Blue Skies And Fluffy White Clouds Bath Bomb

There are some staple Lush products that I can return to again and again and know that I'll get an excellent experience no matter what's going on around me. These are the items that keep my heart bound to a company, that I believe occasionally go a bit wayward when it comes to the quality of their releases sometimes.

Blue Skies And Fluffy White Clouds is one such gem: a beautiful bubble bar made from an amalgamation of light blue and white swirls; and pertaining a scent that would soothe even the most savage of beasts. In fact, the scent of this regular-line bubble bar is one of my favourite that Lush have ever produced, and finding out that the company were releasing it in bath bomb format simply filled me with elation. And it didn't disappoint.

As soon as this bath bomb hit the water, it began to fizzle and crackle, sending out foam-like waves of pale blue and white streams across the surface. While a reasonably slow fizzer, this bath bomb did seem to produce a lot of colour in a short amount of time, and before I knew it there was a silky-soft blanket across the water. 

After a couple of minutes, Blue Skies finally subsided: leaving behind a wonderful translucent blue water, with the tiniest hint of silver sparkles under the surface. Yet, what I found most impressive was the fact that the fragrance of this bath bomb was super robust and resistant, and was one of the strongest bath products I have had in a while.

Containing patchouli, frankincense and cinnamon as the three main notes, this bath bomb is perfectly designed to calm your mind and relax your body. The patchouli offers both a spicy, warming note, whilst also grounding the overall fragrance with a touch of earthiness as well. The cinnamon dances with the spicy element of the latter ingredient, and adds its own note to compliment and intensify the aroma.

Finally, the frankincense brings all of the other components together and adds its own sweet, woodiness to seal the deal. Utterly unique in fragrance, this is one of those products that you just simply have to try from Lush to appreciate how unique this creation is. No matter how much of a wordsmith somebody may think they are, they could never fully bring this aroma to life. I needs to be experienced.

As if the scent and performance wasn't enough, frankincense is known for both  rejuvenating the condition of the skin, and helping to soothe and calm the mind as well. And this is exactly what Blue Skies And Fluffy White Clouds did for me. I felt super relaxed and ready for bed after my bath, and my skin felt silky soft and smooth. In fact, I found that I didn't need to moisturise afterwards, which was a welcome bonus.

Overall, I expected this bath bomb to win me over and I am super grateful that it did. If you love the bubble bar, you'll love this rendition as well. Equally, if you're not a fan of this scent family, you'll probably not get much out of using one of these. This bath bomb has one of the calmest, most interesting scents that Lush currently offer, and I hope it sticks around for a long time. I will be buying this again in the future.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Perfume, Patchouli Oil, Frankincense Resinoid, Cinnamon Leaf Oil, Cream of Tartar, Titanium Dioxide, Water (Aqua), Sodium Coco Sulfate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Tin Oxide, Amyl Cinnamal, *Eugenol, *Limonene, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £5.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

coming soon!

Beanie Bubble Bar

Sometimes, unbeknownst to the consumer, Lush will design, advertise or sell a product, only to withdraw it from circulation with no apparent explanation. It could be that the product wasn't formulated correctly so it was unsuitable for commercial release; it might be because of an issue with sourcing ingredients in the quantities needed to meet demand; it could even be because the company simply make a decision that the item doesn't fit in with the direction they are going in.

Beanie Bubble Bar was unfortunately one of the unlucky prototypes that just never got to see the light of day. Obviously made as a trial batch, the product never made it out of the factory, aside from in the bags of a few lucky workers who were allowed to take the bubble bar home and use it at their own discretion. A month or so later, I was fortunate enough to make contact with one such employee, and before I knew it, a mountain of these cookie-like bath products were making their way into my bathroom. 

Scented with the Blue Skies And Fluffy White Clouds fragrance family, this would-have-been limited edition Christmas product shares its scent with a liquid bath melt, a shower gel and the original bubble bar. While it may not have its own unique aroma, Lush are known for utilising the same scent in some of their seasonal releases, so this wouldn't have been the reason that the company decided to scrap the idea before it made the shops. 

At first glance, this cute seasonal special appears quite menacing, decorated with six coffee beans that are used to form a slight smile/slight grimace across the surface of the product. Designed to look like a snowman, Lush's rendition gives off an almost Nightmare Before Christmas vibe about it, which I think makes it even more endearing.

Featuring patchouli, olibanum and cinnamon, Beanie is a perfect collaboration of warming smells, that would have banished the cold from anyone's frost-bitten fingertips. Dominated by the patchouli, this bubble bar possesses a spicy, exotic and deeply relaxing fragrance. 

The patchouli gives its overall smell a slightly floral and woody scent, which helps to unwind and relax your mind and body; cinnamon oil adds that warm, spicy edge that compliments the other ingredients perfectly. It also works with the patchouli to aide calmness. Finally, the frankincense oil has been added to not only rejuvenate and condition the skin, but add its unique exotic fragrance to round this off beautifully. 

In the water, the bubble bar crumbles with ease and turns the water a translucent shade of blue. While not as exciting as Blue Skies, the water is super moisturising - perhaps even more so than the aforementioned bubble bar, and it heeds almost as many bubbles as well. 

What I loved about this rare beauty is that the inclusion of the coffee beans gave me a sense of clarity while I was bathing. While the coffee smell wasn't present almost at all in the water, I think the beans did have an impact on my senses, and helped me to wake up a little before my long and busy day. Furthermore, I was able to detect the patchouli on my skin afterwards, which is always a bonus. 

Although this bubble bar will probably never do more than nestle in the bedrooms of the lucky few who have been able to get their hands on one, this was a wonderful gesture from Lush, and I only hope it makes an appearance at least once in the Kitchen or as part of the Christmas range. As with a smile that endearing, who wouldn't want to share a bath with a Beanie Bubble Bar?

Quantitative Ingredients: ?

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: Not for sale.

Year Of Original Release: n/a.

Scent Family:
Beanie Bubble Bar
Blues Skies And Fluffy White Clouds Bubble Bar
Blue Skies Liquid Bubble Bath

Ol' Blue Skies Is Back Shower Gel

Bling! Golden Toothy Tabs

To look at, these toothy tabs seem like a nightmare for someone such as myself who values cleanliness so much. The very idea of using something so glittery and so obviously messy to cleanse and improve my dental health, seems like a bit of an oxymoron if there ever was one. For a split second, I thought that Lush had gone a little too far in their glitter obsession. 

However, when I began using Bling! Golden Toothy Tabs, I quickly discovered that they were disappointingly 'un-messy' and actually very effective at cleaning my teeth and maintaining my oral health. Described as having 'enzymatic papain for a bling, Brazilian orange oil for a zing and frankincense for a taste of luxury', this flavour of toothy tab is a strange but rather loveable offering from Lush.

Containing the latter two oils gives these tabs a strange but rather wonderful fruity aroma - one that has a second layer of fragrance that sets it apart from the usual humdrum of orange smells. Unfortunately, while you can detect the orange oil quite strongly in the tub, the other ingredients add a sort of chlorine element to them which I didn't really appreciate at first.

If like me you find that this scent deters you from trying them, I would ask you to persist, as I found that once they were being utilised, they were much tastier and more enjoyable, and certainly not as potent as they are in the bottle. 

To use them you simply pop a tab into your mouth, crunch down using your front teeth, wet your toothbrush and begin to brush your teeth as normal. The powdery mixture reacts with the water and the cream of tartar creates a foam that freshens your mouth and cleans away any stubborn pieces of food that may be lingering around. Unlike some of Lush's other tabs I have tried, this one seemed to disintegrate very easily between my teeth and I didn't discover any stubborn pieces when I rinsed my mouth out afterwards.

These particular tabs feature a number of ingredients that I was unsure about and had to research before trying them out for myself - not only to understand how and why any or all of Lush's toothy tab works, but also to educate others about the benefits they hold in this product; dicalcium phosphate anhydrous is the main ingredient in these toothy tabs and is a component used to help supplement the body's calcium intake, not to mention preventing the build up of tartar in the mouth; sorbitol is a natural alternative to sugar, which allows Lush to add flavour to this product without adding anything that'll rot your teeth; Lauroyl Sarcosine not only helps the product to foam up in the mouth, but is also used to remove unwanted bacteria that may cause problems in the future.

Aside from the medical benefits, these tabs also contain both papain and guarana seed powder - two ingredients that I had never come across before using this product. After a little research, I found out that the former ingredient is a powerful digestive enzyme commonly found and extracted from the papaya fruit. When used in this way, the ingredient can not only help to soothe and reduce inflammation, but is also known for being able to help break down unwanted bacteria - therefore keeping your mouth as clean as possible.

In food manufacturing, guarana powder has been used as a flavoring ingredient in both beverages and food. However, it has also been used to enhance athletic performance, as a stimulant - reducing mental and physical fatigue and giving the recipient a little more energy.

Having used Bling! for almost three weeks, I did find that they perked me up a little - especially in the morning when I was really battling the urge to forego work and head back to bed. While these tabs won't leave you with amazingly minty-fresh breath, and this may be something you'll have to get used to, it does leave a pleasant taste on the palette and provides you with teeth clean enough to see you through the day. 

The only issue I found with this product was that my mouth didn't feel as sparkling white as some of the other toothy tabs have done so in the past. However, they were very easy to foam up and did offer me a very pleasant change from the generic mint variations. 

This bottle provides you with enough tabs to see you through a good 1-2 months. Although it works out a little more expensive than the tooth paste varieties you can buy in your local pharmacist, I really love the fact that Lush offer such a strange but equally interesting range of 'flavours' for you to try, and the price is on par with most vegan alternatives that I have been able to find so far. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Dicalcium Phosphate Anhydrous, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream Of Tartar (Potassium bitartrate), Sorbitol, Flavour, Lauroyl Sarcosine, Kaolin, Brazilian Orange Oil (Citrus sinensis), Frankincense Oil (Boswellia carterii), Papain Powder, Guarana Seed Powder (Paullinia cupana), Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis), Sodium saccharin, Citral, Limonene, Linalool, flavour, Radiant Gold Lustre (Potassium Aluminium Silicate), Titanium Dioxide, Colour 77491).

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £5.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2015. 

Greenwash Soap

Greenwash Soap is a 'love it or hate it' sort of soap - I don't think there's any middle ground here. Even though I've had some less than pleasant experiences with these sort of items, there's something rather thrilling about finding a product completely different from anything I've ever experienced before. These products often end up becoming staples of mine and this soap is no exception. 

Making a fleeting visit for the 2007 Christmas range, this soap has not been seen since - which is such a shame as it's so vastly different from anything you'd expect to find in their seasonal offering. Perhaps it was it's originality that was also the cause of it's downfall.

Lush claim that this soap looks and smells like a Christmas tree and I'm not going to argue with this description. The soap is a really rich forest green colour and has a very light layer of silver lustre that decorates the surface of each block. Whereas you would normally expect to receive a rectangular shaped piece, Greenwash is presented in rather odd-shaped chunks, and this is due to the fact that it's cut from a mould that is shaped like a Christmas tree. 

Looking at the ingredients list, it is the oakmoss and frankincense that give this soap it's wonderfully rich and refreshing smell. To me, it smells identical to that of a pine tree. However, unlike other 'forest-type' scents, this one is a very new and fresh smell, not the dried kind you would expect in Tramp.

It's a very unisex smell and reminds me very slightly of tea tree oil - that disinfected, invigorating and rather potent aroma that stays with you for a long time. It's definitely a very strong and over powering scent so I can see why some people would hate this soap. 

In the shower, the soap lathers up rather well and produces an oily green foam to wash yourself with. Neither the colour or the silver lustre taint your body so you don't have to worry about leaving the shower looking like Hulk at a kid's party.   

The wonderful earthy woodsy scent intensifies when it comes into contact with the water and this helped to rejuvenate my senses. This soap really made me feel clean and awakened and left my body feeling the same way. Unfortunately, my skin didn't feel any softer than it did before so it's not a great moisturiser, but I did leave the shower with a slight healthy gleam to me. Disappointingly, the beautiful aroma didn't linger much past leaving the shower and I would have loved it to accompany me throughout the day.  

Overall, I would love to see Lush bring this back as it's such a great soap to use when you need to stimulate those cold and weathered limbs. It's also a fantastic product to help get you in a Christmasy mood. However, given it's bad reception, I cannot see this making a reappearance any time soon, which for people like me, is such a shame. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Propylene Glycol, Sodium Rapeseedate, Sodium Sunflowerate, Sodium Cocoate, Perfume, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Soya Flour (Glycine soja), Oakmoss Absolute (Evernia prunastri), Frankincense Oil (Boswellia carterii), Glycerine, Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Editronate, Limonene, Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), Chlorophyllin , Green Glitter (Polyethylene terephthalate).

Vegan?: Yes.

Blue Skies And Fluffy White Clouds Bubble Bar

 

If you're one of those people that have read a good number of my reviews, you might have noticed that I have a tendency to favour the more fruity and citrus-smelling products. Although I'm much more of a savoury person when it comes to the food I eat, my nose tends to seek out the sweeter scents. So I was really surprised to find that I thoroughly enjoyed using Blue Skies and Fluffy White Clouds; far more than I expected.

The bubble bar is one of Lush's biggest bath offerings; weighing in at almost 200g, it's double both the weight and size of most of the other bubble bars in their range. Named after it's appearance, Blues Skies and Fluffy White Clouds is decorated with vivid swirls of blue and white; depicting the colours and movement of the actual sky. It's a stunning-looking product, and one that mirrors the beautiful design of the best-selling Comforter Bubble Bar.

As this bubble bar is so large, it can easily be used across four-to-six baths, making the £4.50 price tag seem a lot more justifiable for those of you who are perhaps a little hesitant to part with your hard-earned money. 

To use any of Lush's bubble bars, you can either crumble it under running water, or as I do; hold it directly under the flow of the tap, which I find creates more bubbles. As soon as the water hits the bar, lots of bubbles start to form and disperse throughout the tub. Blue Skies turns the water a wonderful shade of Columbia-blue, which alongside the mountains of bubbles on the surface, really makes it look as if you're harvesting the sky in your bath tub. 

Within a few seconds, the gorgeous fragrance begins to waft around the bathroom and seep into your senses. And what a scent it is! Dominated by patchouli, this bubble bar possesses a spicy, exotic and deeply relaxing fragrance. The Patchouli gives it's overall smell a slightly floral and woody scent, which helps to unwind and relax your mind and body; cinnamon oil adds that warm, spicy edge that compliments the other ingredients perfectly. It also works with the Patchouli to aide calmness. Finally, the Frankincense oil has been added to not only rejuvenate and condition the skin, but add it's unique fragrance to complete this product.

It's rather difficult to describe this scent, as it is a very unique and multi-layered smell. What I will say however, is that it's definitely a very rich and sultry fragrance; best suited to help you relax before bed time or calm you down after a busy day. 

After my bath my skin was very soft and moisturised and there was a slight cinnamon smell which lingered on my skin for a while after I had exited the bath. The scent didn't hang around for too long though so I ended up lathering myself with Potion Body Lotion to add another unique floral scent to my body.

Blue Skies and Fluffy White Clouds Bubble Bar did make me feel incredibly relaxed, refreshed and ready to tuck myself up in bed for a good night's sleep. As with many of Lush's bubble bars and ballistics, this one did awaken senses whilst still managing to calm me down. 

Recently, I've been suffering from a chronic bout of insomnia, and getting an average of two hours sleep a night after a 14 hour day. This bath bomb really helped me to unwind and de-clutter my mind, which then led to me getting my first proper night's sleep in about six months. 

Overall, I was really impressed with this product and would definitely buy it again. Although it's not a scent I would have automatically flocked to in store, it's definitely made an impression on me, and will be a regular guest in my bathroom.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Patchouli Oil, Frankincense Resinoid, Cinnamon Leaf Oil, Eugenol, Limonene, Linalool, Perfume, Colour 61570, Colour 60725.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £4.75 each.

Scent Family:
Beanie Bubble Bar
Blues Skies And Fluffy White Clouds Bubble Bar
Blue Skies Liquid Bubble Bath
Ol' Blue Skies Is Back Shower Gel

A Gold Star Bubble Bar

Every Christmas, Lush offer their fans a wide range of goodies to satisfy every craving - from the sweet to the savoury, the spicy and the fruity. Alongside the regular, staple seasonal products, there are always a few new ones added in for good measure. In 2008, the company introduced a new bubble bar for the holidays and it made it's mark very quickly. 

A Gold Star is rather pretty to look at - a bright yellow bubble bar with a golden star for decoration on top and sprinkled with a generous helping of golden lustre to leave it sparkling. It's not the neatest looking of bubble bars, neither is it the most attractive, but it's colourful enough to be one that will grab your attention on the shelf. 

With sandalwood, benzoin and frankincense, this product offers a sharp, bittersweet and slightly citrusy aroma with gentle elements of spice and a very subtle floral element underneath. It's a deeply sensual and very relaxing smell - one that has Christmas connotations but which can also be used throughout the year without feeling 'out of season'. Those who like quite sour citrus aromas will love this - it's very lemony and reminds me of peeling a sour orange. I'd say that the only negative aspect about this bubble bar is that the fragrance is very one-dimensional - while I loved it because I love citrus scents, it doesn't offer much more than a strong, tangy smell, so those who like more complex scents, will probably find this rather underwhelming. 

It's quite a strong scent - one with many layers that come through individually when you're relaxing in the bath. The different fragrances work really well at clearing your mind, relaxing your body and allowing you to unburden yourself from the worries and stresses of life. 

My main worry about A Gold Star was that it's colour doesn't aid itself well when it's dissolving in the bath. I conjured up images of me bathing in a rather disgusting-looking yellow colour and it put me off a little. However, what surprised me about this bubble bar is that it actually turns the water an electric, almost fluorescent yellow colour, which is much more inviting and interesting. This colour helped to liven up the experience even more and would really help to shake the shivers out of anyone during the colder weather.

You only need a third of this bar to product an impressive haven of bubbles. I found it works best when the bar is crumbled under the running tap to achieve these fluffy bubbles. A Gold Star creates an impressive amount of bubbles and leaves hundreds of miniature golden stars resting on the bottom of the tub. These extra decorations don't interfere with your bathing experience and wash away when you drain the water. 

The smell remained consistent throughout the entire bathing experience although the bubbles tended to disperse rather quickly. While the bubble bar wasn't all that moisturising, it does leave a gentle aroma on your skin, which helps you to feel well pampered and warm a long time after your bath is over. 

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this bubble bar and I think it's a fantastic addition to the Christmas range. Unfortunately, Lush haven't released this one for a good many years now, which is a shame as it's something far different than most of the other products they have brought out recently. Perhaps Lush will choose to bring this back through the Kitchen and I for one, will be stocking up if they do.   

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Gardenia Extract, Limonene, Sandalwood Oil, Frankincense Oil, Benzoin Resinoid, Citral, Farnesol, Colour 59040, Golden Edible Stars, Radiant Gold Lustre, Gold Glimmer Lustre.

Vegan?: Yes.

2014 Price: £3.95 each.

Blue Skies Liquid Bubble Bath

When I acquired a large bottle of Blue Skies Liquid Bubble Bath, I bought it out of curiosity rather than necessity. In all honesty, when I first noticed the product as part of Lush's retro selection, I was was hoping they offered this in smaller bottles than the 500 grams that was available at the time. Having already tried out 'Ol Blue Skies Is Back Shower Gel and not enjoying it at all, and then testing out Blue Skies And Fluffy White Clouds Bubble Bar and loving it, I was unsure where I stood on this strange and unique scent. However, realising it was an all or nothing sort of situation, I realised I had to dive in at the deep end and hope I loved this liquid bubble bath rendition. As it happened, I did.

Before I review this product, I would just like to say that I wish Lush would offer more of their liquid bubble baths. Firstly, because it's much more financially viable for Lush fans who cannot always stretch their budgets to a few bubble bars a month, even ones with multiple uses. Secondly, if you're a fan of a certain scent, these large bottles are wonderful to harvest and have a longer shelf life than their bubble bar counterparts.

As I mentioned in my review of the shower gel rendition of this scent, Blue Skies is an acquired taste, much like the Tramp fragrance. Scented with patchouli oil, frankincense and cinnamon, this is a rather strange and unique scent, and one that I have a little trouble describing in great length. 

To me, the liquid bubble bath smell is dominated by the patchouli - a distinctive and somewhat earthy aroma. It possesses an uplifting fragrance that adds an element of sweetness to the mix. Next up is the cinnamon leaf, which compliments the patchouli with its comforting, spicy aroma - not only invigorating the senses, but relaxing the mind and stimulating the skin, improving circulation and leaving you feeling warm. Finally, the frankincense adds a sweet, woody and slightly fruity scent that compliments the other ingredients and creates a well-rounded fragrance.

Blue Skies is a deep blue colour and rather runny in consistency (much more so than most of Lush's shower gels). When adding this to your bath, be careful to moderate your usage otherwise you'll end up using half the bottle in a single sitting. Much like my video, this product needs to be added in alongside running water, which helps to create a beautiful mound of bubbles to accompany you in the bath.

How strong you want your bath is up to you, but I've found that using the equivalent of a tablespoon amount is enough to create a beautiful smelling, bubble-tastic experience. For this reason, a 500g bottle should last you a good 40+ baths, making it a lot better value than the individual bubble bars. 

When in action, the bubble bath creates light, fluffy and very velvety bubbles, which are perfect to cocoon yourself in after a long day's work. Despite the fact that the bubbles do tend to disperse quite quickly, the scent of Blue Skies remains prominent throughout the entire bathing experience and is really relaxing for the mind and body. This liquid bubble bath offered me a real sensual, beautiful experience and it was perfect for helping me to shut my mind off before I went to bed. While it's not as moisturising as the bubble bar, it does leave you feeling clean and refreshed. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Blue Skies, perhaps a lot more than I expected to. For this reason, I am glad that I had the opportunity to purchase a large bottle of the stuff, and I only hope Lush bring out more liquid bubble baths through their Lush Kitchen initative - I think they'd be very popular. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (aqua) sodium lauryl sulfate, lauryl betaine, propylene glycol, sodium chloride, cocaminde DEA, Patchouli oil, Frankinscense resinoid, cinnamon leaf oil, eugenol, limonene, perfume, colour, 42090, methylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes.

2014 Price: £9.95 for 250g.

2015 Price: £9.95 for 250g.

2017 Price: £18.95 for 500g.

Scent Family:
Beanie Bubble Bar
Blues Skies And Fluffy White Clouds Bubble Bar
Blue Skies Liquid Bubble Bath
Ol' Blue Skies Is Back Shower Gel

Ol' Blue Skies is Back Shower Gel

I had to do my research before reviewing this shower gel as I also have a large bottle of Blue Skies Liquid Bubble Bath - a product that shares both its name and scent with Ol' Blue Skies Is Back. According to various sites, this product was re-invented and re-released after the bubble bath and Bubble Bar proved to be a major hit. This was back in 2006, and it was some seven years later that I was able to get my grubby mitts on a rare bottle to try.

Unfortunately, before the wonderful invention of the Lush Kitchen, eBay was my only option to obtain rare and wonderful discontinued Lush items. This meant that on many occasions I would pay above and beyond for a product that would turn out to be well and truly past its best. The difference can be quite extreme, as you can no doubt see when comparing a fresh one of these to a not-so-fresh bottle.

Ol' Blue Skies Is Back is definitely an acquired taste. Scented with the calming element of patchouli oil,  frankincense and cinnamon, this is a rather strange and unique scent. To me, the shower gel smells mostly of frankincense and cinnamon - together producing a rich, slightly sweet, yet equally dried aroma. The latter ingredient offers its usual spicy element, and without the inclusion of anything particularly sweet, it gives off a dried, almost herbal note.

Underneath this, you can definitely recognise the patchouli element, which again is rather dry and spicy. The inclusion of the orange oil elevates both the patchouli and the cinnamon a little - offering a subtle warmth that gives this shower gel an almost 'tangy' after note. However, Blue Skies doesn't let the fruity element take hold too much overall, and so you're left with a dry and very earthy, woody scent, with a richness that brings all of the key components together. 

While I have yet to see an original bottle, my ebay 'bargain' arrived as a murky wash of blue and green - definitely not what I envisaged when I imagined what a gorgeous blue sky should look like. The finished colour was a murky, pearly green colour, re-invented with added silver lustre to supposedly make it even more exciting. Unfortunately, everything about the shower gel didn't match up in my eyes, and I even questioned the inclusion of the glitter in the first place.

However, the recent round of Ol' Blue Skies turned out to be visually stunning - perhaps one of the greatest looking shower gels to come from Lush. The colour is definitely much more fitting to its name and description, and there is something rather fun about the cartoon-like colour as it oozes out of the bottle. 

In the shower, this product lathers up fairly easily and does what it's supposed to, although I feel as if it acts much more like a shower cream than a gel. It creates a light, fluffy foam to clean your body with, and stretches quite far when used on a shower puff. However, I would still say that it's nowhere near as generous with its lather as most other Lush shower gels. 

I found it easiest to massage the gel between my hands and stimulate the lather before rubbing it over my body to clean. When I tried applying it straight to my legs and arms, I discovered that I had to use much more this way, and the shower gel didn't always produce enough of a lather to clean with.   

As a word of warning, the heat of the water tends to intensify the patchouli and frankincense fragrance quite a lot in the shower, which can be a nasty experience for anyone not a fan of this scent. However, if you love the smell of Blue Skies And Fluffy White Cloud Bubble Bar, you might appreciate the additional herbal elements that come out when this product is in contact with the water. 

As with most of Lush's shower gels, Ol’ Blue supposedly also doubles up as a shampoo, although I was hesitant to test this out. My hair needs a lot of TLC after the many years of neglect that it has suffered, and I'm unsure whether using any of Lush's shower gels would do my hair any good. However, if you have had success in this area, I cannot see any reason why this one wouldn't do as good a job as any other.

To conclude, this is a product that I'm sure would be loved by those fans of Tramp Shower Gel, or those like me who just love another that smells strongly of patchouli. It smells like someone has reached into the forest and scooped out a handful of dirt, doused it in patchouli, and then turned it into a shower gel.

If you love Blue Skies, or look for interesting and very earthy smells, this will be another one that you'll need to add to your collection. However, if you're hoping of a repeat of Karma, or you prefer the sweeter aromas on offer, you may wish to give this one a miss.

Quantitative Ingredients: Fresh Lemon Infusion (Citrus limonum), Sodium Alkyl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauramide MIPA, Cocamide MEA, Glycol Cetearate, Patchouli Oil (Pogostemon cablin), Sweet Orange Oil (Citrus dulcis), Cinnamon Leaf Oil (Cinnamomum cassia), Frankincense Oil (Boswelia carterii), Sea Salt (Sodium Chloride), *Eugenol, *Limonene, Perfume, FD&C Blue No. 1, Snowflake Lustre (Potassium Silicate & Titanium Dioxide), Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £11.25 for 250g.

2017 Price: £11.25 for 250g.

Scent Family:
Beanie Bubble Bar
Blues Skies And Fluffy White Clouds Bubble Bar
Blue Skies Liquid Bubble Bath
Ol' Blue Skies Is Back Shower Gel

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