Goddess Shower Gel

When Lush re-introduced the scent of Zen Soap as their brand new Goddess range, I was taken back by how little I was compelled by some of the initial products. While the bath bomb was stunning to look at, I really wasn't as blown away as I remember being when the aforementioned soap first appeared in Oxford Street. There was something about the magical fragrance of Zen that seemed to be missing, and I did initially wonder whether the change in colour was perhaps part of the barrier for me.

Since the bath bomb has arrived on the scene, the company have gone on to release an impressive number of other products in this same aroma. And when it comes to their latest offering: the beautiful looking shower gel, I can safely say that the scent is beginning to win me over again.

From the bottle, this gorgeous deep purple gel may at times appear to be two different shades. Most likely because of the vast number of different oils that have gone into making it, this is one of those products that separate quite easily. However, if you leave the bottle upside down overnight, you'll awake to find a rich and very sparkly shower gel in your bathroom.

With so many ingredients present, it's actually surprising that every component works so well together. From the bottle, the aroma you discover is a very condensed and fairly intense one. In fact, I can imagine many consumers being put off by just how potent the fragrance comes across to begin with. In a way, it sort of loses its beauty because it is a little too heavy.

However, I would really recommend that you make a judgement once you've tried it out for yourself because the aroma levels out quite a bit in the shower, and it's much more pleasant. To my nose, I could initially detect a thick, woody and very resinous smell, with a light dosage of floral over the top of this. It does smell a lot like sandalwood dipped in the sap of a tree and then coated with a sprinkle of jasmine.

The rose oil adds a little sweetness to the fragrance of this shower gel, and I think it's perhaps this component combined with the osmanthus that gives Goddess its resinous bite. There is definitely something very beautiful about the smell of this, but it's also a little too much to begin with, and I feel as if it loses some of its beauty because of this very fact.

Having said, once you begin to use the shower gel under the running water, each of the components becomes much lighter, and it is here that you can make that connection between the gel and the bath bomb. It is here that something a little more playful comes about in the way of the sweet side of the shower gel. Other consumers have described there being an almost 'cola-like' element to the gel and I would say that's a good representation of what I experienced as well.

Goddess Shower Gel lathers up really generously so you don't need much at all. Furthermore, the gel itself is - what I would describe as being - slightly syrup-like, so it coats the body with an almost oily foam and spreads with ease across the skin. I found that I barely needed more than a raisin-sized amount to clean my whole body with so this 250g bottle is going to last me a long time.

This limited edition left my skin feeling really smooth and moisturised and there was almost a delicate glean to my body after every use: the shower gel definitely has some wonderful nourishing properties to boast. However, I was a little disappointed to discover that I could barely smell the gel on my skin after I had towelled myself down. Given how prominent the scent is in the bottle, and how many different exquisite oils it features in its ingredients list, I would have hoped for something that stuck around on my skin and hair.

Overall, this is a wonderful shower gel from Lush and I am truly glad that the company chose it as one of their limited editions. I can really see why this would not be made into a regular product, as I do believe it isn't a fragrance that many would want to shower with all of the time. However, this is perhaps my favourite rendition of the scent and there's just something really beautiful about it that gives my showers a little more oomph!

Quantitative Ingredients: White Tea Infusion, Glycerine, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Rose Water, Lauryl Betaine, Titanium Dioxide, Perfume, Lactic Acid, Jasmine Absolute, Osmanthus Absolute, Rose Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Oudh Oil, Carrageenan Extract, Tincture of Benzoin, Xanthan Gum, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Tin Oxide, *Eugenol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 77007, Colour 17200, Colour 42090:2.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £15 for 250g.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

Goddess Hair Moisturiser

This year has certainly been the year of the Goddess and what a wonderfully empowering message that has been to hear. While in no way one of my favourite fragrances, I am extremely delighted that a smell so strong and complex as this one is getting as much love and appreciation as it has been doing.

Featuring an array of powerful ingredients, this hair moisturiser is no less intriguing or any less beautiful than the other products with the very same aroma. Sandalwood and Oudh oils work to create a very heavy, resinous smell that overall governs the most part of this, while the heady jasmine adds its own layer of sweet, intoxicating floral notes alongside the other components. As I have said in my review of the liquid perfume, this is not a smell to be messed with: it's heavy and alluring, and strong enough to represent the name it's been given. 

What I will say is that Goddess Hair Moisturiser does seem to be a little tamer than the perfume and soap, in that the scent is perhaps not as potent as you may expect it to be. Given how strong the fragrance is known for being in other formats, I assumed that once applied, this moisturiser would act as a hair perfume as well. However, I found that this Liverpool exclusive doesn't want to stick around long after application, so this may disappoint a few people to hear this. Having said that, this limited edition certainly offers an abundance of other positive properties to make this well worth the £14 you'll pay for the tub.

To use this product, it's very important to note that you should never apply this to dry hair. Having tried it out for myself, out of curiosity, I found that my hair became very sticky before hardening a short while later, leaving it feeling matted and dry and disgusting for the rest of the day.

After completing your usual routine in the shower, simply towel dry your locks and then apply a small amount into the lengths and ends of your hair. While it may not initially feel as if the product goes far, you'll discover just how well it works once your hair is fully dried, so try not to overindulge by adding too much product as it will just be wasted. As it's so thick, a small amount goes a long way, so tread carefully...

As soon as my hair was fully dried, I wouldn't believe how shiny, manageable and ultimately hydrated my locks felt. The inclusion of the coconut oil just added so much vibrancy, whilst the jojoba served to make my hair look and feel super nourished. After running through my hair multiple times, I couldn't believe how much this product had transformed my hair in just a matter of minutes. While not a permanent solution by any means, Goddess definitely offers you a quick fix to beautifully smooth and stronger hair, and I have been using it religiously ever since.

Despite the hefty price tag, I have found myself using this product in such small amounts that my 100g tub has lasted me almost a month with daily use. While I foresee myself finishing this product within the next couple of weeks, I still think an average of £7 a month for a product that works so well is great value for money. As many people would only use this once or twice a week, your 100g tub would probably last much longer.

My only qualms with Goddess Hair Moisturiser is that the fragrance is too weak to hold itself on my locks after application, which would have made this an all-round perfect product if it was able to do so. Given how strong other versions of this scent are, I thought that would have been a given, but I was sorely wrong.

Quantitative Ingredients: Oat Milk, Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Fair Trade Olive Oil, Glyceryl Stearate & PEG-100, Stearate Cetearyl, Alcohol, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), Organic Jojoba Oil, Jasmine Absolute, Osmanthus Absolute, Rose Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Oudh Oil, Cupuaçu Butter, Candelilla Wax, Avocado Butter, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Citronellol, *Eugenol, *Farnesol, *Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £14 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

Goddess Soap

As Zen happens to be one of my favourite soaps ever, you can imagine how intrigued I was when I found out that Lush were releasing their Goddess range earlier this year, all of which supposedly having the same fragrance as my aforementioned favourite.

One of these 'brand new' inventions was the Goddess Soap - a shapely slab of deep purple with a tonne of golden lustre painted across the surface. While I believe that Zen's design is far prettier, and the name also happens to resonate with me more, this is definitely one of the more beautiful designs that Lush have released over the last few years.

As I have said in previous reviews, the name Goddess - and the fact that all of the products in this family have been inspired by Ariana Grande - suggested that the fragrance was going to be something rather light and floral and feminine. However, that is not the case in the slightest.

Strong, dark and woody notes radiate from the soap like an ferrous storm; while  the likes of the jasmine and rose bring a delicate natural sweetness to add depth and dimension to the overall scent. As I stated when describing the liquid perfume, the oudh oil is thick and resinous on the surface, combining with the sandalwood to create a strong, wholesome note of woodiness. In addition, there is almost a slight earthiness to the perfume as well, that saturates the smell and adds a thick, intoxicating note alongside this.

There is something so powerful about the smell of this range, not only because there is so much going on, and so many layers of smell to comprehend at any one time; but because each and every note both is both able to hold its own own, while also combining together perfectly to unleash the power of Goddess as a united statement.

What I will say about Goddess Soap is that it's far more wholesome than the bath bomb, which I think is due to the difference in format. The soap is also mildly sweeter than the bath bomb and the liquid perfume, and has a minutely stronger floral note, which offers something a little different for fans of this aroma. While it does share its scent with the original Zen Soap, there are definitely variations in the fragrance as well, and I still maintain that Zen is a little spicier and warmer, which is why I prefer it to this brand new addition.

While Goddess Soap is fairly easy to lather up, it does produce more of a creamy foam than a soapy one, unless you add a lot of water in your hands whilst massaging. For this reason, I found that needed to stimulate more of the product to get the desired amount to wash myself with. Because of this, the soap did shrink far quicker than I would have liked, especially given the price tag, which means that I cannot imagine this lasting more than around a month, if used on a daily basis.

During the first couple of uses, I did find that my skin ended up being completely covered in golden lustre, and it wasn't so easy to remove it all before exiting the shower. For this reason, I suggest that glitter-phobes use it once under a running tap before they apply it to their body, so they don't end up looking like a human disco ball.

After using this a number of times, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it didn't leave my skin feeling as parched as some of Lush's other soaps can do. In fact, Goddess Soap left my body feeling really clean and crisp, and there was something about it that made me feel really refreshed after using this as well. 

While I did need to moisturise afterwards, the inclusion of the cocoa butter definitely helped to keep my skin in good condition. In fact, I would even suggest that you use this as a hand soap, as there was something almost clinical about the way my skin felt after coming into contact with this product. 

Although I think that £7.95 is a little over my budget for a regular hand soap, I definitely enjoyed using this fragrance in the shower, and only hope that it's a matter of time before Lush bring out a shower gel or jelly to match this scent.  

Quantitative Ingredients: White Tea Infusion, Propylene Glycol, Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Castor Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Perfume, Jasmine Absolute, Osmanthus Absolute, Rose Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Oudh Oil, Titanium Dioxide, Calcium, Sodium Borosilicate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Silica, Tin Oxide, *Eugenol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 77492, Colour 77491, Colour 17200, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £7.95 for 95g.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

Goddess Washcard

It's become normal now to see wash cards accompany nearly every one of Lush's regular perfume releases, and I'm hard-pressed to remember a time when that wasn't the norm within the community. Yet I also remember the time when the introduction of the wash card itself brought about a lot of confusion for consumers.

On the surface, the concept behind these little cards of apple pulp is a great one. For a mere £2, customers can opt to buy one of these cards and try out the smell in the shower, before they decide whether or not they wish to invest in a more expensive bottle of the actual fragrance itself. When you look at these cards in this light, they appear to be a great idea.

Another great fact about these wash cards is that they're perfect for travelling with, as they can slip in a side pocket, or somewhere equally as small, and there isn't a worry that there'll be any leakages during transit. I've even been known to take them on planes in my hand luggage and then used them to freshen myself up in the toilets during my long haul flight. Again, another great reason for the existence of these little cards.

All of that aside, for somebody who doesn't wish to buy any of the perfumes, or has any plan to travel abroad, these little wash cards are simply novelties that don't exactly give you much for the money you spend, no matter how little that may be to you.

As with all of Lush's new innovative wash sheets/cards, this one is made up of apple pulp and an array of essential oils. Simply tear off a small piece (about the size of the circumference of one of Lush's solid perfume tins) and add a little water to the mix. The sheet will foam up rather quickly and produce a creamy lather that can then be massaged across the body.

Being greedy, I opted for using the whole sheet in a single shower, and I can honestly say that it created enough foam to last across several showers - as it claims to do. However, the fragrance was very weak throughout my shower, and every time I used another product, I was no longer able to smell this on my skin or hands. As you can imagine, there wasn't any trace of this on my skin after I had towelled myself down, and neither was it moisturising enough to say that it made much of a difference as well.

Ultimately, I would only buy this again if I was going for a short weekend break and wanted to take minimum items with me. This certainly doesn't replace a shower gel, cream or indeed a soap, and is only really worth the money if you're unsure whether or not your want to buy the solid perfume.   

Quantitative Ingredients: Fresh Apple Pulp, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Hydroxy propyl methyl, cellulose, Perfume, Sodium polyacrylate, Jasmine Absolute, Osmanthus Absolute, Rose Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Oudh Oil, Titanium Dioxide, Cornstarch, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Tin Oxide, DRF Alcohol, *Eugenol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 77491, Colour 17200, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £5.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

Goddess Liquid Perfume

I remember when I first discovered Zen Soap at the bottom of my Oxford Street Haul, how excited I was about the brand new fragrance that greeted my nose. As a huge fan of patchouli aromas, the soap left a lasting impression on me and I couldn't wait to see what else Lush would bring out with the same scent. 

Fast forward almost five years and the Goddess Bath Bomb appeared on the scene like a hurricane - promising the same aroma but in a brand new format. While I appreciate the premise, I wasn't as bowled over with the fragrance as I had been with the original soap, and I certainly wasn't left as excited as I had been when it came to Zen. 

When the Goddess Liquid Perfume finally made its way to me, I honestly didn't know what to expect, and I'll be honest and say that it took me three weeks of travelling around India with my little bottle to truly appreciate what the perfume had to offer. While I'm still not completely bowled over by this release, I can definitely appreciate it a lot more than I did when I first gave it a sniff. 

What I will say is that this may not be a smell that you appreciate to begin with. From the bottle, Goddess is far from the fairly light and tame aroma that the bath bomb has to offer, and instead feeds your nose with a very strong, dark, woody aroma. The oudh oil is thick and resinous on the surface, combining with the sandalwood to create a strong, wholesome note of woodiness. In addition, there is almost a slight earthiness to the perfume as well, that saturates the smell and adds a thick note to the initial spray.

Given time, these key components settle down on the skin, and that's when you can begin to appreciate the other notes that are present. The rose oil and jasmine absolute brings a delicate natural sweetness, that takes some of the initial sting away from the oudh oil; the osmanthus adds a subtle fruitiness that adds a much needed uplift and helps to elevate the other notes a little more.

What I will say about this fragrance is that it is both exotic and alluring, and definitely not a delicate perfume in the slightest. A Goddess exerts dominance and strength to give her such a title, and this perfume does just that. If you want something pretty and simple, this is not the perfume for you as Goddess makes a statement for anyone choosing to wear it.

Having said that, I did find that the fragrance didn't last as long as I expected that it would, and I was no longer able to detect it on my own skin after a couple of hours of wear. However, I was able to prolong the life of this perfume a little by spraying it directly onto my clothes, where I could still smell remnants of it after a full working day.

While not a favourite perfume of mine, I do really appreciate how unique and interesting the smell of Goddess is. It's definitely a smell that will evoke a reaction of some kind, whether that be negative or positive, and the strength and depth of the key notes here only serve to empower all who choose to wear this - in true Goddess form.

Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol Perfume, *Linalool, *Limonene, Jasmine Absolute, Osmanthus Absolute, Rose Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Oudh Oil, *Benzyl Alcohol, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Benzyl Salicylate, *Citral, *Citronellol, *Eugenol, *Farnesol, *Geraniol.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £45 for 30ml.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

Punkawalop Matte Hair Clay

Out of all of Lush's limited edition hair care products from the Showcase event, this was the one I was most nervous about using. After deciding to cut my hair super short, bleach it bright blonde and then style it with wax every day, I know the effects that products such as this can have on the health and condition of your hair over time. Let's just say that I didn't want to repeat the mistakes of my youth some twenty years later.

Punkawalop Matte Hair Clay has been described by Lush as being a product for the rebels, although I don't really see how using this was going to turn a vegan, primary school teacher into somebody that was at risk of receiving an asbo. Jokes aside, this Showcase exclusive was sounded like it meant business, and I was a little worried just how my hair would turn out after using this.

Firstly, I found the scent of this product to be rather strange, as there appeared to be very little to the smell at all. The rose, cardamom and ought oils definitely offer something in the way of the smell. However, it is a very gentle aroma overall: this clay is definitely more about how it works than what it can offer your nose.

The scent you do get is a dry, clay-like smelling rose aroma, with just the added warmth of a little note of cardamom. There smells as if there is a little squeeze of lemon in here as well, although there is nothing in the ingredients list to suggest so. Instead, the strongest smell that I can detect is by far the kaolin and the rose clay itself, which creates a dry and very nondescript fragrance.

The idea is that you take a small amount from the tub: I found that a raisin-sized piece was adequate, and massage this between your fingers to add some warmth. Then you apply this to the areas of your hair that you want to and style as you please. 

I tended to use this hair clay as a way of flattening the frizzy parts on top of my head, and I really appreciated how well Punkawalop worked at doing this. Not only that but the product also added a beautiful shine to my hair that brought out my natural highlights, and just made my hair look even healthier. I chose to wash this out in the evening of the day I first applied it, so I don't know how it would affect your hair the following day. However, my prediction is that it certainly wouldn't leave it the horrible, oily mess that other waxes and clays have left my hair in the past. 

What I will say is that the clay is great at leaving very little in the way of 'product' in your hair. Whereas a lot of waxes and clays can make your hair feel rigid and hard in places, and can also cause a grease build up over a couple of days, I found that this simply wasn't the case with Punkawalop.

However, if you're looking for a clay with serious hold, this wouldn't be one that I would recommend. When I attempted to spike up my hair, no matter how much clay I added, it simply wouldn't hold into place. This is definitely more for those who like to run a little wax through their locks and then just 'mess it up' a bit, as opposed to somebody who wants to really shape their hair.

Ultimately, this isn't a product that I would have any interest in using regularly - not because it isn't a good product, just because I don't feel the need to use this in my hair at all. However, I can recognise its merits in being able to control my hair a little better and keeping it in place after many windy and rainy days at work.

Quantitative Ingredients: Cardamom Seed Infusion (Elettaria cardamomum), Coffee Infusion (Coffea arabica), Japan Wax (Rhus succedanea), Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), Glyceryl Stearate & PEG-100 Stearate, Propylene Glycol, Carnauba Wax (Copernicia Cerifera), Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Olea europaea), Cetearyl Alcohol, Polyquaternium-88, Rapeseed Wax (Brassica Napus), Hydroxystearic/Linolenic/Oleic Polyglycerides, Polyquaternium-81, Cardamom Oil (Elettaria cardamomum), Olive Leaf Absolute (Olea europaea), Rose Oil (Rosa damascena), Colombian Cocoa Absolute (Theobroma cacao), Oudh Oil (Aquilaria agallocha), Kaolin, Rose Clay (Kaolinite), Behentrimonium Chloride, *Anise Alcohol, *Benzyl Alcohol, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Citral, *Citronellol, *Coumarin, *Farnesol, *Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume.

Vegan?: Yes. 

2018 Price: unsure.
2019 Price: £9.95 for 45 g.

Year Of Original Release: 2018.

Goddess Bath Bomb

There hasn't been a bath bomb this hyped since Roller - there must be something about the colour purple that sends people into a frenzy. However, despite not being a big fan of Ariana Grande - of whom the bath bomb is inspired by - there are just so many amazing things to say about the new Goddess Bath Bomb.

While influenced by the pop singer, this bath bomb is about empowerment and strong feminine energy; it's about celebrating womanhood and all of the amazing feats that women face and conquer every single day. We are certainly amazing creatures and this bath bomb epitomises everything that I love about Lush.

Unfortunately for most people, Goddess only made itself known at the Lush Showcase event, and while it's currently available online, it's labelled as an exclusive which means it'll probably only be available for a limited time. As it's one of 89 exclusive bath bombs making their way over to the new 'bath only' store in Tokyo, I'm sure this will be removed from the website in due time. For this reason, a lot of fans of the artist/Lush will simply miss out on trying this wonderful product, and I only wish it didn't live up to expectations so that I could bring some relief to those who have been unlucky in finding one for themselves.

However, I should probably state right now that Goddess is a truly wonderful bath bomb, in so many ways. Firstly, the outer design is a work of art. Almost spherical, this limited edition is dipped on one side and features an odd flat edge on the other side of the sphere. Although I have yet to understand whether this holds any meaning, I've wondered whether or not it represents that all women have different sides, and that we're chiselled pieces of art work ourselves.

While the coved side is a vibrant shade of violet, the rounded side is made from layers of pastel white, silver and gold. To look at, this beauty doesn't deserve to be dipped into water, and there was a part of me imagined how amazing this would be if made into a cup. In addition, there is lustre within the bath bomb as well as dusted on top, which gives Goddess a gentle sparkle when it touches the light.

Scent wise, this is actually far more reserved than I was expecting. Containing jasmine as the main ingredient, this bath bomb offers a very gentle and very light floral scent, with a little magical musk to give it a natural sweetness. Whether or not you enjoy floral smells, I cannot imagine anyone disliking the smell of this one, as it is so subtle to my nose. In all fairness, that's as far as the scent goes. It's definitely not the most interesting, or the most complex. However, it's gentle enough to calm your mood after a long day and feel like a Goddess in the bath bomb.

What was impressive about this bath bomb was the wonderful display it showcased when it hit the water. It was a fairly fast fizzer - sending thick waves of fluffy white lather laced with threads of purple and silver across the surface, and the sound of the fizzing just made everything seem even better to my ears. Furthermore, once it had fully dissolved, the water remained a pastel shade of violet throughout the whole experience, which was lovely. 

Impressively, I found that this bath bomb was super moisturising. I could feel how thick it felt around my body and my skin felt instantly softer and smoother to the touch. After getting out of the bath almost an hour after first hopping in, it was safe to say that I felt very much like a Goddess - as my skin had a glow to it that I don't usually see after a long day's work.

The only let down I found with this bath bomb was the fact that I couldn't seem to detect the smell very much when I was in the tub. Even without using any strong products alongside it, I couldn't smell the jasmine at all, so you can probably guess that I wasn't able to detect it on my skin afterwards either.

Overall, this bath bomb represents a great message; looks absolutely stunning before and during use; and is definitely one that I hope makes an appearance somewhere else, so that other fans across the globe can get their hands on one to at least try once. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Titanium Dioxide, Jasmine Absolute, Osmanthus Absolute, Rose Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Oudh Oil, Cream of Tartar, Fair Trade Colombian Cocoa Butter, Water (Aqua), Cornstarch, Argan Oil, Fair Trade Shea Butter, DRF Alcohol, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Sodium Coco Sulfate, Tin Oxide, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Maltodextrin, Laureth 4, *Eugenol, *Limonene, *Linalool,Perfume, Colour 77491, Colour 42090:1, Colour 45430:1, Colour 42090, Colour 19140, Colour 17200, Colour 45410.

Vegan?: Yes.

2018 Price: £5.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2018

Scent Family: 
Goddess Bath Bomb
Zen Soap

The Smell Of Freedom Liquid Perfume

What initially attracted me to this perfume was it's name. To me, The Smell of Freedom conjures up images of pastural backdrops accompanied by the scorching rays of sun; of long stretches of sand and the gentle lapping of the sea against the beach; of the wind ruffling your hair as you ride the waves. It's a strong sounding name, and one that has a lot to live up to.

First launched in 2010, this perfume is made up different notes, including lemongrass, lemon myrtle, neroli, jasmine, ginger, fire tree, clove, black pepper, sandalwood, oudh and orris root; a rather large assortment of unique but complimentary smells. 

The lemongrass and lemon myrtle give this fragrance it's gently zestiness, which nestles in amongst the more earthy ingredients so it doesn't dominate this scent. The fire tree adds both a herbal and woody scent, whilst the Oudh heart compliments this with it's powdery fragrance. The addition of ginger, clove and black pepper add a spicy kick to the overall smell, which presents itself more when it's maturing on your skin. The first few times I wore this perfume, I was unable to detect the peppery layer, which was a little disappointing. However, once I had become accustomed to the fragrance, I found it a lot easier to recognise the subtle spice that intertwined itself with the other smells. 

When The Smell Of Freedom is first sprayed on your skin, you get a zingy burst from the citrus ingredients. However, this quickly settles and allows for a more earthy scent to come through. This perfume reminds me very slightly of Tramp Shower Gel if it was to be mixed with Aura Suavis Shower Gel.

What I like about the scent is that it's perfectly balanced, meaning it isn't too weak or strong when in use. Any stronger and it would be too overpowering to the wearer, any weaker and you would lose the subtleness of each ingredient. This perfume lasts quite a while on the skin; I could still smell it five hours after I had initially applied it.

The Smell of Freedom is definitely one to try if you like the earthy scents. However, it's not one that made a great impression on me. I am much more of a sweet, citrusy girl at heart, and I found this one was slightly too earthy to compliment my tastes. However, I can see this being a favourite for those who love the more natural, woody fragrances.

Quantative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Australian Sandalwood Oil, Orris Oil, Oudh Oil, Jasmine Absolute, Neroli Oil, Fire Tree Oil, Lemongrass Oil, Benzyl Salicylate, Cinnamal, Citral, Coumarin, Eugenol, Geraniol, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Cinnamate, Citronellol, Farnesol, Limonene, Linalool, Lilial, Methyl Ionone.

Vegan?: Yes.

2014 Price: £16 for 10ml, £48 for 50ml.