Ticket To Scrub Body Scrub

During my four hours waiting in the queue at the Lush Showcase event earlier this year, I spent most of my time refreshing my social media and reading about other people's experiences. It was during one of these trawls that I discovered that a handful of Lush fans had managed to get their hands on an exclusive Lush Labs scrub that wasn't being sold in the shop. Needless to say, I felt a mild disappointment that I wouldn't be able to get one myself. Counting my lucky stars, I was gifted with one of these fine specimens later on in the day, and cannot understand why Lush don't want to make these available to everyone.

Sharing its scent with the incredible Plum Rain Shower Gel, Ticket To Scrub is a delight in every manner. Firstly, the pastel purple shade that it sports is perfectly fitting for the scent that it gives off. While perhaps not as rich a colour as the shower gel is, there is something rather pretty about this that I like. 

Secondly, this body scrub works so well when in this shape and size: a fact that I'm going to come back to later on. Why Lush haven't released other scrubs in a similar format is beyond me, and it seems odd that the one time that they do, it's for a product so exclusive that very few people have the privilege of experiencing it. All I can think of is that manufacturing techniques make this difficult to create in large batches.

Containing a large dosage of plum oil, and coupled with the osmanthus, petitgrain and mandarin oils as well, Ticket To Scrub is a beautifully sweet and fruity product that carries the Plum Rain fragrance well. To my nose, the plum and mandarin oils are the strongest components and create a bright but warming stewed plum aroma. Alongside this, the osmanthus offers a juicy peach-like note that compliments the fruity smells already going on here. Finally, under the water especially, you can also detect a grassy aroma as well.

While I wouldn't say that this body scrub was as strong as the body spray and shower gel, the scent that was present was definitely a good replica of the original fragrance. Having made that former point, I don't want anyone to think that the aroma of this limited edition wasn't strong at all, because it was: it was just a little more reserved than its older siblings.

What I would suggest when it comes to Ticket To Scrub is that you break the bar in half before you begin using it. This way you'll conserve the life of the product a little more and it's a little easier to use than as one big block. Having said that, I found that the pieces I were using dried dry quickly after my showers, so this is not a product that will simply turn into a sticky mess if left on the side of the bath.

Impressively, this scrub actually doesn't dissolve away as quickly as you'd think. After using this every day for an entire week, the piece that I was using has inly shrunk by about a third. I think the inclusion of the salt rather than sugar has really helped to make this scrub more robust and longer-lasting, and I hope this is something that Lush will remember when making future products.

What I adored about this body scrub was just how coarse the exfoliation was. although you could obviously press harder or lighter, depending on how firm you like your scrubs, I loved the face that I was able to scrub away until I was almost red-raw from it. This is definitely a body scrub that will clear away dirt, debris and dried skin with ease.

Afterwards, I found that my skin did need a little extra loving care, as Ticket To Scrub doesn't appear to be the most moisturising. However, this fact usually goes for most of Lush's scrubs, so it's certainly not at fault here for not being able to moisturise as well. While the beautiful fruity fragrance lingered on my skin, it was a short-lived experience, and I needed to douse myself in the body spray to continue this indulgence outside of the shower.

Ultimately, this is a fantastic scrub from Lush. A single bar will last you a lot longer than most of Lush's sugar-based scrubs, and the scrub is coarse enough to do its job well. I hope that this makes an appearance at some point, in a Lush Labs release, as I will definitely want to grab a few more myself.  

Quantitative Ingredients: Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Fine Sea Salt, Murumuru Butter, Sodium Bicarbonate, Bamboo Stern Extract, Fair Trade Shea Butter, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cream Of Tartar, Lauryl Betaine, Organic Virgin Plum Oil, Osmanthus Absolute, Petitgrain Oil, Sicilian Red Mandarin Oil, Titanium Dioxide, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Limonene, Perfume, Colour.

Vegan?: Yes. 

2018 Price: £9.95 for 350g.

Year Of Original Release: 2018.

Scent Family:
Hedgewitch Soap
Plum Pudding Bath Melt
Plum Rain Body Spray
Plum Rain Naked Shower Gel
Plum Rain Shower Gel
Plum Snow Bubble Bar

Ticket To Scrub Salt Scrub

Shave The Planet Shaving Cream

What Lush say about Shave the Planet: 'Scritch, scratch, scrape; every morning we attack our skin with sharp bits of metal – no wonder it gets red and sore! Most standard shaving creams might help your razor move more smoothly but do nothing to protect your poor skin from the traumas of the daily shave. Luckily, the Lush inventors have come up with some beautiful shaving creams that work in a different way; protecting against the scratchiness, softening stubborn bristles and moisturising the skin.'

In all honesty, looking at the way this product has been marketed, I'm guessing it's aimed more at the daily shaving routine of a man's, as oppose to a woman's. However, I know that Lush are not a company that would produce a product solely for one purpose. So I felt like I had to give it a go.

Despite shaving my legs for near on 12 years now (wow!), I still manage to scratch, scrape and slice my legs to pieces most times I put a razor near my skin. I've tried almost every style of shaving possible to improve the complexion of my legs, but to no avail. Whether I soak my legs in the bath first, dry shave them, use the razor gently or more rigorously, I still manage to cut my legs to pieces.

Shave the Planet is a shaving cream packed with many different ingredients, all aimed at helping you to have a sensuous, painless shave (I feel like I'm recreating a Gillette advert now!). Lush have added soothing bamboo infusion, antioxidant acai juice, organic wheat germ oil and vitamin rich pumpkin seed oil, all to help create a smooth, calm shave. This product may not have the most alluring of smells, but it definitely does it's job.

I tend to soak my legs in the bath for a while, and when I'm feeling ready, scoop out a small amount of STP and smother it all over my legs. I probably use about a level dessertspoon for each leg, so a large 225g pot normally lasts me about 4-6 weeks. Almost instantly, your skin feels taut and this makes it rather difficult to cut yourself. In fact, since I began using this cream a few months ago, I have not had a single shaving incident to date. 

What I love about this lotion is that it makes your skin feel instantly hydrated and silky, so would make the perfect accompaniment for anyone wanting to spruce up before a night out. It also leaves very little scent on your skin afterwards, so you are able to use your own choice of lotions and creams without the worry of scents clashing.

However, Shave The Planet is a rather thick lotion, and I found that it tends to clog up your razor while you're shaving. Between each sluice, I have to shake it quite vigorously under the water, or bang the razor on the side of the bath to remove the hairs. 

I also find that if you leave your hair growth too long, Shave The Planet doesn't work as well; It definitely does not like longer, more softer follicles of hair. So although it does its job very well, it does need to be used under the right conditions. 

It is a very gentle shaving cream, and one that leave your skin feeling fresh and clean. It doesn't leave any bumps or rashes after use, and for this reason, it will remain one of my Lush staples for a long time to come. It would be nice however, if Lush could come up with a vegan lotion that works better with longer hairs, and one that doesn't leave me unclogging my razor after every swish.

Quantitative Ingredients: Bamboo Stem Infusion, Shea Butter, Goji Berry Decoction, Glycerine, Water, Stearic Acid, Organic Acai Juice, Triethanolamine, Fresh Sugar Cane Juice, Lavender Oil, Fennel Oil, Rose Absolute, Cold Pressed Rosehip Oil, Organic Cold Pressed Wheatgerm Oil, Pumpkin Seed Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Cupuacu Butter, Candelilla Wax, Cetearyl Alcohol, *Benzyl Salicylate, Isoeugenol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes

2017 Price: £10.50 for 225g

Year Of Original Release: ?