Hunny Bear Massage Bar

First of all I should probably state that I have absolutely no reason at all to feel disgruntled by Lush as a whole. Their commitment to veganism, and the amass of items that they've released over the last few years, have surpassed that of any other company that I know of. However, I nearly always feel slightly miffed when a new product comes out containing honey or beeswax. 

When Hunny Bear Massage Bar first made itself known last Mother's Day, I was slightly miffed that I wouldn't be able to try it out for myself. Smothering my body in something that would make me smell like a human dessert is my idea of heaven, and the fact that I'd only be able to observe this one from a distance, much like Scrubee, was a little disappointing. 

Finding out that Lush had removed the honey from the ingredients list this year, and veganised the seasonal massage bar, made me super excited to try it out. In fact, no sooner had it arrived through my door, my skin was already being treated to a full body massage.

Sharing its scent with the Sea Salted Caramel Soap, Hunny Bear smells like a rich caramel pudding, laced with a generous sprinkling of brown sugar and a fresh drizzle of vanilla custard to finish. It is a delicious, sticky sweet smell: one where you can envisage the brown sugar gently bubbling under the heat on the stove, while a warm caramel sauce wraps itself around the fresh vanilla ice cream and melts it into a sickly sweet mess.

What is interesting is that when you first apply this massage bar to your skin, the vetivert is quite heavy in the mix. Therefore, you will find that there is an overpowering smoky smell that lingers around for a matter of minutes. However, once the oils begin to settle into the skin, this note disperses somewhat and the other key ingredients begin to make the fragrance more rounded and more delicious. 

What I loved about Hunny Bear was that the bar was super easy to massage across the skin, and while very easy to melt, it wasn't too much of a problem to apply as much (or as little) as I wanted to use. Once the butters and oils had melted across a surface, I then used my hand to really massage the oils into the skin properly so that they were absorbed as quickly as possible.

As the name suggests, the sole intention of these bars is to replace the liquid oils that someone may use when giving a massage. The consistency of nearly all of Lush's massage bars means that you get the same results, just without having to rely on a product that comes with packaging. 

However, if like me, you don't always have someone to give you a massage, you can also use these bars in replacement of your regular body lotion. Although there is a difference: these solid bars are definitely more oily than a lotion or cream, they offer your skin a chance to absorb some good quality butters and oils, without anything else featured that may clog up your pores.

When using Hunny Bear, I did find that the oils and butters took a short while to absorb into the skin, so you'll need to allow the product at least ten minutes to settle before putting any clothes over the top. However, I found that my skin looked and felt instantly more nourished and soft, and this lasted for the most part of the day.

Scent-wise, the wonderfully sweet aroma also remained present on my skin for a good while, and I did receive a few comments during my day at work about my 'perfume', so it does hold longevity. Pairing this with perhaps Yog Nog or Butterball Liquid Perfume would only serve to intensify this wonderful foodie experience for longer, although there may be people compelled to lick you as you will smell simply divine.

Overall, I am really happy that Lush have veganised this, without seemingly losing any of the skin-softening properties that the original massage bar held. This is definitely one I will be buying a few more of, before the Mother's Day range disappears for another year. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Fair Trade Shea Butter, Almond Oil, Perfume, Clove Leaf Oil, Tonka Absolute, Brazilian Vetivert Oil, Vanilla Absolute, Organic Agave Syrup, Vegan Dark Chocolate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, *Anise Alcohol, *Benzyl Alcohol, *Coumarin, *Eugenol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 77499.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £5.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

Cherryish Body Scrub

There are some Lush products that either smell or look good enough to eat. This one not only covers both of those bases, but also boasts an ingredient list that reads like a dessert as well. Dried cherries, vegan white chocolate, apple pulp, coconut oil and chocolate extract? It just sounds like a raw vegan treat in the making.

It is no wonder that Cherryish Body Scrub appears to be making a permanent fixture in Lush stores across the country. With a gorgeous heart-shaped design - emblazoned with an adorable cherry topper, this seasonal body scrub is something that my skin can no longer live without. 

Firstly, the scent of this beauty is simply mouth-watering. Cherries and almonds go into making this body scrub smell like a freshly-made Cherry Bakewell tart, wherein the apple pulp adds extra fruitiness and the multiple chocolate elements  give the product a rich and rather sultry base to work from. Imagine a slightly less potent Happy Blooming Shower Jelly, with an added dosage of nuttiness, and you may begin to understand how beautiful Cherryish is to the senses.

When it comes to usability, there are multiple aspects about this scrub that make it just as effective as it is delicious in scent. The size and shape of Cherryish allows you to get a good grip of this when you're using it in the shower. You can really scrub yourself all over and have confidence that you wont drop this multiple times - even when the product begins to diminish and get smaller. 

Secondly, the combination of ingredients makes this scrub really robust when it is being used. After multiple uses, there was barely any change to the size of the bar and I felt confident that I was getting my money's worth. In fact, I would say that Cherryish is on par with Rough With The Smooth in terms of how strong the scrub appears to be when in contact with water. Having said this, I would always recommend that you step out of the way of the running shower when using any Lush products, as you will always prolong the life of your cosmetics if they don't have direct contact with the heat of the water.

Thirdly, I was super impressed with the consistency of the scrub itself. Sometimes I find that Lush scrubs can either be far too scratchy on the skin or easily dissolvable, and nobody wants to be limited to one kind. Cherryish contains tiny shards of cherry stones, which allow you to buffer as hard or as softly as you wish. Massaging the bar in a circular motion allowed me to control how roughly I scrubbed my skin in parts - making this body scrub versatile for different skin types and preferences.

Finally, the impressive ingredients list that makes up this Valentine's Day gem reads like the bible for healthy, vibrant skin. The inclusion of the apple pulp and the dried cherries helps to brighten and replenish your skin; the various butters and oils nourish and moisturise, which prevents irritation after scrubbing; and the cherry stones act as the perfect buffer for smooth, soft, kissable skin.

In between uses, this bar dries very quickly and wont leave any residue on your bathroom surfaces. However, I would recommend that you store this somewhere away from any water sources, and somewhere that is relatively cool, as it tends to get sticky in humid conditions and this may shrink the product far quicker than you would like. 

Cherryish Body Scrub is definitely one of the better products that Lush have released this year and is definitely one that I will be buying again and again. While I wouldn't recommend that you give this one a nibble (I've tired and it is extremely disappointing), your skin will be forever thankful for the dessert-like treat you will be treating it to if you use this regularly.   

Quantitative Ingredients: Fine Sea Salt, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Murumuru Butter, Sodium Bicarbonate, Organic Illipe Butter, Fair Trade Shea Butter, Ground Cherry Stones, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cream of Tartar, Dried Cherries, Vegan White Chocolate, Cocoa Absolute, Almond essential oil, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Fresh Apple Pulp, Chocolate Extract, Lauryl Betaine, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose, Sodium polyacrylate, Benzyl Benzoate, Cinnamyl, Alcohol, Coumarin, Hexyl Cinnamal, Perfume, Colour 14700, Colour 47005, Colour 42090:2.

Vegan?: Yes.

2018 Price: £7.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2018.

Scent Family:
Cherryish Body Scrub

Mum, Look What I Made For You Bath Bomb

Man In The Moon Bubble Bar

Man In The Moon is a dream reimagined and repackaged as a bubble bar - a product that would easily become a best seller if released all year round. In fact, it feels almost criminal to confine this beauty to the restraints of a single season, and I hope that Lush recognise the potential this has as a regular item.

If there is one product that is long overdue in the Lush catalogue, it's a Calacas-scented bubble bar. If nothing else, the popularity of The Enchanter, Monsters' Ball and Calavera will tell you that Lush fans love ourselves a bit of lime, and this is a much-welcome member of the scent family for sure.

Having said that, I have had discussions in the past about Lush releasing a bubble bar with this fragrance, and have always reached the conclusion that the scent wouldn't work in this format. I'm happy to announce that I am ready to eat my words; in fact, I would say that this fragrance might even work better as a bubble bar than a bath bomb.

Containing lime, olibanum and neroli oils, Man In The Moon is a bright, zesty product that will bring some much-needed sunshine into your life, and into your bath tub. Much like every other product in this fragrance, this bubble bar is sweet, fruity and citrusy - smelling like a combination of lime fruit pastilles and edible jelly. 

While it has been proven that citrus smells can dampen and lose their power after a certain amount of time (when presented in any format), you will be pleased to know that this bubble bar makes a solid impression from the get-go, and continues to offer strong bursts of juicy lime goodness throughout the entire experience. In hindsight, I think it is the inclusion of both the olibanum and neroli oils that helps to ground the overall aroma of this bubble bar - thus why it is able to be both strong and robust while also offering an experience that is equally both light and crisp. 

Although the initial price tag may put some people off from giving this one a go, and I won't deny that I think it is a little overpriced for what it is, the bubble bar is not only huge, but powerful enough to see you through at least two different baths if you so choose. Those of you who like to indulge heavily may wish to use the whole product (as I did). However, it can also be used across multiple baths and still smell heavenly and robust.

Its consistency is a little different to most of Lush's other bath bombs, as it appears to be slightly soft and a little squidgy when you try to break a piece off. For this reason, I would recommend that you use a knife to cut it into chunks and ensure that the remaining piece is kept somewhere cool and dry between uses. 

However much you choose to use, Man In The Moon creates a stunning lime-green shade in the tub and is super-soft on the skin as well. The zesty lime fragrance lingered in my bathroom for hours after I had finished, and the smell radiated from my skin for a short while after I had towelled myself down as well.  It would have been wonderful if the aroma had been a little stronger on my skin, so I could indulge in the scent throughout the day. However, my Calacas Body Lotion and Liquid Perfume were able to offer me that experience anyway.

Ultimately, I believe that this is one of the greatest Christmas Bubble Bars that Lush have released so far - it even offers Peeping Santa a little friendly competition. Despite the price, I will be buying a number of these to see me through the winter months and I only hope that it makes an appearance again, at some point in the near future. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cream of Tartar, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Lime Oil, Olibanum Oil, Neroli Oil, Cornflour, Citric Acid, Titanium Dioxide, Laureth 4, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Iron Oxides, Tin Oxide, *Benzyl Salicylate, *Citral, *Limonene, *Linalool, Alpha-Isomethyl ionone, Hydroxycitronellal, Colour 42090, Colour 19140, Colour 47005, Vegan Dark Chocolate.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £4.25 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Scent Family:

Agbogbloshie Bath Bomb

Calacas Body Lotion (2017)

Calacas Body Lotion (2018)

Calacas Body Spray

Calacas Shower Gel
Calacas Shower Jelly
Calacas/Day of The Dead Perfume

Calavera Ballistic

The Enchanter Bath Bomb

Lady Catrina Soap
Man In The Moon Bubble Bar
Monsters' Ball Bath Bomb
Skullduggery Ballistic

No Name Bubble Bar

No Name sounds like an odd choice for the name of a bubble bar - almost like Lush just couldn't be bothered to conjure up a name when it came to finalising the product. However, the story behind this limited edition gives its name a rather endearing touch, and it made me appreciate it even more when I discovered the meaning behind it.

As part of the Christmas range a few years ago, Lush brought out this nameless bubble bar and sent it to every store across the country. As each and every culture have their own name for the mythical creatures that feature in their yuletide celebrations, the company decided to let each store come up with their own name for the bubble bar. From classic elf names to down-right obscure results, this seasonal product brought that extra swish of magic to the holiday season.

With two adorable vegan chocolate eyes, No Name resembles the long distant cousin of The Bearded Lady Bubble Bar, although they are very different in scent. Containing lime and neroli as key ingredients, this limited edition is an uplifting, fruity experience - one that is very different from anything else that I have experienced from Lush before.

On the surface, this bubble bar smells like a super sweet glass of old-fashioned soda pop. Imagine the aroma of the jellied cola bottle sweets that you can buy as part of the Pic 'N' Mix range, and you'll be on the right path to imagining how this product smells from the packet. There is something very bright and slightly zesty about the lime. Yet there is almost a sweet, resinous note that rests beneath this, that allows the fruity element to settle. 

Alongside both of these ingredients is the inclusion of the vanilla absolute, which doesn't have a huge impact on the overall smell, but does offer a gentle touch of sweetness to the overall experience. Together, these three components create a very pleasant sweet and fruity aroma, that although different, might interest those people who enjoyed the Reindeer And Robin FUN Bar from last Christmas.

As with most of Lush's bubble bars, this one is easy enough to crumble under the running tap, and creates a generous amount of bubbles that decorate your bath. Given its size, you could easily halve or quarter No Name and use it across multiple baths, although I opted to use the full one for a truly decadent experience.

The bubble bar turns the water a beautiful shade of red, which is both warming and comforting at the same time. Furthermore, the water was lovely and softening the whole way through my experience, so my skin felt nourished and replenished after my bathing. Finally, the scent wasn't excessively strong when in use, but I was able to detect the lime and neroli while I was submerged under the blanket of bubbles, and there were traces of the fragrance in the bathroom for a while afterwards.

Although originally designed as a Christmas product, I really feel as if the scent of this is also very much suited to the warmer months of the year as well. There is never a bad time to enjoy a No Name in the tub, and I will definitely be buying a few more of these if they make an appearance in the near future.

Quantitative Ingredients: Cream of Tartar (Tartaric acid), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Lime Oil, Neroli Oil, Vanilla Absolute, *Limonene, *Linalool, Cinnamal, Eugenol, Vegan Dark Chocolate.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £3.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: ?

Choccy Egg Bath Bomb

Call it greed, call it being a little compulsive: I don't like not being able to try out certain products. While my veganism is a personal choice, and I could opt to use any of the cosmetics that feature honey, beeswax etc... if I wanted to, my ethics are not something that I willing to sacrifice, just to use a bath bomb. For this reason, I usually have to wear a sad expression at times and just except that there will always be releases that I have to live without.

Choccy Egg Bath Bomb used to be vegetarian, which was why I didn't even consider logging into the Lush Kitchen website on the day of its recent release. It both surprised and frustrated me a few days later then, when I discovered that the ballistic had been altered slightly, and now seemed to be vegan. Luckily, a few kind individuals managed to cough up a couple of spares for me to use and review, and I was gifted with a rather wonderful smelling parcel a few days later.

For its price tag, I was surprised to discover just how small the bath bomb was to begin with. Weighing in at roughly 120g, this product is only slightly bigger than the original Think Pink Bath Bomb, which does make it a little more of an investment than to begin with. In its favour however, it does possess the  longevity to see you through an entire bath.

Made from a combination of vanilla, cocoa and mimosa absolute, Choccy Egg is a decadent offering from Lush, but perhaps one that isn't what you'd expect it to be. From the get-go, I was amazed to discover that the bath bomb was far more floral than I was expecting. In fact, it was also far less 'chocolately' than I had envisioned as well.

I would describe the fragrance of this as a very floral, cocoa aroma. There is something very musky and sweet about the fragrance, which is reference to both the cocoa and vanilla. However, there is a powdery component which I can very much relate to the inclusion of the mimosa. Despite the cocoa absolute and dark chocolate flakes on the outside, I wouldn't describe this as being foody at all, and in fact it is far more rich and decadent than I expected it to be.

In the water, this ballistic begins to dissolve immediately - demonstrating quite an impressively loud fizz for such a small bath bomb. Despite its size, it also happened to captivate the tub, and indeed the bathroom, as I found that the scent was strong enough to last a good fair while in the water. I would say that using any potent-smelling products would probably thwart the aroma of this quite a bit, but it's strong enough to linger vaguely on your skin afterwards.

Disappointingly, this bath bomb does not heed any colour in the water, and the inclusion of the chocolate flakes doesn't make this bath bomb very enticing in the water. I found that a lot of the flakes took a while to dissolve, so there were a good many splodges of chocolate on the base of the tub for the first half of the bath. Once they have dissolve, they create a sort of murky, brown water, which is probably the least attractive colour you could possibly ask for.

Despite this, I did find that the inclusion of the cocoa butter made this a little more moisturising than some of Lush's other bath bombs, and my skin did feel the better for it afterwards. Furthermore, the chocolate didn't stain the outside of the bath tub when the water was drained away, so it wasn't as messy as I initially thought it was going to be.

Overall, I feel as if the scent of this would be rather lovely in other formats, and I would be interested in trying it out in future products. However, the Choccy Egg didn't offer a very appealing bath, and the scent was lost as soon as I began using other products. For this reason, I would probably not purchase this product again, unless I was planning on cocktailing it alongside a bubble bar or bath melt.     

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia), Mimosa Absolute (Mimosa tenuiflora), Cocoa Absolute (Theobroma cacao), Aloe Vera Extract (Aloe barbadensis), Coumarin, Isoeugenol, Perfume, Dark Chocolate Flakes.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £3.50 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2009.

Chocolate Melt Bath Bomb

When I envisage a bath bomb with a name such as this one, I picture something rather squishy and sickly: a product that looks more like a massage bar and acts more like a bath melt. I also imagine the mess said bath bomb would make in the tub - skin decorated in a gloopy mess and a not so wonderful splatter of brown gunk reminiscent in the tub afterwards. 

For this reason, I was surprised to discover that Chocolate Melt Bath Bomb was absolutely nothing like I imagined it would be. In fact, this ballistic is not actually all that chocolate-orientated at all, and I had a far better experience with it than I ever imagined that I would.

Sharing its scent with After 8:30 Massage Bar, this Butterball-sized bath bomb is predominantly more mint then it is chocolate. Sporting a pastel green outer layer, with flecks of dark chocolate scattered across the surface, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the size of this would somehow hinder how strong this product was in the tub. However, what also surprised me about this bath bomb was that it was just as strong as a regular sized ballistic, and would no doubt be far too overpowering if it was made an bigger.

As I mentioned above, it is the spearmint and the galbanum oils that make the biggest impression from the get-go: the former packing a punch immediately and staying prevalent throughout the entire experience. I could smell the spearmint on my skin for quite a while after exiting the tub, and it left me feeling really refreshed.

The galbanum oil is equally as potent in the mix - offering an intense 'green' smell that almost gives this bath bomb a fragrance reminiscent of Mask Of Magnaminty or Green Party Bath Bomb, albeit stronger. If anything, I'd say that the chocolate is probably the least prominent feature of this bath bomb, which is strange given that its name suggests the very opposite. 

In the tub, Chocolate Melt Bath Bomb is a very fast fizzer - disappearing completely in a little under two minutes. While it expels a sea of pastel green across the water, small flecks of dark chocolate also make an appearance - swirling around beneath the surface before settling on the floor of the tub. You would think that these tiny pieces would create a mess on both your skin and the bath. However, I was surprised to find that they dissolved quickly into the water and helped to soften the overall experience. 

What I loved about Chocolate Melt was that the combination of shea butter and cocoa butter made for a really moisturising bath. Yet there was never a moment when I felt like the water was too greasy or oily at all. By the end of the experience, I was left feeling really soft and smooth, while the cooling mint properties left me feeling equally refreshed.

Overall, I would highly recommend that you try this product at least once. It wasn't one that I had any expectations beforehand, and I was actually expecting to dislike this one quite a bit. However, it is the great ballistic to release during springtime, as it's a perfect product to use during the transition between the colder and warmer months. It's comforting, uplifting, and makes for a far healthier alternative to a bowl of mint-chocolate chip ice cream.    

Quantitative Ingredients: Bicarbonate Of Soda, Citric Acid, Dark Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Perfume, Spearmint Oil, Peppermint Oil, Galbanum Oil, Shea Butter, Gardenia Extract, Colour 61585.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £3.50 each.

Year Of Original Release: 1998.  

Scent Family:
After 8:30 Massage Bar (non vegan)
Chocolate Melt Bath Bomb

Chocolate Easter Egg Soap

It's been many years since I have associated the Easter celebrations with chocolate - this was even before I became vegan and the options for seasonal sweeties was drastically reduced. The truth is that, aside from Christmas, I barely acknowledge other celebrations that occur throughout the year. So this brand new soap is the first time in a while that I've combined such decadence with this time of year.

If I'm going to be honest, Chocolate Easter Egg Soap is a pretty uninspiring name for a product. Lush must have been having a difficult/lazy day in the office when they decided upon giving this limited edition its name. As the company are normally fairly well known for their wittiness and play on words, the simplicity is almost disappointing. However, this isn't really a valid reason for slating a product, and as it turns out, the soap is rather good. 

Sporting a vivid yellow body, with oval red spots and zig-zag green lines, this soap doesn't give you any indication about how it smells from its physical design. In fact, I was almost taken back upon smelling this initially, as it wasn't like anything I was expecting to come from such a bright and colourful product.

Featuring vegan white chocolate as one of the key components, I was hoping this soap would smell good enough to eat, and it didn't take me long in the shower to attempt the little nibble that I'd been possessed to do ever since I smelt the product for the first time. It's easy to recognise the power that the white chocolate has on the aroma, as the soap offers a rich, sickly-sweet fragrance that I associate with the confectionary.

In a small way, this soap reminds me of the Yog Log Roulade that came out last Christmas, albeit less musky smelling and far creamier. The inclusion of the vanilla definitely helps to give Chocolate Easter Egg Soap a rich, sultry smell - one that I would say has an element of caramel to it as well. While it's difficult to make out the grapefruit and lemon oil in the scent, I can appreciate how both of these components no doubt elevate the sultry, foody smell that we're able to appreciate overall. 

I can see why some consumers would be a little disappointed with this product, as I do think that the aroma is rather soft, and not perhaps as strong as you might like if you're into your chocolate. At the same time however, I don't quite know whether or not the smell would be too overpowering and sickly, if it was elevated any more in this format.

What I think works quite well is the fact that the smell is very subtle and gentle - meaning you can really appreciate the richness of the white chocolate and the vanilla in the mix. Much like opening a bar of chocolate, there is enough here to satisfy your tastebuds, without making the scent too overwhelming.

While this is quite stubborn in the shower, it does produce a lovely thick, yellow lather - that smooths over your body with ease and leaves a gentle smell on your skin. This fragrance lingers for a short time after you've towelled yourself down, but tends to fade once you use any other products on your body.

Surprisingly, I did find that my skin felt smooth after using this, although those with dry or sensitive skin may find that this leaves them feeling a little dry afterwards. This worked really well with Formulae Known As, as this discontinued body lotion complimented the chocolate element quite well. 

Overall, this is not a soap that I want to rave about, but it definitely gives chocolate lovers another chance to indulge themselves, especially if they're looking for alternatives that don't involve eating too many easter eggs. Thankfully, this 200g block is really robust and will easily last me until the end of the year, where I can only hope that Lush have released some other decadent products to enjoy until this makes a reappearance the following year. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil, Sorbitol, Perfume, Vegan White Chocolate, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Grapefruit Oil, Sicilian Lemon Oil, Vanilla Absolute, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Bicarbonate, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 45350, Colour 14700, Colour 17200, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £4.20 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.