I think it's only fair to start this review by putting many fans of Snowcake out of their misery and state that this brand new limited edition body lotion does not share the same scent as any of the popular products in this scent family. While there are lots of almond qualities about this seasonal release that may remind consumers of the aforementioned seasonal favourite, I happen to think that it is very different from the classic Snowcake fragrance.
Having said that, when I first gave Snowflake a sniff from the tub, and rubbed a little into my skin, there was definitely something present in this body lotion that reminded me of Snowcake. However, after using it for the past couple of weeks, I can safely say that I have noticed many differences about the smell that makes it unique from anything else that has come out before.
From the tub, the body lotion offers many subtle layers that work in unison with each other. First of all, there is definitely something very creamy and almond-like about the product. Coupled with the cocoa butter, the base layer of this smells very smooth and silky.
Alongside this, both the cedarwood and sandalwood help to intensify this base layer with their own grounded, woody notes. Although you aren't really able to detect either particularly strongly, you can definitely tell that there is 'something' there to thicken out the overall aroma, and add depth to the fragrance overall.
Yet, alongside this there is also quite a pronounced layer of both apricot and rose. While the latter brings about something quite warm and sweet and delicately floral (as you would expect from most of Lush's rose-dominated products) the apricot gives the body lotion almost a sharp fruity element as well.
In all honesty, there is something about the latter component that spoils this body lotion for me, although luckily the apricot scent disperses after settling on the skin for a while. In a way, I don't think the apricot really suits being here as it's not really able to flourish by itself and offer something super sweet and juicy. Instead, both this and the rose seem to clash a little to my nose, and the combination offers something a little strange and alluring.
Perhaps this was intentional, who knows. But what I appreciate is that it is certainly something very new to the range this year, and definitely doesn't offer an experience that would be limited to a particular season. Unfortunately, I cannot really see this scent working in most other formats so it's a little limited in this way.
What I did appreciate about Snowflake was that both the rose and the creamy notes of almond intensified from the warmth of my skin after I had applied it, and the apricot seemed to disperse quite a fair bit as well. These former two components then remained on my skin for a good couple of hours after application.
While this lotion is slightly on the thinner side, you really don't need an awful lot to cover a large area of your body. However, once the product has been massaged into the skin, it does tend to take a little longer than usual to fully absorb into the body. While you're not left with greasy skin, there is 'something' present on the surface for a good twenty minutes after you've applied the lotion.
After using this for a couple of weeks, I found that my skin began to look and feel healthier - particularly my legs that had began to show signs of being dry following the sudden change in weather. Despite how thin the body lotion was, I really felt as if it covered a thick coverage across the body, which will be vital during the colder months of the year.
As to whether I would buy this again, that would all depend on my mood at the time. It doesn't offer a scent that I particularly relish in, although I'm not by any means saying that the fragrance is at all bad. However, it did improve the condition of my skin, and leave it with a gentle radiance - all in matter of days/weeks - so Snowflake would be a good body lotion to use when the frosty weather begins to take hold. This is a product that does a good job but probably won't be one remembered in future months/years time.
Quantitative Ingredients: Almond Milk, Apricot Kernel Oil, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Rose Water, Glycerine, Organic Illipe Butter, Stearic Acid, Perfume, Fair Trade Almond Oil, Triethanolamine, Cedarwood Oil, Coriander Seed Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Almond essential oil, Tincture of Benzoin, Cetearyl Alcohol, *Citral, *Citronellol, *Farnesol, Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool.
Vegan?: Yes.
2019 Price: £10 for 100g, £18 for 225g.
Year Of Original Release: 2019.
While it may not exactly be the healthiest habit I have, there is something about giving my skin a good scrub, before I head to the gym, that sets my day off right. Even when I can see that my skin is a little parched in the morning, I still find so much enjoyment knowing that I'm removing all of the dirt and debris before my day out in the world.
When the description of Easy Peeler Body Scrub reached my ears and eyes, I just knew that it would be revered in my house. What I didn't realise was just how much I would fall in love with this scrub, and claim that it is possibly one of my top three favourite Lush scrubs of all time. These are serious accolades guys!
This brand new exclusive product is everything you could possibly want in a scrub. Packed full of key ingredients to tone, replenish and infuse your skin, this solid beauty also delivers a fragrance worth salivating over time and time again. If you're as big of a citrus fan as I am, you'll need to purchase one of these before you get to the end of this sentence.
As the pictures demonstrate, this little scrub is designed to look like the very fruits that have gone into making this marvellous. Tangerine and mandarin oils are what gives Easy Peeler a magnificently strong, rich and very fruity aroma. Like biting into a perfectly ripe orange, the fragrance you experience with this one is as sharp and refreshing juicy as the fruit itself.
Alongside these two oils, Lush have also indulged our skin with a helping of both mango butter and apricot kernel oil to help moisturise and add to the aroma; and orange peel to give the scrub a tangy note whilst also helping to protect your skin after it has been buffered.
To use, you simply massage Easy Peeler across the skin in a circular motion; applying as much or as little pressure as you'd like, to scrub and buffer your skin to your heart's content. What I would recommend, as I always do with solid scrubs such as this, is that you should try not to hold this under the running water for too long. By stepping outside of the shower whilst working this product across your body, will mean that you'll increase its lifespan and get more uses for your money.
The scrub itself is quite a scratchy one, just like the Dirty Body Scrub that I reviewed recently. However, the inclusion of so many butters and oils means that once you've rinsed away the product, your skin already begins to feel super soft and smooth. Furthermore, there is something super refreshing about so many citrus oils being applied to your skin, that you'll notice almost a radiant glow about your body that wasn't there before.
As if the delicious fragrance wasn't enough to enjoy in the shower, I could still detect this on my skin almost an hour after I had towelled myself down. You may find it difficult not to want to lick your skin, because of how fruity the scent is that is left behind. However, I speak from experience when I say that you WILL NOT taste like a Solero ice cream. Sorry to dash any dreams!
Having used Easy Peeler over the last couple of days, it's safe to say that this robust scrub will last a while, so long as you keep it somewhere dry in between uses, and buffer outside of the running water. All I can say is that this little beauty needs to become a permanent product, or else somebody might just see the fruity side to my personality!
Quantitative Ingredients: Granulated Sugar, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Sodium Bicarbonate, Potato Starch, Organic Shea Butter, Sodium Coco Sulfate, Cream of Tartar, Fresh Apple Pulp, *Limonene, Sicilian Red Mandarin Oil, Tangerine Oil, Bergamot Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil, Mango Butter, Orange Peel Wax, Water (Aqua), Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose, Sodium polyacrylate, *Citral, *Linalool, Perfume, Colour 15510, Colour 19140, Colour 42090.
Vegan?: Yes.
2019 Price: £4.95 each.
Year Of Original Release: 2019.
When I look back now, I find it interesting how mesmerised I was by the array of colourful new bath bombs and bubble bars in the Christmas range, yet not as intrigued about, what I now believe to be, the best bath product from this year's seasonal range. In fact, I may go as far as to say that it may be one of the best bath products to have come from Lush in years.
Plum Pudding is a brand new bath melt to join the limited edition seasonal range this year, and what a feast it is. Although sharing its scent with the family new fragrance, Plum Rain, this exclusive beauty plays homage to one of Lush's oldest products, Ceridwan's Cauldron Bath Melt.
Wrapped in a light, purple cloth, the inside bath melt contains so many incredible ingredients - both to offer the gorgeous scent that this product carries, but also to make you really feel as if you're truly indulging in a freshly made pudding when you're using this in the bath.
Dried apricots, raisins and dates have been blended into this bath melt to offer perhaps the sweetest, fruitiest version of this fragrance possible. It really does smell like freshly stewed pears that has even left to soak in their own juices. It's a bright and very beautiful aroma that needs to be celebrated far more than it does.
Alongside this, Plum Pudding also contains osmanthus oil, which thickens the fruity elements of the product and adds a sultry wave of sweetness to the bath melt. This latter ingredient offers a richness to the scent so that this product isn't 'just a fruity' smell. Furthermore, there's a surplus of almond oil and cocoa butter featured in Plum Pudding that helps to hydrate and condition the skin, while it's in use. There are also a handful of oats thrown in here as well, which do wonders at cleansing and softening the skin.
The idea behind Plum Pudding is that you pop the whole bath melt straight into the water and leave it to do its magic. And magic is does. Within a few seconds of it floating on the surface, beautiful swirls of deep purple begin to branch out under the water, oozing out across the water, creating patterns that you simply cannot take your eyes of of.
There is something about how this bath melt works that just puts your mind into such a restful state. As it's so quiet and unwinds really slowly, it truly helps you to relax much more than you would with a bath bomb, and I think this only served to make my whole experience that much better.
After about eight minutes, the bath melt has dissolved by around half, and it's around this point that I suggest removing Plum Pudding and leaving it to dry for a second use another time. By this stage, the water is now a beautiful shade of purple and the fruity smell coming off of it is sweet and beautifully warming.
What impressed me with this product was that not a lot of bath melts or oils have ever managed to make such a big impression on the water as this one was able to achieve. Very few of Lush's oils and melts can turn a whole bath a shade of purple as this one did, and not many would be able to create a smell as strong as Plum Pudding also managed to achieve. Furthermore, a dash of silver lustre painted this purple a sparkly shade of magic, without leaving a mess on your skin or your tub afterwards.
All that was left was to enjoy how incredibly moisturising the water was, and just how quickly it conditioned and replenished my skin, leaving my body feeling velvety-smooth and silky soft almost instantly. The power that this array of oils and butters had on my skin lasted throughout the entire day, and the following morning as well. I was also able to detect hints of the osmanthus and mandarin oils on my skin as well, which was a welcome bonus.
Overall, I don't think I could gush over a product any more than I have done so already. Plum Pudding is everything as beautiful as you would expect from such a concept: the design is exquisite; the smell is truly wonderful; and the magic it creates in the tub rivals that of Santa Claus. To find a collection of these in my stocking would be the best material present a girl could ever wish for. Hint. Hint.
Quantitative Ingredients: Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Laureth 4, Whole Oats, Almond Oil, Dried Dates, Dried Apricots, Raisins, Perfume, *Limonene, Osmanthus Absolute, Petitgrain Oil, Sicilian Red Mandarin Oil, Water (Aqua), Titanium Dioxide, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Tin Oxide, *Citral, *Linalool, Colour 17200, Colour 42090.
Vegan?: Yes.
2018 Price: £5.95 each.
Year Of Original Release: 2018.
Scent Family:
Hedgewitch Soap
Plum Pudding Bath Melt
Plum Rain Body Spray
Plum Rain Naked Shower Gel
Plum Rain Shower Gel
Plum Snow Bubble Bar
Ticket To Scrub Salt Scrub
Banana Skin is by far my favourite smelling facial cleanser out of all the ones released this month in the Lush labs. Not only this but it also happens to be one of the best, and here’s why...
Containing a generous amount of fresh banana as one of the main ingredients, this fruit is packed full of potassium to moisturise and replenish the skin. Not only this but bananas are known for their ability to soften the skin and give it a natural shine as well.
Alongside this, the inclusion of the various oils and butters, in particular the mango butter, creates a facial oil that is very easy to melt, and very buttery on the skin. I only had to glide this over my face for a few seconds to stimulate enough product to moisturise my whole face. To finish off, Lush have used tapioca starch which helps to settle the oils on the skin, and leave a smooth finish.
What I will say about Banana Skin is that it is quite a heavy moisturiser. The consistency of the oils when they melt are quite thick and greasy on the skin, and they do take a long time to fully absorb. In addition, I found that it took a good twenty minutes for the slightly glossy feeling to leave the surface of my face, which some consumers would probably dislike.
While my skin looked super radiant for the rest of the day, as well as feeling amazingly supple and plump from the very first use, I can imagine that this wouldn’t soon suit those with already quite oily/greasy complexions - especially not on a daily basis. With how heavy this product was when compared to others,
For someone such as myself, who has rather dry skin, this was a godsend - giving my complexion so much life and radiance immediately. Especially as the weather is starting to cool down, I could really notice the difference in how much fresher and vibrant my face looked in the morning, as opposed to the dull shade it was beforehand. Given how dry my complexion is, I was able to use this daily without there being a build up of oils. Neither did I find that my pores became saturated enough to cause a breakout at all, with daily use.
To use, you simply glide the disc across your face, where the warmth of your skin will melt the butters and oils and leave behind a layer of product behind. You could also massage it between your fingers first and then apply, as your hands are usually warmer, and tend to stimulate the oils easier. However, I found that you tend to lose some of the product this way, as it absorbs into your hands before you’ve had a chance to apply it to your face. Having said this, if you want to remove some of Banana Skin’s heaviness, this process would probably help it to be a little less intense.
Smell wise, this little beauty smells of fresh banana custard to me, which a little sprinkle of icing sugar to add a vanillary note alongside this. It’s not a smell that’s overly strong, but there’s enough there to make it a pleasant experience, and the effects it has on the skin more than confirm how wonderful this facial oil is.
Despite its size, this little disc has barely shrunk since I began using it, and would easily last me over three months with daily usage. The price may seem a little much for how small it presents itself as. However, the strength it had to transform my skin in a single use, and the effects it showed me very quickly make it a keeper. I would definitely buy this again, if it ever became available to buy regularly.
Quantitative Ingredients: Murumuru Butter, Organic Illipe Butter, Fresh Banana, Tapioca Starch, Organic Cold Pressed Grapeseed Oil, Cupuacu Butter, Mango Butter, Banana Peel Tincture, Apricot Kernel Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Labdanum Resinoid, Ambrette Seed Oil, Tonka Absolute, Gardenia Extract, Safflower Petal Extract, *Citral, *Coumarin, *Farnesol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume.
Vegan?: Yes.
2018 Price: £9.95 each.
Year Of Original Release: 2018.
With a total of ten body lotions being released from the Lush Kitchen this month, there was bound to be one that didn't live up to the expectations I had set. In fact, I don't think there hasn't been a Lush order where at least one of the products has stuck out like a sore thumb, and dampened my excitement a little in the process.
Sultana Body Lotion was actually one of the ones I was most excited about trying. With the recent release of the shower gel, and last year's Halloween Bewitched Bubble Bar, I have come to appreciate the scent an awful lot more than I used to. There is something so rich and comforting about the fragrance, and I couldn't think of a better way of indulging myself in the smell than by smothering myself with a body lotion to match my craving. Unfortunately, it didn't take more than me removing the lid and giving the lotion a quick sniff to realise just how underwhelmed I was about this release.
As to be expected from this fragrance, the collaboration of apricot, cranberries and currants help to make Sultana a very fruity concoction. Paired with a generous dosage of olibanum oil and what you get is a smell that is both richly fruity but also very sultry as well.
While it is called Sultana, it is the latter ingredient that normally makes the biggest presence when it comes to all of the products in this scent family. However, I found very quickly that the amount of olibanum present in the lotion was considerably lower than expected, and I didn't experience that rounded, almost sticky-sweet fragrance that I was expecting. Although the fragrance of the body lotion is still very similar to all of the other products with the same scent, I just felt as if it wasn't as rich or as decadent.
There is something about this lotion that suggests that this aforementioned ingredient has somewhat less of an impact on the senses, and the fruity elements present are definitely what's holding this smell together. On the skin, it was the apricots and currants that kept the aroma alive, and the olibanum tended to fade into the background rather quickly.
While you could smell the familiar combination of olibanum, apricots and currants, there was definitely something rather weak about the smell of this when compared to every other format I have tried. After applying this across my body, I was no longer able to smell it at all within the first thirty minutes - making it the weakest of the ten new body lotions. Furthermore, the lack extra oils and butters, as other lotions contain, Sultana was not as moisturising to boot.
The consistency of this body lotion was on par with the likes of Karma Cream and Ginger Body Lotion, and was really easy to apply onto the skin. In fact, you needed very little to moisturise your whole body with, and I found that the cream itself absorbed into the skin very quickly as well.
While it didn't offer any glean on the surface of the skin, it did leave my body feeling very moisturised and hydrated. Due to the lack of extra oils in the ingredients list, Sultana would definitely be an all-rounder: working with every skin type without irritating the skin or making it too greasy. If you're looking for something light, this would be a great lotion to go for, as it doesn't leave you feeling at all heavy of oily.
My main issue with this body lotion however, is the fact that the scent dissipated so quickly that I could barely enjoy the fragrance on my skin before it had completely disappeared. And while it worked well as a lotion, there wasn't anything extra special about how my skin felt afterwards - any better than what I could achieve with a regular body lotion.
This is certainly not a body lotion I would buy again, which is a shame because the shower gel was one of the highlights of the last Lush Kitchen release. Having said that, there was bound to be at least one body lotion that didn't live up to my expectations, and I not like I don't have another seven tubs of lotions to keep me going for a while.
Quantitative Ingredients: Almond Oil, Apricot Infusion, Cranberry Infusion, Currant infusion, Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Jojoba Oil, Stearic Acid, Organic Illipe Butter, Triethanolamine, Olibanum Oil, Bergamot Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butylphenyl, Methylpropional Hexyl, Cinnamal, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume.
Vegan?: Yes.
2018 Price: £14.95 for 225g.
Year Of Original Release: 2018.
Scent Family:
Bewitched Bubble Bar
Sultana Of Skin Body Conditioner
Sultana Of Soap Soap
As I stated in my recent 'first reactions' video, Sultana Of Soap was a product I used during the beginning of my journey into the world of Lush. However, with so many products to try and review, it was quickly forgotten in favour of the many new items that were coming out on a weekly basis in the Lush Kitchen. A couple of years ago, when I had finally caught up and was able to go back to products I hadn't used in years, I rediscovered the Sultana scent all over again and fell in love.
Sharing its scent with last year's discontinued Blackberry Bath Bomb, Sultana Shower Gel is as exquisite as it is beautiful. There is something about this smell that tantalises my taste buds every time, and the soap will always make me salivate a little when I go into stores. There is something so rich and sultry about this aroma that makes this fragrance stand out from all of the other fruity scents that Lush have showcased over the years.
Much like the soap, this limited edition shower gel features a combination of apricots, cranberries and sultanas, with a big helping of olibanum to give the smell a depth like no other shower gel on the planet. While it is called Sultana, it is the latter ingredient that makes the biggest presence. The olibanum is what gives this scent its almost sickly-sweet properties - offering sticky, almost honey-like notes that give this shower gel both depth and warmth. While olibanum is known for having woody notes as well, these sit more underneath everything else featured here - so while you can detect them, they're not as present as the other ingredients.
The apricot, cranberry and currant infusions work alongside the olibanum and give Sultana an even stronger burst of sweetness. Much like many dried fruits I have tried, these three each bring their own burst of matured richness that you just don't get from fresh fruit. I would describe the scent of these three as being almost dry and slightly syrup-like, and there's an air of sophistication about the combination that makes this smell almost slightly old-fashioned.
Much like Avocado Wash, Sultana is very thin in consistency, which has its merits as explained below. It is also prone to separation a little: you'll notice that the top of the bottle will harvest a layer of oil that needs to be shaken before the gel can be used.
In the shower, you don't need to use much of this gel at all to create a light, fluffy and very fragrant lather. Because the consistency is rather watery, you need to be careful when squirting this from the bottle because you'll probably end up with a lot more than you actually need to use. A tiny, pea-sized amount will easily wash half of your body and more, which means that this shower gel would could last far longer than other gels of the same size.
As soon as Sultana met with the heat of the running water, the fragrance multiplied tenfold and the whole bathroom was engulfed with its beautiful scent. This lingered around for a short while after I had towelled myself down, and I found that I could still detect this on my skin for a good couple of hours as well. It is now when this could have been the perfect opportunity to indulge myself i the Sultana Body Lotion to top up and prolong the smell even longer. Just saying.
While I didn't find this shower gel to be as moisturising as Avocado Wash, it did leave my skin feeling really smooth and radiant. The lather was easy to massage across my skin, including my face, and I felt almost as if I was glowing afterwards - which was a lovely feeling.
For those who are still upset by the discontinuation of Blackberry Bath Bomb, this is the perfect way to rekindle your love for the scent in a different format. Although I still wish that this shower gel was the pastel purple colour that the bath bomb came as, I cannot fault how well Lush have replicated the scent in this format, and I hope many more products come out with the same fragrance at some point in the near future.
Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Glycerine, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Apricot Infusion, Currant infusion, Cranberry Infusion, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Olibanum Oil, Bergamot Oil, Carrageenan Extract, Titanium Dioxide, Lactic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Hexyl Cinnamal, *Limonene, *Linalool.
Vegan?: Yes.
2018 Price: £11.95 for 275g.
Year Of Original Release: 2018.
Scent Family:
Bewitched Bubble Bar
Sultana Of Skin Body Conditioner
Sultana Of Soap Soap
Let's start off by stating the obvious: I have never had, nor plan on ever growing, any sort of beard. Therefore, the need to purchase a naked beard oil was probably not particularly high on my agenda when I went into the White City branch one Sunday afternoon. However, given that most Lush products are seemingly versatile in what they can offer and how they perform, I figured I could have some fun finding out what the beardless consumers amongst us could get out of this release.
Since Lush first introduced the concept of 'naked' products, there have been waves of different releases to coincide with the idea of zero packaging and solid formats. Most recently, the company released a range of facial oils that I had the privilege of testing out, and I immediately recognised that No Trouble (For Beards And Stubble) Naked Beard Oil wasn't any different when it came to the ingredients used or the way it behaved on the skin.
Made from a base of illipe butter and apricot kernel oil, this limited edition already boasts some truly powerful ingredients to improve the condition of your skin (and indeed you beard as well). Known for being high in vitamin K, apricot kernel oil not only works on reducing the appearance of dark circles under your eyes, and any other blemishes you may be suffering from at the time, but it also works at deeply nourishing the skin so that you're left with a soft, radiant complexion.
These two ingredients, along with the jojoba and olive oils, help to make No Trouble super effective as both a solid product, and one that melts with ease when exposed to the warmth of your body heat. While Lush always suggest melting their solid oils between your finger tips, this limited edition beard oil works far better when applied directly to your face. Not only does it allow you to control how much or how little product is used at any one time, but it seems to melt a little quicker that way as well.
When compared to the other facial oils I have tried, I felt as if this was a little thinner in consistency and didn't seem as intense when in use. What I mean by this is that the ingredients weren't as rich on the skin, which meant that while it moisturised and left my skin feeling soft and supple to the touch, I didn't have to wait very long for the oils to absorb into my skin.
As I don't have a beard to test the effectiveness of this product out on it, I nominated my partner to use this naked oil for a few days. What he found was that the solid block was easy to apply; didn't leave his beard feeling greasy or overly pampered; helped to make the hairs look and feel in better condition while also appearing more tamed; and left a gentle aroma that he could smell every time he ran his fingers through his facial hair.
Alongside the various oils and butters that make up the base, No Trouble also features sandalwood, cedarwood and neroli oils - three ingredients that give this limited edition its wonderful fragrance, as well as helping to improve the condition of the skin even more.
The neroli oil offers a bright, slightly green note that intertwines with the woodiness of the other components - offering a scent that is both grounded as well as natural and uplifting. There is also a thin note of earthiness that I cannot explain but which reminds me very slightly of a thread in Antiope Naked Shower Cream. Although I don't like to genderise any fragrances, I found describe this as slightly more masculine out of the two.
As well as offering a wonderful scent, the cedarwood works as a powerful antimicrobial to soothe and banish irritation and acne-relating blemishes. It also works at tightening the skin while the sandal supports this and provides its own dose of anti-bacterial properties. Finally, the neroli helps to balance oil levels in the face, whether you have dry skin like myself, or more oily skin, and leaves you with a slight glossy coat that holds in moisture for a short while after application.
Overall, I was actually really impressed with how this worked as both a beard and a facial oil. Using this every second day has left my skin wonderful soft and radiant, and it only serves to elevate the tan I am trying to conserve while living in the UK. Given how little my bottle has shrunk since I began using it, I would say that this one block would easily last me three to four months with bi-daily use. The fact that it dries instantly after application also serves to prolong the life of this naked oil, which I appreciate a lot.
All I will say is that Lush do need to consider how they market some of their products. I say this because there will no doubt be many consumers that avoid No Trouble because of their lack of beard, and it's a shame because this works equally as well as a facial oil as well. However, I am lucky enough that I know this now and therefore will definitely be buying another one before they disappear.
Quantitative Ingredients: Organic Illipe Butter, Apricot Kernel Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Perfume, Cedarwood Oil, Neroli Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Paprika Oleoresin, *Citral, *Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Coumarin, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde.
Vegan?: Yes.
2018 Price: £5.95 each.
Year Of Original Release: 2018.
This soap brings me back to the M&S advert a few years ago, when the company tried to convince everyone that their products were exceptionally better than everyone elses. The ingredients list reads like a dessert, and I cannot help but think: If Lush made dessert, it would be the best dessert that the world has ever seen.
What I find really strange is that this soap has caused quite a lot of controversy regarding what customers are proclaiming it smells like. At the risk of sounding crass, Christmas Rocker supposedly smells like a certain male bodily function - although I’m going to be honest and say that I don’t really experience that at all myself.
Amusingly, a lot of Lush fans are also convinced that the odd fragrance was no mistake at all, and that it’s all an elaborate joke from the powers that be. This stems from the tag line that sits alongside the product on their website, which reads: m ‘Come one...come all’. Whether or not you suspect it’s a deliberate attempt at something far more satire than usual, there is no denying that the evidence points to this conclusion.
As its name suggests, Christmas Rocker is carved out in the shape of an old-fashioned rocking horse, which fits in nicely with the Victorian theme that the seasonal range is leaning towards this year. Although small and seemingly more expensive than other, chunkier pieces of soap, you’ll be pleased to hear that the product is rather rigid in the shower, and will last you just as long as a piece of a bigger size.
Christmas Rocker Soap is not only the cutest one this year, but it also happens to be the best newcomer (in my humble opinion.) Containing dried apricots, mandarin, tangerine and bergamot oils, this limited edition sounds like a bowl of the most exquisite fruit sorbet, and I for one would be all over that idea.
While the ingredients list reads like The Brightside, I was happy to discover that it did not share the same scent. Although I love that fragrance more than most, customers have already been treated to a soap in that scent with last year’s Sunrise Soap, so I’m glad we had something different to indulge in.
Firstly, my nose picked up quite a strong, tangy orange aroma - a little like a bitter orange that’s been peeled with the pith still intact. The bergamot is clearly at work here - throwing in a little green note to give it more of a fresh, natural aroma. Alongside this, there is a bitter element, which I think comes from the apricots and the bergamot combined. However, there is also a note of what I can only describe as musk. While I wouldn’t assume the cocoa butter would be potent enough to impact the smell, it does smell like an element of this has bled through into the fragrance.
What I found with Christmas Rocker is that it’s far more pleasant once it has come into contact with warm water. I couldn’t really detect much of the scent while it was sitting on the edge of my bath. However, the second I began massaging it across my skin, I could pick up a far better fruity smell to enjoy. While I wouldn’t say this was a scent that I appreciated that much, it’s definitely not as terrible as people have been saying it is. It’s just a little bit average and forgettable, if anything.
Despite its odd smell, Christmas Rocker worked up a treat - creating a creamy, fragrance lather to massage across my body. It produced a bright orange foam, which you need to be careful about not splashing anywhere while you’re washing yourself, and left my skin feeling rather soft and radiant.
While the scent didn’t stay on my skin afterwards, I was surprised to discover that the inclusion of the butter and oils did make this soap a little gentler on my body, and I wasn’t left with really parched skin - which I often experience after using a lot of soaps. Much like most of Lush’s new gourmet soaps, this one also dissolved rather quickly when I kept it under the running water during use. For this reason, I would suggest you get it damp and then clean yourself out of the way of the running tap.
Overall, I really enjoyed this soap and don’t really understand why so many people have expressed their dislike of the fragrance. Although I can understand why consumers might reach the conclusion about what the soap might smell like, I think there are far too many other components that make it a nice soap. Having said that, a ‘nice’ soap is not one that will be remembered in a few months time, and I can’t imagine why this would make an appearance again.
Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Propylene Glycol, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Dried Apricots, Sodium Hydroxide, Perfume, Mandarin Oil, Tangerine Oil, Bergamot Oil, Gardenia Extract, Glycerine, Titanium Dioxide, Citric Acid, Sodium Bicarbonate, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 15510.
Vegan?: Yes.
2017 Price: £4.50 for 100g.
Year Of Original Release: 2017.
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Having said that, when I first gave Snowflake a sniff from the tub, and rubbed a little into my skin, there was definitely something present in this body lotion that reminded me of Snowcake. However, after using it for the past couple of weeks, I can safely say that I have noticed many differences about the smell that makes it unique from anything else that has come out before.
In all honesty, there is something about the latter component that spoils this body lotion for me, although luckily the apricot scent disperses after settling on the skin for a while. In a way, I don't think the apricot really suits being here as it's not really able to flourish by itself and offer something super sweet and juicy. Instead, both this and the rose seem to clash a little to my nose, and the combination offers something a little strange and alluring.
After using this for a couple of weeks, I found that my skin began to look and feel healthier - particularly my legs that had began to show signs of being dry following the sudden change in weather. Despite how thin the body lotion was, I really felt as if it covered a thick coverage across the body, which will be vital during the colder months of the year.
