Jungle Solid Perfume

I don't think I've quite learnt to love, accept and appreciate solid perfumes as much as I should - partly because most of the ones that I've tried have not been as impressive as their liquid counterparts, and partly because it's still a rather strange concept to me, despite being heavily into Lush since 2012. 

I am all for the solid movement - the products last longer, there are less nasty preservatives to worry about and it normally works out better value for money than the liquid alternative. However, if I choose the solid format over the normal product, I do expect it to be as good quality as the liquid variation. When it comes to solid perfumes, I often find that they lack certain things that prevent them from being on par with the regular perfumes.

Jungle Solid Perfume is a new edition to the Lush family, coming out in the Lush Kitchen along with the liquid perfume and Tropical Jungle Body Lotion. While the liquid perfume has been released before, the solid has not, so I was rather intrigued to see how the two compared.

I was rather impressed when I removed the lid from the product and found myself immediately engulfed with a very strong fragrance. The scent of Jungle is quite a pungent one but I was expecting it to be a little more subtle in the tin. What I found however, was that the aroma was just as strong as the liquid variation. The only different between the two was that the solid's smell seemed to lack the acidic, almost-powdery kick that I found with the liquid perfume, which meant that I actually preferred the solid version.  

Initially, this perfume has a woody, wheatgrass smell - there's definitely remnants of damp grass and reeds in the mix, which is thanks to the inclusion of the cypress and cedarwood oils. However, at the same time you also get a slightly bitter zest that's a little like Kiwi fruit or soured passionfruit. 

Underneath all of this is a very gentle layer of ylang ylang, which brings it all together and creates an incredibly fresh and natural smelling exotic fragrance. Jungle Solid is not reminiscent of hot sandy beaches, palm trees and cool, crisp summer waves lapping the shore. As I said in my review of the liquid perfume, it smells a little like a forest and a tropical beach rolled into one - unique, strange but equally wonderful.  

What is good about the solid version is that there's less 'loss' when you're applying it. Whereas you'll lose some of the spray of the liquid format through evaporation, this format allows you to apply the perfume directly to the areas of your body that you wish to, so you get to utilise the whole product without wasting any. Furthermore, you can use this in conjunction with the liquid format - applying the liquid perfume in the morning and then topping up with this throughout the day to give you a good few hours worth of wear.

While I have awarded it a five out of six, there is one complaint that I have about this solid perfume. Whereas I would expect one of Lush's better perfumes to give me a full day's worth of wear, I was disappointed to find that this only stayed with me for a couple of hours, and even my flatmates said that they couldn't detect it at all after this time. This would mean that you would need to reapply the perfume every couple of hours if you wanted to experience it for the whole day - which isn't a problem, but isn't exactly practical at times.

Having said this, I do prefer how this mellows on the skin, and whereas the liquid perfume tends to last longer, it doesn't really mature all that much. The solid version however, works well with the warmth of your skin to give you an almost musky, fruity smell, which is lovely. 

I'm really glad that Lush have given us the opportunity to experience Jungle in this format and I will definitely be taking this with me over the Christmas holidays. This is a gorgeous fragrance that would work well throughout most of the year, and will definitely leave an impression on those lucky enough to be close to you when you're wearing it. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Organic jojoba oil (Simmondsia chinensis), Castor Oil (Ricinus communis), Candelilla Wax (Euphorbia cerifera), Perfume, Linalool, Cypress Oil (Cupressus sempervirens), Cedarwood Oil (Juniperus virginiana), Vetivert Oil (Vetiveria zizanoides), Ylang Ylang Oil (Cananga odorata), Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Cinnamate, Cinnarnal, Citronellol, Farnesol, Geraniol, Hydroxycitronellal, Limonene.  

Vegan?: Yes.

2014 Price: £9 for 12g.

2015 Price: £9 for 12g. 

Scent Family:

Melt My Heart Massage Bar

Jungle FUN Bar (2014)
Jungle Solid Conditioner
Jungle Liquid Perfume
Jungle Shower Jelly
Jungle Soap
Jungle Solid Perfume
Jungle/Tropical Jungle Body Lotion

Mr Dandy's Hair Candy Dressing