Christmas Cracker Bubble Bar

A few years ago, Lush released a concept bath bomb in the shape of a Christmas cracker. Weighing in at almost double the size of a regular ballistic, this seasonal special burst open to reveal an array of extra goodies inside - including a paper hat and a terrible joke. Unfortunately, these perks made the bath bomb extremely heavy, and they plummeted down into the depths of the Lush abyss, much like their performance in the bath. 

Fast forward a few years and the brand new Christmas Cracker Bubble Bar is released into the world. This limited edition not only sports a more attractive design but one that heeds far better results in the water. While we have lost the innards and seemingly half the weight, this bubble bar is definitely more attractive and far easier to use than its older sibling. 

Sharing its scent with Cheer Up Buttercup Bath Bomb, this bubble bar is a feast for anyone who enjoys a bright, zesty fragrance to bathe with. Featuring both lemon myrtle and lemon oils, the product is the perfect remedy for an early morning bath - when the idea of peeling back those covers and embracing the bitterly-cold morning seems like the worst idea in the world. 

Given that Cheer Up Buttercup won my heart over this year and almost became my joint favourite bath bomb of all time, the scent of this is one that I am happy to experience again and again. Although not a complex scent at all, Christmas Cracker is incredibly citrusy - like a lemon sherbet procreating with a tub of lemon sorbet. It packs a powerful punch, with the inclusion of the lime adding to its tartness and making this refreshing but equally potent aroma one that will awaken even the most stubbornest of senses. 

While all of these ingredients give this seasonal bubble bar a strong smell that lasts throughout the entire bathing experience, and even lingers on the skin for a short while after you've towelled yourself down, there are other benefits to bathing with this product. 

Lemon oil is known for its ability to bring out the natural shine of the skin, without making you look at all greasy, and it also works at cleansing and clearing out the pores, leaving you feeling really clean and radiant at the same time. The addition of the neroli means that your spirits will be lifted and stimulated while you bathe, and despite its name giving reference to the coldest time of the year, these components will leave you feeling a little more optimistic, and a little more loved.

Given its size, this bubble bar will easily last a good 3-4 baths if you're being reserved with your Lush products. I chose to use half of the bar in one go and found that Christmas Cracker is really effective at producing a good amount of light, fluffy bubbles. What was really great was walking into the bathroom and being engulfed by the strong, citrusy aroma, which stayed with me throughout my entire time in the bath. 

The bubble bar crumbled with ease and turned the water a comforting shade of orange; the sound of popping candy crackled under the surface and offered a really wonderful warming experience that left me feeling really exuberated afterwards. 

My only negative point about this limited edition is the fact that I didn't find it to be as moisturising as I was expecting it to be, especially given the fact that it contains a generous helping of cocoa butter. Don't get me wrong - Christmas Cracker leaves your skin feeling smooth and soft. However, it doesn't quite match up to the likes of Bewitched Bubble Bar or Peeping Santa in terms of how silky-soft the water is, and how nourished your body feels afterwards. 

Overall, I will definitely be buying a few more of these to pair with my favourite bath bomb, and I may even have to rely on this product to help me make it through some of the most difficult mornings in the foreseeable future.   

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Popping Candy, Lauryl Betaine, Cornflour, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Lemon Myrtle Oil, Lime Oil, Neroli Oil, *Citral, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume, Colour 47005, Colour 14700, Colour 17200, Colour 45410, Colour 15985:1, Colour 19140:1.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £5.95 each

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Scent Family:
Cheer Up Buttercup Bath Bomb
Christmas Cracker Bubble Bar

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Mother Of Dragons Egg Bath Bomb

There was quite a stir when Lush unveiled some of their enlarged bath bombs at the original Summit event last year: I remember having my mind blown just thinking about the concept of one of my favourite ballistics being over quadruple the original size. While I had the opportunity to purchase one at the time, my financial situation meant that I had to choose between two products, and this led to invest in a Nebula instead. However, when the Lush Kitchen released Mother Of Dragons Bath Bomb in the Kitchen a few months back, I jumped at the opportunity of trying a 'Lush classic' in bigger proportions.

Sharing the same scent and concept as Dragons Egg, this limited edition is enlarged to the point of being over four times as heavy (and as big) as its original older sibling. Inspired by the popular TV series, Game of Thrones, this huge ballistic can be cut into multiple slices, and could probably last across 5-6 different baths. Having said that, it can also be used in a single go, and this is what I decided to do after a long, hard day at work.

Containing both lemon and bergamot oils at the forefront, this rather plain-looking bath bomb is scented with a beautiful, uplifting fruity aroma. Although not as 'in your face' as both Avobath or Cheer Up Buttercup, Mother Of Dragons offers a generous burst of playful, citrusy goodness - a smell that reminds me of lemon sherbet sweets with a subtle touch of grassiness. 

With jasmine absolute to add a slightly sweeter touch to the aroma, this bath bomb is great for the summer months - when you want something warming and comforting to bathe in; yet something equally as light and refreshing. Mother Of Dragons is light and spritzy - a magical but rather simplistic fragrance to comprehend. 

Much like the smaller Dragon's Egg, this one is decorated with colourful, circular discs of rice paper, that decorate the surface of the tub for a short while before melting away in the water. Alongside this is a generous dose of golden lustre, which spills out of the centre after a couple of minutes of it being in the water, and patterns the surface with swirls of magical, golden decoration. 

As with the original bath bomb, this one isn't much of a fizzer, and will instead bob on the surface whilst sending out thick blankets of white foam to soften the water. In fact, I was rather disappointed to find that Mother Of Dragons didn't really do much aside from fizzle away fairly quickly and leave a thin, cloudy coating on the surface.

After taking about 4-5 minutes to fully dissolve, I found that the water had turned into a haven of bright orange: the golden lustre floating underneath the surface and making the whole bath glisten in the light. Surprisingly, even though the bath bomb was huge to begin with, the water isn't any darker or more vivid in size, nor is the smell. While you can smell the wonderful uplifting elements of the ballistic throughout the whole experience, I wouldn't say it is any stronger than if you were to use a regular-sized alternative.

Although this bath bomb did leave my skin feeling really soft and moisturised, I don't feel as if it was any more effective than a normal bath bomb would. As a novelty, this is great for a single-use bath, and if you love Dragons Egg, I'm sure you'll appreciate having an extra large one to indulge in. However, I don't feel as if this offered much in the way of a show, or a particularly stronger scent to make it worth buying again.    

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Popping Candy, Lemon Oil, Bergamot Oil, Jasmine Absolute, Cream of Tartar, Water (Aqua), Gardenia Extract, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Propylene Glycol, Lauryl Betaine, *Citral, *Limonene, Perfume, Gold Lustre, Radiant Gold Lustre, Titanium Dioxide, Colour 77491, Colour 15510, Colour 17200, Colour 14700, Colour 45410, Rice Paper.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £12 each. 

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

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Integgalactic Bath Bomb

It is most surprising that I have left it so long to indulge myself and use this bath bomb, given how much I gush over Intergalactic on an almost daily basis. Truth be told, the only reason I haven't used it before now is because of the time constraints my career has placed on my free time. Having finished writing my reports, I couldn't think of a better time to indulge in one of my favourite ballistics, and I was not disappointed. 

Sharing its scent with the original Intergalactic, the only difference between the two is down to their shape, size and price. Costing considerably more than the regular version, you might initially be a little put-off by the raised price tag. However, the extra 'product' you receive more than makes up for the extra pennies, and if anything I'd say Integgalatic Bath Bomb is even more superior when compared to its older sibling.

Released as part of Lush's 2017 Easter range, Integgalatic is a powerhouse of fragrance and colour - a bath bomb that guarantees you will feel as refreshed as you will relaxed. A product that is as cooling and uplifting as it is comforting: a bath bomb that offers a far more interesting and colourful experience than any other ballistic available to buy in a shop.

The first sniff revealed a lot of different layers, one of which was a slightly smoky/woody but also subtlety sweet aroma that ground the overall fragrance. While I have compared the scent of this bath bomb to Dirty Springwash in the past, I'd say that Integgalatic is far more potent, and has a dark, sultry layer of woodiness running through that makes it stand apart.  

Alongside this is a strong thread of peppermint oil, which intertwines with the grapefruit oil perfectly and creates a mint-dominated aroma with a very subtle thread of citrus running alongside this. This latter ingredient dampens the harsh kick that you would normally expect from a minty product and instead offers something invigorating and refreshingly beautiful, yet very rounded at the same time.

Just like its older sibling, this limited edition explodes into a cloud of colour as it hits the water - sending out waves of deep blues, pinks and yellows across the surface of the water. At the same time, the popping candy descends to the base of the tub and offers a background of noise reminiscent of a crackling fire. 

Once the bath bomb has fully dissolved, you are left with a beautiful tub of dark blue water that glistens as the lustre swirls around under the surface. Not only this but the water itself is so silky soft and inviting: one that is guaranteed to leave you feeling very moisturised and smooth afterwards. 

As if this wasn't enough, the fragrance also remains prominent throughout the entire experience and lingers on your skin for a while afterwards. The bath
water rinses away with ease, leaving you feeling nothing but refreshed, clean and ready to face the day. 

While the price tag is a little higher than a regular Intergalactic, this limited edition is definitely worth investing in, if only for a single indulgence one day when you really need it. Although I would rather have had a brand new bath bomb as opposed to a few regulars just spruced up a little this Easter, I cannot say anything negative about this ballistic whatsoever.  

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Popping Candy, Peppermint Oil, Grapefruit Oil, Vetivert Oil, Cedarwood Oil, Cream of Tartar, Water (Aqua), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume, Snowflake, Lemon Ice and Gold Glimmer Lustre, Colour 42090, Colour 45410. 

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £5.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

Scent Family:
Intergalactic Bath Bomb

Intergalactic Bath Bomb

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Thundersnow Bath Bomb

Gone are the days when you can just waltz into a store and discover a new bath bomb for the very first time. The last couple of years have seen Lush move away from merely bringing out a handful of seasonal products every couple of months. Instead, the company are now all about exclusivity, as well as innovation. Bath bombs are usually introduced in limited edition batches - at key events or flagship stores, and nobody is ever really sure about whether or not they will ever make a public release, until they do. 

Thundersnow Bath Bomb made its debut at the Lush Summit event between the 8th and 9th of February, 2017. Sporting a mesmerising green and blue striped coat, this is the product that I found myself gravitating towards as soon as I caught sight of the limited edition products. Described as being a storm of peppermint and cocoa, this beautiful item stole my heart immediately, and I couldn't wait to get home and try it out for myself in the tub.

What I noticed straight away about this ballistic is that it appears to be slightly heavier than the average bath bomb that Lush offer. The reason for that, I believe, is the inclusion of both the cocoa absolute and the popping candy that feature inside this limited edition. The former ingredient especially, makes this product very compacted and rather dense, and I worried that perhaps it wouldn't be a bath bomb that would be able to stay afloat in the water.

Whatever the inspiration behind Thundersnow, there is no denying that this bath bomb offers a beautiful combination of smells. The peppermint oil is surprisingly gentle on the senses - it's not as cooling or as potent as it is in something like Intergalactic. In a way, it almost takes a back seat in this product - allowing the creamy elements of the cocoa absolute to come forward. You can definitely detect the peppermint from the get-go, and it helps to make this bath bomb as refreshing and as clarifying as you can imagine it being. However, it it far gentler, and a little more like Abominaball in the sense that the mint is blanketed by the creamier elements featured.

Alongside the mint, and easily the strongest note overall, is the cocoa absolute. This rich, slightly burnt component is what makes me salivate each and every time I raise one of these bath bombs to my nose. Whereas I was expecting the usual buttery, creaminess of the absolute to come through, I was surprised to find that instead you get an intense, rather powdery, and very rich chocolately smell. In a way, it smells very much like the cocoa absolute has been roasted slightly, and there's a subtle twinge of bitterness that helps to make this bath bomb one of decadence and opulence. 

In the water, this bath bomb is in its element - brewing up a storm of colour and smell that will entice even the stubbornest of winter bodies to enjoy its warmth. To begin with, it fizzes and froths across the surface, sending out thick, fluffy waves of green and blue into the water and turning the tub into a rich haven of turquoise. What is great about this bath bomb is that it spins violently across the water, so it really does look like an icy storm is being replicated in your tub. Furthermore, the featured popping candy begins to crackle and pop under the surface, and just adds those much-needed sound effects to make this bath bomb a well-rounded sensory experience.

Once Thundersnow has shed the outer layer, it settles down and begins to project a thick blanket of white foam across the surface. This is obviously where it gets its name from, and combined with the green and blue colour already present, creates beautiful swirls of colour and fragrance for the user to enjoy. This latter part of the experience continues for a long while as the bath bomb takes a good 10 - 15 minutes to fully dissolve. For this reason, I would recommend that you submerge yourself below the blanket of chocolately, minty goodness at this stage, and enjoy the show from your front row seat.

While I wouldn't say that this bath bomb is anywhere near as strong as the aforementioned Abominaball or Intergalactic, it does retain its scent in the water, and leaves you feeling clean, refreshed and silky-smooth. The inclusion of the cocoa absolute means that the ballistic is a little softer than some of Lush's other bath bombs, and I was impressed to find that my skin felt and looked really radiant after I had towelled myself down.

Finally, I could detect a subtle hint of the scent on my skin afterwards, but I wouldn't say that it was anything to write home about. However, the bath bomb was great at helping me to unwind whilst clearing my head, and I can see this being a favourite of mine in the warmer months, when I'm looking for something a little lighter and more refreshing to use in my bath.   

Rumours are circulating that this will be making its way into Oxford Street in the near future, with the potential of it being a worldwide release soon after. I really hope for the sake of Lush fans across the globe that it does, as I feel this is too good a product to be made in such small batches. Thundersnow is definitely one of the highlights for me from this year's Lush Summit event, and a bath bomb that I will pick up regularly if it makes its way into shops.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Popping Candy, Perfume, Cream Of Tartar, Titanium Dioxide, Gardenia Extract, Cocoa Absolute, Peppermint Oil, Limonene, Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, Lauryl Betaine, Colour 42090, Colour 19140.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £4.25 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2017.

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Fizzbanger Bath Bomb

Fizzbanger, much like So White, is one of those bath bombs that tends to get overlooked because it's not very visually attractive. However, just like So White, it's one of those bath bombs that has a lot to offer.  

Known as the 'Big Friendly Ballistic', this bath bomb is inspired by Roald Dahl's BFG. As the blues and yellows whirl and froth around the tub, and the popping candy adds the sound effects, you cannot help but imagine the wonderful fantasy world of Dahl's best-beloved character - making you instantly fall in love with this product.

The ballistic contains cinnamon leaf oil, Petitgrain oil, ylang ylang oil and gardenia, which meant that I was expecting a spicy, floral scent. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I found that the bath bomb smelt more like lemon green tea than anything else. There's a very refreshing element to the lemon scent here, and sides more with the natural, savoury lemongrass fragrance than the likes of sweet smelling lemon products such as Lemslip Buttercream or Bohemian Soap. 

When I did some research, I also discovered that this bath ballistic shares it's scent with Lush's perfume, Love, which I had on hand to compare. Although I could smell the similarities there, I feel that the perfume has a stronger scent, which means it's not as fresh smelling as the bath bomb but it's equally as beautiful. It also means that the layers of the fragrance are more pronounced in the bath bomb, making it more enjoyable and relaxing for the user. 

Lush claim that the bath bomb has been created with the apple part of the fragrance for the outer layers and cinnamon notes as the inner core. I was impressed then when I popped this bad boy into the water and could detect the different layers of scent as they made themselves known.

When dropped into the water the ballistic begins to dissolve very slowly leaving a trail of yellow foam on the surface of the bath water. This is when I was able to make out the fruity, apple scent - one that differs from So White by having a slightly sour element to it. As it continued to dissolve, mounds of deep blue foam began to spew out of the ballistic and this caused the water to change from a yellow colour into more of a turquoise shade. As the two colours continued to froth across the surface, they created an abundance of magical swirls of vibrant colour across the water, which in turn turned the water into a gorgeous shade of green underneath the foam.

As if that wasn't magical enough, this bath ballistic also features popping candy inside, and while the bath bomb was throwing colour across the tub, you could also hear the crackle and pop of the candy getting to work at the bottom of the tub. Just when I thought the experience was over, Lush surprised me once more by including little pieces of paper with the word 'bang' etched on them, which made their way to the surface to found off the whole magical experience. 

Although some may argue that these little touches are pointless, I think it makes Lush even more endearing and enjoyable for the user, and I really appreciated the gesture.

On the negative side, the scent did seem to fade quite quickly once the bath bomb had fully dissolved and by the end, it was very weak indeed. However, I was in the bath I loooooooong time, so it more than served it's purpose and it could just be because I had become accustomed to the smell that I could no longer detect it, when in fact it might have still been there.

After getting out of the bath, my skin felt really lovely and soft. The scent did linger on my skin for quite a while but it wasn’t really a strong scent and was soon overpowered by my body lotion. It would work in Lush's favour if they were to bring out a cream in the same scent as not only can I see it working really well in that format, but it would also be the perfect accompaniment for this bath bomb.

This is not one of my all-time favourite bath bombs, but it is definitely one I want to indulge myself in again and again. This would be lovely first thing in the morning to perk you up for the day ahead, or in the summer time when you need to revitalise your senses after a hot day.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Popping Candy, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Water, Cinnamon Leaf Oil, Petitgrain Oil, Ylang Ylang Oil, Cocamide DEA, Lauryl Betaine, Coumarin, *Eugenol, *Linalool, Perfume, Colour 42090, Colour 19140.

Vegan?: Yes

2015 Price: £3.35 each.
2017 Price: £3.95 each.

Scent Family:
Fizzbanger Bath Bomb
Lonely Hearts Bubble Bar
Love Apple Bubble Bar
Love Perfume
Love Potion Massage Bar

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Cyanide Pill Ballistic

 

There's something rather devilishly wicked and romantic about the idea of cyanide - despite the fact that it's a fast acting, potentially deadly chemical that can be lethal in high doses. Used as far back as the Ancient Egyptians, this poison has been very much glorified over the years in both films and books - seen as the 'perfect' way to kill off unsuspecting victims without leaving a trace of the crime.

Known for it's distinctive 'bitter almond' smell, cyanide kills its victim by starving  them of the oxygen they need to live. Based on a fragrance that Lush created for their Volume 3 perfume installation, Cyanide Pill Ballistic not only shares its scent with this perfume, but also offers users a strange, almost volatile experience in the tub. 

Shaped like a pill, this bath bomb is very slightly smaller than your average bath product from Lush but it is just as potent in scent and just as effective in the tub. Made from a collaboration of lemon, cedarwood, rosewood and almond oils, this exclusive beauty gives off an interesting aroma that reminds me a little of Smuggler's Soul and All Good Things Perfume combined.

Don't get me wrong, this bath bomb doesn't smell like either of the above two fragrances, but there are definitely elements of the sweetness that you would expect to find in the latter perfume and elements of the woody, citrusy note that would you find in the former perfume. 

As the cedarwood is the dominant ingredient here, the ballistic has a pleasant, balsamic and warm woody aroma - intertwined with a gentle lemon note that makes Cyanide rather sweet and uplifting on the senses. Alongside this, the almond oil gives the bath bomb that rounded, nutty and slightly cherry-esque note to boot. In all honesty, this aroma would be an incredible fragrance; I only hope that Lush can reformulate the original perfume and create one that can be worn on the skin. 

As soon as you pop Cyanide Pill into the tub, it gets to work at dispelling waves of lime-yellow across the surface of the water. This bath bomb is a rather fast dissolver so it only takes a minute for the entire ballistic to vanish, and what you're left with is a vivid, volatile-looking bath that matches the theme of this product perfectly.  

As the bomb is working its magic, it also throws out a generous amount of silver glitter, which clumps together on the surface of the tub and creates that 'mercury silver slick' effect that Lush refer to in the description. What I found strange was that normally glitter tends to accumulate below the surface and create a sort of whirlpool of shimmer throughout the tub. However, the lustre in this bath bomb creates small puddles above the water that just adds to the whole intriguing experience. 

Finally, Cyanide Pill contains a generous helping of popping candy, and within a few seconds of the ballistic hitting the water, you can hear a slightly unnerving crackle as wave upon wave of sickly-sweet aroma greets your senses. Lush have definitely gone to the effort of perfecting this bathing experience. 

What was great about this product was that it was super moisturising on the skin. While it didn't create a glossy bath as impressive as the likes of Lava Lamp or Frozen, it did create one that left my skin really soft, supple and clean. Furthermore, the wonderful haunting aroma remained on my skin and in the bathroom for a good few hours after I had drained the tub. 

My only qualm with this bath bomb was that I wasn't wowed by the aroma as much as I was expecting to, and when compared to the other new bath bombs to comes from the Oxford Street store, this one was one of my least favourite. However, this is very much my own preference and there is nothing wrong with the actual bath bomb itself. 

I would definitely like to see this scent in other formats - a bubble bar or soap would definitely go down a treat. While I will buy this again in the future, there are others that would take precedence before this one. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Popping Candy, Perfume, Silver Glimmer Lustre (Corn Starch, Maltodextrin, Mica, Colour 77400, Potassium Aluminium Silicate, Titanium Dioxide), Lemon Oil (Citrus limonum), Cedarwood Oil (Cupressus funebris), Rosewood Oil (Aniba rosaeodora), Almond Essential Oil (Prunus Amygdalus Amara), Water (Aqua), Alpha-isomethyl ionone, Citronellol, Coumarin, Eugenol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool, Colour 47005, Colour 45350, Colour 4700, Colour 17200, Colour 45410. 

Vegan?: Yes. 

2015 Price: £3.50 each. 

Year Of Original Release: 2015.

Scent Family: 

Cyanide Bath Ballistic

Cyanide Liquid Perfume

Hand Of Friendship

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