Christmas Hedgehog Bubble Bar

Aside from the cute nature of this bubble bar, I'm not quite sure how a hedgehog fits in with Christmas. When I think of the seasonal holidays, I think of robins, donkeys and reindeer - not a creature that resides under bushes and  probably makes even less of an appearance when the colder weather sets in. My guess is that either Lush are building up a seasonal zoo - we have the Christmas Penguin and Butterbear so far, or they're making a subtle reference to the social problem of diminishing hedgehog numbers in the UK. Having said that, it's very  unlike the company to make such a small gesture towards a rather large-scale issue, so I'm going with the former suggestion.

No matter what the motives are for Lush releasing such a product, the Christmas Hedgehog Bubble Bar is a seasonal must have. It's the undisputed underdog that won't necessarily triumph over the more colourful, 'in-your-face' festive goodies in the shop, but will warm your heart the second you experience it in the bath and you'll find yourself going back for more.

Sharing it's scent with the popular Noriko Soap, this is a product that will divide it's prospective audience. While I didn't particularly enjoy the soap, I found that the scent worked much better in bubble bar format, which is why I have given it such a high rating. 

This is a difficult smell to describe - one that is both fruity and floral, with reference to a slightly savoury undertone as well. Firstly, you can smell the lavender, which is the strongest note and sits very slightly above the other scents. Underneath this is a very subtle combination of rose, ylang ylang and orange - all of which give this bubble bar a gentle but well-rounded fragrance. 

While the four ingredients do stand out if you're looking for them, they're fairly equal in the mix and compliment each other really well. Although lavender is very slightly more dominating, that's not to say that it overpowers the other smells at all. In fact, this is a very 'quiet-smelling' bubble bar, so one that will appeal to those of you who want something different from the humdrum of candy-inspired scents that Lush offer at Christmas. 

I crumbled half of the bubble bar under the running tap and was pleased to see that it doesn't take very long for the bubbles to form. While half a bar doesn't produce as many as some of Lush's other bars, there is enough here to give you a soft and sweet blanket to reside under.

It turns the water a light, murky shade of blue so it's not the most inviting of colours. However, with the inclusion of both cocoa butter and shea butter, not to mention the various essential oils in the ingredients list, the Christmas Hedgehog creates a wonderful haven of silky-soft water that deeply moisturises and nourishes the body, leaving it feeling and smelling incredible. 

I could not believe how soft the water felt when I got in, nor how instantaneously better my skin felt when I settled under the water. This is a bubble bar that will leave your skin looking and feeling like silk, while the rose absolute and ylang ylang oils also work on uplifting those winter blues and comforting even the coldest of spirits. You don't need to moisturise after using one of these, especially as the unique but beautiful fragrance lingers on your skin for you to enjoy. 

I would recommend that you divide the bar longways, equally down the middle as it is the blue part that contains most of the essential butters. I would also suggest that you're careful where you store your hedgehogs as this same section is a little 'wet', and you'll find yourself getting smears of what looks like buttercream all over yourself if you're not careful. 

While I wasn't initially bowled over by the thought of the Christmas Hedgehog, I have been well and truly won over by it's magical powers. This is an amazing addition to Lush's seasonal collection, and one that needs to be tried by everyone. Pick up one of these today and don't say I didn't warn you how good it is!   

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Lauryl Betaine, Cornflour, Organic Shea Butter, Perfume, Lavender Oil, Rose Absolute, Ylang Ylang Oil, Brazilian Orange Oil, Citric Acid, Titanium Dioxide, Laureth 4, Geraniol, Farnesol, Benzyl Salicylate, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene, Linalool, Colour 42090, Snowflake Lustre, Blue shimmer bead, Geopearl crystal glittering rainbow, Sprayfilm, White Edible Stars.

Vegan?: Yes.

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