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Integgalactic Bath Bomb

Bath, Bath Bomb, cedarwood, Easter, Easter 2017, Grapefruit, limited edition, lustre, peppermint, popping candy, Seasonal, vetivert

It is most surprising that I have left it so long to indulge myself and use this bath bomb, given how much I gush over Intergalactic on an almost daily basis. Truth be told, the only reason I haven't used it before now is because of the time constraints my career has placed on my free time. Having finished writing my reports, I couldn't think of a better time to indulge in one of my favourite ballistics, and I was not disappointed.

Sharing its scent with the original Intergalactic, the only difference between the two is down to their shape, size and price. Costing considerably more than the regular version, you might initially be a little put-off by the raised price tag. However, the extra 'product' you receive more than makes up for the extra pennies, and if anything I'd say Integgalatic Bath Bomb is even more superior when compared to its older sibling.

Released as part of Lush's 2017 Easter range, Integgalatic is a powerhouse of fragrance and colour - a bath bomb that guarantees you will feel as refreshed as you will relaxed. A product that is as cooling and uplifting as it is comforting: a bath bomb that offers a far more interesting and colourful experience than any other ballistic available to buy in a shop.

The first sniff revealed a lot of different layers, one of which was a slightly smoky/woody but also subtlety sweet aroma that ground the overall fragrance. While I have compared the scent of this bath bomb to Dirty Springwash in the past, I'd say that Integgalatic is far more potent, and has a dark, sultry layer of woodiness running through that makes it stand apart.

Alongside this is a strong thread of peppermint oil, which intertwines with the grapefruit oil perfectly and creates a mint-dominated aroma with a very subtle thread of citrus running alongside this. This latter ingredient dampens the harsh kick that you would normally expect from a minty product and instead offers something invigorating and refreshingly beautiful, yet very rounded at the same time.

Just like its older sibling, this limited edition explodes into a cloud of colour as it hits the water - sending out waves of deep blues, pinks and yellows across the surface of the water. At the same time, the popping candy descends to the base of the tub and offers a background of noise reminiscent of a crackling fire.

Once the bath bomb has fully dissolved, you are left with a beautiful tub of dark blue water that glistens as the lustre swirls around under the surface. Not only this but the water itself is so silky soft and inviting: one that is guaranteed to leave you feeling very moisturised and smooth afterwards.

As if this wasn't enough, the fragrance also remains prominent throughout the entire experience and lingers on your skin for a while afterwards. The bath
water rinses away with ease, leaving you feeling nothing but refreshed, clean and ready to face the day.

While the price tag is a little higher than a regular Intergalactic, this limited edition is definitely worth investing in, if only for a single indulgence one day when you really need it. Although I would rather have had a brand new bath bomb as opposed to a few regulars just spruced up a little this Easter, I cannot say anything negative about this ballistic whatsoever.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Popping Candy, Peppermint Oil, Grapefruit Oil, Vetivert Oil, Cedarwood Oil, Cream of Tartar, Water (Aqua), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume, Snowflake, Lemon Ice and Gold Glimmer Lustre, Colour 42090, Colour 45410.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £5.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Scent Family:
Intergalactic Bath Bomb

Intergalactic Bath Bomb

Dear John Shower Gel

cedarwood, clove, coriander, limited edition, Lush Kitchen, nettle, rosemary, salt, Shower, Shower Gel, Skin, vetivert

Dear John is a fragrance that I forget how much I appreciate, until I whip out the body spray and fall in love with it all over again. With so many different layers and such an interesting range of ingredients, this is a scent as unique as it is complex.

When the Lush Kitchen announced that they would be making a shower gel version of this smell, I was equally intrigued and perplexed. On the one hand I was really excited to try a brand new shower gel, as those who follow this blog will know how much I love this format. However, there was a part of me that wondered if such a fragrance would actually work well outside of being a perfume.

Upon first inspection, I was rather pleased to notice the deep, forest green that Dear John Shower Gel sported. Given the design of the perfume bottles and body spray, I was expecting a cream-coloured liquid, so the actual product was definitely an upgrade of the colour I originally envisaged.

Unfortunately, what I also noticed very quickly was that the shower gel was very thin - offering the same consistency as The Olive Branch. This meant that I found myself using far more than I would normally do so, as the product wasn't as compact in my hands as I would expect from most Lush gels. While the product lathered up really quickly and produced a generous amount of foam to wash myself with, I felt as if I used more that I usually would, just because of how runny it was and how freely it flowed from the bottle.

Supposedly a 'unisex' fragrance, this shower gel is quite complex: featuring layers of vetivert, cedar, clove, coriander, lime, coffee and pine. What I noticed about Dear John from the get-go was that it was the former three ingredients that made the biggest impression. From the bottle you can make out the sweet, smoky characteristics of the vetivert, blended with a gentle layer of woody cedar. Together, these two ingredients create an almost resinous smell, which when combined with a subtle hint of warming clove, makes for the most comforting of fragrances.

How this shower gel differed from other Dear John products, is the fact that the lime was not as noticeable as it is in other formats. While you can definitely detect its fruity presence, it was a little subtler than it is in other formats - meaning that I found this shower gel to be a little less refreshing than the body spray is.

What I also found a little disappointing was the fact that the shower gel was not as moisturising as most other variations available. I felt clean afterwards, and the fragrance lingered around for a short while on my body. However, my skin didn't feel as soft or as nourished as I was expecting it to be. For this reason, I can imagine those with very dry skin may benefit from using a body lotion afterwards to replenish the skin of moisture.

Fans of Dear John will definitely appreciate this new addition to the family, and I have been enjoying having a bottle to indulge myself with on a daily basis. Having said that, those with a keen nose will notice that there are differences between this and the perfume, and some may not appreciate the subtle changes that have been made. The fact that I am half way through a bottle in just under three weeks, also suggests that this is not necessarily as good value for money as some of Lush's other shower gels.

Quantitative Ingredients: Rosemary Infusion, Nettle Leaf Infusion, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Perfume, Proplyene Glycol, Fine Sea Salt, Vetivert Oil, Coriander Oil, Clove Bud Oil, Cedarwood Oil, Benzyl Benzoate, Citral, Coumarin, Eugenol, Limonene, Linalool, Colour 42090, Methylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £11.25 for 250g.

Year Of Original Release: ?

Scent Family:
Copperhead Solid Shampoo
Dear John Bubble Bar
Dear John Body Spray
Dear John Liquid Perfume
Dear John Shower Gel
Dear John Solid Perfume

Dear John Soap

Hokkaido Bath Bomb

cedarwood, clove, cocoa butter, Discontinued, Ginger, lemongrass, limited edition, Lush Kitchen, sandalwood, soya milk

With so many products left to review, I have found myself reaching for the most interesting ones as opposed to the ones that have been in my possession for the longest amount of time. Therefore, a miniature bath bomb with very little colour, doesn't have any hope of being noticed when its competing with far more interesting counterparts.

Hokkaido Bath Bomb was first released in the Lush Kitchen back in January 2017 - appearing to generate little excitement as it remained available for the whole week and into the successive week as well. Although it wasn't a product that I had tried before, I found myself placing an order without feigning too much excitement. Upon arrival, it joined the stack of bath bombs that were waiting to be tried and tested, and it wasn't until I used one for the first time yesterday, that I realised how much I had underestimated this little gem.

One of Lush's smaller bombs, this limited edition ballistic appears a little on the expensive side to begin with. However, while I would say that the £4.25 price tag is definitely on the high side and doesn't necessarily reflect the overall quality of experience that you get, there is good reason as to why it is more than you would expect it to be.

Containing a bigger range of oils than perhaps any other bath bomb I have seen from Lush, Hokkaido is surprisingly subtle in smell: a factor that would normally dampen my experience with a product, but in this case made me appreciate this ballistic far more than I initially thought that I would.

A combination of ginger, clove bud and cedarwood oils gives this product a gentle, spicy and rather warming aroma. Firstly, I should start by saying that I was surprised by how subtle the overall fragrance was. This is perhaps one of Lush's most delicate scents that features clove bud oil, and it's one so gentle that you would almost expect to lose the smell completely in the bath tub.

The cloves and ginger offer a light, herbal aroma, while the inclusion of the lemongrass gives this bath bomb an element of grassiness to it. What is rather peculiar about this arrangement is the fact that the lemongrass doesn't offer any of the citrus elements that you would normally expect. If you were to compare Avoshower to this bath bomb, it's unbelievable to think that the two products could share the same component: they are so far apart in fragrance.

Alongside these different smells, this bath bomb also contains cocoa butter, rice bran oil and soya milk powder. Together, these three components make this one of the most moisturising bath bombs that Lush have ever released. For something so small, you would not believe how thick and nourishing the water was after one of these had fully dissolved.

While the bath water ends up a slightly murky shade of green, there is an impressive blanket of foam that rests on the surface, and you can see the droplets of oil in the water as your bathe. For this reason, this is definitely not suited for bathers who dislike the greasier bombs, as you can definitely feel the impact of the cocoa butter in the water. Furthermore, I would not recommend that you try to wash your hair in the water as it's likely to impact the overall condition of your locks. Moreover, I would ensure that you give the sides of your tub a wipe down afterwards as some of these oils tend to smear themselves across the surface.

Overall, the only aspect of this bath bomb that lets itself down is its colour performance in the water. Yet, the purpose of Hokkaido is to provide a sensual experience with additional skin-softening properties, and so I cannot actually imagine the bath bomb working as well if these additional colours were included. This is definitely one that I would buy again in the future - it's just a shame that many people would have missed out on this one because it isn't the most interesting to look at, nor the most exciting on paper.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Laureth 4, Soya Milk Powder, Perfume, Rice Bran Oil, Titanium Dioxide, Cedarwood Oil, Clove Bud Oil, Ginger Oil, Lemongrass Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Gardenia Extract, *Citral, *Eugenol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £3.75 each.

Year Of Original Release: ?

Stand Up For Your Rights Soap

cedarwood, Lemon, limited edition, lush summit, rosewood, Skin, Soap

If there is one aspect about my favourite company that epitomises the very essence of Lush, it is their charity products, and the items they release to support interesting and important causes across the world. These goodies are not only great because they enthuse the collector in me, who enjoys a good limited edition to sink my teeth into, but because I know I am investing in something that is ethically and morally sound.

Stand Up For Your Rights Soap is a brand new invention for 2017, and was showcased at both the Lush Summit event in early February, and appeared on the website at the same time. Not associated with one particular cause, this was a product inspired by recent political events, and was a bold but very relevant statement to make at a time when human rights is once again being repressed.

Price up at £5, this solid block of golden orange gives off a simple but powerful message. Coupled with a complex and rich aroma - one as diverse as it is familiar, this soap is definitely worth having. Described as being uplifting yet smoky, there was something very familiar about the fragrance that encouraged a little research into other products that may share the same scent. While I didn't find any exact matches, I did discover that SUFYR has the same key components as Hand Of Friendship Soap, and also has similar traits to the likes of Inhale And Breath Of God Perfumes.

Containing a combination of lemon, rosewood, and cedarwood, this soap is far stronger than you would initially expect. All three of these ingredients work really well together, and while you can detect each of them individually, this is definitely a fragrance that blends well and offers up a unified wall of smell.

From the start, the rosewood offers up a fantastic warm and woody scent. It's quite a dry smell that also has something slightly floral about it, but this is an afterthought - the dry, woody note is definitely the strongest component. The lemon works well with the rosewood - not only encouraging a subtle sweetness to emerge from the pairing, but you lose most of the fruitiness that the lemon would have brought forward if there had been too much present.

Instead, you can smell a flat lemon scent - one that boosts the woody notes up a little and makes this soap a little more uplifting, without being particularly fruity. Finally, the cedarwood, which blends perfectly well with the rosewood, offers its own sweet, woody layer, which helps to thicken the overall smell and give Stand Up For Your Rights a very robust, wholesome aroma. I would say that it is definitely a dry and very flat smell, but there is something crisp about this combination that reminds me of both sun-kissed tree bark and damp forestry.

While the cedarwood doesn't appear to have as much of an input here as the other ingredients, it is known to help approve the appearance of skin with its softening properties, while also aiding relaxation. So while it may not be centre stage in regards to the fragrance, it's working behind the scenes to make your experience of this soap as pleasant and rewarding as possible.

I found this soap fairly easy to lather up in the shower, and discovered that because of how thick the block is, I was able to utilise more foam by massaging it in a circular motion across the palm of my hands. Adding water while you're doing this builds up a surplus of cream-coloured lather, which can then be used to wash yourself with. Surprisingly, this soap left my skin feeling quite plump and nourished, which doesn't happen often when it comes to soaps. I was also left with a gentle, warming woody smell on my skin for a short time after my shower.

Despite only using this a handful of times, I have barely noticed a change in the size of the block, so I would say that this is a long-lasting soap. Because of this, I would say that it would be great as a hand soap - not only because it would outlast any bottle of hand wash, but because you'd be spreading a great message while your guests wash their hands.

Overall, this is a lovely soap and one that I hope Lush bring back in the future for more people to enjoy. Stand Up For Your Rights is one of those fragrance that would work really well as a perfume. Who knows, perhaps this soap is a hint of things to come in the future...

Quantitative Ingredients: ?

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £5 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Iamesh Liquid Perfume

cedarwood, geranium, limited edition, lush summit, Perfume, sandalwood, volume 4

What makes Lush perfumes so special, aside from the exquisite ingredients, intricate, layered notes, and carefully crafted combinations that weave and change on the wearer over time, is the experiences that inspire the creation of each fragrance to begin with. The way these aromas tell a story; how they're able to incite different memories for different people, is exciting and unique.

Iamesh initially appears quite an odd name for a perfume, and certainly doesn't sound like something that could be bottled and sold through the use of an expensive, pretentious television advertisement full of dead-eyed models.Yet, when you learn about the story that went into creating this beautiful perfume, you'll begin to appreciate its name, and indeed its purpose as part of Lush's new Volume 4 collection.

This brand new perfume is described as being a heady, visceral rush: one inspired by the power of 'serving others by being yourself' - a fragrance that seeks to represent how our every thought and action has a consequence, and that these very consequences become the experiences that will ultimately move and shape us as people.

Crafted from an experience that happened to Hal Samples, one of the pinnacle influences behind the creation of Volume 4, Iamesh tells the tale of when a hernia erupted inside of him and he had to have a mesh inserted to support the healing process. After migrating and erupting a femoral artery, Hal had to go through a further five corrective surgeries to repair the damage caused by the initial introduction of the mesh.

After waking up from what would be his final surgery, he documented that he felt both invisible and inspired. Finally being free of the pain that had encompassed the large part of a few years, he felt as if he'd been given superpowers and irrepressible energy, thus creating his alias, Iamesh.

Featuring geranium, sandalwood and cypress oil, this new invention from Lush is a perfume for those who enjoy their strong, powerful floral fragrances. Straight from the bottle, you can smell that familiar sharp, green floral cloud of geranium - a thick, almost powdery haze of smell that has similar traits to rose absolute. It's sweet and alluring, and wraps you in a strong and very distinctive bouquet of green leaves and dried rose petals.

On the skin, the cedarwood and sandalwood are elevated by the wearer's warmth, and offer an aromatic base of sweet, woody notes that help to give this perfume its multi-layered smell. I found that this perfume was one that diversified over time, offering bursts of each of the three main components at different times throughout the day.

What impressed me the most was the longevity of Iamesh. After spraying it on myself before heading out to work at 7am, I found that I could still smell it on my clothes when I arrived back home at 6pm that evening. Adding onto this, I was even complimented on my 'wonderful smell' at the gym an hour after this - cementing this as one of Lush's longest withstanding perfumes to date.

Overall, I wouldn't say that this was one of my favourite scents from Lush, simply because I prefer more earthy and fruity smells overall. However, this is no reflection on the perfume itself, and I can recognise how beautiful this creation is. I can definitely see this being a signature smell for many Lush fans, and I imagine it'll become a pinnacle scent within the world of Lush.

Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Egyptian Geranium Oil, Cypress Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Cinnamate, Benzyl Salycilate, Cinnamal, Citral, Citronellol, Eugenol, Farnesol, Geraniol, Isoeugenol, Limonene, Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £28 for 30ml.

Year Of Original Release: 2016 (Lush Showcase event only)

Green Green Bath Of Foam Bubble Bar

Bubble Bar, bubbles, cedarwood, Christmas, Grapefruit, limited edition, Lush Kitchen, neroli, Seasonal, vetivert

This year I have really struggled when it comes to getting into the festive mood. Normally, I am the one who has all of my presents bought and wrapped by the end of September; the annoying friend who winds everyone else up by playing Christmas songs months in advance. However, this year has been far too busy for my liking, and I think this may be the reason why, with only hours until the 'big day', I still find myself rather uninspired by the whole charade.

To try and coax me into enjoying the festivities, I decided to use my very first Green Green Bath Of Foam Bubble Bar. Released for the first time in the Lush Kitchen this year, this beautiful bar offers the same fragrance as the Go Green range, which currently features a body spray and solid perfume. Although I have enjoyed using both of the aforementioned fragrances, I wouldn't say that it was one of my favourite scent families from Lush. However, this bubble bar is on a whole other level.

While I fail to make a strong link between this product and the song, this bubble bar is a play on words of the original country tune 'Green Green Grass of Home'. The hit is about a man dreaming of going home and seeing his loved ones again, only to awaken on the day of his execution and realise that his wish will never be fulfilled. In fact, the only way he'll be able to do this is to be buried there after his death so that his family and friends can visit his grave under the shade of the old oak tree.

Similar in scent to the Green Day Bubble Bar, Green Green features a blend of vertivert, grapefruit, neroli and cedar leaf, combined together to create a product so incredibly fresh and so wonderfully crisp on the senses. Imagine taking an early walk through a forest on Christmas morning - a gentle layer of snow at your feet, the bitter wind nipping at your nose. As the morning dew defrosts around you, you can smell the chlorophyll of the wet shrubbery, and a gentle, sweet grassy note from the saturated leaves and flowers.

It is such a natural and very invigorating fragrance - one that is elevated by the inclusion of both the grapefruit and neroli oils, without either ingredient adding any of the fruity qualities that you might expect. The addition of the cedar leaf is the strongest component featured, and gives this bubble bar a robust, very pronounced pine smell. To finish up, Lush have also added in a touch of smoky vetivert to give the product a deep, sweet and slightly woody aroma. This latter component is very low down in the mix, and almost acts as a basket to support and carry the other elements, while offering a solid base for them to work from.

Surprisingly, I found that the Go Green fragrance works best in this format, and it was because of how effective the smell was that made me fall in love with this bubble bar very quickly. It was definitely not one that I expected to be as enamoured with as I was, and I would definitely say that this is far superior to the Green Day Bubble Bar is almost every way.

To begin with, the design is wonderful - a vibrant emerald-green cone that has been shaped to look a little like a Christmas tree, and adorned with red peppercorns for decoration. Although these tend to fall off fairly quickly, they don't cause any mess in the bath tub, and can be removed before use if you're at all worried about them being washed away down the drain afterwards.

What is great about this bubble bar is that it is the perfect consistency to crumble under the running tap, and I found that a third of it was more than suffice to offer me a beautiful bathing experience. As well as turning the water a vivid shade of green, Green Green Bath Of Foam produced a very generous amount of soft, silky bubbles, and I thoroughly enjoyed submerging myself beneath them.

Furthermore, I was really impressed to find that the fragrance of this product stayed with me throughout the entire experience, and I was able to detect the scent on both my skin and my hair afterwards. Moreover, the bubble bar was really moisturising, without being at all greasy, and I really appreciated how soft and smooth my body felt - particularly my hands as they were looking and feeling rather weathered at the time.

Overall, I feel really grateful that I managed to pick up a handful of these bars because I was not expecting to love them as much as I did. While they are definitely geared towards more of a festive feel, I can't help but think that these would also work well in the spring/summer months, as a light and refreshing option when the weather is a little warmer.

Green Green Bath Of Foam Bubble Bar is a product that I would definitely be interested in buying again, and I do hope that this is not the last time they are seen in the Lush Kitchen. If you have one of these lying around, and you've lost your Christmas spirit, I would highly recommend that you try it out for size and see how you feel afterwards. While I am still nowhere near wanting to air guitar to Slade, or adorn a Santa hat at all, I am definitely a little further away from the Scrooge I felt like before using this gorgeous product.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar (Tartaric acid), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, *Limonene, Cocamide DEA, Grapefruit Oil (Citrus grandis), Bergamot Oil (Citrus bergamia), Frankincense Oil (Boswelia carterii), *Linalool, Hydroxycitronellol, Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), D&C Green No. 8, D&C Blue No.1, Lustre Holly Sparkle (Potassium Silicate, Titanium Dioxide, FD&C Yellow No.5, FD&C Blue No.1), Red Peppercorns (Piper Nigrum).

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £3.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2007.

Scent Family:
Go Green Liquid Body Spray
Go Green Solid Perfume
Green Green Bath Of Foam Bubble Bar
Squeaky Green Solid Shampoo

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