Sakura Solid Perfume

Despite enjoying the bath bomb of the same name, the solid and liquid versions of this perfume didn't live up to my expectations. Having been lucky enough to acquire one of these rare beauties through the Lush forum, I was excited to have a perfume that shared its scent with Rub Rub Rub. Unfortunately, my experience was less than impressive.

Sakura translates simply as 'cherry blossom' in Japanese, and it was this title that inspired it's scent. Made from a composition of mimosa, orange blossom and jasmine absolute, this perfume is supposed to be a delicate, floral arrangement with a dash of lemon juice to make it uplifting and refreshing. Yet the smell I got from the perfume was far from this.

Although I could smell mimosa slightly, it's the orange that makes the biggest impression on me. This along with the jasmine gives this solid perfume a rather intense cherry-scented smell. Yet it's not a sweet, subtle cherry, more of a plastic, synthetic fruity aroma. I could also detect a very faint but equally present sour note that made this fragrance a little off-putting. 

Aside from the floral elements, there is also a thread of green intertwined throughout and this is finished off with a touch of spice, which gives the perfume a slight warmth. While Rub Rub Rub has a fresh and predominantly salty smell, this has a more grassy, pretty aroma. Unfortunately  in the solid perfume format, this fragrance doesn't seem as refreshing and pales quite considerably to the rest of its family.       

As I've said in nearly all of my solid perfume reviews, there are many reasons why solid perfumes are a good investment. Firstly, they are very easy to transport from place to place. They take up very little space and have no way of leaking, so can be stored in pockets, purses and bags and taken near enough anywhere. Secondly, they are great value for money and normally outdo the lifespan of a 100ml bottle of liquid perfume. 

However, due to the inclusion of waxes to set the perfume, this fragrance just doesn't have the same impact in this format. On the skin, I could make out the lovely gentle floral tones but this was thwarted quite considerably by the plastic smell of the waxes. While the bath bomb flourishes under the heat of the water, this perfume just doesn't have any way of expanding and releasing those wonderful notes. 

Furthermore, the staying power of Sakura is rather poor, and I couldn't detect it at all after about 45 minutes. While I enjoy subtle fragrances as much as I appreciate the stronger ones, this fragrance leaves no impression on my skin and I found myself topping up with other perfumes. I didn't enjoy this at all. 

While the Sakura smell is rather lovely and well-suited for consumers who like the gentle, prettier smells, this just didn't sit well with me. I've awarded it three out of six because if you enjoy the smell, you may find it works better on your skin and senses. However, it's definitely not something I'd buy or use again. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Japan Wax, Perfume, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Carnauba Wax (Copernicia cerifera), Lemon Oil (Citrus limonum), Mimosa Absolute (Mimosa tenuiflora), Organic Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia chinensis), Orange Blossom Absolute (Citrus Aurantium dulcis), Jasmine Absolute (Jasminum officinale), Citral, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

Atomic Tooth Powder

Since the Oxford Street store first opened, I feel I have become a bit of an expert when it comes to their dentistry range. While I have always marvelled the toothy tabs and used them fairly regularly in my daily routine, it is only since I have been presented with close to ten new variations to try, that I've really had the opportunity to compare and contrast what Lush offer and how they differ from one another. 

Atomic Tooth Powder was one of those products that wasn't on offer the first time I hit the flagship store, and one I probably wouldn't have noticed anyway having discovered the company's impressive new range of toothy tabs available. But having worked my way through the other tabs and powders, this was the last one that I had yet to review, so I was left with no other choice but to do so. 

As with the Ultrablast Tooth Powder, I wasn't initially that enthralled about trying out this product - partly because the description left me feeling a little disgusted at the thought of what it would taste like, and partly because I haven't had all that much luck with the powdered toothpaste so far. 

Made from a blend of ground spices (cardamon, clove, ginger and cinnamon), this powder sounds very much like a cup of chai tea - a description that has proven to be very fitting when it comes to how this item both tastes and smells out of the tub. 

Upon removing the lid, I was not surprised to discover that Atomic has a very potent smell - one that is dominated mostly by the inclusion of cloves but with the other spices sitting behind this and allowing themselves to come through in small bursts at a time. While coffee is also listed in the ingredients list, I didn't detect a very strong thread of this in the mix, and this is probably for the better. 

If I'm honest, it's not the greatest smelling product, and if I was somebody who was a little less adventurous and hesitant to try new things, I can imagine avoiding this altogether. In the simplest terms - this is not a product that sells itself all that well at the beginning.  

As you can imagine, the taste of this is also rather strong - not at potent as emptying a teaspoon of spices into your mouth, but strong enough that you can taste the cloves and cinnamon throughout your brushing - something I can imagine a lot of people being put off by. 

As I have found with both of the other tooth powders, this product comes with its faults - the first issue being when you try to keep the product as dry as possible during and after usage  You have to wet the toothbrush before you dip it into Atomic as I found trying to sprinkle some of the powder onto the brush was near-on impossible and I ended up spilling most of it on the floor or on myself. However, once the brush has made contact with the powder, it tends to leave droplets of liquid in the tub, which causes the powder to clump up over time. 

Furthermore, the very idea of constantly dipping a used toothbrush into the powder (even if it's been rinsed beforehand), means that it doesn't seem as clean and clinical practice as it would be if you were using either a toothpaste or a packet of toothy tabs. 

Having said this, I was really surprised to find that once I was using Atomic, it worked wonders at removing any pungent smells or tastes that were lurking in my mouth and left me with clean, fresh breath. Not only this, but my teeth felt squeaky-clean and there was a noticeable difference in how they felt when compared to other toothy tabs.

Finally, after coming down with a tooth ache, I found that the inclusion of the various natural oils in this product, worked wonders at curbing the soreness in my other and dimmed the pain to make it a little more bearable. 

While it is far from a smell that I would normally opt to use as my toothpaste, I was really impressed at how wonderful it left my mouth and teeth feeling. The toxicity of the spices definitely work to the advantage of this tooth powder and it will be one I buy again - if you only to stop myself from getting bored of Oral Pleasure. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar (Potassium bitartrate), Sorbitol, Lauroyl Sarcosine, Kaolin, Fair Trade Organic Coffee (Coffea Arabica), Clove Bud Oil (Eugenia caryophyllus), Cardamom Oil (Elettaria cardamomum), Fair Trade Whole Organic Clove (Eugenia caryophyllus), Fair Trade Organic Cardamom Powder (Elettaria cardamomum), Fair Trade Organic Cinnamon Powder (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), Fine Sea Salt, Fair Trade Organic Ginger Powder (Zingiber officinale), Fair Trade Organic White Pepper Powder (Piper nigrum), Sodium Saccharin, Eugenol, Linalool, Flavour.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £4.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2015. 

Layer Cake Soap

With only a matter of days before the new season of The Great British Bake Off begins on TV, I thought it was rather relevant to try out this soap for the first time, given that it is inspired by the show itself. Designed to look like the very cakes that have featured across the many series, this soap plays a particular homage to the Mil Hojas that were featured on the last season - a french multi-layered dessert that sandwiches puff pastry between layers of custard and cream.

Packed full of various juices, Layer Cake is a sweet, fruity and very gorgeous smelling soap - one that is perfectly suited for the warmer weather that I hope makes an appearance over the coming weeks - one that will appeal to all of those Lush fans who enjoy Lush's others soaps - most notably Miranda and Sunny Citrus. 

How this soap differs from others is that each layer contains a different juice - a construction that not only makes this a very unique product, but one that is vivid in colour and scent. Together, the different sections smell like a sour starburst sweet - a sweet, zesty offering with clear notes of pineapple, grape and raspberry at the forefront. Imagine Miranda but even more tart - it's wonderful. 

Individually they have their own fragrance. Containing white grape juice in the green layer, pineapple juice in the yellow part, raspberry juice in the red layer, blueberry juice in the purple and orange juice for the orange segment, this is soap that needs to be experienced to be enjoyed. While I found it quite difficult to pinpoint a huge difference between the various colours, there was definitely an array of different smells that came from my small chunk and I look forward to exploring this further. 

What I love about this soap is that it's really refreshing - both the colour and fragrance offering an invigorating and very crisp wake-up call first thing in the morning. The scent tends to drift around you while you're in the shower, leaving you feeling really clean and uplifted, while the soap gets to work at helping to cleanse your skin. 

In the shower, this soap lathers up fairly well - producing a light, fluffy foam what really works at cleaning the skin, leaving it feeling and smelling wonderful. Although I was slightly disappointed that the fragrance didn't seem to strengthen under the water, I was happy to find that I could smell the citrus elements of this for many hours on my skin, albeit fairly faintly.

As many of Lush's soaps tend to do, this one made my hands a little parched after use but I liked how smooth and clean my skin felt and didn't find that it as drying as I was expecting it to be. While it didn't leave my body feeling as soft as a shower gel would, it did a good job at brightening up my skin and leaving me feeling well-pampered for the day ahead. 

This happens to be one of my favourite soaps from Lush's new Oxford Street range - a collection that seems to be impressing me more and more with each new soap. This beautiful, fruity release is easily the brightest looking and smelling release in the shop and will be a big hit one it reaches other stores. I will definitely be buying this again. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Rapeseed Oil; Coconut Oil (Brassica napus; Cocos nucifera), Sorbitol, Perfume, Fresh Grape Juice (Vitis vinifera), Fresh Orange Juice (Citrus Aurantium dulcis), Fresh Pineapple Juice (Ananas sativus), Fresh Blueberry Juice (Vaccinium myrtillus), Fresh Raspberry Juice (Rubus idaeus), Brazilian Orange Oil (Citrus sinensis), Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Limonene, Colour 45350, Colour 14700, Colour 17200, Colour 42090, Colour 45410. 

Vegan?: Yes. 

2015 Price: £3.40 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2015. 

Sea Spray Hair Mist

If you're not a bath bomb or a body lotion, chances are that it'll take me a good year to getting around to trying you out. It's very easy to plonk a ballistic in the bath and get instant feedback on whether or not it was an enjoyable experience; you can smear a part of your body with a body lotion and know straight away whether or not you like the smell, and whether it's right for your skin. But when it comes to other Lush products, they often need weeks or even months of regular usage, for you to decide how you feel about it. Such is the case with Sea Spray Hair Mist.

Initially, I bought this because it was in the Christmas sale last year, and it was a product from their range that I had yet to try. Much like their range of facial toners, it wasn't a product at the top of my list, so it probably would have been overlooked for longer, had it not been reduced. As it is, I'm so glad that I bought it when I did, as I would have probably gone a further year before experiencing it's amazing powers.

Leaving your hair 'fresh, uplifted and perfumed', Sea Spray is both a salty and fruity spritz, designed to give volume and hold to your hair throughout the day. Directions state that you can either use it on hair already in place, to naturally support your style, or simply spray it on to refresh your hair whenever you feel you need a little boost. 

To begin with I was a little worried about using this product. Having used Irresistible Bliss Solid Shampoo for the duration of the summer, my hair was looking and feeling better than it has ever done in my life. There was no way I wanted to revert back to the dry, limp style I had before. Furthermore, I remember using many styling gels and waxes when I was younger, and remember how greasy and rough my hair would feel for days afterwards. So I was a little skeptical that this product would be any different. However, I was proved very very wrong.

Made with sea water, fine sea salt and carrageenan extract, this spray smells like summer in a bottle - a fresh, salty scent reminiscent of being on the beach, by the sea. It also contains neroli, grapefruit and rosewood oils, which add that slightly zesty smell to it, so that it's not as savoury as you would expect. Lush have included carrageenan, a seaweed extract, together with glycerine to hydrate the hair. So despite the addition of salt, which can be rather drying if not used correctly, this sea spray will keep your hair soft and manageable. It's a beautiful light and uplifting summery fragrance - one that can be enjoyed by females and males. It shares it's scent with Happy Happy Joy Joy, which I was really happy about as I didn't have a lot of luck with that conditioner, despite enjoying it's fragrance. 

What is important to note, is that I found this product needs to be used in a certain way to make it effective. The first time I tried this, I sprayed it onto my head and ended up with areas of my hair that looked rather wet and greasy. These were really hard to get out without washing my hair all over again, so it looked a little bit silly.

However, the second time I tried it, I sprayed the mist into my hands, and then gently ran my fingers through my hair, which helped me to apply it evenly as well as control just how much I applied to begin with. When it's done in this way, the product was truly wonderful and really did hold my hair in place for the entirety of the day. Furthermore, when it was in my hair, it didn't feel heavy or look oily or greasy. In fact, when I ran my hand over my hair, I could barely feel that there was anything in there to begin with.

It was super soft on my hair, and didn't effect the hard work that my shampoo and conditioner have to do to keep my hair in tip-top condition. Additionally, the smell wafted about me throughout the day and perked my mood up every time it did. 

Priced at £9.95 for a 100g bottle, it is a little on the pricier side. However, I've been using this 4-5 times a week for the last six months, and I'm not even a third of the way through the bottle. It's established itself as a firm favourite of mine and I'll definitely be purchasing this again.

Quantitative Ingredients: Carrageenan Extract, Sea Water, Glycerine, Perfume, Fine Sea Salt, Limonene, Linalool, PVP, Neroli Oil, Grapefruit Oil, Rosewood Oil, Hydroxycitronellal, Geraniol, Lilial, Citral, *Farnesol, Benzyl Benzoate, Methylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £9.95 for 100g. 

Scent Family:

Frozen Bath Bomb

Frozen Liquid Perfume
Frozen Solid Perfume

Happy Happy Joy Joy Conditioner
Happy Happy Joy Joy Naked Conditioner

Sea Spray Hair Mist

Shine So Bright Hair Balm

Snowie Bubble Bar

Your Mother Should Know Bubble Bar

WebRep

currentVote

noRating

noWeight

Double Vitality Bath Oil

While the opening of the Oxford Street flagship store ran smoothly, there were a few products that didn't quite make it out of the factory in time to announce their presence to the world. Although most fanatics made a point of visiting in those initial weeks, it took a while for some of the bubble bars and bath oils to appear on the shop floor. This is one such product. 

Double Vitality is perhaps the bath oil that stands out above the rest - appealing to the child-like cravings present in all of us. While the collection of oils and melts are colourful and impressive to any eye, this is perhaps the one that many people would flock to first. And with good reason. 

Designed to look like a miniature star-shaped macaroon, this unique bath oil is a little bigger in size than all of the spherical ones that nestle around it in store. Made from two stars sandwiched together with a generous helping of essential oils and butters to join them together, this product is supposed to give you a double dose of vitality, and indeed it does. 

Made from a pairing of lemon and peppermint oil, this refreshing and equally interesting collaboration offers a sweet, fruity and uplifting fragrance - one that is a little more rounded and complex than I was initially expecting. Out of the packet you can make out the lemon, yet there is also a sort of cloudy raspberry element to it, which isn't very prominent overall but does remind me of Razzle Dazzle a little. 

Once it's been added to the bath water, you begin to get a gentle minty aroma, which is not as dominating as you would imagine - instead adding a cool, crisp and rather refreshing note to the overall experience so that it compliments the fruity component instead of overpowering it. There is a perfect dose of both fragrances so that they work together well. 

Unfortunately, the one aspect that let Double Vitality down is the fact that it wasn't very buoyant in the water - sinking immediately to the bottom of the tub and doing very little in the way of melting. Despite the heat of the water, it took me massaging it between my fingers for the oils to begin dispersing across the surface and even then the small droplets of oils didn't dissolve into the water as I was expecting them to. 

Having said this, I was surprised to find that the pink swirls didn't stain myself or the bath tub and the product still offered a very soft and fragrant experience to submerge myself in. The peppermint allowed me to clear my head while I was relaxing, while the shea and cocoa butters left the water silky-soft and very nourishing on my skin. 

While I have only awarded this bath oil a four, this is mostly due to the fact that it doesn't offer an experience as effective in the tub as the other bath oils did. Despite this, I still really enjoyed the aroma of this and think it would work really well as a shower gel or jelly. I will be buying this again to use in cocktails but it's definitely not my favourite when it comes to Lush's new bath oil range. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Organic Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii), Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Sodium Bicarbonate, PEG–6 Caprylic / Capric Glycerides & PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Laureth 4, Cream of Tartar (Potassium bitartrate), Perfume, Sicilian Lemon Oil (Citrus limonum), Peppermint Oil (Mentha piperita), Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera), Organic Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia chinensis), Titanium Dioxide, Propylene Glycol, *Citral, *Geraniol, *Limonene, Colour 45410.

Vegan?: Yes. 

2015 Price: £2 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2015. 

Vlog: A Recent Lush Haul

Putty In Your Hands Soap

It was mid-March when I began to notice that my hands were looking rather weathered and dry. I had begun to get dry patches in-between my fingers, which initially I wrote off as being the product of winter. However, after enjoying my fourteenth bath in as many days, I realised that it was this rather naughty habit that was causing my hands to suffer; there is such a thing as too much of something good.

I remembered that I'd recently bought a small block of Putty In Your Hands, a soap designed to eradicate dry and flaky skin and bring back the natural moisture of your pores - I thought it was the perfect opportunity to test it out and see if did what it claimed to do.

Unlike most soaps, this one is a lot softer in consistency; it's something you notice instantly when unwrapping your slab. Neither can it be used in the way that you would normally use a soap. Instead, you need to break off a little pea-sized amount and mix it with a drop of water to create a paste. This paste can then be spread across your hands and rinsed off like a normal soap. It works in the same way that Angels On Bare Skin Facial Cleanser does, which it happens to share it's scent with. 

What I liked about Putty In Your Hands, is that this method of breaking off a piece with each use, really helped the bar to go a lot further than your average piece of soap. Whereas you'd normally use the whole bar under the tap, and then leave it in the dish to dry, this bar stays mostly dry all the time, so it doesn't dissolve or shrink due to the added moisture.

Made from a mixture of whole oats, glycerine and cornflour, this is a natural, sensitive soap that helps to eradicate sore, dry or sensitive hands, without removing the moisture and natural oils from your pores. Lush go a little further by including mucilage from the root of the marshmallow herb, which is known for its lubricating and soothing properties. Furthermore, chamomile, lavender and tea tree essential oils, known for their antiseptic and antibacterial properties, are added along with rose absolute for their fragrance and their ability to reduce redness and irritation.

To me, this soap is very heavily scented with lavender, so not a soap I would want to use on my body. However, as a hand soap, I was extremely pleased with the results. 

After my first use, I noticed that Putty In Your Hands was a lot different to normal soap for many reasons. Firstly, instead of foaming up in your hand, this soap actually feels more like you're rubbing oils between your palms, which goes on to soften and heal those weathered and chapped fingers. It was a strange experience at first but one that I quickly got used to. 

Secondly, it leaves your skin feeling really smooth and clean, without leaving any sticky residue or drying your hands out. It made a noticeable difference almost immediately, and I found that I wasn't able to go back to normal hand soap because of how much the condition of my mitts had improved.

The only aspect about this soap that was a problem, was that the bar tended to crumble quite a bit after a few uses, and I ended up with a pile of oat-sized pieces, which were difficult to keep 100% dry in the bathroom. My piece of soap was a few months old though, so perhaps with a fresher piece, this wouldn't be a problem.

For someone who hardly ever uses hand soap, and instead opts for a squirt of their shower gel, this soap has convinced me that a lot of good can come from using this regularly. Within three days of using this, my hands had completely cleared up and looked healthier than they'd done in a while. This is definitely going to be a regular product in my household.

Quantitative Ingredients: Cornflour, Talc, Glycerine, Water, Marshmallow Mucilage, Whole Oats, Fair Trade Shea Butter, Lavender Oil, Chamomile Blue Oil, Tea Tree Oil, Rose Absolute, Citronellol, Limonene, Linalool, Perfume.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £3.10 for 100g.

Serendipity Soap

There is something about the new selection of Lush soaps that has made me rather excited about using soaps again. Whether it's the new base formula, the scents that are currently on offer or the fact that my skin has started to accept them as viable washing material, I am unsure. What I do know is that the last few to grace my shower have been wonderful and really restored my faith in the fact that soap can be rather enjoyable. 

Serendipity was one of the first soaps to grab my attention in the shop but one of the last ones for me to review. Cut from a purple cylindrical roulade, this soap has two layers - an inner pale purple centre and a slightly darker translucent shell. This outer layer is decorated with sprigs of lavender which are encased within the soap and give off the dark streaks you see across the surface. 

Containing french lavender oil, lavender absolute and chamomile blue, this soap has a strong but equally relaxing aroma - one that is perfect to use before bed to clear your head and unwind your body. Sharing it's fragrance with Golden Slumbers Bath Bomb, this gorgeous soap is a marvel to smell - a thick, creamy lavender smell that sits perfectly between their popular French Kiss Bubble Bar and the best-selling Twilight Bath Bomb. 

This soap is not as sweet or as 'malty' as Twilight but it does have a wonderful silky feel to it and is far richer and more rounded than the aforementioned bubble bar. While this milky floral aroma isn't as prominent when the piece is first removed from the packaging, it intensifies somewhat under the heat of the shower and this is when it is most wonderful. 

Alongside the lavender is a strong thread of chamomile - a note that gives this soap an almost tea-like afterscent. Not only does this component add to the overall smell of the product, but it's great at soothing and comforting sensitive skin; using its anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and bactericidal properties to make this an all-round amazing product to use with your skin in the shower. 

In the shower, this soap isn't overly generous with its lather but it certainly creates more than enough to wash yourself with. Producing a soft, oily foam when massaged under the running water, this cleans and soothes your skin - leaving you with soft, fragrant and very beautiful feeling skin. I was amazed at how wonderful my body felt after using this as I'm used to most Lush soaps leaving my skin feeling taut and slightly dry. 

Serendipity didn't dry my skin out or give it that tight feeling I often get when using soaps. Instead, it left my skin soft and shiny and with a gentle lavender aroma to see me through a short while after towelling myself down. This is definitely one of those soaps I will be stocking up on once I have gotten through to trying all of Lush's new soaps, and I highly recommend that you try this out for yourself if you get a chance - it is truly wonderful. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Glycerine, Rapeseed Oil; Coconut Oil (Brassica napus; Cocos nucifera), Lavender Flower Infusion (Lavandula angustifolia), Water (Aqua), Sorbitol, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Perfume, Sodium Stearate, French Lavender Oil (Lavandula angustifolia), Dried Lavender Stem (Lavandula angustifolia), Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Chloride, Chamomile Blue Oil (Matricaria chamomilla), Lavender Absolute (Lavandula angustifolia), EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 14700, Colour 45410, Colour 17200, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes. 

2015 Price: £3.40 for 100g. 

Year Of Original Release: 2015. 

Scent Family:

Golden Slumbers Bath Bomb

Serendipity Soap

Bathos Liquid Perfume

When I finally got my greedy mitts on a bottle of this perfume, I was ecstatic. I found myself running around the house screaming, 'I've got Bathos Perfume, I've FINALLY got Bathos Perfume'. I won't deny that it wasn't an exciting moment - perhaps slightly less exciting for my poor flatmates who wrote me off as crazy right there and then.

This wonderful perfume hasn't seen the light of day since it was released back in 2007 as part of Lush's Forum Special release. In fact, this is the only time that this liquid perfume has ever been sold, and most people who now own the remaining bottles, have probably set up tight security to stop intruders stealing the much-loved fragrance. 

Sharing its scent with the bubble bar of the same name, this perfume acts as a perfect homage to the much loved classic Lush smell. This is a predominantly violet-scented fragrance that is dominated by the violet leaf absolute. However, unlike the perfume, Kerbside Violet, Bathos isn't a straightforward floral smell - there's something quite sweet and sultry about it that sets it apart from other perfumes.

This fragrance also features a combination of jasmine absolute, rose absolute and ylang ylang oil - all of which pad out the smell and give it quite a bit of depth inside the bottle and on the skin. The former ingredients add a rich, sensual floral note to the perfume which compliments the violet perfectly, while the rose absolute gives the overall perfume a musky, slightly powdery aroma.   

In the bottle, you can detect an underlying cloudy aroma which is why a lot of Lush fans describe this scent as smelling of parma violets. While it does indeed share characteristics with the popular sweet, it is far too sophisticated to leave the description at that. 

On the skin, the perfume offers a deep and rather heavy aroma that stays quite compacted on the wrist. There is a slight element of spice that lingers underneath the floral components here too, but it's not strong enough to take away from the main floral notes and only serves to make it rather warming on the wearer. 

I happen to love Bathos in this form, perhaps even slightly more so than the bubble bar. There's something richly decadent about the perfume that sets it apart from the usual humdrum of floral aromas. Some fans claim that it has an almost metallic edge to it, which although it didn't make itself known for me, I can slightly see why people might describe it as so. 

While this perfume didn't have the longevity I was hoping for, it does last between 2-3 hours on the skin and matures quite wonderfully to offer a sweet, musky base note. While it's not my favourite perfume, it is my favourite violet scent and one I need to stock up on. This perfume needs to be brought back, and soon. 

Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Eugenol, Violet Leaf Absolute (Viola odorata), Rose Absolute (Rosa centifolia), Jasmine Absolute (Jasminum officinale), Ylang Ylang Oil (Cananga odorata), Bergamot Oil (Citrus bergamia), Clove Bud Oil (Eugenia caryophyllus), Benzyl Salicylate, Citral, Isoeugenol, Limonene, Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

Scent Family:
Bathos Bubble Bar
Bathos Liquid Bubble Bath
Bathos Liquid Perfume

Lush Cocktail: A Spoonful Of Lush Helps The Stress Go Down

Lori's 'A Spoonful Of Lush Helps The Stress Go Down' Cocktail

Contains:

1/2 Pop In The Bath Bubble Bar

1/2 Blackberry Bath Bomb

1/2 Butterball Bath Bomb

Video:

Verdict:

Sometimes the simple things in life are the most impressive. Such is the case with this Lush Cocktail. Not only is this one of the most cost-effective cocktails I have yet to experience, but it also happens to be one of my favourites. Featuring three regular products - all with completely different smells, but all of which compliment each other wonderfully, this is a bath that I will be coming back to again and again. 

Playing homage to the popular film, Mary Poppins, A Spoonful Of Lush Helps The Stress Go Down Cocktail is a bit of a mouthful to say - no pun intended. Not only is this a highly sweet and slightly sultry experience, it also happens to be a visually beautiful one as well - a great tribute to the classic. 

First - crumble the Pop In The Bath Bubble Bar under the running tap. This shares its scent with the popular Olive Branch family so will immediately fill your bathroom with a strong, refreshing mandarin and vine leaves aroma. It's a fragrance that needs to be experienced in order for people to recognise its beauty. 

While the bubble bar is brightly coloured, the water is less desirable and comes out disappointingly clear. While the fragrant bubbles are enough to entice you in, it wouldn't be the best experience on its own. 

For this reason, you must next add in half of a Blackberry Bath Bomb. This stunning ballistic has grown on me each and every time that I have used it and I now consider it a firm favourite amongst the regular items available for general sale. This beautiful bath bomb turns the water into a gorgeous shade of deep purple and gives off a mouth-watering aroma that overpowers the Pop In The Bath quite quickly. 

With apricots, currants and coconut all included in making this bath bomb, Blackberry gives off a strong, powdery and very decadent aroma that makes you wish you could drink the water it creates! Not only does it make this experience what it is, its also one of the most moisturising bath bombs that Lush offer so the water is already thick with the essential oils that are going to leave your skin feeling impeccable. 

Finally, while you don't really need it for moisture, add in half of a Butterball Bath Bomb. This adds in a generous helping of cocoa butter and compliments the fragrance of the other two products and deepens it with it's own chocolately goodness. 

Together, these three products create a strong-smelling, highly nourishing and all round amazing experience in the bath. You exit the tub feeling like a new person and is perfect for when your skin is dry from the heat of the sun or the coldness of the winter weather. I will never not have these three products handy to throw in the tub at a given notice. An absolutely splendid Lush Cocktail.      

Rating: 9.2 out of 10.

Vegan?: Yes.