Sugar scrubs are one of those products that I tend to overlook when making a purchase on lush.co.uk, or if I'm browsing the shelves of my local Lush store. Ever since I found the magnificent Sandstone Soap, and purchased enough to sink a ship with, I don't really need to look elsewhere for an exfoliator. However, when using up an old Sugar Scrub that I had recently, and thoroughly enjoying the experience, I felt that I should give other products of a similar nature, a chance.
Sugar Plum Fairy Sugar Scrub was last released as part of the December 2013 retro range, and sporadically released in limited numbers most years before that. Having heard so many Lush fanatics rage about it before it's release, I was rather excited to give it a go.
Firstly, to look at, it is probably Lush's most attractive sugar scrub to date - which isn't saying much! When you're up against a mound of green sugar (Sugar Scrub), and a mound of white sugar (Australian Igloo), you've not got to do much to impress. Sugar Plum is a half sphere made up of bright yellow and pink sugar, with an angel pressed into the top.
Secondly, this sugar scrub possesses a very unique and beautiful smell - a sugary-sweet and fruity scent unlike anything else that Lush currently offer. The initial smell I can pick up here is a musky, vanilla fragrance, which is odd because there is no mention of vanilla in the ingredients list. Next I can detect the sweet, jammy scent of plum intertwined with just the slightest hint of jasmine. It's a beautiful scent that is supposed to share it's smell with the Fairy Jasmine Ballistic, but which I think is much fresher and less floral smelling than the bath bomb.
When using the scrub in the shower, I found that it worked a little differently from the other scrubs I have used before. Firstly, it creates a slightly creamy lather, which helps to exfoliate and moisturise as well as scrub. Secondly, the fragrance remained on my skin after I had washed the excess sugar away, which was pleasant. Sugar Plum contains both plum kernel oil and ylang ylang oil which are supposed to moisturise skin, making it silky smooth to the touch. The kernel oil also adds a slight almond-like scent, which may explain the vanillary smell that I depicted above.
After the initial use, I noticed that my skin felt noticeably softer and smoother, without feeling taut or dry. I used this on my legs, and found that, even after I had shaved immediately before use, this scrub didn't irritate my pores or bring my legs out in a rash. Whereas other soaps and scrubs can dry out your skin after use, this scrub made my legs feel as amazing as they do after I've used a body butter or shower smoothie.
In fact, the only problem I had with this scrub was that it tended to dissolve a little, even when stored away from the damp. It's near impossible to completely dry this out after use, so the liquid that it does soak up, tends to break the product down a little when not in use. For this reason, I would recommend breaking off a small amount to take into the shower each time.
As of it's last release, Sugar Plum Fairy is priced at a reasonable £2.95, which is almost half the price of a regular body butter. I managed to make this scrub last a good couple of weeks, which makes it great value for money. I absolutely loved it - it has a fruity feminine smell unlike anything else in Lush's current range, it lasted a long time and outshone other alternatives, and works effectively as a scrub and a moisturiser. I wish that this product makes a reappearance soon because I'll be needing to stock up.
Quantitative Ingredients: Sugar, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar (Tartaric Acid), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Styrax Resinoid (Liquidambar styraciflua), Vetivert Oil (Vetiveria zizanoides), Jasmine Absolute (Jasminum grandiflorum), Ylang Ylang Oil (Cananga odorata), Orange Blossom Absolute (Citrus aurantium amara), Plum Kernel Oil (Prunus domestica), Cocamide DEA, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Titanium Dioxide, Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), Colour 14700, Colour 45410, Colour 17200.
Vegan?: Yes.
2014 Price: £4.50 each
2016 Price: £4.75 each.
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ooh I never tried this one because I always assumed it had the Snowfairy scent, which I dislike :( Let's hope it comes back this year. However I did enjoy the Sandy santa sugar scrub. My way to use the sugar scrubs is to turn them into a liquid: I put them into a black pot, add a little water (not too much!), wait for it to dissolve, and then I get some kind of thick scrubby paste that is much easier to use :)
ReplyDeleteThat's sounds like a really good idea - I love Rub Rub Rub and I can imagine the solid scrubs being like this when water is added. Thanks for the tip!
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