EuropaFb: carrot

Showing posts with label carrot. Show all posts

Flopsy Face Wash Jelly

Almond, Bergamot oil, buchu, carrot, Easter, Easter 2017, Face, Jelly, kaolin, Lemon, limited edition, Seasonal, Skin

'Jen, why are you smothering your face in a rabbit-shaped jelly mask and pretending to be Thumper from Bambi?' An odd question perhaps, but one that gives you a little insight into what I was doing the other evening, when I thought no one was around to witness such an odd scenario being played out with my thirty-one year old self.

Needless to say, the face wash jellies seem to be something that Lush are steering towards as a possible regular feature within their range. I say this because not only were we gifted with Papa Noel last Christmas, but the Lush Summit event a few months back also heeded a further five possible jelly-based products that are potentially making an appearance at some point in the near future, all of which were aimed solely for the complexion.

Flopsy Face Wash Jelly is the second official release of its kind, and while it seems to have gone largely undetected on social media - in favour of the more colourful bath bombs, I for one believe it is a step up from Papa Noel in many ways. Never would I have imagined that one day I would be relying on a rabbit-shaped piece of jelly to brighten my complexion, but the world works in mysterious ways.

Firstly, I happen to think that it is incredible value for money. Each mask would easily heed over a hundred washes, and this is only a lose estimate based on how little mine has shrunk compared to how many times I have used it so far. I have complete faith that a single tub would last me well over a year, and this is with constant, daily use.

Linked to the above point, Flopsy is also incredibly generous with its softening abilities, yet it seems rather reserved when it comes to generating lather. Normally I would slate a product that was stubborn when in use. However, I found that this facial jelly didn't need to coat my face in a thick layer of soap because, after rinsing away the minuscule amount of 'foam' it did create, I discovered that my face felt both silky-soft and smooth. My complexion also looked far more radiant than it had done so beforehand, without leaving it looking particularly greasy or feeling at all oily.

While it is a little fiddly to handle, and the design is a novelty that doesn't last much longer than the initial couple of uses, the principle behind the product is sound. To use, I would recommend that you ensure your face is damp, and if possible, exposed to the heat of a warm shower to open the pores beforehand. You can then either massage a piece (or the whole thing!) across your face a couple of times, and then use your fingers to massage the light coating of suds across your complexion.For great results, I found that leaving Flopsy on for a few minutes just allowed the oils to soften and smoothen out my skin a little more, before I held my face under the running shower and rinsed away the product.

What I found was that my face felt immediately clean, cleansed and radiant. My skin felt smooth to the touch, without feeling greasy, and I didn't need to apply any moisturiser or toner on afterwards because the product left my complexion incredibly soft.as well. Furthermore, the fragrance lingered around long enough to make me feel really uplifted and happy, which should be deemed as a miracle first thing in the morning.

Smell wise, this seasonal special contains lemon, bergamot and buchu oil, and shares its scent with both the Snowman FUN and Snowman Shower Jelly. The former two ingredients give this jelly a bright, spritzy fruity smell, which as I've mentioned in other reviews, creates a scent much like the outer layer of a Solero ice-cream, with an added note of tartness that makes this almost sour.

Although this is an Easter release, I feel as if this product would compliment the summer months really well. The light, fruity scent would give that refreshing, invigorated feeling in the morning, while the warmth would elevate the fragrance and help to coax you out of your morning slumber.

I can genuinely imagine using this as part of my regular routine, and have been doing so since its release a number of weeks back. If this is a sign of things to come from Lush, I am excited to see what the future has in store.

Quantitative Ingredients: Fresh Carrot Infusion, Glycerine, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate Propylene, Glycol, Carrageenan Extract, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Perfume, Kaolin, Almond Oil, Titanium Dioxide, Gardenia Extract, Lemon Oil, Bergamot Oil, Buchu Oil, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, *Limonene.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £7.95 for 200g.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Wash Behind Your Ears Shower Gel

carrot, Easter, Easter 2017, Jasmine, limited edition, Rose, Seasonal, Shower, Shower Gel, sunflower

For weeks on end now, I have pondered how to go about approaching this review. While the words for most reviews normally flow pretty naturally when I sit down to write, I found myself completely stumped when it came to reviewing this new seasonal shower gel.

Wash Behind Your Ears is one of those rare products that left me feeling pretty confused after using it for the first time. And the second. And the third. While my appreciation or dislike is normally instantaneous when it comes to trying out new products for the first time, this limited edition Easter gel had me completely stumped. I certainly didn't dislike it, as I continued to use it on a daily basis for near on a month after it entered my bathroom. Yet, I couldn't work out whether I really liked it all that much either.

Offering fans a brand new fragrance, this shower gel doesn't look like the scent that wafts out of the bottle when you first open it. Expecting a bright, zesty-type aroma, I was surprised to find that it was a reserved, floral smell instead. And while it features lots of recognisable ingredients that go into making this flowery fragrance, this is definitely not something you have experienced before.

What sets this shower gel apart from every single other one to come before it is that it features a carrot infusion as the base component. Aside from giving this product its rather delicious colour, carrots are known for their ability to replenish skin, reduce the appearance of scars and blemishes, and add a natural radiance to the skin. Interestingly, although it's not very strong in the mix, you can definitely make out the sweet, savoury element of the carrot deep down in the overall fragrance.

Besides the carrot, you also have a combination of neroli and rose oils, alongside jasmine absolute, which all play an important part in the scent of this shower gel. On the surface you can smell the neroli - a sweet and slightly intoxicating fruity smell. Strangely, the top layer of this shower gel reminds me a little of Prince Charming Shower Gel, despite not sharing any of the same ingredients.

Underneath this sweet, slightly green note, you get a musky, cloudy combination of the rose and the jasmine. Both of these floral elements appear slightly dampened and not as sweet as you would initially expect them to be. I think this is because the carrot removes a little of this, and with a gentle helping of sunflower oil, both components ground the fragrance a little.

From the bottle, Wash Behind Your Ears is quite a thick, gloopy consistency and it takes a little more effort than usual to squeeze it out of the bottle. Once in your hands, the gel needs a little water to get it working, where it produces a light, fluffy lather to spread across your skin. I found that this shower gel was a little stubborn at producing foam unless I had enough liquid to stimulate those bubbly suds. However, once the product was mixed with enough water, it worked really effectively.

In its favour, the shower gel was just as beautiful in the shower - emitting the same level of fragrance, if not a little more, than it did in the bottle. I found that it withstood any other products that I chose to use at the same time, and I was able to detect a light smell on my skin afterwards, even when I used a scrub right before I exited the shower.

While this is definitely one that might need to grow on you, I am beginning to really appreciate not only its unique aroma, but the fact that it has something a little different that sets it apart from all of the other floral fragrances that Lush have produced in the past. Not only did it leave my skin feeling soft and radiant, but it gave me a warm feeling that helped to ease me into my day. Although this is not one I would rave about, I will be buying another bottle or two before the season is out.

Quantitative Ingredients: Glycerine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Water, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Carrot Infusion, Stearic Acid, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Neroli Oil, Rose Oil, Jasmine Absolute, Organic Sunflower Oil, Gardenia Extract, Titanium Dioxide, Colour 19140:1, Colour 15510, Colour 45350.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £?

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Harvey Bath Ballistic

Bath, Bath Bomb, Bergamot oil, carrot, Easter, Jasmine, limited edition, Lush Kitchen, orange, spearmint

If you're fairly new to Lush, you might be mistaken for thinking that the use of carrot oil in their products is a recent innovation. With the likes of Carrot Soap and Snowman FUN being fairly new products to come from the company, you'd assume that Lush had discovered a ground-breaking ingredient and were trying to utilise it in as many products as they could. However, this is far from the truth.

Harvey Bath Ballistic is an exclusive product from the rusty vaults of 2002 - a bath bomb that made such an impression on old-school Lush fans, that many were still mourning for it's return until it popped up in the Lush Kitchen a couple of weeks ago. As someone who had only tried an aged, out-of-date one a few years ago, I was rather keen to see how it held up when fresh.

Made from a blend of spearmint, bergamot and sweet orange oils, this limited edition bath ballistic is a strange combination of mint, zest and sweetness - a collaboration that doesn't sound as if it should go together at all, but one that actually works quite well. In fact, as odd as this may sound, the fragrance of this bath bomb actually reminded me of that old, dusty smell you'd get when discovering a really ancient bath bomb at the back of your stash. Strange.

The initial smell of this ballistic is a grassy, naturally sweet carrot scent that has a very subtle 'burnt' element to it. It reminded me a little of the smell you experience when you heat up seeds in a pan - that warm, savoury aromatic fragrance that's not overly strong but pungent enough to leave an impression.

Behind this is a slight minty aroma - a cool, refreshing odour in the similar veins to Freeze Shower Gel; it's strong enough that you can detect it straight away but the other ingredients mask it somewhat so it's not overpowering at all. Alongside this is a combination of bergamot and patchouli - both of which add a sweet note to the ballistic, while the jasmine compliments this and adds a gentle herbal, floral fragrance to round the whole thing off.

In all fairness, this ballistic is one of the most complicated ones to describe because there is just so much going on at the same time. While each of these elements add something to the overall smell, you can detect almost every layer of this bath bomb, so it can be quite an experience for those consumers who are used to more gentler, simplistic smells.

Despite it's size, Harvey is quite a fast dissolver. As soon as it hits the water, it disperses waves of yellow across the tub, and in under two minutes, the water is tainted with a lovely shade of gold that shimmers in the light. The aroma of the bath bomb remains prominent throughout the whole experience and leaves a gentle aroma that lingers on your skin and the bathroom for quite a while afterwards.

Furthermore, you can see shimmery pools of oils that snake around on the surface of the water - making this a really nourishing experience on the skin. These oils turn the water into a wonderful thick haven of moisture - the sort of water you'd expect from a bath melt or some of the better bubble bars.

Disappointingly, this is one of those ballistics that immediately sinks to the bottom of the tub, no matter how fresh the product may be. For this reason, I had hold mine above the water so I could watch it dissolve which was a little annoying. Once the face has fully dissolved, you're left with the red nose, which turned out to be more of a bubble bar in consistency.

Despite the excitement that was generated when Lush announced that they were bringing Harvey out, I didn't find him to be as wonderful as I was expecting. While he is the perfect bath bomb for those who love the scent, I just wasn't particularly overwhelmed with the aroma.

The ballistic does offer a really great experience in the bath - the smell is strong enough to last throughout the whole thing; the water is moisturising and rich in essential oils; the product design is cute and very in-keeping with the seasonal theme. However, it's not an aroma that bowled me over as much as I was hoping it would.

As a word of warning, I would recommend that you ensure your bath is clean before using one of these. As the bath bomb is quite oily, the first time I tried this out I found that I had yellow stains all around the edge of the tub by the end of it. While I have nothing against the colour, I can't imagine that this is an attractive feature in anyones bathroom!

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Perfume, Carrot Seed Oil, Bergamot Oil, Spearmint Oil, Patchouli Oil, Jasmine Absolute, Sweet Orange Oil, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Cocamide MEA, Alpha Isomethyl Ionone, Linalool, Limonene, Gardenia Extract, Colour 14700.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £3.75 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2002.