Top 10 Lush Bath Bomb Ballistics (Lush Bath Ballistics in General)

Member Name: MagdaDH

Product:	Lush Bath Ballistics in General
Date:	28/05/09 (106 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: wonderful scents

Disadvantages: £3 per bath

Lush bath ballistics - as all Lushies out there know - are (roughly) the same thing as others' "bath bombs" or "bath fizzers".

Ballistics produce bubble-free and soap-free baths, so if you are after washing as well as soaking, you need to use some form of soap, either prior to or during the bath.

They contain baking soda and citric acid (that's the fizzy/water softening part) plus essential oils. When thrown into water, they fizz, dissolve and - theoretically at least - release the mood altering scents. I don't really believe in the whole aromatherapy idea very much, firstly because there is scant evidence for it, and secondly because the sense of smell is very personal: it's largely about memories and associations, and different people will have different ones; although there seem to be certain universal patterns, mostly connected with how sexual attraction works (and there are definitely smells that are pretty universally disliked, probably due to their association with the - instinctive, as it's now believed - reaction of disgust).

But putting the "universal" aromatherapy and mood altering ideas aside, lovely scents are lovely scents and Lush is hard to beat in creating enticing, interesting and creative mixtures. They also excel in packaging their fragrances - and I don't mean the outer wrappers, as Lush ballistics come without those - but the colours, the names and the additional "bits" that are often added to the products.

I love Lush ballistics and have tried pretty much all of the current and retro selections as well as quite a few of the seasonal ones. This is my top ten, in no particular order. I will comment on mood altering qualities, but these are my own individual reactions and will not necessarily be true for everybody else.

1) Blackberry Bath Bomb:

with bergamot, frankincense & berries. A simple and brilliant ballistic, supremely relaxing; fruity but not overtly fruity, not girly at all and not sweet, it has a slightly spicy scent and produces clear, purple water.

2) Youki Hi:

this is possibly the best ballistic Lush made ever. Deservedly hyped up and popular, this one has a hypnotic, sexy, sophisticated scent, just like Flying Fox shower gel but without the cloying sweetness of honey. Jasmine dominates the scent.


3) English Countryside:

this one has both fans and critics as it has "bits" (cloth butterflies and silver foil bells). I love its scent, though: geranium, sandalwood and orris absolute combine to produce very fresh, slightly flowery scent, not grassy but reminiscent of a verdant meadow on a sunny day. It's hard to think of a better-named ballistic.


4) Ne Worry Pas:

is a retro product, but well worth getting if you are making an online order. It's a milky-white bath (achieved with soya milk) and it softens the skin. The scent is gentle and very relaxing.

5) Luverly:

another retro product, shaped as a flower and dedicated to Audrey Hepburn. It's mildly pink and scented with ylang-ylang, jasmine and gardenia. I didn't use to be very fond of floral scents, but Lush manage to make them immensely attractive and I have become a convert. This one is smaller than the usual 200g of a Lush ballistic and you really do need a whole one for a proper result.

6) All That Jas:

again, from the retro section. It's pale green and advertised as "shamelessly sexy". I am not sure about the sexiness, but I love the scent: jasmine dominates, but Turkish sweetgum and a bit of vetivert give it an edge.

7) Magic:

this was introduced for Christmas 2008 and is possibly the best seasonal ballistic ever, and a close contender for the best-ever title overall. Not round, but in a strange hexagon-based shape, it has an outer part of brilliant blue and an inner part of pink, and as it fizzess, the initial blue of the water becomes a fantastic purple. The scent is difficult to describe, with the blue part containing rose and marjoram, and the pink part mint and basil. I dislike minty baths, but the mint is not strong at all, and it all blends really well into something best described as "cool floral". I love it!

8) Big Blue:

contains lemon and lavender and turns water very, very blue. It also contains bits of black seaweed, which need lurk at the bottom of the bath, but don't bother me much. It's another very relaxing bath, and the blue colour is gorgeous: like your own tropical lagoon.

9) Romance In A Stone:

is now completely discontinued, but who knows - may reappear in the retro section one day. It's a small and non-coloured ballistic scented with orange blossom, tangerine, and orange, with a hint of sweetnes. It's a very feminine fragrance, but not sickly so and perhaps more subtle than many other Lush bombs. They should bring it back!

10) B scent ballistic:

is really from Lush's sister company B Nevr Too Busy To Be Beautiful, but as I love the scent, I had to include this. B scent is a combination of grapefruit and fennel with rose, jasmine and gardenia. Sophisticated floral with a touch of something not quite graspable, this fragrance has me utterly captivated and I am currently saving for a perfume version.

Summary: MagdaDh chooses her top 10 Lush ballistics of all time