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30 April 2019

Figaro Figaro Bath Bomb



I have carried out very little research into most of the new bath bombs that Lush have brought out recently. This has allowed me the freedom to experience each and every one of them without any preconceptions about what's going to happen, and it has also opened up my world to one or two surprises as well. Such is the case with this little bath bomb.

Figaro Figaro is a little on the small size, hence the lower price tag than the regular sized bath bombs. But that doesn't mean, for one second, that the performance of this little gem is anything less than incredible. And if you're one for surprises, you may want to invest in one for yourself...as well as choosing not to read any further as those surprises will be quickly ruined.

Containing a blend of so many different oils, it was hard to imagine just what this bath bomb might smell like. However, Lush have described the key notes as being peppermint, sage, thyme and eucalyptus, and I can see why they have placed these four as the top components.

Before I start describing the scent, I feel that I should point out that the fragrance of this is very weak. In fact, it wasn't until I placed the bath bomb in the water that I really experienced the four key elements that I listed above. Much like Geode Bath Bomb, this one scores more points because of how it performs in the tub, not because of the scent at all.
  
To my nose, the herbal elements are the strongest notes, followed shortly after by a floral layer underneath. The sage, thyme and eucalyptus create a very delicate musky herbal scent, with the latter ingredient also adding an almost clinical scent that gives Figaro Figaro a 'clean' feel about it. 

Alongside this, the peppermint oil adds a touch of mint to the aroma, although it's very much an afterthought, and I wouldn't describe the aroma of this to be a minty scent at all. As I mentioned above, it took me placing this into the water to really pick out any of these notes for myself, and I would suggest that if you like robust fragrances you stay well away from this one. Ultimately, this bath bomb does hold its presence in the water, but it's not a very powerful one.

Aside from creating the fragrance, these key components are also amazing for your skin. Peppermint soothes and relieves muscle tightness, as well as relieving both physical and mental tension. The inclusion of thyme and sage is both antiseptic and anti-inflammatory, so will soothe any redness or itchiness, and restore the skin back to its relaxed self. Finally, eucalyptus is a great decongestant: helping you to breathe better, or indeed help to clear your airways when you have a cold.

What is impressive about Figaro Figaro is the way it performs in the tub. As soon as you place the bath bomb into the water, a vivid shade of both red and yellow burst from the little ballistic and quickly colours the water a deep shade of red. Don't judge this bath bomb by its outer shell, because the colour you get is so far removed from the gentle pastel shades you see to begin with.

Once the bath bomb had fully dissolved, a hidden note burst from the remnants and presented me with a few lines from the opera The Barber of Sevilla, which is the main inspiration behind this whole bomb. While these little touches aren't needed, I always appreciate the sentiments behind Lush's little creations, and I appreciated this surprise very much.

At the risk of saying the same thing as I did in my Geode Bath Bomb review, Figaro Figaro is all about the performance, and ultimately less about the fragrance it comes with. While it left my skin super moisturised and feeling wonderfully smooth, the scent wasn't present for very much of my whole experience, and I do like a bath bomb with a strong smell. This is one that I would definitely buy again, but also one that I would couple with another product to give me a stronger aroma in the water.    

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Aniseed Oil, Chamomile Blue Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, Fennel Oil, Lavender Oil, Brazilian Orange Oil, Peppermint Oil, Sage Oil, Thyme Oil, Water (Aqua), Gardenia Extract, Cream of Tartar, Dipropylene Glycol, Sodium Coco Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, *Limonene, Colour 47005, Colour 17200, Colour 59040, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £3.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.


coming soon!


29 April 2019

Geode Bath Bomb



Sometimes Lush create products that are so beautiful to look at that you forget they're actually supposed to be used in the bath or shower at some point. It almost feels like a crime to spoil the wonderful artwork or decoration, and you contemplate locking them away in a glass container and marvelling them like an ancient relic. 

Except that we're talking about bath bombs here, and nobody in their right mind would actually want to preserve a bath bomb for future generations to ogle over; as if they'd actually be able to achieve this anyway, with what is a ball of sodium bicarbonate. However, this is exactly the way I felt when I experienced Geode Bath Bomb for the first time.

For those unsure of the inspiration behind this bath bomb, geodes are mineral-rich pockets that are formed in either the bubbles of volcanic rock, or in hollow areas of soil. Over time, dissolved minerals seep into a hollow area and harden into an outer shell creating what we know to be a geode.

Geode Bath Bomb replicates this beautifully: containing a generous helping of mineral-rich sea salt to cleanse and clarify your pores and skin. What makes this bath bomb super special is that the salt has been placed as a decoration on top of the bath bomb, as well as being coloured a wonderful shimmery purple colour, so the bomb itself offers the crystal-like sparkle that an actual geode would radiate. 

Scent-wise, this brand new product features both bergamot and lavender oil, which together create something very light and herbal, with a gentle fruity twist. Many fans have actually claimed that the bath bomb is similar in scent to the Peachy Bath Bomb from this year's Valentine's Day range. However, I didn't get the musky fruity element that the latter bath bomb had, and instead got a very light smell that pertained an almost floral aroma.

In fact, while we're speaking about the scent of Geode, I need to point out that this is perhaps the weakest smelling bath bomb I have had in a long time. Already so gentle that I could barely smell it from the box, the fragrance of this all but disappeared near on as soon as it was added to the water. If you're someone who loves baths but dislikes strong smells, this is one for you. This is definitely not going to be a bath bomb remembered for its fragrance.

Where it lacked (heavily!) in smell, Geode more than made up for it with how it performed in the water.  A fairly slow fizzer, this bath bomb immediately began to send out waves of creamy foam, ladened with golden lustre, while the centre frothed purple and glimmered in the light. The inclusion of popping candy also added a wonderful crackling sound in the bath tub, which was wonderful. 

Once fully dissolved, this bath bomb leaves a stunning shade of rose gold water, with an abundance of golden lustre that swirls and pulsates under the surface whilst you bathe. Aside from Sunnyside Bubble Bar, I don't think I have seen so much lustre in one bath bomb. On this note, you will need to hose your bath down afterwards but you don't have to worry about getting any of this lustre on your skin.

After towelling myself down, I wasn't surprised to find that there wasn't any fragrance left on my skin. However, I was impressed to feel how smooth and soft my skin felt: including my face, which had a slightly radiant glow that hadn't been there before my bath. 

Geode is an absolutely gorgeous looking bath bomb, and the way it performs in the water will leave you in awe of how beautiful this product is. Furthermore, the condition of your skin afterwards will make you appreciate the generous amount of salt that has gone in to purify and cleanse your pores. However, if you're after a bath bomb with a strong scent, this is definitely not the one for you. In fact, I would almost go as far as to say that if you're after any sort of scent in the water, you may need to include multiple products to get the luxury.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Coarse Sea Salt, Popping Candy, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Titanium Dioxide, Lavender Absolute, Bergamot Oil, Styrax Resinoid, Cream of Tartar, Water (Aqua), Dipropylene Glycol, Sodium Coco Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Propylene Glycol, Tin Oxide, Silica Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume, Colour 77491, Colour 45410, Colour 45410:1, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £5.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.


coming soon!


28 April 2019

I Want A Pony Bath Oil




Thanks to Lush's aptly named I Want A Pony Bath Oil, I now have Veruca Salt's pretentious-sounding voice in my head, reminding me that there's so much ugliness to come from greed and being ungrateful. Thankfully, for those who have either read or watched Roald Dahl's famous Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, you'll know that being spoilt has its consequences. 

This brand new edition of Lush's ever increasing bath oil collection is not only super cute but happens to host The Comforter fragrance at the same time. Fans of this classic fruity smell will not only appreciate the fact that their favourite scent has made it into a new format, but will also be excited to hear that it near on replicates the original bubble bar down to a tee. 

When this Lush Labs exclusive arrived, I'll be honest and say that the scent wasn't as strong as some of the other little oils that I have sampled from Lush. However, once this bath oil has been absorbed into the water, the smell you get is far stronger than the initial whiff.

For those who have yet to experience anything in The Comforter scent, I Want A Pony has a musky, fruity blackcurrant scent coupled with a gentle touch of cypress oil to make it slightly even sweeter and warming. There is something so simple about this aroma that makes it one of Lush's most popular smells, and with good reason.

In the water, this little bath oil floated around on the surface, sending out little waves of pink oils from time to time. Once fully dissolved, which took a good twenty minutes, the bath oil had left the water very delicate shade of pink. If you expect your tub to be filled with vibrant-coloured water, you will be sorely disappointed. However, the purposed of Lush's bath oils and melts is to infuse the water with an extra dosage of skin-softening butters, so I wasn't surprised when my water was rather boring to look at.

What I did find was that the oils and butters tended to float across the surface and I needed to swish the water around to help them to absorb. However, once they had disappeared into the water, the water was definitely more moisturising than it would have been without the oil.

Unlike some of Lush's greasier bath oils, I Want A Pony didn't leave any slimy marks around the edge of the tub, and also didn't leave my body greasy at all. Instead, my skin was left feeling super soft and smooth, and while not the most moisturising of bath oils, I did notice a difference to my skin when I towelled myself down.

Unfortunately, the scent in the water didn't last particularly long, and I wasn't able to smell it after about ten minutes. As you would expect, this meant that the fragrance didn't transfer to my skin either, so I left the bath without the beautiful blackcurrant scent that I was hoping for.

To conclude I will say that this is a great edition to Lush’s extensive bath oil collection, and I can imagine fans of The Comforter Bubble Bar will want to add one of these to their already wonderful baths. While I don't think I would choose this over some of Lush's other melts and oils, it was a pleasant experience that I would like to try again.

Quantitative Ingredients: Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Laureth 4, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Perfume, Lauryl Betaine, Bergamot Oil, Blackcurrant Absolute, Cypress Oil, Titanium Dioxide, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 45410:1.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £2.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.



coming soon!


27 April 2019

Argan Dragon Shower Oil (2019 Version)




There's always a small part of me that wonders why Lush occasionally changes the fragrance of something, even when it seems as if the original product was popular enough to begin with. Not that I'm complaining, as this particular scent swap is a welcome alteration, but I'd love to know the motivation behind some of these changes.

Argan Dragon was first released at the Showcase event last year, and was one of many brand new shower oils to make themselves known to the community. A fairly new concept at the time, many fans were simply excited that the product happened to sport the Snow Fairy fragrance, and for this reason alone, it proved to be one of the most popular naked oils from the collection.

Fast forward to 2019 and Argan Dragon made a reappearance; this time offering fans of the Happy Bloomin' fragrance another product to enjoy in this scent family. Yet despite its obvious change of smell, the shower oil itself still pertains many of the key features that the original shower oil did.

Lush have described this shower oil as being like the cosmetic version of a superfood, and it is. Packed full of beetroot juice, dragon fruit powder and poppy seeds, this limited edition reads like a smoothie, and possesses the properties to help the skin in the same way that a smoothie would support the body.

The inclusion of dragon fruit powder gives this block a big boost of antioxidants, which not works at making your skin healthier but helps your complexion appear uplifted and perkier. Dragon fruit is also known for being rich in vitamin C, so it helps to brighten the skin as well. Alongside this, beetroot juice is a rich source of iron, vitamins and minerals that not only supports healthy skin but helps to add a wonderful glow to your complexion as well. 

Argan Dragon also contains poppy seeds, which you can see under the surface of the product itself. These beauties soothe the skin and and calm any itchiness that you may have from rashes or irritations. The seeds are also known to act as an effective painkiller by relieving the pain caused by skin inflammation. While I don't think there are enough present in this block to do much in the way of this, it cannot not help those with skin that need a little tender loving care.

Unlike the original, this updated product now contains peach kernel oil which helps to deliver the wonderful cherry-scented fragrance that the shower oil offers. Super sweet and very fruity, the Happy Bloomin' scent is in full force here; like the glazed cherry topping on a cheesecake; or as I have said in previous reviews, like the smell of Cherry Drops. It's rich and very sultry to my nose: far more like a decadent dessert than a weak, synthetic cherry smell that you sometimes get with cheaper cosmetics.

How to use a shower oil is down to personal preference, although I have tried a few variations and have discovered the way that works best for me. Much like a body butter, I tend to find that these beauties work better at the end of your shower/bath, when your skin is clean and ready to be moisturised.

Ensure your skin is damp and then step out of the way of the running water. Massage the bar gently, in a circular motion, across the areas of your body that you wish to moisturise. Try not to apply too much pressure as the shower oils are very generous, and I just feel that you'd coat your skin with too much oil and use up the block far quicker this way.

What you will find is that the shower oils will leave a light layer of oils on your skin, which you can then use you hands to massage even deeper into your skin. Unlike a body butter or a body conditioner, the oils are not at all greasy, nor do they feel at all heavy. Instead, it feels and looks as if you've applied a little baby oil to your skin.

This new version of Argan Dragon worked on par with the original: acting very generous on my skin, and melting with ease to create a gentle coating of oils and butters that I was able to massage across my body. My skin felt instantly nourished and looked and felt soft and moisturised for the rest of the day. Not only that but the scent remained very much present on my skin for a good couple of hours after application, and more than anything, it made me wish there was a body spray to match.

There's a reason why this particular product was one of the first to sell out from the Lush Labs. It offers a wonderfully nourishing experience; is great value for money and outlasts that of a tub of body lotion; stores really easily between uses because it dries super quickly; and leaves a wonderful fragrance on your skin for you to enjoy throughout the day. Simply beautiful!

Quantitative Ingredients: Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cupuaçu Butter, Argan Oil, Sunflower Wax, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Peach Kernel Oil, Perfume, Beetroot Juice Powder, Poppy Seeds, Ylang Ylang Oil, Almond essential oil, Benzoin Resinoid, Dragon Fruit Powder, Titanium Dioxide, Hexyl Cinnamal.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £4.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.


26 April 2019

Himalaya Liquid Perfume



It's rare for me to find a product that I don't recognise all of the key ingredients in it. In fact, that's one of the reasons why I gravitate to Lush more than any other company; seeing an endless list of components that you've never heard of before only makes me wonder just what these 'things' are doing to my skin and hair. When I first read about Himalaya Liquid Perfume however, that was exactly how I felt.

Containing ylang ylang, spikenard and zanthoxylum oils, this is a perfume that doesn't exactly speak volumes about what it's going to offer your senses. Given that I don't think the latter two ingredients have featured in any Lush products over the last ten years, it's safe to say that I needed to carry out a little research before I experienced this perfume for myself.

What I found out was that spikenard is a herb that belongs to the same family as the honeysuckle, and according to Lush has 'carried a sacred aura from its use in religious rites across the centuries and continents.' Zanthoxylum on the other hand is a small berry that has a pungent, citrusy type of smell. Why this perfume is called Himalaya is partly due to the fact that the latter oil was purchased from Lush in Nepal, where it grows in abundance and is harvested sustainably.

From the bottle, I can smell what I would describe as being a resinous floral fragrance. There is something quite rich and musky about the three components, that work together to create a really alluring and powerful aroma. Himalaya is thick, powdery and heady, with the natural sweetness of the ylang ylang coming through to give this perfume an almost playful edge; and an element of woodiness lacing through the smell to ground the components together.

On the skin, the immediate note is quite a bitter and almost green-like berry scent - one very interesting and different from anything I have ever smell from Lush before. In all fairness, I didn't like the initial smell of this perfume, and it took a good twenty minutes for the perfume to settle on my skin, and allow for the other ingredients to come forward a little more.

This is a perfume for those who like strong and very unique fragrances. This is definitely not the sort of scent you would find in other commercially successful companies. This is Lush through and through, and that's why I really enjoyed using this one. Ironically, my partner was travelling across Nepal whilst I was indulging in this, and he actually finished his eight day trek across the Himalayas when this review was published.

Originally released in 1993, Himalaya is a perfume that just smells like old-school Lush. And while this description isn't very helpful for newer fans of the brand, retro Lushies should understand what I mean when they spray it for themselves.

My only qualm with this exclusive Gold Label perfume is the fact that its silage is not as impressive as you'd imagine a perfume of such magnitude to be. I found that it had all but disappeared within about three hours on my skin, and I needed to reapply multiple times a day to enjoy the scent whilst I was at work.

Overall, this is a rare piece of Lush history that should definitely be experienced by anyone who can. While not a favourite of mine, this will definitely be coming out when I want something unique and alluring to wear to a big event. I am incredibly grateful that I've had the opportunity to purchase a bottle of this for myself. 

Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Ghanaian Ylang Ylang Oil, Spikenard Oil, Zanthoxylum Oil, *Benzyl Alcohol, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Benzyl Cinnamate, *Benzyl Salicylate, *Cinnamal, *Citronellol, Coumarin, Eugenol, *Farnesol, *Geraniol, Isoeugenol, *Limonene, *Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £39 for 30ml.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.


25 April 2019

Easy Peeler Body Scrub



While it may not exactly be the healthiest habit I have, there is something about giving my skin a good scrub, before I head to the gym, that sets my day off right. Even when I can see that my skin is a little parched in the morning, I still find so much enjoyment knowing that I'm removing all of the dirt and debris before my day out in the world. 

When the description of Easy Peeler Body Scrub reached my ears and eyes, I just knew that it would be revered in my house. What I didn't realise was just how much I would fall in love with this scrub, and claim that it is possibly one of my top three favourite Lush scrubs of all time. These are serious accolades guys!

This brand new exclusive product is everything you could possibly want in a scrub. Packed full of key ingredients to tone, replenish and infuse your skin, this solid beauty also delivers a fragrance worth salivating over time and time again. If you're as big of a citrus fan as I am, you'll need to purchase one of these before you get to the end of this sentence. 

As the pictures demonstrate, this little scrub is designed to look like the very fruits that have gone into making this marvellous. Tangerine and mandarin oils are what gives Easy Peeler a magnificently strong, rich and very fruity aroma. Like biting into a perfectly ripe orange, the fragrance you experience with this one is as sharp and refreshing juicy as the fruit itself. 

Alongside these two oils, Lush have also indulged our skin with a helping of both mango butter and apricot kernel oil to help moisturise and add to the aroma; and orange peel to give the scrub a tangy note whilst also helping to protect your skin after it has been buffered.

To use, you simply massage Easy Peeler across the skin in a circular motion; applying as much or as little pressure as you'd like, to scrub and buffer your skin to your heart's content. What I would recommend, as I always do with solid scrubs such as this, is that you should try not to hold this under the running water for too long. By stepping outside of the shower whilst working this product across your body, will mean that you'll increase its lifespan and get more uses for your money.

The scrub itself is quite a scratchy one, just like the Dirty Body Scrub that I reviewed recently. However, the inclusion of so many butters and oils means that once you've rinsed away the product, your skin already begins to feel super soft and smooth. Furthermore, there is something super refreshing about so many citrus oils being applied to your skin, that you'll notice almost a radiant glow about your body that wasn't there before.

As if the delicious fragrance wasn't enough to enjoy in the shower, I could still detect this on my skin almost an hour after I had towelled myself down. You may find it difficult not to want to lick your skin, because of how fruity the scent is that is left behind. However, I speak from experience when I say that you WILL NOT taste like a Solero ice cream. Sorry to dash any dreams!

Having used Easy Peeler over the last couple of days, it's safe to say that this robust scrub will last a while, so long as you keep it somewhere dry in between uses, and buffer outside of the running water. All I can say is that this little beauty needs to become a permanent product, or else somebody might just see the fruity side to my personality!

Quantitative Ingredients: Granulated Sugar, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Sodium Bicarbonate, Potato Starch, Organic Shea Butter, Sodium Coco Sulfate, Cream of Tartar, Fresh Apple Pulp, *Limonene, Sicilian Red Mandarin Oil, Tangerine Oil, Bergamot Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil, Mango Butter, Orange Peel Wax, Water (Aqua), Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose, Sodium polyacrylate, *Citral, *Linalool, Perfume, Colour 15510, Colour 19140, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £4.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.


24 April 2019

Strawberries And Cream Bath Bomb




It has been a matter of years since I began throwing the idea around of a Yummy Mummy scented bath bomb. While consumers have already been privy to the very popular Roller Bath Bomb, there was something about it that didn't give me the full Yummy Mummy experience I was hoping for...although that's not to say that Roller wasn't amazing!

After using Strawberries And Cream for the first time, it suddenly clicked that the 'missing ingredient' in Roller was the limited amount of sweet, fruity strawberry goodness that came through. I found that the floral element was a little stronger in that format whereas this brand new creation has hit the spot on every single level.

Firstly, I should point out that this bath bomb is a little on the small side, and while it's priced up £2 less than most regular bombs, it's still a little expensive for, what is ultimately, a one-use product. However, Strawberries And Cream offers you everything that you'd expect from a normal sized ballistic, and actually performs far better than many of the recent bombs I have bathed with.

Sharing its scent with Yummy Mummy, this gorgeous little fruit-shaped bath bomb offers a wonderfully fruity and super rich strawberry aroma. Being Lush, it definitely doesn't have a synthetic smell. However, the fragrance reminds me very much of strawberry sweets: if the sweets were made with real, fresh strawberry juice.

Underneath this, the olibanum oil adds a rich, sultry sweetness, whilst the geranium oil gives a little hint at some musky floral tones as well. Perhaps I'm a little biased but this aroma just makes me salivate, and I happen to think that Lush have replicated the scent of the shower cream almost identically to that of this bath bomb.

In the water, the little beauty gets to work at sending out gorgeous, vibrant waves of bright red colour: a shade that stays prominent throughout the whole experience. Even better is the thick centre made from various oils and butters, that dissolves slowly in the water like a regular bath melt, and turns the water into a stunning, velvety-soft haven of scent and moisture. 

After only being in the water for about five minutes, I found that my skin had noticeably improved and my body remained this way for the whole entire day. I didn't need to moisturise, and I didn't want to anyway because Strawberries and Cream left a delicate note of strawberry and vanilla on my skin afterwards.

This cute little exclusive is simply incredible and one that I will definitely be buying again, once I have gone through my entire stash of other bath bombs. At the risk of repeating myself, this bath bomb does everything that you could ask it to do, and it's a real pleasure bathing with it.   

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Water (Aqua), Olibanum Oil, Bergamot Oil, Geranium Oil, Black Pepper Oil, Cream of Tartar, Strawberry Powder, Fair Trade Shea Butter, Laureth 4, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Dipropylene Glycol, Benzyl Alcohol, Hexyl Cinnamal, *Limonene, Perfume, Colour 14700, Colour 47005, Colour 45410, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £3.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.


coming soon!




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