Santa's Christmas Naked Shower Cream

While I love whenever Lush bring out a new product, this year's seasonal range has given me a whole of work to do - given that nearly every liquid product has been released as a solid edition as well. Although the reason behind this move is one that I support wholeheartedly, I cannot imagine my flat mates will be best pleased that I currently take twice as long in the shower, just so I can demo both versions at the same time. 

Santa's Christmas is one of the first Solid Shower Creams that I ever experienced, so I had no idea what to expect from the bottle-shaped, soap-look-a-like that joined me in the shower one early September morning. While a part of me was excited at the prospect of a solid shower cream, I held slight reservations that it was going to be little more than a soap under a different guise. How wrong could I be?

Firstly, I need to make it clear that not one of Lush's solid shower gels/creams can be compared to a bar of soap. Whereas soaps dry my skin out and leave my hands with a distinctive parched feel about them afterwards, not one of these limited editions has that effect. These exclusives are a different ball game altogether, and it only took me a matter of seconds to realise this in the shower.

Despite my intrigue into how the product worked, I was slightly less enthused by the fragrance of Santa's Christmas. At the risk of repeating myself, I should state that the scent of this product is not in anyway bad at all. However, it's a smell that I would describe as being both nice or pleasant: two adjectives that doesn't exactly inspire the fireworks to ignite. 

A new addition to the company's growing collection of Shower creams, Santa's Christmas is a sweet and creamy fruity concoction of ingredients - as warming as the vibrant shade of red that both the solid and its liquid counterpart sport. While neither editions will stain you or your bathroom, I would recommend that you play it safe with any splashes that may occur during your shower.

With as many ingredients as the liquid version, you would expect the solid cream to offer a strong, complex aroma to contend with. However, I found that the fragrance was disappointingly mild overall, and many of the ingredients didn't make an appearance at all. Featuring cinnamon, black pepper, aniseed and lime oils, as well as fresh orange juice, a coffee infusion and benzin resinoid, Santa's Christmas sounds like a powerhouse of ingredients. Having said that, it is only really the lime, orange and benzin resinoid.

While each of these don't impact the scent of this very much, they each have an important role that helps to make this seasonal special both moisturising and slightly clarifying on the skin as well. From the bottle, you can first smell the lime, orange and benzin resinoid. As many have said before me, this shower gel smells like slightly flat vanilla cola: it's both creamy and fruity, and it's perhaps slightly surprising that there isn't any tonka or vanilla absolute present in the ingredients list, to suggest the sweetness.

There is a very subtle shout out to the cinnamon infusion, but I feel as if it's only really noticeable because you're aware that it features in the ingredients list to begin with. I couldn't detect either the aniseed oil or the coffee infusion at all. Having said that, my skin did feel crisp and refreshed after using this, and I believe it is the latter ingredient that helps to clarify the skin and bring out that radiance and that vibrancy. 

Unlike other shower creams, this one is quite possibly the most difficult to extract from the bottle. It is almost as thick as one of Lush's buttercreams, and so when trying to remove it from the bottle it took a lot of effort to do so. Frustrated by this, I ended up removing the black lid altogether and squeezing it out through the neck of the bottle itself. 

As I was expecting, it wasn't particularly generous when lathering up, and I found that I had to use more than a regular gel to clean my whole body. Furthermore, the cream did have a red tinge to it that worried me a little to begin with, as I was expecting to find splashes of colour on my skin after I had rinsed the lather away. Luckily, there was no staining afterwards, although I did find that my sponge was slightly tarnished by the colour.

Having said that, Santa's Christmas did prove to be just as moisturising as you'd expect a shower cream to be, and this makes it a great winter product to help keep the skin in tip-top condition in the harsher conditions. In

When in comparison with the solid edition, I found that this version had a better fragrance - in that the fruitiness and the vanilla-like notes were more pronounced and more noticeable. In the shower, this version offered a stronger smell overall and I could still detect this on my skin over an hour after I had towelled myself down. 

Both editions were equally moisturising and I was impressed by how soft and smooth my skin felt after using each of them. However, I found that the solid edition was easier to use as it produced more of a foam-like lather, so I was able to use less overall and make the product last longer than the bottled version.

Overall, I'll be honest and say that I would have probably rated this shower cream higher if the scent had impressed me more than it did. Don't get me wrong, it is a lovely smell, but not one with the complexity of originality that I would expect from a Lush fragrance. Having said this, I can envisage that this will be very popular product this Christmas, and it wouldn't surprise me if it made an appearance next year as well.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Cinnamon Infusion, Coffee Infusion, Sodium Stearate, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Almond Oil, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Lime Oil, Aniseed Oil, Black Pepper Oil, Benzoin Resinoid, Fresh Lime Juice, Fresh Orange Juice, Titanium Dioxide, *Citral, *Limonene, Colour 16035, Colour 73360, Black Specerit Wax.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £10.75 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Scent Family:
Santa Baby Lip Tint
Santa Baby Naked Lip Tint
Santa's Christmas Naked Shower Cream

Santa's Christmas Shower Cream

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Santa's Christmas Shower Cream

Lush is about as unpredictable as you can possibly get when it comes to their releases. Products that seem incredibly popular suddenly find themselves being discontinued to the shock of the masses; scents that create an instant buzz seem to fade into the distance, never to be seen or heard from again; fragrances that are rarely spoken about within the community, are suddenly made the focal point of a seasonal release.

I cannot imagine that there would be many people who ever envisaged Santa Baby being made into a Shower Cream, let alone one that would be so prominent in this year's Christmas range. While not in anyway bad, the fragrance is not exactly one that inspires a strong reaction from most people, myself included, and Lush must have had some reason for including it in their collection this year. 

Santa's Christmas is a new addition to the company's ever-growing collection of Shower creams - a sweet and creamy fruity concoction of ingredients that is as impressive as the vibrant shade of red that it offers in the bottle. Featuring both a coffee and a cinnamon infusion; lime, black pepper and aniseed oils, you would expect the scent of this to be very different from the one that greets you from the bottle. 

With so many different components, you would expect a strong, complex aroma to contend with. However, I found that this shower cream was far milder in fragrance than I was expecting, which is perhaps why it hasn't made as much of an impact on my senses as some of the more 'in your face' products.

From the bottle, the initial smell, that both myself and the majority of people who I've spoke to about agree on, is one reminiscent of flat vanilla cola. There is a soft bed of creaminess that makes its presence known straight away - one laced with both lime and vanilla, with a delicate layer of cinnamon underneath to  add a little subtle seasonal spice.

Surprisingly, you will notice that there doesn't appear to be any vanilla in the ingredients list. However, the inclusion of the cocoa butter not only makes this shower cream rather moisturising on the skin, but it also offers a comforting blanket of sweetness that governs the aroma without a doubt. 

Strangely, I wasn't able to detect much of the coffee or the aniseed in the smell, although I would imagine that they do contribute to the overall 'roundedness' of the shower cream. Having said that, I did find that this product did well at cleaning my skin and leaving it feeling really smooth to the touch, and I wonder if both of these ingredients helped to give my skin some much needed clarity, that I did notice I could feel afterwards.

When compared to the naked version of this shower gel, I found that Santa's Christmas was quite hard to lather up, whereas the solid edition did produce some of a standard-looking lather. In regards to this version, I found myself using more than I would with a shower gel, just to ensure that I had enough to clean myself with.

Furthermore, I found it quite ironic, given the fact that Lush have brought out a solid version of this, as Santa's Christmas was perhaps the thickest shower cream I have used from the company to date. You really have to squeeze the bottle hard to get the product out, and it comes out as a thick paste, almost sharing its consistency with that of wasabi.

Despite this, I found that the scent of this version was much stronger and I was able to detect it longer on my skin. Furthermore, there is something rather enjoyable about using a shower cream that temporarily turns your skin the colour red because of how potent the colour is.

This is by far one of my least favourite seasonal shower creams to date, but only because the likes of Yummy Mummy and Prince Charming have set the bar so high in comparison. I will enjoy using my 250g bottle for the foreseeable future, but I don't see this as being one I would want to purchase again, or stock up on before the Christmas season is over.

Quantitative Ingredients: Glycerine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Water (Aqua), Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Almond Oil, Stearic Acid, Coffee Infusion, Cinnamon Infusion, Cetearyl Alcohol, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Triethanolamine, Lime Oil, Aniseed Oil, Black Pepper Oil, Benzoin Resinoid, Fresh Lime Juice, Fresh Orange Juice, Titanium Dioxide, *Citral, *Limonene, Colour 16035, Colour 73360.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £10.95 for 250g, £17.95 for 500g.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Scent Family:
Santa Baby Lip Tint
Santa Baby Naked Lip Tint
Santa's Christmas Naked Shower Cream


Santa's Christmas Shower Cream

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Cafe Latte Bath Bomb

It's thanks to Lush that I now incorporate a daily dosage of coffee into my life. Before I became heavily involved in the company, I had no interest in drinking the famous brew; nor did I appreciate anything that tasted or smelt like the popular beverage. However, after discovering the wonders of Cup O' Coffee Body Mask, I found a new-found appreciation for the unique aroma, and I'm now far more susceptible to the fragrance than I originally was.

While it is still not a smell that I would immediately list as a personal favourite, my lips couldn't help but salivate when I received a couple of Cafe Latte Bath Bombs in the post the other morning. If you think you've tried anything like this product before, think again. This wonderful ballistic is unlike anything to come before it, and indeed anything that has made an appearance since. 

Containing a combination of actual ground coffee and dried soya milk, you'd expect this bath bomb to smell very much like your average cup of coffee. Wrong. Just as the name suggests, there is so much more to this beautiful bath bomb than you would expect, and whether or not you're a fan of coffee-scented items, there will be many who appreciate this for what it is. 

Imagine a freshly-made latte with a sprinkle of cocoa powder on top and a drizzle of burnt caramel sauce, and you may begin to envisage how this bath bomb smells. While the fragrance offered is distinctly coffee-orientated, it's not anywhere near as strong as the body mask mentioned above. There's a creamy, sweetness to it that stops the coffee element being so overpowering, and instead what you get is a creamy, sugary coffee smell to die for.

On the negative side, the smell of this bath bomb also reminded me a little of the mould smell you get when leaving food in a damp container for a number of days. Now, this may sound very off-putting for those considering buying some, and I don't mean to deter you away from investing in any of these Cafe Lattes. However, the combination of ingredients does give two very different aromas overall, and once you have a fresh one to sniff, I'm sure most people will be able to understand what I mean by this.

What is great about this bath bomb is that not only does it have a very beautiful, foody smell, but it also lives up to its name by the way that it performs in the tub. Upon contact with the water, the bath bomb begins to foam up very quickly and produce waves of thick, creamy froth - almost like the milk on top of the very drink this product is trying to mimic.

The bath bomb is a very slow fizzer, and also a very quiet one - not to mention the fact that it takes a good 20 - 30 minutes to fully dissolve in the water. For this reason, I suggest that you climb in the tub and enjoy the show as the bath bomb brews in the heat of the water. 

During the experience, Cafe Latte also throws out hundreds of little specks of coffee, that either float on the water or sink to the bottom. These don't really make the bath that much more interesting, but it's definitely something unique and does help to retain some of the scent. Some people have complained in the past that these specks of coffee cause a little chaffing, as you do tend to find yourself sitting on them. However, I didn't feel them at all and my only issue was that I forgot to rinse the tub out afterwards so these little pieces stuck to the tub and needed to be wiped down.

Once the product has fully dissolved, you're left with a very uninteresting bath (the water doesn't change colour). However, I found that there is enough of a smell to make this a very relaxing experience. The caramel-esque aroma did dampen a little, once the bath bomb had dissolved, and the coffee note came to the forefront just slightly. Having said this, there was still enough of a smell to make for a relaxing bath. 

As with most of Lush's bath bombs, this left my skin feeling very nourished and soft, although I wouldn't say that it was particularly moisturising to the point that I think it is more than others. However, it is definitely a very calming bath bomb and one that I recommend, if only because it is very different to any other bath bomb that has made an appearance over the last eight years.

Would I buy this again? Definitely. Unless you despite coffee, I would like to suggest that you give this one a go at least once. It's not strong or as smoky as you might expect, and you may be surprised by how much you enjoy this one. Like a much-needed hug, this is a bath bomb that leaves a good impression, and I only hope this a sign of other coffee-scented products to come. Yum!

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Perfume, Cocamide DEA, Ground Coffee, Dried Soya Milk.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £4.25 each.

Year Of Original Release: 1999.

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Cup O' Coffee Exfoliating Mask

Sometimes the role of a teacher can be very overwhelming and usually warrants far more of your time than your average nine to five job. Weekends and evenings are never 'marking or planning free', and your sleep can also be interrupted with either ideas for lessons or strategies on how to cope with the impossible-to-complete admin tasks that have been thrown at you.

When the stress of the job becomes too much, I will often revert to drinking bucketloads of coffee to counteract the tiredness and lack of enthusiasm I feel towards the profession. While it's not the greatest remedy I could opt for, it's the simplest and quickest one available.

When Lush first announced that Cup O' Coffee Exfoliating Mask was coming out, I was immediately intrigued by the concept of using coffee in other ways to stimulate and alert me in the mornings. While it was initially targeted towards a male market, Lush's products are always universal, so I wasn't put off from purchasing a large 250g tub during the opening day of the Oxford Street store. 

This exfoliating mask is designed to be used on both the body and the face - stimulating and hydrating the skin and leaving you feeling ready to face the day ahead. Featuring a blend of coffee infusion and roasted cocoa extract, this product presents a very strong, rich and heavily smoky aroma in the tub. 

While the ground coffee is the dominant fragrance, you can detect a subtle chocolately layer underneath, which just softens the bitter coffee aroma and gives it a pleasant, rounded smell overall. The Fair Trade vanilla absolute and organic agave nectar induces a little sweetness into the mix as well, so while you'll need to like coffee to appreciate the smell, it's not as dry or as potent as Percup Massage Bar. 

A point that I feel I should make in regards to the smell of this product, is that while I drink coffee regularly, I would not consider myself to be a big fan of the smell. Most coffee-scented products wouldn't get a second look-in for me and it would be one of the last scents that I turn to for product fragrances. However, whether it's because of how it benefits my skin, or whether it's because of how it makes me feel after I have used it, but I really don't mind the aroma of this product at all. If you are someone who dislikes coffee, I would still recommend that you try this out - you may end up loving it as much as I do. 

Aside from its aroma, Cup 'O Coffee features an array of ingredients to help moisturise, hydrate and exfoliate tired and weathered skin. Kaolin helps to cleanse and exfoliate dead skin cells and debris from the surface; coriander seed oil stimulates both your skin and mind with it's spicy, slightly aromatic fragrance; and vetivert oil restores the moisture that you may have lost over time and gives your body a smooth, healthy finish. 

In the pot, this exfoliating mask doesn't look particularly appealing - a thick, murky brown paste with specks of black laced throughout the entire tub. However, it is these tiny pieces of ground coffee and caffeine powder that give this mask it's grainy consistency and help to make it a really effective skincare product. 

As you apply liberally to the areas of the body that you feel needs it, massaging it all over in circular motions, the grains of coffee will not only remove any dry skin or debris that may have been present on the skin, but give you a gentle scrub to leave you feeling clean and refreshed afterwards. While it does offer a slightly rougher consistency than most of Lush's regular face masks, it is not as gritty as the likes of Don't Look At Me Face Mask, so you won't have to worry about it being too harsh on your skin. 

After leaving it on for a good 10-15 minutes, you'll need to rinse it off in the shower and apply a body lotion or massage bar to inject and maintain that hydrated feeling for the rest of day. I found that my skin felt instantly rejuvenated after using this in the mornings, and whether or not it was psychological or physical, but I also felt far more alert and awake after using this mask.

Although I wouldn't use Cup 'O Coffee every day, this is a great product for those who need an emergency blanket to turn to when they're having 'one of those morning'. This not only left my skin feeling clean and clear and looking radiant, but helped to improve my mood to boot so I wasn't such a grumpy person at work that day. 

While it's not going to solve my overabundance of marking, this mask is definitely something that I know I can rely upon to give me an instant boost. For this reason, I will definitely be buying this on a regular basis and recommending it to all of my colleagues who are in the same boat as me. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Coffee Infusion (Coffea Arabica), Water (Aqua), Tacl, Kaolin, Organic Agave Syrup (Agave Tequilana Leaf Extract), Glycerine, Perfume, Vetivert oil (Vitiveria zizanoides), Fair Trade Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia), Roasted Cocoa Extract (Theobroma cacao), Coriander Seed oil (Coriandrum sativum), Ventone (Hectorite), Caffeine Powder (Caffeine), Coumarin, Limonene, Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £6.50 for 100g, £12 for 250g.

Year Of Original Release: 2015. 

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Cup O' Coffee Exfoliating Mask

Sometimes the role of a teacher can be very overwhelming and usually warrants far more of your time than your average nine to five job. Weekends and evenings are never 'marking or planning free', and your sleep can also be interrupted with either ideas for lessons or strategies on how to cope with the impossible-to-complete admin tasks that have been thrown at you.

When the stress of the job becomes too much, I will often revert to drinking bucketloads of coffee to counteract the tiredness and lack of enthusiasm I feel towards the profession. While it's not the greatest remedy I could opt for, it's the simplest and quickest one available.

When Lush first announced that Cup O' Coffee Exfoliating Mask was coming out, I was immediately intrigued by the concept of using coffee in other ways to stimulate and alert me in the mornings. While it was initially targeted towards a male market, Lush's products are always universal, so I wasn't put off from purchasing a large 250g tub during the opening day of the Oxford Street store. 

This exfoliating mask is designed to be used on both the body and the face - stimulating and hydrating the skin and leaving you feeling ready to face the day ahead. Featuring a blend of coffee infusion and roasted cocoa extract, this product presents a very strong, rich and heavily smoky aroma in the tub. 

While the ground coffee is the dominant fragrance, you can detect a subtle chocolately layer underneath, which just softens the bitter coffee aroma and gives it a pleasant, rounded smell overall. The Fair Trade vanilla absolute and organic agave nectar induces a little sweetness into the mix as well, so while you'll need to like coffee to appreciate the smell, it's not as dry or as potent as Percup Massage Bar. 

A point that I feel I should make in regards to the smell of this product, is that while I drink coffee regularly, I would not consider myself to be a big fan of the smell. Most coffee-scented products wouldn't get a second look-in for me and it would be one of the last scents that I turn to for product fragrances. However, whether it's because of how it benefits my skin, or whether it's because of how it makes me feel after I have used it, but I really don't mind the aroma of this product at all. If you are someone who dislikes coffee, I would still recommend that you try this out - you may end up loving it as much as I do. 

Aside from its aroma, Cup 'O Coffee features an array of ingredients to help moisturise, hydrate and exfoliate tired and weathered skin. Kaolin helps to cleanse and exfoliate dead skin cells and debris from the surface; coriander seed oil stimulates both your skin and mind with it's spicy, slightly aromatic fragrance; and vetivert oil restores the moisture that you may have lost over time and gives your body a smooth, healthy finish. 

In the pot, this exfoliating mask doesn't look particularly appealing - a thick, murky brown paste with specks of black laced throughout the entire tub. However, it is these tiny pieces of ground coffee and caffeine powder that give this mask it's grainy consistency and help to make it a really effective skincare product. 

As you apply liberally to the areas of the body that you feel needs it, massaging it all over in circular motions, the grains of coffee will not only remove any dry skin or debris that may have been present on the skin, but give you a gentle scrub to leave you feeling clean and refreshed afterwards. While it does offer a slightly rougher consistency than most of Lush's regular face masks, it is not as gritty as the likes of Don't Look At Me Face Mask, so you won't have to worry about it being too harsh on your skin. 

After leaving it on for a good 10-15 minutes, you'll need to rinse it off in the shower and apply a body lotion or massage bar to inject and maintain that hydrated feeling for the rest of day. I found that my skin felt instantly rejuvenated after using this in the mornings, and whether or not it was psychological or physical, but I also felt far more alert and awake after using this mask.

Although I wouldn't use Cup 'O Coffee every day, this is a great product for those who need an emergency blanket to turn to when they're having 'one of those morning'. This not only left my skin feeling clean and clear and looking radiant, but helped to improve my mood to boot so I wasn't such a grumpy person at work that day. 

While it's not going to solve my overabundance of marking, this mask is definitely something that I know I can rely upon to give me an instant boost. For this reason, I will definitely be buying this on a regular basis and recommending it to all of my colleagues who are in the same boat as me. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Coffee Infusion (Coffea Arabica), Water (Aqua), Tacl, Kaolin, Organic Agave Syrup (Agave Tequilana Leaf Extract), Glycerine, Perfume, Vetivert oil (Vitiveria zizanoides), Fair Trade Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia), Roasted Cocoa Extract (Theobroma cacao), Coriander Seed oil (Coriandrum sativum), Ventone (Hectorite), Caffeine Powder (Caffeine), Coumarin, Limonene, Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £6.50 for 100g, £12 for 250g.

Year Of Original Release: 2015. 

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Copperhead Solid Shampoo Bar

After my less than enjoyable experience with Percup Massage Bar, I wasn't exactly overjoyed to be trying out Copperhead Solid Shampoo Bar. Boasting a double shot of coffee grounds as well as featuring a generous helping of roasted cocoa extract, I was expecting another pungent and rather bitter offering from Lush. 

I was surprised and equally delighted then, when the product turned up and didn't instantly repel me like I was expecting it to. In fact, the shampoo bar ended up doing exactly the opposite and enticing me into the shower, just so I could try it out. 

While it's not mentioned on the site, or indeed in the company's latest magazine, Copperhead actually gives off an aroma that is near on identical to the Dear John range - a sweet, sultry and rather smoky fragrance that takes some getting used to, especially if you're more accustomed to the simpler scents in the Lush range. 

An initial sniff offers you a combination of lemon and ground coffee, with just a hint of the henna in the background. The coffee is slightly more dominant than it is in the body spray, perfume and soap format, and I think the inclusion of the henna gives it that extra woody kick. The more you smell the product, the more you're able to pick up the natural sweetness of the vetivert oil and vanilla absolute - with the powdered rosemary and coriander oil offering subtle layers underneath all of this and bringing it together beautifully. 


While many Lush fans have described this as a masculine fragrance, I happen to think it's neither male or female-orientated. Although it isn't as obviously feminine as some of Lush's other perfumes, it's definitely not solely for men either. I happen to find the scent very pleasing and it spurred me on to trying this out for myself very quickly after receiving it. 

Containing a generous amount of red henna, I knew this solid shampoo bar was going to work wonders for my hair, and it only took an initial wash to see and feel how silky-smooth and replenished my locks felt. As a natural brunette, products that contain henna tend to work well with my hair, and Copperhead is no exception. 

The henna not only offers my hair a deep condition, but supports my natural colour and highlights the different shades of brown that feature in my locks. The cocoa butter locks in the moisture, without making my hair greasy, and helps it to look and feel soft, moisturised and super glossy. The inclusion of ground coffee helps to perk-up dull and lifeless hair and gives an aromatic smell that stays with you for hours after you've exited the shower. 

Copperhead is very generous when it comes to releasing soap suds - lathering up the very instant it comes into contact with water and producing a light, fluffy and very soft foam that can be applied to your hair with ease. These suds immediately make your hair feel smoother and you'll be able to notice a difference after you've left it to develop for a while before rinsing away. 

Much like many of Lush's newer shampoo bars, this shampoo is amazing at leaving your hair feeling and looking silky soft. My hair is quite thin naturally but can often develop a frizzy wave that prevents me from being able to wear my hair down without straightening it first. Copperhead is another solid shampoo that reduced this frizziness without flattening my natural wave - allowing me to wear my hair down without using any other products to control the stray strands.

Furthermore, I usually find that I have to wash my hair most days as some shampoos leave it feeling slightly greasy by the end of the day. With this product, I have been able to reduce this down to every other day, which above everything else, saves me money and time. 

I would wholeheartedly recommend that you check this product out, especially if like me, you have darker hair. I cannot comment on how this would work for lighter shades and I would appreciate if anyone fancied sharing their experience with me. However, this has now worked its way into my top 5 favourite hair care products, and will be one I buy on a regular basis. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Agar Red Henna, Cocoa Butter, Perfume, Ground Coffee, Vetivert Oil, Fair Trade Vanilla Absolute, Roasted Cocoa Extract, Coriander Oil, Powdered Rosemary, Fresh Organic Lemon Juice, Caffeine Powder, Coumarin, Limonene, Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2014 Price: £5.75 each.
2015 Price: £5.95 each.
2017 Price: £6.25 each.

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

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Copperhead Solid Shampoo Bar

After my less than enjoyable experience with Percup Massage Bar, I wasn't exactly overjoyed to be trying out Copperhead Solid Shampoo Bar. Boasting a double shot of coffee grounds as well as featuring a generous helping of roasted cocoa extract, I was expecting another pungent and rather bitter offering from Lush. 

I was surprised and equally delighted then, when the product turned up and didn't instantly repel me like I was expecting it to. In fact, the shampoo bar ended up doing exactly the opposite and enticing me into the shower, just so I could try it out. 

While it's not mentioned on the site, or indeed in the company's latest magazine, Copperhead actually gives off an aroma that is near on identical to the Dear John range - a sweet, sultry and rather smoky fragrance that takes some getting used to, especially if you're more accustomed to the simpler scents in the Lush range. 

An initial sniff offers you a combination of lemon and ground coffee, with just a hint of the henna in the background. The coffee is slightly more dominant than it is in the body spray, perfume and soap format, and I think the inclusion of the henna gives it that extra woody kick. The more you smell the product, the more you're able to pick up the natural sweetness of the vetivert oil and vanilla absolute - with the powdered rosemary and coriander oil offering subtle layers underneath all of this and bringing it together beautifully. 


While many Lush fans have described this as a masculine fragrance, I happen to think it's neither male or female-orientated. Although it isn't as obviously feminine as some of Lush's other perfumes, it's definitely not solely for men either. I happen to find the scent very pleasing and it spurred me on to trying this out for myself very quickly after receiving it. 

Containing a generous amount of red henna, I knew this solid shampoo bar was going to work wonders for my hair, and it only took an initial wash to see and feel how silky-smooth and replenished my locks felt. As a natural brunette, products that contain henna tend to work well with my hair, and Copperhead is no exception. 

The henna not only offers my hair a deep condition, but supports my natural colour and highlights the different shades of brown that feature in my locks. The cocoa butter locks in the moisture, without making my hair greasy, and helps it to look and feel soft, moisturised and super glossy. The inclusion of ground coffee helps to perk-up dull and lifeless hair and gives an aromatic smell that stays with you for hours after you've exited the shower. 

Copperhead is very generous when it comes to releasing soap suds - lathering up the very instant it comes into contact with water and producing a light, fluffy and very soft foam that can be applied to your hair with ease. These suds immediately make your hair feel smoother and you'll be able to notice a difference after you've left it to develop for a while before rinsing away. 

Much like many of Lush's newer shampoo bars, this shampoo is amazing at leaving your hair feeling and looking silky soft. My hair is quite thin naturally but can often develop a frizzy wave that prevents me from being able to wear my hair down without straightening it first. Copperhead is another solid shampoo that reduced this frizziness without flattening my natural wave - allowing me to wear my hair down without using any other products to control the stray strands.

Furthermore, I usually find that I have to wash my hair most days as some shampoos leave it feeling slightly greasy by the end of the day. With this product, I have been able to reduce this down to every other day, which above everything else, saves me money and time. 

I would wholeheartedly recommend that you check this product out, especially if like me, you have darker hair. I cannot comment on how this would work for lighter shades and I would appreciate if anyone fancied sharing their experience with me. However, this has now worked its way into my top 5 favourite hair care products, and will be one I buy on a regular basis. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Agar Red Henna, Cocoa Butter, Perfume, Ground Coffee, Vetivert Oil, Fair Trade Vanilla Absolute, Roasted Cocoa Extract, Coriander Oil, Powdered Rosemary, Fresh Organic Lemon Juice, Caffeine Powder, Coumarin, Limonene, Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2014 Price: £5.75 each.
2015 Price: £5.95 each.
2017 Price: £6.25 each.

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

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Percup Massage Bar

I don't say this very often as it normally goes without saying, but I feel I need to reiterate for this particular review. This blog is about informing consumers about each and every Lush product I can get my hands on - articles that include both facts and opinions about each and every item. For this reason, there will often be posts that people disagree with, and I'm fine with this - I recognise that my opinion is not the 'be all and end all'. I only say this because I can imagine getting some opposing comments about this particular review. 

Don't get me wrong, Percup is a fully functional massage bar for all intents and purposes. I cannot fault it's consistency or the way it delivers the oils onto my skin. Much like Yes Yes Yes, Dirty and Shades of Earl Grey, these new additions to Lush offer a perfect solid composition, which means they work fantastically well - melting without being too runny, nourishing the skin without leaving it too greasy. I cannot fault them in this sense. 

However, the main issue I have with this massage bar is it's fragrance. Made using both roasted cocoa extract and caffeine powder, this bar offers an immediate and rather pungent coffee-scented experience. To add to this aroma, the use of whole coffee beans in the bar gives off a richly decadent but rather raw, bitter-smelling coffee aroma. While coffee lovers will no doubt love this scent, I for one find it a little too overwhelming.

Although I don't enjoy drinking the popular beverage, I do normally enjoy coffee-scented cosmetics and occasionally divulge in coffee-flavoured desserts. However, I found the smell of this coffee to be a little too dry and smokey. While you can just about detect a hint of the roasted cocoa extract in the background, it's not enough to smoothen out and sweeten the overall aroma; the coconut oil and vanilla absolute do little to soften the smell. 

This means that when you apply it to the skin, that bitter smell comes through and it's a little unpleasant to walk around with - especially if coffee isn't your favourite smell. In it's favour, this massage bar has a long-lasting aroma that permeates your skin for many hours after it's been applied, and I can see it being very comforting for those who love the smell. However, for me it just reminded me that I like the gentler, sugary-sweet smell of white coffee - not the intense, sharp smell of black coffee. 

Percup is literally designed to 'perk up' the skin and your senses - giving you a much needed dose of caffeine to see you through the day. The inclusion of whole coffee beans means that you get that natural source of caffeine which alongside the powder, revitalises your skin, stimulates circulation and leaves you feeling refreshed and invigorated. 

This massage bar glides easily across the body and leaves a light trail of oil which absorbs into the skin fairly quickly and leaves you with a beautiful, natural sheen. I found that the bar melts with ease on your skin but didn't melt too much between the palms of my hands, so it didn't become too oily or sticky when being used. 

Although I'm fairly new to this bar, I can imagine the coffee beans working in the same way that the beans in Wiccy Magic Muscles work - giving you a light, delicate exfoliator alongside the moisturising properties of the oils and butters. However, unlike the aforementioned massage bar, I can imagine this one working a little better as the coffee beans are bigger and there are less of them so you shouldn't have them all falling out while you're using the bar. 

As far as massage bars go, I cannot fault how well this works and I would urge everyone to at least try it yourself. While I recognise that it seems unfair to rate it so low simply on the fact that I disliked the fragrance - despite knowing what it would smell like before I purchased it, I never know what to expect with Lush products and there was no reason why I couldn't have fallen in love with it, even if I'm not a huge coffee fan. It is just my opinion after all and should not be taken as any more than this. While it's not one I would invest in again, it makes an original and rather unique addition to the family and I can see it being a very popular seller for Lush. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Fair Trade Shea Butter, Whole Coffee Bean, Organic Jojoba Oil, Perfume, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Vetivert Oil, Fair Trade Vanilla Absolute, Roasted Cocoa Extract, Coriander Oil, Caffeine Powder, Coumarin, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

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