Snowcake Shower Gel

Lush are infamous for the unique smells and blends that they offer consumers. In fact, it was this abundance of unique scents and products that initially drew me into the addictive world of bath ballistics, massage bars and shower jellies. Snowcake Soap was one of the first products I ever tried from Lush, so when I discovered that they had released a limited edition shower gel addition of this much loved Christmas product, I knew I just had to track down a bottle to try. 

Snowcake Shower Gel is described as 'lusciously creamy and soft as snowflakes; an almond milk, skin soothing, special edition marzipan scented gel.' It really is the epitome of luxury. Unlike the soap, this edition is definitely much stronger in scent than it's older brother. Upon opening the bottle, you're immediately greeted with the creamy element of almonds, mixed in with the spicy, nuttiness of marzipan. Initially, you get the spiciness of the Cassie coming through, with hints of the balsamic essence from the Benzoin. However, once the warmth hits the shower gel, you begin to get the creamy vanilla and coconut infusions, that linger on your skin and make this a beautiful experience. It's a warm, wintery smell that you'll want to live again and again. 

Unlike the soap, the shower gel itself is a creamy colour, more beige than white. It comes out of the bottle very easily, so I would warn users not to squeeze the bottle too much when using. It's thickish in consistency and definitely an oily shower gel; it's very similar to the likes of Snow Fairy and Fruity Beauty. It lathers up very well and you can instantly feel how soft your skin is after application; the shower gel has a very silky feel to it when it's being used, and this feeling continues to stay on the skin after you've dried yourself off.

After my shower, I was left with beautifully scented skin. Despite being almost four years out of date, my bottle of Snowcake Shower Gel possessed a strong, lingering smell that remained on my skin throughout the entire day. I could smell the mixture of almonds and marzipan on my skin all day, which is a lovely, comforting fragrance. Furthermore, my skin felt really moisturised and smooth after using this product, and it helped to soften my hands and feet and rid me of the dry patches of skin caused by the miserable weather. 

To conclude; I would definitely recommend this shower gel. It has a unique scent unlike anything I've ever experienced before, and it's by far one of Lush's best shower gels. I really hope that Lush bring this back for Christmas this year as I am sad my bottle is nearly gone; it's definitely a product I would buy again. 

Quantatitive Ingredients: Almond Milk (Prunus dulcis), Water (Aqua), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Lauryl Betaine, Propylene Glycol, Perfume, Benzoin Resinoid (Styrax Benzoin), Rose Absolute (Rosa centifolia), Cassie Absolute (Acacia farnesiana), Lactic Acid, Benzyl Benzoate, Titanium Dioxide, Methylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes. 

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Noriko Soap

Despite owning close to 10kg worth of Lush soap, it has only been over the last few months that I've began to use it regularly. Being a big fan of their shower gels has meant that my collection of soap has been overlooked somewhat, especially when I'm deciding what to use in the shower, meaning that it's built up very quickly. 

Noriko Soap was at the top of my 'to try' list for two reasons; firstly, it happened to be one of my newest acquisitions, and I thought it wise to try the freshest blocks first; secondly, because I was rather intrigued with it's description, as well as it's inclusion in the Christmas 2013 range. 

First created back in 1999, this soap is named after its creator, Noriko, who was inspired to create a soap using Japanese-inspired ingredients. It's a weird sort of soap, with a very strange, almost-savoury scent to match. In fact, I find it very difficult to fully describe this scent as it's like nothing I've ever smelt before. 

What I can pick up are elements of ylang ylang, a woody floral sort of scent, which sits very subtly in the mix. Lush claim that rose absolute is also supposed to sit highly in it's fragrance, however, I could not detect this at all. There is a gentle citrus undertone here, which somewhat elevates the ylang ylang scent and is no doubt brought about by the addition of Brazilian orange oil in the ingredients list. It's a very unique scent, and one that would be best suited for those of you who don't like overpowering smells.

The soap is a creamy white in colour and is decorated with a thin slice of coloured jelly on the top. I get the impression that the jelly is to add a bit of colour to the soap as it doesn't serve any other purpose here and unlike a normal shower jelly, is quite rigid and hard in consistency. Interestingly, this soap is the first of Lush's soaps that I notice contains tofu, which supposedly helps to nourish the skin and add an overall creamy texture to the soap. 

On the positive side, this soap is very resilient in the water, which means that a 100g block lasted me a long time. It's very easy to lather up and leaves your skin feeling very smooth. Furthermore, the soap contains little bits of agar agar gel throughout each piece, which helps to exfoliate the skin and gently massage the body. It did leave my skin feeling soft and clean, without drying it out. 

Noriko leaves behind a faint floral scent, on both the skin and in the bathroom, which was very pleasant. This gentle smell is not obtrusive and can be overridden with body lotions and perfumes, without worrying there'll be a clash of smells.

The only small downside for me was that the smell wasn't to my particular tastes. In all fairness, I found it a little boring. Despite it making my skin feel wonderful and smooth, this wouldn't be enough to make me buy it again. It's an odd choice to include alongside the Christmas selection, but I'm glad I got to try it at least once.

Quantitative Ingredients: Propylene Glycol, Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil, Rice Decoction, Sake, Tofu, Water, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Agar Agar Gel, Titanium Dioxide, Perfume, Lavender Oil, Rose Absolute, Ylang Ylang Oil, Brazilian Orange Oil, Glycerine, Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Gardenia Extract, *Geraniol, *Farnesol, *Benzyl Salicylate, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Linalool, Colour 42090, Colour 14700.

Vegan?: Yes.

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The Snowman Ballistic

I'm going to hold my hands up and say that I am not one of those Lushies obsessed with the 'Butterball' fragrance. I know it's one of Lush's biggest sellers, hence why they feel the need to repackage the scent in a new product almost yearly. However, the truth is, as I mentioned in my review of the Butterball Shower Gel, the smell of cocoa butter by itself has been so overused in cosmetics (not just Lush!), that I'm pretty sick of it. By no means is it a bad smell, just not one I'm going to get excited about. So, as you can imagine, I wasn't initially bowled over by the idea of this bath bomb... 

The Snowman ballistic was released as part of the Christmas 2013 range, complete with a little extra decoration in the form of a red scarf and a nose made out of The Carrot Bubble Bar from their 2013 Easter range. On first sniff, the musky vanilla scent was very much present; in fact, I found that the smell of this ballistic was much stronger than the many Butterballs that I've had in the past, which was promising. 

Unlike the original Butterball ballistic, the Snowman is considerably smaller, so I was a little worried that it wouldn't leave as strong an impression in the tub as it's counterpart. Furthermore, I've recently found myself in a rut with Lush bombs, wherein the last few I've used have produced less than satisfactory results in the bath. Despite my initial concerns, I was pleasantly surprised with this one.

When this bath bomb hits the water, it immediately begins to fizz, releasing a stream of red and white foam that disperses throughout the water. Seconds later, little beads of what looks like oil, begin to seep from the bath bomb, most of which float on the surface, but some of which tend to spread out and rest against the edge of the tub. I found out, after some research, that this is the cocoa butter which has been included to soften the bath water and moisturise your skin whilst you're relaxing. 

After a while, the beads melt and leave an oily bath water behind, which really does moisturise and hydrate your skin. I found that I didn't have to use my normal body lotion afterwards, which was lovely. In fact, I experimented by not using my lotion the day after my bath, and was pleased to discover that my skin stayed silky-smooth, and retained a musky scent, for the entirety of the next day. However, I would pre-warn those of you who perhaps suffer from oily or greasy skin, as this is probably one of the most oleaginous baths I have ever had; I can imagine it perhaps irritating the more sensitive skin types with it's waxy consistency.  

Once it's fully dissolved, the Snowman leaves a pale and translucent red coloured water. The buttery smell of vanilla, ylang ylang and cocoa butter disperse somewhat and leave you with a subtle smell, but nothing that's too overwhelming for those of you who don't like potent scents.

Although it was a rather enjoyable bath, and it's a ballistic I would buy again, there were a couple of issues that I found. Firstly, although my dry skin basked in the oiliness of the water, I can imagine that there will be a lot of people who would find the greasy element to this bath far too overwhelming and 'clammy'. Secondly, once the water has drained away, the beads of cocoa butter leave smears around the edge of the tub, which you then have to clean up; not fun and a bit of a mood killer!

Overall, it's definitely one of the better ballistics I have used recently, and I will no doubt buy myself a couple more of these if they make a reappearance. However, it's not one that makes it into my favourite's list.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Cocoa Butter, Synthetic Musk, Ylang Ylang Oil, Glycerine, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Carbonate, Lauryl Betaine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Perfume, Colour 14700, Colour 17200, Colour 15510.

Vegan?: Yes. 

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Orange Jelly Soap

When I heard that Lush were releasing an orange-scented soap, I was so excited; alongside blackcurrant, orange has been one of my favourite smells since I was a little girl. Sometimes companies can 'overdo it' when it comes to the scents of their products; layering multiple fragrances over each other to give off a 'complex' smell, when all it really does is create a horrible heavy smell that permeates almost everything. So when I saw the simplicity of this soap's scent, I was really looking forward to testing it out.

Orange Jelly is a new soap released as part of Lush's 2013 Christmas range. Despite it not initially seeming to fit in with the Christmas theme, it does compliment many other products featured in the seasonal range; Golden Wonder, Ponche Shower Gel, Celebrate Lotion and Secret Santa are just some of the items that boast a citrusy scent, and Orange Jelly is perfect for anyone who may not like the complexity of these fragrances, and want something simple to try out. 

This soap is orange, pure and simple. It has freshly squeezed orange juice and Brazilian orange oil, both  packed with minerals, vitamins, and plenty of vitamin C, which acts as an antioxidant for the skin and will leave your skin toned, revived and resilient. Furthermore, this soap even contains fresh orange slices preserved in the top layer of jelly, and softening seaweed extract to beautify your skin even more.

What I loved about the soap is it's simplicity - it smells of fresh oranges - nothing more, nothing less. Sometimes it's lovely to appreciate a natural smell in it's natural form, something Orange Jelly does well. It's a very summery smell, which confuses me slightly as to why Lush decided to release this in the winter.However, one thing that disappointed me a little was the absence of a strong smell; with all that orange oil and juice added to make the soap, I was expecting a stronger smelling soap, at least when the soap is being used under hot water. I found that I was only able to pick up the zest of the orange, when I brought the soap close to my nose. 

Another aspect of the soap that puzzled me, was the decorative layer of jelly that featured on the top of every 100g piece. I'm guessing that it was put there just so that the soap could be given the name Orange Jelly, as it served no other purpose in the shower. I thought perhaps that you could use it to produce lather, like you would with other Lush jellies. However, I found that it was very unresponsive when I rubbed it between my hands. I'd much rather have had a slightly bigger slice of the soap, than a pointless piece of jelly on one end.

In the shower, Orange Jelly didn't do too badly at lathering up, although it produced more of an oily lather than a foam one. I found that once the soap's been used a handful of times, the lather does increase ten-fold and by the time I got halfway through the bar, it was producing lashings of soft foam to wash myself with. Furthermore, I found it best to use this before using a fruity shower gel, such as Snowshowers or Ponche, to give you that added feeling of softness.

Ultimately, this soap had a lot of potential which I don't think was quite reached here. It's a lovely idea, the scent was wonderful (when you could smell it), and it does leave your skin wonderfully smooth and gentle. However, Lush could do with making the scent stronger so that it stays on your skin longer. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Water, Propylene Glycol, Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil, Glycerine, Fresh Orange Juice, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Brazilian Orange Oil, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Colour 15510, Orange Slice.

Vegan?: Yes.

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Lush Kitchen Competition + More!

When I first heard about Lush's new Kitchen Initiative, I was really excited about the prospect of all of the new products being made available for me to try. Unfortunately, it has become a very expensive habit for someone like me, who cannot resist purchasing every single vegan product that they off. Furthermore,  Lush have made it very difficult for people outside of the UK to get their hands on these wonderful products. 

So I've decided to offer one Lush fan the chance to own some of the items that Lush have released so far as well as some samples of many others not seen in these pictures.

Up for grabs is;

-1 Sakura Bath Bomb

-1 250g bottle of Supertramp Shower Gel

-1 Piece of Mangnificent Soap

-1 100g bottle of Ponche Shower Gel

-1 Snow Fairy Sparkle Massage Bar

-1 Midnight Massage Bar

-1 Bubblegum Lip Scrub

-1 100g tub of Blue Fun

Although not included in these pictures, you will also receive samples of Lemon Melt Shower Gel, Violet Nights Bath Oil and African Paradise Body Conditioner.

All of the above products are brand new, unused and aside from the Sakura Bath Bomb and Blue FUN, are limited edition products, most of which you can no longer obtain. 

To be in with a chance to win the lot, all you have to do is leave a message (and your contact details) underneath this blog post. 

The competition will run until Friday April 18th, 9pm (English time). I will pick a winner using a random number selector so it is completely fair. Good luck!

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Satsumo Santa Ballistic

It seems that Lush are very keen on having some sort of Santa-shaped ballistic as part of their seasonal range each year. For the last three consecutive years, we've been blessed with the rather lovely and aptly named, Father Christmas. However, before this bath bomb graced our presence, there was a popular ballistic known as Satsumo Santa. 

I originally found out about this product through a friend of mine, who had been rather peeved one year when her favourite bath bomb didn't grace the shelves for the seasonal period. When it didn't make an appearance last Christmas either, she had to reside in the fact that it wasn't coming back anytime soon.

Luckily, I managed to buy a nice handful of these through eBay, and knowing how popular it was with fellow Lush fans, I was very keen to try them out myself. 

As the name suggests, Satsumo Santa looks part Santa, part Sumo wrestler, and gives off a sweet, citrus scent that reminds me somewhat of lemon sherbet. Using a mixture of mandarin oil, bergamot oil and orange blossom absolute, this ballistic is a light and refreshing addition to your bath tub, and will perk you up when you need that little extra bit of energy. As Lush state,when you're tired or worn out, 'these citrus and orange flower scents are uplifting and stress-relieving, and they’ll tone your skin too: just right.' Although it is definitely a citrus-scented product, there is a very wam undertone which is perfect for the winter season - it created a lovely atmoshphere of festive smells in my bathroom and was extremely relaxing.

Not only are these summery scents brilliant for those who want to escape the bitter weather and remind themselves of the warmth of summer, but they help to massage tight and dried up pores, and leave your skin silky soft and revitalised. The condition of your skin afterwards is probably down to the mandarin oil that the bath bomb contains - mandarin oil is a good antiseptic and it helps to purify and re-balance the skin. 

Unfortunately, when I placed my Satsumo Santa in the water, he immediately sunk to the bottom of the tub and didn't give me much of a show at all. However, this is no doubt due to the age of the ballistic. He still, very quickly, filled my bath tub with a beautiful orangey-red colour, and the sweet, mandarin scent was clearly present throughout my entire experience.

I would love to try a fresh Satsumo Santa, as I can imagine it being an even better experience than these ones, so I hope that Lush plan on bringing him back in the near future. The ballistic smells beautiful, has great effects on the skin and mood, and is great value for money. A real gem of a bath bomb.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Perfume, Propylene Glycol, Mandarin Oil, Bergamot Oil, Orange Flower Absolute, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 14700.

Vegan?: Yes

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Twinkle Bath Bomb

I've had this bath bomb tucked away for a couple of years now; it's one I completely forgot that I had. It was only recently, when I decided to sort out my Lush drawer, that I found it hidden beneath the larger ballistics. 

Lush describe the ballistic as 'compact, and delightful, - scented with our glorious Shimmy Shimmy fragrance and shimmers tastefully with golden sparkles. This is our new favourite and we don't want it to leave us..."

Released as a Christmas product, Twinkle is a smaller sized ballistic, weighing in at just under 95g. Packed full of vanilla, sage and lavender oil, this light-green bath bomb is decorated with lots of golden lustre that coats it's outer shell and makes it super sparkle.

What first attracted me to this bath bomb, is that Lush claimed it shares the scent of both American Cream and Shimmy Shimmy, the former being one of my favourite fragrances ever. Unfortunately, the scent was predominantly on the jasmine side, so I could barely recognise the American Cream reference.

Despite this, the bath bomb does soften the water slightly and leaves your skin really soft and smelling so yummy. The scent that I picked up was a slightly fizzy, fruity smell with a slight floral element - like lemonade entwined with a hint of lavender.

Furthermore, it doesn't do much in the water; mine sunk to the bottom of the tub and dissolved really quickly, turning the water a very faint shade of green, which dispersed almost as quickly as it appeared. I suspect this is partly to do with it's age, however, there are many reports that say that the fresh variety didn't do much beyond what my one did.

Overall, this is not a bath bomb that made a particularly strong impression on me, and not one I'd want to buy again.This might be better as a larger ballistic, and I would consider trialling one if Lush strengthened the scent somewhat. However, there are many superior bath bombs that I have a choice of so it's unlikely I'll use this one again.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Perfume, Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia), Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea), Lavender Oil (Lavendula hybrida) Benzoin Resinold (Styrax benzoin), Coumarin, Colour 42045, Iridescent Glitter (Polyethylene terephthalate and Acrylates copolymer.)

Vegan?: Yes.

 

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Cinders Bath Bomb

Cinders was actually the first Christmas bath ballistic I ever tried, back when I visited a Lush shop perhaps once a year at most. I remember choosing it because firstly; it smelt of cinnamon, my favourite herb, and secondly; because it happened to be the cheapest one available at the time.

Packed full of almond oil, sweet orange and cinnamon leaf, this is the perfect bath bomb for anyone wanting to experience Christmas in a bath tub. To me, it smells of the shortcrust pastry used to make homemade mince pies; of Starbucks Christmas Spice hot chocolate; of winter scented candles. It's a sweet, sugary cinnamon scent that is both comforting and uplifting.

There are always other cinnamon-scented products available from Lush at Christmas time; this year alone we had Hot Toddy Bubble Bar and Glogg Shower Gel. However, Cinders is for those people who love the smell of cinnamon but don't necessarily want the full extent of the cloves. The sweetness of this product removes the savoury element of the cinnamon and makes it just that little bit more luxurious. 

What makes this bath ballistic extra special, is that Lush have decorated the bomb with a small handful of popping candy, which gently crackles in the water and reminds you of a warming fireside. In addition, when I got out of the bath, my skin felt incredibly soft and fragrant, and this lasted for all of the following day as well. 

A negative aspect of Cinders is that, the ballistic itself, turns the water a less-than-attractive yellow colour, which was little unwelcoming. Furthermore, the water somewhat stained the edge of my bath tub and I had to scrub the yellow smears away afterwards. 

Ultimately, I love the smell of this bath bomb and, given it's size, I was really impressed with how strong the scent was and how it lingered on my skin for so long afterwards. However, it's not a bath bomb that does anything particularly amazing in the tub and could be made better if Lush were to try.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Coarse Sea Salt, Popping Candy, Perfume, Gardenia Extract, Almond Essential Oil, Sweet Orange Oil, Cinnamon Leaf Oil, *Cinnamal, *Eugenol, *Limonene, Colour 14700.

Vegan?: Yes.

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Lush Competition: Sumptuous Springtime

Today I had a wonderful walk in the sun shine and ended my day with a beautiful bath. It made me appreciate how much Lush makes me happy and I'd like to reciprocate that feeling for one of you lucky people. 

I want you guys to experience the same happiness and warmth that I do, so I've hand-picked a selection of amazing ballistics for one of you to get your hands on! Some of these bath bombs are part of Lush's current Mother's Day and Easter range, and all of them are brand new, fresh and fully-working. There's over £50 worth of stuff here!!!

Up for grabs is:

-A Secret Garden Ballistic
-A Wonder Woohoo Bubble Bar
-A Rose Bubble Bar
-An Abominable Snowman Ballistic
-A Lord of Misrule Bath Bomb
-A Cinders Bath Bomb
-A Candy Fluff Ballistic
-A Bunch of Carrots Reusable Bubble Bars
-A Star Light Star Bright Bath Melt
-A Witches' Ball Bubble Bar


To be in with this amazing chance, you have to do one or more of the following;

1. Leave a comment underneath this blog post. (Please remember to leave an email address if you're an anonymous poster as I'll have no way of contacting you if you win!)
2. Repost my competition blog entry on Tumblr.
3. Like my competition blog on Tumblr.

This is a worldwide competition so anyone can enter. You can do any or all of the above, and as many times as you like, so get re-blogging!

The competition will run until Saturday March 15th, 9pm (English time). I will pick a winner using a random number selector so it is completely fair. Good luck!

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Lush Competition - Bath Ballistics Bonanza!

It's that time again folks, when I give one of you lucky people, a chance to win a lovely selection of Lush products. Recently, I've been enjoying some rather winter-warming baths, which have made me appreciate how much they can alter and improve your mood. No matter if I've had a stressful day, these fizzies can elevate my spirits and leave me feeling pretty amazing!


I want you guys to experience the same happiness and warmth that I do, so I've hand-picked a selection of amazing ballistics for one of you to get your hands on! Most of these bath bombs are no longer available, and all of them are brand new, fresh and fully-working. There's £50 worth of stuff here!!!


 Up for grabs is:

-A Golden Wonder Ballistic
-A World Piece Ballistic 
-A So White Ballistic
-A Fizzy O' Therapy Ballistic
-A Fizzbanger Ballistic
-A Shoot For The Stars Ballistic
-A Comforter Bubble Bar
-A Star Light Star Bright Bath Melt
-A Karma Bath Melt
-A Ne Worry Pas Ballistic


To be in with this amazing chance, you have to do one or more of the following;

1. Leave a comment underneath this blog post. (Please remember to leave an email address if you're an anonymous poster as I'll have no way of contacting you if you win!)
2. Repost my competition blog entry on Tumblr.
3. Like my competition blog on Tumblr.

This is a worldwide competition so anyone can enter. You can do any or all of the above, and as many times as you like, so get re-blogging!

The competition will run until Saturday March 1st, 9pm (English time). I will pick a winner using a random number selector so it is completely fair. Good luck!

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Strawberry Santa Shower Jelly

When I think about the hundreds of cosmetics that Lush have brought out over the years, I'm surprised to realise that there have been very few Strawberry-scented products released. There are some obvious popular candidates that have strawberry as one of their key ingredients; Mrs Whippy Bath Ballistic, Strawberry Feels Forever Massage Bar and Yummy Yummy Yummy shower gel to name but a few. However, in the overall scheme of things, Lush have had many more citrus and vanilla items, than the popular berry.

I only mention this because I was recently carrying out some research on different cosmetic procedures, and learning how a product gets from the 'idea table' to the shops, and I found out that the strawberry fragrance is one of the most popular (and biggest selling) scents in the cosmetics industry.

It seems out of place then that Lush should release a product called the Strawberry Santa, a festive shower jelly that combines strawberry, coconut and vanilla to create a sweet, fruity alternative to shower gel. First released in 2009 and shaped like a Santa Claus, this red shower jelly is a light, simple-scented jelly that smells like nothing else that Lush have released.

Although this jelly has a multilayer of different scents, it is definitely the strawberry that stands out. You can pick up a slight hint of vanilla here, however, the coconut was non-existent to me. Unfortunately, this fragrance is not a fresh, natural smell that you would expect from a Lush product. Instead, what we have here is probably their most generic, synthetic-smelling product that they have released so far; it wouldn't be out of place on the shelf of a cheap cosmetics shop.

As this jelly was rather old when I purchased it (3 years old to be precise), I wonder whether it's scent has somewhat weakened due to it's age, so maybe a fresh one would possess a much stronger, natural and more defined scent. This shower jelly was also rather runny in places so I found myself using a lot more each time due to it's consistency.

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.

I've awarded this product 3/6 because, after using this, my skin did feel lovely and soft, and there was a trace of the scent on my skin which lasted for a few hours after application. Furthermore, the scent the jelly does possess is in no way a terrible smell - it's just rather generic and boring for my liking.

Overall, Strawberry Santa is a product that would work best with younger children, not adults who are perhaps looking for something a little more complex and mature. The main downside for me, was that mine seemed to have been reduced to liquid somewhat, so a 100g tub only lasted me a handful of times. If it was a more sophisticated and rich fragrant product, I would not begrudge paying that sort of money for a few luxury showers. However, when it smells as bland and uninspiring as Strawberry Santa does, I expect far more product for my money.

If Lush were to bring these out again, I may invest in one just to see whether it was age that left me disappointed, or whether it's the trait of the shower jelly. However, it's definitely not one of Lush's particularly interesting releases, and not one I'm interested in using again.

Quantitative Ingredients: Glycerine, Desiccated Coconut and Vanilla Pod infusion (Cocos nucifera and Vanilla planifolia), Spring Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Propylene Glycol, Fresh Strawberries (Fragaria vesca), Perfume, Carrageenan Extract (Chondrus crispus), Benzoin Resinoid (Styrax benzoin), Jasmine Absolute (Jasminum officinale), Geranium Oil (Pelargonium graveolens), *Cinnamal, *Linalool, Colour 14700, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes.

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