Showing posts with label honeysuckle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label honeysuckle. Show all posts

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



Alkmaar Soap


Much like the Whoosh Temple Balm, this is a product that I had to do a little research on before buying myself a slice online. The reason for this was because when this soap made an appearance in one of the retro rounds in 2013, it was not advertised as being vegan, yet there was nothing obvious in the ingredients list that warranted it not to be. Although I am still unsure about whether or not it is suitable, I have seen it advertised as so on many other websites I have visited so until I find out otherwise, I will just assume that it is. 

Alkmaar Soap is one of those Lush products that gets overlooked a lot - even I wasn't initially enamoured with it when it first appeared online. The reason for this is obvious - much like 17 Cherry Tree Lane, it's as boring as a piece of soap can get. 

However, some of the least attractive cosmetics have become some of my all-time favourite products; just like some of the most beautiful items have given me some of the most disappointing experiences. I wasn't going to judge the soap's merits by it's appearance.

Sharing it's scent with the Silky Underwear family, you'll find this fragrance in Lush's popular but now discontinued Fairy Jasmine Ballistic and Turbo Bubble Bar. If you enjoy this smell, you can still purchase the Silky Underwear Dusting Powder, which is a regular member of the range.

Described by Lush as a 'sensually scented' soap, Alkmaar gives off a subtle but complex combination of jasmine, vetivert and honeysuckle - a wonderful feminine aroma that offers floral fans a beautifully unique fragrance. Fans of jasmine will appreciate the heady aroma that this ingredient gives to the soap - it's definitely the most dominating smell here. 

In the shower, the soap is fairly easy to foam up - producing a thick and creamy lather that spreads easily over the skin. Unlike other Lush soaps, the scent of this one doesn't intensify under running water - yet at the same time, it doesn't disperse at all, so you can enjoy the fragrance throughout the entire experience.                                                                         As it's such a subtle smell, this one may linger on your skin but it's too weak to notice. Despite this, I could still detect a gentle presence of Alkmaar in the bathroom for a few hours after use, which was lovely. 
Unfortunately, I did find that this soap left my skin very slightly dry - nothing that would be a major problem but I definitely had to moisturise after use otherwise I would have developed dry patches across my body. 

Alkmaar is a rather sturdy soap which means that it will last a very long time. A 100g block lasted me a little over two months, which I consider to be great value for money for a piece of that size. I wouldn't use this again in place of a shower gel, but I think this would make a good hand soap and I would be tempted to buy myself a couple of pieces next time it makes an appearance. 

Overall, this is a lovely soap. It has a beautiful classy and rather elegant fragrance that adds a special touch to your shower. However, it didn't work with my skin as well as other Lush soaps have done in the past. I would love to see this made into a shower gel or jelly as these formats are much more appealing to me and would allow me to appreciate the scent.

Quantitative Ingredients: Honeysuckle Infusion (Lonicera caprifolium), Amaranth Infusion (Amaranthus hypochondriacus), Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Titanium Dioxide, Perfume, Glycerine, Jasmine Absolute (Jasminum officinale), Vetivert Oil (Vetiveria zizanoides), Styrax Resinoid (Storax), Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Editronate.

Vegan?: Yes.

Scent Family:
Alkmaar Soap
All That Jas Bath Bomb
Big Hugs Soap
Factory Mix-up It's A Date Bubble Bar
Fairy Jasmine Ballistic 
Fairy Ring Soap
Mistletoe Bath Bomb 
Silky Underwear Dusting Powder
Silky Underwear Liquid Perfume
Silky Underwear Solid Perfume
Turbo Bubble Bar