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.

Before discovering Lush, I never used bar soap. I hated the feeling on my skin, and it was only once I received a sample in an online order that I realized how fantastic a good soap can be. I’m so glad I changed my mind, because otherwise I probably wouldn’t have ever tried this truly magical soap.

Old Father Time was introduced this year as part of the Christmas range, and while it’s doesn’t boast a particularly “Christmassy” smell or look, it is festive nonetheless. In store, you will see it in the form as a giant maroon clock with numbers, cogs, and the gold face of Old Father Time himself. Each piece cut from the clock is unique, mine is gold and maroon with luster covering the outside. 

I have honestly never smelled something like this soap before, and I quickly became enamored with it. My 100g bar, tucked away in my bathroom closet, fragrances the entire bathroom more than any other product, especially soap, that I’ve used from Lush thus far. It fills the air with a sweet, incense smell that is strong, but not sickening or overpowering by any means. This soap is composed of some beautifully aromatic ingredients, such as Myrrh resinoid for a warm amber note, and Opoponax oil for a dash of balsamic, honey scent. Sage and Thyme come together to offer a green note. Rosewood and tuberose add a warm, woody, and slightly floral aspect. Redcurrants are perhaps the most apparent scent in the mix, giving this soap a fruity and sweet fragrance. I love sweet and incencey fragrances, and I find that this is the perfect balance for me.

Using this in the shower did prove to be a bit tricky, because this may just be the most slippery soap I’ve ever encountered. I will admit, I dropped this a number of times trying to lather it! Also, when in contact with water, the soap becomes quite messy, and leaves a burgundy puddle wherever you rest it, which made quite a mess of the side of my tub. Luckily, it does not stain, and the gorgeous lather and fragrance make up for this inconvenience. I just needed to rub this on my netted sponge a couple of times before I had a generous helping of suds to take care of my entire body. And, of course, the beautiful aroma was amplified in the steam of the shower, though it did not linger long on my skin afterwards, or leave my skin particularly hydrated.

Overall I think this is a gorgeous wintertime soap, and I want to stock up on another block or two to see me through the never ending New England winter. This has a beautifully complex scent that I imagine would be enjoyed by many, so this would make a fantastic gift for any soap lover on your list.

Rating: 4.5/5

Price: 

Status: Christmas 2015 Limited Edition

Vegan?: Yes

Would I repurchase?: Yes

Ingredients: Fresh Sage and Thyme Infusion (Salvia officinalis;Thymus vulgaris), Glycerine, Rapeseed Oil; Coconut Oil (Brassica napus;Cocos nucifera), Sorbitol, Water (Aqua), Perfume, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Redcurrants (Ribes rubrum), Myrrh Resinoid (Commiphora myrrha), Opoponax Oil, Rosewood Oil (Aniba rosaeodora), Tuberose Absolute (Polianthes Tuberosa), Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Benzyl Benzoate, Hydroxycitronellal, Linalool, Radiant Gold Lustre; Gold Glimmer Lustre; Glacier Blue Lustre; Yoshi Yellow Lustre     

Northern Lights may very well be the brightest soap I have ever seen. It is literally neon green, as you can clearly see in the photos. I haven’t adjusted the color in any way - it really is that bright! The colors are clearly inspired by the Aurora Borealis, otherwise known The Northern Lights, and the soap is a beautiful interpretation of the phenomenon. 

The scent of this soap certainly coordinates beautifully with the color. I found the scent to be a clean, citrusy scent, reminiscent of a citronella candle, but sweeter and much more pleasant. The ingredients include pine needle oil, cypress oil, and lime oil, which all come together to create a bright citrus scent with a hint of pine. This is a lovely scent for summer, but the pine and cypress keep it a little more heavy and perfect for winter too. I find that the smell lingers softly on the skin.

This soap is softer than others, it wouldn’t take much effort at all to bend it. This comes from the rapeseed and coconut oils, which are very moisturizing ingredients. I usually find that bar soaps that contain a lot of oils tend not to lather much, but this soap still provides a very generous lather. After using this soap I feel very clean, but not stripped of natural oils.

Though it is perhaps not my favorite scent, I enjoyed using this soap overall, and would most likely repurchase it. It is beautiful to look at and feels lovely on the skin.

Find more photos and Lush product reviews here

Rating: 4/5

Price: £4.25/100g ($6.43)

Status: Retired Holiday Item, Kitchen Exclusive

Vegan?: Yes

Would I repurchase? Probably

Ingredients:  Water, Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil, Glycerine, Perfume, Sodium Stearate, Propylene Glycol, Pine Needle Oil, Cypress Oil, Lime Oil, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, *Citral, *Linalool, Citronellol, Limonene, Colour 59040, Colour 45410, Colour 17200, Colour 42090.

I am a huge fan of anything with a gorgeous autumnal scent, and once I saw that this contained a selection of ingredients that combined to create the aroma of pumpkin pie, I was ready to order twenty. Unfortunately, something must have happened during the ordering process because I had intended to order two bars, but only ended up ordering one. But, of course, that just means the bar i did get my hands on is that much more special.  

I awaited the arrival of my soap eagerly, and once it arrived, I could faintly smell it through the package. I dug it out, and the beautiful spicy autumn scent amplified. This soap contains a combination of orange juice, pumpkin puree, cardamom oil, clove bud oil, spearmint oil, cinnamon, and gardenia extract. These create a warm, creamy, spicy scent with a hint of freshness from the peppermint and citrus to keep it from being too heavy. This soap is formulated to stimulate the skin with the spicier oils, and nourish and hydrate with pumpkin puree, coconut oil, and rapeseed oil. This is the creamiest soap I have used from Lush, as well as the most hydrating. This bar is very soft to the touch, and I didn’t expect it to lather much as a result of all of the moisturizing ingredients, but I was surprised to find that it lathered rather generously. 

Pumpkin is a beautiful fall soap, that smells glorious and is generous with lather and moisture. I plan to savor this soap, and I look forward to using this as the perfect product for a Thanksgiving shower. While I won’t be eating pumpkin pie, there’s nothing wrong with bathing in it!

Rating: 5/5

Price: £4 ($6.08)

Scent Family:

Status: Kitchen Exclusive

Vegan?: Yes

Would I repurchase? Yes

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil, Glycerine, Fresh Orange Juice, Pumpkin Puree, Perfume, Cardamon Oil, Clove Bud Oil, Spearmint Oil, Gardenia Extract, Sodium Chloride, Titanium Dioxide, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Cinnamon, Eugenol, Limone, Colour 15510. 

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 had received this soap as a sample in my very first Lush order, over a year ago. At the time, I wasn’t too interested in anything other than bath bombs and bubble bars (as it happens with most new Lushies), and I certainly wasn’t an avid user of bar soap. Consequently, I took a sniff, thought it was ok, and stashed it in a drawer, not to be acknowledged again until a year later. While organizing my stash, I rediscovered this little sliver of minty soap and decided to give it a try. After trying Karma from a gift set and ordering Miranda on a whim, I now consider myself a true fan of Lush’s bar soaps and jump on the chance to try anything new.

While (to my dismay) the bar soap is no longer available, there are many other products that share it’s scent- a perfume available in 3 formats, a shower gel (a favorite of my boyfriend’s), shaving cream, styling cream, and quite a few others. It’s a fresh minty fragrance, that does a beautiful job at waking you up in the morning. I found this to be a softer mint scent, while it was undeniably fresh and minty and gave you a slight cooling sensation on the skin, it is a little sweeter, and a touch herbal. I believe the softness comes from the coconut oil, and the herbalness stems from the thyme, though it is very gentle and can easily go unnoticed. It is a very beautiful fragrance that seemed very unisex to me. 

This soap created a velvety lather, with a large amount of very tiny bubbles, making it feel moisturising and luxurious. The coconut and rapeseed oils both contribute to a more moisturizing cleanse. I found that after a shower with this soap, my skin was slightly less stripped feeling than with other bar soaps.

I really enjoyed this soap, and I’m very disappointed it has been discontinued. I hope it makes an appearance in the Kitchen sometime soon, but until then I’l be savoring my lovely little sample.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Would I repurchase?: Yes

Status: Discontinued

Vegan?: Yes.

Price: £4.10 for 100g

Scent Family:

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Propylene Glycol, Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Perfume, Glycerine, Spearmint Oil, Thyme Oil, Menthol Crystals, Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Limonene, Linalool, Methyl Ionone, Colour 77499, Colour 61570, Colour 77019, Colour 77891.