Fairy Ring Soap

If there's one soap I wish I could buy the whole block of before it's cut for retail, it's this one. Shaped like a toadstool, this cream and red seasonal soap is simply stunning, and not necessarily what you'd first think of when you envisage Halloween. Whether you get a slice like the one above, or are lucky enough to receive a window piece (see below), this is one of those homely soaps that will make an impression on you immediately, and you'll probably wish that it was part of the permanent range. 

Sharing its scent with Alkmaar Soap, All That Jas Bath Bomb and the various other roducts that feature in the Silky Underwear range, Fairy Ring Soap combines jasmine, ylang ylang and vetivert to product a mild but very poignant fragrance - one that leaves a big impression on the user. This may not be as 'in your face' as some of Lush's other scent families, but it will leave its mark for sure. 

While I was initially disappointed to discover that it didn't have the same scent as Mycelium - a mushroom-dominated aroma that featured at Lush's installation in early 2014, it didn't take me long to forget my woes and appreciate the beauty of the smell in this format. I would definitely say that the colour scheme compliments the fragrance of this soap perfectly, and is a definite preference for me over the usual plain white attire that other products with the same scent  usually appear as. 

Lush claim that this fragrance will 'take you to the bottom of the garden and away with the fairies', and I can definitely see what they mean by that. There is something rather magical about this smell - it's not your typical floral scent, and instead gives off a creamy and rather sweet aroma that you'll want to reuse again and again. It's very comforting and relaxing, whilst also pertaining a playful element that creates quite a mystical feel about the product.

The jasmine is definitely at the forefront here - offering a wonderful full-bodied smell that stays with you long after you've exited the shower. Alongside this is a note of coconut, which enhances the floral properties of the jasmine and adds it's own rich, sweet and rather nutty scent. The ylang ylang and vetivert sit underneath these two dominant smells and work at giving this soap a well-rounded aroma.

How Fairy Ring differs from Alkmaar, is that the former soap features a key ingredient - shiitake mushrooms, which makes this seasonal release incredibly gentle and highly moisturising on the body. Shiitake mushrooms are filled with nutrients, are said to improve blood circulation and are known for being antibacterial. I was amazed by how soft and silky my skin felt after using this, so this would be a great investment for anyone who wants to banish those dry, weathered areas that will no doubt make an appearance once the weather starts getting colder.

This soap lathers up really easily and produces quite a thick and creamy foam to massage into your skin. Furthermore, having used this consistently over the past week, I was also rather impressed with how little my 100g block has shrunk after using it twice a day - I can see this lasting a long time if it continues to diminish as slowly as it has been doing so far.

In all honesty, I was expecting to find a soap identical to Alkmaar and it wasn't something I was overly excited about. However, I think this is much better than the aforementioned item and I'm rather shocked to see how a simple ingredient like mushrooms, can impact on a product so much. While Baked Alaska is far more colourful than this, Fairy Ring offers you a highly moisturising, wonderfully seductive and all around great addition to the Lush family. I'd highly recommend that you check it out for yourself when you can, as this will smoothen, soften and pamper your hands and body, and leave you ready to face the winter months unscathed.   

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil, Sorbitol, Perfume, Jasmine Absolute, Vetivert Oil, Ylang Ylang Oil, Shiitake mushrooms, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Hexyl Cinnamal, Colour 14700, Colour 17200.

Vegan?: Yes.

2014 Price: £4.10 for 100g, £10.25 for 250g, £20.50 for 500g.

2016 Price: £4.25 for 100g.

Scent Family:
Alkmaar Soap
All That Jas Bath Bomb
Big Hugs Soap
Coconut Rice Cake Solid Shampoo Bar
Factory Mix-up It's A Date Bubble Bar
Fairy Jasmine Ballistic 
Fairy Ring Soap
Mistletoe Bath Bomb 
Silky Underwear Dusting Powder
Silky Underwear Liquid Perfume
Silky Underwear Solid Perfume
Turbo Bubble Bar