Alkmaar Soap

Much like the Whoosh Temple Balm, this is a product that I had to do a little research on before buying myself a slice online. The reason for this was because when this soap made an appearance in one of the retro rounds in 2013, it was not advertised as being vegan, yet there was nothing obvious in the ingredients list that warranted it not to be. Although I am still unsure about whether or not it is suitable, I have seen it advertised as so on many other websites I have visited so until I find out otherwise, I will just assume that it is. 

Alkmaar Soap is one of those Lush products that gets overlooked a lot - even I wasn't initially enamoured with it when it first appeared online. The reason for this is obvious - much like 17 Cherry Tree Lane, it's as boring as a piece of soap can get. 

However, some of the least attractive cosmetics have become some of my all-time favourite products; just like some of the most beautiful items have given me some of the most disappointing experiences. I wasn't going to judge the soap's merits by it's appearance.

Sharing it's scent with the Silky Underwear family, you'll find this fragrance in Lush's popular but now discontinued Fairy Jasmine Ballistic and Turbo Bubble Bar. If you enjoy this smell, you can still purchase the Silky Underwear Dusting Powder, which is a regular member of the range.

Described by Lush as a 'sensually scented' soap, Alkmaar gives off a subtle but complex combination of jasmine, vetivert and honeysuckle - a wonderful feminine aroma that offers floral fans a beautifully unique fragrance. Fans of jasmine will appreciate the heady aroma that this ingredient gives to the soap - it's definitely the most dominating smell here. 

In the shower, the soap is fairly easy to foam up - producing a thick and creamy lather that spreads easily over the skin. Unlike other Lush soaps, the scent of this one doesn't intensify under running water - yet at the same time, it doesn't disperse at all, so you can enjoy the fragrance throughout the entire experience.                                                                         As it's such a subtle smell, this one may linger on your skin but it's too weak to notice. Despite this, I could still detect a gentle presence of Alkmaar in the bathroom for a few hours after use, which was lovely. 

Unfortunately, I did find that this soap left my skin very slightly dry - nothing that would be a major problem but I definitely had to moisturise after use otherwise I would have developed dry patches across my body. 

Alkmaar is a rather sturdy soap which means that it will last a very long time. A 100g block lasted me a little over two months, which I consider to be great value for money for a piece of that size. I wouldn't use this again in place of a shower gel, but I think this would make a good hand soap and I would be tempted to buy myself a couple of pieces next time it makes an appearance. 

Overall, this is a lovely soap. It has a beautiful classy and rather elegant fragrance that adds a special touch to your shower. However, it didn't work with my skin as well as other Lush soaps have done in the past. I would love to see this made into a shower gel or jelly as these formats are much more appealing to me and would allow me to appreciate the scent.

Quantitative Ingredients: Honeysuckle Infusion (Lonicera caprifolium), Amaranth Infusion (Amaranthus hypochondriacus), Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Titanium Dioxide, Perfume, Glycerine, Jasmine Absolute (Jasminum officinale), Vetivert Oil (Vetiveria zizanoides), Styrax Resinoid (Storax), Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Editronate.

Vegan?: Yes.

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Strawberry Boat Fresh Smoothie

If I'm going to be honest, I don't think Lush have yet to perfect the strawberry fragrance. While their use of the fruit in the American Cream, Yummy Yummy Yummy and Strawberry Twin Tub scents have yielded incredibly sexy variations, nothing has yet to come close to the fresh, non-synthetic beauty that is the natural strawberry aroma. 

Strawberry Boat Smoothie was supposed to be the product that blew my theory out of the water. While it didn't achieve this, it did offer me another strawberry-scented product that I could enjoy - one extracted from the Lush vaults of the late 1990s. 

This smoothie was originally designed to scrub, exfoliate and smoothen out lines, creases and the wobbly bits on your body - which is why the product doesn't specifically detail where you should apply this. For this reason, I have used this on both my body and my face, and have yielded great results from both experiments. 

Packed full of strawberries, this magical fruit is rich in antioxidants and minerals which add vibrancy to your skin and leaves it feeling clean, clear and refreshed. This is combined with both fresh ginger root and ginger oil which not only add to the overall smell of the product and gives it a slightly spicy fragrance, but also supports circulation around the body and makes you feel warmer and more relaxed.

Strawberry Boat Fresh Smoothie smells a little like strawberry greek yoghurt - it has a slight sourness to it that I pick up even more when it is on my skin. It also has a gentle powdery fruitiness to it much like Yummy Yummy Yummy has, yet it doesn't share the same strawberry scent. To round it off, there's a sprinkling of ginger, which sort of lingers underneath the strawberry and gives the smoothie a very subtle spiciness. 

Ground rice gives this smoothie a very odd consistency unlike anything else I've yet to try from Lush. The product is rather thick and gritty in consistency - a little like smooth peanut butter mixed with semolina powder. I supposed it compares a little to Cupcake Fresh Face Mask but it's not exactly like this. On top of each smoothie is a decoration of sago - a starch derived from the pith of the sago palm that has been turned into small grains that are similar in look and feel as tapioca. These help to give you a good all-rounded exfoliation without being too aggressive on the skin.   

In the shower, this product does really well at lathering over your skin. It doesn't produce any foam - working like a body butter in this way. However, you only need very little as it coats your body with ease. After it has been washed off, it leaves its gentle fragrance on you for a while. In the shower this scent is a little floury - it smells of strawberries and baked oats. Unfortunately, I found that the scent it leaves on your skin after you've left the sower is reminiscent of soured milk so I didn't enjoy this aspect of the product. In fact, the smell I could pick up off my skin reminded me a little of when I used Coco Lotion, with disastrous effects!

Strawberry Boat leaves you skin feeling really clean and soft. It doesn't feel incredible moisturised like I would expect from buttercreams and body butters,  but the effect it has is not unlike the feeling you get when using a good-quality shower gel. 

This is a lovely product that makes a great addition to your shower experiences. It only needs to be used 2-3 times a week so a 75g pot should last you a while. It does need to be kept in the fridge between uses and it only has a four week shelf life which is a shame as you won't be able to store these before they leave the kitchen. I'm really glad that Lush brought this back for fans to try and I hope to see more of these wonderful products making an appearance soon. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Ground Rice, Almond Oil, Fresh Strawberries, Glycerine, Sago, Fine Sea Salt, Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil, Fresh Ginger Root, Ginger Oil, Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Citronellol, Linalool, Perfume.

Vegan?: Yes.

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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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I Should Coco Soap

On paper, I Should Coco sounds like a dream product - a soap made up mostly of creamed coconut infusion and desiccated coconut. It took a lot of will power not to sink my teeth into it and treat it like a block of coconut ice. I cannot deny that I didn't at least give this soap a little lick to test the water, but I did refrain myself from taking a nibble.

As most Lush fans will know and recognise, the company are big on using coconut in their products. Known for it's super softening properties, not to mention it's incredible natural smell, this is an ingredient that is both versatile and highly effective at what it does. Unfortunately, it's also a fragrance that incites a rather strong reaction from most people, and if you're one of those who don't like its smell, I can guarantee that you'll hate this soap.     

I Should Coco, as I touched upon above, visually resembles a piece of coconut ice - with it's white body and pink desiccated coconut shavings on top. Much like the old-fashioned sweet, this soap also has shavings of coconut threaded throughout the entire block, which gives it quite a rough consistency. This texture makes it a rather effective exfoliator - something I'll touch upon later on in the review. 

The soap has a gentle but long-lasting fragrance - a sweet, warming scent that intensifies in the shower and makes for a very comforting experience. The addition of orange oil adds a slightly uplifting, citrus element to the scent, but it definitely doesn't upstage the coconut. There's also a hint of the coriander oil present as well, which I feel almost takes away from the creaminess of the coconut very slightly. 

In the shower, the soap lathers up fairly easily but I was disappointed to find that I Should Coco didn't perform as well as I was expecting. For a soap that is so crammed full of coconut, I was expecting the bar to produce a thick, silky foam that instantly softened my skin - something similar to the consistency of Big Shampoo or Gentle Lentil Shampoo. However, much like Porridge, this soap has so many excess pieces of 'stuff' threaded throughout it's body that it prevents it from lathering up as much as it could do. 

The hundreds of flakes of shredded coconut do make this soap a really effective exfoliator - giving it a rough consistency to scrub and soften without being too harsh on the skin. However, I found that there isn't a good balance between the amount of coconut and the amount of actual soap present. For this reason, I was only able to use this as a body scrub and not for it's intended purpose of cleaning the body. 

While it doesn't perform well as a soap, it does leave you smelling beautiful - showcasing smooth, radiant skin afterwards. It doesn't dry you out and is perfect for those with delicate skin. This is great to use on the face as well as the body as it's quite a gentil scrub so won't irritate or scratch the skin. However, I had to use a shower gel alongside this to clean myself properly with so it's not the most effective soap to use if you're using it by itself.

Overall, I really enjoyed the scent of this and in it's favour, a 100g lasts a lot longer as a scrub than most of Lush's regular body butters. However, I was hoping for a product that could cleanse as well as exfoliate and I didn't feel that this soap did this successfully.     

Quantitative Ingredients: Creamed Coconut Infusion (Cocos nucifera), Sodium Palm Kernelate, Propylene Glycol, Desiccated Coconut (Cocos nucifera), Perfume, Sodium Stearate, Titanium Dioxide, Orange Oil (Citrus dulcis), Coriander Oil (Coriandrum sativum), Vetivert Oil (Vetiveria zizanoides), Glycerine, Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Editronate,  Limonene,  Linalool, Colour 18050.

Vegan?: Yes.

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Go Green Solid Perfume

I haven't had much experience with solid perfumes - partly because they've never really appealed to me next to their liquid counterparts, but also because the ones I have tried have often been way past their best before and haven't given me the greatest of experiences. However, when I found out that Lush would be releasing this particular solid perfume through the Kitchen, I knew I had to make an exception. 

Go Green was first brought out in 2007, as both a solid perfume and a liquid body spray. Inspired by environmental activist, Rebecca Lush, this perfume plays homage to her keenness for green transportation and recycling. It's for those that need a pick me up whilst cycling too and from work in the busy traffic and commuters that need to freshen up in the sweltering heat of the city. Those of us who have perhaps become accustomed to the hustle and bustle of city life, it's a nice little reminder that there are such things as trees and fields and forests outside of our tower buildings and Starbucks cafes.  

Looking at the ingredients list, it's hard to imagine what this perfume might smell like before you've experienced it for yourself. Some people claim that it shares it's scent with Grass Shower Gel, whilst others name drop x, y and z Lush products that supposedly possess similar aromas.                                                                                                 As it happens, this perfume doesn't smell like any other Lush product I have come across. It's definitely a very 'green' smell, that much is true. However, it doesn't smell anything like the aforementioned shower gel, it's far more complex than that. It's grassy, it's herby, it's citrusy and it's damn-well delicious. 

Strangely, in the tub, this perfume seems to partition itself into two completely different smells that both stand out from each other. On the one hand, I can detect that grapefruit, vetivert, neroli and bergamot combination that gives this perfume a naturally, grassy sweetness. This keeps the fragrance quite light and uplifting and I can see why this layer of scent might attract those Grass comparisons. 

Yet on the other hand, there is also a deeper, more sensual herbal note - one that is concocted from the tarragon, oakmoss, fennel and cedar oil. This is dominated by the former ingredient and gives the perfume an almost woody, foresty element. 

Together, Go Green gives off a very natural but quite complex fragrance - one that sides slightly more on the masculine side but could just as easily be worn by females. On the skin, these two different threads of smells come together and offer the wearer a heady, long-lasting fragrance.  

What stood out for me here, is that the solid perfume left a really strong impression on my skin and whereas I would normally have to press my nose against my wrist to detect the fragrance after a few minutes, this one was strong for a good 3-4 hours. The heat of my body also encouraged the perfume to give off little bursts of green every little while and this just made me love the perfume even more.

Go Green is definitely my favourite green smell from Lush and I really hope they bring back the liquid perfume and bath bomb for me to enjoy, as I am keen to extend my experience of this fragrance. This experience has also made me appreciate the solid perfume format and I am keen to try out more variations in the near future. 

Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Grapefruit Oil, Vetivert Oil, Bergamot Oil, Tarragon Oil, Thyme Oil, Violet Leaf Absolute, Oakmoss Absolute, Neroli Oil, Indian Sandalwood Oil, Cedar Leaf Oil, Fennel Oil, Benzyl Salicylate, Citral, Eugenol, Geraniol, Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Famesol, Limonene, Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

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Tuca Tuca Massage Bar

It wasn't until I accidentally purchased the Tuca Tuca Liquid Perfume one day, that I realised that particular fragrances are interlaced with stories and memories of my childhood. Neither did I realise until I fell in love with the perfume, how much I love and pine for violet-scented products, and how this is probably the most prominent scent of my youth. 

When I found out that Lush would be re-releasing their Tuca-scented massage bar, I could not contain myself and I ended up spending a good ten minutes basking in the aroma of the perfume - imagining what it would be like to smear the violet goodness all over myself. 

When this massage bar arrived, I was a little disappointed to discover that it's a lot smaller than every other massage bar I have tried from Lush so far. It's circumference is probably the same size as a face mask pot, with a depth of about 1.5cm. Needless to say, I was less than impressed, especially given the £7.95 price tag. 

However, my heart was soon won over as I lifted the bar from the Lush box and was greeted by a gorgeous, seductive and seriously sexy aroma. This product smells identical to that of it's perfume counterpart, so if you like Tuca Tuca, you'll need to get your greedy mitts on one (or ten) of these. 

Made from a combination of cassie, vanilla, sandalwood, vetivert, violet leaf and ylang ylang oil, this massage bar is a sensual, sweet and flirty fragrance dominated by the vanilla and violet. It smells exactly like the parma violet sweets I used to eat when I was little, except that this fragrance is far more exquisite and complex than that. Laced throughout the fragrance is the sandalwood to pad out the scent and give it depth, ylang ylang and rose to add subtle elements of floral and vanilla absolute to add a warm, comforting and overall musky aroma.

Much like all of Lush's other massage bars, this one has a ton of wonderful ingredients to give your skin a feast; cocoa butter and shea butter are both present to help moisturise and remove dry, scaly skin; oils such as vetivert and sandalwood alter and improve your mood so you can de-stress whilst using the bar. Lush have then chosen a refined, sexy violet scent that will linger on the body long after your massage has ended, ensuring you feel and smell divine throughout the day. 

What I loved about Tuca Tuca is that it offers a balance between being generous with it's oils but not being wasteful with them either. The bar melts fairly easily, so I found it straightforward to use when massaging across my skin, yet it doesn't produce an abundance of oils at any one time so you don't have to worry that you'll overdo it and waste any of the liquid. 

It disperses into your skin fairly quickly so you won't be left with sticky, greasy skin - yet it leaves your arms feeling really nourished and soft. I couldn't stop marvelling at how smooth and radiant my arms and legs felt after using this massage bar. The icing on the cake was the fact that the gorgeous scent stayed on my skin all day and into the night - I didn't have to top up once.

As the bar was perfectly designed, I found that I used very little each time, so despite it's small size, I can see this lasting me almost as long as a normal size massage bar would. I can see me getting a good 10-12 full body massages out of this product and I think that makes it good value for money.

This is one of my favourite massage bars from Lush (as I thought it would be) and I think the company would benefit from making this a regular product. None of Lush's other bars have a scent close to or like Tuca Tuca and I think their range is crying out to feature a product such as this. I hope I don't have to wait another couple of years for it to show it's face again as this is now one of the staple items in my daily routine. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter, Perfume, Fresh Rose Petal Extract, Cassie Absolute, Vanilla Absolute, Sandalwood Oil, Vetivert Oil, Violet Leaf Absolute, Ylang Ylang Oil, Benzyl Salicylate, Cinnamal, Coumarin, Eugenol, Geraniol, Benzyl Benzoate, Farnesol, Limonene, Linalool, Methyl Ionone, Titanium Dioxide, Colour 77019, Colour 77007.

Vegan?: Yes.

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Start of Summer Competition Winner Announced!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered my competition - I still cannot get over the lovely comments you guys leave me - I'm very flattered. 

Once again I have selected the winner using a random number generator;

Well done to an anonymous entry (sweetestthing1031@gmail.com) for being the lucky winner of all of these amazing goodies!

I will send out instructions on how to claim your prize. For all of those not lucky this time around, I have another amazing Lush Competition sorted which I will reveal when I get back from holiday next week. Keep checking back for more information!

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Scentenary Soap

It is thanks to Lush that I no longer associate the smell of rose with that over-used and rather pungent aroma; one that seems to accompany a lot of cheap gift sets and cosmetics you find on the high street. The day that I acquired a bottle of Rose Jam for the first time, was a turning point for my tastebuds. 

Scentenary Soap is a rare gem that I managed to pick up last year, and features the same scent as the above shower gel. First released in 2011, this soap was sold in limited amounts as a celebration for Lush opening their 100th UK store. The soap also made a reappearance near the start of 2013, when Lush Canada offered it up as one of their special guests at their Chat Party. 

Despite the fact that the two aforementioned products only make a fleeting visit on Lush's website, if you're a fan of this fragrance, you can pick up the Rose Jam Bubbleroon and Ro Argan's Body Conditioner - both of which possess the same smell. If you're lucky enough, you may even be able to pick up a bottle of their Rose Jam Perfume, which has made many an appearance during their Forum Special releases in November. 

Firstly, Scentenary gives off a strong but equally soft fragrance. Made up mostly of the rose oil and rose absolute that features in the soap, the scent has a naturally sweet element to it that makes it far more accessible and non-overpowering than the more 'powdery' smelling rose cosmetics in their range. Much like the shower gel, this soap also features a note of lemon, which helps to give it it's beautiful, uplifting aroma without taking away from it's floral element.  

Together, these ingredients layer together wonderfully and offer a bright, youthful smell that stays with you long after you leave the shower. As with other Rose Jam scented products, this soap smells a little like freshly made turkish delight, and whether or not you like rose-dominated cosmetics, I would definitely recommend you give this one a try - you may just find you love it!  

Just as Lush claim, this soap products a rich, creamy lather that doesn't need a lot of coaxing to come out. I chose to massage this between my hands and then smother across my body, and I found that I didn't need to use the bar that long before I had a surplus amount of soapy suds to clean myself with. The effectiveness of the soap meant that this bar lasted me a long time - as long as five weeks, and this was with me using a 100g chunk an average of 1-2 times daily.

With the addition of essential oils to moisturise, smoothen and cleanse, I was expecting Scentenary to leave my skin feeling radiant and nourished. Unfortunately, the soap did dry my skin out a little, and where I had massaged it between my palms, I found that my skin felt slightly taut after a single use. It was not as drying as a lot of other soaps I have tried, but neither did it leave my skin as soft as most shower gels do. 

On the positive side, this soap showcases a beautiful aroma and it'll linger on your skin for a long time after application. You can then use the perfume to top up this smell throughout the day. It also made my bathroom smell gorgeous the whole time the soap was in action - making those early mornings just that little bit more bearable. 

Unfortunately, it didn't work well with my skin and I had to rely on the shower gel to hydrate and soften myself. I can imagine, with the right person, this soap would work wonders. However, it's not a product that I would use again. 

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Aura Suavis Shower Gel

Aura Suavis is somewhat of a legend amongst Lush fans; it seems to be one of those products that made a big impression when it was initially released in 2007 as a forum special. Ever since it reared it's head some seven year ago, many new and existing fans have awaited with bated breath; hoping that it will be brought back for them to enjoy once again. 

Over the years, it has popped up again, mostly at Lush conventions and places where most Lush fans are unable to get to. For this reason, I felt incredibly lucky to win a brand new, seemingly fresh bottle, during an eBay forage back at the start of 2013. 

What immediately grabbed me about this shower gel, is the lack of ingredients featured to make this rather lovely smelling product; it probably has one of the shortest lists I've seen from Lush yet, which is rather intriguing to see. Although, what it is made from, is not as natural as it could be, it's nice to know that I can wash myself with something that hasn't got a hundred synthetic ingredients to give it it's smell or consistency.

To me, this shower gel smells of the thin layer of 'fruit' you find on top of an average cheesecake - that thin, often-gelitan made part with pureed fruit and sugar. This one in particular, smells like the lemon variation, with just a slight sourness that you would expect from fresh fruit. Underneath this, is a subtle herby element that smells of coriander and sage. This is very low in the mix so doesn't detract from the shower gel's fruitiness. To finish up, there's also the fresh kick of the spearmint, which is not overpowering at all, but does add that sharp element to the fragrance. 

Overall, these three different scents came together wonderfully and produced a fresh, invigorating, yet sweet and zesty shower gel; great for those early morning calls. It's a unique and uplifting smell unlike anything else that Lush have ever produced. 

Aside from it's scent, Aura Suavis has been carefully concocted to help balance and mellow your 'aura', hence the name. Lush explain that 'there's clary sage to help you see things in perspective and enhance your inner perception, and we have coriander, named the spice of happiness by the Ancient Egyptians. Spearmint is used to refresh a tired mind, and geranium wakes you up and lifts the spirits'.

Made with many different essential oils, this shower gel is gentle on the skin, and leaves you feeling moisturised, clean and smelling wonderful. It's oily in consistency, a little bit like Tramp Shower Gel, so doesn't produce so much as a foam, as it does a soapy lather. 

However, when using this, I really felt like I was exposing my body to a little luxury, and was rather sad when the bottle came to an end. It did calm me, making me feel more relaxed, although it also strangely woke me up as well. I would very much like to invest in another bottle of this in the near future, and hope Lush bring it back soon.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Perfume, Clary Sage Oil, Geranium Oil, Spearmint Oil, Gardenia Extract, Colour.

Vegan?: Yes.

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Vanilla In The Mist Soap

It is thanks to Lush that I am so heavily into vanilla-scented bath and shower products. Before I discovered the company, I was bored of the synthetic vanilla smells that encompass the majority of high street brands. So you can imagine how I reacted when sniffing Vanillary for the first time - I was hooked. 

Fast forward a year and it is then that I have my first experience with Gentle Lentil Shampoo - a product that completely changed my opinion on solid haircare and one which has cemented itself as one of my all-time favourite Lush products. So when I heard about Vanilla In The Mist Soap, I thought I was about to stumble on another pot of gold. Unfortunately, it was not to be.

Vanilla In The Mist is in fact a vanilla and coffee scented soap, and although I dislike drinking the popular beverage, I do normally enjoy the inclusion of coffee in other products. This particular soap contains real vanilla pods which have been dried and crushed to coax out as strong an aroma as possible. Unfortunately, I found that my chunk wasn't anywhere near as strong as I was expecting and didn't possess the beautiful natural musk of fresh vanilla. 

Described as a 'quadruple espresso and a top quality Italian ice cream', I was expecting an exquisitely sweet and highly sensual soap, not far off the warm, rich aroma of Honey I Washed The Kids. However, what I discovered was a soap that was rather unremarkable. It smelt a little like cold coffee with the slightest hint of vanilla and orange, although all three of these scents weren't strong enough to make it worth my while.

In the shower, the scent did intensify a little and the coffee aroma came through more clearly. However, there was also an element of 'soap' in the fragrance. What I mean by this is that you could almost detect the plastic, glycerine smell alongside the other scents, which prevented this soap from being as luxurious as I was expecting it to be. 

One of the most misleading attributes of this soap is it's appearance - a rich shade of saffron that makes me envisage the wonderful Caramac Bar I used to eat as a child. It's a beautiful golden colour, etched with the black specks of the vanilla pod. When I first saw this, I thought the fragrance of VITM would be as equally exquisite - I was wrong.

On the positive side, this soap lathers up really well and a 100g bar does tend to last you as long as most of Lush's other soaps (1-2 months, depending on how often you use it). It does make you feel clean after use and to begin with, the little pieces of vanilla pod do act as an interesting exfoliator for your skin. However, the soap also dried my skin out quite a bit and I had to apply shower gel on top to moisturise. Furthermore, I found that next to none of the scent stayed on my body, which was disappointing.

While Vanilla in the Mist does do the basic job that you would expect from a soap, it is definitely not up to the quality that you would normally expect from Lush. The write up of this sounds beautiful so I am a little disappointed that the soap doesn't pertain the smell or productivity that I would expect from a Lush product. This is not a product I would buy again.

Quantitative Ingredients: Vanilla Pod Infusion (Vanilla planifolia), Propylene Glycol, Rapeseed oil; Sunflower oil; Coconut oil (Brassica napus; Helianthus annuus; Cocos nucifera), Water (Aqua), Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Hydroxide, Perfume, Bergamot Oil (Citrus Aurantium bergamia), Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia), Cocoa Roasted Extract (Theobroma Cacao), Sodium Chloride, Coumarin, Limonene, Linalool, Titanium Dioxide.

Vegan?: Yes. 

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Start Of Summer Competition!

Summer's here and I only have one week to go before my five week vacation starts! To celebrate another school year coming to an end, I am giving one lucky reader a chance to win a whole helpful of Lush Kitchen goodies. 

I am touched by all of the comments and support that Lush fans have given this site over the last few months. So much so that I want to give something back to show my appreciation and make another Lush fan just that little bit happier!

Up for grabs is:

- A 250g bottle of Prince Shower Gel
- A 100g bottle of Vanilla Puff Dusting Powder 
- A 230g Tub of Bada Bing Bada Boom Shower Jelly
- A 100g Tub of Zest Hair Styling Gel
- A Mrs Whippy Bath Ballistic
- A Baby Face Solid Cleanser 
- A Tub of The Kiss Limited Edition Valentine's Day Lip Balm
- A 100g Bar of Red FUN
- A 100g Bar of Green FUN
- A 100g Chunk of Summer Pudding Soap
-2/3rds of a Bar of Solid SUNBLOCK


Most of these items are now no longer available and may not show themselves again for years to come!

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. Although I open it up for fans to enter as many times as they like, I ask that you are sensible about it.

The competition is open worldwide and will run until Thursday 24th July, 9pm (English time). I will pick a winner using a random number selector and will email you within 2 days of the competition closing. Please make sure you include an email for me to contact you with. Good luck!

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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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