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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Dad's Garden: Chamomile And Honeysuckle Liquid Perfume

What I love about Lush perfumes is the backstories that go into making them. There's something really special about knowing how much thought and effort has gone into producing a scent and this can sometimes sway me into appreciating a perfume more because of it. 

Dad's Garden Chamomile and Honeysuckle is an example of a fragrance that I have grown to love even more after reading what inspired the Lush team to create it in the first place. Described by the company as a 'sensitive and sophisticated' perfume, this scent is one of two that play tribute to Mark Constantine's late dad. 

This particular perfume is a beautiful yet haunting mixture of chamomile, lavender, jasmine and orange flower - a gentle yet poignant offering that represents the smells and memories that Mark has of his father's garden. I would describe this as a floral fragrance - yet it's not a typical, 'run of the mill' example.                                                                                                                                         It's clear from the get-go that chamomile is the dominating note here - a fresh, uplifting but slightly apply aroma that jumps out at you from inside the bottle. Both the jasmine and orange flower come through as well, complimenting the aroma of the chamomile and adding the natural sweetness of fresh flowers. The lavender is almost an afterthought - the final layer that brings it all together and adds a silky, sultry finishing note. It's more of a herbaceous floral aroma than a straight up flowery combination but this doesn't make it any less beautiful. 

Dad's Garden disperses quite quickly onto your skin - losing the warm, compact scent that it showcases in the bottle and instead branching out into a light, bright and rather uplifting offering. This is quite a gentle and rather pretty smell, despite all of the strong ingredients that have gone into creating the scent. 

I was expecting a rather potent floral fragrance - something along the lines of Imogen Rose, and I was pleasantly surprised that it's not at all like this. It's a sophisticated and rather youthful offering from Lush - something that I've noticed a lot when it comes to many of the perfumes in the Volume 3 collection.

While it is not one of my favourite ones from Death, Decay & Renewal, that's not to say that the fragrance isn't a wonderful addition to their perfume family. Lush have yet again been able to dispel the myth that all floral perfumes are samey and old-fashioned - Dad's Garden is both unique in it's aroma and youthful in it's deliverance. A great spring/summer scent to compliment the nicer weather.

Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Roman Chamomile Oil (Anthemis nobilis), Lavender Oil (Lavandula angustifolia), Jasmine Absolute (Jasminum grandiflorum), Orange Flower Absolute (Citrus Aurantium amara), Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Coumarin, Eugenol, Farnesol, Isoeugenol, Limonene, Linalool, Lillal, Geraniol. 

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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The Guv'ner Powdered Deodorant

As I've mentioned in previous deodorant reviews, it is very rare that I have anything bad to say about Lush. Unfortunately, when I do, it's normally to do with one of their less than effective deodorants that often seem to elevate and encourage the very problems they claim to eradicate. 

The Guv'ner is the second to last deodorant from Lush that I have left to review, and as previous experience goes, this product already starts off on uneven standing. Described by the company as a 'hardworking, absorbent deodorant powder that means business', I was expecting something a little more effective than their previous offerings.

This is one of Lush's powdered products and comes in an 80g bottle, which may make it sound rather expensive when priced at £6.25. However, you only need to use a minuscule amount each time, meaning this bottle would probably last you a good six or more months. I was using it twice a day, for almost a month, and the powder barely moved a centimetre away from the top of the bottle.  

The powder is made up of a combination of different ingredients, each bringing their unique scents and properties to the mix. This list includes charcoal, sodium bicarbonate, lavender powder and calamine powder to name just a few. 

The different powders used in this are supposed to absorb sweat and soothe skin while the essential oils keep you smelling good for the whole day. Firstly, there's charcoal powder, which absorbs moisturise and eradicates smells; the lycopodium powder helps to keep the deodorant gentle on your skin, also acting as a cooling element, alongside the patchouli, to keep you feeling fresh; the sage and patchouli are there for their wonderful aroma and also for their antiseptic and astringent qualities. These latter ingredients have been proven to shrink pores, aiding towards the ultimate goal of decreased sweating!

Much like The Greeench Powdered Deodorant, applying the deodorant proved a little difficult. I tend to pour a little on the tips of my fingers and then rub it immediately under my armpits. However, despite my best efforts, I always end up spilling excess powder on my clothes or floor, so it's a little fiddly to say the least. Furthermore, it left a dark powdery layer on my armpits, which although didn't transfer onto my clothes, did leave me feeling rather conscious; it wouldn't be a product I'd be able to wear with short sleeves.

Unlike a lot of synthetic deodorants available in shops, this one is far more natural, meaning it doesn't block off the sweat glands. Although this is definitely a positive attribute, I was also aware that The Guv' ner wouldn't protect me for as long as other anti-perspirants might have done. This fact became all the more apparent when I found myself sweating profusely at work one day and became paranoid that the sweat would permeate my top and show through. However, the deodorant does act as a great repellent of smells, and despite amassing a fair bit of sweat, I couldn't detect any bad smells coming from my body.

The Guv'ner is probably one of the better smelling deodorants, a subtle blend of vetivert, patchouli, sage and lavender. It is this latter ingredient that comes through the most here, although it's a gentle scent so won't overpower any body lotion or perfume that you wish to apply.

Overall, it's far from being a terrible product; I just don't think it's suited to me. As I said in a previous review, I know I look for Lush for solutions in all of my cosmetic needs, but as of yet, they have yet to convince me that I should move away from my regular bottle of Nivea.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Lycopodium Powder, Magnesium Trisilicate, Powdered Charcoal, Calamine Powder, Sage Powder, Lavender Powder, Perfume, Patchouli Powder, Rose Absolute, Vetivert Oil, *Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

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Karma Sutra Bath Bomb

Knowing how popular Karma is, I am really surprised that they don't have a permanent ballistic and/or shower gel featuring the scent. Given how quickly both products have sold out this week in the Kitchen, it's strange that Lush reserve these products for one-off releases. However, I was very excited to get my hands on some old incarnations of this wonderful scent - so much so that I ended up buying ten of this bath bomb alone. 

Karma Sutra was first released back in 1997/1998 and was Lush's first attempt at releasing a bath product featuring this wonderful scent. Although at first I was a little discouraged by the fact that it was a small bath bomb, I only had to peel open the box to understand why Lush have chosen to keep it this way. This bath bomb stinks! Had they chosen to increase it's size, I can imagine that even Karma fans might have found it too overwhelming. 

If like me you love the Karma scent, the strength of this product's aroma will surely be a blessing. Packed with patchouli, elemi, orange and pine, this ballistic offers the consumer a gorgeously bright and uplifting summer fragrance - an aroma reminiscent of the beautiful, easy-going sixties. It's exquisite yet equally simple and appealing -a spicy yet citrus convergence that forms a strong but light smell that'll brighten up anyone's day. 

My first impression of this bath bomb was that the scent was more in-keeping with the perfume than the bubble bar or body lotion. The patchouli is definitely at the forefront here and offers a strong, spicy and slightly woody smell; the orange sits alongside this, giving off a fresh, zesty but equally sherbety scent. Behind these two smells is an offering of pine and lemongrass, which work in perfect harmony with the patchouli to offer consumers a natural experience. Whereas the lotion and bubble bar are slightly sweeter and remind me of old fashioned cola bottles, the aroma is definitely more mature and more patchouli-orientated here. 

As I mentioned above, the fragrance of Karma Sutra is very strong and despite it's size, this bath bomb dominated the entire room with it's smell. It didn't lose any of it's fragrance when it was dissolving in the bath and remained with me a long time after the water was drained. It lingered on the skin and hair for hours after I had exited the bath and only required a single top up of perfume to see me through the day. 

Unfortunately, it's downfall is what it offers consumers in the bath. It's a fast dissolver so it will disappear a little over a minute after it has hit the water. Once   it has dissolved, you're left with a weak and rather murky looking orange colour, which dissipates quite a bit during your bath. Unlike The Enchanter, which gave consumers the amazing Calacas smell whilst offering a show in the water, this doesn't do anything that you'd want to watch. 

What I did notice was that once dissolved, there is a faint shimmer on the surface which is from the essential oils present in the bath bomb. I did find that the water was a little softer than usual but I wouldn't say it was as silky soft as one of Lush's bubble bars. 

Karma Sutra is a revitalising and refreshing bath ballistic - one that will entice avid fans and new recruits alike. It retains it's scent and does help to invigorate you before or after a long day in the sun. However, it could be made better by offering Karma fans a far more entertaining experience in the tub. Although I have awarded this product a solid five out of six, I can't help but think that it would have probably scored one mark less had it not been for the Karma element. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Perfume, Patchouli Oil, Sweet Orange Oil, Lavendin Oil, Pine Oil, Lemongrass Oil, Elemi Oil, Gardenia Extract, Citral, Limonene, Linalool, Colour 14700.

Vegan?: Yes.

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Black Pearl Shower Gel

I'm a busy busy person - sometimes I'm surprised that I've managed to keep this blog going for as long as I have. Often I'll watch, bid and order Lush items without checking more than if they're certified vegan or not. Therefore, it's only when I begin using a product that I'll discover that they share their scent with 'X' or feature particular characteristics. This is definitely not the best way to go about things, as I often fall in love with items, only to realise that they've since been discontinued. 

When I first won my bottle of Black Pearl Shower Gel, the only aspect that I knew about this product was that it was rare, and that it was obviously popular (given the insane amount I spent on making it mine!). According to the scraps of information I can find online, this shower gel was released as a limited edition a few years back for the Australian forumites only. Since poking it's head out briefly in 2010, it has never been seen since...That is until I managed to find a rare beauty floating around on eBay.

With it's gloopy consistency and ashen-grey colour, it's definitely not the most appealing of shower gels. When out of the bottle, it's colour reminds me a little of water mixed with oil; a shiny, slick-looking liquid. It's quite a thin gel, very similar to the likes of Avowash and Snowshowers. However, what it lacks in thickness, it more than makes up for in other ways. 

In the shower, Black Pearl lathers up beautifully; it's one of the most effective shower gels I've come across so far. You only need a small amount to produce a large mass of soft, creamy bubbles, helping to make this product last a lot longer than most other Lush shower gels. In fact, this 250g bottle lasted me just as long as a 500g bottle did, making it great value for money. 

This lather spreads wonderfully over your skin and leaves it feeling beautifully soft. So noticeably silky in fact, that when I first began using the product, I spent a good 30 seconds stroking one of my arms because I was so shocked about how instantly smooth it had become. 

Having recently purchased a couple of new bottles of this shower gel through the Lush Kitchen, I did notice a few differences between the old and new versions. From my old bottle, this shower gel has a gorgeous fresh berry scent to it, that stays with you long after you've finished your shower. It's fragrance reminds me of blackberries and cream; a beautiful sweet and nutty scent that smells a little bit like a smoothie.

However, my new bottles had a slightly different scent - one that was still sweet and fruity but which has a strong thread of lavender thrown in for good measure and a sprinkling of herbs as an afterthought. The overall smell is what I imagine it would be like to take Twilight Shower Gel and add a little of The Comforter.  

I know that other Lush fans have commented that they cannot detect the blackberry that I describe it as having, and it does seem odd, given that there is nothing in the ingredients list to suggest the shower gel should have a scent like what I've described. But there's just something about the aroma that reminds me of fresh blackberries, or more particular, blackberry yoghurt.

For those who love sweet-smelling products, but perhaps don't appreciate the synthetic scent of Snow Fairy, or the overly-sugary fragrance of The Comforter, this is probably a shower gel that you'll love. 

Despite it's less than appealing appearance, it's a product that I have happily stocked up on as it so unique in it's fragrance, leaves your skin looking, feeling and smelling incredible and has a pretty cool name to boot. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Sodium Alkyl Sulfate, Chamomile Infusion (Matricarja recutita), Lavender Infusion (Lavandula angustifolia), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Fine Sea Salt, Glyceryl Stearate & PEG 100 Stearate, Cocamide MEA, Glycol Cetearate, Perfume, Propylene Glycol, Lauryl Betaine, Silver Edible Lustre, Lavender Absolute (Lavandula angustfolia), Chamomile Blue Oil (Matricaria chamomilla), Olibanum Oil (Boswellia carterii), Myrrh Resinoid (Commiphora myrrha), Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis), Limonene, Linalool, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes.  

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Lifesaver Sunscreen Cream

Ever since Lush announced that they would be releasing their sun care range, there have been a number of concerns voiced about the authenticity of the products. For something as important and as potentially damaging as sun protection, I was a little worried about trying out a product that might not actually protect me from the sun. However, after the weekend proved rather wonderful, I couldn't think of a better time to see if the company could live up to my high expectations. 

Lifesaver Suncream is one of two new lotions released this summer and will set you back at a rather hefty £25 for 100g. Claiming to contain SPF factor 30, this is slightly less than the usual 50 that I would use for my pale skin, and definitely works out as more expensive than the shop brought variety. However, I was willing to overlook this if the cream turned out to be effective. 

Containing shea, cocoa and murmuru butter, this lotion already boasts an array of skin-conditioning ingredients. The latter butter in particular is known for it's softening qualities, while the shea butter helps to nourish the skin and leave it looking and feeling fully hydrated.

To make the cream even more luxurious this product contains an impressive seven different varieties of oils; sesame, coconut, avocado, lavender, neroli, rose hip and olibanum. These not only help to make the lotion really moisturising, but give the product a buttery, waxy consistency. 

All of these ingredients create a rather interesting and rather difficult fragrance to explain. To me, Lifesaver reminds me a little of Tropical Jungle Lotion - a slightly sweet but equally herbal smell. If anything, the biggest scent I picked up here is the calamine - which by itself would be rather unappealing, but with the other sweeter ingredients molds in quite well. You can also detect the neroli - which dominates the overall scent but works well with the other smells. Despite it's subtle smell, I could detect hints of the avocado oil at play and there's a slight note of sesame which gives the lotion a wonderful nuttiness.  

After it had been left to absorb onto the skin, I could detect the coconut a lot more prominently, with elements of both neroli and lavender sitting comfortably alongside this. I was pleased to find that the smell calmed down a little; whereas in the tub the product reminded me a little of bathroom cleaner, on the body it was much more pleasant. 

When massaging onto your body, the lotion gets absorbed into the skin quite quickly and you can see and feel how nourished and soft your skin feels almost immediately. However, because it's a thick lotion, your skin is left very slightly greasy and this might prove problematic for those of us who want to lounge around on the beach, without getting ourselves covered in excess sand.

The lotion has a slight beige colour to it and is noticeably quite thick. Lush suggest that you should be generous when applying this to your skin and reapply every two hours. However, given it's price tag and it's consistency, I would say that it works better if you do the exact opposite. 

Not only that, but I found that I didn't actually need to reapply it that often as Lifesaver worked it's magic and protected me for a good 9-10 hours in the sun. I cannot comment on how well this would fair if you were to go swimming once it's on your skin, but even when lounging around in direct view of the sun, I found that this lotion is strong enough to protect my skin.  

What I loved about Lifesaver is that it doubles up as both a lotion and a sun cream. I'm sure that we're all aware of how dry skin can get when exposing it to the sun for days on end, so this product offers you a way of keeping it nourished, soft and protected - all at the same time. Featuring calamine cream, which has natural sun-protective properties and aloe vera to soothe and calm the skin, this is an all-round great product to keep you company this summer.

Although it's not the most beautiful product to sniff, it does do a grand job at moisturising your body whilst protecting your skin from the sun. While I won't be making this my sole sun cream, I will use this again to protect myself throughout the summer. I do suggest that you try it out for yourself but please take care when doing so - what works for me may not work for you, and the last thing I would want to do is damage your skin!

Quantitative Ingredients: Eucalyptus and mint infusion, Calamine Powder, Octocrylene, Octylmethoxycinnamate (Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate), Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Sesame Oil, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Rose Hip Oil, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Glycerine, Stearic Acid, Organic Agave Syrup, Fair Trade Shea Butter, Murumuru Butter, Organic Avocado Oil, Fresh Orange Juice, Triethanolamine, Olibanum Oil, Neroli Oil, French Lavender Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Geraniol, Linalool, Limonene.

Vegan?: Yes.

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Imperialis Facial Moisturiser

I'm always wary when trying out new facial moisturisers, just because I know how temperamental my skin can be. Even the slightest change in temperature can make my nose greasy or cause my chin to break out in spots. So committing myself to using a lotion on my skin for three months, not knowing how my face will react, makes me rather nervous.

Imperialis is the second to last vegan facial moisturiser left for me try from Lush's range. This product claims to be suitable for all skin types and is supposedly 'great for skins that can't make up their minds', which is exactly how I'd describe my face. 

One aspect of this moisturiser that I appreciate, is that it is quite a light face cream, similar in consistency to Almond Kisses and Celestial. Before I discovered facial moisturisers, I would always use a normal body lotion on my face, and would hate how heavy and cloying it felt against my skin. I know the best way to start the day is by refreshing my face with something hydrating and gentle, so this product bodes well with my routine. 

Infused with an array of different ingredients, this product owes is scent to the mixture of elderflower, lavender, mullein, St John's wort, sweet violet and sunflower extracts that feature in it. All of these wonderful natural, earthy plants have been used for centuries to restore, revive and replenish skin across the ages, so Lush saw it as reason enough to feature them all here. Why fix something that isn't broke, right?

I find Imperialis' scent hard to describe. To me, I can pick out a subtle blossom scent with elements of both lily and orange, all of which intensify when massaged into the skin. The lillies also act as a firming agent alongside the lavender, whose scent I cannot detect in the mix. Lush then use a mixture of olive oil, shea butter and cocoa butter, to act as emulsifiers, helping to thoroughly nourish and moisturise the skin.

This product doesn’t leave a heavy residue behind and is quickly absorbed into the skin, so is great to use as a base for your foundation or concealer. I tend to use this after each and every shower, applying it onto my face after I've used 9 to 5 Cleansing Lotion to cleanse my pores. It leaves my skin wonderfully soft and doesn't leave behind any strong lingering smell that may interfere with your perfume or body lotion.

I would definitely use this again as I found that after a week or so, my skin felt really radiant and soft. Across the three months that it took to finish a tub of Imperialis, I found that I rarely broke out in spots and my face remained smooth even on the days when I forgot to use it first thing in the morning. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Lavender Flower Infusion, Mullein Leaf Infusion, Orange Blossom Water, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Stearic Acid, Shea Butter, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Glycerine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Orange Flower Absolute, Brunello Lily Petals, St. John's Wort Extract, Elderflower Extract, Sweet Violet Extract, Sunflower Petal Extract, Alkanet Extract, Triethanolamine, 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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Bada Bing Bada Boom Shower Jelly

If there was ever a product that sold itself on name alone, this would be the one. Ever since Lush announced that this shower jelly was going to be one of their Kitchen releases, I have annoyed everyone around me by inserting it's title into almost every sentence that comes out of my mouth. It's seriously catchy!

However, my enthusiasm was short lived when I realised that Bada Bing Bada Boom Shower Jelly is just another name for The Joy Of Jelly; a product that didn't win my heart over at all. Having carried out a little research, I found out that Lush decided to revamp Joy of Jelly a few years after it had first made it's appearance. They changed it's appearance and gave it a far catchier name. The rest, as they say, is history. 

In all fairness, Bada Bing Bada Boom is a lot more visually stunning - sporting a beautiful deep shade of red - reminiscent of the red wine that features as a key ingredient in the product. At first, I thought that Lush had also included little specks of gold lustre as the jelly has a slight glimmer that seems to reflect the light. However, on closer inspection I realised that the shimmer is caused by thousands of tiny bubbles that pass right through the jelly. 

As well as wine, this jelly offers both a herbal and a floral element to it's aroma. Firstly, Bada Bing features thyme and sage; both of which build a subtle aromatic layer that nestles itself alongside the other key ingredients. Secondly, and most prominently, this jelly has a combination of rose, lavender and jasmine. These three ingredients make up the strongest part of the scent and give this jelly a rather heady, unique floral smell. Finally, the inclusion of white wine vinegar adds a slight savoury-sweet after-thought that wraps all of the smells together. If you're worried about the red wine, as I was, you'll be happy to know that you can detect elements of it's scent in the mix, but it's not at all pungent or overpowering. 

Together, these ingredients make for an interesting fragrance, and one that I'm not very keen on. Lush describe it as being sexy and alluring, and I can imagine why some people would think this about it. However, I find the aroma a little strange and not one that has any redeeming features. On their own, I enjoy each and every one of the scents that have gone into creating this jelly. However, when combined, they give off a rather odd aroma that doesn't really do much for me. 

Although I'm not keen on it's scent, I cannot deny that Bada Bing Bada Boom Shower Jelly does lather up well in the shower. If you enjoy it's fragrance, you'll be pleased to know that it intensifies somewhat when exposed to the hot water and it does tend to linger on your skin for a long time after use. The shower jelly also lathers up really nicely and is amazingly moisturising; something we can thank the inclusion of the seaweed for. It did leave my skin feeling super clean and not at all dry like a lot of other shower products I have used in the past.    

This is obviously a popular product, hence why Lush have chosen to bring it back through their Kitchen. Fans of Sex Bomb will no doubt want to check this out, as it does share it's scent with the popular bath bomb. However, it's not one that appeals to me or my senses. For this reason, I would not choose to buy it again.

Quantitative Ingredients: Glycerine, Red Wine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Propylene Glycol, Thyme, Rose petal and Lavender infusion, Rose Petal Infusion, Carrageenan Extract, Perfume, Jasmine Absolute, Clary Sage Oil, Ylang Ylang Oil, Synthetic Musk, White Wine Vinegar, Lilial, Linalool, Limonene, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes.

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