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Showing posts with label Halloween 2013. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Halloween 2013. Show all posts

6 November 2013

Pumkin Bubble Bar




For those of you who are aware of what Lush have released this year as part of their seasonal range, you may feel as if you're seeing double when you cast your eyes upon the Pumkin Bubble Bar. Although extremely cute, I was a little miffed to find that Lush had chosen to feature a reincarnation of a product that had only made its debut earlier in the year as part of their Mother's Day collection. That was until I discovered that it had offered a completely different scent... 

The Pumkin, originally presented in red and called Mumkin, is a bubble bar with a light, sweet and rather creamy floral aroma. Decorated with a liquorice top and two vegan chocolate chip eyes, you'd be mistaken for thinking the product is near on identical to the Mumkin Bubble Bar. However, they are both very different and both very beautiful in their own way.

Containing a mixture of orange flower and soft ylang ylang, this bubble bar gives off a delicate, floral fragrance that shares its scent with the rather popular  Figs And Leaves Soap. While I appreciate the fragrance, I have never been one to enjoy using soaps of any kind, no matter how great they smell. For this reason, I am ecstatic that I can enjoy this aroma in a format that suits me far better.

While the now-discontinued bubble bar, Dorothy, also pertains the same aroma, Pumkin has far more to offer in terms of moisture, colour and generosity of bubbles, and I found from experience that this fragrance appears far more warming and comforting when in this format.

Containing ylang ylang and orange flower absolute, you'd expect the smell of this to be a straight forward floral aroma. However, much like the soap of the same fragrance, what you actually experience is a combination of sweet, gentle floral undertones, with a delicate creaminess about it that reminds me very slightly of coconut. This is mixed with a little syrup-like note that must come from the inclusion of figs in the perfume.

As with most of my bubble bars, I crumbled the whole thing under running water and watched with amazement at how quickly the bath filled up with thick, wholesome bubbles. This betters from Mumkin in that it turns your bath water a gorgeous, rusty orange colour, which is a perfect accompaniment on a cold, dark night. In fact, it was one of the most vivid experiences I have had in a while, and I found it difficult to leave the tub once I was settled.  

Given the size and productivity of this bubble bar, you could easily halve or third this, and use this across multiple baths. Given how wonderfully robust the smell is when in use, I would say that if you do share this between baths, you'll still get a strong-smelling and very colour bath to enjoy each time.

What was even more impressive was that both the water and the bubbles felt wonderful on my skin. The latter was fluffy and fragrant, and cocooned me like a warm winter blanket; the former was silky-soft and felt almost creamy when I swirled my hands around the water. Once I had towelled myself down, I didn't feel as if I needed to moisturise myself as my skin was already smooth and radiant. 

While I would say that the scent wasn't very strong in the bath, when compared to other Lush bubble bars, I feel as if this is because of the nature of the smell we're working with here, not because of a product fault. Figs And Leaves is quite a gentle smell to begin with, and this is exactly what you smell when you're bathing in the tub.

Despite it not being a potent smell, it lingered for some time in the room and stayed on my skin for a little while after I was dry - leaving a slight floral scent on my clothes. As to be expected with Lush bubble bars, Pumkin really moisturised the skin and left me feeling smooth, shiny and hydrated without feeling greasy or oily. It also elevated my mood a little and left me feeling really pampered, which helped me to drift off into one of the best sleeps I've had in a long while. 


Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Cornflour, Perfume, Ylang Ylang Oil, Orange Flower Absolute, Gardenia Extract, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Linalool, Colour 15510, Dairy Free Chocolate Drops, Candy Leaf, Liquorice Piece.

Vegan: Yes.


2017 Price: Not For Sale Individually.

Year Of Original Release: 2013.



28 October 2013

Soot Ball Bath Ballistic


When I first heard that Lush were having a 'Spirited Away' themed Halloween, I didn't know what to expect. I have never seen the film myself, and although I recognise that it has a large cult following, I was more concerned with the scents and designs that would be on offer from my favourite company.

As it happened, when the products went on general sale, I was not initially bowled over by any of the bath bombs aside from Lord of Misrule. Furthermore, having carried out research on all of the Halloween range, I was rather dubious about trying Soot Ball, as there were a lot of complaints made from consumers about various aspects of the product.  

When I first saw Soot Ball, the first thing that concerned me was it's colour. With it's powdery black exterior, reminiscent of coal, it's a rather intimidating ballistic and I was worried about it staining either my bath tub or myself while in use. 

Initially, I was slightly relieved to find that Lush had addressed my concerns in their write-up, stating that the bomb would not turn my bath water black - instead giving me the experience of 'bathing in luxurious liquid gold'. Wow, I thought, this will be definitely be an interesting experience if Lush have pulled this one off. 

However, I was very disappointed to find that my concerns were justified - the bath bomb dissolved in the tub to leave a murky, sewage-green coloured water. Furthermore, after having my bath, I found that the bomb had stained my finger and toe nails and left a grey residue around the edge of my tub, which took quite a while to remove. 

Although Soot Ball released it's golden lustre as it was dissolving, the resulting colour and experience was disappointing and it did absolutely nothing for my skin. In fact, this is probably one of the first bath bombs that has left my skin noticeably dry after use.

Despite this, I cannot fault the scent at all. The addition of olibanum (frankincense) gives the ballistic a balsamic-sweet fragrance, whilst the burnt caramel scent of tonka absolute and earthy sandalwood oil together create a sweet, spicy scent. I do hope that Lush are able to revamp this ballistic and bring it back in another form, as the smell is both unique and exciting. However, I would not recommend anyone trying the bath bomb in this form. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Tonka Absolute, Australian Organic Sandalwood Oil, Fair Trade Columbian Cocoa Butter, Fair Trade Shea Butter, Cream of Tartar, Olibanum Resinoid, Benzoin Resinoid, Gardenia Extract, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, PEG-6 Caprylic / Capric Glycerides, & PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, *Coumarin, *Limonene, Benzyl Benzoate, Perfume, Colour 77499, Colour 15510, Radiant Gold Lustre (Potassium Aluminium Silicate, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides), Paper Eyes.

Vegan?: Yes







25 October 2013

Lord Of Misrule Bath Bomb



Inspiring people to shudder in its midst, Lord of Misrule is a new bath bomb that was originally brought out as a limited product for Lush's 2013 Halloween range. Inspired by the ruler of the Pagan Feast of Fools, Lush claimed that the bath bomb brought mischievous revelry to the tub with a spicy herbal blend of patchouli and black pepper oil. With marketing as delicious as that, I couldn't wait to try this bad boy out in the tub.

When I first found out about this product, I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did, although I was rather intrigued (and slightly excited) to see what it could do, given its rather impressive name. Knowing how beautiful the patchouli scent helps to make one of my favourite scents, Karma smell so good, I couldn't imagine disliking this bath bomb, but I wasn't expecting to fall instantly in love with it and have it claim the spot of 'best bath bomb ever'.
When they were first delivered to my door, I was instantly bowled over by its look - a gorgeous shade of shamrock green, speckled with pieces of pink and white, and its scent; an incredible aroma of patchouli intertwined with the softness of vanilla absolute and the spiciness of black pepper. To me, the scent is reminiscent of both the Twilight and Luxury Lush Pud bath bombs but with a peppery twist.

As it slowly froths in the water, hypnotic swirling silver luster is released and the deep green exterior soon gives way to a rich, wine-colored center. This stunning red colour permeates the entire bath water and is one of the most stunning shades I have seen come from a Lush bath bomb.
The scent is even more pronounced when in the water and maintained its scent throughout my entire bathing experience. The water left my skin feeling wonderfully soft and cleansed and the peppery scent lingered on my body for a long while after. If you're looking for a gentle scent, this isn't it. Lord of Misrule comes at you with all it's got, and leaves a very strong impression on yourself and the environment.

This has become one of my favourite ever bath bombs from Lush and I feel it would make a wonderful addition to the permanent range. It's unique in smell and look, and is wonderfully decadent. I highly recommend that you grab yourself one (or ten?!?) if you ever get the chance. I really hope that Lush realise how unique and wonderful this scent is and choose to release other products that feature this scent as I would buy them up like they're going out of fashion.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Popping Candy, Cream of Tartar, Black Pepper Oil, Patchouli Oil, Fair Trade Vanilla Absolute, Lauryl Betaine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Gardenia Extract, *Limonene, Perfume, Colour 17200, Colour 42090, Colour 19140.


Vegan?: Yes


2014 Price: £3.75 each.

2015 Price: £3.95 each.

Scent Family:
Lord Of Misrule Bath Bomb
Lord Of Misrule Body Conditioner
Lord Of Misrule Body Lotion
Lord Of Misrule Body Spray
Lord Of Misrule FUN Bar
Lord Of Misrule Liquid Perfume
Lord Of Misrule Liquid Perfume
Lord Of Misrule Naked Shower Cream
Lord Of Misrule Perfume Oil
Lord Of Misrule Shower Cream
Lord Of Misrule Solid Perfume
Monsters and Aliens
Rough With The Smooth Body Scrub

Witches' Cauldron FUN Bar








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