Christmas Sweater Bath Bomb from Lush

Christmas Sweater Bath BombI know, I know, it’s only September how dare I use the C word. I wouldn’t normally use it until November at the earliest myself but after last weeks Lush Creative Showcase, I’ll admit to over indulging in the making of Christmas products, with it I got a little carried away, being surrounded by all of Lush’s brand new Winter line products didn’t help either.

I was a little disappointed at the smaller (brand new to me) bath bomb collection this Winter, this meant there was a lot riding on this red and white bath bombs shoulders. As I said above, I would normally leave the in-your-face-Christmas-product-reviews until a few weeks before Christmas itself but once I’d used the Christmas Sweater Bath Bomb I couldn’t help but want to share my thoughts with you on it as soon as humanly possible. Enter my first ‘C word’ product review in the festive month of September…

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The Christmas Sweater bath bomb was the first of the new bath bombs to catch my eye at the 2017 Lush Creative Showcase. Piled up high, there was just something about this products warm colours that had me intrigued. I went straight over to the nearest display of them to give one a sniff.

As its name would suggest, the Christmas Sweater’s design is inspired by the infamous Christmas sweater, decorated with 2 stitch-like reindeer and snowflakes, this product is quite literally a warm and cheery bath bomb equivalent of a snuggly Christmas sweater. This bath bomb is the answer to my prayers, although I really did want to see a return of the Hot Toddy shower gel and the Christmas Kisses bubble bar the Christmas Sweater bath bomb has similar elements, this left me super eager to try it.

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As soon as the Christmas Sweater bath bomb hits the water a wave of thick, bright red foam erupts out of it, jam packed with spicy and stimulating ingredients such as cinnamon, ginger and clove bud this bath bomb is perfect for me. Due to several medical conditions I unfortunately struggle with widespread chronic pain every day, there is no escape from it but using products such as the Christmas Sweater bath bomb helps a lot.

Much like the Cinders bath bomb, Christmas Sweater helps put my aching muscles at ease, I am so glad that Lush have listened to their customers, there is always space for warmer, more spicy products. Since Lush discontinued their Phoenix Rising and Granny Takes A Dip bath bombs I have really struggled to find a bath bomb that helps so well. After just one go of the Christmas Sweater bath bomb, I knew that I’d most certainly be stocking up on this before Winter is through.

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Another surprise I wasn’t expecting from the Christmas Sweater bath bomb was the amazing bath art, I couldn’t stop taking photographs, I always try to keep my reviews short and sweet meaning I don’t include many photos, I couldn’t however not share the above photos with you. Reds, oranges and whites, not only was Christmas Sweater a treat for my aching body but also my eyes.

Scent wise I’d compare the Christmas Sweater bath bomb to the (mentioned above) Hot Toddy shower gel, it however isn’t as strong, it’s a subtle cinnamon scent with a slight spice. Just writing this review is making me want to use one again. I cannot wait to get my new bathtub in so that I can use this must-have Winter product until my heart’s content. Well done Lush you’ve captured Christmas in this bath bomb perfectly!



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The Birth of Venus Jelly Face Mask from Lush

The Birth of Venus Jelly Face Mask

The Birth of Venus Jelly Face Mask is one of 5 brand new face masks that Lush released this July. Face masks aren’t new to Lush but ones made into jelly are… To look at, the jelly face masks resemble an ordinary Lush shower jelly they are however used very differently. I had seen pictures of them from the Lush Summit 2017 but unfortunately, they weren’t for sale. I just had to forget about them and hope that Lush made them available in the future and this July, they did!

I always use a clean tea spoon when it comes down to getting Lush face masks out of their pot. I use a spoon to apply the fresh face masks too, I feel it helps the product to last longer, so many people complain about the fresh face masks having such a short shelf life. My method for using a spoon is to stop any cross contamination happening, grabbing a chunk of it out of the pot with your fingers is quick and easy BUT it risks the chance of bacteria from your hands getting in to the rest of the product that you want to save for another time. Using your fingers even if washed well can leave the leftover product to go mouldy very quickly. Since I started using Lush face masks with a spoon my face masks last months and months passed their sell by if kept in the fridge too.

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Containing fresh sea water, lavender, chamomile, frankincense and myrrh, there are certain elements to Birth of Venus that remind me ever so slightly of the Blackberry and Big Blue bath bomb.

Applying the jelly masks is completely different from how you would apply the fresh ones. Once you’ve spooned a grape sized amount of jelly from the pot you then work it in your hands to form a paste. This method left me feeling a little uneasy as I am a germ freak and don’t really like to man handle a product for my face with my fingers like that. I however always trust Lush and the results turned out okay.

Unlike the fresh face masks the new jelly face masks do not need to be kept in a fridge, they also have a much longer shelf life than their fresh-face-mask equivalents. Even with this in my mind, I still decided that I’d use a spoon to get the product out of the pot, with it being a jelly formula I thought this would prove a little difficult, it however worked just fine. I found that a very small amount of the, The Birth of Venus jelly in particular went a long way. You can easily get 6 masks out of just the one pot.

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Mashing the jelly mask up with my hands was a strange sensation at first, it however formed a paste very quickly, the application of a face mask has never gone on so smoothly for me, normally with the fresh face masks I get drops of it everywhere. After 15 minutes, I took the face mask off with a hot and wet flannel. It came off easily and no residue was left on my face at all.

After a couple of hours I found it had made my skin a little too oily, at first it felt amazing but after an hour or so my skin felt clammy, although my skin had become a little oily than I like, my skin still have a glow about it. Overall I am still impressed with this jelly face mask as it is so easy to apply, less mess than the alternative Lush face masks and it also smells delicious. The fact it makes my skin feel clammy hasn’t put me off of it entirely, I am just going to save it for when my face is in need of some extra hydration instead. I think it will be perfect after a day in the sun so I will be packing it in my suitcase to take on honeymoon with me.



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Secret Arts Jelly Bomb from Lush

It seems that since Lush Cosmetics released their brand new Jelly Bomb range earlier this month everyone has gone mad for the darkest of the 4 first, the Secret Arts Jelly Bomb (formally known as the Dark Arts Jelly Bomb). Inspired by Harry Potter, the Dark Arts Secret Arts jelly bomb is like nothing I have used from Lush before. Some mistakenly think it is a lot like the Metamorphosis bath bomb. From the outside I agree, I can see why people may compare it, inside of it is however a completely different story.

Seeing as this is the first jelly bomb that I have reviewed I thought it would be wise to explain what they are. Jelly bombs look just like the average Lush bath bomb, they also work in the same way, the difference between a jelly bomb and a bath bomb is, instead of creating foam, jelly bombs produce a foam-like-jelly that floats on the surface of the water instead. Although I was initially a little freaked out at the idea I found the experience quite pleasant. It wasn’t like wading through a bath full of gunge at all.

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As soon as the Dark Arts Secret Arts jelly bomb hits the water its scent fills the room. Dark Arts Secret Arts shares a scent with one of my favourite discontinued, Christmas-time bath bombs called Cinders. It is always a pleasure to revisit a Lush scent through a different format, the Dark Arts Secret Arts jelly bomb has a delicate sweet, musky, warm and spicy aroma. Instantly after coming into contact with the water Dark Arts Secret Arts begins to spin, spreading a thick and jelly like foam on its surface.

At this point I was hesitant to how much mess this jelly bomb was actually going to make, I felt like a killer whale in an oil spill. The jelly foam was a sparkling black and the water underneath it was growing darker and darker with every second. Pushing this anxiety to one side I lay back to enjoy Dark Art’s Secret Art’s cinnamon scent.

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It didn’t take long before the temptation to play with the jelly got too much and I couldn’t help but grab some to have a feel. At the point of grabbing a handful the realisation of how dark and thick this jelly was hit me, I knew it was going to be a completely different bathing experience from what I had ever had before, it just felt so alien and bizarre to me.

Looking at it in my hand I was instantly filled with dread, if my husband see this in our bath tub he’d go mad. Once the jelly bomb had all dissolved I swished my hands around it a bit, the jelly was getting thinner. Underneath me I could feel myself slide forward in the bath tub, it was at this point very, very slippery. I made a mental note to always use jelly bombs when I was already in the bath just to avoid any accidents.

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The inside of the Dark Arts Secret Arts jelly bomb is a bright pink, this surprise was however short lived as the blackness soon overtook the little pink that had frothed out of the jelly bomb. As I sat in the bath I noticed that the jelly had slowly turned to just water, all that was left in the bath tub was very dark but fantastically soothingly-soft water. I prepared myself to get out, grabbing a flannel to help remove any dark residue that had been left on my body. I was shocked to find out that there wasn’t a splash on me. I asked my husband to wipe off any that was left on my back, again there wasn’t a single blob.

I was really, really surprised by this. As the bath drained I was completely lost for words when there wasn’t a ‘dark mark’ in sight (sorry for another Harry Potter reference…) I was expecting the aftermath of Dark Arts Secret Arts to be like that of the Lava Lamp bath bombs and it wasn’t at all.

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I gave the tub a quick rub over with a sponge and Fairy Liquid before I got out, my husband then rinsed it out as he always does. I find the darker colours in Lush products tend to cling to any residue left in the tub, so doing the fairy liquid and rinse after every bath always helps things to stay clean. It honestly takes less than a minute and requires minimum effort.

Overall I am still very surprised with how much I enjoyed using this jelly bomb, I was expecting a royal mess and it wasn’t even an inch as bad as I had feared. It leaves my skin in tip top condition for days and days after using it, I have never gone so long without needing to moisturise. The scent still sits on my skin the next day too.

With it I do however recommend using it in a clean bath, just to avoid any of the colour gripping onto any old residue left in the tub from previous uses. If you’re unfortunate enough to get marks left in your bathtub I recommend using hot as you can stand it water and a dab of fairy liquid ASAP, it sponges off in no time and doesn’t break you into a sweat to do either!



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