Zephyrus Mouthwash Tabs

Despite being in the house by myself, the urge to have a one-person party was incredibly tempting after I found myself close to finishing this review. After nearly a month of constantly blogging and twenty different tooth/mouthwash tabs to work my way through, to have finished them all was a feeling worth celebrating, in my eyes. While these weren't my favourite mouthwash tabs by any means, Zephyrus were definitely a good choice to end up with last. 

Having already experienced the intensity of Supherb Toothy Tabs, I mistakenly left these little mouthwash tabs to last, only because they were a similar colour and therefore (I thought) a similar flavour. As it turned out, these mouthwash tabs couldn't have been further from the taste of the aforementioned toothy tabs and what I was left to finish with was something super fresh and naturally very beautiful. 

Containing Sicilian lemon and basil oils, the little green diamonds give off a wonderfully rich herbal smell, with a big dosage of lemon that rounds the fragrance off with a big bang. To my nose, the smell reminds me of a fresh lemonade that's been packed full of fresh basil leaves: it's crisp, refreshing and utterly gorgeous!

When popping one of these into your mouth, it takes mere seconds for a very intense but equally beautiful flavour to engulf your senses. The lemon oil brings about a bright, fruity element to the taste, which for a second or so is slightly bitter before it sweetens and settles in your mouth. Alongside this, the fresh taste of basil wraps around your tongue and offers a very natural herbal taste that compliments the lemon perfectly. I would never have envisaged that these two components would work well together as a mouthwash but they do, and they leave your mouth feeling really clean and fresh on top of this.

To use a solid mouth wash tab, you simply crunch the tab between your teeth, take a slurp of water and begin swishing. Once you've finished, you then spit the water into the sink and your whole mouth should feel super clean and refreshed: ready to brace the rest of the day without worrying about smelly breath or food from your lunch remaining stuck between your teeth. It's recommended that you keep the mouthwash in your mouth for a good minute. This allows the ingredients to get to work at cleaning the mouth and deodorising the tongue so you get the maximum results possible.  

As you would expect from Lush, the ingredients that have gone into making all three of the mouthwash varieties have also been carefully crafted and serve a purpose. Firstly, they all contain sodium bicarbonate, which is a natural softening ingredient that is also known for its ability to clean and deodorise at the same time. This is a key component that will help to clean your tongue, gums and teeth when you're swishing, and will help to rid your mouth of any strong odours that might be present at the time, freshening your breath in the process.

Each of the mouthwashes also contains xylitol - a natural substance that is found in certain fruits and vegetables and is used in foods and cosmetics as a refined sweetener. This ingredient has been proven to cause none of the harmful effects that sugar can have on the teeth, is perfect for diabetics as it doesn't effect blood sugar levels at all, yet offers the sweetness to help give these tabs their interesting but enjoyable flavours.

Sometimes Lush surprise me with their pairings and I honestly couldn't get enough of the Zephyrus Mouthwash Tabs. They clean your mouth out thoroughly, without burning your tongue or bringing about too much flavour; they leave your teeth feeling really shiny and clean; and they leave you with the cleanest breath I have experienced in a while.

Ultimately, these are definitely one of my favourite combinations from Lush and I would buy these again if I ever ran out. Perfect for the summer months, these little beauties would be great to slip in your bag when you're out enjoying a picnic. Not only would they leave your mouth and breath feeling super clean, but they wouldn't take away from the fresh feast you were enjoying at the time. Zephyrus are one of my favourite mouthwash tabs that Lush have ever created and they need to be made available for everybody.

Quantitative Ingredients: Dicalcium Phosphate Anhydrous, Sodium Bicarbonate, Silica, Citric Acid, Sorbitol, Malic Acid, Glycerine, Fine Sea Salt, Water, Xylitol, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Stevia, Sicilian Lemon Oil, Basil Oil, Mimosa Absolute, Fresh Basil, Menthol Crystals, Chlorophyllin, Citral, Citronellol, Eugenol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool, Methyl 2-Octynoate, Perfume.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £6.50 for 45g.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

German Sausage Facial Cleanser

I cannot say that I've ever loved the smell of sausages enough to want to smother my face in them. Having said that, I feel the same way about coffee and yet I use Cup O' Coffee like my life depends on it, which it does on some occasions. 

German Sausage Facial Cleanser is a weird concept to say the least. Yet it is often those weird and wonderful inventions that make the biggest impact, and this particular product is definitely one that leaves a lasting impression. Made from base of rhassoul mud and potatoes, German Sausage is a very 'foody' smell, and one that may take a little getting used to before it can be fully appreciated. 

Although it may seem like an odd ingredient for a cosmetic, potato happens to be naturally rich in vitamin C, which is great for maintaining the skin's natural radiance. Furthermore, it is this component that helps to give the cleanser a slight gritty consistency, which works alongside the oatmeal to act as a gentle exfoliator as well. The rhassoul mud also plays a part at helping to soften and smoothen-out the complexion - acting as both a gentle exfoliator, while also absorbing excess oils that may be present on the skin. 

Alongside the above two ingredients, you also have the inclusion of both cocoa butter and almond oil. Both of these ingredients help to moisture and nourish the skin, and when the product is left on the face for a short while before being washed off, it can improve the condition of your complexion over a number of days.

In terms of the other key notes, the inclusion of sage, parsley, basil and rosemary are what gives this cleanser its distinctive and rather potent aroma. My nose detects the sage and rosemary at the forefront - both offering a heady but rather dry, herbal fragrance. On top of this, you can even smell the dry, starchy components of the potato - almost like a tray of overly roasted potatoes that have been left out overnight to dry. You can smell each of these ingredients quite easily, and I'd say that these are the components that give German Sausage its distinctive smell.  

To use, you simply take a small amount (perhaps the size of a small grape), and massage it across the face. For best results, I tend to leave this on while I continue my shower, and then rinse it off just before I get out. This allows the cocoa butter and rhassoul mud to work their magic and improve the condition of the skin. 

Luckily, this scent doesn't linger too much on your face after you've washed it off, so you don't have to worry about justifying to strangers why you smell a bit like a human hot dog.

Having used this daily for the last couple of weeks, I have found that this can, and perhaps should, be used daily to get the best results. I found that within 2-3 days of using this in the morning, my complexion seemed to look brighter and my skin felt noticeably smoother. 

Having said this, I didn't feel as if this was as effective either Buche De Noel or Angels On Bare Skin. Furthermore, the consistency, although not at all scratchy or rough, was not as easy-going on the face as the products mentioned above. For those with sensitive skin, I can imagine that this cleaner could have the potential to irritate the pores a little.

In terms of complexion types, I think that this cleanser would suit most consumers' needs. However, I think that perhaps it would work a little better for those with normal to oily skin, as the rhassoul mud and potato would definitely help to remove any excess grease.

Overall, this is an odd one to say the least. Not many other companies would be brace enough to bring out a facial product that both looks and smells like something you'd have in a cooked breakfast. Although not a fan of meat in any shape or form, I appreciated the uniqueness of this cleanser and will continue to use it daily until my tub finishes. This has opened even more possibilities for what this company might make, and I for one am excited to see what they do next.  

Quantitative Ingredients: Glycerine, Potatoes, Ground Almonds, Rhassoul Mud, Kaolin, Cocoa Butter, Aloe Vera Extract, Fine Sea Salt, Soya Milk Powder, Fresh Sage, Fresh Parsley, Sage Oil, Basil Oil, Rosemary Oil, Alpha-Isomethyl iphone, Geraniol, Hydroxycitronellal, Limonene, Linalool, Perfume.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £7.25 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Lord Of Goathorn Liquid Perfume

Rarely do I find myself so adverse to a Lush product that my gag reflexes come into play the second I get a whiff of the item. Even my least favourite scent families - Ginger and Skinny Dip being two of them, don't cause a violent reaction anywhere near the one described above. However, when it comes to Lord Of Goathorn Liquid Perfume, I wouldn't describe the aroma as being any less than pure evil.

If there's one thing I love about Lush fragrances, it's the fact that Lush are never afraid to take risks. And in doing their own thing, they have created some of the most beautifully unique and strangely alluring perfumes on the planet. Some of my favourite scents are ones that I would never have even considered using a few years ago, and the thought and effort behind each and every one really shines through when you're wearing these perfumes on your skin.

Lord Of Goathorn is the only perfume from the Volume 2 collection that I didn't buy during its debut release. Aside from Hellstone, which is the only non vegan fragrance in the set, the description of this one just sounded like something that could wait. After waiting almost four years, I finally managed to secure myself a bottle, and thought now was a better time than any to review it and update my blog.

While I believe I have a strong nose when it comes to smells, there is something really quite nasty about this perfume from the get go. In the bottle it gives off a warm, robust combination of liquorice, basil and seaweed. The latter ingredient gives it an almost fishy but equally oily aroma, while the two former ingredients interlace and produce a smell that I can almost imagine being quite enjoyable by itself.

I would actually go as far as to say that this perfume doesn't agree with my sense of smell at all. However, in the bottle, I can almost understand why some consumers would appreciate it, and if that fragrance was what you received after applying it on your skin, I probably wouldn't label the perfume as 'evil' - just not very nice.

Unfortunately, it is when the product has been applied to the skin that I realise how much I genuinely abhor the aroma it offers, and it is then that my gag reflexes kick without warning. For it is at this time that the perfume begins to intensify from the warmth of the skin, and all of the strong aromas that have been combined to create this perfume, come out in full force.

Firstly, an initial sniff offers that of a strong, treacle-like liquorice aroma. It is not a gentle smell that you would expect from fresh fennel; it is very much like bonfire toffee, which is a black treacle toffee that has a strong note of molasses to give it its sultry flavouring. Alongside this is the seaweed, which offers slightly less of a fishy smell outside of the bottle, but is still the component I think ruins this perfume.

On the skin, the seaweed absolute gives off a very metallic aroma - one that reminds me a little of scorched rubber or burning plastic. It's a smell that clings to the inner walls of your nose and is heady enough that it has given me a headache nearly every time I've attempted to use this perfume. To finish off, a combination of tarragon and basil offer a herbal component - one that I found tended to disperse a lot quicker on the skin than the other notes, which was a shame because that would have probably been my favourite element.

In its favour, Lord Of Goathorn stays rather complex on the skin, so you can still experience all of the different layers for quite a while after application. In regards to its longevity, this perfume also stays around for an awfully long time - I found that I could still detect it on my skin some five hours after I had originally applied it. 

There are obviously people out there that appreciate,and perhaps even love this perfume - the fact that it's still available to buy internationally tells me this much is true. However, it is not one I would be willing to wear again for a long time, and I really hope that Lush don't bring out any similar-scented products.

Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Seaweed Absolute, Tarragon Oil, Basil Oil, *Citral, *Eugenol, *Geraniol, *Citronellol, *Isoeugenol, *Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £36 for 30ml.

Year Of Original Release: 2012 

Cream Of Tomato Soap

During the mad dash of Lush's Oxford Street opening, I had to make a fairly quick decision on which of the new soaps I should purchase first. Given that there was a good fifteen or more available, I didn't have the time or the financial resources to get them all at once so opted for the ones that seemed most appealing to me in that moment. 

Cream Of Tomato Soap was actually one that made me grimace to begin with -  one that I didn't even pick up the second time I visited the shop because of how unappealing it seemed to me. While I adore Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup and consider it to be one of my most missed foods as a vegan, the idea of washing myself with its fragrance was revolting. However, after using it across multiple showers, I have come to appreciate and perhaps even slightly relish in the strange and rather unique product. 

To begin with, I must stress that this soap does not smell like the aforementioned soup. While it does have a 'foody' scent, it's not as cloying or as vegetable-orientated as its name suggests. Made using lemon and grapefruit oils, this soap does have a gentle citrus theme running as a base note. It's not very prominent compared to some of the other ingredients, but there's enough there to give the soap a gentle, uplifting element. 

Containing fresh tomatoes and basil oil, it is these two components that have the strongest impression on the senses. The former ingredient gives the soap a slightly sweet but savoury element - much like you would expect from a can of plum tomatoes; the basil oil adds a herbal and slightly peppery aroma that makes it presence known more when its in use under the warm water. To round it all off, the violet leaf infusion just pads out the smell slightly with a very delicate but slightly cloudy floral element. 

In the shower, Cream Of Tomato produces a very thick, oily lather that coats the skin and leaves it feeling soft and clean. The soap itself is very effective at creating its lather so I found that I didn't have to keep it held under the water for too long. This meant that my 100g chunk lasted a long time when compared to other Lush soaps.

After I had exited the shower, I was able to detect a very subtle fragrance on my skin but this was soon lost once I had applied body lotion and perfume. The product left my skin feeling clean and soft, although it did dry my hands out a little when I was massaging it between my palms and my skin had a slight taut feeling about it that had to be rectified with a body lotion afterwards. 

While it's far from a horrible soap, I wasn't blown away by its smell, nor how I felt after I had towel-dried myself down. It's definitely unique in its aroma, I'll give it that, and those that perhaps enjoy savoury or herbal smelling soaps will no doubt find that this works for them well. However, I found it a little underwhelming in the shower and would probably only use this as a hand soap if I found myself with any in the future. I don't think the fragrance of this is strong enough to hold its own in the shower.

For £2.95, it is good value for money, and as I said, it does last a long time and doesn't tend to shrink as quickly as some of Lush's other soaps. Despite this, I would definitely rather pay a little more and enjoy a soap with a much stronger and more interesting fragrance. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Glycerine, Rapeseed Oil: Coconut Oil (Brassica napus: Cocoa nucifera), Sorbitol, Talc, Perfume, Passata, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Stearate, Grapefruit Oil Citrus paradisi), Sicilian Lemon Oil (Citrus limonum), Violet Leaf Infusion (Viola odorata), Basil Oil (Ocimum basilicum), Titanium Dioxide, Irish Moss (Chondrus crispus), Fresh Tomato (Lycopersician), Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Eugenol, Geraniol, Hydroxycitronellal, Limonene, Colour 14700.

Vegan?: Yes. 

2015 Price: £2.95 for 100g. 

Year Of Original Release: 2015. 

Magic Shower Jelly

Having recently used up my two old Magic Ballistics, I really couldn't understand the fuss surrounding this particular family of smells. Having found myself familiar with the most popular places for Lushies to congregate, I was surprised to find out that both regular fans and serious collectors, along with those in between, were all raving about the product that is Magic Jelly. This is something that intrigued me, and having searched the web for months on end, I finally managed to get hold of two pots of the stuff. 

Immediately upon opening the tub, I was hit with a wave of smell - this is not a product for those who dislike strong smelling cosmetics; this is as potent as you can get! Made from a combination of rose, marjoram, peppermint and basil, this is fresh, floral but equally minty offering unlike any other shower jelly I've had from Lush. 

To me, it's the mint that engulfs your senses first - a strong, uplifting peppermint fragrance that dominates most of the smell. However, don't assume that this is going to be like your generic, mint smelling cosmetic. Alongside this peppermint, you get bursts of rose, a fresh but equally poignant floral smell that gives this shower jelly some depth. When used, the heat from the shower helps to bring out the herbal side to this product, and I found that I was then able to pick up elements of the basil and marjoram in this way.  

There are several ways that you can use any of Lush's shower jellies, and I find that everyone has their own preference, which is completely understandable. Firstly, you can break a small piece of (or select a piece that's been segmented prior to your shower) and rub the block directly onto your skin. The amount of lather this creates differentiates vastly depending on the type of jelly, how old the product is and the size of the piece you're using. While some users find this way works for them, I find that this is fairly ineffective as it does not create much of a lather and the jelly becomes too wet, making it slippery and difficult to hold on to. 

Secondly, you can use a shower sponge, puff or exfoliating glove to create a lather before rubbing it all over your body. For me, I found this method far more successful as it helped to break down the jelly properly and create a nice foamy effect to wash your body with. Finally, you can break off slabs of the jelly and use them as you would a bubble bar, placing them underneath a running tap to stimulate bubbles. I tend to use mine for this reason, as I can get 4-5 baths out of one 100g tub, which I consider to be great value for money.

With Magic, I used my shower puff to lather myself up, and I found that this jelly was great at creating a soft, fragrant foam to wash myself with. The product left my skin really clean and it's fragrance permeated my skin more than any other shower product I have tried from Lush. I could smell this on myself the very next day, and the clothes I changed into after I'd had my shower, held onto the scent for a few days after initial use. To repeat what I said above; this is not a product for those who cannot stand strong smelling products - this is as potent as they come!

Overall, I really enjoyed Magic and hope that Lush bring it back at some point soon. To me, this jelly reminded of a more sophisticated Whoosh, with the bonus factor that it's vegan. It's a refreshing and highly invigorating shower product that will awaken your senses and leave your skin tingling slightly, due to the addition of peppermint oil. 

I thoroughly enjoyed using this, and would definitely like to see more products released with this fragrance. I would definitely buy this again if I could.

Quantitative Ingredients: Glycerine, Red rose petal and marjoram infusion, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Proplyene Gycol, Peppermint and Basil infusion, Perfume, Basil Oil, Peppermint Oil, Colour 42090, Colour 17200, Methylparaben, Propylparaden, Cinnalol, Eugenol, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene, Linalool, Fresh Parsley.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £8.25 for 250g.

2017 Price: £8.50 for 250g.

Scent Family:

Magic Ballistic
Magic Shower Jelly

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Magic Bath Ballistic

Lush first released the Magic Ballistic during the Christmas period of 2008; bringing it out every year after that as part of their retro range. Unfortunately, the company chose not to bring it out in 2012 or 2013, leaving me no choice but to hunt for older versions to buy. The two weathered-looking bath bombs that I managed to acquire were from the last release in 2011. Although I didn't expect them to be as effective as the freshly made ones, I was hoping to grapple some sort of experience from them to write about on this blog. While they weren't that terrible, you could tell they were far from fresh, so when Lush announced that they were bringing out Spellbound featuring this bath bomb, I couldn't wait to throw a fresh one into the bath. 

Unlike any other bath bomb that Lush have released to date, the Magic Ballistic is shaped like an hexagonal prism. Although it weighs the same as a regular Lush ballistic, the bomb seems bigger due to it's chiselled faces and unique design. With it characteristic tetrakaidekahedral shape (that’s fourteen-sided), Magic has a brilliant turquoise outer layer and a rich pink inner core that gets to work immediately upon impact with water.

The bath bomb is a loud fizzer, but it takes a little time for it to fully dissolve so you can lay back and watch the swirls of blue make their way across the surface of the water. Once it hits the water, beautiful trails of foam spread out across the surface and paint the water a vivid deep-blue colour. As the ballistic disperses even further, the core comes out to play and adds a beautiful tingle of Mexican Pink to the mix. Once fully dissolved, the bath turns a gorgeous deep purple. This is a multi-layered bathing experience that you don't want to miss - one that makes you feel as if you're bathing in a midnight sky. 

On the surface, the ballistic is quite pungent; a cool peppermint, tender rose and herbal fragrance unlike anything else you have ever experienced. Sharing it's scent with the similarly titled Magic Jelly, this potent combination is not for the weak-hearted - it grabs your senses like a hungry dog and refuses to let go until you have left the bathroom.

The marjoram oil is what drives this aroma - an unusual herbal scent that compliments the other ingredients while actively standing above them. While both basil and parsley are featured here too, neither of these are so prominent in the mix; instead resting at the bottom of the smell and adding subtle hints when the bath bomb is in use. The centre harvests most of these herbal scents, meaning that your initial experience is the sweet rose smell, but you get the surprise of the herbs as the ballistic melts away in the tub. 

The peppermint oil is clearly prominent in the overall fragrance of this as well - adding a unique minty twist to Magic but without being too strong to counteract the rose. Finally, as the last of the bath bomb melts away, a single sprig of parsley floats out as a nice finishing touch. I couldn't smell the parsley in the mix, but it was a nice surprise at the end.

Magic is an unusual but distinctive bath product; it's refreshing and utterly relaxing, giving off a slight cooling sensation in the water alongside the scent or rose and marjoram, which dispels all worries and brings clarity to the user. The scent did help me to relax a lot, and I found that the fragrance actually helped to lift the headache that I had at the time.

After getting out of the bath, my skin felt softer and lightly fragranced which was wonderful; I knew this bath bomb was going to do wonders for my skin after I could see and feel the delicate layer of oils that sit on the surface of the bath once the ballistic has fully dissolved. Overall, I really enjoyed using this ballistic - my skin felt exfoliated and smoother once I got out of the tub and the wonderful aroma, which remained really strong throughout my experience, lingered on my skin and hair for the remainder of the day. 

I really hope that Lush choose to bring it back permanently, as I now consider this to be one of my all-time favourite bath bombs. It really is a unique, relaxing ballistic that I would love to experience again and again. I can only hope that this product makes a re-appearance soon because I would definitely invest in a few.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Perfume, Marjoram Oil, Rose Absolute, Basil Oil, Peppermint Oil ,Eugenol, Geraniol, Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Linalool, Colour 17200, Colour 42090, Colour 19140, Fresh Parsley Sprig.

Vegan?: Yes.

2014 Price: Not Currently For Sale Individually. 

2015 Price: £3.95 each.

2017 Price: £4.25 each.

Scent Family:

Magic Ballistic
Magic Shower Jelly

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