Weighing in at just over 60g, this ballistic is one of the smallest ones that Lush have ever released. Having said that, the original bath bomb isn't that much bigger than this, and although it's not written in the product description, is designed more as an accompaniment for another bath bomb - adding essential oils and butters to help moisturise the skin.
Although this is a popular fragrance family from Lush, it's also one of the more simpler ones. This ballistic has a very rich, musky vanilla scent and it's very easy to detect the cocoa butter in the overall aroma of the product. While the ylang ylang adds a subtle powdery sweetness, there's not much more here that you can really write about the smell. The addition of the sprinkled cocoa powder on top does add a gentle chocolatey scent, but it's not one you can detect in the bath.
When this bath bomb hits the water, it immediately begins to fizz, releasing a stream of white foam that disperses throughout the water very quickly. 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.
Unfortunately, compared with last year's The Snowman, or indeed the original Butterball Ballistic, Butterbear seems to contain a lot less cocoa butter and this is something I noticed by the lack of oil that was present on the surface of the water. Furthermore, the smell of the product seemed to disperse a lot quicker than it's siblings have done, and by the end I could not smell the bath bomb at all. Having said that, the two Butterbears I used after my initial experience were a lot stronger in scent and I noticed that there were more beads of cocoa butter in the water.
The ballistic only takes about a minute to fully dissolve, and what's left is a slightly cloudy bath with not any other redeeming features. For this reason, it's a good idea to use this alongside another product that will give you a more appealing bath. After spending a good 30 minutes in the tub, I didn't feel that my skin was anywhere near as moisturised as I was expecting - in fact, I found myself applying body lotion afterwards as my skin felt quite tight and dry.
At first I thought that perhaps I had received a 'dud' product so I used a second one the very next day. However, this one offered me the very same experience, which was rather disappointing.
While Butterbear has a cute design and can perhaps be used alongside another bath product to combine smells, it's probably the product I was most underwhelmed with in this year's Christmas collection. Adding to this latter point, I don't think it's a good thing that a product cannot perform well on it's own. Lush can be an expensive investment, and I don't see the point in buying a bath bomb that needs another one to make it look good.
Perhaps I expected too much for a product that set me back a mere £1.95. No matter what the reason may be, this is not a seasonal product that I will buy again.
Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Fair Trade Colombian Cocoa Butter, Synthetic Musk, Ylang Ylang Oil, Cocoa Powder, Water (Aqua), Perfume.
Vegan?: Yes.
2014 Price: £1.95 each.
2015 Price: £1.95 each.
Angel Hair Solid Shampoo Bar
Butterball Bath Bomb
Butterball Body Conditioner
Butterball Body Lotion
Butterball Liquid Perfume
Butterball Perfume Oil
Butterball Shower Gel
Butterbear Bath Ballistic
Butterbear Shower Jelly
The Ex Factor Bath Bomb
Gentle Lentil Solid Shampoo
Peace Pioneers Shower Oil
The Snowman Ballistic
I usually take the butterballs and smash them to bits. I really don't like them on their own, and to me they are rather "greasy" because of the oils. It feels like I dumped baby oil in the bath. So I take a small bit of it and put it in the tub with other Lush products. I did buy the bear , it looks easier to smash. One of these is enough for me though, I rather spend my money on other LUSH products.
ReplyDeleteYay You Corrected The Title :)
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