Metropolis Bath Bomb

With each and every release that Lush do, you'd expect them to start running out of original ideas and concepts. Surely there are only so many fragrances that they can create with the given number of oils that they have at their disposal; surely there can only be so many colour combinations that you can conjure up when it comes to bath bombs? And then they go and showcase something that knocks everything out of the water -pun intended. 

  

Metropolis Bath Bomb is what some Lush fans would call the 'elusive product'  - a rarity in the fact that this was only featured at Lush's Showcase event last year, and was never made available for purchase. While a few employees and lucky fans were able to secure one through various means - one of which ended up outside my front door, there doesn't seem to be any plans for a global release any time soon. 

While the external design may initially appear quite boring - a white bath bomb with what appears to be black smears all over the surface (the smears supposedly to represent the dirt and grime of an inner city), the internal workings are by far the most exciting concept that Lush have ever created.At the very centre of the bath bomb is a water-activated light box, which begins working its magic, the second it makes contact with the bath water. 

At the top of Metropolis is a small opening, which allows the water to seep into it fairly quickly after it has began dissolving in the tub. Once the light box is activated, bright, fluorescent lights begin to project out of the bath bomb - changing every few seconds to create an absolutely stunning light show. The more the bath bomb dissolves, the more the lights are able to escape out of the sides and create a beautiful show of fragrance and colour.

Inspired by city life, the vivid light show contrasts against the bubbling, milk-like consistency of the water, once the bath bomb has fully dissolved. So while there are patterns of creamy, slightly oily puddles across the surface, they allow the light show to be the most dominant feature of the experience. I was thrilled to find that the light box continued to flourish for a good forty minutes after I had entered the bath, meaning I was able to enjoy its company the entire time I was bathing.

Smell wise, this bath bomb was not what I was expecting at all. With a generous amount of violet absolute added in here, Metropolis is a musky, floral aroma intertwined with a gentle shaving of grass to give it a very dry, almost exotic, earthy smell fragrance. Imagine Kerbside Violet with less emphasis on the grassy element and with more of a powdery violet aroma.

It's definitely not the strongest bath bomb I have ever had, but there is enough of a scent here to remain in the tub for the during of a bath, and then a little extra to linger on your skin for a short while after towelling yourself down. In all fairness, I would have liked the scent to have been more prominent during my experience. However, there was more than enough going on in the tub for me to appreciate this bath bomb for what it was.

Unfortunately, the inclusion of the light box in the middle of the bath bomb meant that this was far too heavy to remain afloat while it was dissolving. For this reason, it is clear that Lush need to tweak the design a little before even considering a national release. Furthermore, despite the background information about the choice of colour and design, I feel this would work better if there were colours involved alongside the lighting.  

Although a novelty, this bath bomb definitely shakes things up a lot in the bathroom, and the smell is something that needs to be enjoyed by those who appreciate a good violet or musky smell. While there is no guarantee that this will ever resurface again, I hope for fans' sake that it does make a reappearance, as I feel it is one that should be experienced by everyone at least once. 

Quantitative Ingredients:?

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: Not available for sale.

Year Of Original Release: 2016.