All Things Lush UK: The Snowman Ballistic

25 April 2014

The Snowman Ballistic

I'm going to hold my hands up and say that I am not one of those Lushies obsessed with the 'Butterball' fragrance. I know it's one of Lush's biggest sellers, hence why they feel the need to repackage the scent in a new product almost yearly. However, the truth is, as I mentioned in my review of the Butterball Shower Gel, the smell of cocoa butter by itself has been so overused in cosmetics (not just Lush!), that I'm pretty sick of it. By no means is it a bad smell, just not one I'm going to get excited about. So, as you can imagine, I wasn't initially bowled over by the idea of this bath bomb...

The Snowman ballistic was released as part of the Christmas 2013 range, complete with a little extra decoration in the form of a red scarf and a nose made out of The Carrot Bubble Bar from their 2013 Easter range. On first sniff, the musky vanilla scent was very much present; in fact, I found that the smell of this ballistic was much stronger than the many Butterballs that I've had in the past, which was promising.

Unlike the original Butterball ballistic, the Snowman is considerably smaller, so I was a little worried that it wouldn't leave as strong an impression in the tub as it's counterpart. Furthermore, I've recently found myself in a rut with Lush bombs, wherein the last few I've used have produced less than satisfactory results in the bath. Despite my initial concerns, I was pleasantly surprised with this one.

When this bath bomb hits the water, it immediately begins to fizz, releasing a stream of red and white foam that disperses throughout the water. Seconds later, little beads of what looks like oil, begin to seep from the bath bomb, most of which float on the surface, but some of which tend to spread out and rest against the edge of the tub. I found out, after some research, that this is the cocoa butter which has been included to soften the bath water and moisturise your skin whilst you're relaxing.

After a while, the beads melt and leave an oily bath water behind, which really does moisturise and hydrate your skin. I found that I didn't have to use my normal body lotion afterwards, which was lovely. In fact, I experimented by not using my lotion the day after my bath, and was pleased to discover that my skin stayed silky-smooth, and retained a musky scent, for the entirety of the next day. However, I would pre-warn those of you who perhaps suffer from oily or greasy skin, as this is probably one of the most oleaginous baths I have ever had; I can imagine it perhaps irritating the more sensitive skin types with it's waxy consistency.

Once it's fully dissolved, the Snowman leaves a pale and translucent red coloured water. The buttery smell of vanilla, ylang ylang and cocoa butter disperse somewhat and leave you with a subtle smell, but nothing that's too overwhelming for those of you who don't like potent scents.

Although it was a rather enjoyable bath, and it's a ballistic I would buy again, there were a couple of issues that I found. Firstly, although my dry skin basked in the oiliness of the water, I can imagine that there will be a lot of people who would find the greasy element to this bath far too overwhelming and 'clammy'. Secondly, once the water has drained away, the beads of cocoa butter leave smears around the edge of the tub, which you then have to clean up; not fun and a bit of a mood killer!

Overall, it's definitely one of the better ballistics I have used recently, and I will no doubt buy myself a couple more of these if they make a reappearance. However, it's not one that makes it into my favourite's list.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Cocoa Butter, Synthetic Musk, Ylang Ylang Oil, Glycerine, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Carbonate, Lauryl Betaine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Perfume, Colour 14700, Colour 17200, Colour 15510.

Vegan?: Yes.