Brightside Solid Perfume

 

For those who have read a lot of my reviews on solid perfumes, you'll know that I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with them. While the premise behind their design is one that I stand by, and I love how long a 12g tub lasts when compared to the liquid counterpart. However, I don't think many of the solid perfumes have ever successfully replicated a liquid version of the same scent, and as I love my Lush fragrances, this is rather disappointing.

However, as far as solid perfumes go, Brightside is up there as being one of the best. Not only does it represent the scent of the original bubble bar well, but it has a fragrance that withstands a lot more than most of the other solid perfumes that I have tried. In fact, this is the first solid perfume in a long while that I've actually found myself wearing day in, day out.

What first impressed me about Brightside Solid Perfume is the well-rounded and very robust fragrance that greets you from the tin. Usually, when I sniff most of Lush's solid perfumes, I find that I can detect somewhat of a waxy layer underneath, that ruins the experience for me. Whereas liquid perfumes don't have this issue because of the format they're in, solid perfumes are always going to have to battle with these base-level smells, which is part of the reason that I don't enjoy them as much as their liquid counterparts.

Despite this, Brightside is perhaps one of the most successful solid perfumes to date. Although I wouldn't say that it smells exactly like the bubble bar, there are enough traits here to make it recognisable. Having said that, out of this and the body lotion format, I actually believe that this has a closer connection to the bubble bar scent, and here's why.

Just like the bubble bar, this solid perfume contains mandarin, tangerine and bergamot oils. Upon opening the lid, you can detect all three of these from the start - each layer intertwined with the others to create a warm, fresh and very fruity aroma. 

It is both the mandarin and the tangerine that gives off the strongest threads here - offering a refreshing, juicy burst of citrusy goodness that smells very natural and sweet. The bergamot oil adds a subtle layer of what I can only describe as smelling of 'green', which is the the component that I think is what gives this perfume its longevity on the skin.

As I mentioned above, this solid perfume doesn't smell identical to the bubble bar: I think the format difference doesn't allow it to be as sherbety or as strong.  In fact, there is a small part of my senses that sees a resemblance between this and The Sun Solid Perfume, in some small way. However, I can definitely detect the magic of The Brightside shining through here, and fans of the bubble bar will no doubt appreciate what I mean by this.

What is impressive about this solid perfume is that normally smells of this calibre don't tend to last that long on the skin. Citrusy, fruity aromas tend to disperse fairly quickly, when exposed to the air. However, this one works with the warmth of your skin for a good couple of hours before it has fully faded and needs a top up.

For those unfamiliar with solid perfumes, there are many ways that you can  utilise them, and Brightside is no exception. The primary use is as a perfume - massaging a little into your pulse points and allowing the warmth of your skin to  stimulate the notes and leave you smelling wonderful. Although not as potent as a liquid perfume, solids are great to 'top up' a smell throughout the day, although they can be used by themselves.

Sometimes I even massage a little into the ends of my hair and use them as hair perfumes. I find that the hair tends to hold the smell longer than it does on the skin, and you'll stimulate a burst of fruity goodness every time your hair is caught by a breeze. My hair has even been known to benefit from this practice as the waxes and oils add a little moisture to my split ends and leaves them shiny.

Ultimately, The Brightside is as wonderful as fans of the fragrance would want it to be. While I know it'll be far more successful in liquid format, this is a good product to have until that dream is made a reality. Fruity, fresh and fun: this solid perfume is just in time to see the summer arrive, and Lush fans will be much better for it.  

Quantitative Ingredients: Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Castor Oil, Candelilla Wax, *Limonene, Perfume (synthetic), Mandarin Oil, Tangerine Oil, Bergamot Oil, *Citral, *Farnesol, *Geraniol, *Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £9 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Scent Family:
Brightside Body Lotion
Brightside Bubble Bar
Brightside Solid Perfume
Here Comes The Sun Naked Shower Cream
The Jester Reusable Bubble Bar
Sunrise Soap