Softy Bath Bomb

Recently, as I briefly mentioned in my review of Ring Of Roses Soap, I've been getting a little bored with the amount of rose-scented products that Lush have been releasing both through the kitchen and as part of their seasonal ranges. While I enjoy floral fragrances as much as the next person, it's not my favourite scent and it's definitely not one I need an abundance of cosmetics to smell like. 

Yet I was pleasantly surprised when Softy arrived in the post this morning - offering a rather unique and slightly different take on the over-used rose fragrance. Unlike other Lush scents, this one neither gives off a sugary-sweet floral note such as Rose Jam, nor showcases a potent and rather powdery dried rose aroma.

Instead, this ballistic offers a very fresh, green rose scent - sharing it's scent with the popular Noriko Soap. Made using a combination of rose absolute, rose petals, lavender and ylang ylang oils, this bath bomb gives off a very natural floral smell. It reminds me of a freshly-made compost heap, left out on a crisp spring afternoon, not long after you've pruned a rose bush. 

While you can detect the rose immediately, the lavender is at the forefront as well. This creates an interesting and rather rich and fragrant offering unlike anything else I have tried from Lush. The orange oil is rather low-down in the mix, coming out more when the bath bomb has been dissolved into the water and working as a subtle note to soften the other ingredients and stop Softy from being too overpowering. 

I agree when Lush describe it as a 'rich, incense-like fragrance that will make you feel as though you're bathing in a garden.' It definitely has the perfect balance of floral and 'green', and leaves you feeling really refreshed yet comforted at the same time. 

Unfortunately, in the bath, this ballistic wasn't as impressive as I was hoping for. Despite being fresh from the kitchen, the bath bomb immediately sunk to the bottom of the tub and didn't offer me much in the way of a show. While Lush describe it as a slow-dissolver, I found that Softy was rather quick at dispersing throughout the tub; it only took a minute or so for it to completely disappear. 

The ballistic is packed full of fresh rose petals which spew out of the bath bomb and coat a large surface area of the water. Although these look beautiful and added to the product's overall aroma, these same petals proved to be rather annoying once I had settled in the bath. I found that they didn't sink to the bottom of the tub like other 'extras' normally do, and I ended up having to rinse myself off afterwards to remove the unwanted pieces of flower that had embedded themselves in my hair and across my body. While the fresh flowers made for a pretty decoration, it wasn't very practical in practice, and I would definitely use a strainer next time to ensure that I could enjoy my bath without bathing in bits of plant. There was also too many of them to justify rinsing the petals down the drain so I had to fish them all out of the plughole afterwards, which was annoying.

While the water turned a pale pink colour, it definitely wasn't as impressive as Sex Bomb or as beautiful as Love Locket. Although it did offer a very nourishing experience, and I was rather impressed with how smooth and soft my skin felt afterwards, it wasn't the most amazing bathing experience I have had. It didn't leave much of an aroma on my skin afterwards, and while it was enjoyable, I didn't feel as if it was as warming or as luxurious as other bath bombs that Lush offer.

I can see this appealing much more for those who love floral fragrances above the sweeter or more citrus-orientated ones. Although I enjoyed this, it's not one I would rush out and buy again. Having said that, I can see this working well as either a body lotion or a shower jelly, and I would be very interested in trying either of these out if Lush were to offer them to the consumers. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Dried Red Rose Petals, Lavender Oil, Sweet Orange Oil, Rose Absolute, Ylang Ylang Oil, Benzyl Salicylate, Geraniol, Benzyl Benzoate, Farnesol, Limonene, Linalool, Perfume, Colour 14700.

Vegan?: Yes.

2014 Price: £3.75 each.

2015 Price: £3.95 each.

2017 Price: £3.95 each.

Scent Family:
Christmas Hedgehog Bubble Bar
Eyeball Bath Bomb
Noriko Soap
Softy Bath Bomb