel better (but get out before you shrivel up like a prune).”
The product is a green brick about the size of your hand, and formed in the shape of a four-leaf clover. When dropped into bathwater, it erupts into fizz and dissolves in about a minute and a half, leaving the bathwater a vibrant green. Don’t worry, you won’t look like a Leprechaun after getting out; the green color comes from the skin-nourishing avocado and it won’t stain.
Part of the fun is the invigorating scent of lemongrass, bergamot and rosewood. It is perfect to prepare you for night of dancing the Irish Jig.
Luck of the Irish Bath Bomb goes for $7.95 at a LUSH store near you.
Zonk Out Earplugs from DAP World Inc.
Zonk Out is a brand new premium ear plug designed to help men get much needed sleep in spite of work, stress, and life changes. I’m not quite sure what differs between a men’s earplug and a women’s earplug aside from marketing – in fact I’m pretty sure they are just as effective for the working woman too.
“Lack of sleep can lead to premature aging, weight gain, negative effects on mood and one’s sex life,” says Dr. Marc Darrow, assistant clinical professor at UCLA School of Medicine. “Hormones produced during sleep are needed for all body functions – immune, cognitive and metabolic functions and libido, our sex drive.”
Douglas Pick, President of DAP World Inc., says, “By using Zonk Out, men will develop good sleeping patterns without the help of prescription aid.” The plugs are said to block out 32 decibels of sound, to be physician recommended, and made of comfortable, soft power foam. We tested them out for ourselves.
Many gay men use Bathhouses as a low-cost option for accommodation while travelling, however, the loud music used to blot out other (sex) sounds is not very conducive to falling asleep and getting proper rest – it’s difficult for your mind to shut off with catchy tunes invading your subconscious. We’ve tried other earplugs made of yellow foam or plastic-coated foam, but they’ve done such a poor job or been so uncomfortable that we ended up removing them before the night was over.
The Zonk Out earplugs looked similar to ones I’ve tried in the past, but they seemed to do a much better job than their look-alikes. Granted they don’t give you complete silence (no matter what the sound waves penetrate your head even with your ears covered) but they reduce the noise and take the edge off otherwise jarring song changes.
When put in properly, they felt comfortable and I had no worries that they would fall out if I rolled over. As I drifted off, I found that I was no longer aware of the music. By the time I woke up, I was so acclimated to the volume that I didn’t even realize music was playing until I took the plugs out.
I later tested them on the Greyhound and found that I slept through two stopovers. I woke up on the approach to my destination to find completely different people sitting around me. Talk about zonking out!
Zonk Out Earplugs are available for retail at $4.99 for a set of 10. For more information, visit www.getzonkout.com.
