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I went into LUSH recently intending to get a block of the "Figs and Leaves" soap, as I mentioned in my previous haul/review. When I got to their soap display, however, I realized that they already had all of their special holiday items in, and ended up getting distracted by those. I figured "Figs and Leaves" could wait while I explored the holiday soaps.
I had noticed from browsing their website that a large proportion of their holiday soaps don't contain SLS, which I was really pleased about. I'm hoping that means they might be willing to make more year-round soaps that are also SLS-free. If not, at least I get to try a lot of their yummy-smelling holiday ones.
I ended up walking out with bits of "Baked Alaska," "Yog Nog," and "Icing on the Cake." I spotted two other soaps there that I didn't end up getting because they do contain SLS - "Reindeer Rock" and "Snowcake." I was actually quite sad about "Snowcake" because it looks so very pretty with gold glitter on white, and it smells lightly of vanilla/white cake batter.
I'm still finishing up my Sultana soap, so I probably won't be getting to any of these too soon, but here are my first visual and scent impressions for those who might not be able to get to a store but are curious.
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Baked Alaska
This one is extremely eye-catching on display. The whole shape from the outside is supposed to be a snowball, hence the white outer rind. Much like the eponymous dessert! Then the inside is like an explosion of greens, blues, yellows, and oranges. It reminds me of what an aurora might look like contained inside a ball. The piece I got is mostly green and blue, but there were definitely bits with bright orange and yellow in them on display.
Scent-wise, it's exactly as advertised. It smells like a generic citrus scent. To me it leans more towards lemon, and less orange, if that is a distinction you make in your citrus scents. It smells quite strong if you hold it up to your nose, but the scent doesn't linger long or have a wide radius of dispersion, so it probably won't make your entire bathroom smell like citrus.
I think this one will be a really refreshing soap to use, because it doesn't seem overly creamy or melty, and the citrus gives it a wake-up type of scent.
Yog Nog
This soap was the one I really wanted to try when I saw it go up online. The giant block looks like a caramel flan with light brown powder dusting on top. It's molded with little stars and other holiday-ish shapes on the top, but that's not really apparent in individual pieces unless you get really lucky and/or get a really large chunk. The powder does sort of go everywhere when you unwrap it, so I wonder how it will look after dousing in the shower for the first time.
The smell is exactly like spiced eggnog. It's got a primarily vanilla flavor, with hint of cinnamon or clove. It's quite a strong scent, and this one definitely does linger and expand to fill the room. It's sitting on my bathroom shelf and about a 1.5-foot spherical radius around it smells like eggnog.
The texture of the soap feels a bit more creamy in the hands than "Baked Alaska," so I think this one is perfect for something a bit more luxurious and getting in the Christmas spirit.
Icing on the Cake
This one was designed to trap me. It is pink, glittery, and just beautiful. The large-form shape of it is like a big pink roll cake or Buch de Noel, with a dusting of gold glitter across the top. Inside, you can see the spiral of pinks and golds. So so pretty, I almost don't want to use it!
This one actually has quite a light scent. I have to hold it up against my nose and really inhale deeply (coating my lungs with glitter, of course), to actually smell it. I can't really identify what it smells like beyond a generic "sweet" scent. Because it's so light, it doesn't have a sickly or cloying feel to it, but based on the name I guess they wanted it to be a cakey sort of sweetness. To me, it just smells slightly sweet, a bit powdery, and almost a floral type of sweetness. Maybe it will be more clear once it comes into contact with water, but I actually quite appreciate that it's a light scent.
The soap itself feels extremely melty, just holding onto it with my hands. It is advertised as being softening, so that does make sense. I think this one will be really lovely on days when my skin is super dry and irritated. And anyone who likes pretty pink things will probably get a kick out of it too!
In addition to the two soaps I decided not to try, they also have special holiday bath bombs and bubble bar things, but because I'm not a big bath person, I didn't get any of those. There are some shower jellies and body washes as well, but all of those are high in SLS, so no go for me either. But many people love those, so definitely give them a try if you're interested!
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