All Things Lush UK: Lush Pud Bath Bomb

Back when I first began to collect Lush goodies, I would spend hours trawling through the pages of eBay in search of rare and highly-sought after products. Despite certain items being obviously past their best, I was keen enough that I didn't care if a bath bomb had all but lost its scent or a shower gel had clearly begun to separate due to age. Silly as that premise was, it did open the door to me discovering some of my all-time favourite products, which I am grateful for.

One of the products that I managed to obtain while on my crusade to try everything was Lil Lush Pud - a miniature bath bomb based on it's original older and bigger brother, Lush Pud. While I didn't have the best experience when it came to the former, I was still rather excited when Lush brought out the original as part of the Lush Kitchen last week.

First released during the Christmas of 2006, this seasonal favourite seems slightly out of place when accompanying the warmer weather that the UK have been receiving as of late. This spicy beauty makes you want to get out the candles, grab a few mince pies and settle in for a night of winter television - something that you wouldn't normally arrange to do at the beginning of March.

Listed as having a blend of cloves and lemon peel as the key ingredients, this bath bomb wouldn't immediately give a good impression of what it smells like in person. What surprised me when I received my order through the post was that the scent of this is almost identical to that of the Snowcake range. However, there are a few differences I should note.

Firstly, I noticed that when comparing this to Snow Angel Ballistic, which pertains the Snowcake fragrance, the marzipan element is slightly creamier in Lush Pud. The benzoin is not as strong as you'd expect it to be and the lemon peel adds a sweet, fruity element to it that gives the ballistic a much more rounded, richer aroma; it's less powdery on the nose.

Secondly, there is definitely more of a spicy presence, which although very subtle, adds a wonderful twist of warmth when the bath bomb has dissolved in the tub. The inclusion of both clove powder and rose absolute adds a slight sweet, spicy twist that brings all of these ingredients together perfectly - a perfect winter bath bomb if ever there was one.

The only aspect of Lush Pud that doesn't get a thumbs up from me is how well it performs in the tub. It's rather a fast dissolver so once you've popped it in the water, it immediately begins to fizz and froth - taking less than a minute to fully dilute. Not only this but, even when fresh, the bath bomb sinks to the bottom of the tub so it doesn't really offer much in the way of a show.

Finally, the ballistic turns the water into a very light beige colour, which isn't very attractive on the eyes or the senses. While I wasn't expecting anything too bright, it would have been nice to see something that didn't resemble muddy water to bathe in.

What is interesting is that the bath bomb produces bubbles as it's dissolving and most of these perch on the surface of the water. Furthermore, I noticed clusters of black specks as well which I assumed was the clove powder making an appearance.

The water also had a thin layer of oils that were very noticeable so I knew straight away that this bath bomb was going to be very moisturising, and so it was. The inclusion of the aloe vera extracts is to thank for this as it not only calms and cools the skin, but will leave your body feeling velvety-smooth and conditioned.

Overall, while it produces one of the ugliest baths I've seen, it smells delicious during the experience - leaving a gentle sweet, almond scent on your skin to enjoy for hours afterwards. Although it might not compliment the current weather or climate, this is definitely a healthier alternative if you're trying to lay off the pudding in preparation for the summer.

Quantitive Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Aloe Vera Extract, Clove Powder, Lemon Peel Powder, Cassie Absolute, Benzoin Resinoid, Rose Absolute, Propylene Glycol, Benzyl Benzoate, Perfume, Candy Holly Leaf.

Vegan?: Yes.