Bling Crosby Bubble Bar

Let’s be honest: I can think of very few reason not to love Karma. It’s a classic - a smell I go back to time and time again, and fall in love with each and every time. There is something for everybody in this fragrance, and this Bubble Bar is an extension of the family that needs to be experienced by all.

To look at, Bling Crosby Bubble Bar is not exactly the most exciting of bath products, although I know that the allure of the glitter will win some hearts over straight away. Sharing its scent with all things Karma, this limited edition boasts pine, patchouli, lemongrass, orange, lavender and clove. Yet despite this impressive list of potentially clashing components, the fragrance is one of many layers. You can smell a combination of orange and patchouli to begin with - which offers a sweet, spicy note reminiscent of the swinging sixties. There is something almost intoxicating and strange exotic about the combination of these two ingredients, which makes for a strong base on which the other notes flourish. Next up the lemongrass, which intertwines itself around the orange and hides a little of juiciness that citrus fruits sometimes display. This gives the scent a dry fruity smell rather than a zesty one, and adds a gentle layer of green to the mix. Then there is the pine oil, which works with the latter ingredient to offer something a little green and almost coniferous about the smell. 

All of these elements work well together - offering a burst of smells that is richly sweet, with a spicy warmth that earns his scent family its massive following. What I love about Karma is that, while the notes work in unison with each other, you are also able to pick out each component individually as well. 

Bling Crosby offers that unique Karma smell right away, although I would say that it’s slightly more subtle than the regular Karma Bubble Bar that you can buy in stores. What I love though is that it turns your bath water a wonderful shade of orange, which is reminiscent of the original Karma Bubble Bar - a colour that I think suits this fragrance a lot more than purple does. 

The product is easy enough to crumble under the running tap, and it produces a wonderful layer of light, fluffy bubbles to submerge yourself beneath. Furthermore, the inclusion of the gold lustre means that you also experience swirls of pulsating sparkly glitter, under the surface of the water, as you’re bathing. However, I should point out that the lustre does not decorate your skin at all whilst you’re bathing, and it washes away easily afterwards. 

As with most of Lush’s Bubble bars, my skin benefitted from the softness of the water and I could feel how smooth and moisturised my skin was after exiting the bath. Moreover, I was impressed when I was able to smell a note reminiscent of Karma on my skin after I had towelled myself down, and a spray of the liquid perfume, and a generous lather of Karma Kream, and I was able to enjoy the scent for the rest of the day. 

Despite its physical lack of appeal to me, I can honestly say that I enjoyed the experience overall. While I used the whole bar in my bath, you could easily use a half or a third, and you’d still heed a fragrant bath to enjoy over the winter period. Although I much prefer the new and improved pyramid-shaped Karma Bubble Bar, this is a great (and slightly cheaper!) alternative for those who need a big dose of Karma to see them through the day/night.  

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Lavendin Oil, Lemongrass Oil, Brazilian Orange Oil, Patchouli Oil, Pine Oil, Gardenia Extract, Titanium Dioxide, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Silica, *Citral, *Citronellol, *Geraniol, *Hydroxycitronellal, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 77492, Colour 14700, Whole Clove

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £3.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2006.

Scent Family:
Bling Crosby Bubble Bar
Double Fast Luck Emotibomb
Karma Ballistic
Karma Bath Melt
Karma Bubble Bar
Karma Dusting Powder
Karma Komba Solid Shampoo Bar
Karma Kream
Karma Liquid Perfume
Karma Revamped Bubble Bar
Karma Shower Gel
Karma Shower Jelly
Karma Soap
Karma Solid Perfume
Karma Sutra Bath Bomb

Lush Bath Bomb

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Karma Wash Card

Back when the flagship store on Oxford Street first opened, the 'Shower Sheet' was a brand new product that excited Lush fans around the world. For those not content with shower gels and shower jellies and shower smoothies and buttercreams, here was a brand new, innovative design that challenged the concept of 'normal showering' once again. 

Yet, after recognising their many merits, there was still a part of me that felt as if I wasn't getting as much value from a £13.95 sheet as I was for a similarly priced bottle. Therefore, once I had tried all of the sheets to review on my blog, I settled back into the routine of using my favourite gels and jellies once more.

However, after the Kiss Me Quick Business Card made an appearance earlier this year as part of the Valentine's Day range, I began to recognise other purposes that this format was able to offer, and I found a newfound appreciation of the product. So when Karma Wash Card was one of many new cards to showcase themselves at the Lush Summit event on February 8th, 2017, I was far more optimistic about picking myself up a handful.  

Firstly, the size of this card means that this will slip easily into a purse or a side pocket of a bag/suitcase - making it a great travelling companion that wont weigh you down. Due to this format not being able to create any unwanted spillages whatsoever, this solid rendition of a shower gel also guarantees to be leakage-free, and suitable to take on board a plane as part of your hand luggage.

Secondly, the lack of any active moisture means that the sheets are preservative free - meaning that they should have a much longer shelf life than their liquid counterparts. In addition, the lack of moisture means that they are far more densely packed with ingredients. For this reason, when used in the shower, the theory is that they'll be able to create much more of a lather from far less of the product because of this. Furthermore, they don't contribute to package waste in the slightest, making it far more environmentally friendly than their other shower counterparts.

Seeing the cards placed next to their perfume partner made me also realise that these are a great way of trying out a fragrance before you invest in a jul-size bottle. While £2 initially seems rather expensive for what roughly equates to about 6-10 showers worth of product, I feel as if this is worth doing rather than spending £30+ on a bottle of perfume that you realise you are not so keen on a few weeks later. 

While Karma Shower Gel and Karma Shower Jelly are both available fairly often in the Lush Kitchen, these are not products that are accessible to every Lush fan at any given moment. Once these cards make a permanent feature in stores, it'll mean that fans of certain fragrances will be able to have full time access to shower products in their favourite scents.

Sharing its scent with the popular Karma range, Karma Wash Card is exactly what you'd expect. Probably being closest in smell to the shower jelly format, this patchouli, pine, lemongrass and orange-scented aroma is beautiful in every way.

Karma is an ambient fragrance reminiscent of the sixties. Spicy orange oil is definitely the heart and soul of this fragrance - with warm, earthy and slightly spicy hints of patchouli to compliment the main scent. An occasional burst of lavender gives it a herbal touch and pine oil seals the deal, making this a multi-layered festivity of smells. The scent is both sweet and citrusy, and reminds me of those old-fashioned cola bottle sweets you used to get when you were little; or summer days where the smell of burning incense can be found wafting out of shop windows.   

What is great about this wash card is that it can also be used as a shampoo, which helps to lighten your load even more when you're travelling. Having only tried this out once, I can honestly say that it left my hair feeling silky-smooth and incredibly clean - not to mention the fact that the scent radiated from my locks for hours afterwards. 

While it lathered up quickly, and was equally as generous as a regular shower gel in terms of the amount of 'foam' it produced, I was a little disappointed to discover that the sheet near-on disintegrated when coming into contact with the running water. This is definitely not a product you should use in one go. Instead, to get the most out of it, I would recommend that you break off a small piece (1cm), add a little water away from the direct flow of the shower, and then massage it across your skin in a circular motion. 

The wash card produces a light, fluffy and very fragrant lather, and you can easily clean your entire body with the recommended size piece. In that sense it is equally as effective, if not more so than the shower gel variation, and works as a great top up for those who love the scent but don't have the privilege of owning the shower gel or jelly.  

As a gift, or as a product to store for future travel plans, this is a lovely limited edition to invest in. Although I won't be replacing my shower gels anytime soon, this business card has definitely sparked my interest in the shower sheets a little more, and I would definitely consider carrying these with me on trips rather than storing the usual bottle of gel. While a part of me considers £2 to be a little expensive for the size of the item, I can also see how its price tag makes it easily accessible for those on a budget, and who perhaps don't wish to invest the amount it costs for a full-sized version.

Quantitative Ingredients: ?

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £2 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

   

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Karma Komba Solid Shampoo Bar

As far as solid shampoos go, there is little that they can really do wrong, which is why I find myself confused when one of Lush's unique discs does't work very well for me or my hair. Luckily, these negative experiences are far and few between, and in the case of this particular one, there is very little I can think of to tarnish its name.

Karma Komba was actually one of the first solid shampoo bars to grace my life - a decision I made solely because it shared its scent with the Karma range. With a body lotion, shower gel, liquid perfume and bath bomb amongst many other products, I couldn't think of anything better than completing the set by washing my hair with the fragrance as well.

Despite this, I do have to be very careful when it comes to the products I use on my locks. After years of dying, bleaching, blow-drying and straightening, my hair is still very hesitant to trust me with anything that I do, and it's certainly quick to react when I use something it disagrees with.

When reading the description of this particular shampoo bar, I wasn't initially bowled over by its properties. While most of Lush's shampoos have the ability to either stimulate hair growth, moisturise, repair or eradicate dandruff, Karma Komba didn't really have much to say for itself, and this worried me somewhat.

Luckily, I discovered very quickly that this shampoo is actually amazing. Although the first couple of washes seemed to leave my hair feeling rather frizzy and not as moisturised as others have done so, it didn't take long for this to be rectified - creating a soft, shiny and very radiant looking head of hair that stayed in this good condition for a good couple of days before I had to wash again.

Containing patchouli, sweet orange, lavender and lemongrass, this fruity-smelling shampoo bar has all of the key ingredients to clean your hair and scalp, calm any irritation, reduce and eradicate dandruff and keep your head looking and feeling well-balanced and healthy. While I'm lucky enough that I don't suffer from dandruff, after using this for a couple of days, I noticed that it had cleared up a number of scratches that I had somehow managed to inflict on myself, and it also worked with the natural highlights of my hair to bring out the vividity without stripping or dampening the natural hair colour already present.     

Unfortunately, although other reviewers have expressed their love of the smell, I can't say that I was able to pick up enough of the smell to really comment on it. Although my bar was a fresh one, I found that the fragrance was very weak -nothing at all like the bubble bar or the body lotion, and this was slightly disappointing for someone who was wanting bursts of the Karma fragrance to keep me company throughout the day.   

Having said this, I don't think the lack of fragrance takes away from the bar at all - it just meant that I was able to use different conditioners alongside this and not worry that the different scents would clash at all. Furthermore, the fact that my hair looked and felt incredible was much more important and far more impressive to let this aspect dampen my spirits. 

As with all of Lush's shampoo bars, Karma Komba is very easy to lather up and coats your hair with a thick and very creamy lather that immediately begins to clean and soften upon impact. In fact, I would recommend that you're quite scrupulous when it comes to the application of this shampoo and only lather it across your hair for about 2-3 seconds. I say this because my bar only lasted me for two months when most of Lush's solid shampoo bars tends to last me at least three months.

On the positive side, my hair now has a natural shine to it which really brings out my highlights - this is without making it look greasy or flattening it at all. In the two weeks that I have been using this shampoo bar, I have not noticed any fading of my hair dye, and if anything it's only heightened the different colours that are naturally present in my locks.

While I wish that Karma Komba fragrance was strong enough to remain on me for longer, I cannot really fault how it works on my hair. This will definitely be a shampoo I buy regularly - especially in the summer months when, alongside the sun, this bar will help to bring out my natural highlights and give my hair a wonderful, natural shine.  

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Perfume, Patchouli Oil, Sweet Orange Oil, Lavender Oil, Pine Oil, Lemongrass Oil, Elemi Oil, Gardenia Extract, Citral, Geraniol, Citronellol, Limonene, Linalool, Colour 42090, Colour 19140, Roman Chamomile Flowers.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £5.95 each. 

Year Of Original Release: ?

Scent Family:
Bling Crosby Bubble Bar
Double Fast Luck Emotibomb
Karma Ballistic
Karma Bath Melt
Karma Bubble Bar
Karma Dusting Powder
Karma Komba Solid Shampoo Bar
Karma Kream
Karma Liquid Perfume
Karma Revamped Bubble Bar
Karma Shower Gel
Karma Shower Jelly
Karma Soap
Karma Solid Perfume
Karma Sutra Bath Bomb
Lush Bath Bomb

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Karma Komba Solid Shampoo Bar

As far as solid shampoos go, there is little that they can really do wrong, which is why I find myself confused when one of Lush's unique discs does't work very well for me or my hair. Luckily, these negative experiences are far and few between, and in the case of this particular one, there is very little I can think of to tarnish its name.

Karma Komba was actually one of the first solid shampoo bars to grace my life - a decision I made solely because it shared its scent with the Karma range. With a body lotion, shower gel, liquid perfume and bath bomb amongst many other products, I couldn't think of anything better than completing the set by washing my hair with the fragrance as well.

Despite this, I do have to be very careful when it comes to the products I use on my locks. After years of dying, bleaching, blow-drying and straightening, my hair is still very hesitant to trust me with anything that I do, and it's certainly quick to react when I use something it disagrees with.

When reading the description of this particular shampoo bar, I wasn't initially bowled over by its properties. While most of Lush's shampoos have the ability to either stimulate hair growth, moisturise, repair or eradicate dandruff, Karma Komba didn't really have much to say for itself, and this worried me somewhat.

Luckily, I discovered very quickly that this shampoo is actually amazing. Although the first couple of washes seemed to leave my hair feeling rather frizzy and not as moisturised as others have done so, it didn't take long for this to be rectified - creating a soft, shiny and very radiant looking head of hair that stayed in this good condition for a good couple of days before I had to wash again.

Containing patchouli, sweet orange, lavender and lemongrass, this fruity-smelling shampoo bar has all of the key ingredients to clean your hair and scalp, calm any irritation, reduce and eradicate dandruff and keep your head looking and feeling well-balanced and healthy. While I'm lucky enough that I don't suffer from dandruff, after using this for a couple of days, I noticed that it had cleared up a number of scratches that I had somehow managed to inflict on myself, and it also worked with the natural highlights of my hair to bring out the vividity without stripping or dampening the natural hair colour already present.     

Unfortunately, although other reviewers have expressed their love of the smell, I can't say that I was able to pick up enough of the smell to really comment on it. Although my bar was a fresh one, I found that the fragrance was very weak -nothing at all like the bubble bar or the body lotion, and this was slightly disappointing for someone who was wanting bursts of the Karma fragrance to keep me company throughout the day.   

Having said this, I don't think the lack of fragrance takes away from the bar at all - it just meant that I was able to use different conditioners alongside this and not worry that the different scents would clash at all. Furthermore, the fact that my hair looked and felt incredible was much more important and far more impressive to let this aspect dampen my spirits. 

As with all of Lush's shampoo bars, Karma Komba is very easy to lather up and coats your hair with a thick and very creamy lather that immediately begins to clean and soften upon impact. In fact, I would recommend that you're quite scrupulous when it comes to the application of this shampoo and only lather it across your hair for about 2-3 seconds. I say this because my bar only lasted me for two months when most of Lush's solid shampoo bars tends to last me at least three months.

On the positive side, my hair now has a natural shine to it which really brings out my highlights - this is without making it look greasy or flattening it at all. In the two weeks that I have been using this shampoo bar, I have not noticed any fading of my hair dye, and if anything it's only heightened the different colours that are naturally present in my locks.

While I wish that Karma Komba fragrance was strong enough to remain on me for longer, I cannot really fault how it works on my hair. This will definitely be a shampoo I buy regularly - especially in the summer months when, alongside the sun, this bar will help to bring out my natural highlights and give my hair a wonderful, natural shine.  

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Perfume, Patchouli Oil, Sweet Orange Oil, Lavender Oil, Pine Oil, Lemongrass Oil, Elemi Oil, Gardenia Extract, Citral, Geraniol, Citronellol, Limonene, Linalool, Colour 42090, Colour 19140, Roman Chamomile Flowers.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £5.95 each. 

Year Of Original Release: ?

Scent Family:
Bling Crosby Bubble Bar
Double Fast Luck Emotibomb
Karma Ballistic
Karma Bath Melt
Karma Bubble Bar
Karma Dusting Powder
Karma Komba Solid Shampoo Bar
Karma Kream
Karma Liquid Perfume
Karma Revamped Bubble Bar
Karma Shower Gel
Karma Shower Jelly
Karma Soap
Karma Solid Perfume
Karma Sutra Bath Bomb
Lush Bath Bomb

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Lush Bath Bomb

You know you have something special when Lush chose to bring out a bath bomb named after the very company itself. There are only a few products that have been given this privilege, so when this first made an appearance over a decade ago, there was quite a bit of excitement surrounding its release. Some 13 years later, this enthusiasm was still very much at the forefront when a large box arrived at my house, with a handful of these beauties inside to enjoy.

Lush Bath Bomb grabs your attention immediately - a gorgeous spherical yellow and green ballistic that represents the colours of the company's logo. For that special touch, Lush have also included a ribbon; threaded throughout the bath bomb and trailing down the side to reveal their official kitchen logo.

Sharing it's scent with one of Lush's most famous and popular fragrance families, Karma, this bath ballistic is the perfect bathing companion. Lush Bath Bomb contains orange, patchouli, lemongrass and lavender, all of which merge together to form a beautiful, multi-layered and rather sophisticated scent. There are elements of citrus thanks to the inclusion of sweet orange oil, with a sweet, grassy element of the lemongrass to compliment this. To round it off, Lush have also included patchouli and pine oil - two ingredients that add both a rich, decadent spicy aroma and a slightly mellower woody layer as well. 

As I have said time and time again, in all of my reviews of Karma-scented products; it's unlike any other fragrance I have ever experienced; it's unique and simply wonderful, and I encourage anyone who has not tried something in this scent yet, to do so as soon as they possibly can. 

Just like the recently released Karma Sutra Bath Bomb, this one is very in-keeping with the perfume as opposed to the bubble bar or body lotion. The patchouli is definitely at the forefront here and offers a strong, spicy and slightly woody smell; the orange sits alongside this, giving off a fresh, zesty but equally sherbety scent. Behind these two smells is an offering of pine and lemongrass, which work in perfect harmony with the patchouli to offer consumers a natural experience. Whereas the lotion and bubble bar are slightly sweeter and remind me of old fashioned cola bottles, the aroma is definitely more mature and more patchouli-orientated here. 

What makes this bath bomb stand above the aforementioned, is that this one offers a much better experience in the bath. When this beauty hits the water, it immediately begins to fizz and spew streams of bright yellow colour across the surface of the water. It doesn't take long for the entire bath to be filled with a gorgeously uplifting and rather vibrant lime-green colour. 

The fragrance of the Lush Bath Bomb is very strong and is perfect for all Karma-lovers who cannot get enough of the fragrance. It didn't lose any of it's scent when it was dissolving in the bath and remained with me throughout my entire soak. More impressive was the fact that the wonderful aroma stayed with me for a long time after the water had been drained. It lingered on the skin and hair for hours after I had exited the bath and only required a single top up of perfume to see me through the entire day. 

While it wasn't as moisturising as it could have been, there was a faint shimmer on the surface which was from the essential oils present in the bath bomb. I did find that the water was a little softer than usual but I wouldn't say it was as silky soft as one of Lush's bubble bars. However, my skin did feel very clean, refreshed and soft when I exited the bath. 

There is a reason that Lush Bath Bomb proved so popular when it came out in the Lush Kitchen, and why I prefer it above its Karma Sultra sibling. Firstly, it's incredibly revitalising and refreshing - one that really perks you up whilst being equally comforting. Secondly, it produces a very attractive and inviting bath which even my flatmates were jealously commenting on when I used one of these for the first time. Finally, it offers Karma obsessives like myself, a wonderful chance to enjoy our favourite scent in yet another perfect format. This should definitely become a permanent member of the family as I can see it being a big seller.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Perfume, Patchouli Oil (Pogostemon cablin), Sweet Orange Oil (Citrussinensis), Lavendin Oil (Lavendula hybrida), Pine Oil (Pinus), Lemongrass Oil (Cymbopogan flexuosus), Elemi Oil (Canarium commune), Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), Colour 42050.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £3.95 each.

2016 Price: £3.95 each.

2017 Price: £4.25 each.

Scent Family:
Bling Crosby Bubble Bar
Double Fast Luck Emotibomb
Karma Ballistic
Karma Bath Melt
Karma Bubble Bar
Karma Dusting Powder
Karma Komba Solid Shampoo Bar
Karma Kream
Karma Liquid Perfume
Karma Revamped Bubble Bar
Karma Shower Gel
Karma Shower Jelly
Karma Soap
Karma Solid Perfume
Karma Sutra Bath Bomb
Lush Bath Bomb