Winter Berry Soap

As I have been so absent from the community these last few months, I quite literally have no clue what products have been released, and every new item I pull out of my box is a complete surprise. Therefore, when I first pulled out a slab of Winter Berry Soap, my immediate reaction was that it was just a brand new rendition of the Raspberry Milkshake Soap.

However, upon inspection of the ingredients list and the scent that greeted my nose, I realised that it was not as I originally assumed. In fact, upon further investigation, I discovered that this brand new member of the Christmas range supposedly shared it scent with the Angels' Delight Soap that was a regular feature of the season range a good many years ago. 

For those who have not perhaps been travelling with me on my Lush journey, I can honestly say that the aforementioned smell, which also happens to feature in the Tennis Ball Bath Bomb and the Magic Wand Soap as well, is easily one of my favourite fruity smells that Lush have ever produced. However, I feel as if some of its magic has been lost very slightly in this latest soap offering.

To my nose, the smell of Winter Berry is a bright, fruity tangerine smell, with an extra playful burst of magic that can almost be associated with any other citrus smell you wish to imagine. Think you can smell a fruity strawberry smell here? You're probably right. Something a little more bright and citrusy overtaking your nose? Why not. There is something about this warming aroma that smells almost synthetic but equally as fresh and playful, and blimin' beautiful.

However, what spoilt this experience for me was the soap itself. On the surface, I loved the fact that Lush included an abundance of strawberry seeds to add a little exfoliation action when I lathered the soap across my skin. You can honestly feel the presence of the seeds under the surface of the soap, and it does make a difference to how smooth your skin feels afterwards, without being at all 'scratchy' in the process.

The design of the soap as well, with its bumpy surface, means that you almost feel as if you're giving yourself a massage whilst you're cleaning yourself. This only serves to calm and relax your body and mind a little more, which is perfect if your plan is to head to bed soon after you've had your shower.

However, a design flaw that I noticed was that the soap appeared rather thin from the very first use. Although easy to hold and manoeuvre across the body, within a couple of days it almost felt as if the soap was going to break in half when under the water: it felt flimsy and like there was very little product in the block to begin with. 

While Winter Berry is sold in 100g blocks, I almost feel as if you're getting a lot less product that other soaps of the same weight. This is probably more to do with the shape of the design itself, but needless to say that I feel as I won't be able to utilise this soap as long as some of the other seasonal soaps, because of the fact that the way it shrinks leaves it harder to use across the skin.

Having said that, Winter Berry does produce quite a nice oily lather, which coats the skin with ease and leaves a wonderful fruity fragrance that lingers for a good hour after you've left the shower. However, by itself it hasn't proven to be particularly nourishing on my skin, and I did need to use a body lotion afterwards to put back some of that moisture into my skin again.

Overall, I really appreciated the scent of this soap and I did enjoy the strawberry seeds to add a little exfoliation. However, the design and shape of this doesn't allow for any sort of longevity once the soap begins to shrink, and therefore wouldn't be one that I would invest in a second time around. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Propylene Glycol, Organic Sesame Oil, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Perfume, Organic Castor Oil, Cranberry Juice, Tangerine Oil, Bergamot Oil, Strawberry Seeds, Citric Acid, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Bicarbonate, *Citral, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 45410:1, Colour 17200.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £5.50 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

Snow Fairy Soap

A Christmas period without an abundance of Snow Fairy would almost be the the same as having a birthday party without cake: it just wouldn't feel right. Yet that's not to say that us long-term Lush fans always appreciate the number of products that saturate the seasonal range every year. I'll be honest and say that there hasn't been a Snow Fairy scented product that has ever excited me as much as the original shower gel, and there hasn't ever been a Snow Fairy release that has made me want to buy more than the initial one I've invested in, aside from the potted body conditioner.

Yet this year Lush have decided that the millions of sickly candy-scented products wouldn't be complete without a soap to join their ranks. Last year's cold-pressed version wasn't obviously in agreement with a large percentage of consumers, so this year's rendition is a hexagonal block of bright pink goodness.

Sharing it's design with one of last year's bath bombs, this pink block of solid oils looks like the Barbie version of a snowflake. Yet a difference that I noticed straight away with the fragrance of this was that the inclusion of the marshmallow root seems to give this soap an almost extra powdery note on top of the usual sickly sweet scents that you would expect.

For those who have never tried Snow Fairy, this is easily Lush's most commercial and also their most synthetic fragrance that they have ever produced. You wouldn't be hard-pressed to find something similar to this smell in your regular high street stores: which is why many new Lush fans find themselves hooked on this scent family first.

As I have described in the million and one other reviews of Snow Fairy smelling cosmetics, the scent of this soap is like a playful, youthful candy floss aroma, with hints of raspberry bubblegum and synthetic vanilla alongside this. While the smell is very intense and does last a while on the skin, I wouldn't ever say that this fragrance was particularly complex or interesting.

What I found promising with this soap rendition is that it lathers up wit ease under the running water, and it didn't take more than a matter of seconds to produce enough foam to clean my entire body with. However, because it is rather generous, the block tends to shrink fairly quickly, and I found that after using it for the first week - even when I made a conscious effort to keep it away from too much water - that the a good third of the bar had been used. 

Although I'm only estimating a time frame, I can imagine a 250g bottle of the original shower gel lasting almost quadruple the amount of time that one of these Snow Fairy soaps would last me, and I happen to think that the smell of the shower gel is far better, and far more robust, than what this soap has offered me recently. 

As with most soaps I have tried from Lush, Snow Fairy isn't exactly the most moisturising on my skin, and I did need to moisturise afterwards in order to retain the moisture in my skin. Luckily, Lush have re-released their body conditioner this year so I was able to use that to restore some of the missing moisture. However, this is not something I would usually need to worry about with any of their shower gels and jellies. 

Therefore, if you're in love with the Snow Fairy scent, you will probably appreciate that Lush have created another format to get your eager hands on. However, if you're not particularly bothered by this fragrance family, you may wish to choose an alternative product to try, or stick with the shower gel if you fancy something sweet, but something that is equally moisturising. 

As a stocking filler, this would make a nice little gift, as it looks rather lovely and does have a pretty smell to enjoy. However, the speed in which the soap shrinks; and the lack of moisture that it leaves on your skin afterwards, means that this is not something I would advocate buying many of.

Quantitative Ingredients: Propylene Glycol, Rapeseed Oil; Coconut Oil, Marshmallow Root Infusion, Water (Aqua), Perfume, Glycerine, Persian Lime Oil, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Chloride, Synthetic Musk, Sodium Stearate, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, *Limonene, Colour 45410:2, Colour 45410:1.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £4.50 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

Good Day Sunshine Soap

Whether it was because I'd only recently watched the film with my class, or because the movie has been such a huge hit over the last couple of years, but when I first saw the design of this soap, it immediately reminded me of the Disney classic, Moana. And yes, that song popped straight into my head from that moment onwards and remained there for the rest of the day.

Good Day Sunshine Soap is one of two brand new soaps to have been added to the regular line recently: initially exclusives for Liverpool but obviously popular enough to have made it into the mainstream. Both Good Day Sunshine and Michelle Ma Belle also happen to be half of a four-piece soap collection influenced by the Beatles, and I only hope that I can get my hands on the other variations in the near future.

What attracted me to this soap was not only its gorgeous bright orange colour, and the fact that the yellow sun design on the front looks like something out of a Mayan engraving, but the fact that it shares its scent with one of my all time favourite bath bombs: Cheer Up Buttercup. If there is one scent that will float your boat this summer, this fragrance is definitely it.

Containing a strong dosage of both lemon, lime and neroli, this gorgeous soap offers a bright, fruity and very refreshing citrusy smell. Yet strangely, the smell that comes out the most here is one of fresh orange juice, with the other elements sitting directly underneath and adding spritzy, uplifting fruity base-notes.

What I loved the most about the smell of this soap however, was the heavy dosage of neroli that came forth as soon as I began using this in the shower. Although far more subtle in the bath bomb format, the green notes of the neroli really bring out a sharp tang to the citrusy notes, and together these ingredients create something that isn't far off the smell of a freshly peeled orange, with the outer skin still attached. Good Day Sunshine is super fresh and fruity and perhaps the perfect scent for the warmer weather that we are experiencing right now.

What is unique about this piece of soap is that the yellow design on the surface has actually been dusted with sodium bicarbonate. This means that the first time you use this soap, the surface fizzes up like a bath bomb and the foam adds a slight tingle to your skin whilst you're washing your body. After the first time, there isn't much left to experience it again. However, it's a nice little touch that gives this soap something a little different to enjoy.  

Lush's statement about this soap is: the dazzling orange, vegan aquafaba base offers notes of sparkling lemon myrtle, zesty lime and uplifting neroli to flip your mood sunny side up, while exfoliating chia seeds offer a delicate polish that leaves skin feeling soft and bright enough to rival the sun. While I wasn't able to see the chia seeds in action, my skin did feel really soft afterwards, so I assume that this was the work of the hidden ingredient. 

What I will say about Good Day Sunshine is that the soap tends to lather up really well the first time but then tends to only produce a sort of thin, orange liquid consecutive uses afterwards. This is not a soap that foams up all that easily. Having said that, I found that the orange 'lather' was very easy to spread across my body and I didn't need to massage the soap for more than a few seconds to produce enough 'soap' to apply to my entire body.

This meant that I was able to place Good Day Sunshine away from the water fairly quickly and preserve as much of the soap as I possibly could. As the soap dried in a fairly moderate amount of time, my piece barely shrunk after using it for a week straight and I can safely say that this should last as long as a regular piece of soap would. Despite this, if you're someone who is less conscious of how much you're using, you may find that this soap shrinks a lot quicker than regular soaps, and this is when the £7 price tag may seem a little excessive.

Once I had rinsed the suds from my skin and relished in the delicious fruity smell that had engulfed my entire bathroom, I was really impressed to discover that the fragrance of this soap also lingered on my skin quite heavily. After towelling myself down, I was able to detect both the fruity element and the green-like undertone quite strongly on my body and my hair, and this stayed with me for a good couple of hours afterwards. 

As if this wasn't enough, my skin also felt really soft and smooth and refreshed, and there was a radiance across my hands and legs that I associate with all of the wonderful citrus oils that are present in the ingredients. If anything, using Good Day Sunshine just reaffirmed why Cheer Up Buttercup is one of my all-time favourite bath bombs, and why I love this scent an awful lot.

While I am grateful that Lush have brought this out as a regular item, it does make me wish that the company would bring out a shower gel, body lotion or body spray in the same fragrance, as that would be simply sublime. Inspired by an iconic band, this soap had a lot to live up to and I honestly think that they have matched that expectation perfectly. This is a wonderful addition to any bathroom and I shall be using this all summer to match the sunshine outside.

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Propylene Glycol, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Glycerine, Organic Castor Oil, Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Hydroxide, Aquafaba, Citric Acid, Lemon Myrtle Oil, Lime Oil, Neroli Oil, Silken Tofu, Chia Seeds, Cream of Tartar, Xanthan Gum, Agar Agar, Titanium Dioxide, Dipropylene Glycol, *Citral, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume, Colour 47005, Colour 19140, Colour 15510, Colour 45410:1.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £7.00 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

Sleepy Soap

Technically, Lush fans should be incredibly happy that - what looked like the biggest selling Lush shower gel, Twilight - is now a fully-fledged permanent member in stores. Problem solved, right? Except to my nose, and many others, while beautiful in its own right, Sleepy Shower Gel is not a direct replica of the Twilight scent. 

There is something about the inclusion of the oat milk, as with this soap as well, that removes some of the sweetness of the tonka absolute, and gives Sleepy a slightly more reserved fragrance overall. Although still a gorgeous aroma in its own right, I am not as enthused about this scent as I am the original.

When it comes to Sleepy Soap, I actually noticed some key differences that meant that this soap smelled closer to the likes of Dream Cream than it did the Twilight aroma. In fact, I feel as though if you removed the chamomile from the aforementioned body lotion, you might actually discover an aroma that matches the scent of this soap. 

Upon first sniff, I was offered a very rich, creamy combination of the lavender oil and the tonka absolute. The former ingredient brings about a very reserved but equally as beautiful natural herbal smell; imagine dried lavender without the sting of the muskiness, and you may begin to understand what I mean by this. 

Alongside this, the tonka absolute injects its own sweetness, while the ylang ylang sprinkles a little floral sweetness of its own as well: creating a warm, comforting and very creamy fragrance. However, it is the inclusion of the oat milk that has the biggest impact. 

Both before and during use, Sleepy Soap had a very prominent note of nuttiness from the oat milk base, which I think is what sets this apart from the Twilight range. There is something slightly 'biscuity' about the smell of this that sets it apart from its older siblings.

What impressed me about this product was the fact that it was super generous when lathering up. In fact, I did find myself being more conscious of using this soap away from the running water, as I imagined it would have been gone by the end of the month if the hot water was in constant contact with it. Having said that, this soap dried very quickly in my soap dish so I wasn't worried that it would shrink between uses. 

While most soaps tend to leave certain parts of my body feeling a little dry, Sleepy did well at making my skin feel really soft after using it, and I didn't find that my hands needed immediate moisturising afterwards, although the soap wasn't nourishing enough that I could opt to not use a shower oil or body conditioner as well. 

Although I could smell this on my skin when I was drying myself down, the fragrance didn't last all too long, and I had to use my Twilight Body Spray to extend my experience with this aroma. Having said that, I don't find that many soaps hold their scent for very long on the skin, so it's not a bad reflection of this soap at all.

Overall, I really enjoyed using this soap but would prefer to the shower gel version instead. While Sleepy has a gorgeously light and gentle scent, in my household it works better as a hand soap than one I would shower with. Despite this, I would definitely recommend this to those who have more sensitive skin, as the oat milk and lavender oil would definitely calm the skin and reduce the appearance of redness and irritation.

Quantitative Ingredients: Rapeseed Oil; Coconut Oil, Oat Milk, Propylene Glycol, Kaolin, Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Talc, Perfume, Titanium Dioxide, Lavender Oil, Benzoin Resinoid, Tonka Absolute, Ylang Ylang Oil, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Cinnamal, *Coumarin, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 17200, Colour 42090, Colour 14700.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £4.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

Goddess Soap

As Zen happens to be one of my favourite soaps ever, you can imagine how intrigued I was when I found out that Lush were releasing their Goddess range earlier this year, all of which supposedly having the same fragrance as my aforementioned favourite.

One of these 'brand new' inventions was the Goddess Soap - a shapely slab of deep purple with a tonne of golden lustre painted across the surface. While I believe that Zen's design is far prettier, and the name also happens to resonate with me more, this is definitely one of the more beautiful designs that Lush have released over the last few years.

As I have said in previous reviews, the name Goddess - and the fact that all of the products in this family have been inspired by Ariana Grande - suggested that the fragrance was going to be something rather light and floral and feminine. However, that is not the case in the slightest.

Strong, dark and woody notes radiate from the soap like an ferrous storm; while  the likes of the jasmine and rose bring a delicate natural sweetness to add depth and dimension to the overall scent. As I stated when describing the liquid perfume, the oudh oil is thick and resinous on the surface, combining with the sandalwood to create a strong, wholesome note of woodiness. In addition, there is almost a slight earthiness to the perfume as well, that saturates the smell and adds a thick, intoxicating note alongside this.

There is something so powerful about the smell of this range, not only because there is so much going on, and so many layers of smell to comprehend at any one time; but because each and every note both is both able to hold its own own, while also combining together perfectly to unleash the power of Goddess as a united statement.

What I will say about Goddess Soap is that it's far more wholesome than the bath bomb, which I think is due to the difference in format. The soap is also mildly sweeter than the bath bomb and the liquid perfume, and has a minutely stronger floral note, which offers something a little different for fans of this aroma. While it does share its scent with the original Zen Soap, there are definitely variations in the fragrance as well, and I still maintain that Zen is a little spicier and warmer, which is why I prefer it to this brand new addition.

While Goddess Soap is fairly easy to lather up, it does produce more of a creamy foam than a soapy one, unless you add a lot of water in your hands whilst massaging. For this reason, I found that needed to stimulate more of the product to get the desired amount to wash myself with. Because of this, the soap did shrink far quicker than I would have liked, especially given the price tag, which means that I cannot imagine this lasting more than around a month, if used on a daily basis.

During the first couple of uses, I did find that my skin ended up being completely covered in golden lustre, and it wasn't so easy to remove it all before exiting the shower. For this reason, I suggest that glitter-phobes use it once under a running tap before they apply it to their body, so they don't end up looking like a human disco ball.

After using this a number of times, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it didn't leave my skin feeling as parched as some of Lush's other soaps can do. In fact, Goddess Soap left my body feeling really clean and crisp, and there was something about it that made me feel really refreshed after using this as well. 

While I did need to moisturise afterwards, the inclusion of the cocoa butter definitely helped to keep my skin in good condition. In fact, I would even suggest that you use this as a hand soap, as there was something almost clinical about the way my skin felt after coming into contact with this product. 

Although I think that £7.95 is a little over my budget for a regular hand soap, I definitely enjoyed using this fragrance in the shower, and only hope that it's a matter of time before Lush bring out a shower gel or jelly to match this scent.  

Quantitative Ingredients: White Tea Infusion, Propylene Glycol, Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Castor Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Perfume, Jasmine Absolute, Osmanthus Absolute, Rose Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Oudh Oil, Titanium Dioxide, Calcium, Sodium Borosilicate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Silica, Tin Oxide, *Eugenol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 77492, Colour 77491, Colour 17200, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £7.95 for 95g.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

Raspberry Milkshake Soap (2019 Edition)

As I've said before in the past, sometimes the aesthetics of a product can influence how you feel about it just as much as it's fragrance and productivity. When it comes to this updated soap, I definitely gained much more of a rapport with the product this time around, and I'm glad that Lush chose to bring it back for a second season.

Lush have said in the past that raspberry-scented products are actually rather difficult to make, as the the current components available to create such a smell are not very vegan friendly on the most part. Therefore, consumers haven't seen too many products with the raspberry fragrance brought out over the years.

This makes Raspberry Milkshake Soap an amazing feat in itself then, as the scent of this limited edition is simply divine. However, much like I stated in my review of the original soap, this product doesn’t exactly smell like a raspberry milkshake: more like a wonderful fruity cocktail or a rich and rather expensive smelling juice made from nothing but raspberries and lemon juice. This is not at all creamy or ‘milky’ - instead offering a bright and very juicy aroma that will have you fighting yourself not to take a big bite of the soap.

This is not like anything that Lush have released before. With very little to compare it to, I can safely say that it is nothing like the Mumkin scent at all, although there is a berry-esque element to the soap that comes out in the shower and reminds me of the same note that Mumkin offers: Raspberry Milkshake is far richer and much more sultry on the senses.

What makes this soap so effective is the impressive list of ingredients that have gone into making it. As well as adding to the overall scent, the lemon oil brings clarity to the skin, cleans the pores and helps to add a little radiance; the inclusion of the almond milk calms the skin and reduces the appearance of rashes or irritated skin. The davana oil is a natural relaxant, to calm any tensions in the shower, whilst also acting like a antiseptic to clean the skin thoroughly.

What is also great about this soap is that the design naturally works well when using it in the shower. Too often I find that blocks of soap slide around in my hands, and I'm constantly playing a game of 'how many seconds can I clean my skin before I drop it again' - which isn't fun at all. However, this limited edition fit perfectly in the palm of my hand and was super easy to lather up. Even when the soap began to shrink a little, I didn't find it at all fiddly to use, which is definitely a step up from last year's pink slab.

Aesthetically pleasing, this soap also worked well at leaving my skin really clean and crisp, without it feeling parched or dry. While I still had to apply a body lotion afterwards, this is more a reflection of my skin's needs as opposed to the product itself. 

Finally, I was impressed to find that I could still smell a gentle raspberry aroma on my body afterwards - an experience I wish I could extend in the form of a lotion or perfume. This is definitely a lovely addition to the wonderful Mother's Day range this year, and I'm sure it's only a matter of time before other products with this fragrance make an appearance, which gets my backing completely.

Quantitative Ingredients: Almond Milk, Water (Aqua), Propylene Glycol, Glycerine, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Castor Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Perfume, Fresh Raspberry Juice, Davana Oil, Tagetes Oil, Benzoin Resinoid, Titanium Dioxide, Eugenol, *Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 45410, Colour 17200, Colour 19140, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £7.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

Strawberry Whip Soap

Sometimes our senses can be riled up over something other than the fragrance of a cosmetic alone. Our sensory perceptions can be swayed many different different ways, depending on the colour, shape and general feel of a product, just as much as the smell itself. This is definitely what happened to me when I came into contact with this brand new seasonal special the other week.

Released for the first time in 2019, Strawberry Whip is the only soap to feature in the Valentine's Range this year, which is perhaps in Lush's favour as they've thrown out far too many soaps into the world, over the last twelve months. While a new release for every Lush fan across the globe, this limited edition happens to hold its roots in an old-school classic.

Shaped like a strawberry, and sporting a bright shade of red and green, this beautiful specimen shares its scent with the now discontinued Strawberry Twin Tub Shower Jelly, Strawberry Santa Shower Jelly and the Two Timing Tart Bubble Bar, and it perhaps one of the company's more simplistic aromas.

Although there are many elements going on here, the main note you get given from the get-go is one of sweet, fresh strawberries. While this fruity delight is definitely not synthetic smelling, it's not a direct replica of an actual strawberry either: more like somewhere in the middle with the freshness of the fruit present alongside the other elements that make it a little creamier and sweeter.

In this format, the geranium and jasmine sit a little further under the main component: elevating the strawberry whilst adding their own rich floral cloud to add a little depth to the aroma. Although both ingredients are very much present in the soap, the fruity notes are by far the strongest and most interesting.

Lathering wise, this isn't the most generous of soaps, but it does produce a rather thick and silky foam for you to wash yourself with. The inclusion of the silken tofu definitely dictates how this soap performs, and I love the way it feels on my skin after I have rinsed the suds away. 

As far as soaps go, this will never be as moisturising as a shower gel would be, but it does leave your skin feeling radiant and clean. In addition, I didn't find that my hands felt at all parched after using this, which tends to happen quite a lot when I use a soap in the shower. This limited edition can be stored easily in your bathroom and you wont find that it leaves much of a mess in between uses. It would be worth you patting it down after every shower, as although it hasn't shown much in the way of shrinking over the last two weeks, the moisture will definitely reduce its shelf life if left too wet.

As I stated above, the shape and design of this soap makes me appreciate the fragrance of this a lot more than I have done with the other products of the same scent. There is just something so aesthetically pleasing about Strawberry Whip that tingles my tastebuds and makes my mouth salivate a little more than usual.

While not a soap or smell that's going to win any awards for originality or innovation, Strawberry Whip is a welcome product to this year's Valentine's Day range, and one that I'll be saving to enjoy once again in the summer months. The idea of using this in my shower, after a long day in the sticky heat, sends tingles of delight down my spine.

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Propylene Glycol, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Glycerine, Organic Castor Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Fresh Strawberry, Perfume, Aquafaba, Benzoin Resinoid, Geranium Oil, Jasmine Absolute, Silken Tofu, Cream of Tartar, Titanium Dioxide, Xanthan Gum, Agar Agar Gel, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Cinnamal, *Citronellol, *Linalool, Colour 45410, Colour 14700, Colour 19140, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £6.50 each (100g.) 

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

Scent Family:
The Big Strawberry Bath Melt
Strawberry Santa Jelly
Strawberry Twin Tub Jelly
Strawberry Whip Soap

Two Timing Tart Bubble Bar

Strawberry Santa Soap

I'll be honest and say that my heart skipped a beat when I saw the Christmas range for the first time this year. Not only was there an array of brand-new exclusive that I never set my eyes on, let alone used, something caught my eye that made me think all of my dreams were about to come true. And then my dreams were dashed, and I cried about it over a shower ladened with Yummy Mummy Shower Cream.

Strawberry Santa Soap was ‘supposed’ to be my Peeping Santa Bubbleroon coming back from the dead. While most years I can handle when Lush choose not to bring back products that have been going for years, the discontinuation of one of my favourite bubble bars was far too much for me to handle. As you can imagine, I established pretty quickly that this product was not going to be a bubble bar, nor act like one for my convenience.

As a stroppy teenager might do, I chose to avoid this exclusive Christmas soap the first few times I went into stores. Although he was cute, with little candy black eyes and a face that said buy me, I wasn't happy to see one of my all-time favourite products replaced by another – especially as Strawberry Santa was a soap, and we all know how little I appreciate soaps when compared to other formats that the company do.

After getting my act together, I finally relented and bought myself one of these cute little limited edition Christmas soaps to try out, and impressed I was. In his defence, this little cutie does actually share the same scent as Yummy Mummy and Peeping Santa – hence why the company decided to bring the soap out to look so much like the after mentioned bubble bar.

A lot of Lush fans can be quite protective over their favourite scents, and are on the constant lookout for new products in their favourite scent. However, many of them don’t always appreciate it when the company sway too far from the original fragrance that they love. What I will say about Strawberry Santa is that this is definitely different to other YM scented products that Lush have released in the past. There is something slightly more wholesome about this fragrance and the floral components seem more compact and rounded than any previous renditions of this aroma.

For those who haven’t experienced this aroma before, it’s a delicious concoction of fresh strawberries; bergamot oil to add a rich, slightly resinous blanket of warmth; and geranium to give this aroma a sweet, musky smell. It’s partly fruity, slightly floral, and super rich and sultry: the perfect blend of three worlds in the many products that have come before this one. If you love Yummy Mummy, you’ll probably really appreciate this light, variation on the smell. If you dislike Yummy Mummy, you probably won't like this any more than your previous experience tells you. 

What I loved about Strawberry Santa was the fact that although fairly small, the soap gave an awful lot every time I used it in the shower. Likewise, the limited edition was very generous when in use: producing a light, foamy soap when use in conjunction with the bath; and a thick, slightly oily lather when used in the shower. Given the shape of this soap, this isn't the best product to massage directly onto the skin. I found it far easier to stimulate the foam between the palms of my hands and then massage this across my body.

The inclusion of the many butters and oils that wedged the two pieces of this soap together, and gave it the look of a bubbleroon, is what allows this soap to be more moisturising than many of Lush’s other soaps. I found that my skin felt supple, soft and plump after using this, and I could have easily gotten away without using a body lotion, had I not wanted to lather myself with more Yummy Mummy goodness afterwards.

On the negative side, this soap tended to shrink very quickly, and within 2 to 3 washes I could notice a big change in the size of the soap. However, the soap left a lasting impression on my skin and I could still smell the fragrance an hour after I had left the shower. Furthermore, the soap tended to dry really quickly and didn't leave much of a sticky mess on the side of my bath, so I didn’t have the task of cleaning down the sides of the tub every morning before I could shower myself before work.

This is definitely a cute addition to this year's Christmas range, and one I can imagine being very popular given the smell that it shares and how much it looks like peeping Santa Bubble Bar. Although I would choose my Yummy Mummy Shower Cream over this so any day, I do really appreciate being given the opportunity to try my favourite fragrance in the new format. I can imagine that this will be coming back in the future.

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Propylene Glycol, Organic Castor Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Fresh Strawberries, Perfume, Bergamot Oil, Olibanum Oil, Geranium Oil, Peach Kernel Oil, Strawberry Seeds, Titanium Dioxide, Citric Acid, Sodium Bicarbonate, Benzyl Alcohol, Hexyl Cinnamal, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 17200, Colour 14700, Colour 45410, Candy Eye.

Vegan?: Yes. 

2018 Price: £12 for 15ml.

Year Of Original Release: 2018.

Scent Family:

D'Fluff Shaving Soap
The Drummers Drumming Reusable Bubble Bar
Fairy Tail Sugar Scrub
Flutterby Bubble Bar
Magic Mushroom Bubble Bar
Mrs Whippy Ballistic
Peeping Santa Bubbleroon
Peeping Santa Liquid Perfume
Roller Bath Bomb
Strawberry Bombshell Lip Tint
Strawberry Feels Forever Massage Bar
Strawberry Santa Soap
Yummy Mummy Body Conditioner
Yummy Mummy Body Lotion
Yummy Mummy Shower Gel
Yummy Yummy Yummy Shower Gel
Yummy Mummy Shower Cream