My Lush Halloween Picks

I've been doing Lush reviews since What Lauren Did Today began and, actually, several years before that. My first ever blog post (on a blog I shudder to look at now) was a review of my long-term favourite: the Seanik shampoo bar. Recently, when I was considering what I wanted my blog to be now, I considering ditching the Lush posts - they felt a little done. My old-fashioned blogging style. Like I was stuck in 2014. 

But I still adore Lush. I love their ethics and their pioneering methods for packaging-free products. I love how a simple bath bomb can really, truly, comfort me. So I thought, fuck it. I'm not dropping Lush from my blogging repertoire. But I do want to breathe a little life back into the way I talk about the newest collections and products. I want to make them more current-me-friendly. So welcome to one hell of a walk-through of my picks from the Lush Halloween collection for 2017.

Bewitched bubble bar | £4.25

Notes of: bergamot and olibanum.
Suitable for vegans.

Have you ever seen a Lush product more perfectly suited to me as a mother of two black cats and fully fledged member of The Black Cat Club? But alas: I expected to be, well, bewitched by this bubble bar and I simply wasn't. The scent pays homage to the beloved and now discontinued Blackberry bath bomb, which was a favourite of mine when I was in college, a subdued fruity and sultry mix of bergamot and olibanum.

To be honest, I don't think I used enough of it - I usually quarter bubble bars because I don't like a ton of bubbles and it works out cheaper that way. My bath water turned a dis-satisfying grey and ripples of lustre tried to make themselves present in the sunlight. Although it bubbled wonderfully (I used the shower head technique) I didn't find that it softened my skin any. Perhaps if you used the entire bar your experience would be a lot better than mine.

Pumpkin bath bomb | £4.25
Notes of: cinnamon, vanilla and pimento berry.
Suitable for vegans.

I didn't write a review of Pumpkin last year because the one I purchased was a dud - it sank straight to the bottom of the water and essentially fell apart - so I bought it again this year so that I could experience it properly. This time, the delicious, crisp scent was a lot more intense. It's a little on the sweet side, although the subtle cinnamon spiciness and citrusy pimento berry balances it out. It smells like some kind of spiced-orange-and-vanilla baked good which makes it very ~seasonally appropriate~.

The bomb itself dissolved very quickly and didn't release much into the water besides a vibrant orange colouring, a lovely silky softness and a small amount of glitter. It was pretty and sparkly but the water wasn't full of it, especially when compared to a bomb like Intergalactic which is packed with lustre, so it might be a little kinder to you sensitive-skinned ladies. Tiny ribbons of yellow leaked out but vanished within seconds, and that was about it, really. For the price, I wouldn't recommend this bath bomb unless you preferred the plain ones.

Lord of Misrule bath bomb | £3.95

Notes of: patchouli, vanilla and black pepper.
Suitable for vegans.

Lord of Misrule is something of a cult classic in the Lush world, and it's a bath bomb that I buy every single Autumn despite the fact that I detest the scent of it. It's a very woody, almost spicy scent that it balanced out slightly with the addition of vanilla, but it's still too much for my nose, which favours more mature scents such as bubble gum and pineapple. Ahem.

Aside from the hate-it-or-love-it scent, Lord of Misrule is a wonderful bomb to enjoy on those spooky, stormy evenings we've come to expect from October. Once dropped (or lightly placed, as I do) into the water it begins to slowly, slowly froth, releasing patches of green foam that skims across the water's surface. Of course, the core of this bath bomb is the most exciting thing about it - after a few minutes, deep, lovely pink colouring pushes the bomb around the bath, creating a swirling, winding pattern that looks great on an Autumnal Instagram theme ;). The end result is a feeling like you're bathing in mulled wine and beautifully soft skin.

Monster's Ball bath bomb | £4.50
Notes of: lime, neroli and olibanum.
Suitable for vegans.

Monster's Ball was my favourite item from the Halloween collection last year, so I knew that if it returned this year I'd snap one up real quick. The uplifting citrus scent was the perfect pick-me-up on a dreary Sunday afternoon. Monster's Ball is one of the those Lush products that you feel safe buying because know you're going to get your money's worth... especially considering the pricing this year. Eek!

Within seconds of dropping it into the water a gorgeous display of pink and blue spreads across the surface whilst a deep, luxurious purple shade develops below, colouring the entire tub of water. The colours are so vibrant this year! Much improved from last year. The water itself turns silky and soft and laced with shimmering lustre; not enough that you come out of the bath sparkling like a creepy stalker vampire but enough that you'll need to rinse the tub afterwards!

Ectoplasm jelly bomb | £4.95
Notes of: grapefruit, tangerine and litsea cubeba.
Suitable for vegans.

I'm just going to come out with it: the idea of these jelly bombs f r e a k s me out. I think it ties in with my random and irrational discomfort around jelly itself but the thought of sinking into a gloriously hot bath filled with slime doesn't appeal to me. It does, however, appeal to Luke, my boyfriend and Lush guinea pig. He valiantly volunteered to trial a jelly bomb so that we could see what they were like. And so, this review comes mainly from him, translated by me ;).

Unlike a regular fizzing or frothing Lush bomb, Ectoplasm rather... dissolves. Once the adorable ghosty outer layer disappeared a heart of thick, slimy jelly begins to emerge and settle itself across the surface of the water. The scent it releases is gorgeous, a bright, vibrant mix of tangerine and grapefruit and Luke said the scent lasts the entire bath, which is always nice. A meek lime also colours the bath water, although it isn't as vibrant as the other bombs in this post.

The jelly itself feels a lot like Jelly Baff (remember that, fellow 90's kids?) if you dip your hand right into it like I did. I found it utterly repulsive and was desperate to get it off of my skin before it mutated and tried to eat my face or something. If you give the water a good slosh around, though, it blends with it and makes the water a little thicker but soft and silky. But P L E A S E be careful when you step into the bath - it's incredibly slippery!

Overall... I still find the whole jelly thing quite unsettling. However, Luke rather enjoyed it and we both decided it was appropriate for Halloween.

Aaaand that's a wrap on Lush Halloween 2017! If I didn't already have a backlog of bombs and bubble bars to use, I'd probably pick up another Monster's Ball to use on All Hallow's Eve. Instead, I'll resign myself to watching The Addam's Family and dressing up with my little sister.

Kisses. xo

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