Lush Christmas 2016: Mistletoe Bath Bomb Review

Mistletoe bath bomb in my opinion, is one of the prettiest bath bombs that Lush have ever released alongside Guardian of the Forest. The detail that the company have put into this bath bomb is amazing. A pink bath bomb with turquoise and white decoration really does stand out amongst the rest. 

This bomb shares its scent with the Silky Underwear range. As a very popular scent, this is surely to be one of the popular bath bombs that Lush sell this Christmas holiday. I consider this scent to be quite a mature scent compared to other Christmas scents such as Snow Fairy but the design will appeal to many. 

The bath bomb is a combination of jasmine, ylang ylang and vetivert. This combination makes a sweet and comforting hug in the water. As I'm not a huge fan of floral scents, I can definitely appreciate this scent as the floral is softened and creamy which I can definitely get on board with.

Jasmine absolute is considered to be a luxurious oil that is great for sensitive skin. It is also considered to be one of the 'seductive' oils, an aphrodisiac.

Ylang ylang oil is a sweet floral that gives this bath bomb a sweet edge. 

Vetivert is a grass that grows in places such as India. The oil is taken from the roots and can be used as a soother and also as a sedative to help with sleep. Although it doesn't really have its own particular scent, it carries the scent of what it is paired with.

In the bath, the bomb fizzes away a pink colour, then on the inside is a deep blue colour and ultimately turns the water a beautiful, shimmery purple colour.

Although, not my favourite, this is a great addition to Lush's Christmas range. I would recommend this product to anyone who really enjoys floral fragrances and beautiful shows in the bath. I do really love the appearance of this bath bomb and I can definitely appreciate what this bath bomb has to offer.

Price: £4.25

Vegan

Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Jasmine Absolute, Vetivert Oil, Ylang Ylang Oil, Water, Lauryl Betaine, Propylene Glycol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Perfume, Frosty Holly Lustre, Colour 45410, Colour 14700, Colour 17200, Colour 42090

Lush Christmas 2016: Salt and Peppermint Bark Body Scrub Review

To start of with, I must admit that this could possibly be one of my favourite products that Lush have ever released.

Salt and Peppermint Bark is one of Lush's 'naked' products that was released in the Christmas range of 2015. It is unlike the other solid scrubs I have tried as this one seems to be more conditioning for the skin than others.

What first got my attention of this solid scrub was the beautiful scent of Maypole soap and candy canes which screams Christmas at me. This is due to the cocoa butter and the peppermint oil. Cocoa butter is great for the skin, as stated by Lush, cocoa butter contains "oleic acid, a saturated fatty acid which is highly compatible with our body's natural sebum, aiding the absorption of other ingredients into the skin." This means that all the ingredients that are combined with the cocoa butter will be absorbed into the skin with the cocoa butter and is also a good way to preserve other ingredients. It keeps the skin healthy and very soft.

Cupuacu butter is an emollient that is like cocoa butter that absorbs what its mixed with, helping the skin absorb everything.

Peppermint oil is cooling on the skin as it contains menthol which is great for stimulating blood vessels. It is great for summer days to help cool the skin but also a great reminder of Christmas of festive sweets such as candy canes and humbugs.

Fine sea salt is a natural cleanser and in Salt and Peppermint Bark, it is great at buffing the skin. This specific solid scrub is great as it is not overly scrubby but is hard enough to make a difference to the skin leaving is clean and well polished. Salt is also used as a natural preservative in products. This scrub is perfect in the winter to scrub away any dry skin that could be caused by harsh, cold weather.

I love this product because it is perfect at buffing; and if you want a more scrubby buffing, you just have to press with the bar against your skin ever so slightly harder. The scent sticks to your skin but is not over powering and leaves the skin beautifully soft. After getting out of the bath, my skin did feel cooled, not tingly, but refreshed and very clean.

The bar stays together fine between uses and although it only leaks a little, it only needs to be put on a soap rack as opposed to being stored in a container.

As possibly one of my favourite products, I will definitely be purchasing probably more than I need of these and suggest it to all of you, or at least give it a go when you're next in a Lush store.

Price: £5.95

Vegan

Ingredients: Fine Sea Salt, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cupuacu Butter, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cream of Tartar, Perfume, Lauryl Betaine, Peppermint Oil, Rosie Red Lustre, Apple Green Lustre

Lush Christmas 2016: Ruby Red Slippers Bubble Bar Review

Ruby Red Slippers is a new addition to the Christmas range in this heal shape, however, it was originally released in Christmas of 2005 (a picture of which is below and all rights belong to Jen from  All Things Lush UK and the post that it belongs to and I would highly recommend http://allthingslushuk.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=ruby+red+slippers). The original shape was the size of Sunnyside bubble bar and big enough for two, maybe even three baths.

Scented with Lush's popular Potion scent, this product is a beautiful mix of rose, tangerine and carnation. However, the more prominent scents are the rose and carnations. This combination of oils makes for a sweet and spicy scent that to me, is very 'Christmasy' and warming for this time of year.

Rose absolute is used in many of Lush's product but is very different in this product as it adds a sweetness and is not overly floral in the mix. It is known as a skin tonic which soothes and balances the skins colour and is even considered to be an aphrodisiac.

The tangerine oil is sourced from the US and as a citrus fruit, it is an uplifting scent that improves the mood, great for the cooler months. It can be used as a stress relief to help you sleep and to sooth and smooth skin.

Carnation absolute is a strong herbal and floral scent that is very perfume-like. The combination of all of these scents is beautiful and wintery and my favourite kind of scent for all times of the year.

As expected, this bible bar is named after Dorothy's shoes from The Wizard of Oz. And as of this year, the bar now comes shaped like a little kitten heal which I think is great as it makes more sense with the name of the product and is honestly, one of the cutest bubble bars in the Christmas 2016 collection.

In the water, this product is amazing. As a big fan of red baths, this bubble bar made me very happy. The water turned a beautiful red colour after only using a third of the bubble bar, but could easily be intensified by using more of the bar. However, using a third of the bar produced an enormous mountain of bubbles that lasted throughout the bathing experience.

The scent of the bar stayed in the bath water for the entirety of the bath and the spicy scent stayed with me for a couple of hours and left the room smelling wonderful and Cristmasy for hours after. What may put people off is the layer of red glitter on the outside of the bar, however, this cleans very easily and does not stick to the skin.

After reading that the original versions of these bars did not age well. I can say that I purchased a couple of these when they were first released, they're in the same packaging and they do more seem to be still as bright as they were originally and have not softened. However, this may just be in the first couple of months of having the product so I shall keep an eye on them and see if they keep well.

Overall, I would most highly recommend this product to everyone. This is definitely one of my favourites of the Christmas 2016 collection, if not my favourite bubble bar of all time. I will definitely be stocking up on lots of these before the Christmas season is through.

Price: £3.95

Vegan

Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Cornflour, Rose Absolute, Tangerine Oil, Carnation Absolute, *Limonene, *Linalool, Eugenol, Perfume, Colour 14700

Lush Halloween 2016: Autumn Leaf Bath Bomb Review

 Autumn Leaf was one of the bath bombs that really stood out to me in the new Halloween collection for 2016 as it wasn't typical of Halloween tropes, but more of Autumn itself. Falling leaves, colours of leaves changing from green, to yellow, to orange and red and the scent of what can only be thought of as a walk though a field of freshly mown grass. This bath bomb smells and looks like the story of Autumn's falling leaves.

This product shares its scent with Lush's popular Grass shower gel which I think is perfect for this bath bomb. This bath bomb contains bergamot oil is a citrus oil that is uplifting for the mood, and as Lush states, "encourages a sense of wellbeing." It is cleansing of the skin and also very soothing.

Autumn Leaf also contains neroli oil, one of the most expensive oils that Lush use in their products, it has a very 'green' floral scent and is used to tone the skin and is famously known for being uplifting. As stated on the Lush website, "Neroli is one of the few essential oils to be scientifically proven to increase serotonin production in the brain, which makes us feel contented and cheerful".

As well as this, sandalwood oil is also used as it gives the product a woody and warming scent adding to the natural scent of this bomb. The oil is antiseptic which cleanses the skin leaving it soft and protecting it.

Finally, this product the only product (available at this moment in time) that contains Japanese maple sap, which supposedly has many beauty benefits.

The scent is perfect for all year round. Using it in the winter, the scent can make it reminiscent of warmer months but also remind you of the beauty of the autumn and its falling leaves. And in the summer it is very refreshing on the skin. I think this is a great one for the cooler months however, due to it containing many uplifting oils, which can help with seasonal affective disorder (SADs). 

In the water, this is beautiful. It slowly releases shades of green, yellow and reds and as the bath bomb is a slow fizzes, it makes amazing swirls of autumnal colours on top of the water. However, I was slightly disappointed with the murky browny water. Yet saying this, I wasn't too bother due to all of the other brilliant factors of this bath bomb, one of which was the strong scent of the bath bomb throughout the bath. And teamed up with Grass shower gel, the scent stayed with me for many, many hours. 

Overall, I would highly recommend this product to anyone that is a fan of the Grass shower gel, or even just the autumn season. I think this would also make a great gift for perhaps a stocking filler or even just a treat for yourself. 

Price: £3.75

Vegan

Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Bergamot Oil, Neroli Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Japanese Maple Sap, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Alpha Isomethyl Ionone, *Coumarin, *Limonene, Perfume, Spring Green Lustre, Colour 14700

Lush Christmas 2016: Never Mind The Ballistics Bath Bomb Review

When the Lush Halloween and Christmas products were leaked online, one product I was hoping was true was Never Mind The Ballistics bath bomb as it featured the same look of Roller; a bath bomb, half covered with a bath melt. And finally, when the official product list was released, I was extremely happy that NMTB was within the collection.

This bath bomb is based of the Sex Pistols' album, Never Mind the Bollocks due to having the same colours; yellow and hot pink. Although a Christmas product, this bath bomb does not come across as one due to straying from the stereotypical Christmas products by having bright vibrant colours and having a very 'bright' scent. 

This product contains fresh banana, which is one of my favourite ingredients. I am a big fan of products containing banana such as Sympathy For The Skin, which is my favourite body lotion so I had big hopes for this bath bomb. As the Lush website states, "Bananas contain many nutrients including vitamins A, B, C and E along with minerals like potassium, zinc, iron and manganese." Vitamin A is good for bones, teeth and skin. Vitamin B is great for many things, including maintaining healthy skin and keeps hairy and nails healthy. Vitamin C helps with most of the body, keeps skin looking great and has been proven to help wounds heal quicker. Vitamin E is used in many cosmetics for its anti-aging qualities. 

NMTB also contains lime oil which is uplifting, anti-bacterial and helps brighten skin. Along with this, sweet wild orange oil is used for its uplifting, antiseptic and skin toning qualities. All of these ingredients mix together to make a somewhat tropical, awakening scent.

This bath bomb is very moisturising but is not greasy making it possible to wash your hair without the worry of greasy hair. However, it is moisturising enough to condition the skin beautifully. With the bath melt part of the bath bomb being made from organic fair trade cocoa butter, and the bomb itself containing bananas, they combine to make a silky soft water and leave the skin beautifully soft.

In the water, the bath bomb is a very slow fizzes taking longer than five minutes to fizz away. I think this is due to half being covered by a bath melt, making this perfect for a longer than usual bath. When it first hits the water, the yellow slowly fizzes away with hot pink oils running off from the melt. When near the middle, the bath bomb releases pink waves through the yellow. This creates an orange coloured water with a shimmering surface from the oils.

The scent of the bath bomb was rather strong out of the bath and even more so in the water, without being overpowering. The scent stayed for the entirety of the bath, stuck to the skin and stayed in the air of the bathroom for hours afterwards. As for how the bath bombs effects felt after the bath, I would usually have to moisturise but due to being very cold, I got dressed and hours later my skin still felt moisturised.

I was very happy with this bath bomb, possibly being one of my favourites of the Christmas range. If you're not a fan of the stereotypical scents of Christmas and like fruity, uplifting scents, you'll love this. I will surely be stocking up before the year is out!

Price: £4.25 each

Vegan

Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Fair Trade Cocoa Butter, Lime Oil, Sweet Wild Orange Oil, Olibanum Resinoid, Fresh Banana, Cream of Tartar, Gardenia Extract, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Propylene Glycol, I PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides & PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, *Limonene, Perfume, Colour 19140:1, Colour 19140, Colour 15510, Colour 14700, Colour 17200

#KeepItOn 2016: Error 404 Bath Bomb Review

For Black Friday 2016, Lush teamed up with Access, a charity made to inform others of internet shutdowns worldwide. All around the world, governments are limiting access or completely blocking internet connections "during protests, elections, and even school exams." (https://uk.lush.com/article/error-404-fighting-internet-shutdowns) In December 2016, governments from all over the world are joining together to discuss internet shutdowns and Access have created a petition to let our voices be heard that we want the internet to be kept on. The petition ends December 7th, 2016 so sign the petition!

To find out that Lush were releasing the bath bomb on Black Friday, I wasn't best please. However, upon my arrival of the Liverpool branch, I was happy greeted with fast service and plenty of Error 404s to go around. Error 404 is a bath bomb I've wanted to try for quite some time, so I was happy to splash the cash on multiple bath bombs and I didn't feel guilty for my bank account due to 100% of profits (excluding tax) went to Access.

To look at, Error 404 is beautiful. It has a lovely bronzy, gold lustre covering the bright blue bomb. The lustre shifts quite fast and doesn't sink to the bottom of the bath and floats through the water for the entirety of the bathing time. The water turns an intense blue with lots of shimmer and makes the bathing experience mentally uplifting as well as relaxing. If very glittery products are not your thing, this may not be for you, although the glitter does not stick to the skin and is easily cleaned from the bath unlike some other products.

Error 404 is neither a fast fizzes or a slow fizzes, it quietly fizzes away and doesn't last for longer that 3-4 minutes but creates a beautiful blue and green patterns in the bath with bronze swirls between. As a big fan or green and blue baths, this bomb definitely made me happy. After the bath bomb has fizzed away, a little note is left for you in the bath:

Error 404's scent is a new one; I can only describe it as a sophisticated vanilla scent. This is due to the combination of vanilla absolute and gardenia extract that fit beautifully together to create a sweet scent with a warm edge. Vanilla absolute is a popular ingredient that carries a sweet, distinctive scent that is uplifting and has aphrodisiac elements. It adds a creamy scent to the bath bomb whilst balancing the skin as well as being antibacterial. Gardenia extract is great for the body due it being used in Chinese medicine for anti-inflammatory purposes amongst other things. 

The scent is strong out of the bath which may put some people off. However, it softens in the bath and is not overpowering, although the scent is apparent during the entire bathing experience. The scent is evident on the skin after bathing and stays in the room for a few hours which is wonderful.

Overall, I am a huge fan of this bath bomb and if you are lucky enough to be able to pick one up either of the #KeepItOn batch or when it next appears in the Kitchen, I can assure you, you'll be very pleased you did. I couldn't recommend it more, especially due to it being sold for a great cause.

Price: £4.04

Vegan

Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Vanilla Absolute, Gardenia Extract, Water (Aqua), Laureth 4, DRF Alcohol, Coumarin, Geraniol, Hydrocyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carbonxaldehyde, Perfume, Antique Gold Lustre; Brine Splendour Lustre, Glacier Blue Lustre, Colour 42053