Hello!
Thanks for joining again, or perhaps for the first time! Pre-warning this post is a weird one, but stick with it, it’s very interesting…
So since I last wrote, a lot has happened. I went to see the Rock band Biffy Clyro in Leeds last Sunday which was AMAZING, I have been working pretty much every day, and have enjoyed spending some great quality time with family. Oh…and occasionally fighting with the crowds in town trying to Christmas shop frantically with 14 days to go! Have you guys ever seen Lush so busy that a staff member has actually had to form a queue rota of people entering the shop?! Anyway, I hope you are all well, and that your week has been fabulous!
Todays post is focused on Lush’ ‘Manouche Zaatar’ Bath Oil. This is a Kitchen exclusive product that I have actually NEVER seen before, and was given to me as part of a gift (including Autumn Leaf bath bomb and Magic Bubbles bubble bar) from my wonderful boyfriend Dylan. I’m sure it will have made an appearance before as it seemed popular when it became available to purchase but I’ve never noticed it, not since I have been a kitchen user anyway, and with a name like that – I’m sure you will agree, it is a hard product to ignore!
So a bit of background on this product – some of you may be familiar with the term ‘Manouche Zaatar,’ or perhaps ‘Zaatar Manoushe.’ Now this may be because ‘Za’atar’ is actually a generic name for a popular family of herbs used in the Middle East, and ‘Manoushe’ refers to a kind of flatbread. Making ‘Za’atar Manoushe’ a herby flatbread, a popular Levent food served as breakfast or lunch.
Now – with me so far? Got that image in your head? Good!
This product interestingly was produced by Simon Constantine himself (Mark Constantine’ Founder of Lush’ son!) after being inspired when served this Za’atar Manoushe when travelling. He loved it SO much that he decided to take the very essence of this speciality dish and turn it into a fragrance. This is now been displayed as part of the ‘Gorilla VI’ perfume range at Lush, that is yet to be launched. This range includes the already popular ‘Amelie Mae’ and ‘Cardamon Coffee’ which have been available on the Kitchen site recently.
*Disclaimer I am unsure whether this will ever be in stores as a full range, or if Lush are just experimenting and keeping this range exclusive to the Kitchen, we will see in time to come hopefully!*
However, obviously we are not speaking about the perfume today, but instead the bath oil, and something I have definitely found with THIS product is that there is such little information on it anywhere! I have seen no reviews, no blog posts and NO Lush profile of the product, it’s crazy! So you currently find me writing this post in both a confused and completely amazed and excited state because this, I hope, will be the post that unveils what has for some reason, been hidden or unrecognised by the Lush community so far!
So, after that HUGE introduction, you now hopefully have a slight idea about the kind of product this is. in short, very herby and very unique. If you do have this in mind, you would be completely right!
Aesthetically – as seen in the featured photo, this product is in the shape of a pyramid and is beaming a beautiful bright green. However, this is not what first engaged me. Don’t get me wrong, it looks amazing, and totally unlike any product Lush have ever made, bar the updated formula of the Karma bubble bar. What immediately grabbed my attention however, was actually the products size. Perhaps it’s hard to scale with this picture, but take my word for it, Manouche Zaatar is pretty large compared to Lush’ usual bath oil range. (That in UK stores is currently limited to ‘Razzle Dazzle’ ‘You’ve Been Mangoed’ ‘Ceridwens Cauldron’ and ‘Melting Marshmallow Moments.’) I was surprised by this considering it is a kitchen product who are known for ‘Cooking up small batches of exclusive products.’
Secondly what amazed me was the consistency of this bath oil. Razzle Dazzle is probably the most oily and messy bath oil to touch that I have experienced from the regular range, but is not a great texture in my opinion. Manouche Zaatar however is beautiful! It is so soft, and smooth like a piece of Lint chocolate. It holds it’s shape well but at the same time you can feel the smooth oil ready to melt at body temperature.
Now onto the performance. Manouche Zaatar does not disappoint! From experience, bath oils from Lush often smell divine but leave nothing exciting in the bath particularly, except maybe in my opinion the oil element from the ‘Lava Lamp’ bath bomb. For the benefit of those that have never tried a bath oil, they don’t fizz, or make a sound, and they usually don’t produce anything to look at quickly but when they does, they usually make separated circles or lines of oil because of course oils and water aren’t the best of friends!So if you are one for a big exciting show of colour, and spectacular explosions, this kind of product probably isn’t going to be for you!
This oil however, is different. When you place it into the hot water of your bath, it immediately starts dispersing itself into bigger and smaller exciting circles, filling the bath with a strange and stretched pattern of green. It is at this point you can really appreciate the size of this product because unlike oils that fizzle out with no real effect in the bath, this one covers the whole area making every part of your body feel 10x softer than it did before jumping into this warm blanket of a bath!
In terms of the scent, something i’m sure you will be interested in – this oil is a complete garden of herbs. It is like you have been bathed in a pot of Thyme, which makes sense considering this is actually the main ingredient of the product. In terms of paired scents, if you guys have ever tried ‘The Greeench’ one of Lush’ powdered deodorants it is just the same! So that is what you can expect from this product. It is very medicinal and extremely strong, so if herbs don’t take your fancy, I definitely would not recommend this oil as you will dislike it for sure because this scent lasts on your body all night! However, if you are wanting something strong, fairly unique and earthy then hey, look out for this guy!
INGREDIENTS:
- Thyme
- Sesame Absolute
- Jojoba Oil
- Organic Shea Butter
- Organic Cocoa Butter
- Gardenia Extract
- Extra Vigin Coconut Oil
As I mentioned – Thyme is the KEY ingredient to this product. This is a great disinfectant and antiseptic that comes hand in hand with great healing powers. In fact Thyme was traditionally used as an anaesthetic by doctors. It acts as a natural tranquiliser, has been used to clear air through its powerful incense and is also excellent for the scalp and hair growth as it stimulates blood vessels which feed the roots of hair follicles. AMAZING! Alongside Thyme, there is also Sesame Absolute which has so many vitamins and a high protein content again benefiting the body. Gardenia Extract is also made use of in this product. This is an ingredient mainly used to add and enhance colour, which could explain the shiny green appearance of this beauty. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is also an important ingredient in this blend, as it makes up the base. This is great for strengthening hair and skin, as well as having plenty of antioxidant properties making it great to combat dry skin! This then goes perfectly with the Organic Cocoa Butter, and Organic Shea Butter that are both moisturising, gentle and compatible with our bodies natural sebum level meaning they are readily absorbed into the skin and helps aid other ingredients to settle. Jojoba Oil is the last key ingredient that acts in the same way as the butters, whilst adding shine to the skins outer layer! So overall…a pretty handy and pretty beneficial bundle of ingredients I hope you’ll agree.
If I was leaving you with my overall impression – I would say this oil is one of Lush’ most soothing ones I have encountered, one of their most simplistic in terms of aesthetic but most beautiful in terms of consistency. My only hope is that for any Lushies reading this now, you will grab some when they are next available, and for any potential customers reading, see this post and look further into bath oils, or perhaps even look at the Kitchen site which I have made reference to a lot in this post.
The Kitchen is an amazing 2014 addition to Lush Cosmetics. It is basically a section only accessible from the Lush UK website where small batches of exclusive, new, discontinued, or totally random one-time-only products are available to buy on a day to day basis. As it is under the name ‘The Kitchen’ each week there is a new menu released, and those products are often only available to buy THAT week, whilst the Lush manufacturers and compactors quickly get to making them. Fun fact – any Kitchen product purchased comes in a package with a signed polaroid picture of the Lush team member that made the product for you. How special!
TOP TIP: For anyone considering buying a bath oil from Lush, although the ingredients are majorly moisturising, I would advise from experience NOT to wash your hair in the bath full of oil as it can have a really oily and matting effect on the hair – not the best!
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this one, it was so exciting to try out in the bath and write about. If you have any questions, as always get in contact through the contact page, or leave a comment.
Happy Lushing!
Amber Does Lush 