Sparkle Toothy Tabs

I remember going into a Lush shop a few years ago, completely oblivious to every single one of their products, and being as dazed and confused as I can imagine newbies doing nowadays. Whilst I was staring wild-eyed and disorientated because of the numerous smells and products, I was approached by one of the keen employees. Seeing me standing next to the collection of toothy tabs, she assumed I was looking to purchase some and offered me the chance to try one. 

After this stranger convinced me to put this small, circular tablet into my mouth (my drugs education lessons mockingly circulating in my mind), I was disgusted to find my mouth suddenly full of a powdery substance that tasted far from edible. I feigned a dignified smile and exited the shop as soon as possible, spitting out the gritty substance as I walked down the street, confused as to how they managed to sell such a strange and revolting product. 

So almost five years later, when I found a packet of 'Sparkle' in my Lush legends gift box, I was far from keen to give it a go. However, I loved the idea of a product that promoted less packaging and wastage, so I was hoping that I might be luckier this time around.

Sparkle, like all of Lush's toothy tabs, works in the same way. You place one tab between your front teeth and gently nibble until it becomes a powder. Then you wet your toothbrush and proceed to brush your teeth as normal. The addition of water from the brush helps the power to foam up and it works in exactly the same way as normal toothpaste.

As I hadn't read up on the flavour I was trying, I had no idea what to expect, and was very taken back by the overwhelming taste that filled my mouth once I started brushing. I was expecting a gentle mint taste to match my usual toothpaste but was horrified to find that what I got instead was a mixture of vanilla, lemon and black pepper. 

Normally I would embrace all of these flavours as I love them all individually. But together they formed a flavour that, to me, was reminiscent of vomit.  I found myself trying to wash out my mouth as quickly as possible for fear I might actually throw up. It was revolting.

Having said that, and the only reason why I'm giving this product a rating of three, is because there is a noticable difference in the way my teeth feel after using one of these tabs. They leave my teeth feeling squeaky clean, so much so that I usually can't stop touching my teeth with my tongue! I also notice that they banish any lingering smells that may usually fester on the breath for a while. After using one of these, my teeth felt cleaner than they had done in a long while and I noticed that this clean feeling stayed with me throughout the entire day.

Sparkle is definitely an acquired taste, and one that doesn't fein well with my particular palette. But although I wouldn't recommend this particular flavour as I find it pretty nasty, I am definitely going to try other flavours if they have the same positive effect on my teeth. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Dicalcium Phosphate Anhydrous, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sorbitol, Lauroyl Sarcosine, Kaolin, Lemon Peel Powder, Sicilian Lemon Oil, *Limonene, Black Pepper Oil, Grapefruit Oil, Fair Trade Organic Black Pepper Powder, Fine Sea Salt, Sodium Saccharin, *Citral, *Linalool, Flavour.

Vegan?: Yes