Frangipani Glove Hand Serum

If there is one part of my body that suffers the most, it is my hands. Having to endure seven days of hard grafting at work, as well as then having to lift increasingly heavy weights seven days a week at the gym, my poor little mitts are just about done by the end of the day. Endless pots and tubes of hand creams later and the skin on my palms is still as cracked and as weathered as an old house. It would have to take something miraculously to bleed some life back into these tired hands.

Bring forth Frangipani Glove Hand Serum: a product that certainly didn't inspire me to get that excited when Lush first announced that it was coming out. Even when the oval shaped disc of oils and butters appeared on my doorstep, I still wasn't interested enough to start using it right away. Silly really, given that the results it did heed now leave me wishing I'd bought a hundred more before they disappeared from the website. 

Described as a hand serum, Frangipani is ultimately a little like a massage bar for the hands, and works in a slightly different way to that of a cream. With quite a number of hand creams, you often need to massage the product quite rigorously into your skin and then wait for it to fully absorb before you can carry on about your day. This hand serum works a little differently, and is ultimately more successful.

You only need to massage for a split second between your palms for the product to begin melting and heed enough oils for you to use on your skin. Frangipani melts extremely easily so I would recommend that you store it somewhere cool in between uses, and try not to hold it too long either, as the bar will shrink far quicker than you would want it to.

Once the product is on the skin, you simply need to spread the oils out across every area of your skin and the work has been done. Instead of the oily, greasy feel that you may experience with creams and lotions, this hand serum dries into a powdered finish so you can get back into whatever it was you were doing mere seconds before you applied the serum. 

What is amazing about Frangipani is that I was not expecting the product to make that much of an impression on my skin, and I instead found that my hands felt instantly hydrated, smooth and far more moisturised after only a matter of seconds. Before and after my gym sessions, I have been applying this hand serum religiously, and have found that I rarely develop any areas of dry skin, whereas beforehand I would have areas that felt constantly dry and hard, no matter how hard I tried to rectify this.

After using this daily for a couple of weeks, I also found that the areas around my nails, as well as the cuticles themselves, were far softer and smoother, and I had less 'flaking' of skin as I had done previously. Featuring almond milk and castor oil to help form a protective barrier across my skin, and witch hazel extract to soothe and tone, this limited edition is definitely a miracle in my eyes. 

Fragrance wise, Lush describe this as being rather fruity, with both sandalwood and tuberose underneath to add both woody and floral tones. To my nose, I'd describe the scent of this to be more on the warming but gentle floral side, although I do agree that there is something delicately woody about the aroma as well.

Although I didn't find that the fragrance of Frangipani lasted all too long on my hands, the intensity of which it improved the condition on my skin, and in such a short space of time, means that this is a product I have integrated into my regular routine. Carrying it around in one of Lush's silver tins has been a godsend for me whilst at work, and I've also taken it with me on board a couple of plane rides, where I've used it as a facial serum as well, with positive results.  

Having used my bar consistently, multiple times a day for almost a month, I can safely say that a bar of this hand serum will easily last another couple of months, making this great value for money. In my opinion, this is easily the greatest hand product that Lush have ever made and I only hope it becomes a permanent in the near future. This is one that I will definitely buy again.  

Quantitative Ingredients: Illipe butter, Murumuru Butter, Cupuaçu Butter, Almond Milk, Organic Shea Butter, Arrowroot Powder, Silica Almond Oil, Sunflower Wax, Witch Hazel, Extract Organic Castor Oil, Perfume, Japan Wax, Frangipani Absolute, Tuberose Absolute, Sandalwood Oil, Rose Wax, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, *Benzyl Salicylate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Cinnamyl Alcohol, *Citral, Coumarin, *Eugenol, *Farnesol, Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £8 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

Rosebud Soap

Let’s be honest: when Lush advertise a brand new soap by the name of Rosebud, most fans aren’t exactly going to get overly excited by the prospect. Unless you’re a new fan of the company, another product based on the rose is as far away from original as could possibly be. Lush’s back catalogue is simply saturated with the fragrance.

Although Rosebud has a floral aroma, and one heavily influenced by the inclusion of the white rose petals, the scent of this is definitely a lot more interesting than I was expecting it to be. 

There is something rather old-fashioned about the smell of this. Both the neroli and the orange flower combine to create a fragrance that is very intoxicating without being powdery; as well as producing a scent that is bitter, fruity and floral at the same time. The neroli adds a citrusy, green layer that’s gives the aroma a light, fresh floral note to the soap; the orange flower offers a sweet but slightly wet-like cloud of smell that drives this aroma forward. 

Finally, the inclusion of castor oil adds a rich, sultry layer that gives the soap an almost smoky, liquorice element to enjoy. While this is very subtle in the mix, it is definitely part of the layers that make up this wonderful fragrance.

Together, these ingredients intertwine   with the white petals to create a very rich, complex floral aroma - one with many layers that can be picked out individually whilst still working so well in unison with each other. The smell of this is very different to anything else that Lush have released so far, which meant that I enjoyed this fragrance more than I was expecting to.

As with Loosestrife, this soap was shaped perfectly so I found it very easy to use this in the shower, without dropping it constantly as I often find myself doing. Likewise, the scent was super strong both before my shower and whilst I was using it in the shower, and it stayed on my skin and my hair for a good whole after towelling myself down. 

In its favour, this soap was incredibly easy to lather up and produced a thick, oil-like foam to wash my body with. While not as generous as the aforementioned Mother’s Day Soap, this one didn’t need too much stimulation to work well and I found that I could create enough lather in my hands to place the bar away from the shower whilst I washed myself. This was definitely important, as this soap did tend to shrink very quickly when in contact with the water. If you don’t keep this dry in between uses, you will find that you’ll use Rosebud far more quickly than you would perhaps like to, making it an expensive investment when compared to other soaps.

Unlike Loosestrife, I found that while this soap cleaned my skin and left it feeling really refreshed and crisp, the soap didn’t offer much in the way of moisturising properties. For this reason, I had to moisture myself after my shower as my legs in-particular began to look rather dry and parched. Despite this, I was pleased to find that the areas of my body that had been sunburnt the previous day appeared to feel far calmer and less sore after using this a couple of times afterwards, and I believe that the rose petals helped to calm my skin and speed up my recovery.

Overall, the smell of this was an experience that I really enjoyed as it was far different from anything that Lush have ever released before. Fans of floral scents, both heavy and light, will appreciate the naturally beautiful scent that this soap has to offer, and even those not so keen on these types of fragrances might still enjoy it to some extent as well. While I would never claim to be much of a floral fanatic, I would definitely appreciate a Bath Bomb in this scent, and think a dusting powder might even be an interesting format as well. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Propylene, Glycol, Water (Aqua), White Rose Petal Infusion, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Castor Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Perfume, Neroli Oil, Orange Flower Absolute, Ylang Ylang Oil, Tuberose Absolute, Oat Milk, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Glycerine, Rose Water, Tincture of Benzoin, Gardenia Extract, Titanium Dioxide, Citric Acid, Sodium Bicarbonate, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine Cetearyl, Alcohol, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Farnesol, *Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate, Hydroxycitronellal, Colour 45350, Colour 14700, Colour 17200, Colour 15510.

Vegan?: Yes.

2018 Price: £5.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2018.

Groovy Kind Of Love Bath Bomb

It's the season of love, and there is no better way of celebrating my infatuation for the company, than by trying out one of their newest and most inspirational-looking bath bombs: Groovy Kind Of Love. If the sixties reference hadn't been enough to bowl me over from the get-go, the inclusion of the patchouli would have definitely secured my interest a few minutes later.

Released as part of the limited edition range that was showcased at the Lush Summit event last week, this bath bomb has no apparent plans to be released in the near future. However, given how much interest it has incited amongst the Lush community, I cannot see the company being able to keep this one locked away for very long.

A marvel to look at, this limited edition offers a rainbow of colour to rival near on any of the bath bombs currently available for sale in Lush stores. Resembling Granny Takes A Dip with its colourful stripes, this beautiful piece of art features patchouli, tuberose and neroli, and offers a scent as strong and as defined as the likes of Karma and Lord of Misrule.

It is the patchouli that governs the overall fragrance of this bomb - you can smell its distinctive spiciness and the slight natural sweet note that fans of the ingredient will recognise and love. For those lucky enough to have tried Metamorphisis Bath Bomb, the patchouli plays a similar role as it does in that one - offering a dry, exotic scent with an earthy richness that makes it exquisite. 

Alongside this, the tuberose has a sweet, musty, earthy element that adds a note of warmth to the bath bomb - one that could be described as smelling a little like old-fashioned crystallised candy or preserved floral jam. It's narcotic as much as it is floral; tenacious yet equally alluring: a little like the after smell of sweet tobacco, hours after it has been smoked. It's a very versatile scent and one that matches well with all of the other components in this bath bomb. It supports and nurtures the neroli and the patchouli, yet leaves enough room to make its own mark at the same time.


Finally, the neroli adds its own sweet, floral note - inspiring a warmth that envelops the other ingredients and gives Groovy Kind Of Love a well-rounded, exotic and slightly smoky, resinous fragrance. Strangely enough, I can detect a hint of lemon in the mix as well, which is odd because there is no mention of this as an ingredient at all. In a way, it reminds me of what I'd expect the love-child of Karma, Metamorphosis and Granny Takes A Dip to turn out like.

As you would expect in the bath, this ballistic is as colourful as it is fragrant. It immediately begins to fizz on the surface of the water, projecting yellow and oranges across the tub. As the bath bomb disappears beneath the surface the purples and blues and pinks begin to seep out as well, until you have an array of patterns and puddles of colour etched across the water. The water becomes a rich shade of orange that offers a warm sanctuary to nestle your winter body beneath, and some of the colourful displays on the surface remain for a short time for you to appreciate.

What is incredible about this bath bomb is that the scent is perfectly balanced to offer a strong fragrance throughout your entire experience. However, it is not heady enough to be too overpowering at the same time. I was really impressed to find that my skin not only felt really soft and smooth after exiting the tub, but that the smell stayed on my skin for a good many hours after I had towelled myself down. I appreciated the bursts of patchouli and tuberose as I was climbing into bed, and was even more impressed when I woke up smelling the same components the next day. 

This begs the question as to whether Lush are planning on producing anything else in this format. While I'm jumping the gun a little, as they haven't even officially released the bath bomb itself yet. However, I would be very interested to hear of future endeavours, only because I feel that this is a fragrance that needs to be experienced by everyone. It's complex enough to become a signature scent, and interesting enough that it would be a big seller if it did. Furthermore, Lush seem to have only brought out two other products featuring tuberose: Sikkim Girls and Old Father Time soap, and I feel its an ingredient that should be used and celebrated a lot more.

Overall, I was very impressed with Groovy Kind Of Love. This is another example of Lush 'pulling out the stops' in regards to both design and fragrance. Luckily, I have a few of these to last me a short while. However, it would be nice to know that these would be available regularly if I wanted a patchouli fix, and Karma just wasn't floating my boat at the time. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Patchouli Oil, Tuberose Absolute, Neroli Oil, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Limonene, Linalool, Perfume, Roseie Red; Spring Green and Tangerine Lustres, Colour 4, Colour 14700, Colour 45950, Colour 45410, Colour 42000, Colour 17200.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £4.25 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2017 (Lush Summit only)