Fairy Jasmine Bath Bomb

After making my way through all of the new bath bombs that Lush brought out earlier this year, I decided to go back through each of my reviews and choose my favourite ten from the bunch. As a few of the 'new' releases were actually older bath bombs, I had opted not to buy them as a way of reducing my spending down as much as I could. However, it was only after furiously searching for almost an hour on my blog that I realised I had never reviewed, which also meant that I had never tried this classic bath bomb.

Despite its rather plain demeanour, Fairy Jasmine is one of the most talked about bath bombs on Instagram and it seems to have won over a large following of new fans, as well as rekindle the love of the older fanbase as well. Possessing the same scent as many other classic products that have made an appearance over the years, this is a bath bomb that is celebrated for its aroma as opposed to the display it puts on in the water. 

Sharing its scent with both Alkmaar and Fairy Ring Soap, Silky Underwear Dusting Powder and the most recent Coconut Rice Cake Solid Shampoo Bar, Fairy Jasmine offers a warm blanket of both jasmine and vetivert: the jasmine offering a rich, sweet floral layer with a subtle hint of green underneath; the vetivert, which is the more prominent ingredient, adding a rich, sweet, woody aroma that brings warmth and depth to the overall floral fragrance.

As if that wasn't already powerful enough, the latter ingredient also creates a gentle smokiness, which pads out the fragrance quite a bit and helps to bring about a muskiness that only serves to give this scent a complexity and a uniqueness that needs to be experienced at least once. This isn't a smell that you forget very quickly and in the right format can be simply gorgeous.

However, as far as bath bombs go, Fairy Jasmine would never win any awards for its design or productivity in the water. Sporting a simple white shell, with no hidden colours inside, this bath bomb does very little to change the colour of your water. Many years ago, when the original bomb was first released, Lush added a large dosage of purple lustre inside, which created a huge mess in the tub and did very little else aside from painting your skin with glitter.

Fast forward to 2019 and this latest rendition still contains a generous helping of lustre. However, this feature doesn't make a mess at all; doesn't stick to and decorate your skin; and washes away with ease once you exit the tub. In fact, the shimmer of the lustre on the surface is the only thing that Fairy Jasmine does to change the look of the water. If you're looking for a show, you'll want to avoid this one.

What I will say is that despite its lack of colour, Fairy Jasmine more than makes up for this with how strong its scent is both during and after your bath. As soon as the bath bomb hits the water, the vetivert and jasmine make their presence known in a cloud of wonderful floral notes, and these stay with you throughout your experience in the water.

Upon exiting the bath, the muskiness of the vetivert and the sweet, green tang of both the jasmine and the ylang ylang remain on your skin and hair for hours. In fact, I could still smell this bath bomb on my pillow the following day, and it was probably the strength of this fragrance that helped me to have a really good sleep that night. As if that wasn't enough, Fairy Jasmine offered a wonderfully soft and smooth water during my time in the tub, and I could definitely feel the difference that it made to my skin when I was towelling myself down.

Unfortunately, the lack of colour in its design matched with the hefty price tag that goes with it, Fairy Jasmine will probably not sell as many as other bath bombs, even if it performs better than a lot of the ones that Lush have released this year. Many new consumers, who may have never heard of the scent of this one, might opt to purchase something else instead, which is a real shame.

Despite it's lack of character, the bath bomb performs really well in the water and offers an aroma that is beautifully sweet and yet majestically floral as well. While not a bath bomb I would invest in again (if only because I'm bitter that Lush never brought back Mistletoe Bath Bomb instead) this is definitely a contender for one of the best-smelling 'new releases' for sure.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Perfume, Jasmine Absolute, Vetivert Oil, Ylang Ylang Oil, Water (Aqua), Titanium Dioxide, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Tin Oxide, Hexyl Cinnamal, Colour 17200.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £5.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

coming soon!

Intergalactic Shower Gel

Out of all of the bath bombs I have ever tried from Lush, Intergalactic would definitely make my top ten. Not only does it produce some of the most stunning bath art around, but it also has an aroma that simply gets beneath my skin and elevates my mood in a way that I find hard to explain. If I'm feeling at all stressed or worried, this bath bomb can completely change my mindset, and this is the reason why I simply cannot live without having a regular dose of this classic.

You can imagine then that my expectations for the recently released Intergalactic Shower Gel was going to be pretty high, and I'll be honest when I say that I truly believe Lush have created the best version that they possibly could of this concept. It is not a perfect match between formats, hence the five bottle rating. However, this is due more to the fact of how much more of an experience a bath bomb can offer as opposed to a gel in a bottle.

What I will say is that fans of this bath bomb will no doubt agree with me when I say that this shower gel is spot on when it comes to its fragrance. Upon opening the bottle for the first time, I was initially a little underwhelmed by the smell, only because I associated it with the Dirty Springwash Shower Gel, which doesn't float my boat in quite the same manner. However, I truly believe that this is a product that grows on you over time and becomes far more interesting over the space of a few uses.

From the bottle, Intergalactic offers a strong and very woody combination of peppermint and vetivert. There is something very rich about this collaboration that sits well with my tastebuds. It is almost as if there is a dark cloud hovering over a minty sea and the two components have come together with a huge explosion. To begin with, this scent was very similar to the one I experienced when I began using this shower gel across my skin.

After a few days of using this daily, I began to notice the subtle note of grapefruit in the mix, which served to elevate the fragrance and give it a little more of a 'bite.' It was also during these initial days that I began to detect the woodiness of the cedarwood a little more. By the end of day three, I felt as if I could smell all of the components that featured in the bath bomb, and I honestly couldn't tell much of a difference - aside from the usual format variations.

Out of the bottle, Intergalactic offered a beautifully deep shade of blue that wasn't quite as alluring as the bath bomb but definitely suited the fragrance well. Alongside this, there was the addition of the lustre within the gel, which gave the shower gel a beautiful glimmer whilst it was on your skin. And glitter phobes will be happy to hear that this addition doesn't leave any trace of itself on or across your skin after using it.

What impressed me was that this shower gel was fairly on the thin side and I needed a bare minimum amount to wash my whole body with. Not only this but Intergalactic lathered up really easily and was super fragrant, which meant I was able to wash my body with the smallest amounts whilst still appreciating the wonderful scent. 

Furthermore, the fragrance is power enough that it lingers on your skin and hair for a good couple of hours after towelling yourself dry. And even more impressive was the fact that my body felt soft, smooth and hydrated after using this, which makes it an all-round great product to invest in.

More than just mint, Intergalactic Shower Gel is a must have for fans of the bath bomb and should be tried by anyone who enjoys stronger scents as well. With the delicate herbal and woody notes that are present in this product, there is something very powerful about the fragrance of this that stays with you way longer than many of Lush's shower gels do. I can only hope that they make this a permanent member of the family because I cannot imagine my life without a bottle of this to alter my mindset and my mood.

Quantitative Ingredients: Fresh Mint Infusion, Glycerine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Lactic Acid, Peppermint Oil, Grapefruit Oil, Vetivert Oil, Cedarwood Oil, Carrageenan Extract, Xanthan Gum, Water (Aqua), Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 77491, Colour 42090, Colour 42053.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £12 for 250g.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

Dear John Bath Bomb

If I was paid for every time I made a negative judgement based on the aesthetics of a product, only to retract my statement when I realised its true potential, I would not only have a lot of money in the bank, but I'd probably be in possession of one of the weirdest career choices on the planet. However, this is exactly what happened with this limited edition bath bomb and I have been eating my words ever since.

Let's be honest and say that Dear John doesn't exactly inspire much in the way of excitement when it comes to its design. Sporting a white shell decorated with five blue ink spots on the surface, there isn't anything colourful about it that promises to offer consumers the bath art they often look for. In fact, many people would have no doubt avoided this one because of how little they assumed the product would offer in the water. Big mistake!

What I love about this Father's Day limited edition is that it offers so much in the way of scent and colour, that it's almost a crime that some consumers will miss out on this because of their preconceived ideas about what it would or would not offer them in the bath tub. To put it simply: this is one of the best bath bombs I have had from Lush all year.

As it's name suggests, this seasonal special shares its fragrance with the Dear John range, which is a big feature in this year's Father's Day collection. While described by many as being more of a masculine aroma, I happen to think that this smell sits comfortably in the middle and offers something for anyone that enjoys complex and very unique scents. 

Featuring many components that go into building up the overall fragrance, it is the vetivert and cedarwood oils that grip you first. Together, these two ingredients create a warm, woody aroma, with a delicate burnt note that nestles itself underneath the sweet blanket that this aroma offers. Alongside this, there is a delicate touch of clove, that adds an element of spice without being too heavy.

There is something rather creamy and almost musky about the overall smell on offer here, yet this doesn't come from any inclusion of either vanilla and tonka. This element not only draws all of the other ingredients together to create the Dear John fragrance, but also compliments the delicate citrus note that finishes the whole experience off. As someone who has tried this smell in many formats, this bath bomb is definitely one of the better renditions for sure.

Once in the bath, Dear John will continue to float on the surface, sending out waves of deep blue colour that permeated the water very quickly. Within the space of a minute, the entire tub was full of colour: sporting a shade of blue that I feel really needs to be experienced on a firsthand basis, to truly appreciate how stunning your bath water becomes.

What is impressive about this bath bomb is how well it upholds the fragrance in the water and how it leaves you feeling as well. I was able to enjoy the beautiful scent for the whole hour I was submerged beneath the water, and it lingered on my skin afterwards like a delicate kiss from a 1960's romance novel. Paired with the naked shower gel that also features in this current range, my experience was nothing short of beautiful.

Although having a bath will usually help you to unwind, no matter what the product you use, I really felt 'settled' and relaxed more than I usually do after using this bath bomb. Maybe the accumulation of the woody, smoky and slightly earthy notes helped to ground my thoughts a little more noticeably than some of the other bath bombs. 

No matter what caused this feeling, I had perhaps the greatest night's rest after bathing with Dear John, and I'm going to have to seriously stock up on these babies before they make an exit in the coming weeks. Why this bath bomb isn't part of the permanent range, I will never understand.     

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Cedarwood Oil, Vetivert Oil, Coriander Seed Oil, Clove Bud Oil, Water (Aqua), Cream of Tartar, DRF Alcohol, Dipropylene Glycol, Sodium Coco Sulfate, Propylene Glycol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, *Citral, *Coumarin, *Eugenol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume, Colour 42090, Colour 17200, Colour 42090:2.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £4.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

coming soon!

St Basil Bath Melt Tablet

While Lush impress me sometimes with how quickly they can turn out a bunch of new products, there are also times where I think they completely devalue themselves by doing so. Such is the case with their range of bath baubles and tablets that came out last year. 

After appearing on one of their European sites, fans became really interested and many, including myself, became super excited to know when the seasonal beauties would be making their way onto the UK site. A few days before Christmas day they appeared; disappearing a couple of days later before resurfacing for a matter of hours as part of the online boxing sale. Given how beautiful some of the designs were, and how good they seemed to work in the tub, I felt that so much more could have been done to build the excitement for this release, as well as give fans across the globe a chance to experience them all across the festive period.

St Basil Bath Melt Tablet was one of six limited tablets - each one designed to be hung either on your Christmas tree, or a festive display in and around your house: offering a beautiful aroma that could be enjoyed again and again, before being popped into your bath for one super moisturising experience.

Sharing its scent with the Jungle range, this tablet showcases a very unique fragrance that many may find a little too potent for their tastebuds. Firstly, the initial note is a very bitter, slightly sour but equally fruity aroma: one that comes from the strangely-naked Kumquat fruit. As most people probably won't have tasted this exotic fruit, it may be hard to imagine what this aroma smells like. However, I would describe it as being one that doesn't exactly sit well on your senses: this is not a 'typical' fruity smell by any means.

All of the Jungle range is dominated by a strange and alluring, but equally soured and strange fruity smell. It's almost like a lemony-piney aroma but with a more rounded citrus edge to it. Alongside this, the inclusion of the cypress oil then gives the tablet a very gentle woody aroma, while the cedarwood adds a little aromatic, earthy, woody scent alongside it. Fans of this popular Lush fragrance will recognise how well the company have replicated the aroma in this format....well at least the handful who were able to grab these during their fleeting visit.

Measuring roughly 5cm wide, 8cm in length and with a thickness little under a centimetre, this is definitely a big bath melt to use in the tub, and there is certainly no need to use the whole tablet at once. In fact, I would go as far as to say that it would be a downright waste to use the entire piece in a single hit, and could possibly turn out to be one slippery mess if you were to do so.

While I chose to use the whole melt for the mere fact of taking some aesthetically pleasing photos for my review, it would be far less messy breaking off smaller pieces  and using it across 3-4 separate baths. Although I found that the melt dried fairly quickly after I pulled it from the water, and I didn't have to worry too much about cleaning up afterwards, I did find myself using the whole thing up within a short time afterwards as I had limited places to store it after it had been melted the first time.

Once in the water, St Basil rested on the surface for a few seconds before sinking to the bottom of the tub. Within a matter of seconds, reluctant streams of creamy oils began to swirl under the surface before resting on top of the water, and I began to feel a change in the consistency of the water.

These oils and butters tend to linger around the product at first, so you have to swish it around with the piece of string to help it dissolve across the whole tub. After using half of this tablet, I found that the water had become silky-soft and super nourishing, and I was able to remove the remaining product to dry off for later.

If you're someone who wants to heed results quicker, you can opt to hold this under the running tap and the pressure will encourage the bauble to melt a lot quicker. However, once the tablet has shrunk a little, it will rest of the surface and slowly ebb out the various oils and butters to moisturise your body with.

While St Basil doesn't offer anything in the way of colour, the fragrance was super strong throughout my experience, and coupled with a bath bomb, would make for an amazing experience for anyone who is a fan of this aroma. What impressed me was that firstly my skin was left feeling incredible smooth and moisturised after bathing in the water for near on an hour. In addition, I found that the fragrance stayed with me throughout my entire bath, and I was able to smell it on my skin afterwards as well.

Although not the most interesting of bath melt tablets to look at, this one did exactly what I was hoping it would, and just made me realise even more how much I would love Lush to release a Jungle-scented bath bomb at some point in the future. I hope that either these, or other variations of this concept, make another appearance this Christmas; except that this time their release is better executed so that many more people can enjoy this wonderful concept.

Quantitative Ingredients: Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Cedarwood Oil, Vetivert Oil, Cypress Oil.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £4.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2018.

Crazy Train Bath Bomb

If I'm in the right mood for it, Lush's playful designs really bring alive the child inside of me, and it's a lovely feeling to see the youthful glow that it brings to my cheeks. As someone who considers themselves to be very creative, bath bombs such as this one spark an extra dosage of excitement inside of me, and I couldn't wait to try it out for size.

Shaped like a locomotive, Crazy Train Bath Bomb wouldn't go amiss on the shelf of a Harrods store: a beautiful blue and red-shaped train with a little scroll of blue paper tucked in the top. This latter feature gives you the opportunity to write a little message to the receiver of this bath bomb, which adds an extra special touch for the father in your life to enjoy.

Sharing its scent with the Prince fragrance - including the recent body spray that was released earlier this year - this bath bomb offers a wonderful combination of mandarin, neroli, orange flower and vetivert.To my nose, the orange flower and the mandarin are the strongest notes to begin with. Crazy Train offers a bitter, green-like fruity smell, that reminds me very much of the smell you get when peeling a fresh satsuma - that sweet citrus aroma with a slight tartness from the peel.

However, alongside this there is a wonderful layer of vetivert that gives this bath bomb a woody base to work from: offering a complexity that is somewhat lost in the shower gel format, but is definitely present here. Having been using the body spray recently, I can honestly vouch that this bath bomb is very close to replicating the scent almost perfectly. 

What I appreciated the most however, was the fragrance when the bath bomb was placed in the water. That's when the citrusy elements of the mandarin and neroli came out in full force, and it was strong enough to leave me feeling like a peeled - but very contented - orange afterwards. The scent was super strong in the water, and I would recommend this to anybody who needs something to help motivate them first thing in the morning.

As if the fragrance wasn't already impressive, the bath bomb itself created a stunning show in the tub. Immediately fizzing upon contact with the water, Crazy Train released a stunning show of thick blue, red and white swirls across the surface. Within seconds, the water had turned a stunning shade of dark blue, and the smell was radiating around the room at the same time. 

Once fully dissolved, I noticed straight away that the water felt super thick and sultry: I could almost feel my skin becoming more and more nourished by the second. After bathing for almost an hour in the tub, I was left with the softest skin I could possibly achieve, and the gentle smell of orange wrapped itself around my body like a warm hug. 

I don't know what the Lush community need to do to convince Lush that most of this year's Father's Day range needs to become permanent, but I only hope the big bosses consider how wonderful Crazy Train would be as a regular bath bomb. I for one, would be buying one of these every few weeks, if it was always in shops, and the only bath bomb that I'd invest more in would be the classic Intergalactic.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Perfume, Neroli Oil, Orange Flower Absolute, Sicilian Red Mandarin Oil, Vetivert Oil, Water (Aqua), Cream of Tartar, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Coco Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Dipropylene Glycol, Tin Oxide, Benzyl Alcohol, *Citral, Hydroxycitronellal, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 14700, Colour 42090, Colour 17200, Colour 77491, Colour 15850:1, Colour 59040.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £5.50 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

coming soon!

Dear John Naked Shower Gel

Like a new shoe that takes a while to fit the shape of your foot, my initial impression of Lush's naked shower gels wasn't exactly the most enthusiastic. No matter how much I loved the sentiment behind their progressive products, and how excited I was to see how they would work in the shower, my introduction to this new concept didn't heed promising results. I always found the liquid version to be stronger in scent; easier to lather; and much more moisturising than their naked counterparts.

However, the company have most likely spent a lot of time reworking and trialing different versions of these naked gels, as the last few I have tried have actually surpassed my expectations and replaced the liquid version as my favourite. This is why I was super excited to try out the brand new Dear John Naked Shower Gel.

While not my favourite colour by any means, the gorgeous shade of blue that this limited edition sports is simply beautiful, and definitely very suited to the fragrance that this naked gel offers. In the shower, this shower gel lathers up with ease: producing a creamy gel-like substance to massage across your body. 

What impressed me the most was that I needed very little to clean my whole body with. The second I began to lather it across my skin, it foamed up even more, and I was able to stretch it further. This meant that after using it for a week, I could barely see any difference in the size or shape of the naked gel. For this reason, I can imagine this limited edition lasting for a good two to three months (at least!) before it became too small to use in the same manner. 

Despite the lack of 'key ingredients' in the write up of this, the idea behind Dear John is that it is a multi-layered, complex aroma created as an ode to Mark Constantine's dad. What I noticed straight away with this naked version, was that there seemed to be far less emphasis on the delicate citrusy layer that has featured in every other format of this fragrance so far.

While it is still there, it's very low in the mix - almost as if the other components have overridden its power this time around. Instead, you'll find a warm woodiness and a slightly spicy smokiness as well. The cedarwood and vetivert work together to create a warm, rounded creamy smell, with just the subtlest hint of coffee in the background. Many consumers would probably describe it as being a more masculine fragrance. However, I think it plays a better role at being an alluring and very interesting unisex aroma.         

One difference between the liquid and the naked gel is that the latter is far creamier, and appears to be more rounded. In fact, there is something slightly (but very delicately) nutty about the naked version, which I think is more suited to the Dear John scent overall. It is for this reason that I actually found myself preferring this naked gel to the original shower gel.

If you have to choose between buying the liquid or naked version, I would honestly recommend that you buy Dear John Naked Shower Gel. It feels more moisturising on the skin; I was able to detect the scent for a good hour after I had exited the shower; and the fragrance of this one just seems more inviting overall.

Quantitative Ingredients: Propylene Glycol, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Coco Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Glycerine, Fresh Coriander and Fair Trade Organic Clove Extract, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Perfume, Cedarwood Oil, Vetivert Oil, Coriander Seed Oil, Clove Bud Oil, *Citral, *Coumarin, *Eugenol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 42090, Colour 42090:2, Colour 17200.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £11.50 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.

Dear John Coffee Shampoo Bar

With the amount of new hair care coming out from Lush, it can be very daunting for fans to know what to invest in, and which ones to avoid altogether. As quickly as they arrive, my hair becomes the testing ground for these new products, which often leaves my locks feeling rather confused and in despair.

After numerous new conditioners and protein shampoos, Dear John Coffee Shampoo Bar came along and completely blew each and every one of them out of the water. This is easily the best shampoo bar that Lush have EVER done. Yes, you heard that right! And if you're not convinced what makes this one shine, please continue reading to find out. 

Firstly, the smell of this bar is simply delicious. If you enjoy Cup O' Coffee Body Mask, you'll love the rich and smoky coffee scent that this limited edition brings to the table. As others have mentioned before me, there is also something slightly woody about the fragrance of this that reminds me a little of Dear John as well.

Having said that, if you're not a fan of coffee, you may be pleased to know that the scent of this doesn't really seem to make itself known when it's being used in the shower. Strangely, despite the robust smell when its dry; when it's wet, the smell almost evaporates a little. If you're worried that the coffee will permeate your locks and leave a smell that follows you around, you may be pleased to know that the aroma all but dissipates when the shampoo is washed out. 

What the inclusion of both the coffee beans and the caffeine powder does do however, is stimulate the scalp and promote healthy growth. If you're like me, that suffers from both rather thin hair, or hair that doesn't seem to want to grow as fast as others do, this shampoo bar will work wonders at helping this process to speed up a little. While it's probably more wishful thinking than actual progress, my hair genuinely feels a little longer since I began using this about 10 days ago.

What I will say is that Dear John Coffee Shampoo Bar lathers up really generously, so you barely need to stimulate it between your hands before you have enough to massage into your hair and scalp. Once you have done this, leaving it on for a couple of minutes before rinsing it away will work wonders at cleaning your whole head of hair.

After using this only once, I was amazed when I noticed how soft my hair felt before I applied my conditioner. I find that a lot of shampoos tends to rely on the conditioning aspect of your routine, to retain that moisture. However, I can safely say that this limited edition could easily be used by itself, and still heed impressive results.

While my hair was drying, I noticed how much softer my locks felt; how much more shine my hair had on offer; and even how much thicker it looked and felt after I had brushed out any tangles. While my ends were still a little frizzy, the rest of my hair sat beautifully down my back, and it's the first time in a long while that I was able to wear my hair down without needing to apply an oil.

Ultimately, I do think that it's a little strange that one of Lush's best ever shampoos has been released only as a limited edition. And it's a shame that it has received less coverage than these other products because of this fact. In my mind, Dear John Coffee Shampoo Bar is my favourite shampoo from Lush, and coupled with the recently released American Cream Pressed Conditioner, makes my hair look and feel like gorgeous.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Coco Sulfate, Fair Trade Organic Clove Infusion, Perfume, Ground Coffee, Cocoa Powder, Whole Coffee Bean, Cedarwood Oil, Vetivert Oil, Coriander Seed Oil, Clove Bud Oil, Molasses, Aloe Vera Extract, Caffeine Powder, *Citral, *Coumarin, *Eugenol, *Limonene, *Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2019 Price: £7.50 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.