Shark Infested Custard

   Dunnn-dun... Dunnn-dun... Dun-dun, dun-dun, dun-dun... DA-DUN-DUN! There's something swimming - erm - floating in the water with a fin as black as night... Shark Infested Custard Bath Oil made its way from LUSH Oxford Street, across the pond, and into my bath water.

"What's yellow and dangerous?"

   When dealing with bath oils/bath melts, I use 3/4 hot to 1/4 cold water to ensure that these products melt properly... Much like Razzle Dazzle, compared to IAARB, Shark Infested Custard melted quite smoothly within the water and when picked up by hand as well. Now, I adore throwing in a bath melt or bath oil into my cocktails because they add a little luxury to the experience, but I do tend to lean more towards melts - not just because of the financial end or accessibility, but because of how the product acts in the water. In my experience, melts tend to drift about and evenly distribute throughout the water but as oils melt they drift and cling to the sides of the tub (we are speaking melts vs oils ALONE in the bath water, with no other products)... I generally turn on the jets or swish my arms around vigorously to try and prevent the cling, and the mess that comes with it. This particular product did seem to have a bit more of a consistency difference than the other LUSH Oxford Street luxury bath oils after this "mixing" process I go through... I understand not every product will be the same though.
   As far as looks go, this is an absolutely adorable product... Who wouldn't be attracted to a tiny shark fin placed into a bright yellow ball with a name like Shark Infested Custard?! Add in the delicious aroma of the Vanillary scent family, that perfectly resembles vanilla custard... Borderline irresistible! I will credit all of the new Oxford Street bath oils with having gorgeously unique scents that are just as true when melted as they are in solid form.
   With an ingredient list that includes organic Shea butter, extra virgin cocoa butter, organic jojoba oil, and extra virgin coconut oil you can expect this little guy is one to pack the punch when it comes to moisture - but I was sort of disappointed. Instead of feeling soft and silky, I felt like I needed to shower... Like I was covered in cooking oil. It was so upsetting because of how wonderful I smelled! I'm writing it off to body chemistry not mixing with this particular product.

   All in all, even though I'm a huge Vanillary fragrance fan, I'm giving Shark Infested Custard Bath Oil a 3/5. It just isn't my favorite luxury bath oil out of all the Oxford Street exclusives like I thought it would be... No matter my usual tricks to keep the tub relatively comfortable and clean, I was left with a bright yellow ring around the tub and felt far too oily. I'm sure it is just my preferences, and I still think it is a very cute design.

Handmade With Fresh Ingredients: Organic shea butter, Fair trade organic cocoa butter, Laureth 4, PEG-6 Caprylic / Capric Glycerides, & PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Perfume, Extra virgin coconut oil, Organic jojoba oil, Titanium dioxide, Fresh honeydew melon pulp, Rapeseed oil, Coconut oil, Glycerine, Sodium chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium etidronate, Sodium hydroxide, Colour 19140:1, Colour 47005

*This post is in no way sponsored and all opinions are my own.*

xoxo Elle

Yoga Bomb

   Take it slow.
   Don't you love when something that seems so simple surprises you? Well, that is exactly what Yoga Bomb bath bomb embodies... Not only is there a beautiful surprise below it's bright orange exterior, but this bath bomb's scent is quite unexpected as well!

"Take a journey of the self as reassuringly soothing sandalwood oil creates a sanctuary of calm in your bath."

   My first impression of Yoga Bomb was that it's scent was unique. Slightly sweet but still clean while in solid form, I'm sure due to the sandalwood which usually brings soothing notes and sweetness to a product... When fully dissolved, this bomb leaves behind water that is a beautifully saturated amber color with lustre floating about. The scent changes to gently sweet and fruity notes - ho wood oil adding relaxing floral notes and cassie absolute is comfortingly sweet.
   Fizzing slow, and creating a soft white noise sound, Yoga Bomb lives up to it's stress-free hype... There was a bit of disappointment for me with the colors of my particular bomb though! As shown above, and in other reviews/demos, this product releases a surprise of green, blue, and purple that fan into the water. My bomb seemed to barely have any of this surprise inside it, to the point it didn't fan out in the slightest.
   When I turned on the tub's jets, shockingly, a good amount of creamy bubbles formed; I was sort of baffled. I did use some FUN the day before, but made sure to thoroughly clean the tub after... I contacted the LUSH Cosmetics' costumer service Twitter, and was informed that the cream of tartar was the culprit! Which is now completely obvious, since something similar has happened to me in the past.

   The lustre didn't stick to my skin nearly as much as it usually does, even with the amount released from this bath bomb... And although there was no residue left around the tub, when the water fully drained there was a ton of lustre stuck to the bottom of the tub. All it took was a bit of water washed over it to go down the drain, but keep that in mind when purchasing.

   Even with the color output not being as prominent as what I've seen in other reviews, I still give Yoga Bomb bath bomb a 4/5! It truly is a lovely and relaxing slow fizzer, and I've already got plans to order more now that they're available outside of LUSH Oxford Street.

Handmade With Fresh Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Perfume, Cream of Tartar, Cassie Absolute, Olibanum Oil, Ho Wood Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Water (Aqua), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Benzyl Benzoate, Eugenol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Snowflake Lustre, Frosty Holly Lustre, Gold Glimmer Lustre, Colour 45410, Colour 42090, Colour 15985.

*This review is in no way sponsored; all opinions are my own.*

xoxo Elle

I Am A Radiant Being

   Shoot for the stars! I Am A Radiant Being is one of the new bath oil formulas designed for LUSH Oxford Street, as well as a beautiful mantra we should all tell ourselves each and every morning... According to an Oxford Street manager, this bath oil was inspired by Angel Cards, which Mark and the team use to get in a positive mood at the start of some days.
   Unique, vegan, and known to be a bath product of pure luxury; I was ecstatic to try this product...

"An enlightening blend of oils and butters allows you to feel like the star that you are!"

   When I opened my little bag of bath oils that my wonderful friend shipped to me, I was thrilled by the lovely product I picked up first... A pink, three-tier star lightly coated with lustre. I Am A Radiant Being seems to have a harder "outer shell" with a soft, dark pink center. Other bath oils such as Razzle Dazzle are soft and melt even more quickly to the touch, where Radiant Being only gets slightly oily in your hands.
   A QUICK TIP: Bath oils are melting products! Make sure your bath water is hot so you get a nice, even distribution of the product through your bath water... My water was warm, and this product just bobbed around, barely releasing any oil. I had to add hot water, so I'm not sure how that may have affected my experience with this product.
   The initial scent of this product is very similar to that of Rose Jam, but with beautiful geranium and lemon undertones. Many people told me to think of Turkish delight when it came to the fragrance, and they were pretty spot on...

   The scent of rose and lemon oil lasted on my skin about thirty minutes after my bath, but that wasn't disheartening to me since most fragrances fade rather quickly on me. Not surprisingly, the organic Shea and cocoa butters and coconut oil left my skin feeling silky soft... I did notice that the moment the water settled and Radiant Being was completely dissolved, a light ring of pink oil formed around the tub.
   I always anticipate cleanup with LUSH products, because you never know exactly how a product will react with your specific water type or the type of tub laminate you have... As usual with heavily moisturizing bath products (such as Butter Ball bath bomb, etc), I recommend using this product when your skin is relatively clean so that there isn't any potential for buildup on your skin... The cleanup was easy, and all I used was a wet wash cloth.

   I really enjoyed I Am A Radiant Being bath oil, and agree that it is a luxury product... I'm giving it a 4/5; I'm not super into rose scented products, and the "shell" made it a bit more difficult to melt than other LUSH bath oils I've tried thus far... I definitely recommend this product, especially as a gift for someone in need of "me time"; pair it with something zesty to bring out the lemon oil.

Handmade With Fresh Ingredients: Organic Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii), Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Laureth 4, PEG–6 Caprylic / Capric Glycerides & PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Perfume, Sicilian Lemon Oil (Citrus limonum), Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera), Geranium Oil (Pelargonium graveolens), Rose Oil (Rosa damascena), Organic Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia chinensis), *Citral, *Citronellol, *Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Snowflake Lustre (Potassium Aluminium Silicate, Titanium Dioxide), Colour 45410, Colour 17200, Colour 45410:2, Colour 77510

*This review is in no way sponsored; all opinions are my own.*

xoxo Elle

Frozen Bath Bomb

   "Let it go, let it go!" with this LUSH Oxford Street exclusive bath bomb, fittingly named Frozen... With a scent in the same family as Happy Happy Joy Joy conditioner, Frozen bath bomb is a cheerfully uplifting delight!

"Do you want to have a bath bomb? Do you want to splash and play? Take this magical blend of uplifting grapefruit and Tunisian neroli into the bath with you to thaw the iciest of moods."

   My first impression of Frozen was that it smelled quite clean and I could tell this bath was going to be very refreshing. Once it hit the water and began to toss and turn fizzing, it's color reminded me of the generic blue freeze-pops of summers past... Suddenly, a layer of creamy white "film" was starting to fully cover the top of the water, and the bath bomb was releasing silver glitter in two consistent streams!
   Now, I'm not big on glitter (as I've stated in the past), but the glitter within Frozen is very fine and I enjoyed how it made the water seem like it had a magical current. It did stick to my skin some, but it was a pleasant amount. I looked as though I had lightly dusted myself with body lustre. Also, a light ring of glitter was left around the tub, but easily wiped away... The film on the water left my skin feeling extremely soft, and scented lightly of grapefruit... I tested the bathtub jets, and the creamy film on the water lasted roughly 10-15 minutes before dissipating; I'm sure it would last longer without the jets on.
   The two main scent notes in this bath bomb are grapefruit and Tunisian neroli (a sweet smelling oil derived from the bitter orange tree). These are two very strong scents on their own that mellow out when fuzed together, and create a beautiful aroma... As I mentioned earlier, Frozen is very uplifting, and almost "clean" scented at first. I did however notice a hint of rose oil, and as someone who has a hard time with rose, it was actually very pleasant.
   When it comes down to it, Frozen bath bomb was a lovely surprise! I give it a 4/5, and I can't wait to get my hands on more of them... If you have a chance, I highly recommend you pick one up at LUSH Oxford Street.

Handmade With Fresh Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Snowflake Lustre (Potassium Aluminium Silicate, Titanium Dioxide), Perfume, Grapefruit Oil (Citrus paradisi), Neroli Oil (Citrus Aurantium amara), Rose Oil (Rosa damascena), Cream of Tartar (Potassium bitartrate), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Lilial, Hydoxycitronellal, Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Silver Glimmer Lustre (Corn Starch, Maltodextrin, Mica, Colour 77400, Potassium Aluminium Silicate, Titanium Dioxide), Colour 42090, Colour 42053

*I was in no way sponsored to give this review and all opinions are my own.*

xoxo Elle

Yuzu & Cocoa Shower Cream

    Like your favorite sweet treat, but ten times better! Yuzu & Cocoa shower cream takes everything you love about Yuzu & Cocoa bubbleroon and amplifies it. The perfect mix of earthy and sweet, with cocoa, bergamot, grapefruit, and yuzu...
   After reading reactions of Lushies, and my own personal liking, LUSH Oxford Street has a winner with this product.

"Yes it smells like chocolate oranges. No, you can't eat it. Cocoa and tonka absolutes meld with grapefruit and bergamot oils to effectively brighten your mood."

   Yuzu & Cocoa's scent comes from an array of ingredients that shine bright on their own, and when combined, create a complex loveliness that is nothing short of unique... To start off, the fresh yuzu juice that makes this shower cream linger on the skin. Yuzu is a citrus fruit/plant that originated in east Asia, and is believed to be a hybrid of sour mandarin and lchang papeda (another type of citrus fruit native to parts of China). This wonderful ingredient, along with the bergamot and grapefruit oil, leave Yuzu & Cocoa with a bouquet of beautifully sharp citrus notes.
   From there, we have cocoa absolute and fair trade organic cocoa butter, giving this shower cream it's forefront notes of chocolate... Literally, everyone that gets a wiff of this product says that they want to eat it, just like the label says. The chocolate scent is better than any frosting covered treat you'll ever have... Throw in some tonka absolute to the mix and all these ingredients combined give this shower cream a nice earthy undertone.
   When it comes to the working ability of Yuzu & Cocoa, it surpassed my expectations... The lather was rich, creamy, and yellow and I was left with silky, non-stained skin! Now, I don't advise people to use "regular soaps" for daily shaving, but I still test them out for those of us who get busy and need to be as speedy as we can in the shower. When I tested Yuzu & Cocoa out on my legs, it didn't leave any redness and my skin did feel nice after... I will say, if you don't like soaps that leave you smelling like their fragrance, then you might want to stay clear of this one! The scent lingered on my skin for several hours after my shower, although the longevity will vary due to body chemistry.
   As my final review for my Oxford Street soap week, I wanted to save Yuzu & Cocoa shower cream for last... Rating it a 5/5, and yet again wishing I purchased a larger bottle. This gorgeously complex product is one I highly recommend, look forward to purchasing more of, and am excited to see more reviews on.

Handmade With Fresh Ingrediants: Water (Aqua), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Yuzu Infusion (Citrus junos), Glycerine, Stearic Acid, Fresh Yuzu Juice (Citrus junos), Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Lactic Acid, Cocoa Absolute (Theobroma cacao), Tonka Absolute (Dipteryx odorata), Grapefruit Oil (Citrus paradisi), Bergamot Oil (Citrus Aurantium bergamia), Titanium Dioxide, *Citral, *Coumarin, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 19140, Methylparaben, Propylparaben

*All body products I review are ones I have used for a week+.*

xoxo Elle

Apandapand Soap Bar

  Cleansing? Definitely. Juicy? You bet. Toning? Oh yeah... LUSH Oxford Street's exclusive Apandapand soap is a revisited classic of A Pound A Pound soap that gives you the whole fruit, no doubt!

   When LUSH says they put the entire fruit into a products, they mean it! You can find tons of "the making of" videos on LUSH YouTube channels that prove you're not missing one bit of an ingredient in a product... And Apandapand is citrusy proof.

"Roll up, roll up. It's easy peasy lemon squeezy to clean up your act with this citrusy grapefruit soap. Lather up and take a stroll through a bustling morning market, sharp with the scent of fresh fruit."

   When I purchased Apandapand, I wasn't sure exactly how it would look. I was hoping for some sort of pink, like many grapefruit products, and I was far from disappointed! When I unwrapped the soap to find a beautiful, creamy, pink bar, I was ecstatic.

   It's scent was delicate inside the wrapping, but once out it was heavy and sharp. Even sitting on my shower cabby, it filled my bathroom with it's fragrance.. Fresh grapefruit juice, grapefruit oil, and Sicilian lemon oil leave this soap packing quite a punch! Even with all the cleansing and toning power of Apandapand's citrus, it leaves your skin hydrated thanks to the coconut oil... Once you've lathered up with this pretty, pink soap you'll notice it definitely gets you squeaky clean without that dragging feeling on your skin. The lather, while extremely creamy, is a more unpleasant color (not that I expected vibrancy) that showed Apandapand was getting rid of any gunk on my body.
   As usual, I tested this soap out for shaving. Apandapand did a decent job but I wouldn't recommend shaving with this soap if you have sensitive skin in any way... Also, when cutting it into halves, it was a total breeze! My knife I use only for cutting my LUSH products went through the bar smoother than any other soap in the past.

   Although this soap doesn't beat out my regular grapefruit favorite, Happy Hippy shower gel, I'm still glad I snagged a bar. I give Apandapand soap a 3/5, and if it ever comes to US stores I'll consider purchasing another slice.

Handmade With Fresh Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Rapeseed Oil; Coconut Oil (Brassica napus; Cocos nucifera), Sorbitol, Fresh Grapefruit Juice (Citrus paradisi), Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Stearate, Grapefruit Oil (Citrus paradisi), Sicilian Lemon Oil (Citrus limonum), Litsea Cubeba Oil, Sodium Chloride, Titanium Dioxide, Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Perfume, *Citral, *Limonene, Colour 45350, Colour 14700, Colour 17200, Colour 45410

*All body products I review are ones that I have used for a week+.*

xoxo Elle

Lord of Misrule Shower Cream

   If mischief is your middle name, make sure you listen up! Spicy and sweet, with silver lustre... Lord of Misrule shower cream is sure to bring out the very best baddest in you.
   Lord of Misrule was an LUSH Oxford Street exclusive that I literally jumped out of my seat for when reading through the list of over 200 products that would only be sold (for now) at Oxford Street location... I got several of the LoM bath bombs last autumn, and its scent and lovely design in the water captured my heart within one use! When I realized I missed the LoM shower cream while it was in the Kitchen, I was completely bummed out... But when I read it would be a regular item at Oxford Street, I just had to get my hands on the shower cream version of my favorite bath bomb.

"Get down and earthy with this mischievous herbal blend. Add a little spice to your shower with black pepper and patchouli oils, and a dash of Fair Trade vanilla absolute to keep it sweet."

   My first impression of the Lord of Misrule shower cream was that is had far more silver lustre than I anticipated, which excited me, and that it was a pretty thin consistency... Inside the bottle and on the skin, LoM's scent is a beautiful arrangement of vanilla and patchouli, with dashes of black pepper here and there. The sweetness of the vanilla absolute is much stronger than that of the bath bomb, and on that same note, the bath bomb is more peppery than the shower cream... And as far as the sexy spiciness from the patchouli, in my experience, it is even within the soap and the bomb.
   There is Snowflake Lustre within this product, and it leaves a wonderfully light shimmer all over your body once you've finished your shower or bath... Looking at the bottle, Lord of Misrule reminds me of spells being cast into the air, glimmering all the while!
   As I stated above, the consistency of LoM is much thinner than I expected, and I don't recommend it for any sort of regular shaving... But that didn't sway me either way. I love how smoothly it applies to the skin, and the rich color makes me feel like its the witching hour all over again... But, I will say this; Pale people be cautious! I have bleached parts of my skin, technically its scarring, from some bad flare ups of my autoimmune condition. My regular skin pigment is more golden tan... I noticed that the bleached out scarring did stay a bit green after rinsing off. It only lasted for about half an hour or so before disappearing, but that is still something to keep an eye on.
   I rate Lord of Misrule shower cream with a 5/5, even with the minor tinting of my skin... I cannot wait to get my hands on a larger bottle of this gorgeous shower cream, and I recommend you give it a try as well... Now, go out and get into a little mischief.

Handmade With Fresh Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Patchouli and Peppercorn Infusion (Pogostemon cablin; Piper nigrum), Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Glycerine, Stearic Acid, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Lactic Acid, Organic Wheatgerm Oil (Triticurn vulgare), Black Pepper Oil (Piper nigrum), Patchouli Oil (Pogostemon cablin), Fair Trade Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia), Titanium Dioxide, *Limonene, *Linalool, Snowflake Lustre (Potassium Aluminium Silicate, Titanium Dioxide), Colour 42090, Colour 47005, Methylparaben, Propylparab

*All body products I review are ones that I have used a week+.*

xoxo Elle

Beautiful Shower Gel

    Wake up in the morning and adorn yourself in the rich, creamy lather of Beautiful shower gel, one of LUSH Oxford Street's exclusive new soaps... This shimmering, sunny shower gel has a sensual musk to it that is truly like no other, but heavily influenced by 1000 Kisses' scent.
   I was lucky enough to have a friend visiting London recently and was able to get some Oxford Street items shipped to me here in the States... I've been so excited to try out these products for myself, and for you all, and starting out with Beautiful leads me to believe I won't be disappointed in these new products; not one bit.

"You've got to get up every morning with a smile on your face. With a little helping hand from this shower gel."

   My first impression of this product was that it had way more glitter than I expected, its scent notes were deeper than I was prepared for, and the feeling of frustration because I didn't purchase a larger bottle...
   The glitter leaves you with a light dusting, rather than looking like you just crafted for several hours. Also, a lot of the glitter in my particular bottle had settled at the bottom, which may bother some but I was glad... I like luster, but I'm not much on glitter while off stage.
   Beautiful's scent is that of delicious apricots while in the bottle, but once you've lathered up and rinsed it off you are left with a lovely peach fragrance... Both in the bottle and on the skin, you'll notice a sexy yet musky note of myrrh that gives this shower gel a memorable scent.
   I was quite surprised at how luxurious and softening the lather from this soap was. It glides over the skin like silk, leaving hints of glitter along the way; although the lather has a slight yellow-ish tint to it, by no means has it ever stained my skin... I don't recommend using shower gels for shaving, and that goes for this one, even with the level of creaminess it produces in it's lather.
   Beautiful shower gel is even more wonderful than I could describe, and the 1000 peachy kisses left on my skin after using this product definitely turn around any dull mood in the morning... I give this shower gel a 5/5, and cannot wait to get my hands on a larger bottle!

Handmade With Fresh Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Glycerine, Lauryl Betaine, Fresh Peach Juice (Prunus persica), Perfume, Lactic Acid, Labdanum Resinoid (Cistus labdaniferus), Osmathus Absolute (Osmanthus fragrans), Myrrh Resinoid (Commiphora myrrha), Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), Carrageenan Extract (Chondrus crispus), Dried Apricots (Prunus armeniaca), Myrrh Gum Powder (Commiphora myrrha), Lilial, Coumarin, *Limonene, *Linalool, Gold Glimmer Lustre (Synthetic Flourphogopite, Iron Oxides, Silica), Colour 19140, Methylparaben, Propylparaben

*All body products I review are ones I have used for a week+.*

xoxo Elle