Northern Lights Soap

On paper, Northern Lights sounds like my dream cosmetic. It's the most stunning looking soap on this planet and definitely the prettiest product that Lush have ever produced. So when I received a block of Northern Lights as part of a gift set last Christmas, I was so excited to try it out. 

The soap was inspired by the Norwegian sky light phenomenon - the colours chosen and created to match perfectly with the colours of the auroras recognised by millions of people world wide. The bright, neon swirls of yellows, greens and oranges help to give it a magical glowing effect. To compliment the fluorescent look, the soap supposedly possesses an electric, fresh pine and lime scent that plays homage to the crisp climes of the Arctic circle. 

However, despite the promising descriptions, my excitement was short lived when I sniffed it for the first time. There was no crisp citrus scent from the lime oil, and no woodiness from the pine and cypress oil. Instead what my nose registered was a soap that smelt exactly like the cheap blocks you buy from the local supermarket. I could smell an overwhelming soapy scent that rid my senses of any of the zesty fragrance that the soap might possess. 

Nevermind, I thought. Perhaps it'll perform better in the shower and release more of it's citrusy scent. 

I was wrong. 

In all fairness, this is definitely one of Lush's sturdiest soaps. Having used it over the space of a few weeks, I found that the 100g bar that I was using barely shrunk in size, despite me using it to lather over my entire body. I don't know if it's the different consistency or if the ingredients are more long-lasting, but I was pleased that it lasted so well and this makes it great value for money.

It also lathers up quickly and you get a fair amount of foam to play with so you get a lot of uses for such a small piece.

Unfortunately, this soap dried my skin out very quickly and the overwhelming soapy smell only served to increase ten-fold when the soap was in contact with the hot water. My face dried out after using it for a number of days and I began to see small patches of dry skin from where the soap had taken some of the moisture out of it. 

This soap is definitely a let down and not one I'll purchase again. I will use the remaining block to wash my hands as I feel this is really the only thing it's good for. The bright colours make it fun to use, but the scent is definitely an acquired taste.

Quantitative Ingredients: Water, Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil, Glycerine, Perfume, Sodium Stearate, Propylene Glycol, Pine Needle Oil, Cypress Oil, Lime Oil, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, *Citral, *Linalool, Citronellol, Limonene, Colour 59040, Colour 45410, Colour 17200, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes