Get Closer Solid Deodorant

When the Lush Oxford Street store first opened some five years ago, the company brought out so many new dusting powders: one of which was called Get Closer. While not strictly advertised as a deodorant, most of Lush's dusting powders are versatile enough that they can be used in this way, and this is perhaps the reason why this solid rendition appeared at the Showcase event last year.

What I will say about this solid deodorant is that it does a good job at replicating the scent of the original dusting powder, which features neroli oil, jasmine absolute and lemon oil. Alongside an extra dosage of jojoba oil, this naked block of deodorant is very close in scent to the wonderful Happy Happy Joy Joy Hair Conditioner and Frozen Bath Bomb, albeit slightly lighter and not as floral-dominated. Instead, imagine HHJJ with a heap of calamine and kaolin powders thrown on top, and you may begin to understand what this exclusive smells like.

On the skin, you can definitely detect the neroli - a light and slightly bitter citrusy aroma that intertwines with the lemon oil and intensifies the fruity element. To compliment this, the jasmine adds its own soulful floral aroma that gives the deodorant a slight sweetness, making it delectable and utterly refreshing on the senses.

Alongside these elements, Get Closer then offers a strong herbal note of calamine, coupled with a dry and slightly earthy note of the kaolin, which I happen to think is perhaps a little more prominent in this format: more so than it is in the dusting powder. Either way, the smell you get is definitely not as clinical as many of Lush's other deodorants but there is still something very clean-smelling about this fragrance that I think works well.

At risk of repeating myself, I was initially worried about the strength of this solid deodorant, as I imagined it would just crumble when I applied even the slightest amount of pressure: it is definitely not as resilient as the likes of Aromaco Solid Deodorant by any means. However, it is fairly straight forward to use and the product comes away really easily on the skin, so you don't need to apply much in the way of pressure at all.

What was great about this deodorant was the fact that it was far easier to apply as a block as opposed to bottled powder. Trying to apply a powder without spilling it all over the place is a rather tricky task. However, when it came to The Get Closer Solid Deodorant, I found that simply massaging it gently under my armpits was enough to get what I wanted out of the product. While my armpit was left slightly dusty afterwards, it certainly didn't cause me any problems and I certainly didn't develop any stains on my clothes from it being this way.

Like most of Lush's dusting powders and deodorants, this one has a great level of absorbency - thanks to the inclusion of the kaolin - so any sweat that develops on your skin across the day will be absorbed fairly quickly and your armpits will be left fairly dry.

As I have stated in other reviews, this deodorant is not an antiperspirant, so it will not prevent you from sweating at all. Instead, it just helps to absorb the sweat so it doesn't have time to go stale and develop an odour, and if you sweat quite profusely at times, reduce the amount of 'damp' that remains on your skin.

After using it for near on a month, I found that Get Closer definitely worked at eradicating smells that may have accumulated throughout the day, and it was very easy to reapply the product whenever I felt like I needed to. In a typical day, I felt I needed to reapply about 5-6 times, although this may just have been my desire to be super clean: you may be able to reduce this number by half and preserve the life of the deodorant for longer. 

However, what I should point out is that this solid deodorant wasn't very effective both before and after the gym. As I work out most days, I really noticed that I would start to smell my sweat a little more prominently if I used this deodorant over my usual Nivea variation. As I have found with some of Lush's deodorants, this solid product is not as effective when you're someone who sweats a great deal or when used during a time when you're perspiring a lot because of physical activity. In these moments, I had to reply on my regular shop-bought variation to see me through my workouts.

Ultimately, this solid deodorant is actually quite effective at what is does and offers a rather lovely floral aroma to boot. I honestly think that I just need to continue using this for a few more months and I should hopefully notice even more changes in the way that my body responds to this.  

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Cornflour, Magnesium Carbonate, Water (Aqua), Calamine Powder, Kaolin, Organic Jojoba Oil, Perfume, Neroli Oil, Jasmine Absolute, Sicilian Lemon Oil, Lycopodium Powder, Amyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Benzoate, *Cinnamyl Alcohol, *Citral, *Geraniol, Hydroxycitronellal, *Limonene, *Linalool, *Benzyl Cinnamate, *Cinnamal. *Farnesol

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £8 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2018.

Fomo Jelly Face Mask

When Lush first showcased the new concept of jelly face masks at the last Summit event, I cannot say that I was overly excited by the idea. While it was innovative and definitely interesting, I couldn't see myself being overly enamoured with the finished products. How wrong could I be?

Fomo is one of five brand new jellies that will change-up your facial routine for the better. Not only are they considerably less messy than their original counterparts, but their shelf life far outlasts that of the fresh alternatives. While there is definitely still something magical and natural about the fresh face masks, and I by no means want them to disappear, the benefits of all five of the new masks make them equally as important. 

Designed for all skin types, Fomo is one for the fans of floral-scented cosmetics. Featuring both calamine powder and rose absolute, this gentle gem gives off a smell that is very similar to Rosy Cheeks. Initially, you can detect a light and slightly powdery rose aroma, while the calamine sits behind this and adds its own delicate burst of coolness. With a mild touch of neroli to bring a little sweetness to the mix, this facial jelly smells just as calming to sniff as it is to apply to the skin.

What I love about all of Lush's new facial jellies is how they can be used in different ways. If you're someone who is a little conservative with your products, you can use Fomo in a similar way to that of any of Lush's other shower jellies. Simply wet your face and the jelly, and then massage it across the skin, where it will leave a gentle layer of product. Simply leave it on for 5-10 minutes and then rinse away. While you wont get a deep cleanse this way, you will notice a difference to your complexion, and this will ensure that a single tub would last you for months on end - even with daily use. 

However, the way in which Lush suggest that you use it is by pinching a small, grape-sized piece from the tub; work into a paste in the palm of your hands, with a little water to do so; and then apply it directly to the face. I found that leaving it on for 15-20 minutes worked best, and my skin felt noticeably different when I rinsed the product away afterwards.

With calamine powder helping to calm the skin, this is a great choice for those who have sensitive skin, or suffer from acne. This ingredient helps to prevent any irritation from occurring, and can even reduce any redness that you may be suffering from at the time. For this reason, Fomo Jelly Face Mask would also be a great choice for the hotter months of the year, as I feel that sunburnt complexions would really benefit from this after a long, hard day in the heat.

The kaolin clay featured here also helps to absorb any excess oil that may be present on oiler skin-types. However, those with drier complexions like myself, should not be put off from giving this facial jelly a chance. I found that my skin felt very clean and smooth afterwards, and the inclusion of the clay didn't leave my face feeling or looking parched. 

Overall, I am really impressed with this new invention - much more so than I expecting to be. You can easily get 6-8 uses out of a single pot, and for the same price as a fresh face mask, this is definitely worth the money. Given that these are not at risk of leaking, don't need to be kept in the fridge, and have a shelf life of a year, Lush's new jelly face masks are a fantastic invention - with Fomo being my favourite one yet.      

Quantitative Ingredients: Water, Calamine Powder, Glycerine, Propylene, Glycol, Kaolin, Carrageenan Extract, Neroli Oil, Rose Absolute, *Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £6.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Tea And Sympathy Bath Bomb

For someone who considers them self to be fairly intelligent, I don't know why I didn't think about the ingenious concept of bathing alongside a tea bag or two. Known for being incredibly detoxifying and softening on the skin, it's the perfect bathing companion, and one that will be making a reappearance alongside many of the cocktails that I concoct in the future.

Tea And Sympathy Bath Bomb is easily one of the most boring ballistics that Lush have ever produced. However, it doesn't need to be particularly attractive when the name is enough to warrant a good many sales. Add in the unique feature of including a tea bag at its core, and you've already appealed to the British mentality - enough to sell a batch or two without too much of a problem.

What immediately struck my about this bath bomb, when it arrived, was that it smelt very different to what I had envisaged. Described as being 'like white and green tea', I was expecting something very two-dimensional and perhaps a little bitter. However, what I found was that this bath bomb was far sweeter and prettier than I had initially given it credit for.

Containing calamine powder and chamomile oil as the two key components, I expected the bath bomb to be very overpowering and medicinal smelling. Instead I found Tea And Sympathy had all of the refreshing, herbal properties of both ingredients, but with a wonderful musky layer alongside this. The olibanum oil really does work its magic at sweetening the chamomile and offering an almost resinous quality to the bath bomb.

While the clary sage is one of the last ingredients, I could really appreciate the prevalent herbal thread that is featured because of this. Despite the fact that every component works in harmony with each other, you can definitely make out each ingredient individually as well, which makes this one of the prettiest smells that I have experienced from Lush in a while.

Having said this, the bath bomb still wouldn't win any awards in the tub. Upon contact with the water, Tea And Sympathy begins to froth and fizz, and it doesn't take more than a couple of minutes for the product to dissolve completely. While puddles of white froth and bubbles pattern the surface, these disappear very quickly, and you are left with a very boring-looking bath. This bath bomb does not colour the water at all, and if it wasn't for the lovely smell radiating off of the water, and the single tea bag floating across the water, you wouldn't really be able to tell that you've used a product in there at all.

In it's defence, the bath bomb is rather moisturising and softening, without being at all greasy. The inclusion of the tea bag definitely helps to purify and detoxify your skin during bathing, and you'll find that your pores will feel much clearer afterwards. 

Having said that, I found that the fragrance faded during my experience, and after using a couple of stronger products, I was no longer able to detect the smell at all. Furthermore, the aroma didn't permeate my skin enough to leave any sort of impression afterwards either.

Overall, this bath bomb is definitely one you have to try, but perhaps not one you need to rush out and buy. Although its not one that I need to have at all times in my life, I would definitely say that adding a couple of colours to Tea And Sympathy would make it far more appealing, and one that I would be far more inclined to buy.   

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Soya Milk Powder, Calamine Powder, Perfume, Chamomile Blue Oil, Olibanum Oil, Clary Sage Oil, Water (Aqua), Chamomile Tea Bag, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 42090, Colour 19140.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £4.25 each.

Year Of Original Release: ?

Dreamwash Shower Smoothie

I have been meaning to review this product for a long time - it's one that I have been purchasing regularly to ensure that I always have a tub on the side of my bath. However, with all of the new and exciting products that have been consistently coming out of the Lush factory since I began writing this blog, it's one that seems to have slipped into the background behind the more glamorous offerings. 

Ironic then that it takes the discontinuation of the product for me to realise that I have not given the smoothie its much deserved 'air time'. And despite the fact that it is no longer readily available for purchase in any of the Lush stores, I assume that it will be back in the kitchen in due time - at which point new fans will need a reference point to decide whether or not its worth a purchase.

Dreamwash Shower Smoothie is one of a small family of products to share their scent with the popular Dream Cream Body Lotion - a product that happens to be the company's best-selling product of all time. With more and more people developing allergies, suffering from sensitive skin or just simply looking for cosmetics that are as gentle on the skin as possible, this is one of Lush's answers to meet the demand.

The key ingredient featured here is calamine powder which is known for its calming properties. Traditionally used in medicinal ointments as an antiseptic, this natural powder is known for being gentle on the skin - balancing out the skin's natural PH levels, calming stressed or overworked complexions, alleviating spot breakouts and reducing overall redness.

Coupled with a healthy dosage of aloe vera gel to soothe and rehydrate the skin, this shower smoothie is perfect for those who perhaps suffer from certain ailments that may flare up with heavy, chemical-ladened products. This plant-based ingredient softens the skin and works wonders on heavily sunburned areas - offering a cooling sensation that remedies itching and stinging without clogging up the pores or burdening the skin with too many heavy fragrances. 

With chamomile and tea tree oils to give the product antiseptic properties, not to mention offering a scent that relieves and relaxes the mind while its being applied, this is definitely a very unique shower smoothie. So what exactly does it smell like?

Initially, Dreamwash is dominated heavily by the calamine powder coupled with lavender, both of which offer a delicate but rather aromatic floral smell. This is coupled with bouts of aloe vera which gives the product a fresh, crisp and slightly 'leafy' aroma. Overall, the smell of this product is very calming - one you would expect from a product intent on keeping things as simple and delicate as possible.

Unlike all of the other shower smoothies I have tried from Lush, this one has a consistency that almost matches that of other Lush body conditioners such as Yummy Mummy and Ro's Argan. It's rather thick in the tub and lathers on almost as if you were applying a body lotion as opposed to a soap.

As with all of Lush's shower smoothies, I found the most effective way to use it was to scoop it out of the tub and rub it all over the area that I wanted to clean. And much like other smoothies, this one doesn't lather up - instead coating your skin with a creamy lather that gets to work at cleaning and softening the area straight away.

What is great about this smoothie is that it doesn't take a lot to cover quite a large area. I found that a scoop matching the serving of a dessertspoon was enough to clean most of my body - meaning this tub lasted me longer than many of the others I have used over time. 

Furthermore, this product left my skin feeling really clean and it worked wonders at preparing and repairing my skin during and after shaving. While I couldn't really detect much of a cooling sensation on my body afterwards, most likely because I have my baths and showers set on the scorching setting, my skin did feel really fresh and soft.

While it has been discontinued quite recently, I'm positive that it will appear in the Lush Kitchen at some point in the future, and when it does I will be sorely tempted to pick myself up a tub to rekindle my appreciation for it. As it stands, I happen to prefer the solid roulade version of this so I'm happy I can still appreciate the benefits without having to stretch a single tub for what could possibly be a year before it reappears.

Quantitative Ingredients: Calamine Powder, Water (Aqua), Fair Trade Organic Aloe Vera Gel, Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil, Glycerine, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Hydroxide, Rose Absolute, Chamomile Blue Oil, Tea Tree Oil, Lavender Oil, Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium,  Etidronate, Linalool, Perfume.

Vegan?: Yes.

2014 Price: £9.95 for 250g.

2015 Price: £10.95 for 250g.

2016 Price: £10.95 for 250g.

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

Get Closer Dusting Powder

Saving the best to last seems to be my forte at the moment - whether or not it was intentional to begin with. With so many different dusting powders to try and review thanks to both the Lush Kitchen and Oxford Street releases, I've barely had time to register how many I've got to get through, let alone decided which order I should go about doing it.

Unfortunately, upon opening Get Closer Dusting Powder for the first time, I realised my mistake in leaving it for so long on the shelf. This beautiful, uplifting dusting powder is easily my favourite from the Oxford Street selection, and perhaps even my favourite out of all the dusting powders I've experienced over the last few years.

The first thing that intrigued me about this product was its name. While I am far from the unsociable hermit that I like to imagine myself as, I'm definitely not always comfortable with physical contact with strangers - a problem that's elevated somewhat when you live in London and frequent the underground tube system on a regular basis.  

On the bottle, Lush have written 'Personal space? What personal space? Get up close and personal...' as the tagline for the dusting powder - a statement that makes me wonder whether this is supposed to be a product that you share with your partner, or whether its supposed to give you the confidence to get up close and personal with those smelly commuters - knowing you're smelling fresh and beautiful no matter what time of the day it is.

Either way, the combination of neroli oil, jasmine absolute and lemon oil is definitely going to leave you feeling and smelling delicious. While it doesn't state on the bottle, this is very close in smell to the Happy Happy Joy Joy Hair Conditioner and Frozen Bath Bomb, albeit slightly lighter and not as floral-dominated. 

On the skin, you can definitely detect the neroli - a light and slightly bitter citrusy aroma that intertwines with the lemon oil and intensifies the fruity element. To compliment this, the jasmine adds its own soulful floral aroma that gives the dusting powder a slight sweetness, making it delectable and utterly refreshing on the senses. 

Like all of Lush's dusting powders, this one has a great level of absorbency, so even if you haven't worked out you can still use Get Closer to keep your skin in tip-top condition and freshen up at the same time. Especially in the summer months, when even walking around the block can cause a sweat, this is a great little party trick to keep you dry and top up with a lovely fragrance at the same time.

Like most of Lush's dusting powders, this one features kaolin that cleanses the skin and soften its while absorbing excess moisture at the same time. What is great about all of Lush's powders is that they help to leave your skin feeling really smooth, without clogging up the pores like some lotions can. Furthermore, while some lotions tend to leave me feeling sticky, these powders don't do that - yet I still feel as refreshed and clean as I would do if I had used one.

As I loved the smell of this so much, I also tested this out in my hair - using it as a dry shampoo when my locks were beginning to look a little worse for wear. Working from the roots, I just massaged a little into my hair and found that Get Closer worked wonders at adding shine while giving my locks a little more life to see me through another day. 

Ultimately, this is a product that I will buy regularly (although not that often as a bottle should last a good six months). Its scent is refreshingly beautiful yet delicate enough to leave you feeling clean for hours after application. If you're looking for a single dusting powder to try out for yourself, this is the one you should invest in. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Talc, Magnesium Carbonate, Calamine Powder, Kaolin, Perfume, Lycopodium Powder, Neroli Oil (Citrus Aurantium amara), Jasmine Absolute (Jasminum grandiflorum), Sicilian Lemon Oil (Citrus limonum), Amyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Benzoate, *Cinnamyl Alcohol, *Citral, *Farnesol, *Geraniol, Hydoxycitronellal, *Limonene, *Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £6.95 for 45g.
2016 Price: £6.95 for 45g.

Year Of Original Release: 2015.

Candy Floss Showder

'Stampede...in the gorge...Simba's down there!'. Okay, so I might have needlessly brought up a childhood trauma that many of you might never forgive me for, but it's also a good description of how I felt the day I visited the Oxford Street store for the first time. The whole experience looked and felt a little like a watering hole at feeding time - the word carnage springing to mind when I think of the determination etched on the faces of those desperately trying to scoop up the exclusive products.

While Lush were prepared for the blitz of bath products - their shelves stacked high and the floor littered with sacks full of the beautiful bombs, they weren't so prepared for the popularity of their shower section. Within ten minutes of the store opening, many of the products had disappeared from the shelves, and while Lush had more stock they were able to bring out, some of these items sold out very quickly. 

Candy Floss Showder was one such item, and while I was lucky enough to grab the last box available, I was less successful with their Lemon Sherbet variation - a product I have yet to acquire even to this day. Designed to look and smell like  a freshly spun batch of the popular confectionary, this limited edition product is the first of it's kind. 

Presented in a box reminiscent of the old-fashioned washing powders, this is one of four showders - each of which is slightly different from the others. While Life's A Beach acts as more of a coarse salt and sand scrub, this showder is less exfoliating but more moisturising on the skin. 

Containing calamine powder, clove bud oil and vanilla absolute, this unique shower companion shares its scent with the Creamy Candy family. The combination of ylang ylang oil and vanilla gives the showder a rich, decadent and very sweet candy-esque aroma, while the inclusion of the clove buds add a gentle level of heat that gives it a wonderful kick - especially when it comes into contact with the heat of the water. 

With the inclusion of granulated sugar to help gently exfoliate and polish the body, and calamine powder to soothe irritated and sensitive skin, Candy Floss acts as a great product that sits between a soap and a scrub. While it doesn't give the impression that it would be particular moisturising, I was pleasantly surprised to find that  it leaves the skin feeling and smelling delicious. 

Unfortunately, much like the shower sheets, I found this product to be a little disappointing in the shower. Firstly, it was very difficult to keep this box dry in-between and during uses, and I had to transfer the showder into an old plastic tub to prevent my box from disintegrating. 

Secondly, while the showder does react to the water and foam up a little in your hand, as soon as I tried to spread it across my body there was very little product to use because most of it had already been rinsed away with the water. Even when I attempted to use this outside of the flow of the shower, I found that the generous helping I had shaken out, didn't go very far in terms of washing my entire body. For this reason, I cannot imagine the box lasting for as long as a shower gel of the same weight would do. 

On the positive side, Candy Floss Showder has a very strong aroma and it definitely leaves its mark on your skin and indeed in the bathroom for a long time afterwards. Furthermore, it does leave your skin looking rather radiant and feeling incredibly soft after you've towelled yourself down. 

However, I cannot see this being something I use on a regular basis. As Lush offer so many amazing shower gels, including Snow Fairy that has a very similar smell to this, I would much rather purchase one of these and know that it'll last me longer, be less messy in the shower and work out better value for money. 

While I really love the design of the box and think that the showders are great fun for the few short weeks that they last, Candy Floss would not be on my list of regular items to purchase, and I'd much rather convert a block of Godmother into a sugar scrub and use this instead. It's an interesting idea but not one I would be interested in buying again. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Granulated Sugar, Calamine Powder, Citric Acid, Cornflour (Zea mays), Disodium Lauryl Sulphosuccinate, Perfume, Fair Trade Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia), Ylang Ylang Oil (Cananga odorata), Clove Bud Oil (Eugenia caryophyllus), Alpha- Isomethyl ionone, Eugenol, Limonene, Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

Year Of Original Release: 2015.

Scent Family:

Bunny Bubble Bar
Candy Cane Bubble Bar
Candy Floss Showder
Candy Mountain Bubble Bar

Candy Mountain Bubble Bar Slice
Close To You Massage Bar
Creamy Candy Bubble Bar
Creamy Candy Liquid Perfume
Rock Star Soap

Dreamwash Shower Smoothie Roulade

I don't know what it is about Dream Cream Body Lotion, but it's one of those products that never holds much of an interest to me, despite really enjoying the smell and how my skin feels after using it. In fact, whenever a product claims to share its scent with this number one best seller, I'm always rather disheartened - only to be surprised when I once again realise how much I actually like the fragrance. The same goes for this product. 

Dreamwash Shower Smoothie is one of seven new naked roulades that can currently be found inhabiting the shelves of the Oxford Street store. Sharing its scent with In The Nude Bath Melt, Fresh Farmacy Facial Soap and the original Dreamwash Shower Smoothie, this is a product specifically designed to target and counteract those with mild to chronic skin conditions.  

For years Lush were bombarded with desperate pleas from consumers who couldn't find a commercial product that supported and helped to diminish the appearance of eczema and other skin irritations. As they do best, Lush came up with a definitive range of products in response - with Dreamwash Smoothie being one of these items.   

Fast forward many years and we now have a solid edition that claims to be able to do the same thing - albeit being preservative free and slightly better value for money. Containing calamine powder, aloe vera gel and tea tree oil, this naked smoothie is a powerhouse of ingredients to help soothe and maintain the skin, without clogging up the pores or leaving it feeling and looking irritated. 

Calamine powder comes from natural mineral deposits, which is then transformed into a soft powder when it's grounded down for cosmetic use. This mineral-rich ingredient is known for its healing properties and how gentle it is on the skin - reducing redness, calming inflammation and reducing breakouts. Aloe vera also works at healing and rehydrating the skin while creating a light cooling sensation to keep irritation at bay.

What I love about Dreamwash Shower Smoothie is that the scent is very strong yet equally relaxing and not too heavy on the user at all. The lavender dominates the aroma of this product - offering a very natural, floral smell. The tea tree, calamine and chamomile oils all add a little something to the mix that give this smoothie a very clinical yet aromatic smell, while the rose absolute gives it a gentle floral note to boot. Together, these ingredients produce a relaxing yet very thick and well-rounded aroma - one that wouldn't suit being made into a perfume or a shower gel, but one that really smells as if it'll do your skin some good. 

To use any one of Lush's new roulade smoothies, I would recommend that you either break off a small chunk and use this to clean yourself with, or cut a thin slice and use this flat piece to lather across your skin. While you could use a whole piece at once, this product is far softer than most of Lush's soaps and I can imagine a 100g chunk would disintegrate and shrink very quickly if exposed to water and left damp in between uses.  

What is great about Dreamwash is that it produced a very creamy and rather moisturising lather - one that was easy to apply across the body and left it feeling really calm and clean. Afterwards, I could really feel the difference in how soft my skin felt, and the aroma of this smoothie left me feeling really relaxed and refreshed. 

I can honestly say that this was the perfect product to use before going to bed - it gave me a great sense of clarity, soothed and cooled my sun-kissed skin and helped to heal a small breakout of spots that had appeared on my chin at the time.

While this isn't a product that needs to be kept in the fridge, I would suggest that you store this in a air-tight container between uses. In it's favour, a 100g chunk would last you at least a month, depending on how generous you are in the shower. However, this one dried out pretty quickly and became annoyingly crumbly - making it rather difficult to use in the shower. 

Overall, I was very surprised by how much I loved this product and it will be one I buy on a regular basis. How this compares with the original Dreamwash Shower Smoothie I am unsure as I am yet to try it. However, if the original is anything like this beauty, I'm going to kick myself for not buying a tub a little sooner. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Calamine Powder, Fair Trade Organically Aloe Vera Gel (Aloe barbedness), Water (Aqua), Rapeseed Oil: coconut Oil (Brassica napus: Cocoa nucifera), Glycerine, Sodium Stearate, Rose Absolute (Rosa damascena), Chamomile Blue Oil (Matricaria chamomilla), Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia), Lavender Oil (Lavandula angustifolia), Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Linalool, Perfume. 

Vegan?: Yes. 

2015 Price: £6.50 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2015. 

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

Princess Dusting Powder

I don't really know what it is about dusting powders that gets me excited, but when I discovered that Lush had four new ones available at the Oxford Street store, I couldn't wait to bag them all and give them each a big sniff. While it's not a product that I use regularly in the winter, I find that I crave them during the warmer weather; where they become an essential handbag filler for all of those times when I find myself a little sweaty and in need of a freshen up. 

Princess Dusting Powder was actually the one that I was least excited about - not because I dislike the smell of Princess Cottongrass Perfume, which shares the same scent, but because it's not the sort of fragrance that I get particularly excited about. While I enjoy floral smells, they certainly wouldn't be the scent I would gravitate towards if I was given a choice. 

Having said that, I found that I really enjoyed this one because not only did the fragrance last for a good few hours on my skin and worked well with the perfume to maintain the scent all day, but also because I found that it gave a slightly different experience than the liquid perfume offered. 

Scanning the ingredients list, it reads very much like the liquid perfume, with neroli, pine, nettle and violet leaf being the key components. Yet what sets this dusting powder apart from the other products, is that it contains calamine powder as one of the key elements as well. This makes Princess distinctively different from its siblings and may even disappoint those who wanted a straight-up replica of the aroma. 

In the bottle, the calamine powder gives off the strongest impression - a fresh, green and almost clinical aroma that is complimented by an element of pine that sits comfortably alongside this. As your nose becomes more accustomed to the smell, you can detect a thin but rather defined thread of violet as well, which pads out the scent and gives it that overall floral element. While the neroli oil is not obvious, it's definitely there to give the product a very subtle sweetness that rounds off the other ingredients nicely. 

Once on the skin, the smells doesn't seem as potent, and disperses into the air leaving behind a gentle, sweet floral scent to enjoy. While Princess does lose most of its fragrance very quickly once it's been applied, there is still a subtle aroma that lingers on the skin for a good couple of hours. 

So what is a dusting powder? According to Lush, it is a product of many talents - one that can be used on both the skin or the hair, depending on your preference. Its main purpose is to be applied after a bath or shower, when your skin is clean but dry. Simply sprinkle some into the palm of your hand and massage into your skin. The ingredients absorb the excess oils on your body and help to soften the skin, giving it a light, sensual fragrance. These dusting powders also work at removing excess sweat so can be carried around and used in the warmer weather. 

Princess, just like all of Lush's other dusting powders, can also be used as a dry shampoo. All you need to do is sprinkle the product into your hands and work throughout your hair to remove unwanted grease. This will tie you over until you can wash your hair thoroughly and works at removing and reducing the appearance of oily hair. I tried this out on a few occasions (although I tend to wash my hair daily) and found that it did make my hair feel softer and look good enough to wear out that day. However, I can't comment on whether this would work with severely oily hair as mine sides more on the drier side. 

What is great about this particular dusting power is that it's packed full of kaolin, which works at softening and healing damaged skin. Therefore it can be applied alongside or after a body lotion and you don't have to worry about it drying out your body. Furthermore, the inclusion of calamine powder means that this product works well at soothing irritated and sensitive skin types - meaning that those who find lotions too heavy or need something that won't clog up their pores, will be able to use this as an alternative. 

For £9.95, this is the most expensive out of the current four available at the Oxford Street store, which may initially put people off trying it out. However, I found solace in applying this before I left to catch the bus home from work, where it gave me that extra burst of fragrance to tied me over until I was able to shower. Although the scent wasn't my favourite, it did the trick at leaving me feeling smooth, clean, dry and smelling rather lovely to boot. A lovely addition to the Lush family. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Talc, Magnesium Carbonate, Calamine Powder, Kaolin, Lycopodium Powder, Perfume, Neroli Oil (Citrus Aurantium amara), Nettle Absolute (Urtica urens), Pine Absolute (Pinus sylvestris), Violet Leaf Absolute (Viola odorata), Benzyl Benzoate, Lilial, Citral, Citronellol, Farnesol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool, Gold Sparkle Lustre (Potassium Aluminium Silicate, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxide). 

Vegan?: Yes. 

2015 Price: £9.95 for 45g.

Year Of Original Release: 2015. 

Scent Family:  

Princess Cottongrass Body Spray

Princess Cottongrass Liquid Perfume

Princess Dusting Power