Lush tend to release products with particular spices at certain points of the year. For example, cinnamon and cloves are very much associated with the winter/Christmas period, so it's unlikely you'll find much with this smell throughout the rest of the year. This is a royal shame as sometimes I just need something to perk me up in the evening, and a ballistic with fruit and spices would do the job perfectly. That's why, when Lush released Hot Java Ballistic as a year-long bath bomb, many Lush fans were very happy indeed.
Unfortunately, this happiness was short-lived. First released in 2005, the bath bomb only lasted a little over a year on the shelves, and was discontinued in 2007 due to reasons unknown. Whether it was removed to offer space for new releases, or down to its unimpressive turn over, this product barely left the ground before it was removed from stores and never seen again. Thankfully, Lush brought this beauty back a couple of weeks ago in the Kitchen, and the dust was removed on this rather unique bath ballistic.
Packed full of natural uplifting herbs; cinnamon, coriander and juniperberry, Hot Java offers a warming, spicy fragrance with a twist. With a surplus amount of ginger in here, in the form of oil, powder and absolute, this bath bomb is the perfect remedy for anyone needing to banish a cold or coax out any unwanted sniffles. Although not one of my favourite smells, I will admit that it gives the product a lovely warm and rather hot after-scent. It's not sweet like Hot Toddy or Glogg - rather more dry and dusty with a warming musky ginger smell, a touch of herbal coriander and a big helping of spicy cinnamon. To finish off, Hot Java also has a touch of orange zest which gives this ballistic a warming, well-rounded, multi-layered scent.
As you can see in my demonstration video, this bath bomb is a fast fizzer - bleeding out waves of red colour across the surface of the water and producing one of the brightest baths I have had in a while. This vivid display remained prominent throughout the entire bathing experience, and even though the bath bomb was stimulating enough, the colour aided this feeling of warmth and comfort.
Unfortunately, it also filled the tub with a surplus amount of cinnamon sticks, which sunk to the bottom of the tub very quickly, but definitely didn't eradicate the many problems that they created by being there in the first place. For those of you who dislike bathing products with 'extra baggage', you'll often make an exception for the ballistics that might have one or two bonus surprises. This is because it's easy enough to scoop out the flowers/herbs etc. before you get in.However, with Hot Java, my entire bath tub was full of shards of cinnamon sticks, which when you tried to scoop them up would form a flurry under the surface and make it very difficult to grab. This meant that I had to sit on the rough pieces throughout the entire bath, and be careful not to cause too much movement in the water for fear that the shards would get into my hair or coat my body.
As for the smell, I was able to pick up both the cloves and cinnamon, which intensified when the bath bomb had been dissolved. I was also able to pick up the heated scent of ginger, which mellowed in the bath tub and let the other fragrances come through. Overall, this ballistic was surprisingly weaker than I was expecting for one so full of spices and herbs. This is not to say that this is a bad thing - in fact it was refreshingly original.
Lush describes Hot Java as being a ballistic you can rely on 'every time you need warming up. It's for cold days or days when you've got a cold or when you've been out in the cold and need warming up right through. It's good for when you're feeling creaky after exercising too. Run a warm bath, drop in the Hot Java and let the spices soak right in.'
Despite my distain for some aspects of this bath bomb, I will admit that it did make me feel really relaxed and warm. The deep red-coloured water helped me to feel sleepy and contented, wherein the slight fragrance massaged my tense body parts and helped me to unwind. It even got rid of the headache that was threatening to erupt at that moment!
Lush describes Hot Java as being a ballistic you can rely on 'every time you need warming up. It's for cold days or days when you've got a cold or when you've been out in the cold and need warming up right through. It's good for when you're feeling creaky after exercising too. Run a warm bath, drop in the Hot Java and let the spices soak right in.'Despite my distain for some aspects of this bath bomb, I will admit that it did make me feel really relaxed and warm. The deep red-coloured water helped me to feel sleepy and contented, wherein the slight fragrance massaged my tense body parts and helped me to unwind. It even got rid of the headache that was threatening to erupt at that moment!
Overall, this is a bath ballistic that probably won't be making a permanent comeback. With the likes of Melting Snowman Bath Melt, Phoenix Rising and Hot Toddy Bubble Bar, Hot Java somewhat pales in comparison and cannot compete against these far more superior products. If Lush were to bring it back, I would definitely be tempted to buy a couple more. However, it's one I could live without.
Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Cinnamon Stick, Perfume, Ginger Oil, Cinnamon Powder, Ginger Powder, Coriander Oil, Ginger Absolute, Ylang Ylang Oil, Juniperberry Oil, *Benzyl Salicylate, *Eugenol, *Geraniol, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Farnesol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Hydroxycitronellal, Colour 14700.
Vegan?: Yes.
2016 Price: £3.95 each.
2017 Price: £3.95 each.
Year Of Original Release: 2005.
I would have thought with the name "Hot Java", it would smell of coffee!
ReplyDeletemaybe they should make like a little cage for bathbombs, a seive in a ball shape that can open basically, for catching all the flowers/cinammon shards that might be inside (i have to admit i wanted to get this for my fiance but it sold out, was hoping for a coffee and cinnamon scent but i don't see any coffee and cinnamon shards sound uncomfy in a bath!)
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