EuropaFb: mimosa

Showing posts with label mimosa. Show all posts

Rub Rub Rub Naked Shower Scrub

Jasmine, limited edition, Lush Kitchen, mimosa, naked, orange, Scrub, Shower

Rub Rub Rub Solid Scrub is far from the attractive product that its older sibling is. While they're almost identical in terms of colour, there is something rather beautiful about the liquid version that seems to have been lost in translation when it comes to the solid edition. I think perhaps the haphazardness of the whole design has something to do with it. However, the principles behind the solid product are enough to redeem it in many other ways, as you're about to find out.

One aspect that I noticed right away with this solid edition is the fact that the fragrance is a little weaker when compared to the original version. While I have always raved about Rub Rub Rub being one of my favourite scrubs, it is mostly because of the scent as opposed to its efficiency as an actual scrub. For this reason, it was disappointing then to discover that the smell has somewhat diminished in this format. I'm not for one second saying that the aroma isn't there to begin with; neither am I saying that it's recognisable scent cannot be detected at all. Just that I didn't find this product to be as wholesome or as withstanding as it's older sibling.

Containing jasmine flower, mimosa and orange blossom absolute, Rub Rub Rub has a rich, sultry floral aroma that will make an immediate impression on your senses. While I find that the overall scent is one mostly dominated by the blossom components, you can definitely smell the natural richness of the jasmine; and there is also a little sweetness brought about by the inclusion of the lemon oil. There is definitely not a fruity, zesty or citrusy element to this scrub, but both the lemon and the sea salt make this far more than just a floral fragrance.

Much like the liquid edition, this scrub is packed full of sea salt, which acts as both an exfoliator and a detoxifier. As I said in my review of the original, it's amazing that anyone would choose to rub salt and lemon across their body - when salt supposedly drys out the skin, and the acidity of lemon can irritate pores. Having said this, unless you've just shaved your legs, the scrub actually

What I really liked about the solid edition was the fact that it was far easier to give your body a good, hard scrub. Although the liquid version leaves your skin wonderfully smooth, and the original solid block is a little better at offering a slightly sturdier experience overall, neither versions boast serious buffing capabilities - for someone like myself who loves the scratchier exfoliators. This limited edition is not as scratchy as I'd like, but it is far easier to apply pressure across the body and give your skin a good scrub.

Out of the three editions, this is by far the better scrub - not only because of its exfoliating properties, but because of both its longevity and the ease in which you can store it. The liquid version is easy to store but I find that I can end up using an awful lot of product because of its thin consistency; the old solid edition tends to last a little longer than a 100g tub, but it becomes very sticky and slimy in between uses, and I find that it melts if left in the bathroom. Rub Rub Rub Naked Scrub not only outlasted a 100g tub twice-fold, but I also found that it dried relatively quickly in between uses, and it didn't leave a mess either. For this reason, I'd probably invest in this edition over the other two.

On the skin, the scrub works best when massaged in a circular motion across the skin, where it leaves a blue lather that rinses away easily. Not only is the scrub easy to hold and doesn't become slippery, but it doesn't seem to shrink that much when used under the running water. While conservative Lushies may wish to keep the product away from the water, as much as they can, I didn't find that it made much of a difference to the size overall.

My skin felt really clean and smooth after using this, and the scent remained present on my body for a short while after exiting the shower. I only wish that my skin felt as gloriously silky as it does after using the original, and that the fragrance was as strong on the skin afterwards as the liquid version offers.

Overall, I would definitely buy this again, and I may even choose this one over the liquid version, simply because I think it is a better exfoliator and lasts longer than a small tub does - making it better value and slightly more ecologically friendly.

Quantitative Ingredients: ?

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £6.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Scent Family:

17 Cherry Tree Lane Soap
Mother Superior Bubble bar
Rub Rub Rub Naked Shower Scrub
Rub Rub Rub Salt Scrub
Rub Rub Rub Solid Scrub
Sakura Bath Bomb
Sakura Perfume

Seanik Solid Shampoo

Furze Body Lotion

Almond, body, Body Lotion, cocoa butter, limited edition, Lush Kitchen, mimosa, neroli, Skin

The Furze fragrance has always been one I've been up and down about, since it was first introduced a few years ago as a liquid perfume. There are times when I really relish in the soft, hazy aroma of the bath melt, and end up basking myself in the body spray and sniffing my skin for hours. However, there are also times when the fragrance doesn't interest me at all, so I had no idea how I would react to the lotion until I had tested it out over a number of days.

While not a product I would ever have expected Lush to release, Furze Body Lotion definitely impressed me upon arrival. Smelling exactly as expected, this limited edition is easily my favourite format in this scent. This is not only because of the way it settles on the skin and leaves you smelling beautiful, but because of how effective it is as making you feel super soft.

As with its older siblings, this body lotion contains a generous helping of mimosa absolute, which offers up what I can only describe as a hazy and very milky floral fragrance. Alongside this, there is also a very strong thread of both coconut and vanilla, which gives Furze a sickly sweet element to it as well. The coconut is definitely very prevalent in this body lotion, and I really appreciated the almost nutty component that you can smell on your skin after application.

Together, all three of these ingredients create a very unique and equally very beautiful aroma - one that reminds you of being outdoors, in the fields, during the summer months. There is something rather romantic about this scent, and as Lush state themselves, is 'reminiscent of sunny walks through the British countryside' - a pastime I enjoy doing every summer.

From the tub, Furze is slightly pink in colour, and presents itself as a fairly medium consistency - similar to Sympathy For the Skin but perhaps a little thinner. This turned out to be the perfect consistency as it absorbed into the skin so quickly and didn't leave any stickiness behind on the surface. I was able to apply my clothes after only a matter of minutes, and I wasn't worried about it leaving any marks.

Once on the skin, this Kitchen exclusive settled wonderfully and I could smell warming bursts of coconut and mimosa reacting to the hear of my body. Unfortunately, this experience was short-lived as I found that the smell had all but vanished within the first 30-40 minutes. This was such a shame as I think it definitely a scent that lends itself to be used on the skin, and I only wish I could have appreciated it for longer.

Having said that, I found that my skin looked and felt really replenished after using this. It was instantly moisturising, which is great for someone like me who often gets quite dry and parched skin. However, I did find that I had to reapply the lotion a few times during the day, in order to maintain that feeling.

I will definitely continue to use my tub throughout the summer months, as I feel that it's a fragrance well-suited to the hotter weather. And coupled with the body spray means that I can enjoy the smell for a lot longer as well. I may not always be able to enjoy the English countryside in central London, but I can give the impression I can by using this little gem.

Quantitative Ingredients: Water, Almond Oil, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, *Glycerine, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine, Mimosa Absolute, Neroli Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Amyl Cinnamal Hydroxycitronellal, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £13.95 for 225g.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Scent Family:

Furze Bath Oil
Furze Body Lotion
Furze Body Spray

Furze Liquid Perfume

Choccy Egg Bath Bomb

Bath, Bath Bomb, chocolate, cocoa butter, limited edition, Lush Kitchen, mimosa, Vanilla

Call it greed, call it being a little compulsive: I don't like not being able to try out certain products. While my veganism is a personal choice, and I could opt to use any of the cosmetics that feature honey, beeswax etc... if I wanted to, my ethics are not something that I willing to sacrifice, just to use a bath bomb. For this reason, I usually have to wear a sad expression at times and just except that there will always be releases that I have to live without.

Choccy Egg Bath Bomb used to be vegetarian, which was why I didn't even consider logging into the Lush Kitchen website on the day of its recent release. It both surprised and frustrated me a few days later then, when I discovered that the ballistic had been altered slightly, and now seemed to be vegan. Luckily, a few kind individuals managed to cough up a couple of spares for me to use and review, and I was gifted with a rather wonderful smelling parcel a few days later.

For its price tag, I was surprised to discover just how small the bath bomb was to begin with. Weighing in at roughly 120g, this product is only slightly bigger than the original Think Pink Bath Bomb, which does make it a little more of an investment than to begin with. In its favour however, it does possess the longevity to see you through an entire bath.

Made from a combination of vanilla, cocoa and mimosa absolute, Choccy Egg is a decadent offering from Lush, but perhaps one that isn't what you'd expect it to be. From the get-go, I was amazed to discover that the bath bomb was far more floral than I was expecting. In fact, it was also far less 'chocolately' than I had envisioned as well.

I would describe the fragrance of this as a very floral, cocoa aroma. There is something very musky and sweet about the fragrance, which is reference to both the cocoa and vanilla. However, there is a powdery component which I can very much relate to the inclusion of the mimosa. Despite the cocoa absolute and dark chocolate flakes on the outside, I wouldn't describe this as being foody at all, and in fact it is far more rich and decadent than I expected it to be.

In the water, this ballistic begins to dissolve immediately - demonstrating quite an impressively loud fizz for such a small bath bomb. Despite its size, it also happened to captivate the tub, and indeed the bathroom, as I found that the scent was strong enough to last a good fair while in the water. I would say that using any potent-smelling products would probably thwart the aroma of this quite a bit, but it's strong enough to linger vaguely on your skin afterwards.

Disappointingly, this bath bomb does not heed any colour in the water, and the inclusion of the chocolate flakes doesn't make this bath bomb very enticing in the water. I found that a lot of the flakes took a while to dissolve, so there were a good many splodges of chocolate on the base of the tub for the first half of the bath. Once they have dissolve, they create a sort of murky, brown water, which is probably the least attractive colour you could possibly ask for.

Despite this, I did find that the inclusion of the cocoa butter made this a little more moisturising than some of Lush's other bath bombs, and my skin did feel the better for it afterwards. Furthermore, the chocolate didn't stain the outside of the bath tub when the water was drained away, so it wasn't as messy as I initially thought it was going to be.

Overall, I feel as if the scent of this would be rather lovely in other formats, and I would be interested in trying it out in future products. However, the Choccy Egg didn't offer a very appealing bath, and the scent was lost as soon as I began using other products. For this reason, I would probably not purchase this product again, unless I was planning on cocktailing it alongside a bubble bar or bath melt.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia), Mimosa Absolute (Mimosa tenuiflora), Cocoa Absolute (Theobroma cacao), Aloe Vera Extract (Aloe barbadensis), Coumarin, Isoeugenol, Perfume, Dark Chocolate Flakes.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £3.50 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2009.

Furze Body Spray

limited edition, Lush Kitchen, lush oxford street, mimosa, neroli, Perfume

Despite the slightly negative rant in my review of Uptown Funk, I am very grateful that Lush have produced these body sprays - even if they're not the fragrances I would most like to see in this format. There is something rather refreshing about using a body spray instead of a liquid perfume, and while some companies would use this transformation to water down the perfume and increase their profit margin, Lush have kept all of the goodness in their sprays, just made them slightly more refreshing and uplifting on the skin.

Furze Body Spray is one of those scents that you'll either love or hate - there's something rather strange about it that won't sit well with a lot of people. Described as a fragrance that 'evokes happiness', this odd collaboration is like a shawl being wrapped around the shoulders of a loved one on a summer's evening.

What I mean by this is that's it's not a particularly heavy aroma, so is more suited for hotter weather, yet there is something slightly cloying about it that gives it that warm, comforting feel as well. And while this fragrance is classified as a floral scent, it's not as straight forward as far as flowery aromas go.

Containing a generous helping of mimosa absolute, this perfume has a hazy and very milky floral element to it - a discordance that hits you the minute you spray this onto your skin. It reminds me of that wonderful fragrance you get when you walk through certain crop fields in the middle of the summer - that almost powdery scent that accumulates from the warmth of the sun stimulating the flowers and scattering the pollen into the air.

While this is the most prominent note in the spray, there is also a very strong thread of both coconut and vanilla which gives Furze a sickly sweet element to it as well. Although both of these elements are heavy in the smell, they're still very much governed by the mimosa, which acts as a sort of base by which these latter ingredient radiate from.

Much like the perfume format, this spray lasts for hours on the skin and boasts a longevity that far outweighs most shop-bought alternatives. While it tends to mellow over the first hour, it still offers the wearer those three different notes - all of which merge together over time and produce a really lovely, thick scent to enjoy on the skin.

For the price you pay, I would actually say that this is a better alternative than the perfume. It has just as strong a scent, it offers the same wonderful multi-layered fragrance and it allows the wearer to enjoy this in bursts throughout the entire day. Just as Lush suggest, 'let your imagination linger on the windswept moors' and buy a bottle of this to cherish throughout the warmer months.

Quantitative ingredient: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Neroli Oil, Mimosa Absolute, Hydroxycitronellal, Amyl Cinnamal, Geraniol, Farnesol, Limonene, Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £9.50 for 100g, £17 for 200ml.

Year Of Original Release: 2015.

Scent Family:

Furze Bath Oil
Furze Body Lotion
Furze Body Spray
Furze Liquid Perfume

Furze Body Spray

limited edition, Lush Kitchen, lush oxford street, mimosa, neroli, Perfume

Scent Family:

Furze Bath Oil
Furze Body Lotion
Furze Body Spray
Furze Liquid Perfume

Lemon Days & Ginger Beer Bath Bomb

Bath, Bath Bomb, Bergamot oil, Discontinued, geranium, Ginger, Lemon, Lush Kitchen, Mandarin Oil, mimosa, Rare, Retro, sandalwood

Inspired by the wonderful world of Enid Blyton, Lemon Days & Ginger Beer Bath Bomb conjures up images of picnics on the beach and warm, lazy days basking under the sun; it's a bath bomb that invigorates and uplifts your mood before it's even had a chance to perform in the bath. It's a universal ballistic that can be used to enhance those hot summer days, or bring clarity to the weathered minds of those who have forgotten what it's like to feel the heat on their bare skin.

Made from a combination of lemon peel, mandarin and geranium oils, this is a spicy, floral and slightly zesty offering from Lush. As the name suggests, this is a ballistic that features lemon and ginger heavily in it's scent - something that I was both intrigued and concerned by.

Having not previously researched much about this bath bomb at all, I was disappointed to discover that it shared its scent with the Ginger range - a fact that made me slightly hesitant to try it at all. Unfortunately, I have not liked anything with this fragrance so far, so I was expecting to experience the same disappointment that I have done so with all of the other products I have tried so far.

Initially, the fragrance I picked up from this ballistic was dominated by the ginger; I could smell next to no lemon at all when the bath bomb was in the wrapper. Underneath this, I could detect a hint of floral shell, which did remove the natural spicy potency that I dislike about ginger but didn't mask it completely. Together, these smells gave the bath bomb a very warm and comforting, yet strangely refreshing fragrance - one that wouldn't be out of place in spring, summer, autumn or winter. Despite this, I was still not bowled over at all - that was until I placed the ballistic in the water.

In the bath, Lemon Days & Ginger Beer is a fast and rather noisy fizzer; bobbing across the surface whilst unleashing a fury of bright yellow streams that disperse themselves throughout the water very quickly. This is a bath bomb that doesn't take long to dissolve, and once it's fully dispersed in the tub, you're left with a rather vivid sea of sunflower-yellow water - a factor that really helps to revive your mood and refreshen your senses.

Not only is it a beautiful summery shade of yellow, but the properties of the water itself is perhaps what makes this bath bomb really impressive. Packed full of fresh ingredients, this is a ballistic that not only uplifts your senses, but softens and cleanses your skin as well. The addition of different oils - mimosa absolute and geranium oil in particular, gives this bath bomb the power to help tone and tighten skin.

Within seconds of climbing into the bath, I could feel just how silky-soft the water really was. There are very few ballistics that I have tried that have been this softening on my skin, let alone any that have felt so incredible to be bathing in. Lemons Days And Ginger Beer makes the water feel thicker - almost like you are bathing in liquid gold. While Lush's bath melts give the same nourishing properties as this bath bomb promises, not one of them creates water as creamy and as velvety as this product does.

Furthermore, once I was in the tub, I began to pick up the lemon scent that had been missing to begin with. Although the use of fresh ginger and ginger oil gives the bath bomb a spicy kick to stimulate and warm the skin with, the citrus elements of this product come through a lot more once it's come into contact with the hot water. This meant that I actually really like the scent when I was in the tub.

Although I was initially worried by the addition of ginger, (It gets my vote for worst-smelling herb ever) this wasn't as prominent in the mix as I was expecting. Although it was at the forefront alongside the lemon to begin with, once the bath bomb had fully dissolved the scent somewhat mellowed, and I could only detect the odd spicy remnants, which was lovely.

The addition of so many different oils in this ballistic meant that the entire experience left my skin feeling lovely and soft. Furthermore, the scent lingered on my skin for a while after my bath, and as the day went on this smell transpired into a beautiful light scent of lemon peel. Although I wouldn't claim this to be anywhere near my favourite ballistic, it was an enjoyable experience and one I'd like to try again.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Lemon Peel (Citrus limonum), Powdered Ginger (Zingiber officinalis), Perfume, Ginger Oil (Zingiber officinalis), Mimosa Absolute (Mimosa tenuiflora), Red Mandarin Oil (Citrus nobilis), Sandalwood Oil (Santalum album), Geranium Oil (Pelargonium crispum), Bergamot Oil (Citrus bergamia), Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), Colour 19140.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £3.75 each.
2016 Price: £3.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2004.

Scent Family:

Badass Gel Shower Gel
Boo Bath Melt and Bubble Bar
Ginger Bath Oil
Ginger Body Lotion
Ginger Perfume
Lemon Days And Ginger Beer Bath Bomb
Sex N The Shower Emotibomb

Lemon Days & Ginger Beer Bath Bomb

Bath, Bath Bomb, Bergamot oil, Discontinued, geranium, Ginger, Lemon, Lush Kitchen, Mandarin Oil, mimosa, Rare, Retro, sandalwood

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £3.75 each.
2016 Price: £3.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2004.

Scent Family:

Badass Gel Shower Gel
Boo Bath Melt and Bubble Bar
Ginger Bath Oil
Ginger Body Lotion
Ginger Perfume
Lemon Days And Ginger Beer Bath Bomb
Sex N The Shower Emotibomb

Sex N The Shower Emotibomb

geranium, Ginger, Jasmine, juniperberry, limited edition, Lush Kitchen, mimosa, Rose, Shower, ylang ylang

After my rather positive experience with the Up You Gets Emotibomb last year, I was rather intrigued to try out some of Lush's other scented variations. So when they announced that they were bringing out Sex N The Shower, I was initially very excited by the prospect - the mere design of the product sold itself to me before I'd even had a chance to find out any more about it.

While Up You Gets was designed to invigorate your mind and wake you up for the day ahead, Sex N The Shower was made for a slightly different purpose. Made from a blend of seven different oils and absolutes, this emotibomb was created to stimulate the senses and get you in the mood for activities a little steamer, shall we say. This is a product made for sharing.

Although Juniperberry is listed as the main ingredient, it is the ginger, ylang ylang and rose oils that make the biggest impression on me. Sharing it's scent with the Ginger range, this item gives off a very potent and slightly spicy floral aroma - one that reminds me of ginger beer intertwined with dried rose petals and a dash of Ylang Ylang.

It's a rather strange aroma - one that I think is definitely a love or hate sort of smell. In the shower, I find that the fragrance separates a lot and it is then that you can smell the jasmine a lot clearer and stronger in the mix. Sex N The Shower has an almost woody and very powdery element to it which is much more pronounced when it comes into contact with the water, so while I didn't appreciate its smell very much in the packet, I did enjoy it a little more in the shower.

So what is an emotibomb? According to Lush, this unique bathroom companion works in the same way that you would expect a bath ballistic to do -only it's designed to work in the shower instead. Simply pop one of these on the floor by your feet and go about your normal shower routine. When the warm water meets the bomb, it'll fizz away and release a cloud of fragrant steam that alters your mood, dependent on the purpose of the emotibomb.

As you can see from the video, I decided to put the plug in during my shower so that I would be able to enjoy the fragrance of this product for longer. After previous experiences with emotibombs, I found that if the product was too close to the plughole when I was in the shower, the scent was far too 'in your face', and it would end up masking anything I was using in the shower at the time.

At the same time, putting the bomb directly underneath me meant that it dissolved in record time and only gave me a small window in which to enjoy the aroma before the product was washed away with the water. Not only this but it's rather annoying having to watch where you stand and how you move around in the shower with the product by your feet.

To prevent this from happening, I placed my Sex N The Shower about a metre from the plug so it wasn't constantly submerged under the running water. This time I found that the product lasted a lot longer and offered me a strong scent throughout the entire shower. Some Lushies even suggest that you break the emotibomb in half and use it for two different occasions. However, I can imagine that this would take away a large proportion of the fragrance and render it almost pointless for those of us who want something strong to wake us up. This is a product you'd use when you're in desperate need of that early morning wake up, so you'd want to use the whole thing in situations like that.

This emotibomb worked exactly as it should have done - offering a strong burst of fragrance to see you through the entire shower. Unfortunately, it was the scent that I had a problem with - it just didn't work for me at all and I didn't appreciate the fact that it lingered in my bathroom for a long time afterwards.

As I said in my review of Up You Gets, I think emotibombs are a bit of a novelty product, not one that I would use all of the time. At £3 a piece, it's a little expensive for the few minutes of usage it offers the consumer and unlike a bath bomb, it doesn't leave your skin any more nourished - neither does it permeate your body with it's fragrance and leave you feeling wonderful.

For this reason, I wouldn't purchase this again and it's unlikely that I'd rush out and invest in any more of Lush's emotibombs any time soon. While I can see Lush's reasoning for trying to convince people to take a shower than a bath, I can definitely see why they weren't popular enough to stand the test of time.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Perfume, Juniperberry Oil, Ginger Oil, Ylang Ylang Oil, Rose Oil, Jasmine Absolute, Geranium Oil, Mimosa Absolute, Citronellol, Limonene, Linalool, Alpha Isomethyl Ionone, Colour 17200.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £3.00 each.
2016 Price: £3.00 each.

Year of Original Release: 2008.

Scent Family:

Badass Gel Shower Gel
Boo Bath Melt and Bubble Bar
Ginger Bath Oil
Ginger Body Lotion
Ginger Perfume
Lemon Days And Ginger Beer Bath Bomb
Sex N The Shower Emotibomb