My First Experience with Lush Emotional Brilliance!

Two days ago I finally had a chance to check out Lush's first makeup collection, Emotional Brilliance. It was released late last week, so I was chomping at the bit! I've been a dedicated Lush fan for more than 10 years, so having to wait for over a week to see their makeup offering was difficult. But I finally made it happen!

I visited the Eaton Centre Lush store in Toronto this past Friday, to find this tantalizing sign hanging in the window:

I quickly gravitated to the colour wheel, which I knew was the cornerstone of the full Emotional Brilliance experience!

Based on what I'd read about the collection, I had gleaned that the makeup line is based on the concept of colour therapy, which suggests that the colours one is drawn to speak to that person's strengths, desires, and character. A bit hokey? Sure! But did it pique my interest? Definitely!

I was quickly greeted by a friendly Lush employee who asked if I'd like a colour reading. I instantly agreed and was invited to close my eyes and clear my mind as she spun the colour wheel.

After quieting my mind (which was slightly difficult in a loud, crowded mall, but I gave it a go!) I was instructed to open my eyes and to point to the first three colours on the wheel that I was drawn to. Not necessarily my favourite colours, but rather those that appealed to me at that very moment.

The shades I selected were a bright electric blue, a vibrant fuchsia, and a shimmery golden orange. The employee turned over the colour discs to reveal the corresponding elements underneath. Turns out I'd chosen "In Charge", "Passionate", and "Vibrance" (which amazed me, given the name of this blog!).

She cheerfully explained that the first colour I'd chosen ("In Charge", the bright blue) represented one of my most important current strengths, while the second shade I'd selected ("Passionate", the fuchsia) highlighted something I needed more of in my life. Finally, she noted that the third shade I chose ("Vibrance", the orange) was something that I needed to increase in my life if I wanted to achieve the quality in the middle. Hokey? Perhaps. But since I love any type of personality test, I was intrigued. And since I don't want to psychoanalyze myself here, I'll leave it at that! :)

The results of my colour reading- "In Charge", "Passionate", and "Vibrance"

She then wrote down my three selected elements on a card, as a souvenir of my assessment...

"Power" was not part of my reading, but was a shade I was drawn to afterwards, which you'll see in a bit!

The  next step was to reveal makeup items that corresponded with my colour wheel choices. She opened up these drawers, which were full of adorable and brightly-coloured glass jars. I swooned!

She explained that the line consisted of liquid lipsticks, eye shadows, and eyeliners, all of which have a calming and moisturizing base, similar to their multi-tasking Ultra Balm.

It turns out that "In Charge" is one of their eyeliners (which makes sense, given that it is bright blue!). I swatched it on my hand and was impressed with the pigmentation, though I found the formula somewhat dry. She said that "Vibrance" was also an eyeshadow (thought I later saw it was a lipstick). I swatched it on my hand as well and fell instantly in love. What a unique golden-orange shade! "Passionate" was one of their lipsticks, which I was eager to try on my lips. The pigmentation and shade were immediately impressive (a bright fuchsia with a supremely moisturizing base? yes, please!). I have a couple pictures of me wearing it below! I was also drawn to a lipstick called "Power", a bright coral-based red. I also swatched that one, pronto!

Here are the swatches on the back of my hand:

Swatches of (L-R) In Charge, Vibrance, and Power

And here I am wearing "Passionate" lipstick. It instantly became my newest beauty crush, so I had no qualms photographing myself sporting it on a busy downtown street! I was  a bit oily "glowing" at the moment, but don't let that distract you from the lipstick's beauty!

Me wearing Lush "Vibrance" liquid lipstick

Closeup:

After this fun experience, I had to decide which goodies would be going home with me. Although I had a strong urge to grab several bottles, run, and not look back, my sensible (in charge?) side decided on these two lovelies:

Vibrance lipstick:

And Passionate lipstick:

And a closeup to see the shimmery nuances of each:

Lush "Vibrance" and "Passionate" liquid lipsticks

Overall my first experience with Emotional Brilliance was a ton of fun, and I feel I came home with a couple of stellar products. I'll be test-running them asap, so look out for some reviews soon! If you have any interest in the line, go check it out! Don't let the hokey-ness of the colour wheel keep you away- the colour reading is totally optional and you can ultimately test any shades that appeal to you.

Have any of you tested out the line yet? What are your thoughts?

Thanks for reading! :)