Kitsune Bath Bomb

Inspired by Japanese folklore, Kitsune is the name of a fox said to possess supernatural powers. While I cannot promise that you'll experience anything even remotely 'out of this world' whilst bathing with one of these exclusives, I can assure you that you'll at least be able to enjoy a truly magical fragrance during your much-needed soak.

Shaped like a beautiful seashell, this limited edition has been dusted with a layer of beautiful golden lustre that shimmers between your fingers. If you didn't know beforehand that Kitsune was a bath bomb, you might well assume that the cream and golden design was instead a luxurious biscuit, carved by the hands of the gods and goddesses.

As many people who have reviewed this product before me have said, there is something about this exclusive that reminds me slightly of Avobath Bath Bomb, albeit not in any way lemongrass-led or particularly 'green'. While the ingredients list boasts an array of different components that would have you assuming something rather spicy and woody, you may be disappointed to learn that this bath bomb is actually rather simplistic.

To my nose, I detect the mandarin oil as the key note here. And if I'm going to be honest, there isn't that much more I can add in regards to the complexity of the fragrance itself. While the benzoin resinoid adds a delicate helping of sweetness underneath, I failed to establish exactly what the patchouli or the cedarwood oils were doing in the mix. 

You could argue that the latter oil was probably working on holding the sweet, fruity layer of the mandarin together, so that it didn't dissipate as much in the water as scents of its kind generally do. Talking from experience, I was impressed when I found that Kitsune was able to hold its scent in the water, more than most fruit or citrus-based aromas. However, there wasn't much of either oil in the overall fragrance.

Having said that, I am not in any way slating the scent itself, as it was very beautiful in its own right, and I enjoyed it very much. The format itself gave this bath bomb a powdery element that complimented the mandarin very much so. However, I am such a huge patchouli fan that I did feel a little let down when I discovered that I wasn't able to bathe in a new scent that wasn't either Karma or Blue Skies.           

As you can imagine from both the colours it sports to begin with, and the folklore behind the inspiration of this product, the colour that the water ultimately ends up as is a shade of golden brown/orange. While most consumers would probably turn their noses up at the thought of bathing in 'liquid mud', I actually quite enjoyed the premise of submerging myself in the water - if only because the original bath bomb set me up to think of hand-crafted biscuits and other wonderful delicacies the same shade as the water. 

Much like most of the Lush Showcase 'exclusive' bath bombs, this one was a super fast fizzer, but again created waves of golden lustre under the surface that  made the experience a little more special. Furthermore, there was a thin coating of white, cream-like silk on the surface, that helped to add a little extra moisture to the experience. The glitter itself did create a bit of a mess around the bath tub afterwards, but not something that wasn't rectified by a quick rinse with the shower hose.

Afterwards, my skin felt as smooth and as soft as it would normally do following a bath, and I could detect a delicate note of mandarin that stayed with me for a short while. While Lush would do well to strengthen just a tad, just because I love a strong fruity scent, I really adore this bath bomb, and hope that they bring it out more permanently for people to try.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sicilian Mandarin Oil, Cedarwood Oil, Patchouli Oil, Benzoin Resinoid. 

Vegan?: Yes.

2018 Price: £6.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2018.