Pop in the Bath Bubble Bar Review

The one thing that I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Pop in the Bath bubble bar smells exactly like The Olive Branch shower gel and not florally scent like the flower on the top of the bar would perhaps suggest. The bar comes in two different colours; blue with a pink flower and pink with a blue flower. Personally, I love blue baths so I naturally, I chose the blue bar. Previously, before reformulation there were four different bars consisting of a range of four colours; green, white, blue and pink. The older bars were pale and not a strong in scent as it is now. They are stronger in scent now and a lot brighter which ultimately produce brighter colours in the water.

This bubble bar has never really interested me all that much as there are bars that are bigger, brighter and smell a lot stronger but I decided after I really enjoyed The Olive Branch shower gel, I decided I best try one and I am so glad I did. The water was a beautiful blue colour and  mountains of bubbles were made as soon as I ran the water really (pictured below).

Pop in the Bath contains citrus scents including bergamot oil, lemon oil, mandarin oil and orange flower absolute which are all known to have uplifting happy scents, just like the shower gel. These uplifting scents make this bubble bar brilliant to wake up to as the citrus scents will awaken you. 

Lemon oil is antibacterial helping this product clean the skin and sooth it whilst doing so, it is known to remove stains from the skin and leave the skin feeling fresh and clean.

Bergamot oil is another uplifting scent that can actually calm you down which can relieve stress and tension which can make the user sleep just that little bit better. However, along with the other ingredients in this product, it is a rather awakening scent perfect for morning baths.

Once I finished running my bath, the amount of bubbles was immense and they were soft and lasted for the whole time I was in the bath. After my bath, I did not realise notice any of the scent of the bubble bar being left on my skin but I did feel awakened and ready for the day. Anyone looking for a happy, bright and fresh bubble bar will love Pop in the Bath, especially if you enjoy the scent of The Olive Branch shower gel. I found that I was able to get so many bubbles from just half a bar so if you do not enjoy an extremely bubbly bath, you could even use a third of the bar and still get a good amount of bubbles.

Price: £3.45

Vegan

Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Bergamot Oil, Lemon Oil, Orange Flower Absolute, Mandarin Oil, *Limonene, *Linalool, Lillal, Hydroxycitronellal, Colour 42090, Colour 45410, Colour 17200, Colour 14700
*Occurs naturally in essential oils

Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub Review

I originally didn't realise that the original Ocean Salt was vegetarian, not vegan as I had previously believed that Ocean Salt was vegan. Although thinking back, I perhaps may have checked the ingredients of the Self Preserving option that Lush offer. The original version contains lanolin, a waxy substance that is produces by sheep skin and collected off the fur, the Self Preserving version contains alternative ingredients. Due to only realising this product contained lanolin when I started writing the ingredients for this post, I have used a significant amount of the  pot so after I have finished this pot, I will be picking up the Self Preserving version and sticking to that and I will post a review of that version.

Otherwise, I do like this product. I automatically was amazed by the beauty of this product as Lush have combined the blue and white product and covered it in salt. I would suggest to anyone purchasing this product, to mix the product before you use it as the rock sea salt on top of the product is a little too harsh to apply straight to the face. 

Because this product is rather harsh on the skin, I only use it once, maybe even twice a week on my face. Whereas it can be used whenever on the rest of the body such as the legs. I alternate between this product and other facial products such as Dark Angels fresh facial cleanser and for my body, Rub Rub Rub original shower scrub, Sugar Scrub body scrub and Life's a Beach shower scrub. 

Ocean Salt is packed with fine sea salt and hand harvested sea salt which are natural exfoliants which means they are safe to go down the drain as they will naturally disintegrate and will not ruin lives of small animals like microplastics will. Sea salt is a natural antiseptic which means it is great at cleansing the skin and because it is exfoliating it removes dead skin cells from the skin. Also, salt will not remove too much of the natural sebum released by the skin making this product great for people with dry/combination skin. 

Fresh grapefruit infusion is another ingredient packed into this product; with its uplifting scent it wakes skin up and works like most other citrus ingredients at improving the mood. With the uplifting scent and the fun blue colour, it makes this product a nice bright awakening for the morning.

Lime is also another uplifting scent that wakes the skin up and is used as an antibacterial and because of how fresh the product feels on the face, it can be used as an anti-fatigue. As the salt can be harsh on the skin, lime is also used to cool the skin down. As the lime has been extracted in vodka, the vodka acts as a preserving as well as cooling the skin and both ingredients make this product great for those who suffer with black heads.

Although I do enjoy this product, I do feel as though this product is a little bit too rough for certain patches of skin on my face (please don't let that put you off). I personally feel as though this skin would work on my skin a lot better in the summer when my skin is a little more greasy as apposed to when my nose and cheek areas get dry in the winter causing my skin to become a little enflamed and sore after using this product. This product is brilliant at exfoliating areas that can take a little bit more exfoliation such as the legs.

Excluding the fact that this product contains lanolin, I do feel as though this scrub does live up to what it intends to do but for me personally, it is not my favourite facial cleansing product but I would recommend it for those who are not concerned about lanolin and would like a heavy duty scrub.

Price: £7.95 for a 120g pot

£14.25 for a 250g pot

£23.95 for a 600g pot

Vegetarian

Ingredients: Fine Sea Salt, Fresh Grapefruit Infusion, Hand Harvested Sea Salt, Stearic Acid, Fresh Organic Lime Extracted in Vodka, Sodim Cocoamphoacetate, Glycol Cetearate, Triethanolamine, Avocado Butter, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Lime Oil, Seaweed Absolute, Violet Leaf Absolute, Glycerin, Lanolin, Cetearyl Alcohol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume, Colour 42090, Methylparaben, Propylparaben

*Occurs naturally in essential oils

Dark Angels Fresh Facial Cleanser Review

I have been interested buying a fresh facial cleanser for some time as a change from my usually skin care that I had previously been using. Although Lush do not aim their products at specific people, the facial cleansers are some what target at specific skin types by the ingredients included. I personally have combination to greasy skin dependant on what time of year it is. In the summer my face is usually more greasy than what it would be in the winter due to the cold weather drying my skin out. For me that meant I had a few options of what cleanser to purchase and I was automatically drawn to Dark Angels as it was a black facial cleanser as it is made from charcoal.

The main ingredient within Dark Angels is Rhassoul Mud which is used to reduce excess oil produced by the skin and tighten pours which ultimately reduces the chance of break outs and any more excess oil from being produced. For me specifically, I get a build up of oil around my nose and my forehead so this is perfect for these areas.

Another ingredient that is used is charcoal which gives this product its black colouring. Charcoal is a great absorbent which will draw all the grease away from the skin leaving the skin less oily and feeling fresh. As it is powdered, it does add a slight exfoliant to the cleanser which is good for removing excess oils from pores.

The main exfoliant in Dark Angels is black sugar which takes away the edge of the perhaps dirty scent of the product. Black sugar lifts away dirt and oils from the skin which means that the other ingredients can work to absorb them.

Organic avocado oil moisturises the skin whilst sandalwood oil and rosewood oil give it a sweeter scent. The scent of this product reminds me of the smell of Black Jack sweets I used to have when I was younger.

Like all of the fresh facial cleansers, you take a small pinch of the product and mix it with a few drops of water in the palm of your hand, then wash your face as usual. As this is an exfoliating product, it can be a little harsh on the skin. To avoid damaging gentle face skin, I would advise you gently scrub your face with this product. However, I find for me personally, I can use this product everyday after I have removed my make up. After I have removed the product from my face with water, my face feels clean, soft and free from oils yet not dry.

The product last for a long time due to you only needing a little. Fresh facial cleansers do have a rather fast use by date on them due to the ingredients being fresh. That is the only downside, although the product can be frozen (break into little pieces and freeze) to elongate the time the product will last for.

As this product is aimed at those with greasy skin, I wouldn't know how the product would work for people with different skin types than myself. However, I would recommend this product to those who do have similar skin to my own.

Price: £6.95 for 100g

Vegan

Ingredients: Rhassoul Mud, Organic Avocado Oil, Glycerine, Powdered Charcoal, Black Sugar, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Perfume, *Linalool, Sandalwood Oil, Rosewood Oil
*Occurs naturally in essential oils

The Olive Branch Shower Gel Review

Out of all of Lush’s shower gels, The Olive Branch shower gel has been a product I have been intrigued in for quite some time but never really interested enough to pick up a bottle in my many trips to Lush due to the scent being not too interesting and being more swayed towards other shower gels from my first impression. However, I finally decided to pick myself up a bottle and I have not been disappointed in doing so. Although containing many citrus oils, this product does not smell overly citrusy, more woody and natural which is a nice change from the stronger scented shower gels such as Rose Jam shower gel and The Comforter shower cream. Although fresh scents such as Fruity Beauty shower gel and the Dirty are some of my favourite scents, I do enjoy winding down and having chilled out baths and this shower gel definitely does just that.

As assumed, this product contains fair trade olive oil which is known for it's benefits of being very moisturising for the skin and even being used as a good protector of skin and hair against sun damage which can lead to multiple illnesses. Olive oil is also high in vitamin E, an antioxidant which helps skin stay healthy and is very good at keeping the skin moisturised, which is similar to sebum which the skin naturally produces to stop the skin from drying out, making the product very moisturising. Olive oil gives The Olive Branch shower gel a somewhat woody, natural scent which makes it stand out completely to the brightly coloured, powerful scented shower gels that Lush have to offer.

Fresh mandarin oil is used in this shower gel to give it an uplifting scent against the natural scents of olive oil and vine leaf infusion. As mandarin oil is an antibacterial, it is great for cleansing the skin and keeping it bright and healthy whilst keeping you happy. As the bottle says, The Olive Branch can also be used as a shampoo due to citrus oils being great for giving hair shine and along with the olive oil, they make a great pair of keeping the hair healthy.

Vine leaf infusion is also an ingredient with this shower gel which contains vitamins A, B and C which are all known to promote healthy skin and have healing qualities making the skin feel cleansed and clear.

The colour once the product has been shaken in the bottle (as advised) is a light orange colour and has a very thin consistency so I would advise for the user to be careful when pouring the product from the bottle. 

I will say that the product doesn't lather up too well. However, I feel as though this is due to the product being very high in oil. Although saying this, you can really tell that the product has worked when you wash it off the skin as the skin is very soft and moisturised. As the scent is not over powering, it doesn't stay on the skin too well but it can definitely be detected.

The product label stated that it can also be used as a shower gel, as can most shower gels at Lush. I have not tried this yet but I will do so over the next few weeks.

I feel as though The Olive Branch shower gel could be used any time of the year as it could be used for dry skin in the winter from cold weather or dry skin from sun damage in the summer. I would highly recommend this product for those who are not a fan of Lush's bright and colourful scented shower gels and want a light, moisturising shower gel. If you like this product I would definitely suggest giving the Pop in the Bath bubble bar a try as it carries the same scent!

Price: £4.95 for a 100g bottle

£9.75 for a 250g bottle

£16.50 for a 500g bottle

£27.95 for a 1kg bottle

Vegan

Ingredients: Vine Leaf Infusion, Water, Sodium Laureate Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Fresh Mandarin Juice, Fair Trade Olive Oil, Perfume, Propylene Glycol, Bergamot Oil, Lemon Oil, Orange Flower Absolute, Mandarin Oil, Fine Sea Salt, *Limonene, *Linalool, Hydroxycitronellal, Lillal, Colour 14700, Methylparaben
*Occurs naturally in essential oils

Lush Kitchen: Fruity Beauty Shower Gel Review

Although I do enjoy the sickly sweet scents of Lush like the famous Snow Fairy shower gel and those in the Snow Fairy family (Magic Wand re-usable bubble bar, Fairy Dust dusting powder and Godmother soap), they're cosy scents in the colder times of the year. However, I have been craving fresh, fruity scents since the weather has somewhat picked itself up and Fruity Beauty shower gel is perfect for that. Packed with fresh pineapple juice, fresh lemon, aloe vera gel and vodka, Fruity Beauty has a fresh cocktail scent that lasts all day.

During springtime I enjoy fruity scents like Happy Hippy shower gel as they are refreshing and invigorating scents that make an easy job of awakening. Pineapple is known to awaken tired skin and for its cleansing properties. It also contains vitamin C that is known to heal and protect skin which is similar to aloe vera gel. Aloe vera helps combat redness and has cooling properties to help wake up the skin. Vodka also has cooling properties; making this product a very awakening product and perfect to use in hotter weather.

The scent itself is very fresh and fruity and reminds me of cocktails which also makes it perfect for a hotter weather shower gel.

The colour of the product is a very bright coral red colour or as the bottle states, "raspberry-tinted blush". Fruity Beauty has a normal consistency as can be seen in the above picture.

The only downside to Fruity Beauty that I found was that it didn't lather up very well but this was easily bypassed by how well you can still smell the product after you have cleaned it off your skin. I would recommend this product for those who like fresh products. Although it is on the more pricy sides of the shower gels from Lush, I would say that is is worth the money as the scent stays with you all day.

Price: £11.25 for a 250g bottle

Vegan 

Ingredients: Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Fresh Lemon Decoction, Aloe Vera Gel, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Fresh Pineapple Juice, Vodka, Lauryl Betaine, Propylene Glycol, Perfume, Lime Oil, Bergamot Oil, Myrrh Resinoid, *Eugenol, *Limonene, *Linalool, *Isoeugenol, Lactic Acid, Colour 45410, Colour 45380, Gardenia Extract, Methylparaben

*Occurs naturally in essential oils

Avobath Bath Bomb Review

As I am a fan of fresh scents, I fell in love with Avobath the first time I bought it. Although a pretty boring bath bomb in terms of activity in the water, this bath bomb is my favourite bath bomb that Lush have released. 

This product contains fresh avocado, organic extra virgin olive oil, lemongrass oil and bergamot oil which all combine to make a fresh and awakening bath bomb. Avocados are known for helping improve the quality of the skin and helping towards making the skin healthy and this is due to avocados being packed with vitamins that are amazing for the skin. Although from the offset, you may think that Avobath has a strong avocado scent from its bright green colouring and the name, it does not; it is very heavy on the scents of lemongrass and bergamot. Lemongrass is a very uplifting fragrance which makes this bath bomb great for morning baths to wake you up and put you in a good mood for the rest of the day. Bergamot oil also acts similar to the lemongrass oil as it is an uplifting scent and is a great cleanser. Organic extra virgin olive oil is also used in Avobath as it contains a high level of the antioxidant, vitamin e which is great for keeping skin healthy making the water of the bath feel very smooth and moisturising.

I personally love the scent of this bath bomb as there is nothing out there like it. Also, the scent does not disappear in the bath like many other of Lush's products.

The bath bomb is pretty straight forward when it hits the water as it is one straight colour of green with a little bit of lustre holly sparkle. There is no surprise in the middle of the bomb which I think is actually nice considering that many of Lush's bath bombs are a little bit more complex in the water. You also know what to expect with Avobath and is a great bath bomb to pair with many bubble bars (one of my personal favourites is to pair it with the Green bubbleroon). 

Overall, I would highly recommend this product to anyone looking for a straightforward bath bomb that is moisturising and leaves a lasting, uplifting scent.

Price: £3.50 per bomb

Vegan

Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Fresh Avocado, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Lemongrass Oil, Bergamot Oil, Rosewood Oil, *Citral, *Geraniol, *Farnesol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume, Gardenia Extract, Lustre Holly Sparkle

*Occurs naturally in essential oils

H'suan Wen Hua Hair Treatment Review

 

After years of dying my hair many colours and bleaching it, my 2016 goal was to look after my hair and not put any harmful chemicals on my hair. My hair was above my shoulders at the beginning of the year and desperately wanted my longer hair back; naturally my hair is thick and curly but due to having layers cut into my hair and daily straightening, the ends of my hair are very thin. 

The past three months I have been testing out different natural hair care products, mainly from Lush. During this time, I have tried out Lush's H'suan Wen Hua Hair Treatment on multiple occasions and I have found a perfect treatment for my hair. As the description on the pot states, this product for me personally has shown "a very quick, noticeable improvement" to my hair. 

To use this product I leave it on my hair throughout my bath (usually around an hour) although the pot states to leave the treatment on for 20 minutes. I then wash out the product with a Lush shampoo (I swap what I use each time I shampoo my hair between Big sea salt shampoo, Avocado Co-Wash solid shampoo, New shampoo bar, Rehab shampoo and Curly Wurly coconut shampoo) and then condition with either American Cream or Veganese.

I first took a liking to this product in a Lush store when I smelt the product and I automatically thought it smelt like chai tea which will have come from the cinnamon leaf oil used in the product. Cinnamon leaf is good for those who are trying to grow their hair and improve the condition of their hair as it stimulates the blood vessels within the scalp and along with the vitamin D in the eggs which also helps with hair growth. Along with this, organic extra virgin olive oil is used in this treatment which promotes healthy feeling and looking hair as it deeply conditions and moisturises the hair leaving it feeling very soft and noticeably shinier.

Although many people would turn their hair up to putting egg in their hair, this product uses fresh organic free range eggs which has many different purposes. One of which is the high protein content within eggs which adds strength and shine to the hair.

As for the scent of the product, I love it! It smells like chai tea which is one of my favourite drinks. Cinnamon is one of my favourite scents, making me a huge fan of products such as the New shampoo bar and many of Lush's Christmas products such as The Magic of Christmas re-usable bubble bar and the Cinders bath bomb. The smell is very strong in my opinion and sticks to the hair better than any other hair product of Lush's. 

Although a new pot, I can not yet say how long the product has last me yet it does have a four month use by date on. I found that a sample pot size is enough to cover the ends of my hair (the main place I will use conditioners and treatments on my hair). I don't tend to put conditioners or treatments on my roots due to how greasy my hair will get so I am hopeful that the product will last me a long amount of time. The product is on somewhat of a steep price range for a hair treatment, I would happily continue to pay this money if the product continues to keep up the good work it has done on my hair on multiple occasions so far.

Overall, I would highly recommend H'suan Wen Hua Hair Treatment to anyone who is in deep need of hair TLC or ever just loves the scent of cinnamon.

Price: £9.75 for a 225g pot

Vegetarian 

Ingredients: Fresh Bay Leaf Infusion, Fresh Watercress Infusion, Fresh Organic Free Range Eggs, Cetearyl Alcohol and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Fresh Organic Fair Trade Bananas, Fresh Avocado, Organic Balsamic Vinegar, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Lanolin, Rosemary Oil, Cinnamon Leaf Oil, Soya Lecithin, *Cinnamyl Alcohol, *Cinnamyl, *Eugenol, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume, Methylparaben, Propylparaben

*Occurs naturally in essential oils