Vanilla Puff Dusting Powder

Featuring in this week's kitchen menu (commencing 22nd May 2017) is Vanilla Puff Dusting Powder. It got me thinking to when I bought my current one, tracking back through the menu's and recalling I bought it alongside the Halloween gift set- Great Balls of Bicarb. But before its Kitchen appearances, Vanilla Puff was in the regular line, discontinued in 2015 alongside old favourites like Space Girl bath bomb, Phoenix Rising bath bomb, Grass shower gel, Sweetie Pie shower jelly... need I go on listing the mistakes Lush made that year? (Sorry Lush) Sadly, I missed out on a lot of these products. I had only found Lush earlier that year, and was still finding ways to justify the hefty price tags. But I do remember smelling Vanilla Puff in store and being appalled by it's sickly sweet scent (noses change though okay?). More then a year later, I talked myself into trying it again. I had fallen in love with the dusting powders and thought I may as well make postage worth it, and I haven't regretted it since.

Vanilla Puff shares it's scent with the modest Vanillary scent family. You can find this scent in the regular line in the forms of the liquid and solid perfume in stores and online. Other members include the Vanilla Fountain bath bomb, Heavenilli massage bar, and Vanilla Dee-lite body lotion (this one was discontinued alongside the dusting powder). The siblings do make frequent appearances in the Kitchen every month or so though. But going back to Vanilla Puff. This format is certainly different to the perfume. I find it to be lighter and sweeter, in the more natural way. Capturing a vanilla ice cream essence.

So how do you use a dusting powder? Dusting powders are a wonderful thing. You can use them as dry shampoo to refresh your hair, absorbing oil whilst offering a fragrance. Sprinkle on fresh bed sheets, or on your carpet before vacuuming. I prefer to use them on my thighs to reduce sweat and chafing, as well as on my feet to keep them smelling fresh and dry. Some dusting powders, such as Powdered Sunshine which is SPF 15, is fantastic to use as a face powder to protect from the sun and keep oily skin at bay. In regards to Vanilla Puff, I mainly use it in my hair or after a lotion, as it's not as absorbing as Silky Underwear.

Vanilla Puff also holds a little surprise, so don't be startled when you spot a strange object in your bottle! There's a vanilla pod inside which is easy to remove. The consistency of the powder itself is very fine and smooth, disappearing onto the skin to leave behind a gorgeous scent. I find I don't need to use loads either as powders go a long way. 60g may seem like a small amount but with regular use I can get around 6 months out of one bottle. Which is why I see the price is worth it as I don't see myself running out anytime soon.

Overall, this is one of my favourite dusting powders. It's a scent that I have grown in to during my time as a Lushie, and I recommend anyone with a sweet tooth to get this product. I love taking this with me as it fits nicely in my bag when travelling, so I can top up during the day! Dusting powders can be a bit messy, but once you get more practice, they become easier to use.

Rating: 8/10
Price: 60g £6.25
Hidden Message: "Sweet on you"

Plum Rain Body Spray

Lush Body Sprays are one of my favourite group of products. Upon buying my first bottle of Furze, and Dad's Garden Lemon Tree, leading to Dirty, and hopefully Smugglers Soul sometime in the future. They are an absolutely amazing invention, and Lush have really perfected them. I prefer them over perfumes as in comparison Body Sprays literally last ALL day. They are stronger in smell, they cover more surface area, they are bigger, and they are cheaper. Which is why I am so surprised Lush hasn't experimented with more of their famous scents in this format. I'm hoping that Plum Rain and the others are just the start, so lets see how it's lived up to the ones already on shelves.

Body Sprays are self explanatory on how to use. Personally, I spray on my skin first (chest area, spritz once) then once again over my clothes. I find this is an effective way to keep the scent strong and give my bottle a longer life. Body Sprays are certainly pungent, so if you're not one for strong scents following you all day, this won't be to your liking. Even worse if you don't like the scent, as it stays consistently on your clothes until they are popped in the wash! But for those that do, this is a big plus, especially when the scent is really comforting. I imagine that they would be perfect to use on bed sheets or around the house for everyone to enjoy.

Plum Rain is a fairly new scent, first featured in it's gel counterpart that was released last year in Oxford street before finally being introduced to stores. So at least, most people can get an idea of what the body spray should smell like. This shower gel certainly captures the beautiful fruity aroma of the gel, but features stronger waves of the mandarin, almost fighting for dominance. Personally, the gel, to my nose, is dominated by the plums, with softer hints of mandarin, which shines through significantly more in the body spray. However, this new combination creates a scent that reminds me of starburst sweets, delicious and refreshing.

Whilst I have not tried the other new sprays, I still highly recommend Plum Rain. It is the perfect summer scent as it's so refreshing and uplifting. In addition, it's one of the cheaper sprays in the new line, and comes in a generous 200ml bottle. I have no regrets in choosing this when I was limited to one due to my budget.

For those that are hesitant and prefer to smell before buying, have no fear, I've noticed that Lush have not wasted any time in releasing these body sprays as they usually do with most new products they make. At this rate, we'll probably be seeing these sprays in stores before we see a regulated release of the Volume 4 perfumes.

Whilst I can't afford to buy all the new sprays, I do hope to eventually collect them all. But in the meantime, I would love if Lush could create even more- I do remember seeing Lord of Misrule in the works, Big Calm would also really flourish in this format, and could you imagine a Calacas Body Spray?






Rating: 10/10 

Price: 
200ml £20 (upon the online release April 2017)

Secret Message: "Ripe for the picking."

Happy For S.A.D Shower Gel

I got this on a lucky chance that a friend of mine was ordering from the kitchen for the first time. Declaring that a week before I would go on a ban, I had fallen inlove with the Creme De Menthe mouth wash tabs from my last order. So with Pan Galactic still available, along with Happy for S.A.D, and Bubbling Under, I easily caved in.

The S.A.D stands for 'Seasonal Affective Disorder', defined as a depression associated with late autumn and winter, due to the lack light. Designed with this disorder in mind, the ingredients in this gel were carefully selected to alter and brighten mood. With key ingredients of Neroli oil, Grapefruit oil, Sicilian Mandarin oil, Aloe Vera gel, Fine Sea Salt, and Fresh Dove Orchid Infusion. I can see why some compare it to the regular line gel Happy Hippy, with the dominate scent being grapefruit. But unlike Happy Hippy, the Happy for S.A.D scent is a bit more complex. With highlights of the mandarin oil, creating a sour citrus scent with floral tones. Whilst Happy Hippy is sweeter with a clear, crisp grapefruit scent.

On first sniff, the scent is easily fallen inlove with. Probably now on my list of favourite Lush scents, I can't get enough of it. However, this is definitely the thinnest shower gel I have experienced. With almost water-like consistency makes it feel like you might waste half of it. BUT this lathers better than any other of my shower gels. So I can forgive the consistency.

The colour is stunning, with first glance it's a dark plum shade. When shown in the light it turns pink and even over time transforms into a pastel purple which resembles the colour of when it's out of the bottle. However, even though the scent is prominent when in use, on the skin after it seems to disappear entirely.

Overall, even though this shower gel doesn't tick off all the boxes. It still holds steady in my favourites list on scent and lathering power alone. I do find that one bottle is enough to tie me over but seeing as it's not a popular kitchen product, I may have to order a few bottles next time as it really does work well in a lot of bath cocktails as well as in the shower.

Rating: 9/10 

Price:
250g £10.50