As I've mentioned many times before, my hair dislikes me very much; for the years of abuse and neglect that it has had to go through because of my decisions. When I was younger, I was intent on dyeing it almost once a fortnight: bleaching it to the point of no return and then leaving it for days without washing it.
I've gone through nearly ever hair styling product possible during my time: back-combing whilst smothering it in hair spray; moulding and reshaping it multiple times a day with a tonne of hair wax; and spending weeks on end 'throwing it up' without it even meeting the hairbrush that was, by this point, collecting dust in the drawer. So even the thought of trying out some of Lush's new hair styling products made my scalp tingle nervously.
Shield Heat Protecting Hair Serum is pretty self-explanatory in the title. This is designed for those who like to blow dry or straighten their hair regularly, and want to stop their locks from drying out or becoming frazzled from the heat that they're applying to their head and hair. This is also a great product for those, such as myself, that have naturally dry hair, and are looking for something to add a little extra moisture to.
As with many of Lush's hair care range, you can use this in different ways, depending on what you're trying to get out of it. As I'm not someone who blow drys or straightens my hair very often, I chose to apply this after I had towelled my newly-washed hair down. I simply took a small, pea-sized amount, massaged it briefly between my thumbs and fingers, and then massaged this into the tips of my hair to help counteract the dry ends. I then proceeded to indulge in a slightly bigger amount (roughly the size of a small grape); made sure that it coated my whole hands this time, and then simply ran my fingers across and through my hair until I reached the desired effect.
What I found when I used it this was was that the hair felt instantly smoother, and as it dried I noticed that there was an element of shine to it that isn't normally present with my locks. Over the space of a few weeks, I found that the overall condition of my hair improved slightly, and my locks seemed to be slightly tamer than it was before.
As the name suggests, you can also use this before blow-drying or straightening you hair, to give your locks some much needed moisture and protection before doing so. While I tend to straighten my hair a couple of times a year: for very special occasions, I tried using Shield Heat Protecting Hair Serum before and after using the straighteners, and found that my hair, in particularly my ends, looked and felt better than they usually do when I apply so much heat to my bird nest.
What I loved about Shield was firstly the fragrance, which shares it's scent with What Would Love Do Liquid Perfume. Tangerine and lavender go into making the scent of this a wonderful combination of fruity and floral. The lavender offers a delicate, sweet and slightly herbal note, which dances around the fruitiness of the tangerine and brings it together to create a smell that shouldn't work but does. In this format, the smell is really wholesome and beautiful, and perhaps replicates the perfume slightly better than the original fragrance itself.
Secondly, the inclusion of broccoli seed makes this the first ever Lush product that I've ever seen to contain the word broccoli in the ingredients list. My affiliation with this vegetable is on new levels of extreme, so to see it in a hair product is amazing. Alongside the red currants, both of these ingredients also offer a large dosage of biotin, which has been proven to strength the hair, and keep it looking and feeling super healthy.
The inclusion of the coconut oils and milk, and the macadamia nut means that shield is going to moisturise and condition you hair to levels that you might not have reached with your hair in a long while. And I can honestly vouch for this product and say it truly works. While I may not have many products to compare it to, I definitely noticed a difference immediately after using this, and over the few weeks I applied it to my hair daily, I could certainly appreciate the added shine and silkiness that my hair offered me near enough every day.
This is one of those Lush hair care products that will make a huge wave within the industry, once it's been released to the masses. I only hope that it will see the light of day again, as it would definitely be a waste and a shame if this was only offered itself to a handful of lucky consumers at the Showcase event earlier this year.
Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Coconut and Cashew Milk (Cocos nucifera; Anacardium occidentale), Propylene Glycol, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera), Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Silica, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane,Organic Coconut Milk (Cocos nucifera), Perfume, Broccoli Seed Oil (Brassica oleracea italica), Redcurrant Juice (Ribes rubrum), Guar Gum (Guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride), Benzoin Resinoid (Styrax tonkinensis pierre), Tangerine Oil (Citrus reticulata), Lavender Oil (Lavandula angustifolia), Organic Cold Pressed Grapeseed Oil (Vitis vinifera), Macadamia Nut Oil (Macadamia ternifolia), Safflower Oil (Carthamus tinctorius), Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), Phenoxyethanol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Benzyl Alcohol, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Benzyl Cinnamate, *Cinnamal, *Citral, *Coumarin, *Farnesol, *Geraniol, *Isoeugenol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 17200, Colour 45380:3.
Vegan?: Yes.
2018 Price: unsure each.
Year Of Original Release: 2018.
Scent Family:
Shield Heat Protection Hair Serum
What Would Love Do Liquid Perfume
Before Lush, I had next to no idea about how to use a dry shampoo, and even now, after I've tried out a couple, I still don't really fully experienced enough to write an extensive review. However, I'm going to give it my best shot, from one rookie to another, in the hope that someone will learn what I have about this modern day concept.
I should probably start by saying that a dry shampoo is not something you replace your regular hair care products with. Instead, it is more of a temporary stand-in for times when perhaps a regular liquid shampoo is not practical; for prolonging the period between normal washes; or to give your hair a slight change in routine so that it doesn't become accustomed to the same process ask of the time.
Despite being called a shampoo, Petal Head Naked Dry Shampoo doesn't actually wash your hair. Instead, it features key ingredients that help to soak up any excess grease and dirt that has accumulated across your locks since you last washed it properly. The inclusion of the avocado oil, alongside the impressive number of other oils, then works at keeping the hair soft and shiny, without drying it out.
As you've probably guessed from the name, this limited edition is super floral in scent and I believe it shares its scent with Two Heart Beating As One, albeit much more powdery, and with a stronger emphasis on the rose. To my nose, this solid bar has a potent layer of sweet rose and jasmine on top, with a gentle green note of ylang ylang interlaced beneath this. Underneath these key components, the olibanum adds a warm, slightly resinous base, which alongside the myrrh adds a gentle, sultry undertone.
While the fragrance does linger for a short time on your hair, you shouldn't expect it to stick around forever. Once the oils have been absorbed into the scalp, the smell disappears along with them. However, you are left with soft and shiny hair, that you just want to run your fingers through time and time again.
To use, you simple rub the bar in between your fingers and this will release a small helping of powder into your hands. You then massage this powder into your roots before brushing your hair as per usual and styling it as you see fit. It's important to note, despite how obvious this might sound, that your hair is completely dry before you try to apply Petal Head - unless of course you want to rock the white lines of dust that will coat your hair.
How much you use depends on trial and error. I found that I needed around a large raisin's worth to do my entire head with. This means that a single bar would easily give me twenty to thirty uses out of it before I would need to replace it. Value wise, this makes Petal Head slightly more expensive than variations in other shops. However, the lack of packaging and the strong aroma make it that much more appealing.
After applying this dry shampoo to my head, I didn't really notice that much difference until a few hours into my day. Normally by the second or third day of not washing my hair, I begin to feel the ends becoming drier, while the rest of my hair starts to feel and look very slightly greasy. After using this Showcase exclusive, I found that this process just didn't happen, so I was able to continue wearing my hair both up and down for a good four days before I needed to use a proper shampoo.
As I mentioned above, this shampoo can be used when it's not really appropriate to use a regular shampoo and conditioner. Up until halfway through this year, I probably wouldn't have really understood what was meant by that. However, If you find yourself having to shower in extreme weather conditions (both cold and hot) Petal Head works at maintain the shine and condition of your hair without you having to sport wet hair in horrible weather conditions.
First thing in the morning, when the house and outside is freezing cold, Petal Head became a Godsend when I realised I hadn't washed my hair but didn't want to wear it wet out into the cold. While it may have aided my lazy side, at least my hair still looked acceptable for work.
Ultimately, I just need to get into a routine of washing my hair regularly, as well as changing-up the products I use every few weeks/months. However, this limited edition dry shampoo will definitely be something I take with me when I head off on my next adventure abroad, and I'll certainly continue using it when I need a fast fix.
Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar (Potassium bitartrate), Cornflour (Zea mays), Magnesium Carbonate,Water (Aqua), Organic Avocado Oil (Persea gratissima), Perfume, Myrrh Resinoid (Commiphora myrrha), Dried Rose Petals (Rosa centifolia), Octylmethoxycinnamate (Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate), Olibanum Oil (Boswellia carterii), Rose Oil (Rosa damascena), Jasmine Absolute (Jasminum grandiflorum), Ylang Ylang Oil (Cananga odorata), Propylene Glycol, Cetrimonium Chloride, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Benzyl Salicylate, *Citral, *Citronellol, *Eugenol, *Farnesol, Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 73360, Colour 15850:1.
Vegan?: Yes.
2019 Price: £6.95 each.
Year Of Original Release: 2018.
There is never a year when Lush don't cause a spread of fear amongst the community for something that they have or have not done. Long-term, regular consumers are almost awaiting with baited breath for that moment to come, wondering what exactly the company are going to do to annoy their fans this particular year. This product is easily one of the most wanted and yet equally ignored products of the last calendar year, and has caused quite a bit of disappointed amongst the community.
Ectoplasm liquid perfume was supposed to be, according to rumours, a regular feature in this year's Halloween range. Given that Lush had released an Ectoplasm Shower Scream, naked shower scream, wash card and solid perfume, hinted that this would be the case. However, when the Halloween range appeared on the website and there was no sign of a liquid perfume, people began to ponder.
After a couple of weeks of confusion, the liquid perfume began to pop up on various European sites: France, Italy and Germany were among three countries that seemed to have no problem bringing out the liquid perfume in the small 30ml bottles and the larger hundred mil bottles as well. Rumours circulated that Lush had not managed to formulate the liquid perfume well enough to bring it out to the public. However, consumers began to question how three countries had been able to do so but the rest of the world couldn't get their act in gear. As all right now, nobody really knows the true extent of that story, and not many people have managed to get their hands on a bottle of this rare perfume.
When lush first released the Ectoplasm Jelly Bath Bomb last year, I happened to find it one of the best citrus bath bombs from the company had done in a long while. So when the Halloween range promised four or five more products in the same aroma, I was super happy. As my reviews of the other products have suggested however, the outcome was not as I was expecting. The aroma of the bath bomb just didn't translate well in these other formats. While none of them were at all bad, I was just a little disappointed that the aromas didn't match up that well at all.
Having said that, I will say that Ectoplam Liquid Perfume is easily the best format in this scent. Hands down. Well definitely not an exact replica of the bath bomb, this perfume screams so many merits that you can forgive it for smelling a little bit different than the rest of its family.
So what does it smell like?
Ectoplasm Liquid Perfume smells like a succulent blend of fruity oils that make for the most exquisite, mouthwatering perfume. From the bottle, you can smell a warm, sultry tangerine smell, which is like freshly squeezed juice or the most expensive cheesecake topping in the world. I honestly cannot express to you how strong and beautiful this element is, neither can I project how beautiful this aroma is. In my many years of using Lush, I don't think I've come across very many scents that move me like this one does.
Alongside this, the grapefruit oil offers its own slightly soured aroma, whilst also adding a spritzy, tangy note to the overall perfume. Although it would've been easy for the grapefruit to have soured the whole aroma, it instead sat back and allowed the thick, wholesome blanket of orange and tangerine oils dominate this fragrance, and make it one of Lush’s best fruity perfume ever. I’ll be honest and say that I never expected to love this perfume as much as I did, and now it goes it with me everywhere.
For a citrus-based perfume, the the smell doesn't fare there too badly on the skin. Usually, perfumes of this calibre tend to lose their potency very quickly, once sprayed, and that’s why I’m always hesitant when investing in these types of fragrances. However, I found that this perfume lasted for a good three hours on my skin, before I wasn't able to detect it with my nose anymore. Furthermore, while I was unable to smell it all the time on my skin, I did receive many comments about the ‘incredible fragrance’ I was wearing, and if I had been in receipt of money, I probably could have purchased a good 8 or 9 bottles for other people.
As I said at the beginning of this review, Ectoplasm is definitely my favourite jelly bomb that Lush currently do. The fragrance itself is not something I am obsessed with. However, it is definitely one of my favourite scents in a bath bomb. In this argument, I should technically be disappointed with this perfume as it doesn’t replicate the smell all that well. There are big differences when the two are side by side, and had this not been called Ectoplasm, I might not have even linked the two scents together at all.
Yet, this perfume does have elements of the bath bomb it is based on, in its fragrance. It’s just taken this smell, thickened it and added a shed load of extra fruitiness. There is also the fact that this perfume doesn’t contain the powdery element that I think is what has removed a lot of the wholesomeness that the bath bomb could have offered. But in its defence, this perfume is so much better because of that latter fact. It’s bright, it’s uplifting, and super sweet like a bag of sherbet made from the finest fruit crystals.
Ectoplasm Liquid Perfume should have been made available worldwide. Whatever the reason for it not showing itself across stores and online doesn’t matter: Lush just need to rectify this and bring it out to make up for its lack of appearance. If anything, this should stay as a permanent because there’s nothing like this in shops, and it would definitely prove popular amongst consumers.
Quantitative Ingredients: Alcohol, Tangerine Oil, Water, Perfume, Glycerine, grapefruit Oil, Limonene, Litsea Cubeba Oil, Citral, Geraniol, linalool.
Vegan?: Yes.
2018 Price: unsure.
Year Of Original Release: 2018.
Scent Family:
Ectoplasm Jelly Bath Bomb
Ectoplasm Liquid Perfume
Ectoplasm Naked Shower Scream
Ectoplasm Shower Scream
Ectoplasm Solid Perfume
Ectoplasm Washcard
This year a rather naughty elf has snuck into my life to reap havoc in and around my tidy house, and keep the Christmas magic alive for a very special girl in my life. Never before have I indulged in this sort of tomfoolery, and I'm actually finding it a whole lot of creative fun, especially when I see the reacts I get from my stepdaughter.
Having said that, after the unnamed elf decided to decorate my entire bathroom with toilet roll and leave an utter mess that took a while to rectify, I thought it was time to drown my sorrows in a bath. It was only fitting then that I decided to use my Naughty Elf Bubble Bar...
When this little elf-shaped product arrived at my door, I was genuinely surprised and intrigued by the smell that greeted me. His design and Lush's normally predictable manners meant that I was expecting something either fruity or spicy. When his floral attire flew right up nose however, I was a little taken back.
Containing violet leaf, jasmine and mango leaf absolute, alongside lemon myrtle oil, this is definitely not what I would describe as a Christmas fragrance. Were you to put the same smell into a regular bath bomb or bubble bar, I would never suggest that this was exclusively seasonal. So this is definitely something very different for consumers who perhaps don't always appreciate the predictability of Christmas scents.
To my nose, the violet leaf is the strongest component, although the jasmine sits underneath this and adds both a natural sweetness and a delicate musky note as well. There is something rather drying about the violet smell in Naughty Elf that I really appreciated, and I think the inclusion of the petitgrain oil adds a gentle green-like element to it that stops it being as sultry as it can be.
Alongside this, the lemon myrtle oil brings a sweet note as well, while also elevating the scent a little so it's a little lighter than violet scents usually are as well. In all fairness, this combination was really lovely and very different to what I was expecting, but there was also something about it that felt unsettled as if the key ingredients were clashing in some small way.
While Naughty Elf is a fairly long bubble bar, I did think he was a little on the tin side, especially given the £5.95 price tag. However, there is enough fragrance and power behind this bar that he can be chopped in half and used across two separate baths: both of which will heed you impressive results.
In the tub, this bubble bar turns the water a vivid shade of red and the bubbles that are created are impressive. In fact, I genuinely believe that this may be the most generous bubble bar of the season. Not only this but the water itself becomes immediately silky soft to the touch and you can see a delicate layer of oils that glimmer on the surface - letting you know that this is going to be a super moisturising bath.
Having said that, you definitely don't need to worry about Naughty Elf being too greasy: there is nothing about this product that will leave your skin anything but beautifully soft. I was still able to see and feel the results of this bubble bar the following day, and the smell followed me around for a good hour afterwards.
I won't deny that the fragrance of this didn't exactly blow me away, although this is more due to my tastebuds than the smell being at all bad in any way. However, Naughty Elf is super moisturising; offers a wonderfully vibrant-looking bath; and leaves your winter-kissed skin smooth, soft and ready to face the day ahead.
Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Cornflour, Perfume, Mango Leaf Absolute, Violet Leaf Absolute, Lemon Myrtle Oil, Jasmine Absolute, Petitgrain Oil, Titanium Dioxide, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Tin Oxide, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Alcohol, *Citral, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 14700, Colour 45410.
Vegan?: Yes.
2018 Price: £5.95 each.
Year Of Original Release: 2018.
When I look back now, I find it interesting how mesmerised I was by the array of colourful new bath bombs and bubble bars in the Christmas range, yet not as intrigued about, what I now believe to be, the best bath product from this year's seasonal range. In fact, I may go as far as to say that it may be one of the best bath products to have come from Lush in years.
Plum Pudding is a brand new bath melt to join the limited edition seasonal range this year, and what a feast it is. Although sharing its scent with the family new fragrance, Plum Rain, this exclusive beauty plays homage to one of Lush's oldest products, Ceridwan's Cauldron Bath Melt.
Wrapped in a light, purple cloth, the inside bath melt contains so many incredible ingredients - both to offer the gorgeous scent that this product carries, but also to make you really feel as if you're truly indulging in a freshly made pudding when you're using this in the bath.
Dried apricots, raisins and dates have been blended into this bath melt to offer perhaps the sweetest, fruitiest version of this fragrance possible. It really does smell like freshly stewed pears that has even left to soak in their own juices. It's a bright and very beautiful aroma that needs to be celebrated far more than it does.
Alongside this, Plum Pudding also contains osmanthus oil, which thickens the fruity elements of the product and adds a sultry wave of sweetness to the bath melt. This latter ingredient offers a richness to the scent so that this product isn't 'just a fruity' smell. Furthermore, there's a surplus of almond oil and cocoa butter featured in Plum Pudding that helps to hydrate and condition the skin, while it's in use. There are also a handful of oats thrown in here as well, which do wonders at cleansing and softening the skin.
The idea behind Plum Pudding is that you pop the whole bath melt straight into the water and leave it to do its magic. And magic is does. Within a few seconds of it floating on the surface, beautiful swirls of deep purple begin to branch out under the water, oozing out across the water, creating patterns that you simply cannot take your eyes of of.
There is something about how this bath melt works that just puts your mind into such a restful state. As it's so quiet and unwinds really slowly, it truly helps you to relax much more than you would with a bath bomb, and I think this only served to make my whole experience that much better.
After about eight minutes, the bath melt has dissolved by around half, and it's around this point that I suggest removing Plum Pudding and leaving it to dry for a second use another time. By this stage, the water is now a beautiful shade of purple and the fruity smell coming off of it is sweet and beautifully warming.
What impressed me with this product was that not a lot of bath melts or oils have ever managed to make such a big impression on the water as this one was able to achieve. Very few of Lush's oils and melts can turn a whole bath a shade of purple as this one did, and not many would be able to create a smell as strong as Plum Pudding also managed to achieve. Furthermore, a dash of silver lustre painted this purple a sparkly shade of magic, without leaving a mess on your skin or your tub afterwards.
All that was left was to enjoy how incredibly moisturising the water was, and just how quickly it conditioned and replenished my skin, leaving my body feeling velvety-smooth and silky soft almost instantly. The power that this array of oils and butters had on my skin lasted throughout the entire day, and the following morning as well. I was also able to detect hints of the osmanthus and mandarin oils on my skin as well, which was a welcome bonus.
Overall, I don't think I could gush over a product any more than I have done so already. Plum Pudding is everything as beautiful as you would expect from such a concept: the design is exquisite; the smell is truly wonderful; and the magic it creates in the tub rivals that of Santa Claus. To find a collection of these in my stocking would be the best material present a girl could ever wish for. Hint. Hint.
Quantitative Ingredients: Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Laureth 4, Whole Oats, Almond Oil, Dried Dates, Dried Apricots, Raisins, Perfume, *Limonene, Osmanthus Absolute, Petitgrain Oil, Sicilian Red Mandarin Oil, Water (Aqua), Titanium Dioxide, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Tin Oxide, *Citral, *Linalool, Colour 17200, Colour 42090.
Vegan?: Yes.
2018 Price: £5.95 each.
Year Of Original Release: 2018.
Scent Family:
Hedgewitch Soap
Plum Pudding Bath Melt
Plum Rain Body Spray
Plum Rain Naked Shower Gel
Plum Rain Shower Gel
Plum Snow Bubble Bar
Ticket To Scrub Salt Scrub
One of the aspects that I love about the Christmas range, is seeing the sometimes funny and occasionally quite alarming ‘character products’ that grace the shelves for a few months of the year. This year, three brand new ‘double acts’ have made an appearance: Snowman Bomb Bomb, Princess Bomb Bomb and Santa Bomb Bomb.
The reason for the double title is simple: these three limited editions are two separate bath bombs sold together to create one single product. Priced up at £9.95 each, the investment doesn’t come cheap. However, given that they’re exclusive for the winter season, and equate to near enough two regular-sized bath bombs, the cost doesn’t appear any dearer than usual.
This particular bath bomb, simply called Santa Bomb Bomb, has a new fragrance featuring bergamot, vanilla and cocoa absolute, and is perhaps one of my favourite scents of the season. While my initial urge is to describe the smell of this as being fruity, there is definitely far more to this aroma that gives it a complexity that i wasn't expecting at all.
What I will say is that the bergamot is definitely the strongest note; offering a very sweet orange-like aroma, with just a smidgen of grassiness in the background to give the smell a little extra depth. Alongside this, the vanilla adds a drier sweetness which strangely also has an element of woodiness to it, although I cannot work out why. There is also a powdery floral note to me, which although is very subtle in the grand scheme of things, is still part of what makes this fragrance so interesting.
Ultimately, the smell of this is probably not what you might expect from something so comical-looking. It's by far more complex and interesting than what the ingredients list suggests, and I would highly recommend that you try the smell of this away from a shop so that you can experience the full extent of what Santa Bomb Bomb has to offer.
In the bath, just like his other character counterparts, Santa fizzes away very quickly - sending out an intensely concentrated shade of red. Even when using one of his parts, the colour he heeds in the water is impressive, and perfectly themed for this time of year. In fact, I found that using both pieces together will actually create a slight stain around the edge of the tub, so I would avoid doing this if at all possible.
Once the bath bomb has dissolved, the scent also fades a little, although I was still able to smell it from time to time. I was also able to detect a hint of mostly the vanilla on my body after I had towelled myself down. However, this didn't last particularly long, and was certainly lost once I had moisturised.
What I did find was that this limited edition bath bomb was actually rather moisturising and my skin was incredibly thankful for how wonderfully soft I felt after I had left the tub. I definitely wouldn't say that this bath bomb went above and beyond in terms of conditioning my skin. However, it did a good job of making me feel really clean and smooth before bedtime.
While not one of my favourite scents by any stretch of the imagination, Santa Bomb Bomb has definitely got a fragrance that I would like to revisit again. A body scrub, dusting powder or perhaps even perfume would go down a treat in my house, and would certainly not be a scent that was limited to the Christmas period. Overall, this bath bomb is definitely worth trying out at least once, and I'm glad that I accidentally bought myself a second one a few weeks back, so I can enjoy it once more before it disappears from the shelves.
Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Cocoa Absolute, Vanilla Absolute, Bergamot Oil, Water (Aqua), Cream of Tartar, Titanium Dioxide, Propylene Glycol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Coco Sulfate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Tin Oxide, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume, Colour 14700, Colour 45410, Colour 17200, Colour 47005:1, Colour 77266, Colour 77491, Candy Eye.
Vegan?: Yes.
2015 Price: £9.95 each.
Year Of Original Release: 2018.
coming soon!
Christmas for me is usually an amalgamation of spicy smells: cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger mostly. There is something about those warming spices that makes the winter season seem far more magical, even when I dislike the colder weather that these months bring. I'll be honest and say that I'm not much of a sweet person really, in the great scheme of things.
However, there's not been a year since I've been buying from Lush that I haven't invested in a Candy Mountain Bubble Bar. There's just something so classic about the scent of this limited edition that tickles my fancy every season, and I always tend to find myself using the bubble bar when I begin to feel that Christmassy tickle erupting from within.
While this bubble bar has been reappearing every year for a lot longer than I've been invested in the company, Lush tend to change its design every so often to fit the other products in the range at the time. This year they have opted to create the shape of mountain, albeit laying down, with a little white snow tip for cuteness.
While realistically shape shouldn't really matter, I was a little disappointed when I saw this year's rendition. While sporting perhaps the deepest and most vibrant shade of pink that I think it has ever done so, there was something quite literally 'flat' about the design that I found a little underwhelming. My favourite version has, and perhaps will always be, the green and pink swirly cone that came out when I was first getting into Lush all of those many years ago. This year's just seemed like a step down from some of the most magical looking designs.
Although it's changed its shape and size, the good old Creamy Candy scent is still what makes this a classic. Containing generous helping vanilla absolute, the fragrance of this is what I'd describe as a sweet and creamy, pink vanilla scent. There is something rather wholesome and musky about the vanilla here that makes it more robust and far more beautiful than the Snow Fairy scent.
While not a complex aroma in the slightest, it's sometimes nice to have something very rounded and delicious that you can rely upon to offer you a great experience. And for that, I really appreciate the fact that Lush choose to bring this bubble bar back year after year.
What I thought was great about Candy Mountain Yule Log Bubble Bar was, when comparing to last year's version, this one had far much more to offer in the tub. Firstly, it was super easy to crumble under the water and there was something very satisfying about feeling how soft and delicate it was between my fingers.
Secondly, I only needed to use half of the bubble bar to heed a surplus amount of bubbles; a wonderfully strong, vanillary scent; and a water that offered a wonderful shade of pink for me to find respite in. For the £3.95 price tag, this limited edition definitely offers something more than some of the the pricier bath bombs and bubble bars from this year's range.
As I can always expect from Candy Mountain, the bath water was incredibly softening and moisturising: I could quite literally feel the silky-softness of the water changing my skin throughout the duration of the bath. In addition, my skin stayed soft and smooth for many hours afterwards, and the scent lingered on my skin and throughout the bath as well.
Overall, Candy Mountain Bubble Bar is a staple in Lush's Christmas ranges, and definitely one I expect to come back year after year. While the new design didn't exactly tickle my tastebuds, there was enough here to satisfy me across two wonderfully sweet and gorgeously wholesome baths.
Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cream of Tartar, Fair Trade Shea Butter, Lauryl Betaine, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Perfume, Titanium Dioxide, Vanilla Absolute, Laureth 4, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Tin Oxide, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Colour 77491, Colour 45430:1, Colour 45380:3.
Vegan?: Yes.
2018 Price: £3.95 each.
Year Of Original Release: 2018.
Let's be honest: £5.95 for a bath bomb is an expensive investment. For that sort of price, if the product was any less than perfect, it would not be worth the hefty price tag. Luckily for those who chose to invest in this bath bomb blindly, you will not be left disappointed.
Melusine Bath Bomb is one of twelve limited bath bombs released earlier this week in the Lush Kitchen. With the recent release of the Bath-only Harajuku store in Japan, of which 59 bath bombs are exclusively only available in that store, many fans were left disappointed that they wouldn't be able to get their hands on some real gem items that were showing up on social media. Thankfully, Lush decided to bring out a small selection, of which this particular bomb was featured.
Sharing its scent with Avocado Cowash, this gorgeous bath bomb smells of everything you would expect it to, and more. Bergamot, litsea cubeba and olibanum oils create a super fruity and richly sultry aroma to indulge your senses in. Having described the scent before as being like a freshly made lime cheesecake: tart, fruity and melt-in-your-mouth creamy, I should probably add that this bath bomb offers a whole extra dosage of yumminess.
If you're a fan of the recent Avocado Nowash Body Lotion, or the previous shower gel that came out earlier this year, you'll absolutely adore this bath bomb and want to buy up as many as you can before they sell out online. To say that this has made it into my top five favourite bath bombs of all time is an achievement that takes something of great power to do so.
What I loved about this bath bomb was the green and yellow design across the surface, which coupled with circular indents across the whole of the sphere made it look like that of a mermaid's tail or a dragon's skin. Whether you're a timid swimmer who likes to live under water, or a fierce beast that breathes fire, this bath bomb will win over your heart within seconds.
As soon as Melusine was popped into the water, beautiful streams of white, green and yellow froth began to ebb out into the bath tub. As the bath bomb continued to rock from side to side, and spin round and round, a sea of bright green began to form in the bath - one that was coated with a beautiful blanket of white. As the white dissolved away, you began to see the golden lustre glittering in the light, and my heart was well and truly won over.
What was incredible about this bath bomb was that the fragrance remained prominent throughout the whole experience. While not in any way intoxicating, the smell sat above any product that I used alongside it, and stayed on my skin afterwards for a good few hours. Furthermore, I could still smell it in my bathroom hours later as well, and I kept walking past the bathroom door just so that I could smell it over and over.
As if that wasn't impressive enough, the water was so velvety soft that my skin felt softer within minutes of submerging myself beneath the water, and I left the tub feeling truly amazing, with my skin glowing and feeling so replenished and moisturised. I know that Lush fans are probably planning to couple this bath bomb with their body lotion of the same scent, but I can honestly say that you won't need it: your skin will be pampered enough.
Why this is only an exclusive in Japan at the moment is a completely absurd concept when this is perhaps on par with Intergalactic as being the best bath bomb that they currently sell. I only hope that they make this a regular feature in all stores because it would be a best-seller without a doubt.
Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Sea Salt, Carrageenan Extract, Bergamot Oil, Litsea Cubeba Oil, Olibanum Oil, Water (Aqua), Titanium Dioxide, Gardenia Extract, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Sodium Coco Sulfate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Tin Oxide, Amyl Cinnamal, *Citral, *Limonene, Perfume, Colour 47005, Colour 42053, Colour 77491, Colour 59040, Colour 42090.
Vegan?: Yes.
2018 Price: £5.95 for each.
Year Of Original Release: 2018.
Scent Family:
Avocado Cowash Body Spray
Avocado Cowash
Avocado No Wash Body Lotion
Avocado Wash Shower Gel
Don't Touch My Hair Hair Marshmallow
Melusine Bath Bomb
Minamisoma Shower Oil
UP
I've gone through nearly ever hair styling product possible during my time: back-combing whilst smothering it in hair spray; moulding and reshaping it multiple times a day with a tonne of hair wax; and spending weeks on end 'throwing it up' without it even meeting the hairbrush that was, by this point, collecting dust in the drawer. So even the thought of trying out some of Lush's new hair styling products made my scalp tingle nervously.
What I found when I used it this was was that the hair felt instantly smoother, and as it dried I noticed that there was an element of shine to it that isn't normally present with my locks. Over the space of a few weeks, I found that the overall condition of my hair improved slightly, and my locks seemed to be slightly tamer than it was before.
Secondly, the inclusion of broccoli seed makes this the first ever Lush product that I've ever seen to contain the word broccoli in the ingredients list. My affiliation with this vegetable is on new levels of extreme, so to see it in a hair product is amazing. Alongside the red currants, both of these ingredients also offer a large dosage of biotin, which has been proven to strength the hair, and keep it looking and feeling super healthy.
