Happy 4 SAD Shower Gel

Happy 4 SAD is one of those old Lush products that I was desperate to try out, if only I could get my hands on some! As luck would have it, I managed to find a small bottle being sold on eBay late last year, and snapped it up with excitement. However, what I received left little to the imagination, so I was really excitable when Lush brought this out last week in their Kitchen. 

It was first released back in 2004, and was sold to raise awareness of SAD - Seasonal Affective disorder, which is a condition that affects some people’s mood in winter when there are fewer hours of daylight. To reflect the sentiments behind this shower gel, Happy 4 SAD uses the uplifting fragrance of oranges, grapefruit and mandarin oils to uplift your spirits and improve your mood. 

Firstly, I was rather impressed and slightly confused by the colour of this shower gel. The product's original look is a vivid purple colour, which definitely doesn't match up with the scent it gives off. Furthermore, this shower gel actually changes colour to a pale turquoise when left out in the sun, which is rather impressive, but still doesn't really represent the fragrance it possesses. 

When describing this shower gel, Lush say that they have included 'rose to restore happy feelings, uplifting, refreshing mandarin and a drop or two of the wonderful neroli, said to relieve tension and stress and give a feeling of euphoria to all who smell it. Whenever you feel the dull, dark days and long nights getting you down, get up with Happy for SAD.'

On first sniff, this shower gel reminded me of orange squash with a touch of rose; a floral, bitter citrus scent with not much else going on behind it. It was very plain and one-dimensional, and paled in comparison to the likes of Happy Hippy and Prince Charming Shower Gel. However, when using it in the shower, I found that the smell came out of it's shell a little. I was able to detect a stronger herbal element to the smell and the orange aroma intensified a little. 

Happy 4 SAD is one of the thinnest shower gels I've experienced so far, which worried me that I'd end up wasting a lot of it down the drain. However, a little goes a long way, and I found even the smallest drop lathered up wonderfully. The foam it produced was neither oily like Twilight or fluffy like The Olive Branch - instead sitting somewhere nicely in-between. 

Not surprisingly, the gentle scent didn't last long at all and by the time I had towel-dried myself down, it had completely dispersed. This was probably the most disappointing aspect of this shower gel as I can imagine enjoying it much more if the fragrance was stronger. However, I recognise the fact that this product has been designed to be a gentle companion in the shower - not something that should overpower or dominate your senses. 

Overall, I felt that Happy for SAD had a lot of potential, but there were just too many things that needed bettering in order for it to reach it's potential. Those who love gentle scents will not doubt love this, but it's not something I can get that excited over and will not be buying again. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Fresh Dove Orchid Infusion, Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Fair Trade Aloe Vera Gel, Lauryl Betaine, Propylene Glycol, Fine Sea Salt, Neroli Oil, Grapefruit Oil, Mandarin Oil, Rose Oxymel, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume, Colour 42090, Colour 17200, Methylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes.