Part of the allure of trying retro Lush products for the first time, is the knowledge that I gain from being able to use and review that item for myself. While I feel as if I have quite an extensive knowledge of Lush products - past and present, I am always yearning to learn more, and the release of a 'new' old product allows me to try it out firsthand, which is the perfect way of gauging that greater understanding.
One of the most exciting aspects of researching and discussing products is reading the stories behind the creation of the item, and the reason behind the company's choice of name. With that in mind, no bath bomb has intrigued me as much about its title as this one has.
Shut Up And Get Over It is a pretty blunt name for a bath bomb. Never has a Lush product appeared to be quiet as passive aggressive, and almost quite rude, yet equally as endearing as this one has. First appearing in 2009, this limited edition was a one-off release that never made it past its first batch - making it extremely rare and one that has been on my 'in search of' list for a very long time. Only those lucky enough to be a member of the Lush forum at the time would have been able to get their hands on the ballistic - that was until the Lush Kitchen brought it out for the community to enjoy last month. Sharing its scent with Happy For SAD Shower Gel, this bath bomb was created with the intention of helping those who suffer from Seasonal Adjustive Disorder - after a forum member requested that such a product needed to exist. At first, the idea was met with resistance and in as many words, the person was told to 'shut up and get over it'. However, with the seed planted, the concept grew into more than just an idea, and before long Lush had released a bath bomb in homage of the exchange - one that was geared towards lifting spirits and curbing anxiety in the colder months.
Designed to bring a little extra happiness during bath time, this limited edition is packed full of neroli, grapefruit and mandarin oils. The former is the key ingredient here, as while it's gentle floral properties are not the strongest element, neroli is known to be a natural aphrodisiac as well as an antidepressant. The inclusion of this works to supposed to elevate happiness whilst calming and unburdening the mind.
Both grapefruit and mandarin are not only great oils for cleansing the pores and clearing the skin, but they're also bright and uplifting ingredients that support the neroli in giving this bath bomb an overall refreshing fragrance - one that is going to leave you looking and feeling radiant.
As with the shower gel, I cannot say I was overly impressed with the strength of the scent in this format. To me, the dominating notes are both the mandarin and neroli, with the grapefruit taking the back seat and adding its unique citrusy element underneath. The mandarin smoothens out this scent, although it definitely comes across as slightly sour and tartly; the neroli brings about a bitter grassiness that intertwines with these elements and gives the bath bomb a crisp, spring-time smell. Imagine adding a mandarin, skin and pith and all, into a blender along with a single squeeze of grapefruit and quite a generous amount of neroli, and you might have an idea of what this bath bomb smells like.In the tub, this is one of those bombs that doesn't offer much besides the colour of its design. Upon contact with the water, it sends out waves of orange, and the cluster of sea salt on top, which has been dusted with blue, dissolves and sends out threads of colour across the surface. What you are left with is a deep, sunset-orange bath - one that visually very beautiful, and will definitely bring some much-needed sunshine after a long winter's day.
Unfortunately, I found that nearly all of my bombs weren't able to stay afloat for the entirety of their time in the water, and within 30-40 seconds, Shut Up And Get Over It sunk to the bottom of my tub. Not only this, but I found that I could barely detect the scent once I had submerged myself under the water. Despite leaving the bathroom and coming back ten minutes later, the fragrance was very weak to my nose. Given how strong the bath bomb was out of the packet, I was disappointed to discover how non-existent it was in the tub.
As if the experience wasn't enough of a let-down, I found that when I drained away the water, I was left with smudges of orange all around the outside of my bath tub, and I had to spend a number of minutes cleaning this away so that it didn't stain. This latter problem was rather surprising because the bath bomb hadn't been in the least bit greasy, which is normally the main culprit for causing staining and 'messy' baths.In its favour, the colour of the water was mentally fairly warming, and I did feel very calm but uplifted afterwards, albeit not overly so. Furthermore, the inclusion of the sea salt did mean that my skin felt really cleansed afterwards, and I found that my complexion did feel a little more radiant than usual.
Overall, this is not a bath bomb I would be interested in rushing out to buy again. While it may have improved my overall mood (in that respect, Lush have done well), the other benefits are not impressive enough to say it stands above any of Lush's regular bath bombs. I could probably digress a little more about how disappointed with this product, but I guess I should heed the advice given and just Shut Up And Get Over It.
Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Coarse Sea Salt, Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), Grapefruit Oil (Citrus paradisi), Neroli Oil (Citrus Aurantium amara), Mandarin Oil (Citrus nobilis), *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume, Colour 18050, Colour 61585.
Vegan?: Yes.
2016 Price: £3.95 each.
2017 Price: £4.25 each.
Year Of Original Release: 2009.
Scent Family:
Happy For S.A.D Shower Gel
Shut Up And Get Over It Bath Bomb
