Christina Alyce Beauty

Tomatoes are by far one of my favorite foods, and I find myself craving them on an almost daily basis. So when I found out the Lush Kitchen would be hosting the beautiful Cream of Tomato soap, I jumped on the chance to extend m love of the food into my cosmetics collection. I know many people probably think a tomato and basil scented soap sounds a bit strange, but after the first use I was convinced this is one of the best soaps Lush has ever released.

I will admit that a dry sniff of this isn’t the most mouthwatering aroma Lush offers, there are many prettier scents out there. But what I do love about the still-on-the-vine scent is a unique savoriness that not many other soaps offer. Cream of Tomato boasts a very green, fresh, and tangy scent, very much like how a live tomato plant smells, mixed with lemon. Once the soap hits the water, it does take on a slightly more sweet and creamy scent, and I thoroughly enjoy it. I think this soap is very unisex, and would be a fantastic first Lush product for any guy in your life.

Lush recently updated their soap base, and this is one of the few soaps that uses this new recipe, and it proves that the reformulation is a winner. Cream of Tomato has one of the most velvety lathers I’ve ever experienced, and only takes a moment to produce a luxurious foam. This soap contains coconut oil and rapeseed oil, making it relatively moisturizing, while the grapefruit oil, lemon oil, and fresh tomato keep it toning and cleansing. This soap left my skin feeling clean and soft, but a little taut and I did need lotion after my shower

I think this is a very unique soap, that fells very high quality during use, and I really hope this becomes available in all stores because I would love to repurchase it.

Rating: 5/5

Price: £2.95 /100g

Status: Oxford Street and Kitchen Exclusive

Vegan?: Yes

Would I repurchase? Yes

Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Glycerine, Rapeseed Oil: Coconut Oil (Brassica napus: Cocoa nucifera), Sorbitol, Talc, Perfume, Passata, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Stearate, Grapefruit Oil Citrus paradisi), Sicilian Lemon Oil (Citrus limonum), Violet Leaf Infusion (Viola odorata), Basil Oil (Ocimum basilicum), Titanium Dioxide, Irish Moss (Chondrus crispus), Fresh Tomato (Lycopersician), Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Eugenol, Geraniol, Hydroxycitronellal, Limonene, Colour 14700.

Out of the small fraction of Lush fragrances I have encountered, The Olive Branch has a secure place at the top of the list, right beside Yuzu & Cocoa and The Comforter. The Olive Branch was the very first Lush shower gel I tried, so I had no Idea what to expect. It’s a beautiful orangey amber color, with a thin consistency. I was surprised to discover that despite the watery consistency, just a couple drops on my netted sponge lathered beautifully.

This gel contains bergamot, olive, mandarin, and olive oils, which not only make for a moisturising and brightening wash, but mingle to create a warm and bright scent. The smell is more complex than just citrus, it has a complexity to it that is mature very sultry. This is one of the most glamorous smelling products I have ever smelled, and it’s absolutely stunning. Vine leaf infusion conditions the skin, and sea salt cleanses, leaving you with nourished, clean skin. 

This is an all around beautiful product, the only criticism I have would be that it’s a little too watery, and I know this puts many people off. I personally don’t find that it affects it’s overall performance, and as long as you are mindful of how much you’re using you won’t run out any faster than with thicker gels. This is the first shower gel that I’ve been tempted to order in a 1kg bottle, and that might just be what I ask for for Christmas…

Rating: 5 out of 5

Price: 

Status: Permanent

Vegan?: Yes

Would I repurchase? Yes

Ingredients: Vine Leaf Infusion, Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Fresh Mandarin Juice, Fair Trade Olive Oil, Perfume, Propylene Glycol, Bergamot Oil, Lemon Oil, Orange Flower Absolute, Mandarin Oil, Fine Sea Salt, *Limonene, *Linalool, Hydroxycitronellal, Colour 14700, Methylparaben. 

I’m not going to lie, I was pretty disappointed in this product. I had never tried a LUSH deodorant before, so I was expecting a slightly more traditional consistency (meaning solid, yet creamy), but this was just a compacted powder, and it is so very messy. When I recieved the bar, the wax on the bottom had completely come off (2nd photo), so now whenever I put it down somewhere, it leaves a powdery pile behind, wasting tons of product.

I applied this after an evening shower, and the first thing I noticed, was the incredible stinging sensation- I hadn’t even shaved my underarms since the previous evening, so I can only imagine how painful this would be on freshly shaved or waxed underarms. I’m not sure which of the ingredients might have been irritating, though I suspect it was most likely the sodium bicarbonate, despite LUSH’s claims that it is a soothing ingredient. Also, the product is quite coarse, which I’m sure does not help.

As for protection against perspiration… again, I’m not too thrilled. I honestly didn’t feel like it did much to keep me dry. I rarely sweat, especially now that the weather is cooling down, but I felt that this did nothing to keep me dry- I actually felt consistently damp throughout the day, which does not happen even when I go without deodorant altogether!

The sole redeeming quality in this deodorant would have to be it’s scent. It’s deliciously citrusy and very clean smelling. Unfortunately, as with every other deodorant brand I’ve tried, it just doesn’t mix well with or mask my natural scent. As I stated, I’m not a sweaty or stinky person, but for some reason once I add a scented deodorant to the mix, some strange reaction happens and I just smell worse. I must just have some strange pheromone that doesn’t jive well with perfumes… so the search will continue.

So overall, I would not repurchase this should It be available in the Kitchen again, though I would suggest you to try it out for yourself before I say I wouldn’t recommend it, as everyone is a bit different. When looking at reviews for LUSH’s T’eo Deodorant, I saw many people who had the same problems as I did with Krysztal, but then there were others who absolutely raved about it. This is the type of item that you either love or hate, and I have a feeling that if you enjoy T’eo, you will likely enjoy Krysztal because they are very similar in composition. But, it was just not for me. I think I will give it a few more tries, experimenting with different methods of application, and keep you updated.

Rating: 1 out of 5

Price:  £5.00 ($7.74) for 90g.

Status: Kitchen Exclusive

Vegan?: Yes

Would I repurchase? No

Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream of tartar (Tartaric acid), Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia chinensis), Lemon Oil (Citrus limonum), Black Wax (Specerit Black Z), Magnesium Carbonate, Cypress Oil (Cupressus sempervirens), Lime Oil (Citrus auranfifoli), Fresh Lemon Juice (Citrus limonium), Fresh Lime Juice (Citrus limetta), *Citral, *Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume.