Thunderbolt FUN Bar

When faced with a handful of brand new Lush items, there are two options to choose from: save the best to last and savour every minute of it when you finally rekindle yourself with a new favourite; or jump headfirst into using it first because why would you want to wait? Usually I fall into the former category through choice, as I like the idea of there being a light at the end of a very extravagant tunnel. However, this time around I fell into using my favourite product last simply because I hadn't done enough research to learn that it would in fact become my favourite product.

One of eleven exclusive FUN bars that are currently only available from the Liverpool store, Thunderbolt sports a gorgeous neon yellow design that guarantees to brighten up any shower in need of a little colour. However, what makes this FUN Bar so incredible is the fragrance that it offer... 

Sharing its scent with Never Mind The Ballistics Bath Bomb, this isn't the first time we have seen this fragrance used as a FUN Bar. Last Christmas saw perhaps my favourite product of the season, Festive Friends FUN, offer the exact same aroma to customers around the world, and it was clearly popular enough that Lush have brought it back as a permanent member of the Liverpool store.

This stunning fluorescent beauty offers a gorgeously fruity combination of orange and lime oils that'll have you salivating from the moment that you first begin using it. These two components are super bright and citrusy, while the inclusion of the olibanum oils adds an extra layer of sweetness that just curbs the tanginess of the fruit oils and allows them to be more rounded and warming.

There is something about this particular aroma that I feel actually works better as a FUN bar than a bath bomb and I only hope that we see other shower-related products made with a matching fragrance. All I will say is that the smell of Thunderbolt will brighten up even the darkest of mornings and send you to bed with the feel of sunshine on your skin.

As with all of the other FUN bars that Lush offer, this one is versatile in how you use it and does a great job in each role. Firstly, this is a great replacement for either your shower jelly, soap or gel. Simply take a small piece (about the size of a grape), wet it under the shower hose and massage it directly across your body. The bar foams up a treat and produces an impressive amount of light, fluffy lather that can be distributed across your skin with ease.

Just like Lush's shower gels, this bar leaves your skin really clean and with a super fruity fragrance to accompany you for a short while after you've towelled yourself down. While it's not as moisturising as the gels and jellies, I don't find FUN bars to be as drying on the skin as soap can be, even though they don't offer the complex scents you'd expect with Lush soaps.  

Secondly, FUN can be used in much the same way as a bubble bar: crumbling a small piece under the running tap to produce some bubbles as part of a cocktail. What I will say is that you don't get much more than just a light shade of yellow in the water when using this particular one and it's definitely not as moisturising as an actual bubble bar. However, it cocktails well with any of Lush's fruity bath bombs and yet manages to retain its scent alongside these in the water.

Much like I've stated in all of my reviews, you will need to consider how to store this product between uses, as it has a tendency to leave a sticky mess on any side it is left, if wet. While I love the fact that it's not in pot so it saves on packaging, you will need to keep this FUN Bar cool and dry in between showers. I would suggest breaking off a few pieces and storing them in a pot, away from any possible running water, as this will prolong the life of the bar. 

Ultimately, if I had access to this as a permanent feature in stores and online, I would perhaps use this FUN more than any of the other jellies/gels and FUN Bars on offer: yes, it really is that delicious. To be honest, to even consider that this may come out in a shower gel format once day completely blows my mind. If you're someone who loves Lush's bright, fruity and uplifting scents, you'll no doubt love this one, and I only hope it becomes more readily available in the near future.

Quantitative Ingredients: Cornflour, Talc, Glycerine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lime Oil, Sweet Wild Orange Oil, Olibanum Resinoid, Limonene, Perfume, Colour 59040.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £3.95 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.