I've been really enjoying my bubble bars as of late. Since downsizing my bath bomb collection by almost 90% over the last twelve months, I now have a much better selection of bubble bars than I do ballistics. With my skin being particularly dry at the moment, these bars do wonders at soothing and nourishing my winter-kissed skin.
Marathon Bubble Bar has been one of those unlucky products, buried at the back of my drawer underneath a hundred other bubble bars. It was only when I decided to have a clear out that I found two of these - still perfectly soft and highly fragrant, wedged at the back between my Bathos and my Ma Bars.
Ever since I set my eyes on these, I made it my mission to find myself a couple for no other reason aside from their design. Sporting a bright orange facade, these bubble bars are gorgeous to look at and it helps that each one is decorated with a paper flag that only adds to it's allure.
What is immediately noticeable about these bars is the scent - I only had to peal back the wrapper before I was engulfed with a strong, well-rounded and very distinctive aroma. Made from a combination of cinnamon oil, peppermint oil, witch hazel extract and aloe vera gel, this is bubble bar with a bite.
The peppermint oil is the most prominent ingredient here - offering a strong, natural minty fragrance that stays throughout the entire bathing experience. Peppermint oil is a fantastic stimulant, helping to increase circulation of the blood and increasing alertness. This means that Marathon is the perfect accompaniment during the winter months, when you want something to aid relaxation whilst invigorating your senses.
Intertwined with the mint is an equally heady note of cinnamon. This works really well with the peppermint - helping to fight depression whilst adding a warm element to the overall fragrance. Aloe Vera Gel gives the bubble bar an almost antiseptic smell and is great for cleansing the skin of impurities, while witch hazel extract, known for it's anti-inflammatory properties offer a soothing, herby aroma to finish the bar off. To me, it smelled very much like a piece of peppermint chewing gum.
Marathon Bubble Bar is the perfect bath accompaniment for anyone who needs a complete mental or physical overhaul. It's a product that really makes you feel as if you've washed the week's stress from your skin - a refreshing, comforting addition to anyone's tub. Fans of Wiccy Magic Muscles will love this as it leaves that clean, tingling feeling on the skin afterwards.
To use, I crumbled half of the bar under the running tap and this helped to heed a good amount of bubbles. It certainly didn't offer as many bubbles as a lot of bubble bars, but it was more than enough for me. As it's colour suggests, this bar turned the water a wonderful orange colour, which doesn't necessarily match the scent it's giving off, but does help to brighten up your experience that little bit more.
What is great about Marathon is that it doesn't take very long to work on your physical well-being and mindset once you've gotten into the bath. Within 5-10 minutes of soaking in it's water, I found that my body felt noticeably more relaxed and I found myself feeling a lot more focussed. This would be great after a long day's work if you're planning on going out in the evening as well. Immerse yourself in it's water for 15-20 minutes and you'll be set to continue for a good many hours.
Not only this but after using half of a bar a little while after exercising, I found that it loosened my muscles up quite a bit and I didn't feel as stiff the next day. Furthermore, the fragrance lingers for hours and hours on both your skin and in the bathroom, so you've got to commit to the smell if you're planning on using it.
One aspect that worried me slightly with this product was it's consistency. It was wonderfully soft in the wrapper but when crumbled under the tap, it did tend to turn gloopy and I noticed that there were deposits on the base of the tub. However, after being submerged under the water for a good 15 minutes, I found that these left over pieces had fully dissolved and the tub was clean once I had drained the water.
As with most of Lush's bubble bars, this one left my skin feeling well-nourished, gorgeously moisturised and soft to the touch. I can imagine it being a fantastic bubble bar for those with sensitive or delicate skin, as the concoction of ingredients make it incredibly gentle on the body.
It's definitely a lot different to any other bubble bar I have tried from Lush so far. It's one I would use again and I hope that Lush bring it back during those colder months.
Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Glycerine, Cinnamon Leaf Oil, Olive Oil, Cocoamide DEA, Peppermint Oil, Witch Hazel Extract (Hamamelis virginiana), Aloe Vera Gel, Mustard Oil, Myrrh Gum, Oilbanum Gum, Benzoin Gum, Cinnamyl Alcohol, Cinnamal, Eugenol, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene, Linalool, Perfume, Gardenia Extract, Colour 59040, Colour 14700, Paper Flag.
Vegan?: Yes.
2016 Price: £3.95 each.
When will the next range of products be released?
ReplyDeleteDo you mean the Oxford Street ones? They're going into the store for April 24th and then some of them will make an appearance in the Kitchen and possibly other stores :)
DeleteHello jen
ReplyDeleteIm not that good in english, is this bubblebar a good one to help Fight depression?
Thank you
Yes, it is! And your English is great.
Delete