Maypole Body Lotion

Although I would never claim to be a huge fan of mint, there is something delicious and rather satisfying about a mint fragrance that has a buttery element to it. While I'm not a fan of soaps as a whole, and I find it very difficult to get that excited about any new ones that Lush bring out, I have to say that Maypole was definitely one that piped my interests a little to begin with.

 

Sharing its scent with the aforementioned soap, Maypole Body Lotion is exactly like its older sibling - a creamy, mouth-watering combination of peppermint and Canadian maple syrup. There is something about this combination that removes that unwanted harsh smell that you'd normally associate with mint-dominated fragrances, and instead offers a velvety blanket of peppermint that is slightly cushioned by the sweetness of the syrup.

 

Imagine a buttery mint or mint-flavoured toffee, and you might begin to understand the scent that this body lotion offers. While those that oppose mint smells will still dislike this release, consumers that are looking for something both refreshing and comforting, will probably quite enjoy what this product has to offer. 

Released as a one-off special in the Lush Kitchen, this limited edition is the perfect accompaniment for this time of year. In the autumn weather, the sweetness of the syrup comes alive with the heat of your body, and you'll feel like you're wrapped in a sugary blanket of warmth and comfort. During the winter months, the mint will not only stimulate your muscles and relieve a little tension, but will work on leaving you feeling refreshed while you're cocooned under layers of clothing. 

 

Sporting a medium thickness, this limited edition is fairly straight forward to apply across the body, and you won't find that it takes very long to be absorbed into the skin. I would recommend that once you're massaged it across the areas you wish to moisturise, you leave a good 10-15 minutes to allow the product to disperse into the skin before reapplying any clothing.

 

Once on the skin, the peppermint tends to dissipate within about 10 minutes, and you're left with more of a creamy, sugary smell with just a hint of mint in the background. Within about 40 -50 minutes, I wasn't able to detect much of a smell at all, and I had to reapply the body lotion If I wanted more of the fragrance.

While the aroma was fairly short-lived, I did find that the lotion did have an impact on my skin for a good few hours after application. My hands in particular, which seem to receive the brunt of the colder weather, were still smooth and soft some three hours later, and I found that I only needed to reapply it once more throughout the day to keep them in good condition. 

 

Having said that, I did notice that my skin needed to be moisturised again the following day, as the body lotion doesn't seem to heed long-term results. Unlike Sympathy For The Skin, I didn't noticed the condition of my skin change and improve over time, so I don't believe this lotion is overly nourishing for those who have fairly dry complexions.

 

Overall, those who want a body lotion that will keep them moisturised for the day ahead, Maypole may be one you want to try - if it ever makes an appearance again. However, there are lotions that are far more effective, and much more appealing to me that will probably prevent me from purchasing this again any time soon.Quantitative Ingredients: ?Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £13.95 for 225g.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

 

Scent Family:

Maypole Body Lotion

Maypole Soap

 

 

Santa's Christmas Shower Cream

Lush is about as unpredictable as you can possibly get when it comes to their releases. Products that seem incredibly popular suddenly find themselves being discontinued to the shock of the masses; scents that create an instant buzz seem to fade into the distance, never to be seen or heard from again; fragrances that are rarely spoken about within the community, are suddenly made the focal point of a seasonal release.

I cannot imagine that there would be many people who ever envisaged Santa Baby being made into a Shower Cream, let alone one that would be so prominent in this year's Christmas range. While not in anyway bad, the fragrance is not exactly one that inspires a strong reaction from most people, myself included, and Lush must have had some reason for including it in their collection this year. 

Santa's Christmas is a new addition to the company's ever-growing collection of Shower creams - a sweet and creamy fruity concoction of ingredients that is as impressive as the vibrant shade of red that it offers in the bottle. Featuring both a coffee and a cinnamon infusion; lime, black pepper and aniseed oils, you would expect the scent of this to be very different from the one that greets you from the bottle. 

With so many different components, you would expect a strong, complex aroma to contend with. However, I found that this shower cream was far milder in fragrance than I was expecting, which is perhaps why it hasn't made as much of an impact on my senses as some of the more 'in your face' products.

From the bottle, the initial smell, that both myself and the majority of people who I've spoke to about agree on, is one reminiscent of flat vanilla cola. There is a soft bed of creaminess that makes its presence known straight away - one laced with both lime and vanilla, with a delicate layer of cinnamon underneath to  add a little subtle seasonal spice.

Surprisingly, you will notice that there doesn't appear to be any vanilla in the ingredients list. However, the inclusion of the cocoa butter not only makes this shower cream rather moisturising on the skin, but it also offers a comforting blanket of sweetness that governs the aroma without a doubt. 

Strangely, I wasn't able to detect much of the coffee or the aniseed in the smell, although I would imagine that they do contribute to the overall 'roundedness' of the shower cream. Having said that, I did find that this product did well at cleaning my skin and leaving it feeling really smooth to the touch, and I wonder if both of these ingredients helped to give my skin some much needed clarity, that I did notice I could feel afterwards.

When compared to the naked version of this shower gel, I found that Santa's Christmas was quite hard to lather up, whereas the solid edition did produce some of a standard-looking lather. In regards to this version, I found myself using more than I would with a shower gel, just to ensure that I had enough to clean myself with.

Furthermore, I found it quite ironic, given the fact that Lush have brought out a solid version of this, as Santa's Christmas was perhaps the thickest shower cream I have used from the company to date. You really have to squeeze the bottle hard to get the product out, and it comes out as a thick paste, almost sharing its consistency with that of wasabi.

Despite this, I found that the scent of this version was much stronger and I was able to detect it longer on my skin. Furthermore, there is something rather enjoyable about using a shower cream that temporarily turns your skin the colour red because of how potent the colour is.

This is by far one of my least favourite seasonal shower creams to date, but only because the likes of Yummy Mummy and Prince Charming have set the bar so high in comparison. I will enjoy using my 250g bottle for the foreseeable future, but I don't see this as being one I would want to purchase again, or stock up on before the Christmas season is over.

Quantitative Ingredients: Glycerine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Water (Aqua), Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Almond Oil, Stearic Acid, Coffee Infusion, Cinnamon Infusion, Cetearyl Alcohol, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Triethanolamine, Lime Oil, Aniseed Oil, Black Pepper Oil, Benzoin Resinoid, Fresh Lime Juice, Fresh Orange Juice, Titanium Dioxide, *Citral, *Limonene, Colour 16035, Colour 73360.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £10.95 for 250g, £17.95 for 500g.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Scent Family:
Santa Baby Lip Tint
Santa Baby Naked Lip Tint
Santa's Christmas Naked Shower Cream


Santa's Christmas Shower Cream

Funny Face FUN Bar

Before the Lush Kitchen released both this and the popular Keep It Fluffy Bath Bomb earlier this year, I had read about this amazing scent family but had never had the privilege of trying anything out first hand. While I saw the potential in the bath bomb when it arrived, I wasn't particularly bowled over by its performance. For this reason, it wasn't until this little beauty came into my life that I was finally able to appreciate how incredible this fragrance is, and now I dream of getting my hands on a fresh bottle of the liquid perfume.

Funny Face FUN Bar first made an appearance at the Lush Summit event earlier this year - a product that was initially overlooked because of the excitement surrounding many of the other exclusives that had made themselves known at the same time. However, a little hype was enough to get the Lush community into a bit of a frenzy, and the product sold out very quickly in the Lush Kitchen a few weeks later.   

Containing both vanilla and jasmine, this limited edition FUN Bar has an aroma that is so beautifully delicate, that it is this very subtlety that makes it as exquisite as it is. Showcasing a sweet and rather musky floral scent, there is something rather innocent and child-like about this smell - yet one that also offers something that is quite old-fashioned - to my senses at least.

It's what I would describe as being a very light, feminine fragrance. The notes of vanilla and rose really compliment each other - producing a musky, almost powdery floral aroma that is as sweet as it is sensual. It's a very 'pink' smelling fragrance, and reminds me a little of the scent you get when using a powderpuff.

Despite the light, delicate floral smells, there is something very foody about it at times. Don't get me wrong: it's not a smell that tantalises your tastebuds - just one reminiscent of icing sugar and sweet things - a powdery collaboration of what you might expect an old jar of marshmallows to smell like, from an old-fashioned sweet shop.

Despite the subtly of the overall fragrance, I was really surprised to discover that the scent was robust enough to last on the skin. Furthermore, I was impressed that I could still smell remnants of the aroma a good while after I had exited the shower. While it wasn't exactly the most moisturising affair (none of the FUN bars can offer this much), it did leave me feeling soft and clean - perhaps a little more successfully than most soaps would.

  

As with all of Lush's FUN bars, you can use this one in replacement of a shower gel, bubble bar or shampoo. To create bubbles in your bath, simply break off the amount that you wish to use and hold it under the running water. If you're using it in the shower, take a small grape-sized piece, add a little water and lather between your hands. 

My only warning about Funny Face is that you have to ensure that the product is kept both cool and dry in between uses. In addition, you need to ensure that the bar is stored in a container if you wish to keep it in the bathroom. If left exposed, FUN Bars will sweat and melt, and leave a horrible mess all over the counter it's perched on.

Overall, this product has done nothing but intensify my cravings for either a perfume or a body lotion in this fragrance, and I only hope that Lush will satisfy these urges at some point in the near future. I also hope that this FUN Bar makes a reappearance as well, as I could happily buy a couple more to tide me over.  

Quantitative Ingredients: Cornflour, Talc, Glycerine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lemongrass oil, Ylang Ylang Oil, Vanilla Absolute, Jasmine Absolute, Benzyl Benzoate, Citral, Citronellol.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £5.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Scent Family:
Funny Face Fun Bar
Keep It Fluffy Bath Bomb
Keep It Fluffy Liquid Perfume

Love Birds Soap

Amelie Mae Fun Bar

Reflecting on the various scented FUN bars that Lush have released over the years, I really wish that they had the incentive to do the same with their shower gels. While I am very much in love with the jellies, gels and creams that the company have brought out over the last five years, there has been some superior choices made in the FUN range - this one being no exception.

To coincide with the global Gorilla Perfume tour, Amelie Mae FUN was released and sold in small batches at the various shows - available alongside most of the Volume 4 perfumes that were featured in the showcase. Sharing its scent with the liquid perfume of the same name, this gorgeous looking bar is exquisite in every way, and may even trump the fragrance itself.   

Created by Simon Constantine for his youngest daughter Amelie Mae, this FUN bar is not only a homage to one of the perfumer's biggest achievements, but it's also rather fitting, given that FUN is primarily designed with children in mind. Sporting bright shades of both green and pink, this limited edition also happens to be one of the most attractive FUN bars to date, and I couldn't wait to rip the wrapper off and use it for myself.

Featuring notes of lavender, ylang ylang and rose, you would expect Amelie Mae to offer a highly floral fragrance. While there is definitely a floral theme running throughout, there is something rather sweet and playful about this scent as well. As I said in my review of the liquid perfume version, if you think you are able to imagine what this smells like from the ingredients list alone, you are most likely going to be proved wrong.

From the wrapper, I get what I can only describe as a juicy rose smell - one that does have traits of the popular Rose Jam family, albeit sweeter and perhaps a little more jam-like. There is also a thread of fruitiness running through, which reminds me a little of raspberry bubblegum, but again I would be underselling it if I said this was all I could detect.

Much like the perfume version, the gentle note of lavender is very subtle in the mix, and almost adds a base that all of the other components rest on. You can definitely smell that the lavender is there, but the other components make much more of an impression on me.

There is something fruity about this FUN bar that makes me salivate when I smell it, and I love that it offers something quite playful and youthful. However, there is also something a little mature about the notes of lavender and violet that make it as delectable as it is sophisticated.

As with all of Lush's FUN bars, you can use this one in replacement of a shower gel, bubble bar or shampoo. To create bubbles in your bath, simply break off the amount that you wish to use and hold it under the running water. If you're using it in the shower, take a small grape-sized piece, add a little water and lather between your hands. 

Although it is not as moisturising as any of the products that you may replace it with, for the price tag it is great value for money. I found that when used across my skin, the scent was really strong and stayed with me for a good hour after I had towelled myself down. In fact, I am now convinced that Lush need to bring out a body lotion version because it would be delicious.

My only warning about this and every one of Lush's FUN bars, is that you have to ensure that the rest of the product is kept both cool and dry in between uses. In addition, you need to ensure that the bar is stored in a container if you wish to keep it in the bathroom. If left exposed, FUN Bars will sweat and melt, and leave a horrible mess all over the counter it's perched on. 

Overall, this may in fact be my favourite FUN Bar to date. It smells exactly like the perfume, although I would even go as far as to say that it may even be slightly stronger than the fragrance itself. I really hope this is made available in the near future - for everyone who loves this scent, or for those who has not had the opportunity to try this out for themselves, as it is truly delicious. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Cornflour, Talc, Glycerine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lavendar, Ylang Ylang Oil, Violet Leaf Absolute,

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £6.95 for 200g.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Scent Family:
Amelie Mae FUN Bar

Amelie Mae Liquid Perfume

Christmas Sweater Bath Bomb

My first impression of this year's Christmas range was that I was rather disappointed by the lack of new bath bombs. While there seemed to be enough bubble bars to bring down Santa's sleigh, the two bath bombs that featured amongst these did not do much to excite me about the range as a whole. Having said that, I should point out that the 2017 seasonal collection over all is perhaps far more impressive than it has been for years. 

Christmas Sweater confused me for two reasons. Firstly, as a British company, I assumed that they would have chosen the more appropriate term 'jumper', as that's what most of us Brits would have related to more. And secondly, the list of ingredients rang alarm bells for me because they seemed far too familiar.

As it turns out, this seasonal ballistic is very nearly a replica of my least favourite bath bomb ever: Fizzy O' Therapy, albeit far more attractive. In fact, the only difference between the two, scent wise, is that this latest edition features the inclusion of Sicilian lemon oil, which adds a subtle hint of fruitiness to the occasion.

For those not familiar with my terrible experiences of Fizzy O' Therapy, you should know that it is not the scent that deters me from using it. While the design might not be particularly attractive, it is the sewage-coloured water that sends alarm bells ringing, and the gritty consistency that has me running in the opposite direction.

When it comes to Christmas Sweater, neither of these two are relevant, and in fact I happen to think that this bath bomb heeds some of the most stunning bath art that I've seen in a long time from Lush. With a yellow core and red outer shell, this seasonal ballistic creates beautiful rainbows of colour that pattern the surface of the water, and the deep shade of red that the water transpires into afterwards is gorgeous. Having said that, the fragrance is very similar to the aforementioned bath bomb above, and the effect it has on you is equally familiar. 

Smell-wise, this bath bomb offers a gentle but very warming fragrance. From the start, you can smell the sweet, spicy layer of cinnamon. It is not anywhere near as 'hot' as it is in Cinders Bath Bomb - instead offering a gentle and very comforting herbal layer. Alongside this, the ginger gives the bath bomb a delicate note that is almost floral, while both the cloves and lemon oil round the fragrance off with a sweet and subtley fruity smell. 

Despite the bath bomb featuring many quite potent ingredients, I was surprised to find that the overall affect is quite a subtle one. This is not a bath bomb that will blow your socks off; this is one that will gently ease them from your feet and coax the warmth back into your bones. This is a wonderful remedy to enjoy after a long, hard day at work.

What is great about Christmas Sweater Bath Bomb is that not only does it smell like a winter wonderland, but that each ingredient has been added to stimulate the muscles, release the tension and banish the chills that you may be harvesting in this often unforgiving season. Although this bath bomb isn't the most nourishing one that I'd had from Lush, it does leave your skin feeling smooth, soft and moisturised - enough to banish those dry areas brought on by the harsh conditions outside. While I'm not looking forward to the colder weather setting in, I do know that I'm now prepared for what to use, if and when that eventually happens.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Ginger Powder, Mustard Powder, Perfume, Coriander Seed Oil, Clove Bud Oil, Sicilian Lemon Oil, Titanium Dioxide, Water (Aqua), Propylene, Glycol Cinnamyl, Alcohol *Eugenol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 14700, Colour 15985:1, Colour 19140:1, Colour 47005, Colour 45410, Colour 17200.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £4.50 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Secret Garden Liquid Perfume

When I first tried out all of the Volume 4 perfumes, I was convinced that I still preferred the previous Volume, as there seemed to be more 'staples' in that range. Having spent the last few months religiously using all of the new fragrances, I am now of the opinion that this is easily my favourite collection from Lush. Every fragrance is so very different, and the stories behind each and every one have a poignancy that makes them even more lovable. 

Having said that, there are a couple of week contenders, and Secret Garden is unfortunately one of these. While I wasn't bowled over by Sweet Grandma either, I at least appreciated the meaning behind the creation, which allowed me to see it as rather endearing and 'sweet'. However, the combination of notes in this fragrance, and the rather uninspiring story behind it, leaves me a little uninterested.

As an optimistic gardener, Simon based this combination of osmanthus and immortelle on his struggles to create the perfect, permaculture plot. Unable to muse a collaboration of plants and flowers in the manner that suited him, he decided to turn his hand at creating a perfume that would do the job instead.  The name 'Secret Garden' plays homage not only to the person who taught him all about permaculture in the first place, but to how he imagined his plot would smell like after it had been finished.

Dark in colour, Secret Garden Liquid Perfume at least has an alluring appeal in the bottle. Just like the recently reviewed Road From Damascus, it is also an extremely powerful and rather heavy floral aroma - one that almost saturates your skin with its different components, and stays on your body and clothes for hours on end. 

Unlike the aforementioned fragrance above, this one isn't as playfully sweet: it's far more resinous and smoky, and touches upon more of a wet, exotic floral smell as opposed to a bright and uplifting one. From the bottle, there is something almost aniseed-like about the smell, although I wouldn't claim that this is what the perfume smells like on the skin. However the combination of the ingredients does remind me slightly of liquorice a little - almost like there is a syrupy, resinous note to it.

Once sprayed on the skin, the osmanthus offers a slightly spicy, green-like floral note - the immortelle absolute supporting this with a gentle smoky smell that pads the aroma out. Intertwined is the myrrh resinoid, which not only expands the fragrance out even more, but brings about a rounded warmth, and gives Secret Garden a very unique and very heavy scent. 

Imagine walking through an overgrown garden after a night of rain: with trees drooping above you, wet with dew; and plants and bushes bursting with hundreds of threads of fragrance, and you may begin to understand what this limited edition perfume smells like. It's like nothing that Lush have ever released before, and offers much more of a pessimistic impression than most of Lush's other floral smells.

Despite how unique it is, and how impressed I was that it lasted on my skin for so long, it wasn't a smell that I grew to appreciate all that much. For those who enjoy more exotic floral smells, you will no doubt enjoy how unique this one is. However, I can safely say that this one is my least favourite from the Volume 4 collection.

Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Osmanthus Absolute, Everlasting Flower Absolute, Myrrh Resinoid, Linalool, Limonene, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Citronellol, Benzyl Benzoate, Geraniol, Eugenol, Farnesol, Benzyl Salicylate, Benzyl Alcohol.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: ?

Year Of Original Release: 2016.

   

Road From Damascus Liquid Perfume

I say this time and time again: I have never understood how or why Lush work in the way that they do. On the one hand, I understand and agree on their stance for allowing the consumer to promote their products as opposed to them doing it themselves. This incites a level of honesty that most companies try to diminish, which means that promotion from companies other than Lush don't  very often offer a true reflection on the products on sale. However, Lush's 'exclusivity' is both confusing and frustrating, and from an outside perspective I just cannot make sense of it all.

Road From Damascus Liquid Perfume is yet another fragrance from Lush's recent Volume 4 collection that hasn't made it to commercial release. After attending the Gorilla Perfume exhibition in Edinburgh, this is one that I was convinced would be a popular seller, and it left a lasting impression on me: not least because it was the opening act as you walked through the door and into the gallery. 

Inspired by perfumer Simon Constantine's travels into and across Lebanon, this fragrance is a full-bodied and very powerful combination of bitter orange and Damascus rose. During his time in the country, Simon learned the struggles and the dangerous journey that thousands of refugees had to make on a daily basis to flee the neighbouring, war-torn Syria. Witnessing the ordeal of having to cross checkpoints that were guarded at gunpoint, and collecting hundreds of stories from the people around him - fleeing their livelihoods to survive, the harsh reality was enough to inspire him to create a perfume in homage of his ordeal.

For starters, Road From Damascus is a strong, powdery combination of rose, orange and violet. Sharing its scent with both the bath oil that was released last year in the Lush Kitchen, and Magic Bubble Bar that came out at the Lush Summit, this limited edition fragrance is perhaps one of the strongest perfumes from the Volume 4 range. One for floral lovers, for sure.

While I shouldn't really compare this to Rose Jam Liquid Perfume, I will say that the initial burst of smell holds a very small remnant of similarity. There is something very cloudy about the rose smell that gives that impression, although this is quickly diminished when the underlying note of violet leaf steers it away from being 'strictly rose'.

Both of these ingredients create a sweet but equally very powerful floral aroma - one that showcases all three of the key components by themselves, while also working in harmony so that they combine perfectly. The orange absolute not only supports the naturally sweet element of the other two ingredients, but offers a thread of bitterness that comes through the longer it is on the skin.

This latter note sets Road From Damascus apart from other Lush floral perfumes, and it is this gentle tartness that gives this fragrance its poignancy. It's a perfect reminder that while life is and should be sweet, there is always that element of bitterness that makes itself known.

This is one of my favourite perfumes from Volume 4, despite not really being a huge advocate of floral smells. The perfume is strong enough that it lasts for hours on the skin. In fact, I can spray this in the morning before work and still smell remnants of the scent as I'm leaving to go home. Lush would be silly not to celebrate this fragrance in other formats, and I look forward to seeing these releases in the near future.

Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Rose Absolute, Orange Flower Absolute, Violet Leaf Absolute, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool, Citronellol, Farnesol, Eugenol, Citral.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £50 for 30ml.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Scent Family:
Magic Bubble Bar
Road From Damascus Bath Oil
Road From Damascus Liquid Perfume

Blackcurrant Angel Liquid Angel

For those who have been following my blog for a while, you'll know that blackcurrant is one of my favourite scents from Lush. Like a lot of people, I fell in love with The Comforter Bubble Bar at the very beginning of my Lush journey, and the experience was so incredible that it solidified my faith in the company. Too many times I have come across, what I would term loosely, 'berry-scented' cosmetics, only to find that they're synthetic and far-removed from the natural fruity fragrance that they should be. When it comes to Lush, they know how to do it well. 

Blackcurrant Angel is one of the latest creations from the company - a limited edition from the Volume 4 range that is strangely not part of the general release, and has so far only been made available at specific Gorilla Perfume events across the globe. With it being so exquisite and unique, I do hope that it becomes commercially available at some point in the future: it's one that needs to be experienced. 

As with all of the Volume 4 perfumes, this one is based on the life and workings of Hal Samples - an eccentric and very interesting artist that Lush have chosen to pair up with, to bring you an eclectic and very unique range of fragrances. This particular perfume is inspired by the people that Hal met when he was exploring the streets of Dallas a number of years ago. 

During his exploration, he came across a homeless man who made a big impression on his perception of those souls living on the streets. As the conversation transpired, Hal asked the man what superpower he would opt to have, if he was given a choice. His response was: “I just want the power of visibility. People walk past me all the time and they don’t see me.”

The effect this had on Hal inspired him to begin documenting other homeless people - particularly focusing on their thoughts, dreams and fears. When Lush and Hal began working together, this was one of the stories that had the biggest impressions, and they set about creating a scent that represented what they termed as the 'Blackcurrant Angels'. Thus this perfume was created.

If there is one thing that I should make clear, it's that this scent has no connection to The Comforter, or any product that features in that scent family. This is a completely new fragrance, and there might even be people who appreciate this, even if they're not a fan of the aforementioned staple.

Containing guiacwood oil as the key ingredient, with both osmanthus and blackcurrant absolute supporting underneath, this limited edition is a calm, woody fruity fragrance, with just a subtle hint of spice to give it a beautiful, well-rounded edge. It is light and refreshing, while also offering a grounded base that stays on the skin for a good 4-5 hours.

Initial sprays showcase a sweet, fruity blackcurrant that you could almost describe as being a little like The Comforter. However, almost immediately afterwards you get a resinous hit from the osmanthus, which adds a grassy, floral element and removes some of that fruitiness. On the skin, the guiacwood develops with the heat of the body, and adds a warming, woody note to seal the deal. 

If anything, I think the blackcurrant component takes a back seat slightly, and the other notes are what makes this perfume so special. While there is a fruity element to the fragrance, I would describe this as being more of a sweet, floral aroma - with gentle hints of both wood and green alongside this.

What I do love about Blackcurrant Angels is that it develops and changes over time, and you will notice different notes throughout the day. I found that I only had to spray this twice - once in the morning, and then again about five hours later, and the warming fragrance offered me bursts of beautiful scent all day.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this fragrance, and I just wish that Lush would make it more commercially available. While I don't quite know whether or not this would work in other formats, I would definitely be intrigued if the company did decide to bring other products out in this scent. 

Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Water, Glycerine, Guiacwood Oil, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Alcohol, Osmanthus Absolute, Blackcurrant Absolute, Citral, Geraniol, Isoeugenol, Limonene, Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £35 for 30ml.

Year Of Original Release: 2017. 

Bewitched Bubble Bar

There is nothing more bewitching than a bubble bar in the shape of an animal  - especially one molded to look like the nation's favourite furry companion. While not everyone is lucky enough to be able to share their lives with a real-life good luck charm, an endearing bubble bar such as this one is a good replacement. Kind of. 

Bewitched Bubble Bar hits every mark before it's even started. While cats are not my favourite creature on the planet, they are definitely one of, and this brand new Halloween creation reminds me very much of my own two furries. The piercing eyes replicate perfectly how my two boys look at me when they realise it's time to be fed and mama just isn't moving fast enough for their liking.

As I have been fairly absent in the community for a while, I had no idea what any of the new products smelt like, and I was both surprised and excited on discovering that this alluring bubble bar has the same aroma as the now-discontinued Blackberry Bath Bomb, and the very popular Sultana Of Soap. 

While not a fragrance I rave about, I fall in love with the scent a little more, each and every time I come into contact with it. There is something so rich and so succulent about the combination of bergamot and olibanum, and the smell is not only a perfect replica of the bath bomb, but it also compliments the colour and design of this seasonal special perfectly as well. 

Bewitched Bubble Bar is both rich and sweet. The olibanum oil creates a thick, resinous blanket of smell, which gives this product a very sultry feel about it. While I wouldn't say this smells at all like it's 'burnt', there is something that reminds me of sugar that has caught slightly in a hot pan. The inclusion of the bergamot helps to add a warming layer of fruitiness that elevates the base notes and gives this fragrance an all-rounded comforting smell. 

Easy to crumble, this seasonal release can be used across multiple baths, despite the fact that it is a little on the smaller side than I had originally envisaged. It's potency means that the fragrance will remain prominent in your bath until the end, and just Blackberry, this bubble bar will leave a lasting impression on your skin. 

What is gorgeous about Bewitched is that once you have allowed the water to stimulate the bubbles, the water turns a deep shade of black, and silver lustre ebbs underneath the surface. Furthemore, this is one of the most moisturising bubble bars I have come across in a while. You skin will reap the benefits of using one of these in your bath.

This is perhaps the product I will buy the most of this year, as not only does my skin feel incredibly replenished after bathing with one, but the fragrance is the perfect blanket to cocoon you in during the colder months of the year. I may not be able to afford or look after a million cats, but having a handful of these will work out far cheaper in the long run.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Cornflour, Perfume, Bergamot Oil, Olibanum Oil, Titanium Dioxide, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, *Limonene, *Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Butylphenyl, Methylpropional, Tin Oxide, Colour 77266, Colour 77491, Colour 47005.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £4.25 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Scent Family:
Bewitched Bubble Bar

Blackberry Bath Bomb
Sultana Body Lotion
Sultana Shower Gel

Sultana Of Skin Body Conditioner
Sultana Of Soap Soap