Bubble Bath, FSOT, Coop, and Henna- LUSH in Fort Fun!

If you're from Fort Wayne, Indiana, I have some really good news for you if you don't know already... You have a LUSH store! What the heck is LUSH you ask? http://www.lush.com/ Only some of the most fabulous and fun bath and shower products available. There isn't even one in Indianapolis... nice one, Fort Wayne.

I spent the morning at Ivy Tech Community College at their proctoring center taking the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT). After the test, my Uncle Tim (who lives in town), his roommate and her boyfriend, and I went out to lunch at a place called Casa Mare. I recommend this place for Italian lover passing through. Everything we had was great. I highly recommend the fried eggplant appetizer. I ordered the Manicotti, and though it didn't look quite as impressive as all the other dishes, the flavors were there and the ricotta stuffing was nice.

After lunch, my Uncle Tim and I went to a grocery store called Three Rivers Natural Grocery, Deli, and Cafe to look for couscous. I LOVE this store! They have rices, grains, and three different types of couscous all in containers so you can spoon out the amount you need. They had big tubs of organic soaps, lovely spices, and a large selection of organic groceries. Unlike many other grocery places popping up with a similar concept, the prices are very reasonable. If I lived here, I would frequent this one... A+++

It's always a good time getting together with my Uncle Tim. If you end up reading this post, thanks for the great afternoon! He dropped me off at my car after our visit to the coop, and I hit the road back to my grandmother's house. Before I hit route 30, I noticed a mall to my left... Glenbrook. I decided to make a quick stop to see if there were any decent sales at my favorite "mall" stores. I put mall in quotations because as most Americans know, there is a very specific grouping of stores that you are almost guaranteed to find in any mid-sized mall. This is mostly true for women's stores, but there are a few for men too. Examples include Express, the Limited, the Gap, Banana Republic, and Victoria's Secret. These stores exist in malls with almost any level anchor store, until the mall dies and goes to flea market heaven (I personally have been known to enjoy the occasional foray into the wonderful world of truly random commerce).

You can sometimes tell without entering a mall what other small stores will be present based on the anchor stores. A J.C. Penney will be surrounded by different boutiques than Saks Fifth Avenue. That may seem obvious, but it's not something we always actively consider and it does save time if you are just passing through and unfamiliar with the area. I will not pass a random mall and go in looking for a BCBG boutique in a mall with anchors like Macy's and Sears. A Macy's, and a Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus? Possible. A Nordstrom and a Saks? Likely.

To get back to the point, though Glenbrook is a nice mid-level mall, I wouldn't have gone in seeking a LUSH store. I originally decided to stop to check for Gap, Banana Republic, and VS. VS had no sales, Gap only had the two colors I already own in the jean cut I love (the newly designed straight fit is the best thing every since jeans almost never fit me... I love them!), and I found a few items at Banana Republic. Then I decided to take a quick look around Macy's before heading out. I walk through a mostly typical Macy's makeup section and then I see it... straight in front of me... LUSH and it is so very lush: Giant chunks of colorful, yummy smelling soaps, solid shampoos, and bath bubble cakes.

Here's a tip for you airplane travelers who try to avoid checking luggage... LUSH shampoo bars are awesome, last forever, and they're solid so you can take them in any bag. They have face products like this too, though I can't speak for them because I'm pretty loyal to my Philosophy cleanser- the only one I've ever found that doesn't over dry my face. The LUSH bubble bath cakes are awesome! They foam up like crazy and you get several uses by breaking off small pieces of the bar.

So, as you can tell, I was excited. I really love fun and interesting products, and whenever I find something that really works, I tell everyone I know. I know this isn't really a product blog, but cool findings are part of the trip.

One last thing... I decided to try LUSH's henna. I haven't colored my hair in years, but henna is natural and fun... and MESSY! I cut my finger pretty badly trying to break it up. Then I got green goo all over the place. I'll post before, during, and after photos next blog. Cheers for now.