Satsumo Santa Ballistic

It seems that Lush are very keen on having some sort of Santa-shaped ballistic as part of their seasonal range each year. For the last three consecutive years, we've been blessed with the rather lovely and aptly named, Father Christmas. However, before this bath bomb graced our presence, there was a popular ballistic known as Satsumo Santa. 

I originally found out about this product through a friend of mine, who had been rather peeved one year when her favourite bath bomb didn't grace the shelves for the seasonal period. When it didn't make an appearance last Christmas either, she had to reside in the fact that it wasn't coming back anytime soon.

Luckily, I managed to buy a nice handful of these through eBay, and knowing how popular it was with fellow Lush fans, I was very keen to try them out myself. When Lush re-released them in the Kitchen towards the end of 2015, I just knew I had to invest in a few fresh ones to see how lovely they were again. 

As the name suggests, Satsumo Santa looks part Santa, part Sumo wrestler, and gives off a sweet, citrus scent that reminds me somewhat of lemon sherbet. Using a mixture of mandarin oil, bergamot oil and orange blossom absolute, this ballistic is a light and refreshing addition to your bath tub, and will perk you up when you need that little extra bit of energy. As Lush state,when you're tired or worn out, 'these citrus and orange flower scents are uplifting and stress-relieving, and they’ll tone your skin too: just right.' Although it is definitely a citrus-scented product, there is a very wam undertone which is perfect for the winter season - it created a lovely atmoshphere of festive smells in my bathroom and was extremely relaxing.

Not only are these summery scents brilliant for those who want to escape the bitter weather and remind themselves of the warmth of summer, but they help to massage tight and dried up pores, and leave your skin silky soft and revitalised. The condition of your skin afterwards is probably down to the mandarin oil that the bath bomb contains - mandarin oil is a good antiseptic and it helps to purify and re-balance the skin. 

Unfortunately, when I placed my Satsumo Santa in the water, he immediately sunk to the bottom of the tub and didn't give me much of a show at all. However, he quickly filled my bath tub with a beautiful orangey-red colour, and the sweet, mandarin scent was clearly present throughout my entire experience - leaving a light orangey aroma on my skin afterwards.

While I wouldn't say that this bath bomb blew me away in terms of productivity, it's definitely very vivid in the tub, and those of us with a taste for the citrus will appreciate the aroma that it offers. The ballistic smells beautiful, has great effects on the skin and mood, and is goodvalue for money. A real gem of a bath bomb.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Perfume, Propylene Glycol, Mandarin Oil, Bergamot Oil, Orange Flower Absolute, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 14700.

Vegan?: Yes

2015 Price: Not for individual sale.

Scent Family: 

Dashing Santa Bath Bomb

Santa's Postbox Soap

Satsuma Bath Bomb

Satsuma Soap

Satsumo Bath Bomb

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Ginger Lotion Body Lotion

To be honest, I don't really know why I invested in a pot of Ginger Lotion, other than because I have an impulse to buy every Lush product available. Sharing it's scent with both the Ginger Perfume range, and the now-discontinued Badass Shower Gel, the spicy-floral fragrance of Ginger was one of the first fragrances Lush ever created, back in the days when they were known as Cosmetics to Go. Given that I despised the shower gel, I was not expecting great things from the lotion either...

As the name of the product suggests, one of the key ingredients in this lotion is ginger, included in the form of fresh ginger infusion and ginger oil. You can definitely smell it's presence here. However, Lush have intertwined it's scent with a blend of exotic oils to give a much more rounder, friendly smell. 

Rose, geranium, ylang ylang and juniper berry make up this unique fragrance, all of which play a key role in making this lotion one of the most popular ones available. Lush describe this lotion as 'pink and feminine, yet strong and confident.' It's definitely a scent that makes a statement; normally floral fragrances are very feminine - Ginger Lotion has a spicy kick to it that sets it apart from most other cosmetic scents. I'd describe it's scent as very old-fashioned - my mum, in fact, commented that it reminded her of a lot of fragrances she remembers from the 60's.

Ginger is one of Lush's lighter body lotions, sharing it's consistency with the likes of Karma. It's very easy to apply and absorbs rather quickly, meaning you'll not be left with any greasy residue on your skin. Additionally, the lotion begins to work instantly and I found my skin felt much softer mere seconds after application.

Furthermore, it's consistency means that you don't have to use a lot of the lotion each time, meaning a 225g pot will last you a lot longer than some of the other body lotions. Ginger makes my skin feel moisturised all day and all night, which is really impressive as many lotions tend to disappear within a few hours of use. Containing almond oil, cocoa butter and a ylang ylang flower infusion, this body lotion is a feast for the skin, making it feel wonderfully hydrated and cared-for.

However, the problem I have with Ginger is it's fragrance - it's just not a smell that fits well with my senses. It's the ginger and rose that dominate the overall scent here, which on their own, are wonderful smells, but together, create a concoction that doesn't bode well with me at all. Although I prefer this to the shower gel - something about adding this scent to water makes it so much worse, it's still not a fragrance I am happy using on a regular basis. Additionally, as the scent is a potent one, it's very effective at lingering on the skin for many hours after application. This is no doubt wonderful for those of you who love the smell, but it's not such a positive experience for those who don't.

Overall, it's a shame that I cannot learn to love the smell of Ginger Body Lotion as the consistency makes it a fantastic body lotion, and if you're a fan of the Ginger scent, you'll no doubt love this product. However, it's one that I'll not be going back to, simply because I cannot learn to love the scent enough to use this on a regular basis. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Ylang ylang Flower Infusion, Fresh Ginger Infusion, Almond Oil, Cocoa Butter, Glycerine, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine, Ginger Oil, Mimosa Absolute, Rose Oil, Geranium Oil, Jasmine Absolute, Juniperberry Oil, Ylang Ylang Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, *Benzyl Salicylate, *Cinnamyl Alcohol, *Eugenol, *Geraniol, *Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, *Farnesol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes

2016 Price: £13.95 for 240g.

2017 Price: £13.95 for 240g.

Scent Family:

Badass Gel Shower Gel
Boo Bath Melt and Bubble Bar
Ginger Bath Oil
Ginger Body Lotion
Ginger Liquid Perfume
Lemon Days And Ginger Beer Bath Bomb
Sex N The Shower Emotibomb

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Twinkle Bath Bomb

I've had this bath bomb tucked away for a couple of years now; it's one I completely forgot that I had. It was only recently, when I decided to sort out my Lush drawer, that I found it hidden beneath the larger ballistics. 

Lush describe the ballistic as 'compact, and delightful, - scented with our glorious Shimmy Shimmy fragrance and shimmers tastefully with golden sparkles. This is our new favourite and we don't want it to leave us..."

Released as a Christmas product, Twinkle is a smaller sized ballistic, weighing in at just under 95g. Packed full of vanilla, sage and lavender oil, this light-green bath bomb is decorated with lots of golden lustre that coats it's outer shell and makes it super sparkle.

What first attracted me to this bath bomb, is that Lush claimed it shares the scent of both American Cream and Shimmy Shimmy, the former being one of my favourite fragrances ever. Unfortunately, the scent was predominantly on the jasmine side, so I could barely recognise the American Cream reference.

Despite this, the bath bomb does soften the water slightly and leaves your skin really soft and smelling so yummy. The scent that I picked up was a slightly fizzy, fruity smell with a slight floral element - like lemonade entwined with a hint of lavender.

Furthermore, it doesn't do much in the water; mine sunk to the bottom of the tub and dissolved really quickly, turning the water a very faint shade of green, which dispersed almost as quickly as it appeared. I suspect this is partly to do with it's age, however, there are many reports that say that the fresh variety didn't do much beyond what my one did.

Overall, this is not a bath bomb that made a particularly strong impression on me, and not one I'd want to buy again.This might be better as a larger ballistic, and I would consider trialling one if Lush strengthened the scent somewhat. However, there are many superior bath bombs that I have a choice of so it's unlikely I'll use this one again.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Perfume, Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia), Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea), Lavender Oil (Lavendula hybrida) Benzoin Resinold (Styrax benzoin), Coumarin, Colour 42045, Iridescent Glitter (Polyethylene terephthalate and Acrylates copolymer.)

Vegan?: Yes.

Scent Family:
American Cream Body Lotion
American Cream Conditioner
American Cream Liquid Perfume
American Cream Shower Gel
American Cream Solid Perfume
American Pie Shower Jelly
Flosty Gritter Bubble Bar
I Am 10 Bubble Bar
Twinkle Bath Ballistic

 

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Sikkim Girls Liquid Perfume

A couple of years ago, Lush released a series of different perfumes under their 'Gorilla Perfumes' guise. Unlike anything they, or any other company for that matter, had yet done, Lush's new perfume set showcased an arrange of unique, weird and wonderful scents - smells you could never imagine working as a perfume, but which did, beautifully. Furthermore, to make them more interesting, Lush sold these perfumes in an arrange of different shaped and sized bottles, adding to their overall allure and fitting in nicely with what Lush have always claimed to be - different.

These perfumes were highly scrutinised -criticised and praised. Some hardcore fans were overjoyed at these new creations, others argued that they could have spent their time and money conjuring up new scents and products instead. While I'm siding slightly with the latter thinkers, I still find most of these perfumes aesthetically pleasing. 

Out of all of the new perfumes, Sikkim Girls seems to be the one that has cemented itself as a firm favourite, not only for myself, but to the many Lush fans around the world. Most of the new Lush scents have been inspired by ancient British folklore, but Sikkim Girls is an exception. Sikkim is a land-locked Indian mountainous state in the Himalayas, and Sheema Mukherjee, a musician and composer, was in Darjeeling when a café owner warned her about the dangerous Sikkim Girls. "When asked why, the owner said they had seduced and stolen away his son-in-law. Somehow they had accomplished this whilst covered head-to-toe and simply with a subtle yet sexual sway of their bodies." 

The perfume is a warm and exotic floral scent which I immediately liked. Initially, you can smell the sweetness from the Tuberose flower and the sensual allure of the jasmine. However, as the fragrance matures, you get the musky element of Frangipani coming through which creates a sensual, multi-layered scent that just keeps on giving. 

I really liked the scent; it's a unique fragrance that is unlike anything Lush have released before. It's not too overpowering at all, and although I cannot really describe the smell that easily, it's a universal scent that I think most people will enjoy. 

The only negative aspect about this perfume, is that I found the scent didn't last as long as a lot of the other Gorilla Perfumes I have tried. I found mine lasted for about 3-4 hours before the smell had fully dispersed, so for this reason, you may have to apply it a few times to maintain the fragrance. 

Overall, it's a fresh, unique and evocative perfume. I really enjoyed using this perfume and would recommend that you buy some to last you through the summer months - you won't be disappointed. 

Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Jasmine Absolute, Frangipani Absolute, Tuberose Absolute, Benzyl Salicylate, *Citral, *Coumarin, *Eugenol, Geraniol, Benzyl Benzoate, *Citronellol, *Farnesol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Lilial, Hydroxycitronellal.

Vegan?: Yes.

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Celebrate / Snowshowers Shower Gel

When I first got my greedy mitts on a bottle of Snow Showers Shower Gel, I wasn't overly enamoured with the scent. In the bottle, it gives off a slightly citrusy smell, very similar to how orange squash smells before it's been diluted. For this reason, it was nothing worth writing home about and I stuck it to back of my pile, with the hope of using it up whenever I got around to doing so. However, once I started using it in the shower, I was instantly bowled over, and regretted giving it the cold shoulder beforehand.

Before shortening it's title, this product was originally known as Champagne Snow Showers - taken from Lush's bath ballistic of the same name. The fragrance was based on the celebratory drink; a lively, sweet, effervescent white grape smell with elements of citrusy orange and acidic lime. In the bottle, these smells combine to give a rather two-dimensional scent. However, once those fruity elements come into contact with the heat of the shower, you can really pick out the different layers of the fragrance, which is such a wonderful experience. 

Furthermore, this shower gel is a thick, pearly-white colour that screams 'luxury' - you really feel like a queen/king when sharing a shower with this product! Snow Showers redeems itself even more when you use it for the first time, and experience the softness of the gel - it's probably the lightest shower gel that I've ever tried from Lush.

Although it's a little difficult to get out of the bottle, once it does show itself, you need very little to produce a large amount of lather; I found that half a grape's worth can easily clean your entire body. It comes out like a body lotion and instantly made my skin feel silky soft. What's more, the combination of different oils and fruit mean that your skin glistens after use - not in a greasy synthetic way, more that the shower gel gives you a natural healthy glow.   

Despite what the name suggests, this is not solely a winter-based product. Although originally released for Christmas, this shower gel would work especially well in the summer. It's a refreshing but sophisticated scent that'll linger on your skin for hours and leave you feeling as if you've been kissed all over by a rather exotic-smelling angel. 

I only had to use Snow Showers Shower Gel once to recognise that this is one of Lush's more superior shower gels, and I'm extremely grateful that I've had a chance to try it. Now I fully recognise why Lushies go ballistic (no pun intended!) over products scented with this fragrance! I only hope that Lush bring it back at some point, as I'm getting to the end of my bottle and will be very sad when it's gone. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Elderflower Infusion (Sambucusnigra),water (Aqua), Sodium Alkyl Sulfate, Sodium LaurethSulfate, Fine Sea Salt, Cocamide MEA, GlycerylStearate& PEG 100 Stearate, LaurylBetaine, Glycol Cetearate, Perfume, Propylene Glycol, Organic Jojoba Oil (Simmondsiachinensis), Sweet Orange Oil (Citrus sinensis), Cognac Oil (Vitisvinifera), Lime Oil (Citrus aurantifolia), *Limonene, *Linalool, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes.

Scent Family:
Bridal Bouquet Ballistic 
Bubbly Shower Gel
Buck's Fizz Body Conditioner
Buck's Fizz Naked Body Conditioner

Celebrate Body Lotion
Celebrate FUN Bar
Celebrate Lip Tint
Celebrate Liquid Perfume
Celebrate Shower Gel
Celebrate Solid Perfume

Snow Showers Shower Jelly
Christmas Morning Bubble Bar

Christmas Party Bomb
First Snow Dusting Powder

Golden Wonder Bath Ballistic
Snow Showers Liquid Perfume

Snow Showers Shower Gel
Snow Showers Solid Perfume
Supernova Bath Bomb

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Coalface Solid Cleanser

There is something incredibly off-putting about black 'soap'. I don't know whether my concern stems from my less than pleasant experience with Dark Angels, or whether there's an element of fear that black is a rather 'permanent' colour - what would happen if my face was stained after using it? What would happen if I stained my bath/walls etc... after using this? What would happen if I stained....?

Despite my worries, I knew I would have to face it sometime. So after using up the last of my Buche De Noel (*sniff*), I decided to take the plunge and try a piece of Coalface. 

My Initial thoughts were that it smelt exactly like Dark angels - that slightly sweet and earthy liquorice scent that I wasn't too keen on the first time around. Although you can smell the charcoal as well, it's a very subtle part of the fragrance, hiding behind the prominent hint of rosewood and sandalwood, which stop the soap smelling too potently of aniseed. 

In all fairness, I don't think Lush compiled this collection of ingredients for the smell, so I was keen to establish whether, together, these key ingredients could pull off something marvellous for my face. At the forefront is liquorice root, which dominates the smell and is apparently detoxifying for the skin; the powdered charcoal supposedly removes oil while the rosewood and sandalwood oils are in there to make it that little bit softer. 

During my first use, a few problems arose. Firstly, the shape of the piece of coalface (which is the generic shape for anyone ordering online), doesn't make it easy for you to apply on your face. I found that there were certain contours that couldn't be reached without a bit of clever manoeuvring on my part. Secondly, the surface is rather gritty, which actually caused me to cut myself. I don't know whether you are supposed to build your face up to using that part but with regular use, I can really see the harshness causing sensitive skin to flare up; I know my face would become very sore and overly exfoliated if I used this every day. Finally, once I'd applied Coalface on my skin and washed it off, my face felt really taut and dry; it was if someone had just sucked the moisture right out of my pores. 

Despite all of this, my skin didn't feel too bad once I'd dried myself down and it seemed to work effectively with my facial cleanser (Almond Kisses), even reducing my spot count and keeping them at bay. 

Although I had slightly different reactions to this, as opposed to Dark Angels, I don't really notice a difference in what they do to my skin. Both make my complexion feel dry, just like a bad soap would, and both made my skin feel really oily seconds before ridding my skin of moisture altogether! On the positive side, Coalface is definitely not as messy as Dark Angels, which might be why consumers would opt for this over the crumblier alternative. 

Despite it not specifically claiming to be for greasy skin, I think this is another product for those who want to reduce the oil in the pores. For someone like me, who doesn't have a lot of moisture to give, this might be too strong. It's not the worst product in the world, and I will continue to use my block until it's diminished. However, it won't be one I use again. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Liquorice Root Decoction, Propylene Glycol, Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil, Water, Perfume, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Powdered Charcoal, Sandalwood Oil, Rosewood Oil, Glycerine, Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, *Geraniol, *Linalool, Silver Edible Lustre.

Vegan?: Yes

Sex Bomb Bath Bomb

For the last few months, I've been surviving on barely five hours of sleep a night, something which may be tolerable for people with next to nothing to do, but for someone who works twelve hours a day, is next to impossible. I just don't know how I'm managing to survive. However, those long days are ever-so-slightly redeemed when I am able to enjoy a good soak in the bath with my favourite Lush products.

Sex Bomb is a sensual bath ballistic that possesses ingredients to help improve your mood and supposedly help you to get 'in the mood'. While I certainly don't have time for that, I do try to slot in time to relax, recuperate and regenerate, and tonight I picked out Sex Bomb to help me soak off those mid-week blues. 


The ballistic features a blend of jasmine, ylang ylang and clary sage, all of which help you to unwind and clear your thoughts. The jasmine is the key ingredient here as, known for being an aphrodisiac, it'll help to ease stress and anxiety. It also contains soya milk which has soothing and conditioning properties to help heal and soften weathered skin.

Unfortunately, the fragrance of the ballistic is not as strong as other ballistics I've tried, and I could barely smell anything once the ballistic has fully dissolved and was settled in my bath tub. During it's final stages of dissolving, I did lift the bath bomb to my nose and give it a good sniff. Surprisingly, there was quite a strong scent of ylang ylang  and Jasmine there, although neither scents came across much during my experience.

Sex Bomb dissolves gently into your bathwater, creating a beautiful cloudy pink-coloured brew. It also releases a rice paper flower, which sounds like a good idea in theory, but instead goes soggy and floats around on the surface like a waterlogged tissue. It would be nice if the flower was real, although this would escalate the costs somewhat.

Even though the scent was very subtle, it did help me to relax with it's sexy, sensual and gentle fragrant aroma. It also made my skin feel really revitalised and soft, calming my mood and helping me to feel more level-headed and focussed. I can see why this would work in setting the mood for a romantic evening. Unfortunately, my piles of marking are the only thing I'm going to be cuddling up to any time soon.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Sodium Sesquicarbonate, Perfume, Soya Milk, Synthetic Musk, Jasmine Absolute, Clary Sage Oil, Ylang Ylang Oil, Titanium Dioxide, *Limonene, *Linalool, Lilial, Methyl Ionone, Colour 17200, Colour 42090, Colour 14700, Colour 45410, Rice Paper Flower.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £3.35.

Scent Family:

Bada Bing Bada Boom Shower Jelly
Joy Of Jelly Shower Jelly
Love Soap
The North Polar Left The Tap On Soap
Sex Bomb Bath Bomb
Sex Bomb Body Lotion
Sex Bomb Solid Perfume
Tulip Mum Reusable Bubble Bar

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Cinders Bath Bomb

Cinders was actually the first Christmas bath ballistic I ever tried - back when I visited a Lush shop perhaps once a year at most. I remember choosing it because firstly it smelt of cinnamon, my favourite herb on the planet, and secondly, because it happened to be the cheapest one available at the time.

Packed full of almond oil, sweet orange and cinnamon leaf, this is the perfect bath bomb for anyone wanting to experience Christmas in a bath tub. To me, it smells of the shortcrust pastry used to make homemade mince pies; of Starbucks Christmas Spice hot chocolate; of winter scented candles. It's a sweet, sugary cinnamon scent that is both comforting and uplifting.

There are always other cinnamon-scented products available from Lush at Christmas time; this year alone we had Hot Toddy Bubble Bar and Glogg Shower Gel. However, Cinders is for those people who love the smell of cinnamon but don't necessarily want the full extent of the cloves that you'd find in both of those other products. The sweetness of this product enhances the cinnamon tenfold and makes it just that little bit more luxurious.

What makes this bath ballistic extra special, is that Lush have decorated the bomb with a small handful of popping candy, which gently crackles in the water and is supposed to remind you of a warming fireside - something we will all no doubt wish we had, when the temperature starts to drop about Christmas time. To make it even more appealing, is when I got out of the bath, my skin felt incredibly soft and fragrant, and this lasted for most of the following day as well. 

One negative aspect of Cinders is that the ballistic itself turns the water a less-than-attractive yellow colour, which was little unwelcoming and reminded me of something that I would definitely not wish to bathe in. Furthermore, the water somewhat stained the edge of my bath tub and I had to scrub the yellow smears away afterwards, which was a little annoying. 

Ultimately, I love the smell of this bath bomb and given it's size, I was really impressed with how strong the scent was and how long it lingered on my skin afterwards. However, it's not a bath bomb that does anything particularly amazing in the tub so it's not the best one to invest in if you're looking for a show.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Coarse Sea Salt, Popping Candy, Perfume, Gardenia Extract, Almond Essential Oil, Sweet Orange Oil, Cinnamon Leaf Oil, Cinnamal, Eugenol, Limonene, Colour 14700.

Vegan?: Yes.

2014 Price: £2.75 each.

2015 Price: £2.95 each.

Scent Family:

Cinders Bath Bomb
Cinders Liquid Perfume
Cinders Naked Shower Gel
Cinders Shower Gel

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