The "Happy" Collection

admin — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:19:00 +0000

As if anyone needs an excuse to spend more time under a hot shower—well, here's another, or five others—each a more compelling reason to recreationally cleanse. LUSH produces fresh, hand-made cruelty-and-lard-free and frequently vegan personal care products. All bathbombs, gels, soaps, shampoos, and other innovative items are individually made by skilled suds people—Sara, Czarina, and Reggie contributed to my 'happy' package. They offer over ten score individual products—currently made and sold within four months, or available online as 'retro'—have their own superhero in a bright green leotard, and like baby harp seals.

Seeing that Clorox owns Burt's Bees, Estee Lauder owns Aveda, L'Oreal owns the Body Shop, Unilever owns Ben & Jerry's, and Cadbury's owns Green & Black, it's refreshing to find a small, organic-product organization that appears to own their own. As Billie Holiday sang, “... God bless the child.” This kid was happy to lather with the 'Happy Hippy' shower gel—the bodywashes also work as shampoos, and LUSH sells some shampoos as bars in a mission to keep packaging to a minimum. Over two-thirds of their products are unwrapped and unboxed, and one of their news releases posits that if twenty percent of the United States population started using solid shampoo, twenty-two million plastic bottles would be removed from landfills.

I did stockpile some buy-one-get-one hair cleansers and products, but once they're depleted, if I need an ecologically sound rationalization for self-care, there's another, not to mention that the bracing citrus scents in this set made me—well, if not happy, at least punctured existential malaise and effectively combated ennui. I wonder if they have an enlightening moisturizer or helpful hand lotion?

Gift set pictured is foot care collection. The Happy Collection is another combination of products.

Written by: Erika Mikkalo, July 2nd 2009

Azure Sanita Professional Clogs / LUSH Foot Products

admin — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:06:00 +0000

By LUSH, Sanita Clogs

R.I.P. Fizz, 1995—2009

Yes, I hate being a stereotype-come-to-life, but I have been medically prohibited from wearing anything other than very healthy shoes. At least I do not own many cats. Nor do I own any reptiles, or other exotic pets. Actually, I am on bereavement leave regarding the loss of my dog, an extraordinary shelter Greyhound-Doberman mutt, Fizz.

The dog left the planet on Monday, March 23, at 5:15 p.m. People have been very kind: at the clinic, one man looked at the empty lead, and looked at my tear-streaked face, and looked at the empty lead, and looked at my tear-streaked face, and looked away, not saying a word. It was a nice surprise to find some Sanita clogs to cheer me up. If Fizz was here, I'd try them on and say, “Walkies!” and he'd at least wag his tail slightly, no longer capable of locomotion, and try to stand, however feebly. I did the right thing.

Sanita clogs are made in Denmark, and apparently were first hewn by Christen Andersen, who distributed them by bicycle. How wholesome. They have been handcrafted in Europe since 1907. It makes me glad that these particular shoes are bright blue, and that I can wear them to fun events in Chicago such as female Elvis impersonator performances. Apparently "Old Shep" was Elvis's favorite song. There is a 24-Hour Church of Elvis in Portland, Oregon, where I had a childhood dog named Shep. Sanita does not have 100-Dalmatians hide shoes, but "wild" zebra-patterned clogs are available.

Not only can I attempt to attain "Happy Feet" with fun, sturdy, fashionable shoes, I can also doctor my feet with some delectably "spicy," almost dessert-like products: LUSH makes Fair Trade mint foot lotion and a spearmint-seasoned body butter. Slathering Running To The Embassy on after the pink foot mask, my toes became fragrant, and my calluses, no longer an embarrassment reminiscent of the Kalahari—or perhaps a Mississippi field during a drought. Between the solid, well-engineered, forward-propelling shoes and comforting ungents, I could spend all day traipsing around Graceland. Self-care is for all: comfortable feet are universally appreciated—no one wants their dogs to bark.

And Fizz was not "nothing but a hound dog."

Written by: Erika Mikkalo, April 9th 2009