So White Bath Bomb (New 2016 Edition)

Year in, year out, there are certain seasonal products that you expect to see featured in the collection, no matter what theme the company are going for. While nothing is ever for certain (as we've realised with the recent axing of both Melting Snowman Bath Melt and Christmas Eve Bubble Bar), there are particular products that it would be hard-pressed to imagine a Lush Christmas without. So White Bath Bomb is one of those items.

In all honesty, I have never been enamoured with this ballistic, despite its popularity with nearly all of my friends and family. It is a bath bomb that I buy perhaps one or two of each year, just to ensure that I have tried all of the seasonal products on offer. I never harvest any for later in the year, nor stock up on any during the Boxing Day Sale.

When I first glimpsed the new design for this year's release, my initial reaction was to wonder why Lush had bothered to add such a seemingly pointless green leaf onto the outside the design. From the perspective of someone who enjoys the brighter, more exciting-looking bath bombs, this addition did nothing to muster any sort of excitement from me about the bomb. It was only when I used this in the bath for the first time did I eat my words very quickly.

The most obvious difference this year is that So White Bath Bomb has been revamped internally - having its red centre replaced with a beautiful spring-green one instead. While red seems the most fitting colour when you envisage the fictional story that this product plays homage to, and some fans have been been slightly disgruntled with the change, the new design is in much better keeping with the fragrance that the ballistic offers. 

Featuring bergamot, orange and neroli oil, this crisp, fruity bath bomb smells like you're biting into a freshly-picked Granny Smith apple. It's a mouth-watering experience that features a touch of rose absolute to give it a gentle muskiness and a note of orange blossom to seal it with the subtlest of floral finishes.

Although I have mentioned before that it's not a favourite fragrance of mine, it is definitely not one that I dislike, and this bath bomb is definitely the best format for this scent family. This aroma works perfectly with the colour of the bath water, and even accentuates the smell better so that I was completely overcome by how much I enjoyed So White, compared with my previous experiences.

Upon hitting the water, this bath bomb immediately begins to rock and spin on the surface, sending out frothy waves of white foam that look like clouds as they settle and disperse throughout the tub. Within a matter of seconds, the centre begins to release an explosion of bright yellows and blues. These intersperse throughout the tub, turning the water into a bright, inviting shade of green and finishing with a layer of white that acts almost like a blanket across the surface.

The outer shell continues to dissolve for a good few minutes, and as it's a quiet fizzer, this is where I submerged myself under the water and enjoyed watching the bomb until it had fully disappeared. I loved the fact that the white foam stayed around for quite a while after the bath bomb had finished, as it helped to create beautiful, creamy swirls on the surface.

Whether it's the physical design, or Lush tweaking the recipe a little, I found that the scent of So White was much more pleasing this year. Compared to my previous experiences, this revamped edition seemed to come across a little sweeter, like there was an extra helping of bergamot or neroli or something to elevate those notes.

In the bath, I found that this sweetness took away from the slight sourness that prevents me from being able to enjoy Santa's Belly Shower Jelly. The balance of ingredients allowed it to be a little more rounded and far more beautiful. The fact that the bath water was a gorgeous shade of green only helped to elevate this experience even further.

If you enjoy apple-scented products, but have perhaps been put off by the pungency of the above shower jelly, I would highly suggest that you give this bath bomb a chance. It is in no way as potent or as overwhelming as anything else in this scent family.

Furthermore, the fragrance is perfectly balanced to give you a strong, robust burst in the tub; offer a gentle, appley aroma on your skin afterwards; and leave you looking and feeling soft and refreshed. This is definitely a product I would want to use on Christmas morning, when I need something to set me up well for the day ahead. 

As someone who has now been convinced to nestle a few to enjoy throughout the year, I can safely say that this is a bath bomb that rivals the more visually beautiful seasonal releases. The revamp was a great decision from Lush, despite my initial worries.  

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Perfume, Cream of Tartar, Bergamot Oil, Brazilian Orange Oil, Rose Absolute, Orange Flower Absolute, Neroli Oil, Water, Gardenia Extract, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, *Limonene, Lilial, Colour 42090, Colour 47005, Colour 45350.

Vegan?: Yes,

2016 Price: £3.75 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2016.

Scent Family:
Once Upon A Time Body Lotion
Once Upon A Time Naked Body Lotion
Santa's Belly Jelly
So White Bath Bomb
So White Body Spray
So White New 2016 Edition Bath Bomb
So White Liquid Perfume
So White Shower Gel

Bubbly Shower Gel

The leak of the Christmas products almost two months ago brought about an equal measure of excitement and disappointment. If there is one aspect of any Kitchen or seasonal release that I look forward to the most, it's the introduction of brand new shower gels. They are a pinnacle part of my Lush collection, and outshine the introduction of any new bath bomb or bubble bar. 

When I realised that there was only going to be one new bottle featured in this year's Christmas selection, I was initially a little underwhelmed - despite the surplus of other new goodies that were coming out for the first time for me to enjoy. However, after sharing the shower with this brand new Christmas exclusive only once, I realised very quickly that this would more than make up for the lack of other gels and jellies on offer.

Bubbly Shower Gel is the epitome of its name - a bright, fruity and extremely uplifting shower gel that will turn any miserable morning into an optimistic one at the very least. While not an aroma that is in any way exclusively linked to Christmas (or indeed the new year), this product is the perfect remedy to cheer you up during the colder months, and will definitely help to maintain and improve the condition of your skin at a time when it's most needed. 

Although there is an ever-expansive debate about whether or not this shares its fragrance with the Celebrate and Snowshowers scent family, what is true is that it has the same bubbly, spritzy qualities that will make a person fall in love with it, just like they would the aforementioned. In fact, I would go as far as to say that this may just thwart any previous attempts from Lush to replicate the Celebrate fragrance.

Modelled on champagne, this shower gel is crammed full of so many fruity layers that I feel as if the celebratory drink pales in comparison. Orange, lime and grape juice make up Bubbly's alluring smell, and although I feel as if all three ingredients are on par with each other for the most part, it is the grape juice that breaks the surface a little more and leads the others.

This shower gel smells exactly like Golden Wonder to me - a bright, light and very smooth fruity smell with a warming undercurrent of orange and a single drop of lime juice for a little zest. It's a comforting blanket of juice and what I would describe as a 'bottle of sunshine'. Simply put, it's utterly beautiful.

Not only is it one of the best-smelling shower gels that Lush have ever done, but the ingredients that have gone into it also help to make this one of the most moisturising. Grape juice is great for replenishing the skin, while lime cleanses the pores of excess dirt and orange oil helps to brighten the skin - adding some much needed radiance to those winter-scorched complexions. 

In the bottle, Bubbly is of a medium-to-thick consistency, similar to that of Plum Rain, which means you need very little to utilise a generous lather with. Massaging it across your skin or between your palms creates thick, fragrant, softening suds that glide over and coat your skin with ease, leaving you smelling like a fruity cocktail and lifting your mood ten-fold.

Although this is a Christmas exclusive, this would be equally beautiful at any time of the year, especially during the hotter months - when the collaboration of smells would be very welcoming after a stifling hot day outside. The smell lingers on the skin for a long time after you've towelled yourself down as well, so you'll be followed by bursts of sweet, juicy grape and orange throughout the day.

Being the only new gel this year, it certainly does an incredible job at out-shining anything that has been released for a good number of years. A worthy investment for sure and one that I will be stocking up on before it disappears from the shelf this year. Well done Lush.        

Quantitative Ingredients: Vine Leaf Infusion, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Glycerine, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, *Limonene, Sweet Wild Orange Oil, Lime Oil, Fresh Grape Juice, Lactic Acid,Carrageenan Extract, *Citral, Citronellol, *Linalool, Colour 15510.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £4.95 for 100g, £9.95 for 250g, £16.50 for 500g. 

Year Of Original Release: 2016.

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

Candy Cane Roulade Shower Smoothie

One of two new roulades for this year's seasonal range, Candy Cane is probably one of the least talked about products of the year. Sharing its name with both the bubble bar and the previously released soap - two very different products scent wise, I wasn't sure what to expect when I bought and first used the generous chunk I picked up on Oxford Street a couple of weeks back.

Modelled on the popular Christmas sugar-encrusted delicacy, this roulade is closer in smell to the soap but definitely not a direct replica by any means. Containing fresh mint and cypress oil, this shower soap has a gentle and mildly refreshing minty aroma with just a hint of sweetness - one that is nothing as potent or as strong as the likes of Christingle or Freeze but would still appeal to those who like these items. This is for those who want something subtle but equally as invigorating and fresh-feeling as mint products usually are.

Out of its wrapping, this adorable roulade sports a white and red stripy outer layer, which is made from honeydew melon pulp and can be utilised along with the softer inside. when you're cleaning yourself in the shower. This slightly harder outer shell not only protects the product from drying out as quickly as it might have done without it, but also helps to stop this roulade being as slippery and hard-to-hold while in use.

While I wouldn't say this product is as rich or as sugary as the popular edible version, it offers a gentle mint smell with just a hint of sweetness that I associate with the inclusion of both the cocoa butter and cedarwood oil. Yet despite being such a delicate smell, you can smell this roulade throughout your shower and it leaves a lasting, albeit very subtle smell on your skin for a short while after you've towelled yourself down. I feel as if a dusting powder in the same fragrance would be a lovely addition to prolong this smell even further, and I hope that the company choose to branch out this scent family in the near future.

How you use Candy Cane is down to personal preference. Some choose to use the whole chunk at once - massaging it in circular motions across their skin to generate a thick, soapy lather to clean themselves with. This is effective if you're not sure how much you need to use each time, although I would recommend that you pay the slice down once you have finished to prevent any shrinkage when not in use. 

Others such as myself prefer to break off a generous piece and stimulate the lather between our hands, before transferring the creamy suds across the skin as described above. This means that you're not wetting the whole piece and generally seems to generate more lather. Furthermore, I find that using this method gives you more of a chance to stimulate the oils and butters in the roulade and get a really nice thick, creamy coat of soap and fragrance to clean yourself with.

Impressively, I found that this roulade was really moisturising on my skin, and my hands and body felt both sleek and silky-smooth. This is rare for me as I tend to find that most soaps leave my skin feeling clean but rather parched afterwards, and I always have to rely on a moisturiser to bring back some of the oils that have been stripped from my pores. Furthermore, the light, sweet dusting of mint lingers on your skin for a good hour after you've exited the shower and this leaves your skin feeling really invigorated.

This roulade makes an exceptional alternative as a soap, and when used this way I find that it lasts just as long, if not longer, than a normal 100g block from Lush's regular line. In its favour, Candy Cane is more moisturising and easier to use than a block of rigid soap, not to mention more generous with its lather - and for those that find soaps dry out their skin, this would be a great product to get your hands on. 

While I wouldn't rave about this product for its fragrance, and I wouldn't say the design is anything that's going to win any awards, Candy Cane is a product that I feel is going to slip by many this season, and only once its gone will consumers realise that they should have invested a little more in the beauty. Although I was not expecting to purchase any more than my initial chunk, after the positive experience I have had so far, I will be buying another piece to see me through the early winter months of next year. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Water, Soya Milk, Glycerine, Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil, Corn Syrup, Perfume, Almond Oil, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Cedarwood Oil, Cypress Oil, Fresh Honeydew Melon Pulp,  Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Chloride, Fresh Mint, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, *Limonene, Citronellol, Colour 14700, Colour 17200.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £5.95 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2016.

You Wash My Back Soap

If there's one thing I don't like about soap, it's when it smells like soap. As strange a statement as that is, there is a reason why I have turned to a company like Lush to alter my perception of a product that has been manufactured for the last 5000 years. 

Before I became involved with the company, I thought soap meant slabs of colourless stuff that smelt disgusting and left your skin feeling parched and dry. Lush changed all of this and I couldn't be more grateful to discover the magical world of Sandstone, Oh La La and Snowcake. So to me, You Wash My Back is a step backwards.

Shapes like a yin yang, this soap is circular in design with two halves coloured pink and green. To look at, it's quite an attractive soap. Unfortunately, I discovered a design flaw almost immediately with this product - I only had to press it gently against my skin for it to break in half - an issue that a lot of other Lush fans have commented on as well. 

I recognise the fact that this soap was designed to be shared with a partner - half for them to wash your back, half for you to wash theirs. The problem I found with this is that the pieces you are left with are then very fiddly to use and it was trickier to clean myself with than with other, more sturdier blocks. 

Sharing it's scent with the White Wedding Ballistic, this soap boasts as array of different floral elements - rose, bergamot, ylang ylang and jasmine. I was expecting a very uplifting, musky and rather sophisticated multi-layered aroma. What I discovered however, is a combination that mimics those cheap 30p bars of soap you get from a supermarket. How Lush have managed to combine such beautiful fragrances and end up with what I detected, is rather disappointing. 

It wouldn't be so bad if the fragrance was quite a subtle scent, as I can see this being a lovely hand soap for those who like more mature smells. Unfortunately, this is a very poignant smell and one that follows you around the room. It's not something I was to be bathing in. 

In it's defence, the soap does lather up rather well in the shower and the foam it dispels is really moisturising on the skin - something which cheaper soaps cannot boast. Furthermore, if you love the scent, you'll be pleased to learn that it lingers on your skin for a long time after you've left the shower. 

However, this is not a soap I would really want 'hanging around' and I don't even think I'd want to use it as a hand wash. For this reason, it's one I'd ever consider buying again. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Propylene Glycol, Rapeseed Oil; Sunflower Oil; Coconut Oil (Brassica napus; Helianthus annuus; Cocus nucifera), Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Soya Milk (Glycine soja), Sodium Hydroxide, Perfume, Ylang Ylang Oil (Cananga odorata), Jasmine Absolute (Jaminum officinale), Rose Oil (Rosa damascene), Bergamot Oil (Citrus bergamia), Glycerine, Sodium Chloride, Benzly Salicylate, Eugenol, Geraniol, Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Farnesol, Limonene, Linalool, Hydroxcitronellal, Titanium Dioxide, Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), Colour 45410, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: ?

Year Of Original Release: ?

Scent Family:
White Wedding Ballistic
You Wash My Back Soap

Bubblebeard Reusable Bubble Bar

2012 was the year of the moustache - at least in a fashion sense at least. You couldn't walk past a shop without seeing clothes, bags, phone cases, even bedding, plastered with the stereotypically-shaped black hair strip. Who compelled companies to get everyone obsessed with the fashionable upper-lip attire I'll never know, but it's presence was inescapable. 

When Lush brought out the Bubblebeard Reuable Bubble Bar, I was not in the least bit surprised. Despite my refusal to buy anything moustache-related, I couldn't fight the urge to pick up one of these and did so with a somewhat amount of suppressed excitement.       

Just like Lush's other seasonal reusable bubble bar, Magic Wand, this product is designed to last across multiple baths, which makes it great value for money. I managed to get four good quality baths from this bar, which is not as many as other bars have heeded, but it still works out at about £1 per bath, which makes it better value than most other bubble bars and bath bombs.

How you use the bar is simple; just run a bath and then swirl the bubble bar around in the water, like you would a wand in the air. You'll find that the water begins turns a very slightly blue colour and within a few seconds, silky-soft bubbles begin to form. This part is probably the product's most appealing aspect; for one, it means you can choose how much to use each time, and secondly, the action of waving it like a wand, is a fun factor that kids will love.

Unfortunately, the reason why Bubblebeard didn't last as long as the likes of Magic Wand, The Mum and Madame Butterfly, is that I found myself swishing it around the water for a lot longer to get the desired amount of bubbles. I found that this reusable bubble bar was rather stubborn when it came to creating bubbles. Not to mention the fact that the second time I used this, the bar fell off of the stick, which made it harder for me to use afterwards. 

What I enjoyed about this product was it's scent. When it hits the water, it doesn't take long before the beautiful herbal, woody smell makes itself known. With sandalwood, cedarwood and lavender oil in this bar, you can definitely smell a fresh herbal lavender here, intertwined with a strong but gentle woody note. It's definitely a very wintery smell and makes a great change from the fruity, candy products that often dominate the Christmas range. At times, the fragrance even reminded me slightly of dried pine, which was lovely. What made it even better was that this fragrance stayed with me throughout the entire bathing experience and left a gentle herbal note on my skin afterwards.

Furthermore, this product was really moisturising and turned the water into liquid silk. It made my body feel really soft and nourished, and was a treat for my tired and parched skin. It gives you a very comforting bathing experience and I can see why people would turn to this for the much needed comfort that winter weather can inspire.

I can see this being a popular and rather fun unisex product around the Christmas period. However, it didn't leave enough of an impression to make me invest in it again. There are far too many other bubble bars that offer more bubbles, a nicer scent and a better, more well-rounded experience. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Carbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Glycerine, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Cedarwood Oil, Lavender Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Tonka Absolute, Coumarin, Geraniuol, Limonene, Linalool, Snowflake Lustre.

Vegan?: Yes.

Metamorphosis Bath Bomb

Occasionally it's quite amusing to stand back and think about how many people across the world are enamoured with 'the bath bomb'; how consumers will flock, queue for hours and invest so much money in a product that is basically sodium bicarbonate, fragrance and colouring hand-pressed together. I'm not for one second ridiculing this notion - I think this website holds enough evidence to make a strong case that I am a pretty big fan of those colourful explosions myself, but it is still an entertaining thought nonetheless. 

The reason I have mentioned this idea is that the recent arrival of Metamorphosis Bath Bomb generated a fair bit of excitement when social media first got a glimpse of the exclusive limited edition product back in September - not only because it was sold exclusively at Lush's Creative Showcase event and was very hard to get a hold of, but also because its design was something far different than anything Lush had ever released before.

The steel-grey outer shell, with jagged indents across the surface, make this bath bomb look like a cross between a meteorite and something you'd expect to see in Game Of Thrones. However, its design is very deceiving, and you only have to pop one into the water to understand exactly what I mean by this.

Fizzing immediately upon hitting the water, Metamorphosis begins by sending out waves of metallic-grey streams across the surface, which remain prominent for quite some time once the whole bath bomb has dissolved. What is impressive is that within a matter of seconds waves of yellow and pink, and later on green and orange colour make their way out and bubble and froth to create a very unique experience.

This abundance of colour not only merges with the silver streaks to create a beautiful rainbow across the surface of the water, but slowly transforms the colour of your bath from a murky, grey to a warming shade of orange. This whole transformation takes place across a two minute time span and leaves you with an attractive, fragrant bath to submerge yourself into.

Sporting a brand new scent, this beautifully crafted ballistic smells almost exactly what you'd imagined it to be like. Containing black pepper, cinnamon and myrrth, Metamorphosis is like the cranky older brother of Lord Of Misrule - a dry, dusty and slightly smokey collaboration of smells. 

Both out of the packet and in the bath, its aroma reminds me a little of what I can imagine Lord Of Misrule smelling like if you were to remove the tonka absolute and turn out the spice a little on the patchouli. This particular bath bomb doesn't have any of the sweet elements that either of the above ingredients can add to a smell. Instead, you get a warming note of cinnamon intertwined with an almost sap-like thread of myrrh. Alongside this is a note of black pepper, stripped of its heat but with an intense smell that brings all three components together.

This is a bath bomb for those who like quite dry smells, or ones that have that smoky, earthy feel about them. Despite the colourful display in the tub, the scent of this remains quite intense and very sultry throughout, and while I wouldn't describe it as being an overly potent smell, it's definitely one that makes an impression from beginning to end. 

After exiting the bath, I found that there were gentle notes of all three ingredients on my skin, and while it wasn't the strongest of aromas, I could still detect the smell for a few hours after I had exited the bath. I also discovered that my skin felt quite smooth and soft after bathing in the water, even though the water didn't particularly feel overly moisturising while I was in the tub.  

Although I wouldn't say that this comes close to rivalling or replacing Lord Of Misrule (that in itself would be a near impossible feat), it's a unique and very intense aroma that would appeal to fans of this, Blue Skies and maybe even Tramp. I cannot wait for Lush to unleash this into the world because I know it'll be a firm favourite among many Lush fans.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Black Pepper Oil, Cinnamon Leaf Oil, Myrrh Resinoid, Cream of Tartar, Water (Aqua), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, DRF Alcohol, *Linalool, *Limonene, Perfume, Silver And Black Lustre, Colour 45410, Colour 17200, Colour 45350, Colour 15510, Colour 14700, Colour 47005, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £3.95 each.
2018 Price: £4.50 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2016.

Scent Family:
Metamorphosis Bath Bomb
Rentless Liquid Perfume

   

Satsuma Bath Bomb

After the initial excitement of the seasonal collection, and once I have had an opportunity to test out the majority of the products, I love to look back and reflect upon those that I was most excited about and whether or not they lived up to my expectations. There is something rather enjoyable about reliving my preconceptions and then comparing them to what I actually feel about the items after using them for myself.

Very rare is it that I have a product that makes a strong impression on me, only to waver during my experience. However, there are a few exceptions, and unfortunately Satsuma Bath Bomb is one of these. To say I am underwhelmed by this bath bomb is an understatement. While I wouldn't say it's a terrible bomb in the slightest, it is definitely not one that I feel compelled to buy again.

Sharing its scent with last year's Dashing Santa Bath Bomb and this year's Santa's Postbox Soap, this bath bomb has a lot of promise in its description. Containing mandarin and bergamot oil, not to mention a generous splash of fresh satsuma juice, the overriding aroma you get from this seasonal ballistic is a subtle, fruity one. 

Just like the aforementioned bath bomb, this one smells like the freshly-squeezed juice of a mandarin. It has a gentle, non zesty fragrance - one without the kick that you would expect a fresh satsuma to offer. It's almost like mandarin sherbet with a delicate note of bergamot that makes it's refreshing yet not as potent as most of Lush's usual fruity fragrances. If I was just rating the smell alone, it would definitely score a strong five out of six.

On the positive side, those who want something bright and vibrant in the bath tub, without being overwhelmed by a strong smell, will no doubt appreciate the delicacy in which this bath bomb offers its scent. In the tub it turns the water a beautiful and very bright shade of orange, and this in itself is enough to warm even the most stubborn of bathers. 

Unfortunately, I was disappointed to find that the scent made very little impression on me in the tub. In fact, after filming one in action and then using a second Satsuma while I took pictures to accompany this review, I discovered that even combining the two didn't strengthen the overall aroma, and I couldn't detect anything at all within five minutes of being in the bath. 

At one point I even left the bathroom and reentered a while later to test out whether or not my senses had become accustomed to the aroma, and found that I still wasn't able to make out very much. After resorting to sniffing the water up close and identifying nothing still, I resigned in the knowledge that this was a bath bomb of little power.

Thinking perhaps I had received a bad batch from the Lush Kitchen, I have since tried specimens from Oxford Street and online, and I have reached the conclusion that this bath bomb is one of the least generous, scent-wise, that I have had in a while. 

Upon contact with the water, this bath bomb crackles and pops like an open fire and shoots out streams of bright orange colour across the surface of the tub. It doesn't take more than a matter of seconds for the water to turn a vivid shade of tiger and in its favour, this colour remains prominent throughout the entire experience. While there is glitter listed in the ingredients list, I didn't find much of trace in the water, besides from an occasional, delicate shimmer of silver when the water was disturbed.  

While Satsuma did leave me feeling smooth and soft after I had towelled myself down, I wouldn't say that it was overly moisturising, and you may wish to cocktail it along with a bath melt or bubble bar to add those additional oils to your experience. However, what the bath bomb did do, thanks to the inclusion of the bergamot oil, is make me feel more awake and cheerful for the rest of the day.

Overall, this bath bomb is definitely my least favourite from this years seasonal range, and the handful I acquired from the Lush Kitchen will be the only ones I invest in this year. While the description sounds like something I would love, the reality is that the redeeming features of this product is its colour and effect it has on the mood, and these merits are not enough for me to mask my disappointment. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Bergamot Oil, Sicilian Mandarin Oil, Orange Flower Absolute, Fresh Satsuma Juice, Cream of Tartar, Titanium Dioxide, Tin Oxide, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, *Hydroxycitronellal, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume, Tangerine; Radiant Gold; Spring Green Lustres, Colour 47005.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £3.75 each (Sold Individually at Oxford Street only)

Year Of Original Release: 2016.

Scent Family: 

Dashing Santa Bath Bomb

Santa's Postbox Soap

Satsuma Bath Bomb

Satsuma Soap

Satsumo Bath Bomb

Amelie Mae Liquid Perfume

When I discovered that Lush had bought out a whole volume of new perfumes at the recent Creative Showcase, I was devastated to learn that these exclusive beauties might never see an official release for the public. Fragrances are on par with showers gels as my favourite part of Lush's catalogue, not to mention the fact that as a collector the idea of not being able to get these altogether was a seriously low blow. Incredibly, I was able to acquire a handful of these liquid limited editions through the community's generosity and I couldn't wait to experience them in all of their glory.

First to hit the stage is Amelie Mae - a perfume that received a very high level of glowing feedback at the event and ultimately one of two that, those privileged enough to have experienced it, generated a lot of enthusiasm about a future public release. If any of these perfumes are going to be made, I would assume that this one (perhaps the most personal of the bunch) would be at the top of the pile.

This particular perfume was created by Simon Constantine for his youngest daughter Amelie Mae and features notes of lavender, ylang ylang and rose, that come together to form a perfume like nothing you've ever experienced before. If you think you can envisage what this perfume smells like, it is likely that you are very very wrong.

Containing lavender as the key ingredient, you'd be mistaken for thinking it is anything like the lavender-scented products we have seen so far from Lush. No, it is nothing like Twilight or Golden Slumbers; as far away from French Kiss as it could possibly be, or indeed any other of the products that boast the flower as its key ingredient. This is a brand new fragrance and an aroma that you'd never expect to come from a perfume with lavender so high up in the mix.

Alongside the lavender is both ylang ylang and rose absolute and it is the former ingredient that takes the lead in this perfume. From the bottle, you get a heavy (but not potent), sweet, slightly fruity floral scent. Although the floral components dictate the overall smell of this, there is a fruity element that reminds me a little of powdered raspberries.

Lush describe this fragrance as having a jammy rose smell and I completely agree with this sentiment. In fact, I think it is this component that gives it the fruity note that I mentioned above. The rose absolute adds a cloying, rather honeyed layer to the overall perfume and encases the other ingredients in a blanket of sweetness. I should point out however that, while the rose element does remind me very slightly of Rose Jam perfume after it's been left to settle on the skin, the two fragrances are very different.

In a way, the smell of the perfume is reminiscent of apricots very slightly, but more the taste of apricots than the generic smell you can imagine getting from cheap, high street brands. That compacted, peachy tartness that you experience when biting into a dried apricot might give you an inkling of what to expect with this perfume. While the floral components are the driving force behind this fragrance, it's easy to imagine the rose and ylang ylang getting drunk on apricot liquor, and the saturated aroma of the three ingredients combined is the driving force behind the smell.    

What I love about this perfume is that, on the skin, the lavender comes through a little more and the whole aroma seems to develop on the body to create a much more warming, well-rounded smell. Known for relieving stress and acting as an anti-anxietal, the ylang ylang really did help to comfort me and elevate my mood while wearing the product, and I found myself missing the smell when it had dispersed from my skin. 

On the downside, I discovered that this didn't last on my skin for as long as I was hoping - given that it's such a robust perfume in the bottle I was expecting it to last all day. After a couple of hours, I found that I needed to top up a little because my nose was no longer able to detect it. However, the fact that it's such a strong perfume means that I didn't need more than a single spritz to top myself back up again. 

Overall, this is a lovely new addition to Lush's collection of perfumes and I know it's going to be a big seller (and one of the most popular fragrances) if Lush choose to release this to the general public. Fans of 1000 Kisses and Cocktail might appreciate this one, as although the scents are very different, there is something about Amelie Mae that breeds familiarity. Perhaps it is the strange, alluring concoction of floral and fruity, or maybe just the wonderful stories of love that went into making them to begin with.

Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Lavender Oil, Ylang Ylang Oil, Rose Absolute,  Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Cinnamate, Benzyl Salycilate, Cinnamon, Citral, Citronellol, Coumarin, Eugenol, Farnesol, Geraniol, Isoeugenol, Limone, Lianlool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £32 for 30ml.

Year Of Original Release: 2016.

Scent Family:
Amelie Mae FUN Bar


Amelie Mae Liquid Perfume