Alkmaar Soap

Much like the Whoosh Temple Balm, this is a product that I had to do a little research on before buying myself a slice online. The reason for this was because when this soap made an appearance in one of the retro rounds in 2013, it was not advertised as being vegan, yet there was nothing obvious in the ingredients list that warranted it not to be. Although I am still unsure about whether or not it is suitable, I have seen it advertised as so on many other websites I have visited so until I find out otherwise, I will just assume that it is. 

Alkmaar Soap is one of those Lush products that gets overlooked a lot - even I wasn't initially enamoured with it when it first appeared online. The reason for this is obvious - much like 17 Cherry Tree Lane, it's as boring as a piece of soap can get. 

However, some of the least attractive cosmetics have become some of my all-time favourite products; just like some of the most beautiful items have given me some of the most disappointing experiences. I wasn't going to judge the soap's merits by it's appearance.

Sharing it's scent with the Silky Underwear family, you'll find this fragrance in Lush's popular but now discontinued Fairy Jasmine Ballistic and Turbo Bubble Bar. If you enjoy this smell, you can still purchase the Silky Underwear Dusting Powder, which is a regular member of the range.

Described by Lush as a 'sensually scented' soap, Alkmaar gives off a subtle but complex combination of jasmine, vetivert and honeysuckle - a wonderful feminine aroma that offers floral fans a beautifully unique fragrance. Fans of jasmine will appreciate the heady aroma that this ingredient gives to the soap - it's definitely the most dominating smell here. 

In the shower, the soap is fairly easy to foam up - producing a thick and creamy lather that spreads easily over the skin. Unlike other Lush soaps, the scent of this one doesn't intensify under running water - yet at the same time, it doesn't disperse at all, so you can enjoy the fragrance throughout the entire experience.                                                                         As it's such a subtle smell, this one may linger on your skin but it's too weak to notice. Despite this, I could still detect a gentle presence of Alkmaar in the bathroom for a few hours after use, which was lovely. 

Unfortunately, I did find that this soap left my skin very slightly dry - nothing that would be a major problem but I definitely had to moisturise after use otherwise I would have developed dry patches across my body. 

Alkmaar is a rather sturdy soap which means that it will last a very long time. A 100g block lasted me a little over two months, which I consider to be great value for money for a piece of that size. I wouldn't use this again in place of a shower gel, but I think this would make a good hand soap and I would be tempted to buy myself a couple of pieces next time it makes an appearance. 

Overall, this is a lovely soap. It has a beautiful classy and rather elegant fragrance that adds a special touch to your shower. However, it didn't work with my skin as well as other Lush soaps have done in the past. I would love to see this made into a shower gel or jelly as these formats are much more appealing to me and would allow me to appreciate the scent.

Quantitative Ingredients: Honeysuckle Infusion (Lonicera caprifolium), Amaranth Infusion (Amaranthus hypochondriacus), Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Titanium Dioxide, Perfume, Glycerine, Jasmine Absolute (Jasminum officinale), Vetivert Oil (Vetiveria zizanoides), Styrax Resinoid (Storax), Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Editronate.

Vegan?: Yes.

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Strawberry Boat Fresh Smoothie

If I'm going to be honest, I don't think Lush have yet to perfect the strawberry fragrance. While their use of the fruit in the American Cream, Yummy Yummy Yummy and Strawberry Twin Tub scents have yielded incredibly sexy variations, nothing has yet to come close to the fresh, non-synthetic beauty that is the natural strawberry aroma. 

Strawberry Boat Smoothie was supposed to be the product that blew my theory out of the water. While it didn't achieve this, it did offer me another strawberry-scented product that I could enjoy - one extracted from the Lush vaults of the late 1990s. 

This smoothie was originally designed to scrub, exfoliate and smoothen out lines, creases and the wobbly bits on your body - which is why the product doesn't specifically detail where you should apply this. For this reason, I have used this on both my body and my face, and have yielded great results from both experiments. 

Packed full of strawberries, this magical fruit is rich in antioxidants and minerals which add vibrancy to your skin and leaves it feeling clean, clear and refreshed. This is combined with both fresh ginger root and ginger oil which not only add to the overall smell of the product and gives it a slightly spicy fragrance, but also supports circulation around the body and makes you feel warmer and more relaxed.

Strawberry Boat Fresh Smoothie smells a little like strawberry greek yoghurt - it has a slight sourness to it that I pick up even more when it is on my skin. It also has a gentle powdery fruitiness to it much like Yummy Yummy Yummy has, yet it doesn't share the same strawberry scent. To round it off, there's a sprinkling of ginger, which sort of lingers underneath the strawberry and gives the smoothie a very subtle spiciness. 

Ground rice gives this smoothie a very odd consistency unlike anything else I've yet to try from Lush. The product is rather thick and gritty in consistency - a little like smooth peanut butter mixed with semolina powder. I supposed it compares a little to Cupcake Fresh Face Mask but it's not exactly like this. On top of each smoothie is a decoration of sago - a starch derived from the pith of the sago palm that has been turned into small grains that are similar in look and feel as tapioca. These help to give you a good all-rounded exfoliation without being too aggressive on the skin.   

In the shower, this product does really well at lathering over your skin. It doesn't produce any foam - working like a body butter in this way. However, you only need very little as it coats your body with ease. After it has been washed off, it leaves its gentle fragrance on you for a while. In the shower this scent is a little floury - it smells of strawberries and baked oats. Unfortunately, I found that the scent it leaves on your skin after you've left the sower is reminiscent of soured milk so I didn't enjoy this aspect of the product. In fact, the smell I could pick up off my skin reminded me a little of when I used Coco Lotion, with disastrous effects!

Strawberry Boat leaves you skin feeling really clean and soft. It doesn't feel incredible moisturised like I would expect from buttercreams and body butters,  but the effect it has is not unlike the feeling you get when using a good-quality shower gel. 

This is a lovely product that makes a great addition to your shower experiences. It only needs to be used 2-3 times a week so a 75g pot should last you a while. It does need to be kept in the fridge between uses and it only has a four week shelf life which is a shame as you won't be able to store these before they leave the kitchen. I'm really glad that Lush brought this back for fans to try and I hope to see more of these wonderful products making an appearance soon. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Ground Rice, Almond Oil, Fresh Strawberries, Glycerine, Sago, Fine Sea Salt, Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil, Fresh Ginger Root, Ginger Oil, Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Citronellol, Linalool, Perfume.

Vegan?: Yes.

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Almond Buttercream

If it hadn't been for the release of Heavenly Bodies a few months back, I probably wouldn't have been as excited as I was for the release of this. Ever since I experienced the wonders of smearing myself in what smells and looks like cake batter, and feeling how amazingly soft my skin was afterwards, I've never wanted to share a shower with a product more than this one.

Unfortunately for Heavenly Bodies, Almond Buttercream has surpassed my expectations and cemented itself as my favourite buttercream to date. It's the perfect product to become acquainted with during those difficult morning showers - it's gentle on the skin and leaves you wanting to scoop out handfuls and spoon them into your mouth. 

For those unfamiliar with what a buttercream is, it's a combination of soap and shower gel; a softer-style soap that can be used like a shower gel, but contains key ingredients to help soften and repair dry skin. It doesn’t contain as many surfactants as traditional soap, so it won’t lather up like you’re used to, but this does mean it’s especially good for those people who find normal soap can sometimes dry their skin out.

This particular butter cream is jam-packed with essential oils and butters to give you a nourishing and highly moisturising experience. The inclusion of rapeseed and coconut condition the skin - helping to keep moisture from escaping from the skin, which aids in retaining softness and suppleness. The moisturizing properties of almond butter is great for people with delicate or sensitive skin, making it a good choice for dry skin on your face or to relieve itching and soreness from rashes and other skin irritations. The ground almond shells means that this product doesn't waste any of the nut and gives the buttercream a very subtle grittiness, which turns this product into a gentle exfoliator. 

As if Almond Buttercream wasn't luxurious enough, Lush have also included sweet orange, sicilian mandarin, lime and cinnamon leaf oil. Aside from their moisturising and toning properties, these ingredients give this product a beautiful, uplifting and rather sexy aroma.                                                                                                   To me, this buttercream smells rather similar to the aforementioned Heavenly Bodies, but whereas that one is dominated by the lime oil, this one is much lighter, more buttery and slightly less potent with the citrus fragrance. It has a gentle smell of chocolate orange, a subtle nuttiness intertwined with a rich, fudgey-vanilla aroma that's simply irresistible. As I said in my other review, it really needs to be sampled to understand how beautiful the product is - don't blame me if you find yourself poised with a spoon over a tub of the stuff - it really is that good!

Aside from it's scent, Almond Buttercream softens, cleans and replenishes tired and dried-out skin. It's easy to massage over the skin but don't expect it to lather up like a shower gel - it's more like a body butter in this sense. It washes off easily under running water and leaves a beautiful fruity fragrance on your skin. 

It's easy to scoop out of the tub and a small amount goes a long way. Just be careful not to use too much at any one time as it's very easy to get carried away with a product as gorgeous as this. A 250g tub will last you a good 10-20 full body washes, depending on how generous you are with your portions. While it works out more expensive than a shower gel or soap, it's worth the extra price to feel as gorgeously pampered as you do with this buttercream.

This has very quickly established itself as one of my favourite all-time Lush products and I hope they choose to bring this back soon so I can buy a few more tubs. I would definitely recommend that you give this at least one try, and I dare to you to find fault in this incredible product!

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil, Almond Butter, Sesame Seeds, Perfume, Dried Orange Slices, Aloe Vera Extract, Ground Almond Shells, Fair Trade Organic Aloe Vera Gel, Sweet Orange Oil, Sicilian Mandarin Oil, Lime Oil, Cinnamon Leaf Oil, Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Limonene, Eugenol.

Vegan?: Yes.

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Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly

I often forget that Sweetie Pie is a regular product in Lush's range; it often gets overlooked for the large bottles of shower gel that I love so much. However, every once in a while, something stirs my mind into remembering how much I love it's incredible scent, and I end up going on a mad dash to the nearest store to stock up on a few tubs. 

Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly is described as a 'shower jelly with cherries, coconut and sparkles for bathtime fun.' Much like most of Lush's other shower jellies, this one replicates the popular dessert perfectly - possessing a slightly elasticated and stringy consistency. Showcasing a deep purple complexion, with blue and silver lustre lightly decorated throughout, this shower jelly looks like a feast fit for a god. 

Furthermore, the fragrance it possesses is incredibly gorgeous, and quite easily one of the best scents that Lush have ever come up with. It shares its fragrance with other products from The Comforter range, which includes the likes of You Snap The Whip Body Butter and The Comforter Bubble Bar. However, unlike the latter product, I find the smell of this jelly to possess a much thicker and creamier aroma - closer to the shower gel equivalent than the bubble bar that it's originally based on.

It's a rich but equally fruity fragrance; a mixture of bergamot oil, cassis absolute and cypress oil. These ingredients are both uplifting and refreshing, helping to clear the mind as well as creating a scent that most Lushies would die for. Cypress oil also boasts toning properties that can calm the skin in times of emotional stress. 

To me, this fragrance doesn't smell of cherries at all, nor does it possess much of a coconut smell either. I think Sweetie Pie has a strong, deep and fresh blackcurrant scent that reminds me of the Blackcurrant Jolly Rancher sweets I used to get as a child. It's simply wonderful.

There are several ways that you can use any of Lush's shower jellies, and I find that everyone has their own preference, which is completely understandable. Firstly, you can break a small piece of (or select a piece that's been segmented prior to your shower) and rub the block directly onto your skin. The amount of lather this creates differentiates vastly depending on the type of jelly, how old the product is and the size of the piece you're using. While some users find this way works for them, I find that this is fairly ineffective as it does not create much of a lather and the jelly becomes too wet, making it slippery and difficult to hold on to. 

Secondly, you can use a shower sponge, puff or exfoliating glove to create a lather before rubbing it all over your body. For me, I found this method far more successful as it helped to break down the jelly properly and create a nice foamy effect to wash your body with. Finally, you can break off slabs of the jelly and use them as you would a bubble bar, placing them underneath a running tap to stimulate bubbles. I tend to use mine for this reason, as I can get 4-5 baths out of one 100g tub, which I consider to be great value for money.

Sweetie Pie, as with other Lush jellies, is rather versatile. You can keep the tub of jelly in your bathroom so it stays at room temperature, or you can put it in the freezer to enjoy a much cooler experience during those summer months. Lush also state that you can use this product to clean your hair in place of an ordinary shampoo, but I'm happy using this as nothing more than a luxurious shower soap. However, I would be interested to hear from anyone who has tried this in place of their regular shampoo.

Ultimately, this jelly has cemented itself as one of my firm favourites in Lush's range; it smells wonderful, leaves your skin feeling smooth and gently scented, and perks you up immensely. Although I'd find it easier to use The Comforter Shower Gel, as long as I have Sweetie Pie to top up my Comforter obsession, I'll be a very happy girl.

Quantitative Ingredients: Glycerine, Cherry Infusion, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Coconut Infusion, Propylene Glycol, Carrageenan Extract, Perfume, Bergamot Oil, Cassis Absolute, Cypress Oil, *Limonene, *Linalool, Snowflake Lustre, Colour 17200, Colour 42090, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes.

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Dear John Cologne Body Spray

As far as the Dear John fragrance goes, I'm a little behind with the appreciation. My first experience with it was only a matter of weeks ago when Lush re-released a soap with the same scent. Since then I have come to regret not investing in the perfume a lot sooner and have since bought myself a vial of the stuff to enjoy.

Recently Lush have brought this fragrance out in the form of a body spray, and I'm so glad that they've done so. As far as I'm aware, the company have only released a handful of sprays in total; Dear John being one of three new ones to make an appearance in the Gorilla perfume shop earlier last month. 

Described as a unisex fragrance, this one features vetivert, cedar, clove, coriander, lime, coffee and pine. It's a unique and highly pleasing smell - something I initially thought I wouldn't like but have grown to love more than I thought was possible.

In the bottle you can immediately detect three layers of scent. The first is a layer of citrus - which is not as sour or as dominating as the likes of Avobath or Calacas. It's a subtle scent that reminds me a little of lime cheesecake - a gentle but equally fruity smell. Alongside this is an element of coffee. Again, I dislike most coffee-scented products and I have no interest in drinking the stuff either. Yet in Dear John, this layer of scent adds a warm and slightly spicy aroma. Finally, I can also detect hints of the vetivert which give this perfume an earthy and smoky note.

When sprayed on the skin, I love how much the body spray expands and offers up each and every layer of this smell to the wearer. Once on the skin, the perfume almost fragments and allows you to experience each and every beautiful note. The citrus elements tend to rest on the skin whilst the pine, vetivert, coffee, tobacco, cedar and clove linger slightly above this and offer the wearer an all-rounded experience. 

Despite being comprised of some quite dominating smells, this fragrance manages to be light, uplifting and very sensual. It's a comforting and very soothing smell - something that fits in well with what the creators at Lush wanted to make. They wanted a fragrance that reminded you of your dad, your grandfather or your oldest brother - something that represents the security you feel around male acquaintances. While I cannot express how it does such a thing, I can vouch that it does create this beautiful feeling.      

What is great about Dear John Body Spray is that it's only £17 for a 200ml bottle. When compared to cheaper, shop-bought sprays, it does seem rather overpriced. However, when you consider the fact that a 10ml bottle of Dear John Perfume will set you back £14, it's easy to see why this works out a lot better value than it's fragrance counterpart. 

I will warn you that the spray comes in a glass bottle so it's not something you want to carry around with you - for fear of smashing it as well as the weight it adds to your bag. As far as the design goes, it does have quite a generous squirt to it so you'll need to be careful not to spray too much with each use.

Despite all of this, it is a well-lasting spray - I could still detect it on my skin some 3-4 hours after initial application. It also lasts a really long time - I've easily sprayed it 10-12 times so far and it's not even below the neck of the bottle yet.

If you love Dear John, you will love this new addition to the family. While it's not as condensed as the perfume, it does offer a strong fragrance and it might even appeal to those who love the scent but find the perfume too compact on the skin. I will definitely buy this again and I only hope that Lush choose to release other body sprays that match their favourite scents - they're a great addition to Lush's scent collection.

Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Cedarwood Oil (Juniperus virginiana), Vetivert Oil (Vetiveria zizanoides), Coriander Oil (Coriandrum sativum), Clove Bud Oil (Eugenia caryophyllus), Benzyl, Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Coumarin, Eugenol, Farnesol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

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Glorious Mud Body Mask

As I've said time and time again, most of my favourite products from Lush are not ones that I just assumed I'd love and did. Often, it is the products that I have no prior expectations of, only for them to blow my socks off, that remain firm favourites. This product is one such item.

Glorious Mud Body Mask is the first of it's kind that I've tried from Lush and one of only two body masks that have Lush have ever released - the other being Mask Of Magnaminty, which isn't vegan, so not one I'll be placing on my shopping list any time soon. 

Not the most prettiest of products, this solid block of mud surprised me when it exuded a gorgeous creamy vanilla fragrance - the same one that can be found in Lush's discontinued Creme Anglais Body Lotion. It's a lovely wholesome vanilla with a sprinkling of orange and a slight nuttiness from the sesame - nothing you would expect from a slab of what looks like glorified mud!

When new, this product is presented as a block that's a little softer than a soap but sturdy enough that it shouldn't break apart like mine has done. I need to explain that the pictures accompanying this review were taken of a body mask that is considerably old, which is why it's not in the best of conditions. A fresher one would be far more robust and I shall update my review and it's pictures when my fresh ones arrive. 

The product is really easy to use. Just like a body scrub, you can either massage it up and down the desired areas and then work it into your skin with your hands. You may also choose to divide this into more manageable chunks or even crumble it down into what is essentially dirt, and then lather it all over your body in this way. Unfortunately, I didn't have any choice but to do the latter as mine was so old that it couldn't retain it's shape. 

The gritty consistency really helps to scrub away excess skin, level out lumps and bumps and leave your skin smooth and soft. Lush recommend that you leave it on for a few seconds before rinsing away - leaving your body exfoliated, super-silky and highly moisturised. It's amazing what a bit of mud and a few oils can achieve! 

As this body mask contains sodium bicarbonate, I would recommend that you try and keep this away from the direct flow of water. I found that Glorious Mud tends to fizz and foam up when it comes into contact with water and I can imagine it dissolving away very quickly this way.  

The wonderful vanilla aroma is quite pronounced in the body mask and the warmth from the shower accentuates this even more. Your skin is left feeling really radiated and refreshed and smelling royally gorgeous - not to mention the fact that the fragrance lingers for hours in the bathroom and on your skin! The vanilla and sesame combination not only leaves you smelling wonderful, but helps to soften your skin while leaving the aloe vera to soothe and calm your skin as well.

I absolutely love this product - more so than I could have ever imagined. It does exactly what it claims to do and leaves you feeling spoilt but beautiful. When it was first released, this mask set you back almost £7, which isn't far off the cost of a body butter. Depending on how you choose to use this mask, Glorious Mud can last you up to ten showers, which I think makes it great value for money. 

I hope that Lush choose to bring this one back in the kitchen as well as offer other variations for the fans to try. It's a hard-working, gloriously original product that will leave a hole in my life until I am able to use it again. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Rhassoul Mud, Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Cold-Pressed Sesame Oil (Sesamum indicum), Aloe Vera Extract (Aloe barbadensis), Perfume, Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia), Myrrh Resinoid (Commiphora myrrha), Sweet Orange Oil (Citrus sinensis),Benzyl Salicylate, Coumarin, Limonene.

Vegan?: Yes.

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I Should Coco Soap

On paper, I Should Coco sounds like a dream product - a soap made up mostly of creamed coconut infusion and desiccated coconut. It took a lot of will power not to sink my teeth into it and treat it like a block of coconut ice. I cannot deny that I didn't at least give this soap a little lick to test the water, but I did refrain myself from taking a nibble.

As most Lush fans will know and recognise, the company are big on using coconut in their products. Known for it's super softening properties, not to mention it's incredible natural smell, this is an ingredient that is both versatile and highly effective at what it does. Unfortunately, it's also a fragrance that incites a rather strong reaction from most people, and if you're one of those who don't like its smell, I can guarantee that you'll hate this soap.     

I Should Coco, as I touched upon above, visually resembles a piece of coconut ice - with it's white body and pink desiccated coconut shavings on top. Much like the old-fashioned sweet, this soap also has shavings of coconut threaded throughout the entire block, which gives it quite a rough consistency. This texture makes it a rather effective exfoliator - something I'll touch upon later on in the review. 

The soap has a gentle but long-lasting fragrance - a sweet, warming scent that intensifies in the shower and makes for a very comforting experience. The addition of orange oil adds a slightly uplifting, citrus element to the scent, but it definitely doesn't upstage the coconut. There's also a hint of the coriander oil present as well, which I feel almost takes away from the creaminess of the coconut very slightly. 

In the shower, the soap lathers up fairly easily but I was disappointed to find that I Should Coco didn't perform as well as I was expecting. For a soap that is so crammed full of coconut, I was expecting the bar to produce a thick, silky foam that instantly softened my skin - something similar to the consistency of Big Shampoo or Gentle Lentil Shampoo. However, much like Porridge, this soap has so many excess pieces of 'stuff' threaded throughout it's body that it prevents it from lathering up as much as it could do. 

The hundreds of flakes of shredded coconut do make this soap a really effective exfoliator - giving it a rough consistency to scrub and soften without being too harsh on the skin. However, I found that there isn't a good balance between the amount of coconut and the amount of actual soap present. For this reason, I was only able to use this as a body scrub and not for it's intended purpose of cleaning the body. 

While it doesn't perform well as a soap, it does leave you smelling beautiful - showcasing smooth, radiant skin afterwards. It doesn't dry you out and is perfect for those with delicate skin. This is great to use on the face as well as the body as it's quite a gentil scrub so won't irritate or scratch the skin. However, I had to use a shower gel alongside this to clean myself properly with so it's not the most effective soap to use if you're using it by itself.

Overall, I really enjoyed the scent of this and in it's favour, a 100g lasts a lot longer as a scrub than most of Lush's regular body butters. However, I was hoping for a product that could cleanse as well as exfoliate and I didn't feel that this soap did this successfully.     

Quantitative Ingredients: Creamed Coconut Infusion (Cocos nucifera), Sodium Palm Kernelate, Propylene Glycol, Desiccated Coconut (Cocos nucifera), Perfume, Sodium Stearate, Titanium Dioxide, Orange Oil (Citrus dulcis), Coriander Oil (Coriandrum sativum), Vetivert Oil (Vetiveria zizanoides), Glycerine, Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Editronate,  Limonene,  Linalool, Colour 18050.

Vegan?: Yes.

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The Sun Solid Perfume

They say that cosmetics can't change a person, but I know differently. Ever since I began collecting Lush, I find that I get more pleasure out of deciding what to take on holiday with me than the actual holiday itself. On Sunday, I jetted off to beautiful, sunny Spain and I found far more excitement in choosing the products I was going to share my trip with, than that I was going away for the first time in years.

Knowing that it was going to be scorching, I opted to take a perfume that would accentuate the wonderful heat - The Sun. Originally released as a liquid perfume for the Volume 2 range, Lush have recently brought it out in solid form as well.

There are many reasons why solid perfumes are a good investment. Firstly, they are very easily to transport from place to place. They take up very little space and have no way of leaking, so can be stored in pockets, purses and bags and taken near enough anywhere. Secondly, they are great value for money. This one in particular comes in at £5 for a 12g tub, and while the weight in conjunction with the price may seem rather expensive for perfume, it's far more compact than your typical liquid fragrances so you get a lot more bang for your buck.

Finally, and this is more of personal preference, there's just something really wonderful about the packaging and designs of these solid editions. They're a great little collector's item and when bought in conjunction with others, look rather fantastic on your shelf. 

What I like about The Sun Solid Perfume is that it isn't as acidic-smelling as it's liquid counterpart. When I first tested the liquid perfume, I was a little put-off by how strong it was in the bottle. Luckily it mellows out quite a lot and I grew to love it, but the solid addition doesn't have any of those potent acidic smells to begin with.

Made from a combination of orange, sandalwood and jojoba oil, this perfume is a bright, refreshing and very uplifting fragrance. Straight from the tin it reminds me of freshly peeled oranges - it captures the tartness you experience when peeling back the layer of skin and pith from an actual orange. There's nothing synthetic about this citrus smell as all - it's as natural as you can get.

Underneath this, there is a very subtle but equally warming hint of sandalwood. This gives the orange a base on which to stand so it's not as thin and two-dimensional as you can imagine it being. The sandalwood makes more of an appearance on the skin, where it pads out the zesty scent and grounds the overall aroma. It makes the perfume just slightly more sultry and sophisticated, which I love.

To use solid perfumes, all you have to do is massage your finger over the surface of the perfume and then rub it into key areas of the body. It's much more conservative than liquid perfumes as you don't lose any of the product when you're applying it to your skin - a 12g tub would easily outlive a 100ml bottle in that sense. 

Unfortunately, the one downfall with this solid edition is that the scent is very short-lived. I applied quite a lot to both of my wrists and found that within 10-15 minutes, the smell had all but disappeared. My friends did say that they could detect the perfume on me, but they too said it was a very weak one and not something they could pick up without standing almost on top of me.

While solid perfumes are definitely a unique way to enjoy the wonderful smells of Lush, I don't think that this one will prove as enjoyable as it's liquid cousin. While the fragrance itself is flawless, I will be sticking to the liquid edition in future to get my Sun fix. While I have given it a high rating, this is because of the design, the fragrance and the usability - it's the longevity that lets it down. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Organic Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia chinensis), Castor Oil (Ricinus communis), Candelillia Wax (Euphorbia cerifera), Brazilian Orange Oil (Citrus sinensis), Perfume, Sandalwood Oil (Santalum austro-caledonicum vieill), Mimosa Absolute (Acacia decurrens), Limonene,  Linalool, Titanium Dioxide, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Tin Oxide.

Vegan?: Yes.  

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Dad's Garden Lemon Tree Body Spray

One of the benefits of not reading up on a product is that you can sometimes get the surprise of your life. While this doesn't always mean for the better, most of the time it does, and it is exciting and rewarding when it happens. This is what I experienced when trying out this body spray for the first time. 

Coinciding with another perfume in the Death, Decay and Renewal collection, Dad's Garden: Lemon Tree Body Spray is one of two scents created to play homage to Mark Constantine's father. While Dad's Garden: Chamomile and Honeysuckle Perfume bottles his ideas of loss and how to move on from tragedy, this body spray is about rediscovery and remembrance of past relationships, and how you can learn from the past to better your future. 

After his father's death, Mark was walking through his father’s garden and realised that it was possible to miss someone that you never really knew. From this revelation, Lush created a fragrance that would play tribute to the memories, thoughts and feelings of the Lush co-founder. And while most Lush fans may not have been there to witness the relationship between father and son, or indeed the trip to the infamous garden, we can all appreciate the beautiful perfume that came from the experience. 

Lemon Tree is a rather simple aroma made from a combination of lemon, lime, bergamot and lavender oil. If we were to compare this body spray to the elegant, fresh, floral aroma of Chamomile and Honeysuckle, it would pale in comparison. Yet it is it's simplicity that made me fall in love with it as much as I have done.                                                                                                                                   You only have to spray this on your skin to recognise the strong, zesty notes of both the lemon and lime - a smell that is almost identical to that of the popular Avobath Ballistic. The inclusion of bergamot compliments both of these citrus fruits and helps to cement this body spray as a fresh, sweet and wonderfully uplifting scent - it's like sunshine in a bottle. While you cannot detect the lavender that strongly at first, you do get a very subtle whiff of it when it's on the skin, and this just gives Lemon Tree a delicate herbal finish. 

In it's favour, Lemon Tree is a gorgeously uplifting zesty aroma - one that would work wonders as a 'go to' when you're coming off the beach or getting back from a long and tiring day - when you need a little something to pick you up until you hit the shower. It's bright fragrance instantly improves your mood and leaves you feeling refreshed and clean. 

While I do love the smell that this product showcases, I recognise that it's quite a one-dimensional scent so fans of the more complex fragrances may want to give this one a miss. For this reason, I can see why Lush have chosen to release this as a body spray and not a perfume - it doesn't have enough character to work as a fragrance. 

Disappointingly, this body spray has a really short lifespan and it is this reason, and this reason alone, as to why I have rated it as lowly as I have. I found that I couldn't smell this a mere five minutes after I had sprayed myself and this is rather shocking given its £18 price tag. For this reason, I will continue to enjoy my bottle of Dad's Garden Lemon Tree Body Spray but will not be investing in it again. 

Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Lemon Oil (Citrus limonum), Lime Oil (Citrus aurantifolia), Bergamot Oil (Citrus Aurantium bergamia), Lavender Oil (Lavandula angustifolia), Citral, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

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Go Green Solid Perfume

I haven't had much experience with solid perfumes - partly because they've never really appealed to me next to their liquid counterparts, but also because the ones I have tried have often been way past their best before and haven't given me the greatest of experiences. However, when I found out that Lush would be releasing this particular solid perfume through the Kitchen, I knew I had to make an exception. 

Go Green was first brought out in 2007, as both a solid perfume and a liquid body spray. Inspired by environmental activist, Rebecca Lush, this perfume plays homage to her keenness for green transportation and recycling. It's for those that need a pick me up whilst cycling too and from work in the busy traffic and commuters that need to freshen up in the sweltering heat of the city. Those of us who have perhaps become accustomed to the hustle and bustle of city life, it's a nice little reminder that there are such things as trees and fields and forests outside of our tower buildings and Starbucks cafes.  

Looking at the ingredients list, it's hard to imagine what this perfume might smell like before you've experienced it for yourself. Some people claim that it shares it's scent with Grass Shower Gel, whilst others name drop x, y and z Lush products that supposedly possess similar aromas.                                                                                                 As it happens, this perfume doesn't smell like any other Lush product I have come across. It's definitely a very 'green' smell, that much is true. However, it doesn't smell anything like the aforementioned shower gel, it's far more complex than that. It's grassy, it's herby, it's citrusy and it's damn-well delicious. 

Strangely, in the tub, this perfume seems to partition itself into two completely different smells that both stand out from each other. On the one hand, I can detect that grapefruit, vetivert, neroli and bergamot combination that gives this perfume a naturally, grassy sweetness. This keeps the fragrance quite light and uplifting and I can see why this layer of scent might attract those Grass comparisons. 

Yet on the other hand, there is also a deeper, more sensual herbal note - one that is concocted from the tarragon, oakmoss, fennel and cedar oil. This is dominated by the former ingredient and gives the perfume an almost woody, foresty element. 

Together, Go Green gives off a very natural but quite complex fragrance - one that sides slightly more on the masculine side but could just as easily be worn by females. On the skin, these two different threads of smells come together and offer the wearer a heady, long-lasting fragrance.  

What stood out for me here, is that the solid perfume left a really strong impression on my skin and whereas I would normally have to press my nose against my wrist to detect the fragrance after a few minutes, this one was strong for a good 3-4 hours. The heat of my body also encouraged the perfume to give off little bursts of green every little while and this just made me love the perfume even more.

Go Green is definitely my favourite green smell from Lush and I really hope they bring back the liquid perfume and bath bomb for me to enjoy, as I am keen to extend my experience of this fragrance. This experience has also made me appreciate the solid perfume format and I am keen to try out more variations in the near future. 

Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Grapefruit Oil, Vetivert Oil, Bergamot Oil, Tarragon Oil, Thyme Oil, Violet Leaf Absolute, Oakmoss Absolute, Neroli Oil, Indian Sandalwood Oil, Cedar Leaf Oil, Fennel Oil, Benzyl Salicylate, Citral, Eugenol, Geraniol, Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Famesol, Limonene, Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

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