Quinquireme of Nineveh

   Let's get right down to it, Quinquireme of Nineveh soap has several of my favorite ingredients that LUSH Cosmetics uses and I've never hit the Add To Cart button so fast in my life... This LUSH Kitchen exclusive fills the entire room with its dreamy aroma and brings about whispers of decades gone by.

"Precious cargo." 

   Firstly, let's define what the name means... Quinquireme is a large Greek, Roman, or Carthaginian ship used to wage wars and haul cargo between the first and fourth century B.C., and Nineveh is known as the capital city of ancient Assyria off the Tigris River... The poem Cargoes by John Masefield, about this vessel and its voyage, can be found by clicking HERE.

   This milky white bar of soap seems so simple and plain, but if you've used LUSH long enough you know that some of the best products aren't exactly as they seem on the outside... Through the wrapping, I honestly did not like the smell of this soap. So much so that it sat in my cabinet for almost three weeks! I finally ran out of the current slice I was using and decided to unwrap QoN, and when I did it was a burst of gorgeous fragrance that I couldn't believe I had been missing out on.

   Fair trade vanilla absolute and creamed coconut are the base notes for this soap -  think smooth, sweet, creamy, and borderline edible. Sweet orange oil adds into the mix, giving it the pinch of fruitiness it needs, and finalizes the heavenly scent that has filled my entire bathroom (but somehow it isn't overpowering whatsoever)... This scent stays on skin for a few hours and combines well with sharp citrus and/or sweetly fruity shower gels. If I were more of a fan of floral scents, I believe they would also pair quite well... Or, ya know, go crazy like I do from time to time by using Curly Wurly Shampoo during the same shower/bath...

   QoN has small bits of coconut throughout each bar that provide gentle but effective exfoliation. That exfoliation preps skin for the intense moisture given from the rapeseed and coconut oil, as well as the cleansing and soothing properties of the benzoin resinoid.

   I never get bitter about missing exclusive items, or when I only purchase one of something instead of multiples, Quinquireme of Nineveh Soap has become the only exception... *grumble grumble grumble*... I give this gorgeous product a 5/5, and hope I see it hit the LUSH Kitchen menu again - sooner than later - so I can stock up!

Handmade With Fresh Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Rapeseed oil and coconut oil, *Glycerine, Creamed coconut, Sorbitol, Sodium lauryl sulfate, Perfume, Sodium strearate, Titanium dioxide, Sweet orange oil, Fair trade vanilla absolute, Benzoin resinoid, Sodium chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium etidronate, Sodium hydroxide, *Cinnamyl alcohol, *Limonene

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

xoxo Elle

Yog Nog Soap

   Eggnog is the most popular holiday drink in North America... and I can't stand it!
   So you can imagine my surprise last LUSH Christmas season when I tried Yog Nog soap for the first time and absolutely fell in love with it... Like mixing your favorite seasonal pudding, spices, and fudge all into one scrumptious bar of soap!

"Creamy sudser with warm, festive spices."

   This beautifully festive and wonderfully creamy soap is perfect for any day of the holiday season... With a color similar to eggnog (a bit more yellow), a generous dusting of cocoa and nutmeg powder, and an imprinted design of ornaments, fir trees, and angels.
   At first Yog Nog smells of nutmeg and vanilla, but it is a far deeper scent than that... Clove bud oil mixes effortlessly with the ylang ylang oil, and leaves lingering notes of spice and sweetness on skin long after your shower or bath. Not to mention the scent of nutmeg and cocoa has filled my bathroom! It is definitely an all-day-long scent without being overpowering, but it is still recognizable.
   This soap is made with a 100% palm-free soap base, as well as soy yogurt, so it is friendly for many walks of life... As shown above, the lather is consistent and creamy, rather than bubbly, but will still leave your skin feeling extremely clean. The unmistakably soft texture and creamy lather of Yog Nog is derived from coconut and rapeseed oils; even my skin can handle using it to shave non-sensitive areas.

   This is my second year using Yog Nog soap, and I've already purchased a big chunk to last me until next year... I give it a 5/5, for performance and looks, and always suggest it to whoever shows interest in the LUSH Christmas range.
   Grab yourself a slice, or a whole chunk, before this seasonal goodie is gone!

Handmade With Fresh Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Rapeseed Oil; Coconut Oil (Brassica napus; Cocos nucifera), Sorbitol, Soya Yoghurt (Glycine soja), Fragrance, Clove Bud Oil (Eugenia caryophyllus), Ylang Ylang Oil (Cananga odorata), Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, *Eugenol, *Linalool, Cocoa Powder (Theobroma cacao), Nutmeg Powder (Myristica Fragrans).

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

xoxo Elle

Bohemian Soap

   Bohemian soap bar is a classic LUSH Cosmetics product that is simple but quite effective. A beautiful and bright experience to spark some serious creativity... Not to mention this lovely slice looks exactly like a frozen lemonade treat!

"Inspiring lemon soap for creative minds and toned skin."

   Bohemian is palm-free, which makes it easier on our skin and the environment! This soap truly is as simple as it comes with LUSH products, but that is the beauty of it... Wonderfully bright lemon oil helps balance and tone skin, and is a natural astringent (cleans skin and tightens pores). I love using Bohemian on early mornings (mixing it with a bit of Slammer shower gel) because then my skin is left smelling heavenly for hours to come, and wakes me up with each whiff I get... It also goes well with green FUN! I cut a small chunk of both off and put them in a hand strainer, let the water run over them, and soon seriously citrusy bubbles have formed.
   Although this soap may seem drying, do not worry! As you can see within the slice shown below, coconut oil is the secondary ingredient in this product. This helps to nourish and soften the skin during and after use, and produces a thin but fantastic lather... Not to mention softening the sharpness of the lemon oil when it comes to the scent left on your skin.
   Note: The photo shown above of the lather does not do justice; the toning properties make the lather dry quickly on the skin (when not exposed to water)... This makes it hard to photograph. My apologies!

    For years, Bohemian soap bar has been a staple in my stash and I will forever give it a 5/5! I recommend it to everyone I know that likes any sort of citrus, has sensitivities, or just needs a nice pick-me-up.

Handmade With Fresh Ingredients: Rapeseed Oil (Brassica napus), Glycerine, Water (Aqua), Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera), Sorbitol, Fragrance, Lemon Oil (Citrus limonum), Sodium Stearate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, *Citral, *Limonene, *Linalool.

*The body products I review are tested for a week+.

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

xoxo Elle

LOVE soap; #GayisOK

   In 76 countries it is illegal to be part of the LGBTQIA identity, so LUSH Cosmetics recently ran a campaign fueled by love, and the hashtag #GayisOK... Launched the day before marriage equality spread throughout the US, it seems LUSH creators magically knew the day was coming.
   This limited edition soap is fittingly titled LOVE soap, and scented like the FizzBanger bath bomb! (Which came as a surprise to many, it seems.) A scent that lights up a room, but I'm sure the mass amount of sparkles in this product help it shine as well.

"Snap a selfie with your LOVE soap and let the world know that #GayisOK!"

   When I woke up the morning of the release, I found the USA site was already sold out! (Restocked the next day, go figure!) I ordered my bar from the UK site, so mine arrived a bit later than usual... This product is SO much more than I was expecting, and I'm hoping to grab another bar before they're completely sold out.

   As expected, after washing up with this soap I was left shimmering! LOVE soap not only has gold dusting on the top (which can be easily washed off), but also throughout the product... Not only that, but I was blown away at how moisturizing this bar wound up being, and how fragrant my skin was left after rinsing off.
   If Fizzbanger is a frequent in your LUSH stash like it is in mine, you are no stranger to the beautiful notes of cinnamon leaf oil... But the moment I opened the package, I was hit with a burst of scent that is three times stronger than the bath bomb (in a good way)! The ylang ylang oil and oak moss extract compliment the cinnamon leaf oil beautifully, and you're left with an uplifting and almost zesty fragrance that lasts.
   The bar itself is silky and creamy to the touch, with a coconut oil base, so I'm not sure why I was SO surprised at how soft my skin felt afterwards. Not only was I left feeling like a goddess, thanks to the sparkling silky skin, but also completely clean! Which, if you know "fancy soaps" well enough, you also know that sometimes you aren't left feeling very clean at all (or like there is a dragging effect on your skin).
   I'm giving LOVE soap a 4.5/5! The scent is gorgeous, and so is the working power of the product; mixed with the other items in my lushie stash, it is a bit much for me on my migraine prone days... I'm thoroughly impressed with this wonderful product, and commend LUSH Cosmetics for this recent campaign. Head to the LUSH USA site to snag what is left of this limited edition soap!

Handmade With Fresh Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Rapeseed Oil (Brassica napus), Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera), Sorbitol, Fragrance, Cinnamon Leaf Oil (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), Petitgrain Absolute (Citrus Aurantium amara), Ylang Ylang Oil (Cananga odorata), Oak Moss Extract (Evernia Prunastri), Mica, Sodium Chloride, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Sodium Hydroxide, EDTA, Tetrasodium Editronate, Silica, Tin Oxide, *Citral, *Cinnamal, Coumarin, *Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool

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

xoxo Elle

Sandstone Soap

   Sand under your feet, sunshine beaming down, sunscreen on your skin, and a cold drink in your hand... Now if only we had a way to get a bit of these feelings during our day-to-day lives... Well, we sort of do, thanks to LUSH's Sandstone soap!
   How can I compare a beach day to a bar of soap? Its because this particular vegan soap is packed full of ingredients that send your mind straight to the shoreline... At least, that was my first impression when lathering up with this beautiful bar.
   Inspired by the beach-going babes of Brazil that combine sand with their tanning oil for silky smooth skin, this soap has a good amount of sand throughout it to scrub blemishes, dry skin, pealing skin, or to just get your blood circulating! I recently forgot to reapply sunscreen while tanning, and of course I drifted off... For the first time in ages, I was left with a bit of sunburn. I tested a patch on my stomach with sandstone, and it didn't seem to hurt much (of course I do not recommend using scrubby-things on actual, serious sunburn)... I used Sandstone every other day, and continued after I peeled a bit. I was left with silky smooth skin and easily skipped a handful of days being miserable.
   When I think of a cold drink and sunshine warming my skin, my mind tends to think of citrus... And this soap has plenty of it! Litsea Cubeba, a tree/shrub native to China, Indonesia, and Taiwan, is a super lemon-scented ingredient in Sandstone that also has natural antiseptic properties... To be honest, its scent is like Bohemian, but better.
   This bar may sound drying, but I've come to find the opposite thanks to the coconut oil (which is the same scent as my favorite sunblock). Plus, the coriander and gardenia oils help to tone and brighten the skin.
   Sandstone may be advertized for its exfoliating power, but it gets an amazing lather going as you wash up... I've even used it on lazy days for shaving my shins, although I know it dulls my razors faster... Also, when cutting this soap into halves for storage, the knife went through fairly easy! The only "downfall" to this soap is that you'll have a tiny bit of sand in your tub once you're all finished.
   In conclusion, I can't find anything I dislike about this soap, so I'm giving it a 5/5! If you're not sure if this sandy soap is for you, grab a sample of it from your local LUSH Cosmetics store and test it out.

Handmade With Fresh Ingredients: Water (Aqua) , Sand , Glycerine , Rapeseed Oil , Coconut Oil (Brassica napus; Cocos nucifera) , Sodium Hydroxide , Sodium Stearate , Fragrance , Litsea Cubeba Oil , Coriander Oil (Coriandrum sativum) , Sodium Chloride , Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides) , EDTA , Tetrasodium Etidronate , *Citral , *Geraniol , *Limonene , *Linalool , Hydroxycitronellal

*All body products I review are ones I have used for a week+...
This post is in no way sponsored and all opinions are my own.*

xoxo Elle