Tank Battle Liquid Perfume

As I have said in all of my Volume 4 reviews, there are some truly fantastic stories surrounding nearly all of Lush's most recent perfume releases. In fact, it is these very stories that have helped me to fall in love with many of the new fragrances - more so than I would have done if these memories hadn't been attached to the products to begin with. This particular perfume is perhaps my favourite of the lot, and there are many reasons why.

Tank Battle is an interesting name for a perfume - especially one so light and sweet on the senses. While most would probably envisage a dark, smoky and very heavy fragrance, the reality is very far from this. Instead, this perfume is wonderfully sweet and fresh - a breath of fresh air that keeps on giving throughout the day. 

Inspired by a bidding war between a man and his local government, Tank Battle tells the story of Tachowa Covington, and how his home was taken from him after the artist Banksy decided to use the tank Tachowa was living in as a canvas for his latest idea. Self-labelled as ‘self sufficient’, his home was taken from him after the famous artist decorated the side of the tank with his artwork, causing the government to seize the tank and evict Tachowa from his home. 

There is so much more to read about this story and I highly recommend that you do some research into this yourself. It definitely adds perspective to this perfume and will make you appreciate it far more when you wear it, and and is a conversation starter that'll spark some real interest. Which is more valuable? The home made of art or the art piece made from someone's home?

Having said that, I wouldn't say that the scent of this perfume really represents what I would have imagined it smelling like, had I learnt about the inspiration behind it beforehand. I definitely wouldn't describe it as being 'homely' as I was expecting; neither does it have the strong woody notes that I was assuming would represent the tank itself.

Instead, Tank Battle offers a sweet and very rather grassy aroma that grows and changes on your skin over time: to bring you an experience that you'll want to relive again and again. Strangely, the ingredients list don't give you any real indication as to what this fragrance actually smells like, so I'll give my best description.

From the bottle you get quite a dry combination of grass and wood. I'd say the former ingredient is slightly stronger to begin with, and offers a smell reminiscent of hay but without the sweetness present. Alongside this, the woody element intertwines with a subtle spiciness from the patchouli and the gentle warmth of the clove

Despite the ingredients being quite wintery smells, and the fact that it's definitely one of the more 'in your face' perfumes from Lush, the fragrance itself is still quite airy and not so heavy that you cannot wear this in the warmer months of the year as well. 

On the skin, the labdanum grows in strength and you can detect a rich and very sultry-sweet layer that reminds me a little bubblegum, albeit more sophisticated and mature (if that makes any senses!) Alongside this, you can smell - what I can only describe it as being - a note reminiscent of wet grass in the early morning. There is something very fresh and 'wet' about this component, which is part of the reason why this perfume doesn't feel too cloying or heavy on the skin.

Lush describe the scent of this as being like 'bubblegum and rain', and I would agree that this is a pretty solid description of what you get with Tank Battle. However, there is something far richer and more mature about this smell, so it's not in anyway as playful or as youthful as the likes of Snow Fairy or Creamy Candy.            

Despite this being my favourite perfume from Volume 4, Tank Battle is definitely one I have to be in the mood for using it: it doesn't suit every situation. It's not one of Lush's longer lasting perfumes: on clothes, I could still detect this around six hours after spraying it, and on the skin a good 2-3 hours. Having said that, it is one that turns heads and sparks conversations, as I've now experienced many times with passer bus and colleagues. 

This is one I would definitely recommend that you try. It's unique and original for sure and probably one of my favourite perfumes that Lush have ever created. 

Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Water (Aqua), Labdanum Resinoid, Glycerine, Patchouli Oil, Clove Bud Oil, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Cinnamyl Alcohol, *Citral, *Citronellol, *Eugenol, *Farnesol, *Geraniol, *Isoeugenol, *Limonene, *Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2018 Price: £25 for 30ml.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.