Twilight Shower Jelly

There are certain products that sell whether or not they work all that effectively. I'm not saying that Lush fans will throw their money at anything without an ounce of sense, just that there are particular items that may not be the 'best they can be', but ones where consumers are willing to overlook small product flaws because the item is so sought after.

One example is Roller Bath Bomb - a ballistic that sells out in a matter of minutes every time it appears in the Kitchen, but one that is notorious for splitting, cracking and finally crumbling within a couple of months of them being made. Most Lush fans are not put off by this fact and so the bath bomb continues to be a massive seller.

Twilight Shower Jelly is a limited edition that would sell no matter what colour, size or shape Lush decided to produce it in. Being called Twilight is enough to warrant a cult following that will go to any lengths to secure themselves a tub....or twenty. It is a well known fact that Twilight is one of Lush's most popular scent families - you only have to glance at this year's Christmas releases to know this much is true.

Sharing its scent with both the shower gel and bath bomb of the same name, Twilight Shower Jelly is a feast for the senses. Judging by appearance alone, this shower jelly is perhaps the most beautifully exquisite arrangement of colour that Lush have ever managed to produce and confine to a pot. Made from a collaboration of pastel colours, each and every single tub is formed of unique swirls - combining together to form layers of iridescent purples, pinks and blues that shimmer in the light.

As I expected, there is a difference between the fragrance of the jelly and the gel, although it's not so dissimilar that Twilight fans should be at all worried. In the tub, I find that the jelly has a beautiful, sweet layer of lavender - one that retains its natural aromatic qualities but doesn't have any of the dryness that you'd usually associate with the flower. 

Alongside this, the tonka absolute layers the floral notes with a smooth, creamy vanillary aroma. This is what gives Twilight its distinct fragrance and sets it apart from the usual hum-drum of lavender scented cosmetics. How the jelly differs from the gel is that I find the tonka absolute is thicker and more domineering in the gel - it gives the scent a warmth that makes it the sultry experience that we know and love. 

Twilight Shower Jelly still has this warm, rounded tonka element but it seems to have stepped back just slightly to allow the lavender to make more of an impression. From this reason, I'd say the jelly is closer to the smell of the bath bomb than the gel. Although as I stated above, the difference isn't so big that fans of the gel will be at all disappointed.

As with all of Lush's shower jellies, you can use them in a number of different ways. You could opt to take the whole piece into the shower with you - massaging it across your skin to produce a lather to clean with. Some fans choose to dissect the piece into smaller, more manageable chunks to do the same with, or to use with a loofah. 

You could always opt to blend part or all of the jelly and turn the product back into a thick, gel-like consistency and then use it in the same way you'd use a shower gel. Some fans even use Lush jellies as a replacement for a bubble bar - cutting off a small chunk and holding it in a sieve, underneath the running water to create a surplus of fluffy bubbles to bathe in. 

I tend to use jellies in small chunks and I found that Twilight Shower Jelly works better like this, as opposed to using the whole thing at once. Disappointingly, I found that it was fairly difficult to get a huge amount of lather going, even when I did wet the jelly multiple times to try and stimulate that foam. It was easier to create suds from a smaller piece than using the whole thing, but this was the only aspect of the product that I feel let me down a little.

In its defence, the product did leave my skin feeling wonderfully smooth and the fragrance was prominent enough in the shower and on my body to see me through the whole experience. I did find that the aroma didn't linger for too long outside of the bathroom, but this was easily rectified with a spritz of the liquid perfume to keep me going.

Overall, this is a wonderful shower jelly. It smells beautiful, sports the greatest array of colours inside and outside of the tub and leaves your skin feeling as soft as a baby's. The slight variance of aroma means that Twilight Shower Jelly offers something a little different from the gel variety so there is definitely room for this brand new exclusive within the world of Lush. My two tubs may be sitting pretty on my shelf right now, but I doubt if they're going to be around for very long.

Quantitative Ingredients: Glycerine, Dried Lavender Flowers, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Propylene, Glycol, Carrageenan Extract, Perfume, Lavender Oil, Benzoin Resinoid, Tonka Absolute, Ylang Ylang Oil, *Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Cinnamate, *Coumarin, *Limonene, *Linalool, Snowflake Lustre, Colour 42090, Colour 14700, Colour 45410.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £8.25 for 240g.

Year Of Original Release: 2016.

Scent Family:

FUN With A Twist
Luxury Pud Bath Bomb
Sleepy Body Lotion
Twilight Bath Bomb
Twilight Liquid Perfume
Twilight Shower Gel
Twilight Shower Jelly
Twilight Solid Perfume

Ugai Solid Mouthwash Tabs

Lush are great at catering for a large market, which is perhaps one of the reasons why they have such a diverse yet equally loyal customer base. Instead of creating products that mimic other big sellers within the cosmetics industry, they go above and beyond to create and release items that the public may not initially recognise as what they want, but items they fall in love with after they've given them a chance.

At risk of repeating myself, I wont digress into the strange and unique concepts that Lush have brought us over the years, but I will say that often their releases could easily see them falling backwards off of a cliff - flailing their arms in a pointless gesture before they become well-acquainted with the ground below. Yet they seem to land on their feet each and every time, leading me to believe that they really DO know what they're doing.

Ugai is perhaps the strangest of the three brand new, innovative solid mouthwashes that Lush have designed and unleashed upon the world this summer. Being the first of its kind to ever grace the cosmetics world, these tabs have a lot to live up to, and Lush have made sure that there's more behind these tongue-twisting names than just a novelty concept.

While Creme De Menthe is for the classic mint lovers and Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters are for those who enjoy having their mouths scorched with aniseed, Ugai is the tame one of the trio. Influenced by the ancient customs of Shinto, Japanese culture believe in ridding the body, the mind and the living environment of impurities and uncleanliness. One way that they do this is by gargling a few times a day - before and after meals and sometimes after being outside, all with the intent of ridding the mouth of harmful bacteria that could cause cavities and/or illness.

Usually, a lot of this gargling is done with water, however it is also common for salt water to be used - the salt acting as a natural antiseptic as well as working to prolong fresh breath. These solid mouthwash tabs have been created with that in mind - offering a flavour that is definitely not a Westerner's idea of 'normal' but one that plays homage to a country that has enough evidence to demonstrate that they must be doing something right when it comes to their oral health.

Made from a combination of sea salt, tea tree oil and green tea powder, Ugai is a strange experience from the start. Whereas you'd expect a mouthwash to feel almost like it's wrestling each and every strand of bacteria in your mouth, this one doesn't do this at all - instead leaving an almost non-existent aftertaste while still leaving you feeling clean.

While I was initially worried at first about the use of sea salt as the key ingredient (most people who have had to gargle salt water before will probably not speak highly of the practice), I didn't find the experience unpleasant at all. The salt doesn't have its strong, salty taste at all, and although you can taste it during the gargle, it is not at all horrible. 

Strangely, it is the tea tree that embraces your sense of smell upon opening the bottle. Yet despite its prominency in the initial smell, you can barely taste it at all during use. In fact, neither the salt, the tea tree or the green tea was particularly strong in my mouth and I found the experience pretty uneventful. My mouth did feel clean after use and I could no longer detect the taste of the food I had just eaten.

As with each of the other two mouthwashes, Ugai contains xylitol - a natural substance that is found in certain fruits and vegetables and is used in foods and cosmetics as a refined sweetener. This ingredient has been proven to cause none of the harmful effects that sugar can have on the teeth, is perfect for diabetics as it doesn't effect blood sugar levels at all, yet offers the sweetness to help give these tabs their interesting but enjoyable flavours.

To use, I found it easiest to take a sip of water and then pop a single tab into my mouth - nibbling it with my back teeth before swishing, gargling and spitting out. Adding the water first meant that I didn't get any bits of tab left in my mouth during or after the experience, and this saved me from having to carry out a second swish to clear these bits between my teeth.

It's recommended that you keep the mouthwash in your mouth for a good minute. This allows the ingredients to get to work at cleaning the mouth and deodorising the tongue so you get the maximum results possible. I should warn you that these tabs do have a bit of a bite to them so you may find that you'll feel the menthol getting to work while you're using one. However, I should point out that this mouthwash was not as harsh on my senses as some of the big-branded ones I have tried from the supermarket.

Overall, I found these solid mouthwash tabs to be pleasant but not something I would really want to be using very often. While the taste of them was very mild and they were far less potent than either of the other two varieties, I think I am one of those who needs a little more 'kick' to feel like a mouthwash has worked. I found with both Creme De Menthe and Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters left my teeth, my tongue and my entire mouth feeling very sleek, shiny and throughly clean. However, I didn't get the same confident feeling when using Ugai. 

I can see why these will appeal to a lot of people, and if you're someone who wants something gentle to clear your palette after a meal, Ugai would be the one to go for. If you're someone such as myself that like a strong mouthwash to blow away those cobwebs, I suggest you try one of the other variations.   

Quantitative Ingredients: Dicalcium Phosphate Anhydrous Sodium Bicarbonate, Silica, Fine Sea Salt, Citric Acid, *Glycerine, Sorbitol, Malic Acid, Tea Tree Oil, Green Tea Powder, Xylitol.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £5.95 for 45g (roughly 80 tabs)

Year Of Original Release: 2016

Aqua Mirabilis Underwater Body Butter

It's not very often that I find myself discovering a Lush product that I didn't know about - let alone one that then finds itself included in the Kitchen menu one week and throws a spanner in the works. Of course I was more than ecstatic to try it out for the first time and my only regret was not buying more than the measly five I settled on purchasing in the end. 

Despite being confused with the more recent Aqua Mirabilis Body Butter, these two products are different in many ways, yet they also share similar traits that make them both equally as fantastic as each other. If I had to choose between the two, I just couldn't do it - a true telling that this is one of Lush's products that is as near to perfection as it could possibly be. 

In the beginning, Lush created Aqua Mirabilis Underwater Body Butter from the  desire to release a rich, decadent product that was quick and easy to use in the bath or shower, and one that was just as easy to sneak into a bag or suitcase and use on the go. When you have limited room to pack your favourite cosmetics, you often have to forego the non-essentials - a problem that you wouldn't have to face if you had one of these to squeeze into your bag.  

Coming in at a similar size to one of Lush's rectangular bath melts, this product may at first seem fairly underwhelming. When I first received my box in the post, I thought the price tag was rather expensive for what I saw as being a single-use item. However, I only had to spend a moment in the shower with the butter to realise that this little block of butters and smells haw far more to offer than you can even imagine.

Out of the packet, I could immediately notice a difference between this one and the enlarged version that most Lush fans are more familiar with. For starters, the underwater body butter is far stronger in aroma, and there are definitely more elements that make themselves known throughout its use.

Containing cocoa butter, apricot kernel oil, sandalwood oil and rose absolute, the smell you get upon removing the packaging is a strange concoction of notes - one that is fairly difficult to describe. The former ingredient gives the bar a gentle wave of buttery goodness that sits at the bottom of the aroma and adds a touch of warmth; the apricot adds a sweet, delicately fruity element, very similar to that of a peach.

Alongside this, the rose absolute offers a subtle floral component and the sandalwood brings a creamy and very slightly milky wood scent to the mix. Overall, you get a very unique collaboration of smells - one that's alluring and I believe work really well together, yet a fragrance that is equally as odd.

Aqua Mirabilis Underwater Body Butter is coated with a bath bomb crust and is also adorned with a sprinkling of marigold petals. The idea is that if you're in the bath, this body butter can be thrown into the water and will react very much like a normal ballistic - bubbling and frothing until the layer of citric acid has fully dissolved into the water. This leaves the pieces of marigold to decorate the surface of your bath and I discovered that some of the cocoa butter also formed little droplets of oils that moisturised your skin while you were bathing.

Once this has happened, you're left with a beautiful scrub packed full of ground almonds, cocoa butter and all of the various oils to exfoliate and nourish your skin with. Despite its size, this small bar offered me three full body scrubs and I was able to appreciate the impact it had on my skin almost immediately. My skin looked and felt radiant, dry patches of skin were removed without any scratching and my whole body felt nourished and well-pampered. This is not a harsh scrub, nor is it a soft one; the ground almonds work in perfect unison with your body to give the best results possible.   

You can obviously use this in the shower as well, although I should heed a warning that I found the ballistic part made my skin feel slightly tingly and it burned when coming into contact with recently shaved areas. For this reason, I would suggest those with sensitive skin should make sure the crust is fully dissolved before massaging it across the skin and if you're using this in a shower, ensure that you don't let the water trickle down freshly-shaved legs before using the scrub part.

What I love about this product is that the scent is very prevalent and stays with you throughout the whole experience, including permeating your skin afterwards. While I cannot explain what it is about this fragrance that makes it so delicious, there is something rather magical about Aqua Mirabilis Underwater Body Butter. I will definitely be stocking up on these the next time they appear in the Kitchen.

Quantitative Ingredients: Cocoa Butter, Apricot Kernel Oil, Sodium Bicarbonate, Ground Almond Shell, Laureth 4, Citric Acid, Sandalwood Oil, Rose Absolute, Marigold Petals, Gardenia Extract, Butylphenyl Methylproppional, Perfume.

Vegan?: Yes. 

2016 Price: £3.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: ?  

North Pole Soap

Despite it's beautiful design on paper, this soap never quite met my expectations on arrival. Perhaps it was the slice I was cut, but when my piece of North Pole Soap arrived with my Christmas 2012 order, it didn't look anything like the gorgeous candy-pink and white striped pole I was expecting. In fact, my first parcel contained only a pathetic looking piece of white soap and I had to visit my local shop to pick up a pink piece as well.  

What makes North Pole stand out is that each colour has a slightly different fragrance - meaning this soap can be cut and used as two different soaps, or combined to get a beautiful and rather unique scent. 

While the white has a gentle sugary peppermint aroma, the pink section offers fans a gorgeous mint chocolate scent. Individually they smell lovely and because the block can be cut how consumers want, if you favour one scent over the other, it's very easy to buy only that colour. However, together they give off a rich, sensual and refreshingly sweet smell that is perfect for the winter months. Both fragrances compliment each other so that the chocolate element isn't too 'food', while the mint section isn't overly minty. 

After testing out both of these soaps, it was obvious that I preferred the white soap. Designed to smell like mint rock, this soap contains a combination of peppermint, cedarwood and cypress oils - which not only make this soap moisturising and soft on the skin, but give off an uplifting mint aroma that has a subtle element of wood about it. The pink soap has a slightly different ingredients list. Although peppermint oil has been used as well, this product also features cocoa absolute which gives the soap it's gentle but rich chocolately scent. Together these two scents compliment each other and offer Lush fans a warm, comforting but equally invigorating soap like no other.  

In the shower these soaps are very easy to lather up and they both produce an oily foam that cleans the skin and leaves it smelling gorgeous. The mint element is the most dominating note here and you'll find that it lingers on your skin for a while after showering. However, the mint isn't overly strong in the mix so you don't have to worry about being blasted away by an overpowering peppermint smell.

While North Pole isn't drying on the skin, it isn't overly moisturising either so you may have to use a body lotion afterwards. Charity Lotion would compliment this scent well or you could use something like Wiccy Magic Muscles to further your minty experience. 

Overall, this soap is a very festive release from Lush and I only hope that they choose to bring it back during the seasonal holidays. While it's not the most popular of soaps, it does make a change from the fruity/cinnamon-scented products we usually get offered and it does help to warm those coggles without being too overpowering.

Quantitative Ingredients: Water, Propylene Glycol, Rapeseed Oil, Coconut Oil, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Stearate, Perfume, Peppermint Oil, Cocoa Absolute, Cedarwood Oil, Cypress Oil, Glycerine, Sodium Chloride, EDTA, tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, *Citronellol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Titanium Dioxide, Colour 17200.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £4.25 for 100g.

29 High Street Shower Gel

Lush is full of surprises, which is perhaps one of the reasons that so many consumers find themselves hooked on the company to begin with. Sometimes they reformulate a scent into a product that you'd never expect to see the light of day, and other times they'll withhold certain products that seem an obvious choice for a particular fragrance. Having said that, I know why they do this; when you've spent years perfecting a certain product with its own unique smell, the last thing you'd want to do is transfer it into something else without putting real thought into it before you do. 

Despite the popularity and scarcity of 29 High Street Liquid Perfume, I never expected Lush to go ahead and release the fragrance in a shower gel format. Not that I am opposed to the idea - far from it, but its complexity was something that I just didn't think could be replicated in a gel-like format. Once again, Lush have proven me wrong.

Described by many as the Creme De Le Creme of Lush items, 29 High Street embodies everything that fans love about the company. Using their expertise and a whole range of ingredients, Lush have set about bottling a fragrance that is supposed to mimic the smell you experience while being in a Lush store. The long list of components used to create this scent means that each and every wearer will experience something different, making it pretty magical in my books.

When it came to the shower gel variation, one of the immediate aspects that I noticed about it was that it did not have as many pronounced layers as its older sibling. However, it's important to remember that a perfume is given time to warm on the skin and then mature over time, which is why many wearers experience each and every one of the notes at some point during its use. When it comes to shower gel, there is only a small window in which it can make its impression on the senses.

Sporting a beautiful golden colour, this shower gel is packed with so many ingredients to nourish both the senses and your skin. Containing notes of lemon, ylang ylang, sandalwood, jasmine, lime and tonka, this limited edition would appeal to those who like warming fragrances, of both the fruity and floral kind. 

In the bottle, each of the components work incredibly well together. While the lime, lemon and jasmine are probably the most prevalent notes, it's really difficult to dissect the overall scent because each of the smells are intertwined so well with the others. You can smell the warmth of the tonka without detecting anything too vanillary; the ylang ylang adds its own rich, sweet touch without making the fragrance too floral. This shower gel definitely shares  its scent with the liquid perfume, but more with the smell once the fragrance of the perfume has been left to warm on the skin for a good 15-20 minutes.

When you begin to use 29 High Street in the shower you'll discover that it lathers up really well - creating light, frothy and very fragrant suds to massage across the skin. I found that I didn't have to use much at all to produce the desired amount and a grape-sized amount was more than enough to clean myself with during a single shower.

With a medium consistency, similar to the likes of Calacas and The Comforter, this shower gel flourishes when in contact with warm water. Every one of the components above makes itself known in the heat and I found that each of the notes were far more pronounced during this time. 

After using this solidly for a few weeks, I didn't really notice there being a stronger note than the others, although the lemon and sometimes the jasmine were the ones that I found more prevalent on the skin afterwards. Although I was disappointed to find that 29 High Street didn't leave a particularly strong impression, there were small traces that did stay with me for a short while after exiting the bathroom.

The only other disappointing factor about this shower gel is that I didn't find it anywhere near as softening and nourishing as other Lush shower gels. While it's great for cleaning yourself with, it's not one that is going to leave your skin overly moisturised afterwards. This is not a terrible flaw, as there's no harm in using a conditioner, lotion or massage bar afterwards. However, it is this factor that prevented me from giving the shower gel a full-rated six out of six.

Overall, it's a lovely addition to the Lush family and one that I will enjoy using throughout the year for a unique and very beautiful experience in the shower or bath. It's proven to be a popular new release from the company and I can completely comprehend why. If you've not managed to acquire a bottle just yet, I suggest that you make sure that you do as soon as possible.

Quantitative Ingredients: Jasmine Flower Infusion, Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Fresh Lemon Juice, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Propylene Glycol, Ylang Ylang Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Jasmine Absolute, Lime Oil, Sicilian Lemon Oil, Tonka Absolute, Lactic Acid, Gardenia Extract, Alpha-Isomethyl ion one, Benzyl Alcohol, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citral, Coumarin, Hydroxycitronellal, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexane Carboxaldehyde, Limonene, Linalool, Methylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £11.50 for 250g 

Year Of Original Release: 2016.

Scent Family:
29 and a Half Soap
29 High Street Liquid Perfume
29 High Street Solid Perfume
29 High Street Shower Gel
HQ Perfume
Kiss Me Quick Business Wash Card

Secret Santa Ballistic

Creme De Menthe Mouthwash Tabs

Lush are all about the weird and the wonderful - pushing those boundaries within the cosmetics world to produce some pretty outstanding results. Yet at the same time, this is a company that know that their products need to be more than just a novelty concept; they wouldn't have made it very far had they not been very successful at it. 

Despite their confidence in pushing boundaries, they also know that many of their consumers don't have the desire for unique flavours and scents. They just want to purchase from a company that are ethically and morally sound, without the fanfare that other Lush fans might relish in. With the release of their new solid mouthwash tabs, they've clearly made a conscious effort to appeal to a wide range of tastebuds - Creme De Menthe standing out as the product they've created to replace the regular mint variety that people might have been using up until this point.

As I stated in my review of Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster Mouthwash Tabs, one of the reasons why Lush's solidified versions of liquid cosmetics are so popular, is because they're highly practical and can withstand a lot more than their bottled counterparts. When choosing between a product that: could leak or smash in your suitcase; wouldn't be allowed through customs; and needs preservatives to retain the product in its particular state, and then a product that doesn't harvest any of these worries, you're going to pick the latter choice. Hence, the reason for the release of Lush's new range of solid mouthwash tabs.

As you would expect from Lush, the ingredients that have gone into making all three of the mouthwash varieties have also been carefully crafted and serve a purpose. Firstly, they all contain sodium bicarbonate, which is a natural softening ingredient that is also known for its ability to clean and deodorise at the same time. This is a key component that will help to clean your tongue, gums and teeth when you're swishing, and will help to rid your mouth of any strong odours that might be present at the time, freshening your breath in the process.

Each of the mouthwashes also contains xylitol - a natural substance that is found in certain fruits and vegetables and is used in foods and cosmetics as a refined sweetener. This ingredient has been proven to cause none of the harmful effects that sugar can have on the teeth, is perfect for diabetics as it doesn't effect blood sugar levels at all, yet offers the sweetness to help give these tabs their interesting but enjoyable flavours.

Out of the three varieties, Creme De Menthe is the one that I can imagine most consumers gravitating towards to begin with - not only because the tabs are a spectacular green-colour and are decorated with a coating of lustre to make them sparkle, but because they're the least complex out of the three flavours.

This product contains a combination of menthol crystals, peppermint oil and peppermint powder, which is rather telling of the fragrance, even before you've opened the bottle. Immediately, you can smell a strong, crisp minty aroma. The peppermint is definitely out in full force here, and has a presence that replicates that of the bottled mouthwashes you can purchase in pharmacies and supermarkets.

Alongside this, the menthol offers a cooling background note that actually makes your eyes water if you inhale too much. The smell of Creme De Menthe reminds me very much of Trebor's Extra Strong Mints or tinned mints, in particular Altoids. Yet what makes them outshine regular mouthwash is that you don't experience the slight clinical smell of alcohol that often accompanies these liquid versions.

To use, I found it easiest to take a sip of water and then pop a single tab into my mouth - nibbling it with my back teeth before swishing, gargling and spitting out. Adding the water first meant that I didn't get any bits of tab left in my mouth during or after the experience, and this saved me from having to carry out a second swish to clear these bits between my teeth.

Furthermore, it's recommended that you keep the mouthwash in your mouth for a good minute. This allows the ingredients to get to work at cleaning the mouth and deodorising the tongue so you get the maximum results possible. It's important to note that you should try to avoid rinsing your mouth out with water after using one of these tabs. This could stop the mouthwash from being as effective as you'd be removing the traces of ingredients that would have otherwise been working on keeping your mouth as clean as possible.

Not surprisingly, Creme De Menthe offers a strong, minty experience - one that completely clears the palette, removes any nasty or unwanted smells and leaves your mouth feeling super clean and refreshed. Using one of these after brushing your teeth means that you get that extra burst of freshness every time you inhale and this stays with you for a good while.

I should pre warn you that these particular mouthwash tabs do have a tendency to make both your tongue and your gums tingle and sting a little while you're swishing. However, I wouldn't describe the experience as being particularly unpleasant, and once you've spat out the product, this sensation disappears.      

One of the interesting side effects of this mouthwash is that it stimulates the production of saliva, which is owed to the inclusion of the xylitol. Whereas other varieties of commercial mouthwash often contain alcohol and will dry the mouth out because of this, Lush's solid tabs do the very opposite - just another way that they support a healthy mouth.     

No matter the length of your journey, these are handy to use at any time of the day: before you head out on your adventure; after a meal; or anytime you feel you need a little freshen up. Despite their vivid colour and shimmery finish, these tabs will leave your mouth feeling and smelling really clean, 


Overall, I enjoyed using these as much as I did the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster variety. These are definitely more suited for those who want a basic, recognisable flavour to clear their palette with, and the beautiful emerald design gives them extra appeal, without taking away anything that might hinder their success.

A bottle of these will be slipped into my bag and used while I'm both at work, and out and about, and I look forward to the many conversations these alluring yet wonderful tabs will surely inspire in the future.

Quantitative Ingredients: Dicalcium Phosphate Anhydrous, Sodium Bicarbonate, Silica, Citric Acid, Sorbitol, Malic Acid, Glycerine, Stevia, Xylitol, Flavour, Frosty Holly Lustre, Menthol Crystals, Peppermint Oil, Peppermint Powder, *Limonene.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £5.95 for 45g.

Year Of Original Release: 2016.

Milky Bath Bubble Bar

The re-release of this product was bittersweet to me because on the one hand I love the fact that Lush have made the effort to veganise a product that they could have left as it was. However, there was also a side to me that knew that, when I finally did get the opportunity to bathe with it, I wouldn't really like the product all that much anyway.

Sharing its scent with both Hot Milk Bubble Bar and Milky Bar Soap, the latter of which a regular product at Lush Oxford Street, this soap doesn't read at all like the scent it produces. I love patchouli and orange, and when most Lush fans think of the two components together, they envisage something similar to Karma. Yet this bubble bar is nothing like that at all and doesn't give off a fragrance that sits well with my tastes either.

When Milky Bath was first released, despite its adorable design, I wasn't particularly annoyed by the fact that it wasn't vegan. If there's one smell I hate above any other, it is the smell of hot, simmering milk, and the idea of bathing in a tub of this was enough to turn my stomach. The fact that it featured skimmed milk in the ingredients list, also meant that I wouldn't even give it a friendly sniff in the store.

In all fairness, while the smell of this is not what you'd expect from its name, it does suit the format, and I can see why it's quite a popular seller when compared to other bubble bars. Predominantly, it's a light, floral aroma - one that reminds me of freshly dried linen or the smell you get when opening a brand new packet of baby wipes.

The patchouli has definitely lost its spicy element here and what you're left with is a gentle, warm, sweet note that gives Milky Bath its floral smell. While the orange oil adds a slight fruity element, I should point out that this bubble bar is neither citrusy nor zesty, and the fruity component I'm describing here is a very different one to what you'd normal expect orange oil to produce. In fact, it reminds me a little of Uluru Shower Gel, in the way that the sandalwood in the gel dampens the fruity element and you're left with a very calm, unimposing fragrance.  

Much like Milky Bar Soap, this strange mixture of floral notes create an almost sickly, soapy smell, and it reminds me somewhat of the scent you get when buying a cheap brand of hand soap. Yet there is also something rather rich about the fragrance of this bubble bar, which gives it a pleasant, more rounded aroma. At the risk of repeating myself here, I think that the inclusion of the soya milk gives this bubble bar a creamy, milky undertone that brings it all together nicely.

The size of this bubble bar means that you can divide it into smaller pieces and use it across multiple baths, making it good value for money. Furthermore, the shape and width of Milky Bath means it's a lot easier to segment the bar as opposed to the wider, more rounded alternatives.

As you would with any of Lush's bubble bars, you need to crumble this under the running water to stimulate the production of bubbles. I found that this particular bar was rather generous with the amount of bubbles it created, and I can definitely see this being able to successfully fill 3-4 baths of soft, fragrant bubbles if you didn't want to use the whole thing in one go.

As to be expected from its design, this product does not change the colour of the water, which could be a positive or negative attribute, depending on what you're looking for. On the one hand, this makes a great companion for a bath bomb, because it supplies the bubbles but leaves it up to the bomb to add the colour. When I paired this up with Intergalactic Bath Bomb, I also discovered that the scent is strong enough to hold its own, and I could smell Milky Bath the whole way through the experience. On the other hand, if you're looking for both a fragrant and a colourful experience, you won't get this from simply using this bubble bar by itself.

Once you've submerged yourself into the water, you'll discover that the scent is really robust, and although not at all potent on the senses, will remain with you for the duration of the bath. Having said this, I was surprised to find that I couldn't really detect much of the scent on my skin afterwards, which wasn't that disappointing for me as I'm not a fan of the smell, but would probably be a nice touch for those that do.

The water and the bubbles were soft, as you would expect from using any of Lush's bubble bars. However, I found that neither were particularly silky or as nourishing on the skin as the likes of The Comforter and The Brightside have proven to be. 

Overall, I can definitely see the appeal of this bubble bar: it's good value for money, has a fragrance that lasts and produces lots of fluffy bubbles to bury yourself beneath. Despite this, the aroma is an acquired taste and it wasn't one that I was all that comfortable with. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Cornflour, Soya Milk Powder, Glycerine, Perfume, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter Orange Oil, Patchouli Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Laureth 4, Amyl Cinnamon, *Benzyl Salicylate, Lilial, Citronellol, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamon Hydroxycitronellal, *Limonene, *Linalool, Antique Silver and Silver Glimmer Lustre.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £3.75 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2015

Scent Family:

Hot Milk Bubble Bar

Milky Bar Soap

Milky Bath Bubble Bar