Despite the shower gel not being vegan, I have never been particularly interested in trying Flying Fox out all that much. While I am not opposed to jasmine, and certainly don't have an issue with the strength that it holds itself in this scent family, there is just something that I don't find all that desirable about the overall aroma.
Although the differing ingredients lists suggest that Flying Fox Solid Perfume doesn't share the same scent as Lust Solid Perfume, the two are so similar that you'd be hard-pressed to find much of a difference. While I will compare the two products below, for the interest of the consumer, I should probably state that these differences are so minor that many noses will probably not be able to detect these changes.
While Lust contains jasmine, ylang ylang, rose and vanilla, Flying Fox swaps the latter two ingredients for cypress and palmarosa oil - a transformation that surprisingly does very little to the overall smell of the perfume. What I will say is that Flying Fox does have better longevity on the skin - with it lasting almost double the time that Lust offered me, making this a good investment for fans of this scent.
From the tub, this solid fragrance is very much dominated by the jasmine. Heady and rather potent, this sweet and sultry floral component presides over every other ingredient - offering a smell that is intoxicating and sophisticated. As jasmine is an aphrodisiac, this perfume will make you feel rather sexy sporting it on your skin, and as I said in my review of Lust: encourages your primal needs to come to the forefront.
Alongside this are notes of ylang ylang, cypress and palmarosa: the former giving Flying Fox an element of 'green' about it, while still maintaining that sickly-sweet aroma; the cypress oil adding a gentle woody aroma that grounds the fragrance; the palmarosa adding to the sweetness of the jasmine and bringing its own subtle herbaceous element that I think makes this solid perfume rather intoxicating for the wearer.
On the skin, the jasmine settles back a little in the mix, and allows the ylang ylang and the cypress oils to come forward more. The warmth of your body will break apart the different elements here and give you a much lighter, pretty floral aroma. For those who find Lust Liquid Perfume too potent on the senses, but appreciate the use of jasmine, you may find that this solid perfume will work far better for you.
While it's not one of my favourite fragrances from Lush, I will definitely say that this solid edition is very subtlely superior to Lust. While I don't think there is enough of a difference to warrant buying one, there is minute difference that will draw some Lush fans to invest and see for themselves. Those with a very sensitive nose, who love Flying Fox, might appreciate being able to experience a replica of their favourite shower gel. However, I feel as if the production of this is a little bit of a waste, and I would have been much happier if another fragrance had been chosen to during the voting week.
Quantitative Ingredients: Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Castor Oil, Candelilla Wax, Perfume (synthetic), *Linalool, Jasmine Absolute, Ylang Ylang Oil, Cypress Oil, Palmarosa Oil, Benzyl Alcohol, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Benzyl Salicylate, *Citral, *Eugenol, *Farnesol, *Geraniol, *Isoeugenol, *Limonene, Butylphenyl Methylpropional.
Vegan?: Yes.
2017 Price: £9 for 12g.
Year Of Original Release: 2017.
Scent Family:
Floating Flower Bath BallisticFlying Fox Body LotionFlying Fox Shower GelFlying Fox Solid PerfumeGodiva Solid Shampoo BarLust Liquid Perfume Lustre Dusting PowderLust Solid PerfumeYes Yes Yes Massage BarYouki-Hi Bath Ballistic
I'll be honest when I say that I was rather disappointed when Flying Fox Shower Gel secured a top five position in the Kitchen vote for new products. While I am a big advocate of Floating Flower Bath Bomb, and I enjoy the occasion spray of my dwindling Lust Liquid Perfume, I cannot say that I am a huge fan of the scent family all that much. In fact, I find myself rather indifferent to it most of the time.
As the shower gel contains honey, I have never had the opportunity to try it out for myself. However, my experience with the Lust family is extensive enough that I had a good idea what this body lotion would be like before I'd even received it in the post. As far as estimations go, I was rather accurate.
Flying Fox Body Lotion is for those who don't just like their jasmine, but instead want to drown themselves in a tsunami of the popular floral component. While Lush claim that the product contains ylang ylang, cypress and palmarosa oils as well, it is the jasmine that is at the forefront of the fragrance. And it is this note that makes the biggest impression on the skin as well.
From the tub, you can immediately detect the strong, sultry floral elements that make up the popular Lust scent. The jasmine offers a very heady and slightly sickly-sweet note - one that is supported by the subtle grassy undertones of the ylang ylang. There is something rather saturated about this aroma that makes it so unique, and I think the addition of the cypress oil also helps to bring forth an almost resinous, floral aroma.
If you are somebody who is opposed to strong scents, I would avoid any products in this scent family: this is definitely more suited to somebody looking for a full-bodied, jasmine experience. And while I think it's a little less in your face' than the likes of Godiva and Lust Liquid Perfume, it is still strong enough to knock you for six.
Interestingly, I found this lotion to be a little thinner than the likes of Calacas and Grass. Given that I assumed they had all been made from the same base ingredients, I was surprised to find that the lotion was not only thinner in consistency, but that it was a little easier to absorb into the skin. Furthermore, I found that this lotion didn't leave any white residue on the surface of the body, and seemed easier to massage across an area than the aforementioned products.
Once on the skin, I will admit that I didn't like the smell that it left at all. In fact, for the first five minutes, I found that the aroma radiating from my body was far too sweet for my liking. However, once the body lotion had settled down, I was able to appreciate that the floral components were not as potent as they began, and I enjoyed the rounded floral fragrance on my skin.
What I liked about Flying Fox Body Lotion was that my skin felt really smooth after application, and I didn't get that heavy feeling that I found with the body lotions mentioned above. In addition, I found that the lotion absorbed into the skin within the first ten minutes, so I didn't have to wait too long before I could get dressed and go about my day.
For this reason, this would be a great lotion to use as a 'top up' throughout the day, where you could reapply it if you felt your skin needed replenishing during a summer day. This lotion is also suited to those hotter moments, as the heat stimulates the different notes and brings out the fragrance for you to try over and over again. I was impressed that the scent stayed with me far longer than a lot of other lotions would, and I was still able to detect a faint note of jasmine a couple of hours after the initial application.
Overall, this body lotion was by no means terrible, but it's definitely not a scent that I would want to wear all of the time. Fans of Lust will no doubt appreciate lathering themselves up with this lotion, and those who fancy a jasmine binge will no doubt do the same. However, this is one I shall only continue using in small doses.
Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Almond Oil, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Glycerine, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine, Jasmine Absolute, Ylang Ylang Oil, Cypress Oil, Palmarosa Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Benzyl Salicylate, *Farnesol, *Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Perfume (synthetic), Methylparaben Propylparaben.
Vegan?: Yes.
2017 Price: £13.85 for 225g.
Year Of Original Release: 2017.
Scent Family:
Floating Flower Bath BallisticFlying Fox Body LotionFlying Fox Shower GelFlying Fox Solid PerfumeGodiva Solid Shampoo BarLust Liquid Perfume Lustre Dusting PowderLust Solid PerfumeYes Yes Yes Massage BarYouki-Hi Bath Ballistic