Cilla The Caterpillar Bath Bomb

With the amount of new Lush items that have made themselves available over this past year, it's becoming incredibly difficult to keep up with all of the releases, especially when items appear unannounced and are sold out in a matter of days. Luckily, I was able to grab one of these limited edition bath bombs, however I know that many fans missed out on these beauties. 

First appearing in the Liverpool store, Cilla The Caterpillar Bath Bomb was originally designed for consumers booking parties within the store itself. Alongside a few other products, this wonderful bath bomb is only available for those who invest quite a lot into celebrating their birthday in style. However, Lush was kind enough to release a limited run online, and I was lucky enough to grab one before they disappeared. 

Priced up at £7.95, this is an investment that many consumers will want to evaluate before they hand over their cash, which is why I hope that my review will serve to help you make up your mind. While initially I was a little taken a-back by the seemingly extortionate price, you'll be relieved to hear that Cilla comes in two separate pieces, which means you're technically investing in two bath bombs at the same time.

What I will say is that each piece is definitely slightly smaller than your regular sized bath bombs. However, the scent, design and just how well this works in the bath makes this party exclusive definitely worth the investment, in my eyes. If it makes a reappearance on the Lush website, I myself would be happy to purchase another one. 

Sharing its scent with the Vanillary range, this gorgeous little insect boasts a strong, musky vanilla aroma: one that I have described before as being like burnt caramel with a sprinkling of floral underneath to give it more 'bounce.' This is such a warm, comforting aroma and matches the scent of the liquid perfume so well. In fact, I feel as if the smell of this bath bomb is far better and stronger than the original Vanilla Fountain Bath Bomb, which also offered the same aroma. 

While I used both of mine at the same time (for aesthetically pleasing pictures) this bath bomb can be used across two baths, both of which will provide you with a strong, robust fragrance to engage with; and both of which will offer you a silky smooth and incredibly nourishing bath water to boot.

Having said that, it's definitely worth you climbing into the bath before you drop Cilla The Caterpillar in as she tends to perform most of her show rather quickly, dissolving until she becomes a few small pieces that bob silently and fizzle away on their own accord.

Within a split second of hitting the water, green and orange foam race out from beneath her and sweep out across the surface of the water. While she stays afloat for a matter of seconds, her body soon disappears under a fluffy of coloured foam, until all that is left are her rather accusing eyes. These take a long time to dissolve and they tend to drop to the base of the bath tub after a while, which isn't a problem. 

Once the bath bomb has fully dissolved, you're left with a beautiful moss-like shade of green, which is thanks to the inclusion of the orange alongside the green itself. This shade is definitely in-keeping with the concept of a caterpillar bath bomb, and I thoroughly enjoyed the surprise as I continued to bathe my stresses away. 

What was impressive about Cilla was that the water not only radiated a sweet, warming aroma that wrapped around me like a blanket, but the water was super moisturising and left my skin feeling brand new. Furthermore, the fragrance also lingered on both my body and hair afterwards, and this was just what I needed before heading to bed.

While I don't really associate the Vanillary smell with partying by any means, Cilla The Caterpillar is definitely worth trying out at least once, and I just know that kids will love using this one themselves. Soothing and beautiful in every way possible, this is definitely one of my favourite bath bomb releases of the year.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Jasmine Absolute, Tonka Absolute, Vanilla Absolute, Cream of Tartar, Water (Aqua), Chlorophyllin, Sodium Coco Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Coumarin, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Perfume, Colour 15510, Colour 19140:1, Colour 47005, Colour 47005:1, Colour 42090:2, Candy Eye.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £7.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

coming soon!

Validation Shower Bomb

I cannot even tell you how ironic it is right now that I'm blogging about the Validation Shower Bomb, given the mental turmoil that I've put myself through these last few days because of this very reason. While my experience certainly didn't solve the predicament that I found myself in, it certainly sweetened and calmed my mood quite a bit. 

Sharing its scent with the Creme Anglais range, this beautiful little golden star is for those looking for a sweet, decadent experience in the shower. This is definitely one of those foody smells for sure, and fans of both Butterball and Yog Nog would appreciate the sentiments that have gone behind creating this fragrance.

To my nose, Validation offers a rich combination of vanilla and myrrh: the former of which gives the shower bomb a creamy, musky aroma; whilst the latter component rounds it off with its own resinous undertones. There is something very delicately smoky about the smell of this; something slightly burnt that helps to ground the aroma a little bit. In the past, I've described it as smelling a little like pudding. However, since the release of Yog Nog, I'd definitely say that this is a little spicier than the latest fragrance family, and this is perhaps a little more mature as well.

To use, you simply need to hold the shower bomb under the running water during your shower, where it will immediately begin to expand and create a fragrant foam in your hand within a matter of seconds. The heat of the water will then help to release the different essential oils that have gone into making the bomb, which is supposed to help alter your mood depending on the purpose of the shower bomb itself. 

In this case, Validation is designed to help calm your mind when all your brain wants to do is fixate on the external opinions of those around you. This shower bomb will help you to wash away those insecurities and hopefully find a peace in whatever it is that you are doing. While I used it without either of these in mind, I did find that it helped to relax my over-thinking mind for long enough to mediate for a good hour afterwards, which I consider to be a success.

Once the shower bomb has began creating its foam, the idea is that you can lather and massage this across the skin much like you would a shower gel. The inclusion of both the potato starch and the sodium alginate allow the bomb to soften and moisture the skin, while the different oils clean out the pores and leave your skin looking and smelling rather delicious.

If you're someone like me who was worried at first that the inclusion of the sodium bicarbonate and citric acid will irritate your skin, I can assure you that this is not the case at all. In fact, my only piece of advice when using this is to ensure that you haven't shaved after applying this to the skin, as it will sting a little because of the open pores.

While the consistency of the foam is slightly scratchy, and not at all like the silkiness of a regular Lush shower gel or jelly, my skin did feel really clean and soft after using the shower bomb. Furthermore, I was able to clean my entire body, from head to foot, and still have product left over afterwards. Because of this, it would be completely reasonable to cut one of these shower bombs in half and use them across two, perhaps even three, showers.

As with all of Lush's recent shower bomb releases, Validation left a lasting impression on the skin: both with how soft my body felt after I had towelled myself down, and with the wonderfully light smell that lingered on my skin for a short while afterwards.

While this wouldn't be one of my favourite smells, I enjoyed rekindling myself with a good old classic Lush smell, and I can imagine this one proving very popular if it was to make itself available across multiple stores. Shaped like a little golden star, this Liverpool-exclusive shower bomb is sure to brighten even the darkest of days.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream Of Tartar, Citric Acid, Potato Starch, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Calcium Lactate Gluconate, Sodium Alginate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Brazilian Orange Oil, Myrrh Resinoid, Vanilla Absolute, Synthetic Fluorphogopite, Amyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Salicylate, Coumarin, Perfume, Colour 77492.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £2.75 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

Frangipani Glove Hand Serum

If there is one part of my body that suffers the most, it is my hands. Having to endure seven days of hard grafting at work, as well as then having to lift increasingly heavy weights seven days a week at the gym, my poor little mitts are just about done by the end of the day. Endless pots and tubes of hand creams later and the skin on my palms is still as cracked and as weathered as an old house. It would have to take something miraculously to bleed some life back into these tired hands.

Bring forth Frangipani Glove Hand Serum: a product that certainly didn't inspire me to get that excited when Lush first announced that it was coming out. Even when the oval shaped disc of oils and butters appeared on my doorstep, I still wasn't interested enough to start using it right away. Silly really, given that the results it did heed now leave me wishing I'd bought a hundred more before they disappeared from the website. 

Described as a hand serum, Frangipani is ultimately a little like a massage bar for the hands, and works in a slightly different way to that of a cream. With quite a number of hand creams, you often need to massage the product quite rigorously into your skin and then wait for it to fully absorb before you can carry on about your day. This hand serum works a little differently, and is ultimately more successful.

You only need to massage for a split second between your palms for the product to begin melting and heed enough oils for you to use on your skin. Frangipani melts extremely easily so I would recommend that you store it somewhere cool in between uses, and try not to hold it too long either, as the bar will shrink far quicker than you would want it to.

Once the product is on the skin, you simply need to spread the oils out across every area of your skin and the work has been done. Instead of the oily, greasy feel that you may experience with creams and lotions, this hand serum dries into a powdered finish so you can get back into whatever it was you were doing mere seconds before you applied the serum. 

What is amazing about Frangipani is that I was not expecting the product to make that much of an impression on my skin, and I instead found that my hands felt instantly hydrated, smooth and far more moisturised after only a matter of seconds. Before and after my gym sessions, I have been applying this hand serum religiously, and have found that I rarely develop any areas of dry skin, whereas beforehand I would have areas that felt constantly dry and hard, no matter how hard I tried to rectify this.

After using this daily for a couple of weeks, I also found that the areas around my nails, as well as the cuticles themselves, were far softer and smoother, and I had less 'flaking' of skin as I had done previously. Featuring almond milk and castor oil to help form a protective barrier across my skin, and witch hazel extract to soothe and tone, this limited edition is definitely a miracle in my eyes. 

Fragrance wise, Lush describe this as being rather fruity, with both sandalwood and tuberose underneath to add both woody and floral tones. To my nose, I'd describe the scent of this to be more on the warming but gentle floral side, although I do agree that there is something delicately woody about the aroma as well.

Although I didn't find that the fragrance of Frangipani lasted all too long on my hands, the intensity of which it improved the condition on my skin, and in such a short space of time, means that this is a product I have integrated into my regular routine. Carrying it around in one of Lush's silver tins has been a godsend for me whilst at work, and I've also taken it with me on board a couple of plane rides, where I've used it as a facial serum as well, with positive results.  

Having used my bar consistently, multiple times a day for almost a month, I can safely say that a bar of this hand serum will easily last another couple of months, making this great value for money. In my opinion, this is easily the greatest hand product that Lush have ever made and I only hope it becomes a permanent in the near future. This is one that I will definitely buy again.  

Quantitative Ingredients: Illipe butter, Murumuru Butter, Cupuaçu Butter, Almond Milk, Organic Shea Butter, Arrowroot Powder, Silica Almond Oil, Sunflower Wax, Witch Hazel, Extract Organic Castor Oil, Perfume, Japan Wax, Frangipani Absolute, Tuberose Absolute, Sandalwood Oil, Rose Wax, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, *Benzyl Salicylate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Cinnamyl Alcohol, *Citral, Coumarin, *Eugenol, *Farnesol, Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £8 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

Demons Bath Oil

It's fairly safe to say Lush have produced an impressive number of bath oils over the last few years, most of which are still available in the stores around the country. While many, if not most of them, are actually really great at what they do, I find that I still overlook them in favour of the bath bombs and bubble bars. As I tend to have less baths nowadays, when I do want one I'm looking for something beautifully vibrant and strong in scent, and the practical element of bath oils just doesn't seem as appealing or exciting.

Yet I well and truly ate my words when I tried out Demons Bath Oil for the first time. Although I tend to summarise my opinion on a product at the end of my reviews, I will openly say that this is a bath oil that blew me out of the water, and one I would easily opt to use over most of the other bath products available from Lush at the moment. 

Firstly, you have to admire that this tiny little lump of butters and oils has an awesome name and it's black demeanour only serves to make it more alluring. Coupled with the black cornflour decoration on top and I sort of feel as if I'm getting a little more of an impressive experience for the £2.95 I paid for this gem.

For those living under a rock, you may not know that Demons Bath Oil also happens to share its scent with the Lord Of Misrule family, which it does so with such intensity that I could only marvel at how much of a fragrance this tiny bath oil offers. It quite literally floods whatever room it is in with a strong, earthy aroma, which is impressive given that it's roughly the same size as a tea-light candle.

The idea of a bath oil is simply to add extra essential oils and butters to your bathing experience, not only to moisturise and nourish your skin, but to leave your body with the lasting effects of said ingredients. When it comes to Demons Bath Oil, the inclusion of the activated charcoal definitely leaves a lasting effective on the skin. I could really feel and see a subtle shine to my skin that I don't often experience when using a bath oil by itself, and my skin felt really hydrated and soft afterwards as well.

When it comes to the fragrance, Demons offers a beautifully rich and wholesome blend of patchouli and black pepper oils. Combined, these two produce something really sweet and earthy, while the vanilla absolute wraps these two ingredients into a cuddle and laces its own rich, muskiness throughout the experience. If you're somebody who loves this scent family, you will be really impressed by how well the smell works in this format. 

In the water, the bath oil slowly oozes out little drops of black oils: lacing the surface and underneath with a mesmerising and very relaxing show - almost like that of a heat lamp. It takes a good fifteen minutes for Demons to fully dissolve, but when it does you're left with a black-tinged but very sultry water, that wraps around your body like a snake.

Lush need to make this a permanent for certain as my little heart breaks every time I know that I cannot simply pop online or in-store to purchase it again, at this moment in time. Demons is perhaps my favourite bath oil that Lush have ever produced, and it would be cruel of them if this was the one and only time I was ever able to share a bath with one.

Quantitative Ingredients: Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Laureth 4, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Perfume, Lauryl Betaine, Black Cornflowers, Black Pepper Oil, Patchouli Oil, Vanilla Absolute, Activated Charcoal, Titanium Dioxide, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Tin Oxide, *Coumarin, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 42090, Colour 17200, Colour 77491, Colour 77266.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £2.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

Silver FUN Bar

Sometimes you just need to shower yourself with glitter to unleash the royalty inside of you. After a rather emotionally drained weekend, I couldn't think of a better remedy than to take my brand new bar of Silver FUN into the shower, and wash off any remaining negativity before the start of a new week.  

Having not researched anything about this Liverpool exclusive beforehand, I had no preconceptions about the fragrance itself, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it shares its scent with the beautiful Aurora Borealis Body Scrub: another Liverpool exclusive that only recently made an appearance in the Lush Labs release.

Containing both spearmint and lemon oils, this gorgeous FUN Bar offers a gentle but equally refreshing minty smell, with a refreshing citrusy twist underneath. There is something slightly musky about the mint note in this format, which I loved from the start, and the fruity note only served to make this even more delicious. While the smell of this is nothing groundbreaking, it makes for a nice change.  

As with all of the other FUN bars that Lush offer, this one is versatile in how you use it and does a great job in each role. Firstly, this is a great replacement for either your shower jelly, soap or gel. Simply take a small piece (about the size of a grape), wet it under the shower hose and massage it directly across your body. The bar foams up a treat and produces an impressive amount of light, fluffy lather that can be distributed across your skin with ease. Given its silver coating, you will find that a little dash of lustre may find its way onto your skin during the shower. However, this will rinse away just as easily as it appeared, so you shouldn't be at all worried that you'll leave the shower looking like a disco ball.

Just like Lush's shower gels, this bar leaves your skin really clean and with a gentle, creamy minty fragrance lingering on your body afterwards. Alongside a little dash of lemon oil, this refreshing smell will linger on your skin for a short while after your shower, and works especially well when the weather outside is rather hot and sticky, as the scent will keep you feeling 'cool'. While it's not as moisturising as the gels and jellies, I don't find FUN bars to be as drying on the skin as soap can be, even though they don't offer the complex scents you'd expect with Lush soaps. For this reason, you may need to moisturise afterwards but it's not a necessity.

Secondly, FUN can be used in much the same way as a bubble bar: crumbling a small piece under the running tap to produce some bubbles as part of a cocktail. What I will say is that you don't get any sort of colour when using this FUN bar in the water, and it's definitely not as moisturising as a regular bubble bar. However, this may work well alongside a minty bath bomb to add a few extra bubbles and a little extra moisture if it suits you so.

In recent years, I have found that FUN is far easier to travel with as opposed to a shower gel, as it takes up less room in your cosmetics bag and diminishes over time so you bring less back with you when coming home. For this reason, I took Silver FUN with me on a recently weekend trip to Amsterdam and really enjoyed the experience of being able to take such a small piece (grape-sized) with me and make it last successfully across three consecutive days.

Ultimately, this is another lovely little release from Lush and I thoroughly enjoyed being able to enjoy another fragrance in this format. While I will always opt for a shower gel over a FUN Bar, I cannot complain about the pricing or productivity of this limited edition, and only hopes it makes a wider appearance for other consumers to try out for themselves.

Quantitative Ingredients: Cornflour, Talc, Glycerine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Sicilian Lemon Oil, Spearmint Oil, Titanium Dioxide, Tin Oxide, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Benzyl Alcohol, Citral, *Limonene,  Perfume, Colour 77491.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £4.50 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

Wasabi Shan Kui Liquid Shampo

While I probably eat sushi about once a year, when I do it is usually because I have a hankering for wasabi more than anything else. There is something about that spicy condiment that truly satisfies my tastebuds, even when I overindulge and burn my tongue in the process.

When Wasabi Shan Kui Liquid Shampoo first made an appearance in the Lush liverpool store, complete with its vibrant green exterior, my mind was a-blur with confusing thoughts of how exactly applying horseradish to my hair was going to do anything but cause an unpleasant sting. Priced up at nearly £20 for a 300g bottle was also enough to make me hesitate for a split second: was I really going to spend that much for something I'd usually dip my sushi into?

Within the Lush community, it's very easy to find yourself being ushered into a frenzy when it comes to a product such as this. To begin with, I read a lot of very positive reviews regarding Wasabi, and after a couple of uses I was ready t share that excitement as well. However, when it comes to hair care, I always allow a few weeks of continuous use before I publish a review, simply to ensure that I get a well-rounded experience before I showcase my opinion.

Containing a powerhouse of wasabi, caffeine powder and menthol crystals, this shampoo promises to do many things when it comes to your hair. The former two ingredients work on stimulating your scalp to promote hair growth, which on a longer time scale also looks to add volume and strength to your locks as well.

With a generous helping of both epsom salts and sea salt, this shampoo also offered an immediate boost in thickness across my whole head, which was something I noticed from the very first time I used the shampoo. Alongside the aquafaba, which contains an impressive amount of protein, Wasabi definitely added noticeable volume to my locks and I could feel the difference when I ran my fingers through my hair.

Alongside all of these ingredients, Lush have also included both agave syrup and fresh horseradish, which between them add a combination of antimicrobial and anti-bacterial properties to keep your hair clean and healthy. The latter ingredient is also naturally high in vitamins which serves to keep your hair even healthier after prolonged use.

Lemon, rose and orange oils also play an important role in creating this shampoo. Not only do they leave a big impression on the overall fragrance (which I shall discuss in a moment) but they also work on cleaning and cleansing the hair, whilst adding a natural shine to it afterwards. Finally, the inclusion of the olive oil builds upon that shine as well, whilst inducing the hair with lots of vitamin E and oleic acid to strengthen the hair from root to tip.

With all of these ingredients present, it's probably rather difficult to imagine exactly what Wasabi Shan Kui Shampoo actually smells like. In the bottle, I can smell something that I would describe as being a little sweet and sherbet-like, whilst also holding a gentle note of both wasabi and something that I can only describe as being a little mossy. My first impressions were that it's no way near as offensive as you might assume it would be, given the hefty ingredients list.

Once on your hair, the wasabi is perhaps a little more prominent, although it is combined with both the citrus and the rose oils to sweeten the fragrance and add a subtle cloud of floral underneath. This is definitely not a foody smell by any means, but there is something quite fresh and green-like about it that might still sit uncomfortably for some people's noses. What I will say about this shampoo is that it definitely has a very unique aroma.

What is great about this shampoo is that you don't need much at all to produce a thick, fluffy lather. Half a grape-sized amount is more than sufficient to coat your whole hair with, and you an immediately feel your locks thicken as you massage it across your hair and scalp. Interestingly enough, you can actually feel the little pieces of salt as you lather this up, and within a matter of seconds you can also feel the tingle of the menthol crystals adding a freshness that makes it perfect for the warmer months.

Unfortunately, once I had rinsed the shampoo out of my hair, I could feel that my hair felt very dry and brittle. The ends of my hair were matted and very split, and this condition scared me into thinking that I had truly damaged my hair on a long term basis. While my hair felt really clean overall, the condition wasn't what I was hoping it would be to begin with.

However, once my hair had fully dried, I did notice some improvements. Much like when I first applied it, my hair continued to offer a much more volumised look and feel, and this stayed with me until I washed my hair again some two days later. Furthermore, Wasabi gave my locks a very natural, and equally noticeable, shine to it which made it look as if I had used a conditioner when I in fact not used one at all.

My only concerns with Wasabi Shan Kui is that those consumers with very dry hair may need an extra dosage of moisture to stop their hair going completely offer the scale. As my hair is rather thin and naturally wispy, I did find that this shampoo became a little too intense for my hair, and with bi-daily usage I found that my hair appeared far too messy to wear down by itself. For those reason, I only use this shampoo once a week, and I have found that this is enough to add volume whilst giving enough time for my hair to also receive lots of moisture from other products as well. However, I think that those with hair that is less frizzy than mine will no doubt find many merits in using this as their regular shampoo.

Overall, I have enjoyed using this shampoo, and my little 100g bottle has barely shrunk in size since I have begun doing so. For hair that needs volume and shine, Wasabi is definitely a shampoo that boasts the ability to offer both to all hair types. Having said that, you'll need to consider how you can hydrate your hair alongside using this as that's the only thing that this shampoo doesn't do particularly well.   

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Wasabi Decoction, Epsom Salts, Hand Harvested Sea Salt, Propylene Glycol, Fresh Horseradish, Organic Agave Syrup, Aquafaba, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Fresh Wasabi, Caffeine Powder, Sicilian Lemon Oil, Rose Oil, Organic Sweet Orange Oil, Fresh Lemon Juice, Menthol Crystals, Gardenia Extract, Water (Aqua), Fair Trade Olive Oil, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Bicarbonate, *Citral, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume, Chlorophyllin, Colour 19140.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £8.95 for 100g, £17.95 for 300g, £29.95 for 500g, £50.95 for 1kg.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

#Gains Protein Spray

Out of every product that Lush have ever produced, this one spoke to me more than any other. When two worlds collide: #Gains not only appeals to me from the perspective of a consumer looking to improve the quality of my hair, but also in the sense that I'm an avid weight lifter and constantly focussed on getting in some 'gains' myself.

When the bottle arrived, I couldn't contain my excitement and began to use it right away. All I will say is that is didn't take me very long to recognise - and see with my very own eyes - the benefits that this purple beauty has to offer, and my hair has been grateful ever since. 

First made available in the Liverpool store a couple of months ago, this spray then made a reappearance last month as part of the Lush Labs release, and there's a reason that it sold out so quickly. With an impressive and equally intriguing list of ingredients that have gone into making the product, there's no wonder it's proving to be so popular. So where should I start...

To begin with, the scent of this is incredibly yummy and definitely what you'd describe as a 'foody' scent. While ultimately I don't think that a product's smell is all that important, unless it's a bath product, #Gains offers a rounded fruity aroma that smells a like bubble gum to my nose, albeit a little more sultry and rich.

For those who haven't been able to visit Asia and experience fresh jackfruit for themselves, you wouldn't really be able to compare it to the scent of this protein spray. However, the fragrance definitely has a sweet and rather interesting syrup-like fruity twist that reminds me of the taste of the fruit itself. The smell of this is unlike anything else that Lush have released before, so I cannot even compare it to anything to give you an idea of what to expect. 

To use, you need to spray on towelled dry hair and then comb through to allow for equal coverage. I have rather thin hair, although it sits roughly halfway over my boobs, and I found that 4-5 sprays was enough to coat my entire hair and experience some wonderful results. To be fair, I think it's worth trialing it out for yourself to see how much you need, but my above example should act as a rough guideline. To much of this and I found that my hair became flat and rather lifeless, so it's important you find the right balance for your own locks.

Once your hair has dried, you will immediately begin to notice the results. Firstly, I could both feel and see that my hair appeared thicker, especially towards the end where I had put on a little more of the spray after combing through my initial squirts. I was able to wear my hair down without it looking thin, and when I ran my hand through my hair, I could feel that the spray had added a little volume.

What impressed me the most however was how quickly the condition of my hair turned itself around. Within a week of using this, I found that there were less strands falling out of my hair whenever I brushed my locks. I could also see that my hair just looked healthier and shinier, and my split ends didn't feel as dry and brittle as they had done beforehand.

While immediately impressions might be that the 100g bottles that they come in might not very long, I have been using mine daily for the last three weeks, and have only just gone below the the label line towards the top of the bottle. If you're somebody whose hair isn't particularly dire, a few times a week is more than enough to add some goodness your locks, and your 100g bottle would diminish even slower than mine.

Ultimately, my only qualm with #Gains is that the aroma tends to fade after about 45 minutes, which is a shame as I love it when a product can double up as a hair perfume as well. However, I am really happy with how this product has improved my hair in such a short space of time, and I cannot imagine this leaving my daily routine now. A great little number from Lush.  

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), DRF Alcohol, Alfalfa Juice, Jackfruit Puree, Fresh Wheatgrass Juice, Glyceryl Stearate & PEG-100 Stearate, Perfume, Ethyl Macadamiate, Propylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, *Limonene, Fresh Lemon Juice, Behentrimonium chloride, Clove Bud Oil, Geranium Oil, Brazilian Orange Oil, Sicilian Lemon Oil, Vanilla Absolute, Cetrimonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Arginine, HCL, Leucine, Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten, *Anise Alcohol, *Citral, *Citronellol, *Eugenol, *Geraniol, *Linalool, Colour 60725.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £15 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

Sunset FUN Bar

One of eleven exclusive FUN bars that are currently only available from the Liverpool store, Sunset was easily one of the products that I was most excited to get my hands on. While I'm still rather clueless as to what many of the exclusives smell like, this particular bar I had read about before, so I already knew that I was going to love it.

Sharing its scent with The Brightside Bubble Bar, this gorgeous vibrant orange beauty is as uplifting and as stunning as its name suggests. Packed full of mandarin and tangerine oils, this bar offers a juicy, fruity aroma with a sharp citrusy edge to finish. It's super bright and fresh and doesn't compromise the natural sweetness of any of the oils used.

As with all of the other FUN bars that Lush offer, this one is versatile in how you use it and does a great job in each role. Firstly, this is a great replacement for either your shower jelly, soap or gel. Simply take a small piece (about the size of a grape), wet it under the shower hose and massage it directly across your body. The bar foams up a treat and produces an impressive amount of light, fluffy lather that can be distributed across your skin with ease.

Just like Lush's shower gels, this bar leaves your skin really clean and with a super fruity fragrance to accompany you for a short while after you've towelled yourself down. While it's not as moisturising as the gels and jellies, I don't find FUN bars to be as drying on the skin as soap can be, even though they don't offer the complex scents you'd expect with Lush soaps.  

Secondly, FUN can be used in much the same way as a bubble bar: crumbling a small piece under the running tap to produce some bubbles as part of a cocktail. What I will say is that you don't get much more than just a light shade of orange in the water when using this particular one, and it's definitely not as moisturising as an actual bubble bar. However, I did find that I could smell the Fun Bar alongside Groovy Kind Of Love Bath Bomb, which I added during one of my bath cocktails. Although it did produce some bubbles to go with the scent, these didn't seem to stick around for too long after I entered the bath. Having said all of this, Sunset definitely doesn't replicate the original bubble bar, and I would suggest using this in other ways and stick to The Brightside when you want those mounds of bubbles.   

Finally, FUN can be used as a replacement for a shampoo. While I haven't tried this (due to the number of new shampoos that Lush have unleashed on us recently) I can imagine it would lather up well and leave your hair smelling super gorgeous afterwards.

Much like I've stated in all of my reviews, you will need to consider how to store this product between uses, as it has a tendency to leave a sticky mess on any side it is left, if wet. While I love the fact that it's not in pot so it saves on packaging, you will need to keep this FUN Bar cool and dry in between showers. I would suggest breaking off a few pieces and storing them in a pot, away from any possible running water, as this will prolong the life of the bar. 

For £3.95, this little 100g bar isn't the most expensive of investments and I have thoroughly enjoyed using this in my morning showers as it is the perfect 'wake me up' before the gym. My only issue with Sunset is that it's now got me dreaming about a Brightside-scented shower gel, which at the moment isn't available to buy.

Quantitative Ingredients: Cornflour, Talc, Glycerine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sicilian Mandarin Oil, Red Mandarin Oil, Tangerine Oil, Bergamot Oil, Limonene, Perfume, Colour 45350, Colour 45410.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £3.95 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.