LUSH Bath Bombs to Try When Stressed

Relaxation is counted as a luxury by many university students, but is essential to mental health. Nothing says de-stressing like a nice warm bath, so I decided to test out a series of bath bombs by cruelty free cosmetics company LUSH to help you to get the best bang for your relaxation buck. I asked an assistant in store to recommend some bath bombs for relaxation, and here is my review.

1. Guardian of the Forest – $7.95

• beauty – 5/5
• feeling/scent– 5/5
• ability to clean up – 4/5
• relaxation – 5/5

This bomb was the most beautiful of all the ones I tested. It dissolved a symphony of green shades and turned the water vibrant green with tiny flecks of silver glitter dancing inside. There was nearly no clean-up other than a very faint dusting of silver glitter on the tub though I did notice the next day a small amount of glitter sitting nearly unnoticeable on my skin. The scent was amazing –rosewood oil, cypress and oakmoss absolute, I felt as though I was in a forest alongside a safe feeling. My skin felt absolutely amazing after this, and it was extremely relaxing to bathe in. Absolutely worth the money for anyone looking for a relaxing time.

2. Blackberry Bath Bomb – $6.50

• beauty – 2/5
• feeling/scent – 3/5
• ability to clean up – 5/5
• relaxation – 5/5

This bomb ended up being surprisingly nice. It only tinted the water a soft, translucent purple and wasn’t too impressive to watch dissolve, but ended up my second favourite of the lot. With a strong but not overpowering scent of bergamot and frankincense, I immediately felt relaxed and at ease. There was zero clean-up other than a tiny piece of paper that said ‘BOOM BOOM!’ on it, a joke on the term bath bomb. Overall, this bomb was cheaper than the rest but definitely worth it for anyone looking for a destressor.

3. Fizzbanger – $6.95

• beauty – 4/5
• feeling/scent – 4/5
• ability to clean up – 4/5
• relaxation – 5/5

I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this bath bomb with a name like ‘Fizzbanger’, but I really enjoyed this. This bomb releases scents in sections – the yellow outside gave me a citrus and apple scent, and as the blue inside ‘banged’ open, it had a cinnamon scent that reminded me of apple pie. This bath bomb was very nice-looking, with yellow and blue foam that turned the water a surprising neon yellow-green. My skin felt very moisturised after using this, and the bomb had nearly zero clean-up other than a bit of blue residue left on the bottom of the tub.

4. Dragon’s Egg – $6.95

• beauty – 3/5
• feeling/scent – 3/5
• ability to clean up – 1/5
• relaxation – 3/5

Dragon’s Egg is as close as you’ll ever get to bathing in molten gold. With a great jasmine and citrus scent, this bath bomb is striking, using tiny flecks of golden glitter combined with yellow-orange water to make a spectacular sight. It’s more of an invigorating bath bomb than relaxing, but it was a fun experience. Unfortunately, it leaves a lot of residue, coating the bottom of my tub and all over my body in glitter and little coloured paper dots. I spent a few minutes rinsing myself and my tub and it was fine, but it wasn’t something I enjoyed doing after a supposedly relaxing bath. I would not recommend this bomb to anyone who is looking for relaxation.

5. Northern Lights – $7.95

• beauty – 1/5
• feeling/scent – 2/5
• ability to clean up – 5/5
• relaxation – 3/5

This was the most disappointing of them all. The bomb itself was very cute, but fell apart into a strange rainbow paste almost immediately and fell to the bottom without dissolving, turning the water a terrible ugly muddy green. The scent of jasmine was very faint and almost stale, and just felt very boring. While there was no clean-up needed, this was just your regular bath and not that relaxing at all. Not worth the purchase.

All these bath bombs are available in LUSH stores, or online. Other options for those looking for no-animal-testing alternatives to LUSH should consider; Planet Yum, whose bath bombs include 100% natural ingredients; BombsAwayBeautyCo, which sells vegan bath bombs with cool nerdy themes; and Pearl Bath Bombs, who will even include a ring for a relaxing bathtime proposal!