The Olive Branch Body Lotion

When Lush first announced that they were going to be revamping the retro range and offering consumers a chance to purchase old and exclusive products in another format, I was overly excited. I began to conjure up ideas for new products - Ponche Body Lotion, Calacas-scented everything, Angel's Delight perfume etc... Never once did I stop to consider the possibility of some of the older, harder to find products making an appearance and stealing the show. That was until this product appeared online...

The Olive Branch family is one that I initially overlooked in the beginning - too busy searching out all of the sweet and citrus products to satisfy my cravings. However, during a family holiday, my decision to bring a small 100g bottle of the shower gel, was enough to cement my obsession with the unique and equally beautiful smell. 

When Lush announced that they would be bringing out Olive Branch Body Lotion, I was immensely happy and even more elated when four tubs of the stuff were delivered to my door a few days ago....

Originally made with cocoa butter and olive oil, I was initially skeptical and a little worried that Lush had opted to remove the latter ingredient and replace it with almond oil. However, true to Lush's form, this body lotion smells identical to the much-loved shower gel and possesses all of the many wonderful layers of fragrance that you would expect. 

This body lotion gives off a beautiful aroma of fresh mandarins, bergamot oil and vine leaves - a warm, peppery and citrus-infused fragrance unlike anything else. It is the vine leaves that dominate the smell here, giving the lotion a unique savoury element that brings the different scents together. The mandarin adds a subtle fruitiness that compliments the other ingredients and gives it an uplifting, Mediterranean scent; the bergamot oil adds a nutty, woody layer.   

Altogether, these ingredients create a body lotion to get excited about, and one that compliments not only your skin, but the warming weather as well. The addition of almond oil has somewhat altered the appearance of the body lotion, giving it a somewhat runny consistency that doesn't look far off finely blended semolina. However, the thinness of the cream means that it's really light and gentle on your skin, permeating the skin very quickly and leaving your body feeling smooth, hydrated and refreshed without any stickiness or oily residue.

To me, The Olive Branch Body Lotion is very much like Karma Kream in that it feels more like a cleanser than a lotion. Although it's not the most moisturising body lotion that Lush have offered, it does soften the skin wonderfully and leaves it's gorgeous smell on your skin for hours. 

Overtime the scent does fade and it is the nuttiness that comes through on your skin, which works wonderfully well if you're wearing a citrusy perfume at the time. It definitely doesn't have the same longevity as say Vanilla Dee-Lite or Tropical Jungle, but it does leave it's mark and makes you feel beautiful all day. 

I've gotten many compliments this weekend, something I normally only expect to get from the perfume I'm wearing. I really wish this was a regular body lotion for it would definitely be one of my must-have purchases. As it is, I am very glad I picked up multiple tubs for myself and I shall be indulging both my senses and my skin with this body lotion all throughout the summer months. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis), Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Glycerine, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine, Bergamot Oil (Citrus Aurantium bergamia), Lemon Oil (Citrus limonum), Orange Flower Absolute (Citrus Aurantium amara), Mandarin Oil (Citrus reticulata), Cetearyl Alcohol, Methyl Ionone, Lilial, Citral, Coumarin, Oakmoss Extract (Evernia prunastri) Hexylcinnamal, Citronellol, Hydroxycitronellal, Limonene, Linalool, Perfume, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes.