Gold, Frankincense & Beer Shower Jelly

Gold, Frankincense & Beer Shower Jelly is a product very popular with the majority of old-school Lush fanatics. When I originally began my research into Lush's vaults, I found that it was a product that gained a lot of attention and excitement within the community. Making its last appearance during the 2011 December retro range, the shower jelly has built its notoriety through the praise and adoration from those of us lucky enough to have tried it. That was until the Lush Kitchen finally released it some five years later, and multiple fans were finally able to try this elusive shower jelly for themselves.  

While I was lucky enough to secure an old-school tub of this jelly years ago, it wasn't until I received my fresh batch that I realised how much my retro pot must have been past its best. Presented as a rather ugly and slightly 'gloopy' brown coloured-jelly, it was not exactly the most attractive product in the world. Fast forward five years and the newer tubs still sport the same shade of brown. However, the addition of golden lustre makes the product far more appealing to the eye, and there's almost something alluring about the biblical reference when combined with the sheen that the jelly sports in the shower.

At first, I was tempted to scorn the fact that Lush had decorated the jelly with sprinklings of golden lustre - on the basis that it's near impossible to 'dress up' anything that resembles the colour of mud. However, I was quick to forgive this jelly on the basis that two of the key ingredients are in fact brown in nature, making it quite difficult to revert the natural colour that the jelly was going to turn anyway, when stout and frankincense are used in such excess here.

While I expect the aroma of this is not going to sit well with many fans, I was pleasantly surprised by the wonderful fragrance that this shower jelly offers. From the get-go, you can smell the inclusion of the stout here, which offers an almost bitter, malty note. There is something slightly 'biscuity' about the smell of the alcohol - one that gives this jelly a very odd note that almost separates itself from the rest of the components.

Alongside this, the inclusion of a mandarin and anise infusion, as well as a generous helping of mandarin juice, means that there is a gentle, fruity element to Gold, Frankincense & Beer Shower Jelly. Imagine liquifying the whole fruit, peel and all, and you might get a sense of the sweet but slightly tart smell that these elements add to the fragrance. This shower jelly is definitely a lot sweeter than you would imagine; the cinnamon and black pepper nestling themselves right at the back of the mix and adding a warming note, without any of the spiciness that you many envisage their inclusion to produce.

Furthermore, it's got a slight earthy musk to it that makes it a very warm and comforting scent. It reminds me very slightly of the chewy ale bottle sweets that I used to eat as a child. While the jelly pertains quite a sophisticated and rather sexy smell, I cannot imagine many people finding the scent of this all that interesting or appealing. This is definitely one for those who like strange, unique fragrances.

As with most of Lush's jellies, this one is made from carrageenan extract, which is a natural and nutritious seaweed gel full of vitamins and minerals to help soften and condition your skin. Gold, Frankincense & Beer Shower Jelly also features four different types of oils, which is perhaps why this jelly is a little softer and less elasticated than the likes of Calacas or The Joy Of Jelly. However, this shower jelly did lather up wonderfully, and produced quite a thick and creamy lather, which softened my skin and left it feeling radiant.

There are several ways that you can use the shower jelly. Firstly, you can rub the whole block, or a broken-off piece, directly onto your skin. However, I find that this is fairly ineffective as it does not create much of a lather and the jelly becomes too wet, making it slippery and difficult to hold on to. What I find works for me, is breaking off a grape-sized piece and then rubbing it into a sponge or shower-puff, before lathering all over my body. This tends to help the jelly foam up, wherein the puff them holds the lather whilst you clean yourself.  

As Gold, Frankincense & Beer is a rather soft jelly, I found that this method of application was pretty effective. The jelly tended to smoosh into the shower puff nicely and create a velvety lather that I could then use all over my body. What is promising is that I was left with a wonderful sweet and woody smell on my skin, which clung to my hair and clothes for most of the day. I received a number of compliments, which only served to demonstrate that this is a product with a long-lasting and robust scent.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Gold, Frankincense & Beer Shower Jelly, despite convincing myself beforehand that I would hate it. It's a unique and very sultry-smelling jelly, and one that I would be very interested in buying again in the near future. For now, my three tubs will be more than suffice to see me through until they make a reappearance in the Lush Kitchen.

Quantitative Ingredients: Glycerine, Mandarin and Star Anise Infusion, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Stout, Propylene Glycol, Carrageenan Extract, Fresh Mandarin Juice, Perfume, Black Pepper Oil, Cinnamon Leaf Oil, Clove Bud Oil, Brazilian Orange Oi,l *Citral, *Eugenol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Radiant Gold Lustre, Methylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £7.95 for 240g.

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