I am very happy to be reviewing a Lush product once again as it’s been a while since I’ve had anything new and lovely to trial.
I’ve been a bit of a cheerleader for this particular brand for a few years now and take pride in my Lush product knowledge. But this time around, I didn’t actually know that this product would be perfect for the Green Beauty Trails when I picked it up.
I remember walking around my local Lush shop scanning the shelves for anything new when I clocked my eyes on this particular bottle. Straight away I saw the word “Olive” on the label and instantly judged that I wouldn’t like it.
I am not usually a judgemental person when it comes to Lush. The problem here was olives. I really dislike them and unfortunately, have come across many a beauty product that doesn’t appeal to me because of this one ingredient.
I carried on looking around for quite a while when I found myself wandering back over to the shower gels, I thought it best that I, at very least, smelt them all to give them a chance.
After all, I was looking to expand my green beauty horizons and I needed some new inspiration.
So off I went bringing each bottle up to my nose and thinking: “No, too masculine. That one is definitely too bitter.”
And “Wow, that’s not for me, way too strong.”
I was beginning to give up hope when it was finally the turn of the Olive Branch. I was prepared for the instant dislike. I then realised that the scent that hit my nose was both delicate and wonderfully musky and I thought; “Was this definitely the right bottle?”
I took another look at the label and went back for a second sniff just to make sure. Yes, I definitely had the right one and I couldn’t get over just how much I liked it.
Although this product didn’t exactly stand out among all the bright colours of the other shower gels, I found that this mixture had a character on its own without being overpowering on the eyes.
As soon as I picked it out of the crowd, it instantly reminded me (rather adequately) of a terracotta house in the Mediterranean sunset, a warm, glowing shade of orange that blended deeper when I mixed it up.
The scent was like what you’d find in a baby bubble bath mix, a gentle musk that was soothing to smell over and over again.
As always with Lush products, this nose-friendly concoction was all thanks to the ingredients list.
The savoury undertones of the vine leaves and fair trade olive oil, the sweetness of the fresh mandarin juice and the ever enticing kick of the bergamot oil balanced each other out perfectly.
It was actually quite nice to find a product that was not trying to barge its way up my nose if I went anywhere near it. It was like I had found my little piece of relaxation and warmth in a shower gel!
And it only got better…
As far as natural shower gels go, this one is fantastic for lathering up and going further per wash. It left me feeling refreshed and instantly moisturised (both in and out of the shower). In this case, I think the inclusion of olive oil was a definite bonus to protect my skin during these cold, winter months.
Nonetheless here comes the downfall…
The consistency of this product is where it loses a few points in my books I’m afraid. I was expecting the gooey-looking liquid that was dancing around inside the bottle to come out as a smooth yet gel-like texture (the best and easiest texture for washing with in my opinion).
However it flooded onto my hand as a watery, orange mess that was quite hard to contain (meaning most of it splattered into the bath). This watery consistency also meant that I used more than I intended to as I had to try and turn the bottle back upright very quickly, resulting in more spills!
When I did eventually get a good sized puddle of Olive Branch collected in my palm, I acted quickly to lather it up so it didn’t all end up being washed away. This made it quite hard to wash with as I was rushing to save every last drop.
The only thing that this wonderful mixture needed is something to thicken it up slightly and it would have been my perfect shower gel. Maybe this will be food for thought for Lush in the future.
In the mean time, something tells me I will be running out of Olive Branch quite soon.
All in all, Lush have done a wonderful job putting together this great mixture of the Mediterranean. It works wonderfully as an everyday shower gel and I would fully recommend anyone to at least try it.
However Lush may need to work less on the ingredients list and more on the consistency to make it an all-round top product.
As with all Lush products, the pricing is also an important point to mention.
A miniature 100g bottle costs £4.75 or you can pay up to £15.95 for a much larger 500g bottle.
It’s not the cheapest natural beauty product out there but I will always give Lush credit for their individuality. I would urge anyone to visit the Lush website to take a look around.
Lush Olive Branch Shower Gel – 8/10
Price (correct as of Jan 2015): £4.75 – £15.95
www.lush.co.uk
Are you interested in trying out natural, environmentally-friendly beauty brands? Not taken the leap into cruelty-free products yet? Take a look at my previous Green Beauty Trials posts for inspiration!
Any comments/suggestions are always welcome. I would love to hear from you!
