Violet Nights Bath Oil

Violet Nights was one of my first ever Lush Kitchen products and I bought it to celebrate my exams finishing.  I bought this on a pure whim thinking full heartedly I couldn't not like it because I assumed it would smell like parma violets.  I was very lucky, because initially I didn't like Violet Nights as my hope for a Daddy-O fragranced oil fell through.  Violet Nights isn't anything like the violet scents Lush have been producing but it's fragrance can be found in their Tuca Tuca.  The bottle reads Violet Nights "will leave your skin as smooth as silk" which isn't an exaggeration I swear.

As I wrote above, Violet Nights isn't like Daddy-O or Lush's earthy violet scents in Ultraviolet, but more of a blend in between somewhere.  It isn't candy-violet like the shampoo and it isn't grassy/earthy like the bubble bar.  It's rather strange to explain.  It has the distinctive violet background which is sweetened beautifully by the addition of vanilla.  It's actually the same scent as Tuca Tuca for anyone who has smelt that - so you have your answer.  Violet Nights is a nice addition to Lush's current taste for violet.  The shower gel Don't Rain On My Parade smells just like it which I'm very pleased about.  Finally Lush are going for a sweet violet!

Whilst £14 may at first seem pricey and too costly it is in fact fair.  You see, there is no way anyone would use this less than at least ten times (especially when bath combos happen).  In the long run it is a cost effective product but on the other hand, you don't get the variety of ten different kinds of bath bombs.

The oil from the bottle is a very deep and dark purple colour but the most peculiar part is... It is a milky cloudy colour when poured into the bath!  The colour outcome is most strange indeed.  Some people will love it and some will hate it but honestly it just makes Violet Nights even more special.  The first time I used this I expected the water to be a lilac colour at least.  But no it was like a murky white colour that once you've seen it and experienced with - you couldn't imagine it to be anything else.

I left the bath with silky and soft skin that felt and smelt incredible.  Containing Soya Oil makes Violet Nights a really rich skin benefiting product since this oil softens and conditions the skin.  The difference in how soft skin is after using Violet Nights is undeniable.  My skin didn't feel dried up but rather silky and soft.  I guarantee anyone who buys this bath oil will be enthralled with it entirely.  I could see all the oils in the water showing just how rich Violet Nights is.  Depending on how this bath oil is used it can also create a foam layer just like bubble bars do.  However, the foam layer I found was very different to what bubble bars produce - it was softer which I preferred.
I found this to help really relax me and comfort me - especially when I paired it up with The Comforter bubble bar.  It is one of the best (if not THE best) bath combo's you could try.  Trust me, you need to try that out!

Violet Nights is the kitchen product I'd still argue should be available in store.  This gives everyone a magnificent bath that undoubtedly would be suitable for Cleopatra.  It's different from all of the other bath time products and I've heard other customers ask employees if Lush do any bath oil when I've been in store.  With the Oxford Street bath oils proving popular and a treat, Lush should really think about bringing this purple beauty back to shelves... Nevertheless, we'll enjoy the new bath oils Lush are offering us but will continue to indulge in Violet Nights when the kitchen makes it.





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Instagram: @lushvoyage


Photos of Violet Nights:

Ingredients: Soya Oil, Laureth 4, Perfume, Cassie Absolute, Fair Trade Vanilla Absolute, Sandalwood Oil, Vetivert Oil, Violet Leaf Absolute, Ylang Ylang Oil, Alpha Isomethyl Ionone, *Citronellol, *Eugenol, *Benzyl Alcohol, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Farnesol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 60725, Propylparaben
Suitable for Vegans

Error 404 bath bomb review: "It is interesting"

Originally Error 404 was a hidden freebie within the depths of the Lush UK website where you could only get one per order.  Free of charge and appealing to justify the postage of constant kitchen orders, something many of us Lushies were very happy about.  However the errors eventually disappeared and were never to be seen again... 
Only kidding! The Lush Kitchen has made this bath bomb two or three times since but has charged a price of £4.04.  A brassy beauty with intriguing patterns and designs all over, Error 404 is attractive to Lushies just like Magpies are attracted to silver.

I'll mention here that this isn't a favourite bath bomb of mine and I wouldn't use it again - actually I've only ever used it twice and never again.  The biggest reason being that this has a scent of baby powder/talc.  I know that the fragrance of baby powder is really popular and a hit with people but I just don't get it if I'm honest.

The bomb had many changes - the brass layer disappeared, the bomb became a turquoise colour, it then changed to a darker royal blue colour and finally changed to gold.  Four colour changes is rather impressive once compared to the average bath bomb Lush creates so it gets ten points in that department.  However, with Granny Takes A Dip, The Experimenter and The Luxury Lush Pud this little guy hides in their shadows.  And with good reason.  It isn't really colourful and the colours don't fizz out like a rainbow, but rather one at a time, which is a personal preference.

When the bomb fizzed away after 5 minutes and everything was settling I felt the fragrance died away entirely.  I couldn't smell anything - it was discreetly there for the beginning but it didn't stay long which was really disappointing.  I had to near enough dunk my nose in the water to get a hint of the fragrance.  But it did take a couple of minutes to fizz away due to the Cream of Tartar which is good for people who like a show.  Cream of Tartar tends to leave skin smooth - but some Lushies have said it can leave them with dry skin too - my skin wasn't left conditioned or softened as it usually is with most bath bombs.  As well as this, Error 404 is covered in brassy glitter just like Golden Egg is with gold glitter.  I fully expected to exit the bath covered in glitter but nada.  There was very little glitter left on my skin which I'm okay with but another surprise with Error 404 to note.  My skin was left just the way it was before I entered my bath and there wasn't a hint of fragrance left lingering on the skin either.

When I used Error 404 it was a freebie and not bought.  Considering it was a free bath bomb I didn't really want to knock this product much since I felt it was like throwing Lush's kindness in their face.  However, I'm not hesitating to now say that this bath bomb really sucks unless you love the scent of baby powder.  With no skin benefiting ingredients and not many oils I don't understand why this bath bomb is so highly priced.  It's more expensive than Geo Phyzz for goodness sake!  Error 404 isn't anything exciting beyond it's popular scent and rainbow magic so don't be fooled.  It's price isn't worth the bath experience it gives.

All in all Error 404 gives an entertaining colour show and that's about it for me.  It is interesting but not enough to make it a good bomb.  I don't recommend this bath bomb to anyone in need of good skin conditioning as I find it's targeted more toward aromatherapy bath times.  Anyone who loves baby powder scents will love Error 404 without a doubt.  Whilst you fans and lovers enjoy it I can avoid it entirely and enjoy my kind of bath bombs with an easy mind.




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Instagram: @lushvoyage



Photos of Error 404:

Ingredients: Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Rosewood Oil, Geranium Oil, Orange Flower Absolute, Cream of Tartar, Gardenia Extract, Water, Lilial, *Citronellol, Coumarin, Geraniol, *Linalool, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Antique Gold Lustre, Bronze Splendour Lustre, Glacier Blue Lustre
*Occurs naturally in essential oils

Suitable for Vegans

Sonic Death Monkey review: "The hype is real"

Sonic Death Monkey (£11.95/250g) is a cult classic by Lush and when the Lush Kitchen made it a couple of weeks ago, Lushies went mad.  It's a product loads rave about or simply talk about and was surely a sell out product - which it was FYI!  I've been eager to try this shower gel since missing out on it almost a year ago when the Kitchen just started up.  Naturally, when the Kitchen announced this on their weekly menu, I jumped for it and got two bottles.

Mysterious in appearance and a mind-boggling fragrance, Sonic Death Monkey is a delight.  Just like Hot Toddy this is like a layered cake and maybe more so.  From the bottle the first thing I smell is the citrusy notes of Tangerine Oil and Sweet Orange Oil.  And both of these are rounded off by the addition of Fresh Lime Juice too.  It is lovely and refreshing but becomes so bewitching when the chocolate fragrance shines through.  Together they create a really unique smell and you're either going to love or hate it.  And I love it!  I very faintly smell the thread of coffee in the bottle too - I smell a depth to the sweet and citrus notes presented by the addition of the coffee.

In the shower this shower gel is a totally different story.  The most prominent smell in the shower, for me, was the ground coffee.  I genuinely felt as though I was showering with a cup of coffee.  And somewhere in between the chocolate mixed with the coffee to create a beautiful cocktail.  It's sweet and sour - the chocolate makes a delicious sweet smell that makes you swoon whilst coffee centres you and brings you back from cloud nine.  And in all of that goodness there are citrus products that are nowhere to be detected.  Maybe slightly but not much.

The benefits of Sonic Death Monkey provide an uplifting fragrance through the tangerine oil and sweet orange oil, both of which tone the skin too.  You should step into your shower with a grey cloud over your head but step out feeling on top of world.  Or at least your mood.  The best part of SDM though is the black horse of the product - hemp oil.  Hemp Oil is known to be a medicinal oil used in traditional Chinese medicine and is thought to help conditions like varicose veins.  It is also believed to be a natural pain reliever and anti-inflammatory which we are all in need of from time to time.  So, albeit there are incredible oils that present good moods and delicious smelling ingredients - the best thing about Sonic Death Monkey, in my opinion, is this little hidden product within.

Attractive by name, attractive by reputation and attractive at first glance.  The colour of Sonic Death Monkey is peculiar enough to spark interest.  As you can see! The milky top hat to the shower gel adds a good quality to the overall opinion of the shower gel.  Because as much as we may not like to admit it, packaging and presentation are very, very important. It makes you more curious and drives your want to test it out.

I wouldn't say it's very skin conditioning or softening but rather refreshing and cleansing.  The likes of Snow Fairy shower gel is a good example of making skin soft from the Carrageenan Extract.  Whereas with this, the outcome wasn't really like that.    It gives a really clean feeling which can be a must have in the morning.  This will definitely be one of my top used summer shower gels.  That doesn't mean it isn't suitable for winter or the harsher months - granted I do prefer hydrating gels during these months though.  The squeaky clean feeling this gives you will make the clammy and hot air during summer more durable. 

Sonic Death Monkey is one of the best shower gels I've purchased from the Lush Kitchen.  I didn't expect to love it like I do but I do and I think others will too.  I am of the opinion that this shower gel is more in the aromatherapy bracket than skin benefiting but do remember this does have its merit.  I find this a really comforting fragrance and go as far to say its actually my "comforter" fragrance opposed to the real thing.  As I've also got Heavenly Bodies and do not take such comfort from it as I do Sonic Death Monkey, I believe my attachment to SDM is largely based on the blend of chocolate and coffee.  These two smells coming together as one is a magical experience for your nose.  Hogwarts has nothing on this!  I do recommend Sonic Death Monkey for its uplifting citrus oils and juice, it's comforting chocolate and awakening coffee fragrance.  It truly is the best shower gel I've bought from the kitchen and will buy more when needed and where possible.  It was the most surprising shower gel I've come across too and admittedly wouldn't have given it the time of day if it wasn't for the hype Lushies gave this product.  But do believe it! The hype is to be believed! The hype is real!

                             

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Instagram: @lushvoyage
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Lush Kitchen Products I've Bought

The Comforter Lotion (x2)

Bom Perignon bath bomb (x1)

Happy Blooming bath melt (x3)

Creamed Almond & Coconut Smoothie (x1)
Geo Fizz bath bomb (x2)

Violet Nights bath oil (x2)

Happy 4 Sad shower gel (x2)

Supertramp shower gel / bubblebath (x1)

Error 404 bath bomb (x6)

Karma shower gel (x2)
Black Pearl shower gel (x1)
Calacas shower gel (x3)
Twilight shower gel (x2)

The Comforter shower gel (x2)
Back For Breakfast shower gel (x1)
Heavenly Bodies buttercream (x1)
Gumback Express (x1) 
Sonic Death Monkey shower gel (x2)

Celebrate shower gel (x2 - Japan Kitchen)
Iced Wine shower jelly (x1)
Egg Hunt soap (x2)
Choccy Egg bath bomb (x2)  

Harvey bath bomb (x2) 

Avoshower shower gel (x5) also known as Avowash
Deep Sleep shower jelly (x1)
Snowcake shower gel (x1 - not yet tried)
Banana Moon soap (x1 - not yet delivered)
Breeze On A Sea Air (x1 - not yet delivered)


Things highlighted in green are what I will buy again.

The Comforter Lotions                              Creamed Almond and Coconut Smoothie

Supertramp                                                                  Happy 4 Sad

Violet Nights                                                              Error 404 bath bombs

Happy Blooming bath melts                                 Bom Perignon bath bomb

Black Pearl shower gel                                          Karma shower gel

Comforter shower gel                         Twilight and Calacas shower gel

Gumback Express/ Geo Phyzz                                Sonic Death Monkey shower gel

      

Iced Wine shower jelly          Egg Hunt soap, Choccy Egg and Harvey bath bomb

Avoshower shower gel                                   Deep Sleep shower jelly