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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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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Five O'Clock Whistle Shaving Smoothie

When my flatmates saw the products that were being released from the Kitchen last week, their responses were along the lines of - 'well at least you'll save your money, what use do you have with a beard wash, shaving cream and moustache wax?'. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite work that way in my world. As a wise woman once said, 'I'll damn well grow a beard if it means I am able to use these products'...

While that last quote might have actually come from my own mouth, the ideal still remains. With Lush products being so multifaceted, there is always more ways than one to use a single item; the fun comes in discovering the versatility of each and every product.

Five O'Clock Whistle is a shaving smoothie - the first of it's kind to be released from Lush. While it is predominantly designed to aid men in trimming and removing their facial hair, I didn't see any harm in using it to banish my leg hair either. 

This smoothie is packed with multiple ingredients - all especially included to give you the smoothest, most enjoyable shave of your life. With jojoba, rapeseed and coconut oil to help moisturise and nourish, extra virgin olive oil to condition and strengthen the skin and kaolin clay to cleanse and absorb excess oils, this sounds like the perfect product. 

As well as the above ingredients, this shaving companion also contains a coffee and lavender infusion, which despite being the predominant ingredient, doesn't offer much in the way of scent. It is the inclusion of both fresh lime juice and lime oil that gives this product it's dominating smell. To me, this shaving smoothie smells like a good quality chocolate lime - a strong, zesty citrus aroma that awakens your senses and makes your skin tingle. The coffee and lavender do add a very subtle note in the overall scent, but it's not enough to write home about. 

To use, simply scoop out a handful and massage it across the area you want to shave. I found that I needed a little more than a teaspoon worth for each leg and my male 'testee' needed about the same for his face. Much like most of Lush's other smoothies, this one doesn't produce a very soapy lather but it does create an oily substance that coats your legs nicely.

Five O'Clock Whistle wasn't as effective as Shave The Planet in the fact that I didn't feel as if my legs were taut enough to avoid cutting myself. While it was more effective than regular shower gel or soap, I didn't feel as protected as I normally would with this sort of product. Having said that, my male counterpart commented on how it tightened his facial skin much like a normal shaving gel would do. He was able to shave as per usual and didn't inflict any injuries on himself. 

The shaving smoothie did leave my legs and my flatmate's face feeling squeaky clean, and I was impressed at how the gorgeous lime smell permeated our skin and remained with us for a long time afterwards. However, Five O'Clock Whistle was a little drying on the skin and I felt that my legs weren't as smooth or as soft as other shaving creams have made them. My flatmate experienced the same after shaving his beard and had to moisturise afterwards as his face felt a little on the dry side. 

Overall, I am really happy that there is going to be a permanent shaving smoothie for vegans, as there is next to nothing on the Lush site that can offer the same soft of protection. Furthermore, this smoothie smells delicious and is the perfect accompaniment in those early mornings when you need something vibrant and uplifting to wake you up. However, it isn't the most moisturising product and you'll probably need to use a body lotion afterwards to replace some of the skin's oils that may have been removed. It's definitely a step in the right direction but it's not quite good enough to join my regular 'must haves'. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Coffee and Lavender Infusion, Organic Jojoba Oil, Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil, Water (Aqua), Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Almond Oil, Glycerine, Perfume, Fresh Lime Juice, Kaolin, Lime Oil, Aloe Vera Extract, Carrageenan Extract, Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Citral, Limonene.

Vegan?: Yes.

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Romance In The Stone Bath Bomb

Every so often, a product comes along that sparks an interest in me far greater than most other products usually do. Sometimes it's the look; whether it be it's unique shape, it's colour scheme or it's attention to detail on the decoration. Other times it might be the promise of an exciting scent or the way it's supposed to perform in the bath, shower or on your skin. Whether it's that high expectation that you set upon hearing about the product, or whether that product just isn't as good as it could be, there are always those moments when you feel royally let down by an unfulfilled promise. 

Romance In The Stone is probably the first product in a long while that has left me feeling confused, saddened and a little annoyed. Released during one of Lush's 2013 retro releases, it looked and sounded like something I could easily fall in love with. But things were not to be...

This is one of Lush's smaller bath bombs; a light, cream in colour with real dried rosebuds arranged and decorating each end of the product. Out of the bag, it has a wonderful fresh floral scent intertwined with a refreshing burst of citrus; created using a blend of rose and orange fragrance. This addition of the orange sets it apart from most of Lush's rose-scented ballistics, giving it a unique kick that makes it different from the likes of Rose Queen and Tisty Tosty. First impressions were good.

In the water, the rose petals and dried buds broke away from the product while it was fizzing and floated across the surface before sinking to the bottom of the tub. For those of you who dislike your baths containing any unwanted 'debris', it is easy enough to let this ballistic dissolve whilst sat in a strainer, or placed in a thin sock to stop the pieces of flower getting in your way. However, doing this will stop you from being able to collect and enjoy the sonnet that Lush have snuck inside this bath bomb, supposedly to make this bathing experience just that little bit more romantic.

Here's the problem. Firstly, I discovered that all three of my Romance In The Stone ballistics didn't work correctly. Even when I used one a mere 3-4 days after they arrived in the post, the bath bomb still plummeted to the bottom of the tub and left only a murky biege-coloured water for me to 'enjoy'. I even went out of my way to buy another bath bomb a few weeks later, thinking that I may have received one from a dodgy batch, only to discover that it did exactly the same thing. 

Secondly, if you compare the pictures of my bath bombs to the ones in the original Lush picture, mine don't possess the same allure as promised. My ballistics didn't display any of the beautiful mandarin or fuchsia colours in the flowers; instead, my roses looked wilted and old. Again, perhaps if I'd left these in a drawer for a few months this discolouration would be understandable; for a freshly made bath bomb, it's definitely not what I was expecting. 

Finally, and perhaps the worst part of this whole experience, was the horrible scent that Romance In The Stone produced when dropped into the tub. Instead of the delicate rose and orange fragrance that I was expecting, the scent that this ballistic gave off reminded me of aged pot-pourri that has gotten a little damp and begun to turn mouldy. It was an awful stale scent, which only cemented my concerns that perhaps all of my ballistics had been from a faulty batch. 

Unfortunately, I forgot to email Lush about this and never received an explanation as to why these ballistics were such poor quality. Given that most reviews I've read online about Romance In The Stone have been very positive, I've concluded that I was just unlucky with my purchase, and it's not a product fault. I really hope that Lush bring this bath bomb out again soon, as I'd love to sample another one and hopefully have a better experience this time around. However, until that happens, my opinion on this product is very negative. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Perfume, Red Rosebud, Aloe Vera Extract, Orange Blossom, Red Rose Petals, Sweet Wild Orange Oil, Sicilian Mandarin Oil, Tangerine Oil, *Citral, *Limonene, Sonnet Scroll.

Vegan?: Yes.

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Calacas Shower Gel

One thing I've never understood when it comes to Lush, is how they decide which products are to be made permanent members of their range, and which products are released as 'one-off' specials. Obviously, I'm intelligent enough to recognise that it all boils down to sales and profit, that much I understand. However, when it comes to certain items, these two factors are somewhat blurred and confusing and don't correlate with the popularity of the product. 

Calacas Shower Gel was last released as a limited edition product back in the early part of 2011, and lasted for a single day before it had completely sold out. Prior to this, the shower gel has reared it's head during various other limited edition releases around the world but never been a member of the permanent family. This confuses me greatly. 

To me, this shower gel is the greatest invention that Lush have ever come up with; the best product on the planet; an opinion that seems to be echoed by hundreds, if not thousands of Lushies around the world. 

Pre 2014 version

The shower gel possesses a beautiful uplifting lemon and lime scent - a zesty and slightly tart fragrance that reminds me of jelly beans and fruit pastille sweets. Featuring a blend of neroli essential oils and lime oil, Calacas is a sweet, fruity concoction unlike any other smell to come from Lush. No matter how many different citrus products you've tried in the past, I can guarantee that you've never smelt anything as beautiful as Calacas. 

Despite my bottle being almost three years old, the smell that hit me when opening the lid was stunning. Not only this but it's lime green appearance catches your eye immediately; a super-gorgeous and highly appealing colour that stands out above all other Lush shower gels. 

Fans who have purchased a bottle through the Lush Kitchen, will notice that although the consistency has stayed the same, the colour has changed. This new lighter, yellow-shaded shower gel is due to many fans complaining about the old design turning a funny colour and looking rather unappealing a few months after purchase. Lush have obviously reformulated the product so it won't do this - unfortunately losing the gorgeous colour that it was previously. 

Although initially released as a Halloween product, this shower gel is a perfect companion throughout the entire year. In winter - it's cheery smell awakens the senses and makes those early morning starts a little less painful; in summer, it's zesty aroma gives you a wonderful boost to start the day. 

Calacas is a thick shower gel, very similar in consistency to The Comforter or Ponche, although this one does feel slightly denser in consistency. It doesn't lather up as easily as the aforementioned, however that's not to say it doesn't work fantastically well in the shower. It lathers up nicely on a loofa, sponge or shower puff, so very little needs to be used each time, and leaves your skin feeling wonderfully soft. 

Although not as strong as the jelly of the same name, this product is a wonderful addition to anyone's bathroom and should be made a permanent member of their range. I know that fans are lucky to be able to purchase this through the kitchen, I can only hope that Lush choose to release this shower gel again, at least so I can stock up on a handful of bottles to last me through the year. I cannot rate it high enough. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Aloe Vera Gel(Aloe barbadensis), Sodium LaurethSulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, LaurylBetaine, Propylene Glycol, Perfume, Lime Oil (Citrus aurantifolia), Olibanum Oil (Boswelliacarterii), Neroli Oil (Citrus Aurantiumamara), Lactic Acid, *Citral, *Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 42090, Colour 45350, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes.

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Grease Lightning Spot Treatment

When you're a teenager, you envisage a time in the future when you'll be spot free and sporting a clear complexion. No one ever tells you that when you grow up, there's not a miracle cure that'll just stop you from breaking out when you eat too much sugar, or when the weather changes etc... Some people are blessed with an inability to get spots; for the rest of us, there's always Grease Lightning.

Grease Lightning is a gentle but powerful spot treatment gel designed to target and eradicate pesky spots, without drying out or effecting your skin in any other way. I remember when I first began 'going through the changes', I relied heavily on various spot treatments to help clear my skin up. However, what I found was that most of these commercial brands completely dried my complexion out, which then caused me to get flaky, easily-irritated patches on my chin and nose.  

Lush's answer to this was to create a gel from carrageenan seaweed, aloe vera and sea water; three ingredients that help to cleanse and moisturise the skin without stripping the skin of it's natural oils. Furthermore, Grease Lightning contains an infusion of rosemary, thyme and tea tree oil to give the gel antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that help to eradicate pesky spots and stop them from re-appearing. This face gel is tea tree scented but it's quite a light fragrance.

To use, you simply have to squeeze a small amount onto the tip of your finger and apply it to the area you want to target. The clear gel will dry and set on your skin and get to work immediately. What I love about this product, is that it's less wasteful than your average spot treatment. Rather than smearing half a bottle over your entire face, just to target an annoying cluster of spots on your nose, Grease Lightning is only used on the specific areas where it's needed. This means that for £5.95, it's great value for money as it'll last a lot longer than a £6 bottle of *insert generic product name here*.

In addition, this bottle is small and compact enough to fit perfectly in your bag, and can be used without  any cotton wool or a mirror, so can be applied throughout the day, with ease. I tend to apply this in the evenings and before I go to bed, and in the morning, my spots are always less inflamed and smaller. Within a couple of days, the offending spots have all but disappeared. 

I don't tend to use this often, as I'm lucky enough not to break out more than a couple of times a year, but I like to keep a bottle handy as it also works to quicken the healing process on cuts/inflamed areas.

Quantitative Ingredients: Thyme, Rosemary and Tea Tree Infusion, Water, Fair Trade Organic Aloe Vera Gel, Sea Water, Grape Juice, Carrageenan Extract, Lavender Oil, Witch Hazel Extract, *Limonene, Perfume, Methylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes.

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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.

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Breeze On A Sea Air Toner Spray

I'm not going to lie to you when I say that I recognise that Lush have a great deal when it comes to their toner waters. Given that the prominent ingredient in these products is water, it's no surprise that I was a little hesitant to fork out almost £9 for a 250g bottle. Although I love the company and most of what they stand for, I appreciate the fact that these products are slightly overpriced. However, through a mixture of loyalty, curiosity and no doubt stupidity, I reached into my pocket and paid the price for a bottle. 

Breeze On A Sea Air Toner Spray is a weird choice for Lush to bring back - you would assume that they would opt for their more popular bath bombs and shower gels; appealing to the masses. However, I for one am really excited that they're resurrecting lesser known items, as it means that Lush fans, new and old, get to sample products that we all assumed would never see the light of day again. 

This toner water works very much like their other ones - firstly acting as a refreshing aide for when your skin needs that 'pick me up' throughout the day. Simply spray directly onto the face and then wipe away with a cotton pad - Breeze revitalises and rejuvenates skin, leaving it feeling instantly uplifted and dirt-free. 

Featuring a blend of mineral-rich sea water and rejuvenating rosemary, this toner water also works at conditioning your skin without clogging the pores or upsetting the natural balance of your complexion. The inclusion of aloe vera gel means this toner water also has a cooling effect on your skin, making it a perfect companion for the summer months when you're looking for a little something to help keep your temperature down.

As well as toning and refreshing your skin, Breeze On A Sea Air features violet leaf, which gives the product most of it's scent and works as an antiseptic to keep your skin calm and under control. I'm lucky enough not to suffer from sensitive skin, but I did notice how gentle it felt against my face, especially when I wiped it away. 

With some toner waters, you can almost feel them stripping your face of it's natural oils, and they can leave skin parched and lifeless. However, this toner water left my face feeling wonderfully soft and radiant. Even after the initial application, my complexion was noticeably softer and smoother to touch, and it felt really hydrated, toned and with a natural glow. In fact, I would say that this product gave me better results than that of my facial moisturiser, which is why I have stopped using Enzymion for a while and plan on using this instead. If I wasn't convinced that a glorified bottle of water could make a lot of difference to my skin, I was after I had used this. 

What I found with this toner water, is that it's probably the weakest smelling one I have tried yet - I could only smell elements of the aloe vera and violet for a brief second before I couldn't detect any fragrance at all. However, in hindsight, I don't think this really matters. This product is aimed at a quick fix that relieves you and your skin during the stuffier moments of your day, whilst supporting the natural state of your skin. Having a strong, long-lasting fragrance would only clash with any perfume you may be wearing at the time, so I actually prefer the fact that it barely smells at all.

Breeze On A Sea Air Toner Spray is a perfect companion to carry with you at all times. Whether you work in a stuffy office, travel frequently or just need a pick me up during a night out, this is a product that will instantly refresh and uplift your skin, whilst rejuvenating your mindset and leaving you feeling beautiful. 

Although this is expensive for what it is, a bottle of this size will last you for at least two months, making it worth the initial cost. In hindsight, I wish I had bought a second bottle as I'm keen to take this with me when I go holidaying during the summer break. I hope that Lush choose to release this through their kitchen again as I will definitely invest in another couple of bottles to last me throughout the year. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Spring Water, Fresh Sea Water, Fair Trade Organic Aloe Vera Gel, Violet Leaf Absolute, Boronia absolute, Perfume, Methylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes.

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New Charity Pot Self-Preserving Body Lotion

A Little Bit About Lush's New Preservative Free Venture:

If there's one thing about Lush that has attracted most of it's loyal customers, it's the company's dedication to their moral and ethical standpoint. Not only do they support and encourage campaigns that educate society and promote improvement within the cosmetics industry, but they never settle for anything - they're always looking for ways to improve their practice and their products. 

Not happy that all of their products only contain a tiny percentage of harmless preservatives, Lush want to raise the bar within the industry and produce not only preservative free products, but ones that actually preserve themselves using processes that occur naturally in certain fresh ingredients.

Lush explain that it's rather simple to opt out of using preservatives in solid products as 'bacteria require water to grow and multiply', which is why most of their ballistics, bubble bars, solid shampoos etc.. have been able to make that transition quickly and effectively. However, lotions, smoothies and the few liquid hair-care products, have not been so easy to change. 

After years of testing out their ideas, the company claim to have come up with 'an innovative way to rebalance formulations', enabling other products in their range to be sold preservative free whilst still retaining most of their previous features, not to mention their long shelf lives.

Although I have tried and tested all three of the body lotions that Lush have released as part of the first wave of preservative-free goodies, I was still intrigued to sample and compare all three items next to their original counterparts.  

Review of Dream Cream:

New Charity Pot Self-Preserving Body Lotion is one of three lotions that are part of the first preservative-free overhaul. Given that I only recently used up a large pot of the original Charity Pot, it's scent and utility was fresh in my mind, so I was confident I'd be able to pick up on any differences, no matter how small. 

Renamed as 'New', I was at first a little worried that Lush had gone ahead and changed the fragrance of this product completely. Despite initial concerns, I was relieved to discover that the 'new' part is only reference to the altered ingredients list featured in the new lotion. However, that's not to say that I didn't notice a slight difference to it's scent.

To me, the self-preserving lotion has a fresher, lighter and rather more floral smell to it. Whereas before, this body lotion had a distinct chocolately smell that interlaced with the rose and geranium,now, the removal of both the almond and tagetes oils seems to have made the sweet cocoa scent somewhat disappear.

Instead, what you find with the New Charity Pot Lotion, is that it's very dominated by the floral element, and although it still carries a rich, indulgent scent to it, it's far lighter, crisper and more natural smelling than it used to be. As fragrances go, it makes a lovely smell for a lotion and I enjoyed using it very much. However, I am really glad that, as it stands right now, Lush are still producing their older Charity Pot Lotion as I definitely prefer the older scent. 

Other differences I've noticed with this lotion is that the consistency is slightly thicker, and in the pot it appears to be a pale maize yellow in colour. Despite this, the lotion works in the same way when applied to the skin. After rubbing it across my body, I was surprised to find that my skin actually absorbed it very quickly and I wasn't left with any oily smears or stickiness.  

Much like it's counterpart, the new lotion's scent lingered for hours on my skin, and whereas before it was a comforting, warm winter smell, now it's more of an uplifting, summery scent.

If Lush continue to sell the lotion in this format, I only hope that they don't try and phase out the regular Charity Pot. I say this because, although I really enjoyed the experience of this product, it's definitely not an exact replica, and for this reason, I would still want to be able to buy both lotions. 

As with all three of the self-preserving lotions, and the face and body scrub, it is early days at the moment and it's hard to say how well these products will sit with other Lush consumers. I for one, am happy that Lush have released these products because it not only shows that they're still working towards improving the cosmetics industry, but also because my experience so far has been mostly very positive. 

As with my other body lotions, I am currently unable to comment on whether the shelf life of New Charity Pot Self-Preserving Lotion has the same longevity as it's older brother. However, if my experiences so far have taught me anything, it's that Lush very seldomly offer consumers products that don't live up to expectations.

Original Charity Pot Body Lotion Review

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Fair Trade Olive Oil, Glycerine, Organic Jojoba Oil, Moringa Oil, Fair Trade Organic Colombian Cocoa Butter, Stearic Acid, Fresh Aloe Gel, Fair Trade Shea Butter, Triethanolamine, Geranium Oil, Rosewood Oil, Ylang Ylang Oil, Fair Trade Vanilla Absolute, Cetearyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Coumarin, Geraniol, Linalool, Limonene, Perfume.

Vegan?: Yes.

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Parsley Porridge Soap

The trouble I find with being a regular consumer of Lush, is that I'll often buy a new product without reading the description or browsing through the ingredients list first. Often, I'll compile a image or scent in my head that I think represents the item I've just bought, only to discover the reality is nothing like I envisaged. Such is the case with this soap.

Parsley Porridge is a rather unattractive looking product - a murky green slab of soap with specks of brown oatmeal throughout it's body. If you were to add pieces of pistachio to the mx, you'd have something very similar to the Noubar soap I reviewed last year.  

Described as being an antibacterial soap, this product is packed full of herbs and natural oils to help cleanse, soothe and heal the skin. Firstly, there's both thyme and parsley; two refreshing plants that give off a fresh and crisp fragrance that dominate a good part of the soap's fragrance; the addition of aloe vera gel and oil makes this soap soothing on the skin and gives it it's healing properties. Furthermore, it is this latter ingredient that overpowers most other smells that make up this product - if you don't like the smell of aloe vera, you'll want to avoid this soap at all costs. 

Much like Movis, this soap possesses a slightly strange consistency, different from what you'd normally expect from a soap. Parsley Porridge is rather soft to touch - squidgy between your hands to the point that it would turn into mush if you were to squeeze it too tightly. It's texture is very similar to the FUN bars that Lush offer, if not a little oiler and more compact. I wonder whether this strange texture is due to the freshness of the soap or because it's naturally this way. I hope it's the former. 

In the shower, this soap doesn't foam up that much - producing more of an oily lather like Putty For My Hands. It's easy enough to clean yourself with, and your skin does feel nice and smooth after application - just don't expect this soap to create a huge amount of lather on your shower puff.

Much like the above soap, Parsley Porridge is made from a mixture of whole oats and glycerine, which helps to create a soap that is naturally gentle on the skin. This works well for people with sensitive skin as it eradicates dry or sore areas, without removing the moisture and natural oils from your pores. Furthermore, the tea tree and aloe vera infusion helps to cool irritated skin and prevents it from breaking out. Furthermore, the oats form a delicate and natural exfoliator, which conditions your skin without being too harsh on it.  

What I liked about this soap was that it maintained it's size and shape after days of use, which suggests that this product is long-lasting and worth it's price tag. Additionally, if you happen to love this smell, you'll appreciate the fact that it lingers on your skin for a while after you've left the shower.

However, much like Putty For Your Hands, I felt that this soap would be much more suited as a hand soap, and not something I'd want to lather over my body in the shower. The fragrance was a little too 'clinical' for my liking and I felt as if I was bathing in tea tree oil, which isn't the most pleasant of smells. 

If you love Narcotic Shower Gel or anything dominated by tea tree, you'll probably love this soap, and a 100g will last you a long time. As it happens, I wasn't overly keen on Parsley Porridge, and after using my chunk as a hand soap, I won't be investing in it again.

Quantitative Ingredients: Tea Tree Infusion, Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil, Glycerine, Sorbitol, Fresh Aloe Gel, Water (Aqua), Fresh Parsley, Fine Ground Oatmeal, Thyme Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Grapefruit Oil, Tea Tree Oil, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Chloride, Chlorophyllin, Limonene, Geraniol, Farnesol, Linalool, Perfume, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide.

Vegan?: Yes.

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