How To Fix A Lush Solid Perfume (Pushed All The Way Out)

I love my Vanillary solid, but one annoying thing about it is that unlike a lipstick, you do not twist it to extend the product - you push it out.  Lush is known to use minimal packaging so I guess it's cheaper as well as being better for the environment, however once you push it out there's no way to push it back in - or so I thought!

I hope this helps other people who may have found themselves in the same predicament.... if this is you (and you have happened to find this page in a Google search panic) scroll down directly to the fix - you can read my discovery story later.... I know the panic you're feeling! I did the same thing but couldn't find anything - which is why I want to share my little Solid Perfume fix!

My First Vanillary Solid

I love Vanillary perfume & when I was given a Vanillary Solid I knew I would love it. (Un)fortunately the previous owner found that she was allergic to it after her skin reacted. Who could say no to a free Vanillary?

Disinfection!

I'm a real germ-a-phobe so I never share my cosmetics - especially mascara, lipstick & eyeshadow (I know plenty of people who do & I think it's awful). I thought however that since the Solid was only used once it should be ok. But, to be on the safe side I wanted to disinfect the surface. Fussy I know, but that's just me!

So, I push out the stick of solid perfume as far as it goes. Can't be too careful right? I carefully wipe the top of the waxy solid with a tissue, & finish by spraying a fine mist of Isopropyl Alcohol on the product. I set it down to allow the alcohol to evaporate. Easy! Disinfection complete!

Oops... the Vanillary Solid won't go back in! :(

So, the alcohol evaporates & I'm left with a clean Vanillary Solid. Fantastic! I grab a tissue & start to push it back in &.... hang on.... instead of the solid moving into the tube it starts to soften with the heat of my fingers & smush the perfume. Uh oh! I stop before I break the Solid pausing to get another tissue, thinking it might shield the heat a bit.

I commence to push the solid down with the tissue & the same thing happens. Smush! I'm making it worse, turning the top into a mushroom! At this point I'm pretty unhappy & guess that my new Vanillary Solid may be a goner.

If only I had thought this might happen BEFORE I pushed the product all the way out.

So I sit it on the bench & decide to think this through.......... eventually a picture of a globe appears above my head & I run into the kitchen with my supposedly ruined Vanillary Solid.

How To Fix A Lush Solid Perfume (Pushed All The Way Out)

• Get your extended Lush Solid Perfume. If you've pushed down with force & it's smushed, use a tissue to carefully mould the perfume back into a tube shape.
• Put it in the freezer
• Leave it in the freezer for about an hour
• Your Solid will freeze & become hard for a short period of time.
• Remove your Solid from the freezer.
• Use a clean tissue to push the Solid back into the container. As it will be frozen it will slide down easily.
• Before you screw the lid back on, put your solid in a clean, dry place for a few hours to give it a chance to "thaw". This will minimise condensation sticking around & let it dry thoroughly.
• Once completely dry, put the lid back on, & put it away!

Disclaimer?

I guess I should say, follow these instructions at your own risk. I didn't pay for my Solid so I was willing to sacrifice it if the freezer method didn't work. The first "brainwave" I came up with was melting the product in the microwave in another container & let it set but heat is not a friend to perfume, hence why I elected to use the freezer method.

I've been using this Solid Perfume for months after putting it in the freezer. I have not seen ANY changes in the product after putting it in the freezer. The scent is exactly the same, as is the consistency. I am guessing that this would work for the other perfumes too. It worked for me so I hope it works for you too! If you're at your wits end what do you have to lose?

Lush Solid Perfume Tips:

    The screw on cap leaves very little room for the product, so make sure you only push the Solid out a a millimetre or two at most. This is enough to spread the product on your skin but not too much for it to smear itself all over the inside of the lid (quite annoying).
    Use your Lush Solid perfume on clean, moisturised skin. This will give you the cleanest notes & a scent that will last longer!
    Keep your Solid in a cool, dry & dark place to minimalise any chance of melting. It's a very fragile product!

Lush Haul - Vanillary Perfume

I went into Lush Handmade Cosmetics for the 2nd time in my life today. I'd never wandered into this store before last year as the smell really put me off. The first time I dared venture in was just before Christmas. I tested the Vanillary perfume & loved the scent.

This week I heard about Vanillary being on sale for 50% off, so when I saw the store I thought it would be a good time to go in.

So, back to the mini haul, this is what I ended up with

• 2 x Vanillary EDP perfumes (30ml) - $22.47 each
  ^ Gorgeous perfume with Vanilla, Jasmine & Tonka Bean.
• 1 x Snowfairy Lip Tint (10g) - $4.75
  ^ smells just like raspberry frog lollies & has a slight pink tint.
• 1 x Light Yellow Colour Supplement sample
  ^ You can mix this with your moisturiser, or use it as a skin tint
• 1 x Dreamwash Shower Smoothie sample
  ^  Not enjoying the scent of Dreamwash Shower Smoothie but my skin seems to like it.

lol ;-) by Lulu Castagnette

A few months ago I picked out a perfume named Les Petites Folies 00:10 by Lulu Castagnette. I liked it so much I recently got the "buddy" perfume Les Petites Folies 20:15 which is lovely too - gorgeous bottles!

I returned to try another Lulu Castagnette perfume however unfortunately the Sales Assistant could not find the tester. I didn't want to leave the store without testing SOMETHING so I asked to try the only other tester there which happened to be lol ;-).

I had seen this perfume in lists whilst browsing sites & had a small giggle. Who would buy a perfume with such a name unless it's for a novelty - which I'm not completely alien to. Certainly it's a teen perfume? I try not to judge scents like I have seen others do. However this is definitely one instance when I misjudged .

So the SA sprayed & handed the card to me. I sniffed & looked up at her in surprise. It was really nice! Pick me up off the floor!

How does it smell?

The top notes are a blast of Strawberry & Apple, which turns out to be a little like sherbet. The Florals (Rose & Iris) sneak in & soon after the Vanilla. Just when you think you have lol ;-) figured out, the Sandalwood & Patchouli join the crowd & turn it into a sophisticated gourmand (well I think so anyway).

I always test potential fragrances on my skin, so I asked the SA to spray my arm. After a while the scent turned from a fruity sherbet to a creamy delicious strawberry vanilla with just the right amount of sandalwood & patchouli to blend. It definitely grew on me as the afternoon progressed to evening & then morning. Morning?? Yes, it lasted on my skin, pillow & clothes. I got whiffs of it until I washed! It grew on me & I knew I wanted to lol ;-)

Sillage seems to be decent & it has approval from my SO (a very hard feat!!!).

Perfume Notes;

Top: Strawberry, Apple
Middle: Rose, Iris
Base: Vanilla, Sandalwood, Patchouli

What about the bottle?

The bottle seems to be a little Jean Paul Gaultier inspired with its curves. It's a cute pink & orange with an unusual "topless" pink see through lid. Can't say that it's extremely elegant looking, it reminds me a little of a deodorant, but it's nice to hold & easy to spray/distribute the perfume on your arm.

Would I recommend it?

Yes! .... but you'll need to like gourmand (foody) scents as it's very sweet & definitely smells like a fruity, creamy desert (with some sherbet thrown in). If this does not appeal to you - avoid it. If it does, try it out on your skin!

Would I buy it again?

Probably not, I think 100ml is going to be plenty of lol ;-).


Verdict

Who would have thought a perfume called lol ;-) would be a really nice fragrance? Not me! But it is! I'm really happy with this scent & it will definitely be on my rotation.

Although it seems to stand the heat, lol ;-) is probably at its best in the cooler weather. The vanilla may be a little too much in the humidity.

Price

I bought a 100ml for $45 from The Perfume Connection. It's also available in 50ml for $22.95*

PS: A small heads up! If you're looking for this the "full" name is SMS lol ;-) but on the bottle it simply says lol ;-) - Lulu Castagnette seems to like to group fragrances into "headings" (?) such as SMS or Les Petite Folies which can be a little confusing if you're specifically looking for one of her fragrances on a listing or site without good search functions as this may be listed under S or L.

PPS: As of July 2011, you can pick up 100ml of SMS lol ;-) from The Perfume Connection, & The Perfume Shop for $14 a bottle. Apparently they're getting rid of the line & I definitely recommend you take advantage of that! :-) $14 for this perfume is a steal!

My Rating: 7 out of 10

*Edit July, 2011: The Perfume Connection must be discontinuing the line, as I saw lol ;-) for $13 (50ml) grab a bottle as at this price, it's a steal!