In The Nude Bath Melt

A couple of years ago, I managed to find this odd-looking brown bar that called itself In The Nude. Having never used it before, the need to try it at least once compelled me to purchase it, and I soon discovered that my decision was a poor one. The bar was hard, almost scentless and did very little in the bath, aside from sink to the bottom, where it remained until I removed it in replacement of a bath bomb.

After writing a rather negative review of the melt, I made the decision to refrain from publishing my opinion, as I realised that I would be casting an unfair judgement on a predict that was clearly past its 'best before'. This review sat there until I received a couple of fresh ones the other day, and I realise now that I made the right decision to stay hushed until now.  

   

Let's be honest, In the Nude is not a very attractive looking fella. However, Lush have made it to fulfil a purpose, not to put on a show, so it should be forgiven for being rather boring looking from the outside. Packed full of different oils and butters, this bath melt is designed to calm skin that is suffering from dryness or irritation; the main ingredient being cocoa butter, which is a natural ingredient known for its skin softening properties. The product also contains lavender, rose and chamomile oils; all added to help soothe dry or irritated patches on your body.

As well as sharing similar ingredients to the likes of Farmacy and Dream Cream, this block is also supposedly similar in scent. Sporting a gentle, non-offensive aroma, In The Nude offers a soothing layer of chamomile intertwined with a natural, herbal lavender note.These two together offer something very clean smelling and also very gentle. A little drop of rose absolute in there makes reference to a sweet note as well, but nothing overly potent in the slightest.

This level of subtleness means that this bath melt is great for those who want something to soothe and nourish their skin without using anything too over the top. It also means that you could divide this into halves or quarters, and use a piece alongside a bubble bar or bath bomb if you were looking for something a little more colourful.

On the other side, the lack of colour and fragrance also means that by itself it is rather boring in the bath. After using a whole one to see what it would be like, I was left with water that was very slightly cloudy, and not much else. When I used this one again, I chose to add in a Dream On Bath Bomb and a Golden Slumbers, just to elevate those key scents without taking away from the original melt.

When compared to the most recent bath melts and oils to come out from Lush, this one pales in comparison when it comes to design. Having said that, Lush are known for creating a whole array of different melts to suit difference purposes, and this one is definitely for those who just want to add essential oils to their tub, for a smoother, more moistening experience.

On the positive side, In The Nude is not a greasy bath oil at all, and does induce enough essential butters and oils to make a difference in the water. My skin felt really soft afterwards, and it also helped to soothe the areas of my body that were a little red from catching the sun. My only qualm is that I wasn't able to detect the smell at all on my skin afterwards, although I was able to rectify this by using some of my Dream Cream Body Lotion.

Ultimately, In The Nude does exactly what you expect it to: nothing more, nothing less. If you want a non-greasy, non offensive bath melt, this is one you'll want to try out. I might save the ones I have left for the summer and use them on the days that I expose my skin to the sun for long periods of time.

Quantitative Ingredients: Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Laureth 4, Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis) , Alkanett in Almond Oil (Alkanna tinctoria, Prunus dulcis) , Lavender Oil (Lavandula augustifolia) , Rose Absolute (Rosa damascena) , Chamomile Oil (Anthemis nobilis) , *Geraniol , *Citronellol , *Limonene , *Linalool , Perfume.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £4.95 each.

Scent Family:

101 Salvations
Dream Cream Body Lotion
Dream Cream Self-Preserving Body Lotion
Dream On Bath Bomb
Dreamwash Shower Smoothie
Dreamwash Shower Smoothie Roulade
Fresh Farmacy Facial Soap
In The Nude Bath Melt

Oaty Creamy Dreamy Oat Milk Shower Cream 

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Glam Rock Hair Glitter

Glam Rock Hair Glitter is a product from the deepest, darkest vaults of Lush's back catalogue. A product that made a fleeting visit, soon to be destined to spend the rest of its life in the furthest corners of memory. How I managed to acquire one of these I don't know, but I'm not quite sure it was such a good thing.

If there's one thing that I love about Lush, it's their ability to design and create products that don't fit in with the norm; products that no other company would even think about, let alone dare make. Sometimes the company's experimental side pays off and we end up with superior products (massage bars, solid hair care etc...) and then there's products that leave us thinking - what was that? I think this product fits under the latter category. 

This solid bar was released over ten years ago, I believe as a Christmas special, for the party-goers who weren't satisfied with the hundreds of other 'going out' products that were already available on the market. What more could a person want than lip sticks, balms, tints, gloss and stains, eye shadows and liners, toners and contours, foundations and concealers, nail varnish and transfers, hair gel, wax, jelly, moose and spray? Yes you guessed it, hair glitter!

The product is supposed to be used as a final touch up before you head out the door. Simply massage the bar through the areas you want a little sparkle and there you have it - a stylised and far more glittery alternative to dandruff. I'm being sarcastic of course, but you get my drift.

Unfortunately, Lush assume that anyone wishing to use this will already have another product present in their hair to give something for the glitter to stick to. For someone like myself, who never uses anything aside from shampoo and conditioner, this product simply doesn't work, and in fact, makes my hair feel incredibly dry. Not only this, but I experienced the embarrassment of having specks of glitter falling out of my hair every time I moved, which just made me look like I was the queen of a flakey scalp. 

While Glam Rock smells rather nice - a sweet, floral aroma made up of vanilla and rose absolute, it doesn't offer much else in the way of productivity. I understand where Lush are coming from by releasing this as a solid product, but I feel it would work much better if the company brought out hair gels and waxes that feature glitter. This would have a much better success rate and would probably appeal to more people. 

I am not at all surprised that this has never made a comeback and I can imagine it being a product that never sees the light of day again. While it's an interesting concept, I cannot say that I am disappointed by this revelation. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar (Tartaric acid), Red Golden Glitter (Polyethylene terephthalate), Water (Aqua), Olive Oil (Olea europaea), Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia), Neroli Oil (Citrus amara), Rose Absolute (Rosa centifolia), Benzyl Benzoate, Linalool, Hydroxycitronellal, Perfume.

Vegan?: Yes

A Blast From The Past - Snow Wonder Gift Set

After my exciting discovery of the Happy Gift Set a few weeks ago on eBay, I was even happier when I found another vintage set available for sale a few days later. While the likelihood of the gift set being usable was rather slim, I was still intrigued enough to make a bid, and was rather ecstatic when I won - even more so when the sealed box arrived shortly afterwards. 

Snow Wonder was released in 2004 - a Christmas collection that while rather colourless, contained enough of a variety of scents to attract anyone serious enough about their baths. Hosting enough rarities to have most Lushies salivating at the mouth nowadays, this collection is a rare and rather wonderful glimpse into a world before the Lush Kitchen, and indeed before the introduction of the retro section.

There are so many hard-to-find ballistics in this collection that it almost saddens me that most of these haven't made an reappearance since this gift set was first available. To almost prove this point, you might be amazed to discover that out of the eight products featured, I have only tried three of them - a predicament that I hope to move away from when Lush choose to bring some of these back in the Kitchen this year.

This set features:

Christmas Carol Bath Ballistic

Christmas Party Bath Bomb

Freeze Shower Gel

Snow Cake Soap

Santa Monica Bath Ballistic

Iridescent Glitterbug Massage Bar

Amandopondo Bubble Bar

Kissletoes Bath Bomb 

While the bath bombs weren't in the best of condition (being over 10 years old gives them somewhat of an excuse), I was surprised to discover that the scent of some of these products was very much intact. The Kissletoe made the strongest impression - a combination of cinnamon and orange to rival that of the current Cinders Bath Bomb. The orange and lime of the Christmas Party revealed itself once the ballistic had been given time to breathe, and a note of carnations and rose made itself known when I had a quick sniff of Santa Monica.

As I mentioned above, this may not be the most exciting collection to look at in terms of colour and condition of the products, but the prospect of owning most of these bath bombs, albeit fresh, is enough to make me wish that they re-release this set in all of its glory.

While most of these bombs are probably unusable at this stage (although the shower gel, soap and bubble bar seem fine), I have enjoyed making the journey into Lush's vast and extensive history. For the sake of myself and other hopeful Lushies, I just hope that history repeats itself, and soon. 

   

A Blast From The Past - Happy Gift Set

When I first began using and collecting Lush products, I didn't even want to attempt collecting and reviewing the gift sets. Despite the irony that my Lush obsession initially stemmed from the gift sets that I received from family and friends, I wanted to focus on individual products so I could build up an inventory to help others. 

However, last Christmas I found myself buying an awful lot of the gift sets, marvelling the different boxes and tins that Lush were offering the collections in, and herein sparkled my obsession with trying as many gift sets as I possibly can. While I tend to stick to the seasonal ones as opposed to the regular sets, I can't help but get excited when I discover older sets on eBay. 

I purchased this gift set for a bargain price a couple of weeks ago and couldn't wait to rip off the wrapper and see what was inside. Despite the fact that it was first released in 2003 and knowing that the products inside were most likely unusable, there was something magical and rather exciting about opening a gift set that has been untouched for near on 12 years. 

This set contains: 

Sicilian Bath Bomb

100g Sunny Citrus Soap

100g Happy for SAD Shower Gel

Irresistible Bliss Solid Shampoo Bar

Ginger man Bath Ballistic

Therapy Massage Bar

While there were a few products that I had never tried in this set, I was most excited for Irresistible Bliss as it is my all-time favourite shampoo. Surprisingly, this is the one product that seems to have stood the test of time and is currently being used by myself with amazing results. 

After Lush brought out three old gift sets last Christmas, I really hope that they branch out this year and bring out more retro gift sets such as this one. There is something very alluring about older Lush products - whether it be their old-school packaging or the history behind the goodies you get. Either way, this was a great experience for a Lush connoisseur and I hope its not the last time I get to do this.    

Video Of Unboxing:

Lemon Days & Ginger Beer Bath Bomb

Inspired by the wonderful world of Enid Blyton, Lemon Days & Ginger Beer Bath Bomb conjures up images of picnics on the beach and warm, lazy days basking under the sun; it's a bath bomb that invigorates and uplifts your mood before it's even had a chance to perform in the bath. It's a universal ballistic that can be used to enhance those hot summer days, or bring clarity to the weathered minds of those who have forgotten what it's like to feel the heat on their bare skin. 

Made from a combination of lemon peel, mandarin and geranium oils, this is a spicy, floral and slightly zesty offering from Lush. As the name suggests, this is a ballistic that features lemon and ginger heavily in it's scent - something that I was both intrigued and concerned by. 

Having not previously researched much about this bath bomb at all, I was disappointed to discover that it shared its scent with the Ginger range - a fact that made me slightly hesitant to try it at all. Unfortunately, I have not liked anything with this fragrance so far, so I was expecting to experience the same disappointment that I have done so with all of the other products I have tried so far. 

Initially, the fragrance I picked up from this ballistic was dominated by the ginger; I could smell next to no lemon at all when the bath bomb was in the wrapper. Underneath this, I could detect a hint of floral shell, which did remove the natural spicy potency that I dislike about ginger but didn't mask it completely. Together, these smells gave the bath bomb a very warm and comforting, yet strangely refreshing fragrance - one that wouldn't be out of place in spring, summer, autumn or winter. Despite this, I was still not bowled over at all - that was until I placed the ballistic in the water. 

In the bath, Lemon Days & Ginger Beer is a fast and rather noisy fizzer; bobbing across the surface whilst unleashing a fury of bright yellow streams that disperse themselves throughout the water very quickly. This is a bath bomb that doesn't take long to dissolve, and once it's fully dispersed in the tub, you're left with a rather vivid sea of sunflower-yellow water - a factor that really helps to revive your mood and refreshen your senses. 

Not only is it a beautiful summery shade of yellow, but the properties of the water itself is perhaps what makes this bath bomb really impressive. Packed full of fresh ingredients, this is a ballistic that not only uplifts your senses, but softens and cleanses your skin as well. The addition of different oils - mimosa absolute and geranium oil in particular, gives this bath bomb the power to help tone and tighten skin. 

Within seconds of climbing into the bath, I could feel just how silky-soft the water really was. There are very few ballistics that I have tried that have been this softening on my skin, let alone any that have felt so incredible to be bathing in. Lemons Days And Ginger Beer makes the water feel thicker - almost like you are bathing in liquid gold. While Lush's bath melts give the same nourishing properties as this bath bomb promises, not one of them creates water as creamy and as velvety as this product does.

Furthermore, once I was in the tub, I began to pick up the lemon scent that had been missing to begin with. Although the use of fresh ginger and ginger oil gives the bath bomb a spicy kick to stimulate and warm the skin with, the citrus elements of this product come through a lot more once it's come into contact with the hot water. This meant that I actually really like the scent when I was in the tub.

Although I was initially worried by the addition of ginger, (It gets my vote for worst-smelling herb ever) this wasn't as prominent in the mix as I was expecting. Although it was at the forefront alongside the lemon to begin with, once the bath bomb had fully dissolved the scent somewhat mellowed, and I could only detect the odd spicy remnants, which was lovely. 

The addition of so many different oils in this ballistic meant that the entire experience left my skin feeling lovely and soft. Furthermore, the scent lingered on my skin for a while after my bath, and as the day went on this smell transpired into a beautiful light scent of lemon peel. Although I wouldn't claim this to be anywhere near my favourite ballistic, it was an enjoyable experience and one I'd like to try again. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Lemon Peel (Citrus limonum), Powdered Ginger (Zingiber officinalis), Perfume, Ginger Oil (Zingiber officinalis), Mimosa Absolute (Mimosa tenuiflora), Red Mandarin Oil (Citrus nobilis), Sandalwood Oil (Santalum album), Geranium Oil (Pelargonium crispum), Bergamot Oil (Citrus bergamia), Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), Colour 19140.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £3.75 each.
2016 Price: £3.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2004.

Scent Family:

Badass Gel Shower Gel
Boo Bath Melt and Bubble Bar
Ginger Bath Oil
Ginger Body Lotion
Ginger Liquid Perfume
Lemon Days And Ginger Beer Bath Bomb
Sex N The Shower Emotibomb

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Leap Frog Liquid Perfume

In 2012, Lush released a number of limited edition products to celebrate Valentine's Day. One of these was the strangely named, Leap Frog Perfume, a fragrance designed to match that of the ballistic with the same title. Although I was unlucky enough to miss purchasing one of the ballistics, I did manage to grab myself a bottle of the scent.

My first impressions were that this perfume does not suit the name Leap Frog. It's a very rich and musky scent, reminiscent of early 80's floral fragrances, and doesn't play homage to it's title in the slightest. 

Lush have included a whole range of scents to create this fragrance, all of them known for the ambidextrous properties they possess; Jasmine is the main ingredient here, knowing for it's warm and seductive properties, this scent definitely adds a sexiness to the overall scent. Whether on your skin or in the bottle, jasmine is at the forefront; showcasing a strong but equally sweet and light layer of floral gorgeousness. 

Next up is rose absolute, another warm and sensual smell that compliments the jasmine perfectly. The absolute adds a slight powdery tone to the overall scent, which gives Leap Frog that dry edge that you'd expect to get from preserved flowers. Sandalwood sits comfortably as the base note, adding a slight rich and woody scent to add depth to the smell; Neroli ties all of the ingredients together and adds it's own sweet, fruity aroma.

When combine, these ingredients produce an exquisite, evocative and wonderfully sexy perfume, one that wouldn't be out of place next to the Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana. It's definitely a musky scent, however it's light enough not to be too cloying or heavy on the wearer. Much like a designer perfume, it sits on your skin for hours at a time, and I found that I didn't have to top up at all during the day. What made the experience even better, was the many compliments I received about that 'gorgeous smell' I was wearing. 

I was definitely pleasantly surprised with Leap Frog; it's name gave me the impression that it was going to be a simple perfume with very little scent. However, it's the complete opposite. My bottle of this is dwindling somewhat so I hope that Lush decide to bring this back so I can stock up. I'd definitely vote for this to be made a permanent fixture in their perfume range, and I'd recommend you try and seek out a bottle to try yourself.

Quantative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Jasmine Absolute, Rose Absolute, Ylang Ylang Oil, *Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, *Citral, *Citronellol, Coumarin, *Eugenol, *Farnesol, Geraniol, Hydroxycitronellal, *Limonene, Methyl Ionone, *Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.