Secret Garden Liquid Perfume

When I first tried out all of the Volume 4 perfumes, I was convinced that I still preferred the previous Volume, as there seemed to be more 'staples' in that range. Having spent the last few months religiously using all of the new fragrances, I am now of the opinion that this is easily my favourite collection from Lush. Every fragrance is so very different, and the stories behind each and every one have a poignancy that makes them even more lovable. 

Having said that, there are a couple of week contenders, and Secret Garden is unfortunately one of these. While I wasn't bowled over by Sweet Grandma either, I at least appreciated the meaning behind the creation, which allowed me to see it as rather endearing and 'sweet'. However, the combination of notes in this fragrance, and the rather uninspiring story behind it, leaves me a little uninterested.

As an optimistic gardener, Simon based this combination of osmanthus and immortelle on his struggles to create the perfect, permaculture plot. Unable to muse a collaboration of plants and flowers in the manner that suited him, he decided to turn his hand at creating a perfume that would do the job instead.  The name 'Secret Garden' plays homage not only to the person who taught him all about permaculture in the first place, but to how he imagined his plot would smell like after it had been finished.

Dark in colour, Secret Garden Liquid Perfume at least has an alluring appeal in the bottle. Just like the recently reviewed Road From Damascus, it is also an extremely powerful and rather heavy floral aroma - one that almost saturates your skin with its different components, and stays on your body and clothes for hours on end. 

Unlike the aforementioned fragrance above, this one isn't as playfully sweet: it's far more resinous and smoky, and touches upon more of a wet, exotic floral smell as opposed to a bright and uplifting one. From the bottle, there is something almost aniseed-like about the smell, although I wouldn't claim that this is what the perfume smells like on the skin. However the combination of the ingredients does remind me slightly of liquorice a little - almost like there is a syrupy, resinous note to it.

Once sprayed on the skin, the osmanthus offers a slightly spicy, green-like floral note - the immortelle absolute supporting this with a gentle smoky smell that pads the aroma out. Intertwined is the myrrh resinoid, which not only expands the fragrance out even more, but brings about a rounded warmth, and gives Secret Garden a very unique and very heavy scent. 

Imagine walking through an overgrown garden after a night of rain: with trees drooping above you, wet with dew; and plants and bushes bursting with hundreds of threads of fragrance, and you may begin to understand what this limited edition perfume smells like. It's like nothing that Lush have ever released before, and offers much more of a pessimistic impression than most of Lush's other floral smells.

Despite how unique it is, and how impressed I was that it lasted on my skin for so long, it wasn't a smell that I grew to appreciate all that much. For those who enjoy more exotic floral smells, you will no doubt enjoy how unique this one is. However, I can safely say that this one is my least favourite from the Volume 4 collection.

Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol, Perfume, Osmanthus Absolute, Everlasting Flower Absolute, Myrrh Resinoid, Linalool, Limonene, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Citronellol, Benzyl Benzoate, Geraniol, Eugenol, Farnesol, Benzyl Salicylate, Benzyl Alcohol.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: ?

Year Of Original Release: 2016.

   

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Metamorphosis Bath Bomb

Occasionally it's quite amusing to stand back and think about how many people across the world are enamoured with 'the bath bomb'; how consumers will flock, queue for hours and invest so much money in a product that is basically sodium bicarbonate, fragrance and colouring hand-pressed together. I'm not for one second ridiculing this notion - I think this website holds enough evidence to make a strong case that I am a pretty big fan of those colourful explosions myself, but it is still an entertaining thought nonetheless. 

The reason I have mentioned this idea is that the recent arrival of Metamorphosis Bath Bomb generated a fair bit of excitement when social media first got a glimpse of the exclusive limited edition product back in September - not only because it was sold exclusively at Lush's Creative Showcase event and was very hard to get a hold of, but also because its design was something far different than anything Lush had ever released before.

The steel-grey outer shell, with jagged indents across the surface, make this bath bomb look like a cross between a meteorite and something you'd expect to see in Game Of Thrones. However, its design is very deceiving, and you only have to pop one into the water to understand exactly what I mean by this.

Fizzing immediately upon hitting the water, Metamorphosis begins by sending out waves of metallic-grey streams across the surface, which remain prominent for quite some time once the whole bath bomb has dissolved. What is impressive is that within a matter of seconds waves of yellow and pink, and later on green and orange colour make their way out and bubble and froth to create a very unique experience.

This abundance of colour not only merges with the silver streaks to create a beautiful rainbow across the surface of the water, but slowly transforms the colour of your bath from a murky, grey to a warming shade of orange. This whole transformation takes place across a two minute time span and leaves you with an attractive, fragrant bath to submerge yourself into.

Sporting a brand new scent, this beautifully crafted ballistic smells almost exactly what you'd imagined it to be like. Containing black pepper, cinnamon and myrrth, Metamorphosis is like the cranky older brother of Lord Of Misrule - a dry, dusty and slightly smokey collaboration of smells. 

Both out of the packet and in the bath, its aroma reminds me a little of what I can imagine Lord Of Misrule smelling like if you were to remove the tonka absolute and turn out the spice a little on the patchouli. This particular bath bomb doesn't have any of the sweet elements that either of the above ingredients can add to a smell. Instead, you get a warming note of cinnamon intertwined with an almost sap-like thread of myrrh. Alongside this is a note of black pepper, stripped of its heat but with an intense smell that brings all three components together.

This is a bath bomb for those who like quite dry smells, or ones that have that smoky, earthy feel about them. Despite the colourful display in the tub, the scent of this remains quite intense and very sultry throughout, and while I wouldn't describe it as being an overly potent smell, it's definitely one that makes an impression from beginning to end. 

After exiting the bath, I found that there were gentle notes of all three ingredients on my skin, and while it wasn't the strongest of aromas, I could still detect the smell for a few hours after I had exited the bath. I also discovered that my skin felt quite smooth and soft after bathing in the water, even though the water didn't particularly feel overly moisturising while I was in the tub.  

Although I wouldn't say that this comes close to rivalling or replacing Lord Of Misrule (that in itself would be a near impossible feat), it's a unique and very intense aroma that would appeal to fans of this, Blue Skies and maybe even Tramp. I cannot wait for Lush to unleash this into the world because I know it'll be a firm favourite among many Lush fans.

Quantitative Ingredients: Unsure.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £3.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2016.

Scent Family:
Metamorphosis Bath Bomb

Rentless Liquid Perfume

   

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Metamorphosis Bath Bomb

Occasionally it's quite amusing to stand back and think about how many people across the world are enamoured with 'the bath bomb'; how consumers will flock, queue for hours and invest so much money in a product that is basically sodium bicarbonate, fragrance and colouring hand-pressed together. I'm not for one second ridiculing this notion - I think this website holds enough evidence to make a strong case that I am a pretty big fan of those colourful explosions myself, but it is still an entertaining thought nonetheless. 

The reason I have mentioned this idea is that the recent arrival of Metamorphosis Bath Bomb generated a fair bit of excitement when social media first got a glimpse of the exclusive limited edition product back in September - not only because it was sold exclusively at Lush's Creative Showcase event and was very hard to get a hold of, but also because its design was something far different than anything Lush had ever released before.

The steel-grey outer shell, with jagged indents across the surface, make this bath bomb look like a cross between a meteorite and something you'd expect to see in Game Of Thrones. However, its design is very deceiving, and you only have to pop one into the water to understand exactly what I mean by this.

Fizzing immediately upon hitting the water, Metamorphosis begins by sending out waves of metallic-grey streams across the surface, which remain prominent for quite some time once the whole bath bomb has dissolved. What is impressive is that within a matter of seconds waves of yellow and pink, and later on green and orange colour make their way out and bubble and froth to create a very unique experience.

This abundance of colour not only merges with the silver streaks to create a beautiful rainbow across the surface of the water, but slowly transforms the colour of your bath from a murky, grey to a warming shade of orange. This whole transformation takes place across a two minute time span and leaves you with an attractive, fragrant bath to submerge yourself into.

Sporting a brand new scent, this beautifully crafted ballistic smells almost exactly what you'd imagined it to be like. Containing black pepper, cinnamon and myrrth, Metamorphosis is like the cranky older brother of Lord Of Misrule - a dry, dusty and slightly smokey collaboration of smells. 

Both out of the packet and in the bath, its aroma reminds me a little of what I can imagine Lord Of Misrule smelling like if you were to remove the tonka absolute and turn out the spice a little on the patchouli. This particular bath bomb doesn't have any of the sweet elements that either of the above ingredients can add to a smell. Instead, you get a warming note of cinnamon intertwined with an almost sap-like thread of myrrh. Alongside this is a note of black pepper, stripped of its heat but with an intense smell that brings all three components together.

This is a bath bomb for those who like quite dry smells, or ones that have that smoky, earthy feel about them. Despite the colourful display in the tub, the scent of this remains quite intense and very sultry throughout, and while I wouldn't describe it as being an overly potent smell, it's definitely one that makes an impression from beginning to end. 

After exiting the bath, I found that there were gentle notes of all three ingredients on my skin, and while it wasn't the strongest of aromas, I could still detect the smell for a few hours after I had exited the bath. I also discovered that my skin felt quite smooth and soft after bathing in the water, even though the water didn't particularly feel overly moisturising while I was in the tub.  

Although I wouldn't say that this comes close to rivalling or replacing Lord Of Misrule (that in itself would be a near impossible feat), it's a unique and very intense aroma that would appeal to fans of this, Blue Skies and maybe even Tramp. I cannot wait for Lush to unleash this into the world because I know it'll be a firm favourite among many Lush fans.

Quantitative Ingredients: Unsure.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £3.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2016.

Scent Family:
Metamorphosis Bath Bomb

Rentless Liquid Perfume

   

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Beautiful Shower Gel

Lush claim that 'you've got to get up every morning with a smile on your face'. After three years of 5:30am starts, this is near-on impossible. While I'm not exactly the grim reaper when I first a-wake, I wouldn't say that I was at my happiest in the mornings either. Despite loving Lush as much as I do, I really don't see a shower gel changing the distain I feel towards the person who invented the alarm clock. 

Beautiful Shower Gel is the very epitome of its name - a product that looks and smells like Lush have managed to bottle the sun in liquid form. Presented in a stunning shade of sunflower-yellow, this new and exclusive gel is littered with golden glitter - making this beauty shimmer and glisten whenever the light hits the bottle. 

While the ingredients list doesn't give many clues as to the aroma of this shower gel, Beautiful shares its scent with 1000 Kisses Deep - a perfume inspired by the Mark Constantine's everlasting love for his wife. The fragrance serves as a wonderful reminder of the luxury that comes with enjoying the summer sun.

Containing both peach juice and dried apricots, this product smells good enough to drink - a fresh, fruity citrus aroma that encapsulates the zest of freshly peeled and squeezed oranges. Much like the perfume, it's almost as if someone has bottled the very fragrance you get when peeling back a fresh orange - a combination of the sweetness of the fruit and the bitter, slight tart note of the pith. 

It's a wonderfully light and refreshing natural scent that'll perk you up - one that won't completely alter your perception of those early mornings but may help to make the experience a little more pleasant overall. 

Out of the bottle, Beautiful is quite a thick shower gel - pertaining a similar consistency to the likes of Prince Charming and The Comforter. What is great about it, is that in the shower a small amount really goes a long way, foaming up really easily and creating a lather that is both abundant and highly moisturising. It's one of those shower gels that leaves your skin feeling noticeably silky soft instantaneously. 

Unfortunately, unlike the shower creams that have also come from Oxford Street, this one doesn't seem to have any longevity in its scent. I found that within a few minutes of lathering the shower gel over my body, I could no longer detect the scent in the air or indeed on my skin. This was rather disappointing as I was hoping to top up the smell with my bottle of perfume and enjoy the fresh, uplifting aroma all day. Having said this, I was not surprised that the scent didn't stick around for long as I experienced the same problem with both the liquid and solid perfumes as well. 

Despite this, I loved how vibrant and juicy the fragrance of this shower gel was and would definitely buy it again. While I know it won't stay with me for the duration of the day, I can at least guarantee that my skin will feel well-nourished and radiant, and definitely as Beautiful as the shower promises it will.   

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Glycerine, Lauryl Betaine, Fresh Peach Juice (Prunus persica), Perfume, Lactic Acid, Labdaniferus Resinoid (Cistus labdaniferus), Osmanthus Absolute (Osmanthus fragrans), Myrrh Resinoid (Commiphora myrrha), Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), Carrageenan Extract (Chrondrus crispus), Dried Apricots (Prunus armeniaca), Myrrh Gum Powder (Commiphora myrrha), Lilial, Coumarin, Limonene, Linalool, Gold Glimmer Lustre (Synthetic Fluorphogopite, Iron Oxides, Sillica), Colour 19140, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.   

Vegan?: Yes. 

2015 Price: £4.75 for 100g, £9.50 for 250g, £15.95 for 500g, £27.50 for 1kg.

Year Of Original Release: 2015. 

Scent Family: 

1000 Kisses Deep Liquid Perfume
1000 Kisses Solid Perfume

Beautiful Shower Gel

Beautiful Shower Sheet

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Beautiful Shower Gel

Lush claim that 'you've got to get up every morning with a smile on your face'. After three years of 5:30am starts, this is near-on impossible. While I'm not exactly the grim reaper when I first a-wake, I wouldn't say that I was at my happiest in the mornings either. Despite loving Lush as much as I do, I really don't see a shower gel changing the distain I feel towards the person who invented the alarm clock. 

Beautiful Shower Gel is the very epitome of its name - a product that looks and smells like Lush have managed to bottle the sun in liquid form. Presented in a stunning shade of sunflower-yellow, this new and exclusive gel is littered with golden glitter - making this beauty shimmer and glisten whenever the light hits the bottle. 

While the ingredients list doesn't give many clues as to the aroma of this shower gel, Beautiful shares its scent with 1000 Kisses Deep - a perfume inspired by the Mark Constantine's everlasting love for his wife. The fragrance serves as a wonderful reminder of the luxury that comes with enjoying the summer sun.

Containing both peach juice and dried apricots, this product smells good enough to drink - a fresh, fruity citrus aroma that encapsulates the zest of freshly peeled and squeezed oranges. Much like the perfume, it's almost as if someone has bottled the very fragrance you get when peeling back a fresh orange - a combination of the sweetness of the fruit and the bitter, slight tart note of the pith. 

It's a wonderfully light and refreshing natural scent that'll perk you up - one that won't completely alter your perception of those early mornings but may help to make the experience a little more pleasant overall. 

Out of the bottle, Beautiful is quite a thick shower gel - pertaining a similar consistency to the likes of Prince Charming and The Comforter. What is great about it, is that in the shower a small amount really goes a long way, foaming up really easily and creating a lather that is both abundant and highly moisturising. It's one of those shower gels that leaves your skin feeling noticeably silky soft instantaneously. 

Unfortunately, unlike the shower creams that have also come from Oxford Street, this one doesn't seem to have any longevity in its scent. I found that within a few minutes of lathering the shower gel over my body, I could no longer detect the scent in the air or indeed on my skin. This was rather disappointing as I was hoping to top up the smell with my bottle of perfume and enjoy the fresh, uplifting aroma all day. Having said this, I was not surprised that the scent didn't stick around for long as I experienced the same problem with both the liquid and solid perfumes as well. 

Despite this, I loved how vibrant and juicy the fragrance of this shower gel was and would definitely buy it again. While I know it won't stay with me for the duration of the day, I can at least guarantee that my skin will feel well-nourished and radiant, and definitely as Beautiful as the shower promises it will.   

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Glycerine, Lauryl Betaine, Fresh Peach Juice (Prunus persica), Perfume, Lactic Acid, Labdaniferus Resinoid (Cistus labdaniferus), Osmanthus Absolute (Osmanthus fragrans), Myrrh Resinoid (Commiphora myrrha), Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), Carrageenan Extract (Chrondrus crispus), Dried Apricots (Prunus armeniaca), Myrrh Gum Powder (Commiphora myrrha), Lilial, Coumarin, Limonene, Linalool, Gold Glimmer Lustre (Synthetic Fluorphogopite, Iron Oxides, Sillica), Colour 19140, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.   

Vegan?: Yes. 

2015 Price: £4.75 for 100g, £9.50 for 250g, £15.95 for 500g, £27.50 for 1kg.

Year Of Original Release: 2015. 

Scent Family: 

1000 Kisses Deep Liquid Perfume
1000 Kisses Solid Perfume

Beautiful Shower Gel

Beautiful Shower Sheet

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Black Pearl Liquid Perfume

After being lucky enough to win a super rare bottle of Black Pearl Shower Gel a couple of years back, it didn't take me long to fall in love with it's unique and beautiful fragrance. Lush have since been kind enough to re-release the shower gel to the masses and I was grateful to be able to stock up on a few bottles to last me a while. However, back when I made the find, it was as scarce as the beloved ballistic of the same name, and I wont repeat what I paid for the privilege of securing a bottle. 

After falling in love with the smell, I went trawling online to see if Lush had ever released anything else in this scent, and was excited to see that they had brought out a perfume as part of their 2010 and 2007 Forum Specials. I spent months searching far and wide - on various forums, eBay and Facebook - determined to track down a bottle of the liquid gold dust. When my long awaited bottle arrived in the post, there was no one to stop me yanking the lid off and spraying the perfume all over myself. What a delight that was!

Black Pearl is a wonderful perfume made up of lavender, chamomile, olibanum and myrrh - a combination that offers up a multi-layered and very original smelling fragrance. Combined, these ingredients create a sweet, fruity and herbal offering - a perfume like no other.  

In the bottle, the scent is dominated by a gorgeous lavender note that gives off a fresh but equally malt-like aroma - it's a little like the smell you get when using Twilight Shower Gel. Alongside this is a rich, amber-like note that, very much like the shower gel, reminds me of blackberries - almost like a handful of fresh blackberries have been simmered down with golden syrup or brown sugar and left to emanate their wonderful smell.  

On the skin, the perfume dissipates instantly and offers up a far lighter and more delightful uplifting herbal scent. The lavender and the myrrh come through more clearly here - the latter making this perfume really sweet and aromatic - an experience that cannot be compared to any other of Lush's fruity perfumes.                                                                                                If you love the shower gel, you'll love this as it replicates the scent perfectly. I would describe this as a feminine fragrance - but not one like anything else you've ever experienced before. It's fresh and herbal, yet sweet and girlie at the same. This is a perfume that bridges the gap between the youthful and more mature smells that Lush offer - it would appeal to both young and older fans as well as those who want a strong perfume but one that isn't too pungent on the senses. 

Having not been available for almost 5 years now, and given how popular the shower gel was when it last made an appearance, I hope Lush see sense and bring this out again. I would definitely love to get my hands on a couple of bottles to bask in the beautiful aroma of Black Pearl once again. 

Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol,  Perfume, Lavender Absolute (Lavandula angustifolia), Chamomile Oil (Anthemis nobilis), Olibanum Oil (Boswellia carteii), Myrrh Resinoid (Commiphora myrrha), Citral, Coumarin, Geranoil, Limonene. 

Vegan?: Yes. 

Scent Family:
Black Pearl Ballistic
Black Pearl Liquid Perfume
Black Pearl Shower Gel

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Black Pearl Liquid Perfume

After being lucky enough to win a super rare bottle of Black Pearl Shower Gel a couple of years back, it didn't take me long to fall in love with it's unique and beautiful fragrance. Lush have since been kind enough to re-release the shower gel to the masses and I was grateful to be able to stock up on a few bottles to last me a while. However, back when I made the find, it was as scarce as the beloved ballistic of the same name, and I wont repeat what I paid for the privilege of securing a bottle. 

After falling in love with the smell, I went trawling online to see if Lush had ever released anything else in this scent, and was excited to see that they had brought out a perfume as part of their 2010 and 2007 Forum Specials. I spent months searching far and wide - on various forums, eBay and Facebook - determined to track down a bottle of the liquid gold dust. When my long awaited bottle arrived in the post, there was no one to stop me yanking the lid off and spraying the perfume all over myself. What a delight that was!

Black Pearl is a wonderful perfume made up of lavender, chamomile, olibanum and myrrh - a combination that offers up a multi-layered and very original smelling fragrance. Combined, these ingredients create a sweet, fruity and herbal offering - a perfume like no other.  

In the bottle, the scent is dominated by a gorgeous lavender note that gives off a fresh but equally malt-like aroma - it's a little like the smell you get when using Twilight Shower Gel. Alongside this is a rich, amber-like note that, very much like the shower gel, reminds me of blackberries - almost like a handful of fresh blackberries have been simmered down with golden syrup or brown sugar and left to emanate their wonderful smell.  

On the skin, the perfume dissipates instantly and offers up a far lighter and more delightful uplifting herbal scent. The lavender and the myrrh come through more clearly here - the latter making this perfume really sweet and aromatic - an experience that cannot be compared to any other of Lush's fruity perfumes.                                                                                                If you love the shower gel, you'll love this as it replicates the scent perfectly. I would describe this as a feminine fragrance - but not one like anything else you've ever experienced before. It's fresh and herbal, yet sweet and girlie at the same. This is a perfume that bridges the gap between the youthful and more mature smells that Lush offer - it would appeal to both young and older fans as well as those who want a strong perfume but one that isn't too pungent on the senses. 

Having not been available for almost 5 years now, and given how popular the shower gel was when it last made an appearance, I hope Lush see sense and bring this out again. I would definitely love to get my hands on a couple of bottles to bask in the beautiful aroma of Black Pearl once again. 

Quantitative Ingredients: DRF Alcohol,  Perfume, Lavender Absolute (Lavandula angustifolia), Chamomile Oil (Anthemis nobilis), Olibanum Oil (Boswellia carteii), Myrrh Resinoid (Commiphora myrrha), Citral, Coumarin, Geranoil, Limonene. 

Vegan?: Yes. 

Scent Family:
Black Pearl Ballistic
Black Pearl Liquid Perfume
Black Pearl Shower Gel

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