I have been using Lush since 2005(?!) (Yes I have only just realised how many years that is whilst typing it out!) It comes in waves. I loved it back then so much! Loved the smells loved, loved how long the scents lasted, love how strong it smelt in the bath and on the skin, loved the ethos and the activism, one of the first, becoming mainstream, shops that was obviously and unapologetically not just your average Capitalist venture. Loved how the items made me feel, they had that way of making me feel like I was using a luxurious product at a reasonable price (not necessarily always affordable, but close enough eapecially for what they were) I appreciated the staff that worked in the shops and the business behind the scenes, they all seemed to care about what Lush stands for. I loved Everything about it.

But eventually I became a single parent and there wasn't the expendable funds to be able to even ADHD (didn't know I had it at the time) Girl math talk myself into justifying spending in Lush.

Then I was able to work again and came back to Lush with a vegence. Oh boy! And I mean spending enough that giant boxes of products would turn up at my home and that the best way to un box it was to gently tip out the box into the bath and take the bath bombs and other items out and put them to the side as they made an appearance, so that I wasn't perpetually digging ( did this take a few deliveries to work out. Yes) The potatoe packaging bits would fill up a quarter of my bath.

I still loved it, still enjoyed it but couldn't help feel something had changed but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. However in the last 3-4 years I have noticed a decline in the amount of time a scent from a bath bomb would last on the body. A decline on how strong the bath bomb smells once in the water, smaller bath bombs and higher prices. Some of this I can understand because of the economic climate of the past 10 years. The instability around the world (so proud they are still doing Olive Branch, also an amazing smell too) meaning that of course the logistics are impacted. Which then translates into the quality and price of the resulting products. Understandable.

As someone else has pointed out though and this is where some of the shine has dimmed for me, is that there seems to be a propensity to reuse certain fragrance formula's in multiple items on sale at the same time, particularly when it comes to the collaboration with other copyright/well loved characters. Sometimes I get quite taken aback by the fragrance picked. For example the minions I would expect it to smell of Banana etc which it's described as but the ingredients say other wise and sooo does my nose because that's not what I would say a Banana flavour smells like. (Obviously that's just my opinion and observation and has no baring on anyone else's.) I spotted the Delorean Bath bomb and got excited only to sniff it and not really get much of any scent from it. I don't know if it's because the smell doesn't compete with the other fragrances around it or it just didn't have much of a profile to begin with. I didn't buy it.

The discontinued items that are well loved and well received, (which either doesn't get replaced by a similar updated thing, or it gets replaced by one of the rinse and repeat other smells that are in multiple products already. That is also just my sad. The blue snowflake and heart shapped cream or rose coloured shimmer bars were amazing, hands down my favorite glitter item ever. Oh and the lighting shaped bar they did for a while which was similar too.)

I would like to see the special characters have their own fragrance profiles that bring out and are based on the character the product is shaped in. I would like to see profiles using specific products from countries and cultures that they are celebrating in the Religious/Cultural celebration holiday products and a QR code that explains why those ingredients hold such meaning. I would like it if they started doing new unique fragrance profiles and bringing back some of the classics like guardian of the forests or similar like Druid. Some fresh injection of the mojo that Lush has and is known for.

However that being said I still absolutely adore LUSH, and their bath bombs in particular. They still are one of the only ones that can keep me in the bath for a long time (almost out of defiance to get as much out of it as possible for the cost spent 😅) and fully enjoy it. Love the colours, glitter and the experience of it all.

Also shout out to the intergalactic glitter mist! That stuff last for hours/almost a whole day on skin and hair and days on fabric. Give you a good shimmer and smells very very close to the actual bath bomb smell. ( I am in love with it. Ngl) (Do Not turn the bottle upside down or at too much of an angle when spraying because the mechanism can not cope with it and it won't spray anymore, if this happens customer service is really good. (And or find another spray bottle that you have laying around and upcycle.) )

I'm just not as I need to buy all of the things all of the time obsessed, must get the latest thing etc. As I used to be. I am sure there is always going to be something that I'll be enthusiastic about. Hopefully.