Showing posts with label Retro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Retro. Show all posts

Turbo Bubble Bar

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Back in 2012, whilst rooting around eBay for rarities, I stumbled upon a listing for two of these bubble bars. Without reading up on their scent, I made for the highest bid and ended up winning them for an amount I would rather not divulge. Unfortunately, when they arrived, I was rather underwhelmed with their scent and appearance, and hoped that they would win me over in the bath.

Turbo Bubble Bar is not much to look at. Sporting a very pale shade of pink - so pale in fact that it looks almost white, this bar is one of the least attractive bath products to come from Lush. To make it slightly prettier, Lush have decorated the surface with iridescent lavender glitter, but it does't make much of an improvement. 

This bubble bar shares it's scent with the Silky Underwear range, which includes a dusting powder, Fairy Jasmine Ballistic and Alkmaar Soap. All of these products sport a jasmine and vetivert scent, which gives an overall musky vanillary, floral scent. The vetivert has a very earthy, almost smoky aroma which is what I first detected on this product. The jasmine absolute offers a gentle and naturally sweet element to the fragrance, which when combined with the ylang ylang, gives off a musky, coconut fragrance.  
While the smell is not in any way bad, it's not a scent I would naturally gravitate towards. I like fragrances that have clear pronounced notes, whereas this scent is more for those who like very delicate, gentle aromas. It's definitely more of a feminine smell but it's not strong enough that it couldn't be used by men as well. 

To use any of Lush's bubble bars, you can either crumble it under running water, or as I sometimes do; hold it directly under the flow of the tap, which I find creates just as many bubbles. As soon as the water hits the bar, lots of bubbles start to form and disperse throughout the tub, creating mounds of beautiful, soft foam and turning the water a beautiful light purple colour. 

I found that Turbo produces quite an impressive amount of bubbles so I would suggest that you divide a bar into 3-4 pieces and spread it across as many baths. The bubbles that are produced are very light and soft and they seem to remain with you for quite a while.
Unfortunately, as the overall scent of this bubble bar is rather gentle to begin with, the smell that accompanies you in the bath follows suit. This product is perfect for those who don't enjoy overpowering fragrances and perhaps want something a little more subtle. The soothing musky, floral scent does have longevity in the bath - however, the scent wasn't strong enough to make much of an impression on me to begin with.

Despite the lustre decoration on top, you won't look like you've bathed in glitter - I only detected two pieces of the stuff on my body once I have dried myself down.    

As the smell was quite weak to begin with, I didn't detect any on my skin after I had left the bath. While the bubble bar did leave me feeling relaxed and I would say the whole experience was highly soothing, my skin didn't feel overly moisturised and there was nothing particularly spectacular about this bubble bar at all. For these reasons, it's not a bubble bar that I would invest in again, although I can see why fans of Silky Underwear would probably appreciate this a lot more. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar (Tartaric acid), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Cocamide DEA, Perfume, Jasmine absolute (Jasminum officinale), Vetivert oil (Vetiveria zizanoides), Ylang Ylang oil (Cananga odorata), Titanium dioxide, Colour 18050, Colour 61585, Iridescent sparkles. (Polyethylene terephthalate & Acrylates copolymer).

Vegan?: Yes.




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Lemon Days & Ginger Beer Bath Bomb

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Inspired by the wonderful world of Enid Blyton, Lemon Days & Ginger Beer Bath Bomb conjures up images of picnics on the beach and warm, lazy days basking under the sun; it's a bath bomb that invigorates and uplifts your mood before it's even had a chance to perform in the bath. It's a universal ballistic that can be used to enhance those hot summer days, or bring clarity to the weathered minds of those who have forgotten what it's like to feel the heat on their bare skin. 

Made from a combination of lemon peel, mandarin and geranium oils, this is a spicy, floral and slightly zesty offering from Lush. As the name suggests, this is a ballistic that features lemon and ginger heavily in it's scent - something that I was both intrigued and concerned by. 

Having not previously researched much about this bath bomb at all, I was disappointed to discover that it shared its scent with the Ginger range - a fact that made me slightly hesitant to try it at all. Unfortunately, I have not liked anything with this fragrance so far, so I was expecting to experience the same disappointment that I have done so with all of the other products I have tried so far. 

Initially, the fragrance I picked up from this ballistic was dominated by the ginger; I could smell next to no lemon at all when the bath bomb was in the wrapper. Underneath this, I could detect a hint of floral shell, which did remove the natural spicy potency that I dislike about ginger but didn't mask it completely. Together, these smells gave the bath bomb a very warm and comforting, yet strangely refreshing fragrance - one that wouldn't be out of place in spring, summer, autumn or winter. Despite this, I was still not bowled over at all - that was until I placed the ballistic in the water. 

In the bath, Lemon Days & Ginger Beer is a fast and rather noisy fizzer; bobbing across the surface whilst unleashing a fury of bright yellow streams that disperse themselves throughout the water very quickly. This is a bath bomb that doesn't take long to dissolve, and once it's fully dispersed in the tub, you're left with a rather vivid sea of sunflower-yellow water - a factor that really helps to revive your mood and refreshen your senses. 

Not only is it a beautiful summery shade of yellow, but the properties of the water itself is perhaps what makes this bath bomb really impressive. Packed full of fresh ingredients, this is a ballistic that not only uplifts your senses, but softens and cleanses your skin as well. The addition of different oils - mimosa absolute and geranium oil in particular, gives this bath bomb the power to help tone and tighten skin. 

Within seconds of climbing into the bath, I could feel just how silky-soft the water really was. There are very few ballistics that I have tried that have been this softening on my skin, let alone any that have felt so incredible to be bathing in. Lemons Days And Ginger Beer makes the water feel thicker - almost like you are bathing in liquid gold. While Lush's bath melts give the same nourishing properties as this bath bomb promises, not one of them creates water as creamy and as velvety as this product does.

Furthermore, once I was in the tub, I began to pick up the lemon scent that had been missing to begin with. Although the use of fresh ginger and ginger oil gives the bath bomb a spicy kick to stimulate and warm the skin with, the citrus elements of this product come through a lot more once it's come into contact with the hot water. This meant that I actually really like the scent when I was in the tub.

Although I was initially worried by the addition of ginger, (It gets my vote for worst-smelling herb ever) this wasn't as prominent in the mix as I was expecting. Although it was at the forefront alongside the lemon to begin with, once the bath bomb had fully dissolved the scent somewhat mellowed, and I could only detect the odd spicy remnants, which was lovely. 

The addition of so many different oils in this ballistic meant that the entire experience left my skin feeling lovely and soft. Furthermore, the scent lingered on my skin for a while after my bath, and as the day went on this smell transpired into a beautiful light scent of lemon peel. Although I wouldn't claim this to be anywhere near my favourite ballistic, it was an enjoyable experience and one I'd like to try again. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Lemon Peel (Citrus limonum), Powdered Ginger (Zingiber officinalis), Perfume, Ginger Oil (Zingiber officinalis), Mimosa Absolute (Mimosa tenuiflora), Red Mandarin Oil (Citrus nobilis), Sandalwood Oil (Santalum album), Geranium Oil (Pelargonium crispum), Bergamot Oil (Citrus bergamia), Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), Colour 19140.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £3.75 each.
2016 Price: £3.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2004.


Scent Family:
Badass Gel Shower Gel
Boo Bath Melt and Bubble Bar
Ginger Bath Oil
Ginger Body Lotion
Ginger Perfume
Lemon Days And Ginger Beer Bath Bomb
Sex N The Shower Emotibomb




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Red Rooster Soap

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I was feeling a little unwell at the weekend and decided to root around in my collection for a few new Lush products to help perk me up. Lush describe this soap as 'refreshing and warming' - two characteristics that I thought would help to banish my body of it's cold and get it back on track for work. 

With it's translucent orange body, Red Rooster is an alluring soap and definitely one that offers an air of comfort about it. To make it even more attractive, on the surface of this soap are pieces of dried cinnamon stick and slices of orange and lemon. These decorative additions give this soap a slightly retro feel about it and I find it one of the better looking soaps from the company.

Made from a combination of cinnamon leaf oil, orange oil and freshly squeezed orange juice, this soap gives off a spicy, fruity aroma that would appeal to fans of Hot Toddy, Glogg or Sexy Peel Soap. However, unlike these other products, I don't feel that Red Rooster is as well balanced or as pleasant to sniff.  

When I smell this soap, I get rather a harsh and slightly musty cinnamon scent at the forefront, which isn't as comforting as the spice normally is in cosmetics. Secondly, whereas I normally appreciate the fresh zesty smells that Lush create from their ingredients, the orange aroma I get from this product is rather astringent and has a nasty aftertaste which intensifies when coming in contact with hot water. 

Imagine trying to eat the pith from the outer shell of an orange - that bitter, pungent-smelling layer of white casing between the skin and the actual piece of fruit. Now imagine that taste becoming a smell and you'll begin to recognise what aroma this soap gives off.

The soap lathers up really well, and for those that like this scent, the smell does linger on your skin for many hours after use. It also tends to permeate the bathroom for a while after your shower. Furthermore, despite not enjoying the smell all that much, it did wake me up a little after I had used it and I found that I was far more alert after trying it out. However, I am unsure whether this is due to the fragrance or just the experience of being in the shower.

What is good about this soap is that the dried pieces of fruit work really well as an exfoliator, and unlike other soaps that tend to shed their decorations very quickly, the cinnamon sticks and fruit peel stay attached to the chunk for a long time. There is also a better ratio between the amount of soap and the excess pieces present, so there's enough here to clean yourself with as opposed to just using it as a scrub.
Furthermore, Red Rooster maintains a good consistency in the shower/bath so it doesn't become too slippery to hold, making it easier to use. A 100g block will last for a long time and it doesn't shrink at all when left to dry between uses, so it's also good value for money.  

Unfortunately, as well as it's smell, this soap didn't bode well with my skin and left it feeling rather taut after use. After testing this out for a few days in a row, I began to find dry patches of skin on my legs and it was then that I decided to stop using it. While it possesses a fantastic name and is appealing to look at, this soap didn't work well with my skin type or my sense of smell. For this reason, it's not a soap I would be interested in buying again. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Propylene Glycol, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Water (Aqua), Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice (Citrus sinensis), Sodium Stearate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Cinnamon Leaf Oil (Cinnamomum cassia), Orange Oil (Citrus dulcis), Cloves (Eugenia caryophyllus), Cinnamon Sticks (Cinnamomum cassia), Orange or Lemon Slices (Citrus dulcis, Citrus limonum), Star Anise (Illicium verum), Sodium Chloride, Glycerine, EDTA, Tetrasodium Editronate, Perfume, Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), FD&C Red No. 4.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £4.00 for 100g.
2017 Price: £4.25 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2005.

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