More Tea And Sympathy Bath Bomb

As a British person, I am only too aware of how obsessed this nation is about their tea. I have had many strange looks directed my way when explaining that I happen to find the famous hot beverage to be rather on the boring side, and I'm sure I have severed possible connections with people simply because of my disinterest in everything tea-related.

Yet the design of More Tea And Sympathy Bath Bomb reeled me in faster than a sleeping fish on a conveyer belt. The mere fact that the bath bomb was shaped like a tea pot had me salivating from the word go; the vibrant pink design caused my lips to quiver; and the little blue cornflower petals that decorated the outer side of the bath bomb was enough to throw me into a frenzy.

Strangely enough, my initial thought was that it was the same fragrance as the classic Tea And Sympathy Bath Bomb, albeit slightly bigger and with a better design. However, when comparing the two ingredients, it's obvious to see that the two products merely share similar names but little else in character.

Firstly, I should probably start by describing how wonderful the scent of this bath bomb is. With lashings of bergamot, neroli and green tea absolute, the result is a sweet, musky floral aroma with a gentle herbal shout out underneath.  Alongside this, the inclusion of an Earl Grey tea bag inside of the bath bomb adds a wholesome tea-like fragrance that rounds the scent of this off wonderfully. 

The fragrance of More Tea And Sympathy is both well pronounced and strong in its composure, yet gentle enough to make it far more beautiful than something too overly potent or toxic. Although you can smell the scent of this throughout your entire experience in the tub, it is not in any way overbearing or toxic - which means it helps you to unwind far more quickly, while still cradling your senses while you're bathing.

Not only a gimmick, the inclusion of the tea bag and green tea absolute helps to clarify your skin while you are in the water, so I found that I felt really clean and smooth after my experience. While there was nothing else in the ingredients list to suggest why this was the case, I also found the water to be extremely moisturising, which left my skin looking and feeling really replenished.

My only piece of advice for when using this bath bomb is use a sieve when it is dissolving, if you wont wish to clog up your drainage system. While the blue cornflowers leave a beautiful decoration on the surface of the water, these pieces are small enough that they will disappear down the drain far quicker than a rabbit down a rabbit hole. It was easier for me to catch the petals while it was dissolving, than trying to scoop them out before pulling the plug. 

Overall, despite the hefty price tag, this bath bomb offers a wonderful experience in the water, and your skin will be enjoying its moisturising capabilities for hours after you have exited the tub. This is definitely one that I would buy again, but only when I have a good amount of time to appreciate it in the water. A twenty minute dip would just feel like a waste when the bath bomb is one of the most expensive ones available.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Water (Aqua), Bergamot Oil, Green Tea Absolute, Neroli Oil, Cream of Tartar, Blue Cornflowers, Dipropylene Glycol, Sodium Coco Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume, Colour 45410, Colour 15850:1, Earl Grey Teabag.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £7.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

coming soon!

Mortal Kombu Under Eye Mask

Since getting back into teaching this year, I have made a conscious effort to ensure that my life is a little more balanced. The key to that balance is making sure that I get enough sleep, so that my body can heal and recuperate from the busy day that I’ve put it through. Therefore, in theory, I shouldn’t have to use the new Mortal Kombu Under Eye Mask.

Made from only four ingredients, this super powerful eye mask is designed specifically to soothe your eyes are a heavy day/week/month, and reduce the appearance of bags or weary looking skin. Naturally, you’re probably questioning just how affective a saga of ingredients can actually be, but I can honestly vouch for its success, as I’ll demonstrate below.

The key to the success of Mortal Kombu is the mineral-rich seaweed, which has been proven time and time again, across numerous Lush products, that it has superpowers when it comes to the skin. Containing essential minerals and oils, when applied it helps to soothe irritation and infuse the skin with so much natural goodness. After using something as intense as this particular product, your complexion will appear instantly more radiant, far plumper and looking replenished.

Alongside the seaweed here, which also gives the eye mask its name, you'll also find a combination of green tea extract and a green tea infusion. Green tea is knowing for detoxifying the pores; infusing the skin with more life and vibrancy; and slowing down the appearance of ageing over time. The intensity of both of these ingredients together work wonders at reducing the appearance of dark circles under the eyes, and adding some much-needed life into your skin winter-kissed skin.

Finally, Mortal Kombu features witch hazel extract which shrinks your pores and helps to soothe any redness or irritation that you may possess. Together with the other three ingredients, this mask is perfectly set to refresh the area of your face below your eyes, and help to make you look less tired, even if you'll feeling like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards.

To use, the idea is that you soak the whole disc in a cup/bowl of warm water. Too cold and you won't stimulate the seaweed to begin releasing its magical minerals; too hot and you'll damage these same minerals, and make the face mask less effective. Lush recommend that you leave the mask in there for 5-10 minutes, however I found that a little longer was needed to soften the eye mask enough to be used.

After this time, you'll be able to tear the eye mask in half alongside where Lush have marked each half, and apply each piece under one of your eyes. Leave the mask on for another 10-15 minutes and then peel away to reveal a small amount of sticky residue, which is the mineral-rich jelly that has ebbed out from the eye mark. Massage this gently under your eyes and then leave it to be absorbed into the skin. Lush suggest that you then wipe the residue away with a pad. However, I left it on under the area was completely dry, and then dabbed the skin to remove the slight sticky feeling that was left.

Let's be honest and say that you won't find that your dark circles have completely disappeared: you have to be reasonable and understand that a handful of ingredients cannot erase something that's been created over a number of years. However, I did notice that my eyes looked refreshed and clearer; the dark areas did appear a little lighter and not as prominent; and my skin also felt genuinely soft and velvety smooth. 

For £1.50, this single-used item is a must have for those who work/study long hours, or for those like myself who suffer from sleep deprivation for whatever reason. These little discs of magic really do allow you to look slightly more approachable after using one, and even the process of taking the time to treat yourself will do wonders for your mood. I hope these become a permanent member of the Lush family in the future, as they're super beneficial, and can be used on the many long haul flights I have ahead of me.

Quantitative Ingredients: Kombu Seaweed, Green Tea Infusion, Green Tea Extract, Witch Hazel Extract.

Vegan?: Yes.

2018 Price: £1.50 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2018.

Herbal Green Tea Giant Bombshell

Lush have always been great at harnessing nature and putting it into some form of cosmetic format. Some of their fragrances are simply stunning, and I've never come across another company who have done it so well - hence why I am always waiting in anticipation to see when the next unique aroma should arrive. And it has.

While admittedly not my favourite out of the five limited edition bombshells, Herbal Green Tea was quick to make a big impression on me. For starters, the verdant colour of the design was an instant draw. My favourite could has always been green, for as far back as I can remember, and this beautiful, earthy shade won me over before I had even had a chance to sniff the thing.

Containing so many key ingredients, I was expecting this bombshell to be a little too overwhelming for my nose, but was instead impressed and in awe by how beautifully each component complimented the other. Although the word herbal is in the title, this is definitely both herbal and floral: perhaps one of the most  perfect combinations of the two that I have ever experienced from Lush.

Sharing its scent with Flowering Tea Reusable Bubble Bar, this exclusive product offers a generous helping of orange flower absolute, which I believe is the strongest note. This naturally sweet and musky aroma works alongside the neroli and the jasmine to offer a rich but yet equally warming floral smell. Neither of these two latter ingredients overpower the other: instead working in unison to create something powerful but not intoxicatingly strong.

As I stated in my review of Flowering Tea, the smell of this is very much like walking through a green house during the summer time, when the fresh flowers and plants have been left to sweat a little and release some of their magic. Coupled with the fresh peppermint and sage that featured in the centre, this was a well balanced and very relaxing bath. Luckily, the inclusion of the green tea powder only served to add a gentle herbal tone underneath, and didn't drown out the floral with it's strength. Furthermore, I didn't find the inclusion of the green tea did anything in the way of stopping me from being able to sleep - which some people may have been worried about given the caffeine content before bed.  

The idea of a bombshell is that it has been customised for you. When purchasing the from the Showcase event, I was asked to choose from a selection fresh of plants, flowers and herbs to go into the centre, before the employee sealed the bomb with a piece of natural raffia. The price tag reflects not only the size of the bomb and the fresh Forna that has gone into finishing the product, but the unique experience you go through to create a one-of-a-kind bath bomb.

In my review of Pink Floral Giant Bombshell, I made it clear that the price tag was definitely over budget for most people, and I stand by that for this particular bombshell as well. However, I can see the appeal to a select few consumers who may wish to purchase something unique to them or their loved one, and I'm sure Lush will continue to reformulate their ideas to something a little more affordable in the future.   

In the water, Herbal Green Tea was a fast fizzer, much like all of the bombshells in this range. In under two minutes, the entire bomb had dissolved, and I was left with a range alluring but equally terrifying mess across my bath tub. I assume it was the green tea powder that caused this to happen but this particular bombshell created a blanket of large, gloppy bubbles that fizzed and popped for a good minute or so before popping. While it looked pretty disgusting, and not to everyone's tastes, I found myself rather fascinated with the unique experience.

Unfortunately, I found that this bombshell left smears of green around the outside of my tub, and the weird trails of green, swamp-like mess that stayed around for most go my bath, left me with no choice but to shower afterwards to ensure that I was fully clean.

Having said that, I was super impressed to find that the fragrance lingered around for a long time on my skin, it remained in the bathroom almost three hours after I had rinsed away the water. Furthermore, the water felt super moisturising whilst I was bathing myself, and I was able to opt out of using a body lotion afterwards to retain the moisture in my skin. 

Overall, this is definitely too expensive for a regular investment, but I can see why it would be appealing for those looking for something a little more personal. Lush would definitely benefit by bringing this out as a regular bath bomb, as I much prefer this to the Flowering Tea Reusable Bubble Bar. I definitely enjoyed using this in my bath.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Green Tea Powder, Jasmine Absolute, Neroli Oil, Orange Flower Absolute, Rosewood Oil, Gardenia Extract, Water.

Vegan?: Yes.

2018 Price: £18 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2018.

Scent Family:
Flowering Tea Reusable Bubble Bar

Herbal Green Tea Bombshell

coming soon!

1000 Millihelens Jelly Face Mask

One of the biggest problems I have with Lush is their constant need to invent new products. This may sound rather strange, given that you'd normally expect to find me revelling in new releases. However, I have more of an issue with the fact that many of these new inventions never see the light of day, or if they do, they're likely to be made in very small batches and only available to those lucky enough to be there at the time. For someone who has a compulsion and a need to experience everything that comes out of the company, this is a practice that I feel uncomfortable with. 

When I attended the Lush Summit event earlier this year, I was apprehensive about the fact that the company had five brand new face mask inventions available to sniff, hold and experience right there and then. However, not one of them was available for sale at that particular moment, meaning that I had to walk away knowing that there was a product in existence that I wasn't able to try. Luckily for me, I was finally able to obtain four out of the five of them later that day, which helped to relieve the uneasiness that I had been feeling up until that moment.

1000 Millihelens is one of a handful of exclusive new jelly masks that have just recently made themselves available in stores. The first of its kind, this brand new invention is an exciting leap for Lush, who have only been known to release fresh face masks up until this point. 

While there current range of masks are far superior to any other mask I have experienced outside of Lush, my only issue is the fact that they offer the shortest shelf life out of every other Lush product available to buy. What first struck me about each and every one of the five new jelly masks, is that they appear to have an extended use by date of up to a year - which is a 1100% increase when compared to the regular masks. 

After using the face mask near on every day for a matter of weeks, I have also concluded that the longevity of this product far outweighs that of its predecessors. Whereas a normal pot would give me on average about 6-8 uses, I found that the jelly variation had barely shrunk after my tenth use, and I could easily envisage getting upwards of another twenty uses out of it, if not more.

The basic premise of the jelly face mask is that you could can utilise it in one of two ways. Firstly, you have the option of using it in the same way as you would a regular shower jelly, albeit on the face. You can either add a little dash of water between your palms, massage it to create a gentle lather and then apply this to your face; or you can ensure that the jelly is wet and then massage it directly across your face. This way will heed a very light layer of product on the skin, although it's still enough to get impressive results from the mask.

Secondly (and the way that it was meant to be used) is to break off a small grape-sized piece, use a small amount of water to massage the jelly into a paste-like consistency, and then apply it directly to the face. This will give you a much thicker layer of production on your skin, and perhaps works slightly more intensely overall. 

Either way, what you will notice is that this mask is not as heavy or as noticeable as the regular face masks are. You wont be left with a really thick layer of product on your skin, like you would normally expect to. Instead, your face will harvest a thin layer of product, that you then leave on for the usual twenty minutes, before washing off.  

Having chosen 1000 Millihelens to try out first, I was really impressed by the fragrance that greeted me from the tub. Sharing its scent with the Johnny Appleseed Bath Oil, this bright, fruity apple-dominated mask is delicious from the word go. Featuring witch hazel to soothe and relieve irritated skin, green tea to detox and purify the pores, and kaolin clay to remove unwanted grease and dirt, this powerhouse of ingredients is lighter and far sweeter than any of Lush's other masks. For those who have not experienced this bath oil before, 1000 Millihelens smells like a combination of expensive apple juice with a gentle layer of herbal green tea alongside this.  

Based on Helen Ambrosen, this face mask also features lemon oil to add radiance to your complexion, making it super effective but equally gentle on the skin. What I really appreciated about this face mask was that it was far easier to use than a regular face mask, and I was able to apply it after jumping in the shower, rather than set time aside to so before I could wash myself. 

After washing this off, I was initially disappointed to find that my skin didn't feel as plump or as well-nourished as the likes of Oatifix or Don't Look At Me. However, I discovered that this product was more of a 'grower' - in that it worked more subtlety over time, so that my skin felt far softer and smoother half an hour after I had rinsed it off.

I feel as if this mask would be suited for most skin types. My complexion is what I'd describe as normal to dry, and my skin was left feeling very radiant and smooth afterwards. The inclusion of the green tea infusion really help to clean out my pores of any dirt or debris; the apple gave my complexion a natural shine that stayed with me for the most part of the day. For those with slightly greasier skin, you may find that the different clays will help to absorb excess oils  as well.  

Overall, I am really excited about the idea of these being made for shop release. The jelly face mask is a unique concept that won't (and shouldn't) replace replace the regular face masks, but definitely makes a very different and more cost effective alternative. I look forward to seeing what other variations may transpire in the near future.

Quantitative Ingredients: Green Tea Infusion, Glycerine, Propylene, Glycol, Kaolin, Zeolite Clay, Fresh Apple Juice, Talc, Carrageenan Extract, Sicilian Lemon Oil, Neroli Oil, Brazilian Orange Oil, Witch Hazel Extract, Water, Geraniol, Perfume, Chlorophyllin.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £6.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Scent Family:
1000 Millihelens Jelly Face Mask
Johnny Appleseed Bath Oil