Harvey Bath Ballistic

If you're fairly new to Lush, you might be mistaken for thinking that the use of carrot oil in their products is a recent innovation. With the likes of Carrot Soap and Snowman FUN being fairly new products to come from the company, you'd assume that Lush had discovered a ground-breaking ingredient and were trying to utilise it in as many products as they could. However, this is far from the truth.

Harvey Bath Ballistic is an exclusive product from the rusty vaults of 2002 - a bath bomb that made such an impression on old-school Lush fans, that many were still mourning for it's return until it popped up in the Lush Kitchen a couple of weeks ago. As someone who had only tried an aged, out-of-date one a few years ago, I was rather keen to see how it held up when fresh.  

Made from a blend of spearmint, bergamot and sweet orange oils, this limited edition bath ballistic is a strange combination of mint, zest and sweetness - a collaboration that doesn't sound as if it should go together at all, but one that actually works quite well. In fact, as odd as this may sound, the fragrance of this bath bomb actually reminded me of that old, dusty smell you'd get when discovering a really ancient bath bomb at the back of your stash. Strange. 

The initial smell of this ballistic is a grassy, naturally sweet carrot scent that has a very subtle 'burnt' element to it. It reminded me a little of the smell you experience when you heat up seeds in a pan - that warm, savoury aromatic fragrance that's not overly strong but pungent enough to leave an impression.

Behind this is a slight minty aroma - a cool, refreshing odour in the similar veins to Freeze Shower Gel; it's strong enough that you can detect it straight away but the other ingredients mask it somewhat so it's not overpowering at all. Alongside this is a combination of bergamot and patchouli - both of which add a sweet note to the ballistic, while the jasmine compliments this and adds a gentle herbal, floral fragrance to round the whole thing off. 

In all fairness, this ballistic is one of the most complicated ones to describe because there is just so much going on at the same time. While each of these elements add something to the overall smell, you can detect almost every layer of this bath bomb, so it can be quite an experience for those consumers who are used to more gentler, simplistic smells. 

Despite it's size, Harvey is quite a fast dissolver. As soon as it hits the water, it disperses waves of yellow across the tub, and in under two minutes, the water is tainted with a lovely shade of gold that shimmers in the light. The aroma of the bath bomb remains prominent throughout the whole experience and leaves a gentle aroma that lingers on your skin and the bathroom for quite a while afterwards. 

Furthermore, you can see shimmery pools of oils that snake around on the surface of the water - making this a really nourishing experience on the skin. These oils turn the water into a wonderful thick haven of moisture - the sort of water you'd expect from a bath melt or some of the better bubble bars. 

Disappointingly, this is one of those ballistics that immediately sinks to the bottom of the tub, no matter how fresh the product may be. For this reason, I had hold mine above the water so I could watch it dissolve which was a little annoying. Once the face has fully dissolved, you're left with the red nose, which turned out to be more of a bubble bar in consistency. 

Despite the excitement that was generated when Lush announced that they were bringing Harvey out, I didn't find him to be as wonderful as I was expecting. While he is the perfect bath bomb for those who love the scent, I just wasn't particularly overwhelmed with the aroma. 

The ballistic does offer a really great experience in the bath - the smell is strong enough to last throughout the whole thing; the water is moisturising and rich in essential oils; the product design is cute and very in-keeping with the seasonal theme. However, it's not an aroma that bowled me over as much as I was hoping it would.

As a word of warning, I would recommend that you ensure your bath is clean before using one of these. As the bath bomb is quite oily, the first time I tried this out I found that I had yellow stains all around the edge of the tub by the end of it. While I have nothing against the colour, I can't imagine that this is an attractive feature in anyones bathroom! 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Perfume, Carrot Seed Oil, Bergamot Oil, Spearmint Oil, Patchouli Oil, Jasmine Absolute, Sweet Orange Oil, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Cocamide MEA, Alpha Isomethyl Ionone, Linalool, Limonene, Gardenia Extract, Colour 14700.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £3.75 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2002.