Gin And Tonic Mouthwash Tabs

Boy oh boy oh boy! If there is one thing I have learned from the many mouthwashes that I have experienced over the years, it's that some of them can feel as if they're ripping the very skin off the top of your mouth! The lengths that some people will go to to have the cleanest mouths is truly inspiring, and definitely not something that I aspire to follow.

Yet when I tried Gin And Tonic Mouthwash Tabs for the first time, this is exactly what I experienced. Its safe to say that if you're someone who doesn't enjoy feeling as if your mouth is on fire, I would probably avoid these like the plague. These little blue tabs mean absolute business and are certainly a godsend when you have some truly potent-smelling garlic breath you wish to eradicate. 

As I haven't drunk alcohol in any shape or matter for a number of years, I cannot remember the potency of an ice cold Gin And Tonic. However, I'm fairly certain that the after taste of said drink is not as strong as these little tabs, which contain an interesting collaboration of juniperberry, coriander, lime and angelica root oils, to give this mouthwash it's very unique flavour.

As soon as you grind one of these between your teeth and add the water to rinse, you can already taste the amalgamation of flavours coming together in unison. Gin And Tonic is like a intense blend of herbal notes mixed with a powerful current of mental crystals, blended up to create something rather potent yet not at all mint like.

During the swishing process, you cannot really gage much of the taste at all, only that your mouth is beginning to feel rather clean and refreshing in the process. However, as soon as you spilt the mouthwash out, the intense herbal combination fills your mouth and tongue with a strong, robust but rather impressive fresh taste. If you want your mouth to feel brand new, these are definitely a mouthwash tab you'll want to try out for yourself.

For those who have never used a mouthwash tab before, you simply crunch the tab between your teeth (I prefer to do this with my front teeth), take a slurp of water and begin swishing as you would a bottled mouthwash. Once you've finished, you spit the water into the sink and you're ready to brace the rest of the day without worrying about smelly breath, or the food from your lunch remaining stuck between your teeth. Lush recommend that you keep the mouthwash swishing around your mouth for a good minute before spitting it out, as this allows the ingredients to get to work at cleaning the mouth and deodorising the tongue so you get the maximum results possible.

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

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

Whether you're popping out for a day at the beach; making a weekend trip to see the family; or jet-setting off to somewhere exciting, these 45g bottles can be tucked away with the assurance that you wont arrive at your destination with either soggy luggage, or with the lingering smells of your breakfast still festering on your tongue. Furthermore, they're also alcohol-free so these beauties wont cause you any issues when you're going through customs. No matter the length of your journey, these are handy to use at any time of the day: before you head out on your adventure; after a meal; or anytime you feel you need a little freshen up.

While I wouldn't say that Gin And Tonic possesses a flavour I particularly enjoy, I cannot fault how clean and crisp my mouth feels afterwards, and the effects of these last for hours after they've been used. I have found myself gravitating towards these more and more as of late, and this tells me that firmly making their way into my daily routine. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Dicalcium Phosphate Anhydrous, Sodium Bicarbonate, Silica, Citric Acid, Glycerine, Sorbitol, Xylitol, Malic Acid, Stevia, Menthol Crystals, Juniperberry Oil, Coriander Seed Oil, Lime Oil, Angelica Root Oil, Elderflower Infusion, Caraway Oil, Titanium Dioxide, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Cinnamal, Citral, Eugenol, Limonene, Linalool, Flavour, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £6.50 for 45g.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

Ginger Liquid Perfume

The Ginger family is either a fragrance that you like a lot, or you're not really fussed with at all. I am definitely in the latter category. While I can recognise the beauty and the uniqueness of such a perfume, my nose just refuses to find it in any way appealing. Given its due, I will say though that it is certainly one of the better formats in this scent family.

Rose, geranium, ylang ylang and juniperberry make up this unique fragrance, all of which play a key role in making this lotion one of the most popular ones to come from the company's impressive back log. It also happens to be one of the cheapest ones as well, and perhaps some correlation needs to be considered between these two facts.

Lush describe the perfume as 'pink and feminine, yet strong and confident.' It's definitely a scent that makes a statement. Normally floral fragrances are very feminine, yet Ginger has a spicy kick to it that sets it apart from most other cosmetic scents. 

Featuring an array of different and very contrasting ingredients - from the likes of floral favourites, bergamot and geranium; aromatic components such as ginger oil and sandalwood; and the bright and fruity mandarin oil, you'd be mistaken if you thought that this offering was complicated or overall pungent on the senses.

Instead, both the floral elements and the ginger oil combine together to create a naturally sweet, slightly spicy, floral aroma. You have all of the herbal elements of the ginger present but the other components have masked most of the heated kick that you would expect it to offer. Therefore, there is a note here that reminds me a little of high-end ginger beer, just without the fizzy element and obviously more complex.

I'd definitely describe the scent as very old-fashioned - my mum in fact commented that it reminded her of a lot of fragrances she remembers from the 60's. Whilst not to be mistaken for Karma, I can see why fans of one may appreciate the sentiments of the other.

What is lovely about this perfume is that it settles really well on the skin, yet allows each of the many components to breathe and unleash themselves on the wearer. Bursts of ginger, of geranium, of rose make themselves known at different times throughout the day, so it's more of an experience than a simple way to smell good.

While this is not a perfume that sits well with my nose, I can appreciate that Ginger fans will enjoy this a lot. It's quite possibly the best format for the fragrance, as it's probably the strongest, and you need apply very little to get a full day's coverage. 

Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Ginger Oil (Zingiber officinale), Mimosa Absolute (Mimosa tenuiflora), Rose Oil (Rosa centifolia), Geranium Oil (Pelargonium crispum), Jasmine Absolute (Jasminum officinale), Juniperberry Oil (Juniperus communis), Ylang Ylang Oil (Cananga odorata), *Benzyl Salicylate, *Cinnamyl Alcohol, *Eugenol, *Geraniol, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Citronellol, *Limonene, *Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £19 for 30ml.

Year Of Original Release: 2005.

The Snowman Bubbleroon

I cannot think of The Snowman without hearing the incredible voice of Aled Jones', singing Walking In The Air, echoing around in my head. However, this isn't a bad thing at all. Memories of that song stretch right across my childhood, my teens and into my adulthood - it holds a place in my heart that this limited edition bubbleroon has since joined.

As I'm always attracted to the damaged ones, my Snowman Bubbleroon arrived with a missing eye. However, regular ones are supposed to sport two juniperberry eyes and a miniature orange nose for decoration. This seasonal darling is the perfect festive accompaniment for the bath, as not only does it offer a soft and gentle fragrance to enjoy, but it'll leave your skin beautifully pampered and ready to face the winter weather. 

While they share similar names and designs, this does not share its scent with the discontinued Melting Snowman Bath Melt. However, it does share one thing in common, which is that although both exclusives look rather colourless, they're both amazing at moisturising the skin. After using one of these, I could feel an immediate difference to my skin, particularly on my hands and feet, which felt so soft and silky smooth.

For those not familiar with the concept of a bubbleroon, Lush took the idea of a macaroon delicacy - two biscuits sandwiched together with a creamy filling - and made a cosmetic version. As with all of their previous reincarnations, this one is sandwiched together with a delicious centre of cocoa and shea butter, which normally makes it more softening than a regular bubble bar.

The Snowman features both Sicilian lemon and lemon myrtle oil to offer a gentle, lemony aroma in the bath. The bubbleroon is neither citrusy or zesty at all, and I wouldn't describe it as being particularly fruity either. In fact, the inclusion of the soya milk adds a creamy element to the fragrance that reminds me very much of Granny Takes A Dip, just without the heat of the ginger or pepper.

What is great about this seasonal bubbleroon is that it melts really slowly in the water, even if (like me) you like your bath scolding-hot. It took a good twenty minutes to fully dissolve in the water, which meant that the scent was consistent throughout the experience and the water continued to soften from beginning to end.

The downfall of this little fella is that he's rather heavy, so will sink to the bottom of the tub, unless you hold him. It would have been nice to watch him float across the surface, just because I normally find bath melts relaxing to watch as I'm submerged beneath the water. 

Having said that, The Snowman is big enough to use across at least two baths, which makes him great value for money; his scent is gentle enough to sooth so and relax you, while still offering enough fragrance to detect while you're in the bath; and he's moisturising enough to leave your skin looking and feeling really soft and clean after you've towelled yourself down.

While I told myself that I wasn't going to purchase any more of the seasonal range because of my current financial situation, I will be grabbing a couple of these to see me through the next couple of months. This is definitely one I hope will make a reappearance next year, as my skin can rely on his magic to replenish and nourish the winter blues away.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Lauryl Betaine, Cornflour, Sicilian Lemon Oil, Lemon Myrtle Oil, Styrax Oil, Fair Trade Shea Butter, Soya Milk Powder, Titanium Dioxide, Laureth 4, *Citral, *Limonene, Perfume, Colour 15510, Dried Juniperberries.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £4.25 each.

Year of Original Release: 2017.

Hot Java Bath Bomb

Lush tend to release products with particular spices at certain points of the year. For example, cinnamon and cloves are very much associated with the winter/Christmas period, so it's unlikely you'll find much with this smell throughout the rest of the year. This is a royal shame as sometimes I just need something to perk me up in the evening, and a ballistic with fruit and spices would do the job perfectly. That's why, when Lush released Hot Java Ballistic as a year-long bath bomb, many Lush fans were very happy indeed. 

Unfortunately, this happiness was short-lived. First released in 2005, the bath bomb only lasted a little over a year on the shelves, and was discontinued in 2007 due to reasons unknown. Whether it was removed to offer space for new releases, or down to its unimpressive turn over, this product barely left the ground before it was removed from stores and never seen again. Thankfully, Lush brought this beauty back a couple of weeks ago in the Kitchen, and the dust was removed on this rather unique bath ballistic.

Packed full of natural uplifting herbs; cinnamon, coriander and juniperberry, Hot Java offers a warming, spicy fragrance with a twist. With a surplus amount of ginger in here, in the form of oil, powder and absolute, this bath bomb is the perfect remedy for anyone needing to banish a cold or coax out any unwanted sniffles. Although not one of my favourite smells, I will admit that it gives the product a lovely warm and rather hot after-scent. It's not sweet like Hot Toddy or Glogg - rather more dry and dusty with a warming musky ginger smell, a touch of herbal coriander and a big helping of spicy cinnamon. To finish off, Hot Java also has a touch of orange zest which gives this ballistic a warming, well-rounded, multi-layered scent. 

As you can see in my demonstration video, this bath bomb is a fast fizzer - bleeding out waves of red colour across the surface of the water and producing one of the brightest baths I have had in a while. This vivid display remained prominent throughout the entire bathing experience, and even though the bath bomb was stimulating enough, the colour aided this feeling of warmth and comfort.

Unfortunately, it also filled the tub with a surplus amount of cinnamon sticks, which sunk to the bottom of the tub very quickly, but definitely didn't eradicate the many problems that they created by being there in the first place. For those of you who dislike bathing products with 'extra baggage', you'll often make an exception for the ballistics that might have one or two bonus surprises. This is because it's easy enough to scoop out the flowers/herbs etc. before you get in.

However, with Hot Java, my entire bath tub was full of shards of cinnamon sticks, which when you tried to scoop them up would form a flurry under the surface and make it very difficult to grab. This meant that I had to sit on the rough pieces throughout the entire bath, and be careful not to cause too much movement in the water for fear that the shards would get into my hair or coat my body. 

As for the smell, I was able to pick up both the cloves and cinnamon, which intensified when the bath bomb had been dissolved. I was also able to pick up the heated scent of ginger, which mellowed in the bath tub and let the other fragrances come through. Overall, this ballistic was surprisingly weaker than I was expecting for one so full of spices and herbs. This is not to say that this is a bad thing - in fact it was refreshingly original. 

Lush describes Hot Java as being a ballistic you can rely on 'every time you need warming up. It's for cold days or days when you've got a cold or when you've been out in the cold and need warming up right through. It's good for when you're feeling creaky after exercising too. Run a warm bath, drop in the Hot Java and let the spices soak right in.'

Despite my distain for some aspects of this bath bomb, I will admit that it did make me feel really relaxed and warm. The deep red-coloured water helped me to feel sleepy and contented, wherein the slight fragrance massaged my tense body parts and helped me to unwind. It even got rid of the headache that was threatening to erupt at that moment!

Overall, this is a bath ballistic that probably won't be making a permanent comeback. With the likes of Melting Snowman Bath Melt, Phoenix Rising and Hot Toddy Bubble Bar, Hot Java somewhat pales in comparison and cannot compete against these far more superior products. If Lush were to bring it back, I would definitely be tempted to buy a couple more. However, it's one I could live without.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Cinnamon Stick, Perfume, Ginger Oil, Cinnamon Powder, Ginger Powder, Coriander Oil, Ginger Absolute, Ylang Ylang Oil, Juniperberry Oil, *Benzyl Salicylate, *Eugenol, *Geraniol, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Farnesol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Hydroxycitronellal, Colour 14700.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £3.95 each.

2017 Price: £3.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2005.

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Tea Tree Toner Spray

I don't think there are many people on the planet that would argue against the benefits of tea tree, in all of its formats; it's a miracle ingredient in as many words. The oil has been scientifically proven to be antibacterial and antifungal and has natural properties that make it incredible for the skin, hair and even the internal organs. For these reasons, I had no doubt in my mind that Tea Tree Toner Spray was going to be incredible. I love being proved right. 

The toner spray is one of the simplest ones from Lush, and indeed one of the most basic products that the company offer to date. With only six ingredients, you wonder how something so simple could benefit your skin all that much. However, it is its simplicity that makes it so effective - Lush have chosen a handful of essential ingredients and combined them to make a super spray.

As the name suggests, Tea Tree Toner Spray features tea tree water as the main ingredient - a simple product that is made from combining tea tree oil with water. The oil is dispersed throughout the water so that it offers the same level of beneficial skincare but with more of the stuff to go around. Tea tree is antibacterial, gentle on the skin and very soothing, especially for those who suffer from sensitivity.

This spray also features grapefruit water, which as well as giving it a gentle citrus burst, is the main ingredient that helps to improve the condition of your skin. The natural citrus juices help to cleanse the pores and is great for those users who want to remove dirt from their pores without stripping their skin of the natural oils already present. Just like other citrus fruits, grapefruit is uplifting on both your mood and your skin - it helps to bring back some of that vibrancy that is often lost on overworked and tired complexions.

Finally, juniperberry water supports both of the main ingredients - it too being known for its skin-clearing and oil-controlling properties. It is this that you can initially smell when you use Tea Tree - a wonderful sweet and woody fragrance with an underlying note of citrus and a burst of tea tree to round it all off. 

Just like Lush's other toner sprays, this one works by squirting it directly onto your face and then using a cotton pad to wipe away excess dirt that may have built up throughout the day. Some people may prefer to spray this into their hand and then apply it to the face that way - I find that either works fine. I tend to spray it onto my face and then leave it to settle into the skin, and I find that my complexion feels so revitalised and radiant after doing so.  

I tend to use this product after I've gotten out of the shower, spraying it directly onto my face to remove any build up that has been left from my cleanser. I then apply my facial moisturiser on top of this and my face remains smooth and gentle for the rest of the day. One top up in the afternoon and my skin stays feeling radiant and silky-soft for the rest of the evening.

Tea Tree Toner Spray leaves your face beautifully soft and smooth - I could feel the radiance emanating from my face from the initial first use. This is easily my favourite toner spray and one I will always carry around with me. Priced at only £3.95 for a 100ml bottle, this product will give you months of rejuvenated and invigorated skin -I highly suggest that you try one out for yourself - you won't regret it. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Tea Tree Water, Grapefruit Water, Juniperberry Water, Limonene, Perfume, Methylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £4.50 for 100g, £8.50 for 250g.

Magic Of Christmas FUN Bar

What I find fairly strange when it comes to Lush's Christmas range, is that there is always 3-4 different themes going on, in which all products and gift sets are a part of. While this is such a great idea, the company rarely promote these on their webpage, and this year in particular has seen almost nothing on the inspiration behind the collection. Why go through the effort of creating these genres, only to then not highlight them at all? 

One of the themes for 2015 is 'the Bazaar' - a concept that I was rather excited about exploring as this sounded like the perfect opportunity to produce weird, wonderful and highly flamboyant looking products. Within this concept, Lush have brought about Magic Of Christmas FUN - a brand new, limited edition bar that is supposed to help you 'release your inner illusionist' - whatever that means!  

Sharing its scent with last year's Wizard Bubble Bar and the very popular Jingle Spells Ballistic, this seasonal release has a lot to live up to. With there being such a cult-following behind this fragrance, there would be some very unhappy Lush fans if this didn't replicate the aroma of the aforementioned bath bomb perfectly. Luckily, the expectation is met.

Made from a combination of ylang ylang, fennel, tangerine and juniperberry oil, this FUN bar is the perfect Christmas companion - probably more seasonal than any of the other shower products that Lush are currently offering. While this does do the scent family justice, I was surprised to find that I preferred the smell of this product than either of the other two - perhaps because I found the smell of this to be much more exquisite and multi-layered.

The tangerine and juniperberry oils sit at the forefront - giving off a gentle, warming orangey scent, while the fennel sits behind this and offers a subtle but prominent liquorice smell. The ylang ylang ties the fragrance together, and alongside the delicate herbal element that comes through in the bath, gives the bubble bar a gentle feminine aroma.

In both the packet and under the running water, Magic Of Christmas smells like a combination of mixed spice and fruit peel - a sweet, sultry and slightly herby shower companion that reminds me of my mum's fresh Christmas cake batter. Imagine filling a bowl with dried fruit, nutmeg and cinnamon, sugar and a splash of sherry, and you might begin to envisage how this FUN bar smells in person.

  

The great thing about all of Lush's FUN bars is that they are really versatile - doubling up as a shampoo, bubble bar and shower gel, and working exceptionally well as all three. It's basically like play dough when you first touch it so you should make sure you wrap it back up after each and every use. I found that mine started 'melting' a couple of day's after opening it and found it more practical to cut a small piece off and keep the rest somewhere cool to maintain it's shape. Either that or pop the whole bar into an empty Lush pot to stop the FUN from 'decorating' every surface with it's 'goo'.

As with all of the FUN bars, I like to use mine as a replacement for more expensive bath ballistics, when I'm after a short bath as opposed to a longer soak. So I pulled off a generous sized chunk and crumbled it under the running tap. Immediately my bath tub began to fill with fluffy, fruity and very fragrant bubbles and the water merged into a lovely shade of purple. Unfortunately, both the colour of the water and the overall scent was lost quite a bit once my bath had been run, and I found that I could barely detect much of the fragrance at all within a matter of minutes.

Next I tried using Magic Of Christmas as a replacement for shower gel, and discovered that it's really easy to lather up and produces a thick, creamy and very fragrant lather. Although things can get a little messy as your skin will be painted with streaks of blue and red for the most part, the product does not stain the skin and leaves your body feeling really soft and smelling lovely. As this FUN bar is so generous, I'd say that you'd only need a grape-sized piece to wash your entire body with - making it great value for money and one I will definitely be buying again. 

I honestly believe that Lush have stepped up their 'game' with the Fun bars this year - not only for the seasonal range but with all of the limited editions that have seen the light of day this year. Magic Of Christmas is just another example of how sophisticated and enjoyable these products can be, and at only £5 for 200g worth of Fun, I will be stocking up on this one before the year is out.

Quantitative Ingredients: Cornflour, Talc, Glycerine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Juniperberry Oil, Tangerine Oil, Fennel Oil, Ylang Ylang Oil, Radiant Gold, Gold Glimmer and Pearl White Lustre, Limonene, Linalool, Perfume, Colour 42090, Colour 14700, Colour 17200.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £5 for 200g.

Year Of Original Release: 2015.

Scent Family:
Jingle Spells Ballistic
The Magic Of Christmas FUN
Wizard Bubble Bar

Deo My B.O Solid Deodorant Bar

As with quite a number of products from Lush, when I first started using their innovative alternatives to deodorant, I found that I just didn't get on with the different formats that they offered. While I was desperate to find myself a product that could replace the usual shop-bought antiperspirant, none of Lush's variations worked for me.

And then I found Sunflower - a product that I could have easily walked straight past in the Oxford Street store, but luckily took the plunge and purchased - later turning out to be the best decision that I had made that day. So when it came to trialling out the new Deo My B.O Deodorant Bar, I looked to the experience with a little more optimism than I would have initially done had I not tried the aforementioned product first. 

Sporting the same design as the regular T'eo Deodorant Bar, this beautiful looking oval is packed full of various oils to not only help absorb any excess moisture that may form there, but work to relieve your underarms of unwanted smells as well - leaving you feeling clean, refreshed and ready to face the day ahead. 

With a pastel green-coloured wax base and dried Delphinium petals adorned across the surface, this is probably the prettiest of all of the Lush deodorants. Yet I was rather disappointed to find that the scent that accompanied it was very subtle indeed, which was especially frustrating when the fragrance I could detect was so wonderful and would work wonders as a perfume. 

Boasting the inclusion of bergamot, neroli, juniperberry and lemon oils, not to mention fennel juice, this product offers a delicate floral aroma with a hint of sweetness to round it off. As I mentioned above, it's a very weak smell so I cannot imagine anyone disliking this because it doesn't make a strong enough impression to do so. 

As with T'eo, I was initially unsure about how best to go about using it - whether or not your underarms are wet or dry, this is not a product that yields a lot from either scenario. However, I found it slightly more useful to make sure that my armpits were left slightly damp after getting out of the shower so the product worked a little better. 

Rubbing it gently onto your skin, the lycopodium powder gets to work at absorbing excess moisture and neutralising any odours that may be present - working to eradicate these problems completely rather than masking the smells that may then multiply throughout the day. 

Annoyingly, the floral decoration completely dropped off on the initial use, so while it may serve a purpose to look attractive in the store, it's not very practical when you begin using the product. However, this really wasn't that much of a problem and I know to remove the petals before using it next time. 

In hindsight, I imagine this being a product that you carry with you in your bag - topping up every few hours throughout the day to prevent smells and moisture from seeping through and causing embarrassment. While initially I was treating this as a direct alternative to the roll on, I realise now that I had to change my state of mind when it came to how and when I used this deodorant - breaking a habit that I had been practicing for near on 20 years. 

After getting into the mindset of how to use this product, I found that I really enjoyed how the product left me feeling. I noticed that a 'top up' every couple of hours kept me dry throughout an entire working day and I didn't notice hardly any odour at all. While I think I would need something a little stronger if I was looking for something to leave me smelling lovely after a gym session, as a regular deodorant I found that it does its job and gave me the confidence to not rely on any nasty chemical-riddled commercial alternatives instead.

While massaging this onto the skin doesn't leave any trace of the product, and may look as if it hasn't worked at all, I recognise that it is effective at absorbing that excess moisture and does remove unwanted odours. If you're someone you likes to 'smell' your deodorant to know that it's working, it may be worth you spraying yourself with your favourite perfume after using this - safe in the knowledge that your deodorant has worked and that you smell rather lovely to boot. 

My only word of warning would be to not apply this after shaving your underarms; I found that swiping this too soon caused an unpleasant stinging sensation that I certainly wouldn't want to experience again. While this may not have impressed me as much as Sunflower did, its definitely one that I will rely upon to keep me fresh and clean for the foreseeable months. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar (Potassium bitartrate), Baobab Oil (Adansonia digitata), Green Wax (Specerit Green), Lycopodium Powder, Magnesium Carbonate, Perfume, Sicilian Lemon Oil (Citrus limonum), Fresh Fennel Juice (Foeniculum vulgare), Water (Aqua), Delphinium Petals (Delphinium staphisagria), Bergamot Oil (Citrus Aurantium bergamia), Neroli Oil (Citrus Aurantium amara), Juniperberry Oil (Juniperus communis), Amyl Cinnamal, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Benzyl Cinnamate, *Benzyl Salicylate, *Citral, Eugenol, *Farnesol, Geraniol, Hydoxycitronellal, *Limonene, *Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £6.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2015. 

Mr Punch Soap

Since I went vegan, I have slowly moved away from drinking alcohol and I can probably count the number of times I've consumed an alcoholic beverage since then on a single hand. I have never particularly enjoyed the taste and I've had far too many negative experiences to claim it has done me any good. So when Lush bring out a product based on or containing alcohol, I'm never normally that thrilled about trying it. 

Mr Punch was one of the first soaps that I ever brought from Lush and it wasn't until I was cleaning out my soap drawer recently, that I discovered I had amassed quite a stash of this seasonal favourite. First released for the 2012 Christmas range, this soap claims to be the cosmetic equivalent of a Mexican punch bowl.

What first attracted me to this product was the inclusion of blackcurrant absolute in the ingredients list. Blackcurrant is my all-time favourite scent, and knowing how amazing The Comforter is, I was hoping this soap would offer me something new and slightly different to this. That it does.

There is a clear blackcurrant scent intertwined throughout the fragrance of this soap but it doesn't have the same sweetness that it projects in The Comforter. Instead it mixes with the lime oil, gin and juniper berries and gives off a far more complex and slightly more mature aroma. It's quite difficult to pick out a single smell from this soap as they all combine really well. However, you can still appreciate the main scents that have gone into making this product and you'd definitely describe this soap as being heavily fruity.

What is strange about this product - something I have spoken about with other Lush fans and read about in other reviews, is that this soap changes slightly when you begin to use it in the shower. I found that Mr Punch gives off an almost sweet-floral and slightly musky scent when in contact with the water. I think it is the inclusion of both the coconut oil and the generous helping of juniper berries that come through when the soap is combined with the heat of the water. It's still a rather pleasant smell but not as nice as it's initial aroma.

In the shower, Mr Punch does need a little coaxing to produce a good helping of lather but that's not to say that the soap doesn't work wonders in other ways. The foam it does produce is super soft and really helps to make your skin radiant and smooth. Lush have added gin to help tone your skin and I could really feel the difference it made on my body - I could feel that tightness on my face, arms and legs, but not the same feeling you get when a product dries your skin out. 

A 100g block lasted me a good couple of months as it didn't shrink much during use, even though I had to keep it under the water for a while to produce the lather. The soap also leaves a light scent on your skin, although it doesn't stay around for long so you'll need to top this up with a body lotion or perfume afterwards. Speaking of body lotions - I can imagine the fragrance of this soap would work wonderfully in this format and I'd love to see Lush bring this out in the near future. 

What is great about Mr Punch is that it's scent is versatile and it can be used at any point in the year - it's a great 'pick me up' in the winter but it's fruity goodness also compliments the warmer weather. While it may not be my favourite soap, it is one I will buy every Christmas and use in those moments when I need something a little fruity to perk me up. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Water, Propylene Glycol, Rapeseed Oil, Coconut Oil, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Perfume, Gin, Juniperberries - dried, Juniperberry Oil, Blackcurrant Absolute, Lime Oil, Glycerine, Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etridronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Geraniol, Citronellol, Limonene, Linalool, Titanium Dioxide, Gardenia Extract, Colour 14700, Colour 17200, Colour 15510, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes.

Year Of Original Release: 2012.

2017 Price: £4.50 for 100g.

Scent Family: 
Mr Punch Soap
Sparkly Pumpkin Bubble Bar