Black Rose Naked Lip Scrub

Despite it being a regular thing: my lips being chapped, I hardly ever use any of Lush's sugar scrubs to rectify the problem. There's a small part of me that almost forgets that the company even do such a thing, so if i own any they're usually buried away underneath the mountains of other products waiting to be used. 

When I first caught a glimpse of the three new naked lip scrubs for this year's Christmas and Halloween ranges, I was immediately bowled over by how pretty the designs were. Aside from the lack of packaging (hence the 'naked' part), the shape and etched surfaces made these limited editions so much more appealing than the boring tubed varieties.

Yet, my very next thought was: how exactly am I supposed to use this and not completely soil the bag/purse I'm carrying it around in? Ultimately, while I have been using the cardboard boxes that they were delivered in, I've still yet to find a more effective way of carrying these lip scrubs around: they certainly don't travel very well naked.

Having said this, all three variations of this year's naked scrubs are exceptional in what they do, and offer a much better experience than the old-style scrubs.

Firstly, the product is much easier to use and less of a hassle to clean up afterwards. Whereas the original lip scrubs would need to be applied with the use of a finger, and you'd often cover yourself in sugar while doing so, these naked versions can be applied in seconds, without the unnecessary mess. Simply massage the block across your lips, applying as much pressure as you want, before either licking away the sugar or rinsing it away with warm water.

Secondly, you can apply more pressure when using these blocks, so you'll find that these naked scrubs are far better at scrubbing away excess skin. Furthermore, you can focus on particular areas of the lips, so if you have a particular stubborn spot, this scrub will do wonders at removing the dried skin. 

Thirdly, there is less sugar to contend with, when it comes to the naked blocks. The condensed form means that there won't be as much sugar as there once was, but it also means that you can feel how nourished your lips feel after application, and this leaves your lips soft, smooth and plump. With the original lip scrubs, I sometimes found that you'd be massaging your lips for ages, unable to see exactly which areas needed a little extra buffering. Furthermore, there is an extra generous helping of butters and oils in the ingredients list, to make this a far more moisturising experience overall.

Obviously, the fact that these lip scrubs are naked means that there's zero wastage, which makes them much better for the environment. 

What I really liked about Black Rose Naked Lip Scrub was that it was rather robust, and so I found it far easier to buffer away without the fear of it crumbling away. As someone with quite naturally dry skin, I enjoy a coarse scrub to remove excess dried skin and clean out my pores before I moisturise. The strength of this block means that I can apply quite a bit of pressure when I'm scrubbing my lips, without worrying about using too much product, or breaking the lip scrub in the process. Having used this daily, for almost two weeks, I have barely dented the corner of the scrub, and I see this lasting a good 4-5 months before it'll need to be replaced. 

Scentwise, this beauty has a scent that reminds me a little of Yummy Mummy Shower Cream. While not identical at all, the combination of mandarin oils, along with the sultry and quite treacle-esque nature of the charcoal give off a fruity smell that is both as rich and as fruity as the aforementioned aroma.

One thing I will say about the Naked Lip Scrub is that the taste you get when licking your lips clean is definitely not the best flavour that Lush have offered, and I cannot imagine anyone wanting to nibble on this when they get a little peckish (which a lot of Lush fans do.) However, it functions incredibly well as a Lip Scrub and will easily last me another twelve months, before it makes a reappearance and I can buy another one. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Castor Sugar (Sucrose), Murumuru Butter (Astrocaryum Murumuru), Illipe Butter (Shorea stenoptera), Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera), Organic Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia chinensis), Sicilian Mandarin Oil (Citrus nobilis), Spearmint Oil (Mentha Spicata), Ylang Ylang Oil (Cananga odorata), Charcoal (Charcoal Powder), Titanium Dioxide, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Benzyl Benzoate, Flavour (Fragrance), Tin Oxide (Tin oxide) Iron Oxides.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £5.75 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Read More

Snowcloud Soap

Sometimes I get the impression that Lush put a great deal of effort into their releases; other times it seems almost as if they’ve not thought things through. When it comes to Snowcloud Soap, this beautiful little seasonal special is sure to be overlooked, when up against the likes of the stunning Golden Pear Soap, and the classic Baked Alaska, that is so potent in smell and colour. However, those that do venture into trying this soap out to size, will hopefully appreciate just how lovely the soap actually is. 

Shaped like a cloud and sporting a rather dull-looking white/grey design, Snowcloud offers a sweet and slightly fruity floral fragrance. Sharing its scent with the non-vegan Orange Blossom Liquid Perfume, I was extremely happy that I was finally able to enjoy this scent, although I would obviously have preferred it if I had a better format in which to do it with. While I was able to briefly appreciate it when I used Elbow Grease for the first time, my guilt at discovering it wasn’t vegan was enough to turn my experience bitter very quickly.

Made from a collaboration of rosewood, ylang ylang, orange flower, sandalwood and neroli, this soap sounded on paper like it was going to offer a very heavy fragrance. Yet, Lush have managed to balance out these components so that you experience something rich and robust; yet something that is also beautifully delicate and feminine. 

The rosewood, ylang ylang and orange flower create a dry, musky and very floral base for this soap - yet one that isn’t particularly heavy on the senses. I think the inclusion of the sandalwood helps these floral notes from being too aggressive, as there is a very subtle wordiness that rounds all four components off perfectly. Alongside this, the inclusion of the neroli adds a delicate sprinkling of citrus, which adds a slight bitterness, but helps to make the aroma slightly refreshing as well.

As with all of Lush’s gourmet soaps, this one features a base of cocoa butter - which means that it is a little more moisturising than their usual soaps. As with most of the seasonal range, I did find that this one was created a thick, slightly oily lather to clean myself with, and there was an abundance of it to use so I didn’t keep having to hold this under the shower to stimulate the ‘foam’. In fact, I would highly recommend that you keep this away from the running water as much as you can, as this soap shrunk really quickly for me, and definitely doesn’t work out good value for money when it’s dissolved away into nothing after only two weeks.

What sets this soap apart from the other seasonal releases, is that this one also features kaolin - an ingredient known for absorbing excess moisture, cleaning out pores and softening the skin. I found that Snowcloud was great to use on my hands after a day out in the freezing cold. Using this straight away helped to elevate the redness and soften my skin at the same time. Having said that, I wouldn’t only use this soap as a hand wash, as it does leave its scent on your skin afterwards, and it seems like a bit of a waste to use it on only one body part. 

Ultimately, Snowcloud is definitely a soap that most likely got overlooked in favour of some of the more vibrant-looking variations - which is a shame given how much this soap offers. I actually really enjoyed using my single piece of this, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this appeared at some point in the near future. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Propylene Glycol, Marshmallow Root Decoction (Althaea Officinalis) (Althaea Officinalis Root Extract), Kaolin, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera), Water (Aqua), Organic Castor Oil (Ricinus communis), Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance, Talc, Glycerine, Titanium Dioxide, Neroli Oil (Citrus Aurantium amara), Orange Flower Absolute (Citrus Aurantium amara) (Citrus Aurantium Amara (Orange) Flower Water) Rosewood Oil (Aniba rosaeodora), Sandalwood Oil (Fusanus spicatus), Ylang Ylang Oil (Cananga odorata), Citric Acid, Sodium Bicarbonate, *Linalool, *Limonene, *Hydroxycitronellal, Benzyl Benzoate, Geraniol, Blue 1, Red 4, Red 33.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £4.75 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Scent Family: 
Elbow Grease Moisturising Bar
Mandarin's Tea Party Soap

Orange Blossom Bath Oil (Oxford Street 2015)

Orange Blossom Candle 

Orange Blossom Liquid Perfume (non vegan)

Snowcloud Soap

Read More

Hedgewitch Soap

Too many soaps; too little time I say - my skin is certainly not going to be happy with me when I manage to get through this year's seasonal collection. Yet it is such a shame that my skin doesn't react well to the many variations that Lush offer, as the fragrances that come with them are far superior to their rather pathetic range of shower gels that are currently on show. 

One of two brand new products to feature the Plum Rain fragrance, this limited edition will have you salivating with its collection of different berries - which not only offer a beautiful, fruity scent to indulge in, but also works at cleansing the pores and radiating the skin at the same time.

Based on a witch who creates herbal and plant-based healing concoctions, Hedgewitch claims to put the spring back into your skin. With freeze-dried blackberries and dried mulberries in the ingredients list, Hedgewitch reads more like a dessert than a cosmetic. Both of these components help to clean the pores and work as antioxidants to clean and clear the skin at the same time. The inclusion of the osmanthus absolute adds a sweet but subtly green fragrance to the soap, which along with the mandarin oil gives this seasonal special a light, sweet but very fruity fragrance.

Strangely, the soap features a honeysuckle infusion which is something that neither the body spray or the shower gel feature. However, honeysuckle is known for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, which is a bonus for those using the soap regularly on your skin. As I use most of my soaps as hand soaps anyway, this extra feature is a welcome bonus for my skin. 

While this soap does have the same fragrance as Plum Rain, it is not an exact replica. The inclusion of both the honeysuckle and the osmanthus add a green, almost floral note to the scent, which sits alongside the fruity components and add a different spin

Unfortunately for me, I ended up being sent a slab that was mostly red, which is a shame given that the whole wheel contains a combination of different colours. However, it did complement the fruity fragrance so I wasn't overly bothered by that fact. I was also hoping to receive a number of pieces of both mulberries and blackberries in both of the pieces I bought, as I was hoping the soap might be a little exfoliating with these under the surface. Unfortunately, these are sparsely added in across the entire wheel, so you may be lucky if you get one or two piece throughout the whole chunk.

Surprisingly, I discovered that this, along with many of the seasonal soaps, features a gourmet base - which I was hoping would mean that Hedgewitch would be far more moisturising than a typical Lush Soap. I did find that the lather it created was super creamy and slightly oily in consistency, although this still didn't perform miracles for my skin.

What I will say is that the soap produces a rich, creamy gel-like foam that massages across your body with ease. You need very little water to stimulate the ingredients in this seasonal special, and those who love fruity fragrances will love how the scent lingers for a short time on the skin afterwards. This 100g block lasted me a good two-to-three months before it was too small to hold under the water. For this reason, it is much better value than the shower gel. 

While in use, I found that my skin looked and felt really radiant, and after I had towelled myself down, my skin appeared quite plump and soft - thanks no doubt to the inclusion of the cocoa butter. However, some areas felt quite taut after a short time, and I did need to apply a body lotion to ensure that my skin stayed as supple as it felt in the shower.

This is a great soap to use in the winter time and I will continue to use my last piece until I run out. As I said above, Hedgewitch is great for fans of Plum Rain, who want something a little brighter, fruiter and slightly greener. However, it's unlikely that a soap will ever be able to replace my love of shower gels, and I will not be buying any more of these before the season is out.

Quantitative Ingredients: Honeysuckle Infusion (Lonicera capifolium), (Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Extract), Propylene Glycol, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera), Water (Aqua), Organic Castor Oil (Ricinus communis), Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance, Osmanthus Absolute (Osmanthus fragrance), Petitgrain Oil (Citrus Aurantium amara), Sicilian Mandarin Oil (Citrus nobilis), Freeze Dried Blackberries (Rubus Fruticosus) Dried Mulberries (Morus Alba), Glycerine, Titanium Dioxide, Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), Citric Acid, Sodium Bicarbonate, *Citral, *Limonene, *Linalool, Red 4 Yellow 8 Red 28 Red 33 Green 5.

Vegan?: Yes. 

2017 Price: £4.95 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Scent Family:
Hedgewitch Soap
Plum Rain Body Spray
Plum Rain Naked Shower Gel
Plum Rain Shower Gel
Plum Snow Bubble Bar

Read More

Golden Pear Soap

Once every so often, Lush bring out a product that completely defies the  general constraints of cosmetics, and showcases exactly why this company are at the top of their creative game in the industry. This particular product is artistically stunning and makes you feel almost bad that you have to use it to clean yourself with.

Golden Pear Soap must have caused major excitement when it was first created in the laboratory - a soap that is not only extremely beautiful to look at but also contains so many exquisite ingredients, should be celebrated without a doubt. In fact, each and every time I have used this product, I have felt extremely grateful that the opportunity for me to do so has been there. 

First and foremost, this soap contains an entire jar of pear puree - an ingredient that Lush don't use all that often, and certainly not to that extent. This not only brings out the extraordinary scent that I'll describe in a minute, but it also helps to give this soap a wonderful consistency when being used. There is something rather thick and wholesome about the lather that this product produces, and I think the pear puree has a big part to play in that. 

As if this wasn't enough, Golden Pear also features both sandalwood and cardamom oils. Neither of these components offer particularly strong notes of fragrance overall, but they do give a warmth that you can feel and smell in the shower. In as many words, this soap is a rich, dessert-like feast for the senses, and you can feel that decadence when using it in the shower. 

Surprisingly, I found that the soap was incredibly moisturising from the get-go.  In a rare feat from Lush, this soap not only produced a lather that immediately softened my skin, but one that continued to work long after I had exited the shower. In fact, it has only happened to me on two other occasions, that a soap has not dried my skin out or at least made me want to moisturise afterwards. For this reason, the soap is very much revered by me, and there is no doubt that I will be buying many more of these before the season is out. 

A combination of coconut oil and cocoa butter help to produce a thick, wholesome lather to wash yourself with. While it can be a little rigid at first, when massaging across your skin, I found that stimulating it between my hands first heeded better results. The inclusion of the murumuru butter that sandwiches both pieces together in the middle, help to add moisture to your experience, and you can feel that while you're massaging it across your body.

What I found most surprising was that, despite its size (which I thought was a little on the small side, given the price tag), the soap didn't seem to shrink as quickly as a lot of the other seasonal soaps that I was using around the same time. In fact, while a 100g chunk normally lasts me no more than a month with daily usage, this one is still sitting in my bathroom after almost two months. Unlike a lot of other soaps that also like to 'bleed' on surfaces, this one dries really quickly, and so you don't have to worry about finding messy glitter trails across your bathroom after you've used this. 

To describe this scent is like trying to explain what it must smell like to walk through Wonka's chocolate factory. For such a gentle fragrance, there are so many elements that tantalise the senses. To my nose, the scent is like hot stewed pears and oranges, with a little dash of cardamom to bring a warmth that is very much needed during this time of year. It's super sweet and fruity; sultry and rich - there is something rather succulent about the aroma that gives it a real rounded appeal. 

Despite the incredible fragrance that this offers, there were two downsides that I found. Firstly, the scent is not particularly strong to begin with. While some will no doubt appreciate the subtle sweetness that it offers, I would much prefer to enjoy this smell at a more intense level. Secondly, the aroma didn't linger much on the skin afterwards and it was completely masked after I had sprayed perfume on myself.

Overall, I would love to see this fragrance made into a body lotion or a shower gel. While I may have to wait another year to see this become a reality, the wait would be worth it I'm sure. As I stated above, I will be buying more of these, and I highly recommend that you grab yourself one to try before they disappear (hopefully not forever!)

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Propylene Glycol, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Castor Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Pear Puree, Perfume, Glycerine, Cardamom Oil, Brazilian Orange Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Murumuru Butter, Almond Oil, Organic Agave Syrup, Citric Acid, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Bicarbonate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Iron Oxides Silica, Tin Oxide, Citronellol, Coumarin, Eugenol, *Limonene, Colour 45410, Colour 45350, Fair Trade Whole Organic Clove.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £6.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Read More

Hidden Mountain Soap

At the risk of repeating myself, most of my readers know that I am not a huge fans of soap at all. Despite Lush creating some incredible scents in this format, they just don't get on with my skin. As someone with quite a dry complexion, I have found that most of the company's soaps leave my body feeling parched, and then I need to moisturise heavily afterwards, which brings about problems of its own.

For this reason, I was not particularly enamoured to see so many new variations in this year's seasonal range. As someone who feels the need to try and review every vegan product Lush offer to consumers, I knew that I would need to work my way through every single one of them - which wasn't going to be the best news for my already winter-touched skin.

Hidden Mountain was the first one I reached for - not because I was overly excited with the scent, but because the premise and design grabbed my attention immediately. If there is one (only) thing I love about the cold weather, it's the brisk through the local woodlands, while wrapped in a million layers to keep myself from freezing to death. I am definitely a country person at heart, and the cold weather brings about a romanticism when I think about exploring woods and forests.

This soap immediately offered a rapport that reminded me of both Needles And Pine Shower Jelly and Tramp Shower Gel. In fact, I have heard rumours that the soap is supposed to be a combination of the latter and Grass, and I can definitely relate to that description as well. Either way, this product is definitely one for those who like grassy, earthy smells.

Containing ho wood oil and labdanum resinoid, Hidden Mountain offers a green floral smell with woody undertones that support and pad out of the overall fragrance. Labdanum has a very rich, resinous smell about it and I see this as the dominant note overall. Despite it being low in the mix, the lavender can be detected, and offers a subtle dry, floral component as well. 

To me, this soap really is like walking through a forest after it has snowed - the ferns and woodland plants wet and bleeding that earthy, green phosphorus smell into the air; the shrubbery and fallen branches adding a cloudy and quite saturated woody smell. It's definitely not a scent for the faint-hearted, and when you use this you will find the aroma follows you around for hours later.

What I enjoyed about Hidden Mountain was that the inclusion of cocoa butter meant that this soap was a little gentler on my skin. While I would never claim that it was moisturising for me, I did use it for successive weeks as a hand soap, and I never once suffered from dry or damaged skin. In fact, the soap brought about a slight clarity to my hands - meaning that there was almost a radiance to my skin after using it. Furthermore, the scent clung to my skin like an icicle on a tree branch, and I was once complimented on my 'perfume' some three hours later, which was impressive. 

For those who appreciate soaps more than I do, and love the fragrance of this one, I should warn you that this shrunk at an alarming rate. After using it around 3-4 times in the shower, the 100g piece I had bought had almost halved in size. For this reason, you need to make sure that it does not come into contact with the running water very often, and that you pat the piece down once you have finished bathing. 

Ultimately, this was never going to be a product I would rave about; neither was it ever going to be one that I bought multiple pieces of. However, I did really appreciate the smell of Hidden Mountain and I can see how someone with skin that's a little less drier than mine might benefit from using this.  

Quantittaive Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Propylene Glycol, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Castor Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Perfume, Kaolin, Ho Wood Oil, Labdanum Resinoid, Lavender Oil, Coarse Sea Salt, Citric Acid, Glycerine, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Bicarbonate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Tin Oxide, Iron Oxides, Alpha-Isomethyl ionone, *Coumarin, *Eugenol, Oakmoss Extract, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £5.40 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2017. 

Read More