Bubbly Naked Shower Gel

Celebrate or not celebrate? That is a question that divides the Lush community time and time again. But if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that the introduction of Bubbly Shower Gel last year, and the likes of Bucks Fizz this season, is a blessing worth celebrating, no matter what our noses are telling us.

Sharing its scent with the liquid gel, Bucks Fizz Body Conditioner and Bucks Fizz Naked Conditioner, Bubbly Naked Shower Gel is a product that I simply cannot imagine removing from my bathroom any time soon. While my trusted and very much loved liquid gel is also up there as being a staple, this season’s new addition has won over my heart, despite the differences it shares with its older sibling.

Firstly, it must be noted that the solid edition is perhaps a little less attractive to look at. While similar, there is something rather beautiful about the glistening orange colour you find in the bottle, and the naked edition simply lacks that magic a little. However, I’m not about to write off a product because of the way it looks.

Much like Plum Rain and Snow Fairy, there are some aspects of this naked edition that don’t replicate the beauty of the original gels. Despite this, all three of these offer characteristics that make them worth investing in alongside the originals, yet set them apart enough to offer you an alternative experience as well.

As with all of the naked gels, you treat them as you would a block of soap. Simply expose them to water and then massage them across your skin in a circular motion. Just like a normal shower gel, they will create a fragrant larger to clean and fragrance your skin with; yet unlike a soap, they will not leave your body feeling at all dry or parched.

Just like all of the products with this scent, Bubbly Naked Shower Gel smells like a strong, fruity concoction of oranges and limes - a combination that smells so fresh and juicy, that you’re senses will tingle with pleasure and your tastebuds will be tantalised enough to make you salivate upon first sniff. 

The first difference I noticed between the naked and normal gels is that the former version was perhaps a little more zesty than the original bottled edition. The orange made a much stronger impression in the naked format and I really loved how extra sweet and citrusy it was. In a way, it reminded me of fruit sorbet ice creams, which just made it seem more refreshing and fruity in the shower. 

Secondly, I loved how much more generous this version was in terms of how much lather it created. While the consistency was far thinner and not as moisturising as the normal gel, the naked version needed very little stimulation to heed an impressive amount of product to clean yourself with. I could easily wash my whole body with the amount of ‘foam’ I was able to create from a few seconds of massaging the bottle between my hands.

What I did find frustrating when using the naked gel was that the bottle tended to ‘bleed’ quite profusely, without much encouragement at all. I only needed to wet the bottle for a split second to create an abundance of watery lather across my hands and body. The fact that this shower gel offers a bright and very messy orange lather doesn’t make the situation any better. If you’re not careful when using this, you may find that you get splatters of Bubbly across every wall and surface within the near vicinity of your shower. 

Moreover, even though I tried my best to keep this product out of the way of the running water, I found that it shrunk far quicker than any of the other naked shower gels that I have tried so far. For this reason, a 250g bottle of the original Bubbly would outlast this solid version easily, and I think that’s the only major aspect of the naked edition that lets itself down. 

While I couldn’t detect much of a scent on my skin a matter of minutes after towelling myself down, I did find that my skin looked and felt really radiant. Especially after using this to wash my face as well, I found that it worked just as well as using a face mask, and my skin felt smooth to the touch afterwards.

Ultimately, this naked gel only lets itself down by being rather messy during and in between uses. I would highly suggest that you store this in a Lush massage tin when not in use, as it will drip a little before drying. Annoyingly, I found that I had to wipe down the window ledge and sides of bath after using this - as no matter how hard I tried not to make a mess, it’s inevitable with a gel that ebbs so much colour and liquid when in or around whatever.

However, I still think the magical citrusy smell of this naked shower gel, and just how softening it is, makes the mess worth it. If you love Bubbly Shower Gel, you will definitely be able to notice a difference here. Yet, there is something wonderful about the the subtle variations that makes this naked edition equally as enticing.

Quantitative Ingredients: Vine Leaf Infusion (Vitis Vinifera), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Propylene Glyco,l Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Sodium Stearate, Lauryl Betaine, Fragrance, Sweet Wild Orange Oil (Citrus sinensis), Lime Oil (Citrus aurantifolia), Fresh Grape Juice (Vitis vinifera) (Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Juice), *Citral, Citronellol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Orange 4.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £9.75 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.