Marmalade Jelly Bath Bomb

When it comes to Lush's latest invention: the jelly bomb, there doesn't seem to be any middle ground. With each of the variations I have tried so far, I have either come to appreciate them an awful lot, or relish in the thought of rinsing the water down the drain and never speaking of my experience again. 

Unfortunately, Marmalade isn't one that made a very good impression on me, in any sense of the word. While the description led me to believe that it may well be my favourite of the current four, the reality was far less pleasing, and I doubt if I will invest in another one any time soon.

While I have never been a fan of marmalade as a condiment, the very idea of juicy oranges and lemons being intertwined into a jam-like spread, sounds like an amazing description for a bath bomb. With a combination of grapefruit and orange oils, as well as a slice of actual orange to boot, this bath bomb sounded like a dream. 

Yet when the jelly bombs first arrived, I found myself very confused and slightly bewildered by the scent. Whereas I was expecting something wholesome and fruity, I found that the orange flower absolute seemed to be one of the strongest elements overall. This meant that in the place of what I thought would be a very juicy smelling bath bomb, I found the aroma rather intoxicating and a little 'harsh' on the nose. 

A number of consumers have described this as being very medicinal in fragrance, and I can understand why they have used this word to describe the bomb. To me, it has a very green-like smell, coupled with a bitter orange note. Imagine taking the skin and pith of an orange and extracting the scent from there, and you may begin to envisage what this bath bomb smells like. 

At the same time, there's a musty, powdery element to the smell that gives Marmalade Jelly Bath Bomb a very potent, dry smell. There is definitely no resemblance here between the scent of the bath bomb and the condiment that it is named after. Having said that, I can imagine this jelly bath bomb being good for those looking for something uplifting: something to awaken their senses and get them ready for the day ahead.

In the bath, this bath bomb begins in the same way that its counterparts do: begin fizzing and frothing immediately, and sending out waves of orange and yellow foam across the surface of the water. As the loud fizzer continues to dissolve, a puddle of sticky jelly-like consistency begins to form across the tub.

Unlike most of the other jelly bombs, Marmalade didn't fully dissolve over time, and I was left with chunks of orange bath bomb that seemed even too stubborn to break between my fingers. After I had exited the bath and drained the water, I found a number of these chunks were still lingering by the plughole, and I had to throw them away, which seemed a waste. 

Out of the four regular jelly bombs, this one also appeared to be the slipperiest, and I really had to take care when getting both in and out of the bath. For those who are a little unsteady on your feet, you may find using one of these will become something of a health hazard for you, and I would advise that you seek help if you can do so.

Once in the water, I found that like Dark Arts, the jelly didn't ever fully dissolve into the water. So while the bath was very moisturising on my skin and I finished the experience feeling lovely and smooth, it was rather messy while I was in the tub, and there were multiple times when I had to scrub away accumulations of the jelly from the sides of the bath and from my own body.

When rinsing away the water, I also discovered that parts of my tub were tinged slightly yellow from the experience, and I had to spend a short while afterwards trying to remove these marks with a scrub. Furthermore, because of the 'gunk' that I found myself bathing in, I didn't feel as clean after my bath as I would normally do with any other bath bomb. 

Overall, while the concept of the jelly bombs can be a positive experience, I didn't find that to be the case with this one. Despite what I said above, I will be trying this jelly bomb out one final time (if only to get a few better shots than the ones I originally collected), just to see whether my bath bomb was a faulty one or just the nature of the product.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Sodium Alginate, Grapefruit Oil, Brazilian Orange Oil, Orange Flower Absolute, Orange Slice, Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, *Limonene, *Linalool, *Hydroxycitronellal, *Citral, Geraniol, Perfume, Colour 47005, Colour 14700, Colour 45410.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £4.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

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