All that glitters... (Lush Bling Crosby Bubble Bar)

Member Name: calypte

Product:	Lush Bling Crosby Bubble Bar
Date:	17/12/07 (113 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice mix of scents...

Disadvantages: ...if only you could smell them in the bath, more!

Last year I braved my first ever sparkly Lush creation, and found they weren't as bad as all that. So when the new Christmas range came out this year, the super-sparkly 'Bling Crosby' had to join my list of new experiments!

First step: finding a BC (Bling Crosby) in the shop. Not as easy as you might think, as my first glance overlooked it as being a rather off-looking Sunnyside. Not at all! Sunnyside is bright yellow glitter; the other, reappearing xmas glitter bubble bar, Ruby Red Slippers is just that - bright red; and BC is sort of an orange-y something somewhere in between. Hmm. It's actually much prettier in the picture above than it is in real life.

Break it open and you'll find the bar is the same shade as the lighter, peachy bit of a Karma bubble bar, if you've seen one of those. That's not surprising, as BC is part of the Karma range! It's not something I was ever that fond of, the Karma stuff, but really it's a pleasant enough smell, if a little subtle in use. It's just the same here: pleasant enough, but I had to stick my nose right at the water to get any scent. Nor did it linger, on me or in my bathroom. Okay, so I only used half a bar, but I expect that from the Lush range - at least! Any more than that and I find the whole experience too soapy... not to mention pretty pricy!

Of course, the reason you're shelling out an extra [goes away to find price of normal Karma bar. Really? That much?] - hmm, well, apparently an extra 70p - is for all that glitter. Now, I well remember the Sunnyside experience (I should; I bought a bar just last week!): at first the water looked murky, and then I realised that the bath was actually full of a hypnotic, iridescent swirl - it was so pretty! Alas, it was not to be with the BC: here the glitter particles are a lot bigger, and far fewer. Instead of swirling around the water, they all just sink to the bottom. Agitating the bits does send them eddying about, and it reminded me of nothing so much as a cheap snow globe - the kind full of glitter rather than 'snow'.

On the plus side, the glitter bits in the water look subtly multicoloured, and were pretty enough. Actually, they're just orange-gold: drain the bath and you'll see the difference! That's another pointer to the heavier glitter - all the bits are on the bottom, not halfway up the sides... not really a bad thing ;) And none appeared to stick to me, at all.

Back to the more 'sensual' (steady!) experience: the Karma scent is described as a wonderful "oranges and multi-layered spices". Sounds very appropriate for Christmas, and it isn't hard to find the scent pretty festive, even when it's not meant to be! In the bag, it really is a rather lush (pardon the pun) smell: sweet oranges and a tangle of spices. The ingredients list at least six essential oils (see ingredients list below), including patchouli, pine, and cloves. It's actually totally yummy - I'm sitting with the bag beside me and the smell is classic Lush wafting about my nose. This is probably why I'm so darned disappointed when I get into the bath and struggle to smell much at all!

Of course, I could perhaps forgive the scent for being subtle - I rather appreciate that in the Amanadopondo bar, after all - if the bath was utter luxury. It's not: the water is only mildly coloured (I like dramatically coloured bath water!), the scent doesn't envelop me, but much worse - the bubble factor is useless. It's not a case of too few bubbles - with half a bar I don't expect to be drowning in them - but they weren't creamy moisturising. Instead they felt rather watery and ticklish. Bah.

Overall, this wasn't a nasty experience in any way shape or form so I won't offer less than a middling rating. However, for almost £3 I really would expect a LOT better from Lush. This was easily the priciest of my latest batch of products, and just doesn't live up to it. I was expecting something special, but while my bling wasn't the nasty kind to leave green marks on my skin, it was surely a low karat gold.


* Boring bits:
Price: £2.95 for a half-globe - Lush recommend you buy two and package them together to look like a glittery orange, but I'd be recommending a chocolate orange instead!

Ingredients (from the Lush site, www.lush.co.uk - look under the 'Xmas' heading):
Sodium Bicarbonate , Cream of Tartar (Tartaric acid) , Sodium Laureth Sulfate , Lauryl Betaine , Perfume , Cocamide DEA , Patchouli Oil (Pogostemon cablin) , Orange Oil (Citrus dulcis) , Lavendin Oil (Lavandula hybrida) , Pine Oil (Pinus) , Lemongrass Oil (Cymbopogon flexuosus) , Elemi Oil (Canarium commune) , *Citral , *Geraniol , *Citronellol , *Limonene , *Linalool , Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides) , Colour 18050 , Orange Glitter (Polyethylene terephthalate) , Clove (Eugenia caryophyllus) (* Occurs naturally in essential oils.)

Their description:
"Crumble a Bling under the running bathwater for a warming, reviving, refreshing, sparkly bath heaped with bubbles - just right for capturing the spirit of the season."


My summary: just not worth it, I'm afraid - too disappointing especially for the price. Buy a Sunnyside for glitter and citrusy scent, or Christmas Kisses for the extra festive touch. If you must, at least save yourself the 70p and try the Karma bar first - some people do rave about it, just not me.

Summary: Disappointing, especially for the price