Harajuku Bath Bomb

When I first arrived at the Showcase, I was initially drawn to the seven enormous piles of bath bombs that were stacked precariously like beautiful scented pyramids about to collapse under the weight of it all. Not one of them I had ever seen before so I immediately tried to seek out the avenues by which I could purchase them all to take home. When I realised that not one of them had a price tag around them, and allure docked next to timers, I realised that the task of adding them to my collection was not going to be as easy as I was expecting.

It turned out that each of the seven bath bombs were only there to show: to taunt excite Lush fans at the prospect of the new 'bath bomb' superstore opening up in Tokyo. You can imagine how the collector inside of me weeped when I thought I was going to have to go home empty handed. As it happened, I was lucky enough to acquire one of each to sample myself, and I can honestly say that I hope each and every one of them make an appearance in more than just a single store.

Harajuku Bath Bomb was probably the show-stopper of the exclusives. Not only is it named after the very place where the new store is going to be open, but it's also the strongest one in terms of fragrance. When travelling back from Manchester to London, this is the one product that overshadowed all of the other items I was carting back in my haul bag.

A completely new scent, this bath bomb contains both orange oil and vanilla absolute, amongst other ingredients that I have not yet been privy to finding out about. Yet, if there's one thing I can say about Harajuku, it's that it definitely does not smell like you'd imagine it to - given the new components we do know have gone into creating this fragrance. 

To my nose, this bath bomb was reminiscent of old school raspberry bubblegum: the sort that had been pumped so full of additives that you could almost hear your teeth breaking before you'd put it in your mouth. The raspberry scent is very sweet and super powerful, and coupled with a strong thread of tangy orangey goodness as well. For those looking for something more mature and gentle, you won't find it here. This is for those who want their baths smelling like nineties sweet shops, without having to worry about the cavities afterwards.

I absolutely adored this scent: there is just something so beautiful yet youthful about it that brought back so many memories of my childhood. While it wasn't my favourite out of the seven, it was definitely the one I was most attached to. I felt like I relived my early years whilst bathing in the water, and it would certainly be one I would use again. 

In the tub, this one is a very slow fizzer. While it starts by sending out waves of yellow and pink and blue and white very quickly, it doesn't take long for it to slow down quite a bit. Here it tends to bob on the surface for a while, while the water turns a light golden colour, and the lustre swirls around beneath. In fact, Harajuku takes a good twenty to thirty minutes to fully dissolve. While this is great at keeping the scent alive a little better in the tub, I found that the display of colours wasn't so impressive because the bath bomb was fairly slow at sending them out, and so they'd dissolve before there was enough to make an interesting patterns.

Whether my expectation so these bath bombs have been elevated because of Black Rose, I didn't find that the scent of this one was as strong as it could have been. Strangely, the scent was much stronger when I stood up a few times. Here I could smell the wonderful scent, in all of its powdery goodness. However, when I sat back into the water again, the fragrance was diluted quite a bit.

While moisturising, it wasn't as nourishing on the skin as Black Rose was again, and I did need to moisturise afterwards to retain the softness of my skin. Furthermore, I couldn't detect this on my skin at all after I had towelled myself down, which shocked me given how robust the scent was to begin with.

Overall, despite its flaws, the scent is beautiful enough, and the memories I've linked to it are amazing enough, that I would definitely purchase this again. Having said that, if Lush were to bring this out in shower gel or perfume format instead, I would be even more enamoured with that idea than with the bath bomb.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Cream Of Tartar, Sodium Coco Sulfate, Brazilian Orange Oil, Benzoin Resinoid, Vanilla Absolute, Water, Cornstarch, Dipropylene Glycol, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Maltodextrin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cinnamon, Citral, Coumarin, Limonene, Perfume, Colour 42090, Colour 45410, Colour 45350. 

Vegan?: Yes.

2018 Price: £6.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2018.

Tank Battle Liquid Perfume

As I have said in all of my Volume 4 reviews, there are some truly fantastic stories surrounding nearly all of Lush's most recent perfume releases. In fact, it is these very stories that have helped me to fall in love with many of the new fragrances - more so than I would have done if these memories hadn't been attached to the products to begin with. This particular perfume is perhaps my favourite of the lot, and there are many reasons why.

Tank Battle is an interesting name for a perfume - especially one so light and sweet on the senses. While most would probably envisage a dark, smoky and very heavy fragrance, the reality is very far from this. Instead, this perfume is wonderfully sweet and fresh - a breath of fresh air that keeps on giving throughout the day. 

Inspired by a bidding war between a man and his local government, Tank Battle tells the story of Tachowa Covington, and how his home was taken from him after the artist Banksy decided to use the tank Tachowa was living in as a canvas for his latest idea. Self-labelled as ‘self sufficient’, his home was taken from him after the famous artist decorated the side of the tank with his artwork, causing the government to seize the tank and evict Tachowa from his home. 

There is so much more to read about this story and I highly recommend that you do some research into this yourself. It definitely adds perspective to this perfume and will make you appreciate it far more when you wear it, and and is a conversation starter that'll spark some real interest. Which is more valuable? The home made of art or the art piece made from someone's home?

Having said that, I wouldn't say that the scent of this perfume really represents what I would have imagined it smelling like, had I learnt about the inspiration behind it beforehand. I definitely wouldn't describe it as being 'homely' as I was expecting; neither does it have the strong woody notes that I was assuming would represent the tank itself.

Instead, Tank Battle offers a sweet and very rather grassy aroma that grows and changes on your skin over time: to bring you an experience that you'll want to relive again and again. Strangely, the ingredients list don't give you any real indication as to what this fragrance actually smells like, so I'll give my best description.

From the bottle you get quite a dry combination of grass and wood. I'd say the former ingredient is slightly stronger to begin with, and offers a smell reminiscent of hay but without the sweetness present. Alongside this, the woody element intertwines with a subtle spiciness from the patchouli and the gentle warmth of the clove

Despite the ingredients being quite wintery smells, and the fact that it's definitely one of the more 'in your face' perfumes from Lush, the fragrance itself is still quite airy and not so heavy that you cannot wear this in the warmer months of the year as well. 

On the skin, the labdanum grows in strength and you can detect a rich and very sultry-sweet layer that reminds me a little bubblegum, albeit more sophisticated and mature (if that makes any senses!) Alongside this, you can smell - what I can only describe it as being - a note reminiscent of wet grass in the early morning. There is something very fresh and 'wet' about this component, which is part of the reason why this perfume doesn't feel too cloying or heavy on the skin.

Lush describe the scent of this as being like 'bubblegum and rain', and I would agree that this is a pretty solid description of what you get with Tank Battle. However, there is something far richer and more mature about this smell, so it's not in anyway as playful or as youthful as the likes of Snow Fairy or Creamy Candy.            

Despite this being my favourite perfume from Volume 4, Tank Battle is definitely one I have to be in the mood for using it: it doesn't suit every situation. It's not one of Lush's longer lasting perfumes: on clothes, I could still detect this around six hours after spraying it, and on the skin a good 2-3 hours. Having said that, it is one that turns heads and sparks conversations, as I've now experienced many times with passer bus and colleagues. 

This is one I would definitely recommend that you try. It's unique and original for sure and probably one of my favourite perfumes that Lush have ever created. 

Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Water (Aqua), Labdanum Resinoid, Glycerine, Patchouli Oil, Clove Bud Oil, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Cinnamyl Alcohol, *Citral, *Citronellol, *Eugenol, *Farnesol, *Geraniol, *Isoeugenol, *Limonene, *Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2018 Price: £25 for 30ml.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Sleepy Hand Cream

As I said in my previous review, the Lush Showcase has become an essential part of the community over the last eighteen months, and it's difficult to imagine what life was like before the sneaky teasers and such. Unfortunately, there are some products that make an appearance at the event, only to disappear into obscurity without any rhyme or reason. Sleepy Handcream is perhaps the most perplexing.

Not only does it share its scent with Twilight - perhaps the most sought after fragrance in Lush's catalogue - but it is also the first of its kind. Never before have the company offered a pocket- sized tube of this design, and I for one have revelled in the creative nature of the artist-inspired bottle, and how practical it is for carrying it around in a day bag. 

In all fairness, I was rather shocked when this didn't make an immediate appearance in the shops, if only because of how quickly it sold out at the showcase event. Not only did I witness an entire bucket having to be replaced in the few minutes I was standing by one of the stalls, but I was told that the product was sold out very early on into the event, which couldn't be said for any other exclusive.

While I have no doubt enticed you with the promise of a Twilight-scented handcream, I feel I need to state that this is not a direct replica. In fact, some fans may even be slightly disappointed with how this differs from the likes of the shower gel, body lotion and perfume. It is definitely of my favourite interpretation of the fragrance, but I appreciate that there is a clear difference between most of the scent family and this elusive product.

Although the handcream contains the familiar collaboration of Lavender and tonka absolute, there is something far more dry and almost grounded about the smell. It's almost as if the tonka has forgone some of its natural sweetness and the lavender has added in an extra herbal boost, which doesn't make this exclusive as rich or as sultry as the shower gel. I think the inclusion of the different nut butters gives this hand cream a subtle nutty aroma, which overrides the sweetness somewhat and makes it very slightly savoury.

Much like Handy Gurugu, this hand cream is very thick and comes out of the tube much like a typical acrylic paint would. This means that it's very easy to dispense the desired amount and won't leak if left unsealed. Because of its viscosity, you need very little to moisturise both hands, and I found that a blueberry-sized piece was more than enough for both hands.

Containing rose water as the key ingredient, this product is great for those with sensitive skin as the rose helps to soothe any irritation and prevent any possible reactions from occurring. The inclusion of evening primrose oil, which is a fairly new move for the company, contains lots of essential fatty acids that help to rebuild and repair skin. Not only this, but it is known for helping to alleviate firmness or rough areas that may come as a result of strenuous grafting with your hands. As someone who lifts weights, this handcream has helped to replenish the moisture I lose after my workout and soften the rough areas that come about through heavy lifting. 

What is good about Sleepy Handcream is that it does seem to replenish the skin within a matter of minutes after applying it. I was able to notice the suppleness of my hands right away and this stayed with me for a good couple of hours after application. For someone who develops dry areas of skin in-between my fingers during the colder months, this hand cream was amazing at banishing this immediately. 

Once on, the smell stays with you for a couple of hours as well, so you may need to be warned: sniffing your hands constantly in public may need some strange, and sometimes pitying, stares. Believe me.

Unfortunately, I found that this hand cream takes quite a while to absorb into the skin, and it's rather rigid when massaging it into the hands as well. Let's just say that it doesn't feel as pleasurable as a normal body lotion does to apply, and your hands will be left feeling rather 'clammy' and 'sticky' for a good 30+ minutes until the skin has fully absorbed the oils and butters. 

Another issue I found was that the hand cream didn't seem to make much of an impact on my hands over a period of many days. I was hoping that the daily application of the cream would ultimately resolve the dry and rough patches permanently, and I would notice an improvement in the condition of my skin. Instead, Sleepy is definitely more of a quick fix, and not something that is going to transform your life the way that the body lotion will. Perhaps this is why Lush opted to release the aforementioned lotion as opposed to the hand cream. 

Ultimately, Sleepy Hand Cream has served me well the last couple of months. As a short- term fix, this will get your hands looking and feeling far more nourished, and you'll carry a wonderful scent with you without having to spray a perfume. However, if it's something more permanent you're after, you may wish to try the well-established Handy Gurugu, which heeds far better results. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Rose water, Fair Trade Shea Butter, Glycerine, Stearic Acid, Organic Almond Oil, Fresh Lemon Juice, Lavender Oil, Benzoin Resinoid, Tonka Absolute, Ylang Ylang Oil, Organic Evening Primrose Oil, Tincture Of Benzoin, Organic Peanut Butter, Organic Pumpkin Butter, Organic Cashew Butter,   Organic Almond Butter.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £4.95 for 35ml, £7.95 for 60ml.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.


Scent Family:
FUN With A Twist
Luxury Pud Bath Bomb
Mum In A Spin Bubble Spinner
Sleepy Body Lotion
Sleepy Hand Cream
Sleepy Naked Shower Gel
Sleepy Shower Bomb
Sleepy Shower Gel
Twilight Bath Bomb
Twilight Liquid Perfume
Twilight Shower Gel
Twilight Shower Jelly
Twilight Solid Perfume

Twilight Sparkle Jar

Lush Puppy Lip Scrub

While Lush have only had three events to date, it's become a normal affair to look forward to their showcase events. Not only is it a way to connect with the companies, charities, people and places that go into making Lush what they are, it's a great opportunity to get involved with exclusive up-and-coming products before they hit the shops. Unfortunately, there are some products that make an appearance only to disappear into obscurity, for whatever reason the company decide makes it unworthy of a commercial release.

Lush Puppy Lip Scrub is one such example - a brilliant, vibrant sugar scrub that smells like the world's freshest bowl of sorbet. Sharing its scent with the now discontinued Passionfruit Lip Balm, this rare gem smells like a glass of rich, fruity passionfruit juice, with an abundance of sweetness that will have you salivating with each and every use.

Featuring sweet orange oil as the key ingredient, this scrub offers a warming burst of fruity goodness, which is far sweeter and more rounded than I was expecting. I definitely wouldn't describe Lush Puppy as being in any way citrusy or zesty. While I couldn't detect any rose in the overall aroma, I would say that it does bring a gentle syrup-like essence, which is what gives this scrub its passionfruit aroma. Finally, the vanilla adds a subtle, warming layer that again contributes to the overall smell, but doesn't exactly offer up much by itself. 

As with any of Lush's lip scrubs, the basic premise is that these remove excess skin or dry patches on your lips, and leave them super smooth and kissably soft. To use, simply scoop a little out with your finger and massage the product across your lips, in a circular motion. You can apply as much or as little pressure as you like, before either licking your lips of patting them dry with a damp cotton pad. You can then follow this up with a lip balm, lip stick etc...

The inclusion of the sugar and the carefully selected oils means that this product can be ingested. This means that you can apply this while you're out and about, and you don't have to worry about carrying tissues with you to clean up afterwards. You'll find that Lush Puppy has a very subtle fruity taste, which definitely made the whole experience more pleasant, and perhaps made me eat slightly more than is recommended in a single use.

Afterwards, I found that my lips were really soft, and the dry skin had all but disappeared. My lips also appeared to feel and look slightly plumper, which was a welcome reward, and a great boost before heading out for the night. Moreover, once I had applied my lip balm after, I discovered that my lips stayed feeling and looking refreshed for the rest day and into the next. For those who have quite parched lips, I would suggest that you should use this once in the morning and again, just before bed, to heed great results within a day or two. For those who just want softer lips, a few times a week would be more than enough to achieve this. 


My only grouch with Lush Puppy, as is with every other lip scrub, is that things can get a little messy when applying the product. Despite my best intentions, I always find that I get sugar on the clothes I'm wearing, and scattered across various crevices in my face as well. Maybe it's just my inability to use this product correctly that heeds these problems, but I feel I should still warn you that things can get a little messy at times. 

Overall, this is a wonderful addition to Lush's lip scrub collection, and it's a shame that the company haven't yet made it into a commercial release. I would definitely like to see it released at some point in the near future, and I hope other products in the same fragrance make it into the range at some point as well.

Quantitative Ingredients: ?

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £5.75 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Scent Family:
Lush Puppy Lip Scrub

Passionfruit Lip Balm

Metropolis Bath Bomb

With each and every release that Lush do, you'd expect them to start running out of original ideas and concepts. Surely there are only so many fragrances that they can create with the given number of oils that they have at their disposal; surely there can only be so many colour combinations that you can conjure up when it comes to bath bombs? And then they go and showcase something that knocks everything out of the water -pun intended. 

  

Metropolis Bath Bomb is what some Lush fans would call the 'elusive product'  - a rarity in the fact that this was only featured at Lush's Showcase event last year, and was never made available for purchase. While a few employees and lucky fans were able to secure one through various means - one of which ended up outside my front door, there doesn't seem to be any plans for a global release any time soon. 

While the external design may initially appear quite boring - a white bath bomb with what appears to be black smears all over the surface (the smears supposedly to represent the dirt and grime of an inner city), the internal workings are by far the most exciting concept that Lush have ever created.At the very centre of the bath bomb is a water-activated light box, which begins working its magic, the second it makes contact with the bath water. 

At the top of Metropolis is a small opening, which allows the water to seep into it fairly quickly after it has began dissolving in the tub. Once the light box is activated, bright, fluorescent lights begin to project out of the bath bomb - changing every few seconds to create an absolutely stunning light show. The more the bath bomb dissolves, the more the lights are able to escape out of the sides and create a beautiful show of fragrance and colour.

Inspired by city life, the vivid light show contrasts against the bubbling, milk-like consistency of the water, once the bath bomb has fully dissolved. So while there are patterns of creamy, slightly oily puddles across the surface, they allow the light show to be the most dominant feature of the experience. I was thrilled to find that the light box continued to flourish for a good forty minutes after I had entered the bath, meaning I was able to enjoy its company the entire time I was bathing.

Smell wise, this bath bomb was not what I was expecting at all. With a generous amount of violet absolute added in here, Metropolis is a musky, floral aroma intertwined with a gentle shaving of grass to give it a very dry, almost exotic, earthy smell fragrance. Imagine Kerbside Violet with less emphasis on the grassy element and with more of a powdery violet aroma.

It's definitely not the strongest bath bomb I have ever had, but there is enough of a scent here to remain in the tub for the during of a bath, and then a little extra to linger on your skin for a short while after towelling yourself down. In all fairness, I would have liked the scent to have been more prominent during my experience. However, there was more than enough going on in the tub for me to appreciate this bath bomb for what it was.

Unfortunately, the inclusion of the light box in the middle of the bath bomb meant that this was far too heavy to remain afloat while it was dissolving. For this reason, it is clear that Lush need to tweak the design a little before even considering a national release. Furthermore, despite the background information about the choice of colour and design, I feel this would work better if there were colours involved alongside the lighting.  

Although a novelty, this bath bomb definitely shakes things up a lot in the bathroom, and the smell is something that needs to be enjoyed by those who appreciate a good violet or musky smell. While there is no guarantee that this will ever resurface again, I hope for fans' sake that it does make a reappearance, as I feel it is one that should be experienced by everyone at least once. 

Quantitative Ingredients:?

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: Not available for sale.

Year Of Original Release: 2016.

Magic Bubble Bar

Lush can get a little confusing at times, especially if you're fairly new to the company. There are so many items that share the same scent; products that have kept the same design but changed their fragrance after a number of years; products that have the same name as something else but are in no way related. Ultimately, with such a rich history of releases, it is overwhelming for even the most knowledgeable of fans, let alone someone with a new-found investment in the company.

It is for this reason that social media generated rather a lot of confusion when the Magic Bubble Bar first made an appearance in the pictures and discussions of those who attended the Creative Showcase this year. With mixed and sometimes confusing reviews, most people assumed that the exclusive bubble bar sported the same scent as the bath bomb and shower jelly of the same name. This turned out to be an incorrect assumption.

Sporting the same fragrance as a rumoured, soon-to-be-released, Volume 4 perfume Road To Damascus, this product is different to anything that Lush have released before. While it may look like you're typical, albeit really vibrantly-designed bubble bar, the magic is in the fact that this one supposedly produces coloured bubbles instead of the normal white ones that we're been used to up until this point.

Firstly, you will notice that the price of Magic is far higher than you would expect it to be, especially as its smaller than your average bubble bar. For those who have used Ma Bar in the past, I would say that this is perhaps the same thickness as this one but slightly smaller in diameter. Having said this, the bubble bar is generous enough that you can easily get 3-6 baths from a single one, depending on how you choose to use it. 

What I will say is that, while I wouldn't descrbe this bubble bar as being overly potent on the senses, the smell that it does offer, stays equally as strong once you've divided it into smaller pieces to use. Furthermore, the consistency is definitely very different to most Lush bubble bars - it's far softer once you begin holding it under the running water, and you almost have to manipulate the bar between your fingers as it doesn't crumble in the way that Lush bubble bars usually do. 

Addressing the price once more, I should point out that the inclusion of the amyris oil is part of the reason as to why it is more expensive than your average bubble bar. Derived from the Amyris balsamifera tree, this luxurious ingredient has a high oil count, which is the reason for its unique consistency. Referred to as an alternative to sandalwood, the ingredient is known for it's relaxing fragrance, and its ability to reduce and counteract stress.

Along with violet leaf absolute, Magic Bubble Bar has a very exquisite fragrance - like a deep, slightly damp, earthy violet smell with elements of what I can only describe as a note reminiscent of rose. Alongside this there is a sweet component, which reminds me of sap from the bark of a tree. It's a multi-layered fragrance that is both alluring and very seductive, and one that is definitely suited to being made into a perfume.

What is great about this bubble bar is that it turns the water into a deep, rich pool of purple, and the water is noticeably softer than your average bubble bar. The aroma is very much present throughout the whole experience, and I didn't notice any loss of this when it was transferred from the product to the water. I will say though that it's worth using this by itself, as I found even using a strong bath bomb didn't stop this bubble bar from thwarting the smell of anything I tried to pair it with. 

Unfortunately, I found that Magic wasn't as generous as I was expecting it to be with its bubbles - and this is with me both crumbling the bubble bar myself as well as holding pieces in a sieve. Furthermore, while there was evidence that some of the bubbles did have a slight blue and pink tinge to them, they were definitely not massively different from the normal bubbles. This was rather disappointing as that was the main appeal of this bubble bar to me. 

Overall, while I wouldn't say that I was blown away by this limited edition, it was definitely an enjoyable experience, and one that I will enjoy using in its many formats. This is definitely a scent that will prove popular in the Lush community, and I look forward to seeing what other inventions choose to bring out in the future. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Almond Oil, Cream of Tartar, Citric Acid, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Perfume, Violet Leaf Absolute, Geranium Oil, Amyris Oil, Titanium Dioxide, Alpha Isomethyl Ionone, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Citral, *Citronellol, *Eugenol, *Farnesol, Isoeugenol, Gold Sparkle Lustre, Colour 42090, Colour 73360.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £4.75 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2016.

Scent Family:
Magic Bubble Bar
Road From Damascus Bath Oil
Road From Damascus Liquid Perfume