Noubar Soap by Alex

About the Item:

Noubar Soap

3.5 Oz for $5.95

Available in any size 3.5 oz and up

The Official Lush Website says that Noubar is “as delectable as it looks,” containing ”smoky vetivert oil and Turkish rose absolute to keep you sweet every time you wash…You’d be nuts to miss out on Noubar.”

This item contains: Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Rapeseed Oil, Sunflower Oil, Coconut Oil (Brassica napus; Helianthus annuus; Cocos nucifera), Chopped Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea), Chopped Almonds (Prunus dulcis), Chopped Walnuts (Juglans regia), Sodium Hydroxide, Perfume, Titanium Dioxide, Pistachio Nuts (Pistacia vera), Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), Vetivert Oil (Vetiveria zizanoides), Rose Absolute (Rosa damascena), Cedarwood Oil (Cupressus funebris), Sodium Chloride, Geraniol, *Citronellol, FD&C Blue No. 1.

My Review:

Peanuts, walnuts, almonds and pistachios? Did someone drop an industrial-sized tin of mixed nuts into one of the soap vats? And what’s with the name? I mean, props for referencing Diran Noubar, but is an obscure French documentary filmmaker really that relevant (kidding of course. Nougat + Bar = Noubar)? Of all the Lush products I have tried thus far, I think I was most resistant to this one. The smell simply did not enliven my pallet and I found the handful of tasty morsels peppering the soap more baffling than enticing. Nonetheless, I was intrigued by Noubar’s alien texture, verdant hue and latent air of mystery/edibility. And since it was technically free along with my $17 dollar chunk of Karma under the auspices of the Clean Slate Sale, I thought I might as well suffer what slings and arrows might lie ahead in the interest of providing you, fine readers, with a comprehensive review.

Looking at the list of ingredients, Noubar seems pretty light on the soap and heavy on the fixins’. This may explain why some people have a hard time getting this soap to lather. Personally I haven’t had an issue, so I can’t really complain. It’s got the standard palm-oil free soap base, of course (good news for endangered species everywhere), along with a healthy dose of earthy, woody and floral scents. Gardenia and rose mix with cedar and vetivert to produce the subtle but unmistakable aroma of a healthy garden or a well manicured lawn. As I mentioned before, I was not initially turned on by this green-funk, but when I got the soap home and used it for a few days, I found its clean, botanical aroma had started to grow on me. It’s certainly an acquired taste however, and I actually prefer it as a hand soap to one I lather up with in the shower. I don’t really need or want my pits to smell any more like fresh cut grass than they already do. On the other hand, catching subtle hints of Noubar lingering on my palms is a nice feeling throughout the day.

Alright, but seriously, what’s up with the nuts? Granted, many of the most decadent, luxurious and moisturizing fats in the world are derived from nuts (cocoa butter, almond and coconut oils, etc.), but these are usually highly concentrated (not to mention added to the soap during the saponification process) and not confined to the cellulose prison of an indehiscent seed. As Lush suggests in their description, the nuts do indeed serve other purposes: namely olfactory and tactile appeal. As I mentioned before, this soap definitely has a natural smell and the nuts certainly lend a kind of barky, mossy richness to the whole concoction. Also, anyone who has read my other soap reviews will know that I’m a sucker for anything that exfoliates the skin; usually the rougher the better. The nice thing about using nuts to accomplish this goal is that they are rough in texture, but unlike dense seeds or coarse minerals, they have a natural flexibility that makes them relatively forgiving, and less harsh on the skin. I find that the nutty protrusions that develop over time from soap erosion can be used like the scouring side of a sponge, softening my callused, battle-worn, time-gnarled and work-hardened hands, while at the same time moisturizing them to the pliancy of a broken and well-oiled catcher’s mitt.

Lastly of course, there is the matter of the soaps peculiar appearance, which I’m actually rather smitten with. Let me paint it for you: half a dozen shades of green — from creamy, St. Patrick’s Day beer-foam and pistachio gelato, to translucent TMNT Ooze — all speckled and swirled together, with splashes and constellations of brown, chunky nuts, like rocky islands lost in an alien sea. The photo truly does not do it justice. In an odd way, I’m inclined to say this soap is actually one of the loveliest I’ve seen at Lush (which would put it high in the rankings for loveliest worldwide); a triumphant synergy of Lush’s unique aesthetic and conscientious world view. In short, a soap to unite the muddled and over-commercialized “green” movement, to inspire and lead the apathetic masses into a fertile and sustainable future with like… wheat grass just growing all over the place and… kids running around with Super Soakers full of sunshine and… huge bees everywhere and all that. Yeah….It’s going to be awesome.

Weird-hippie-tangent aside, this soap really is easy on the eyes. And, as it turns out, the wallet as well (at least by Lush standards). At $5.95 per 3.5 oz. you really can’t go wrong. Hurray for defying expectations!

Bang-For-Your-Buck Rating: $$$

Overall Rating: 4 as a hand soap. 3 as a body soap. -20000 if you’re allergic to nuts.

Karma Soap by Alex

About the Item:

Karma Soap

3.5 oz for $7.95
Available in any size 3.5 oz and up

The Official Lush Website lists this soap as one of their best sellers. “A spicy orange and patchouli soap to calm and soothe a tired mind…Lemongrass, pine, orange and patchouli essential oils can turn a boring shower into a truly groovy experience!”

This item contains: Water (Aqua), Propylene Glycol, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Perfume, Glycerine, Patchouli Oil (Pogostemon cablin), Orange Oil (Citrus dulcis), Lavendin Oil (Lavendula hybrida), Pine Oil (Pinus), Lemongrass Oil (Cymbopogan flexuosus), Elemi Oil (Canarium commune), Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), *Citral, *Geraniol, *Citronellol, *Limonene, *Linalool, FD&C Red No. 4,.

My Review:

So, it’s a new year. Time to start things off right and get going on one of my several resolutions (next to graduate and get a job…): Update content on the regular. I know, I know, it’s been a while since I put anything up here and a damn long while since I reviewed any actual soap, but frankly, I was just getting too bogged down with school, money, the holidays and so on to even think about Lush. It just became another commitment. Every time I bought something I’d think “well… I really ought to review this… but I kinda just want to wash my face with it…”

However, with the advent of the recent holiday sale, I got a second chance (Big ups to Lauren at the Burlington Mall Lush for all of her help!). See, I got to splurge a little without having to worry too much about my mounting debt issues, and as a result I picked up a chunk of Karma, which I had previously snubbed because, well, Sally can’t stand it and I figured I probably wouldn’t dig it either. Oh how wrong I was. On first smell, I was intrigued but not blown away. But the more I let it linger, catching whiffs of it as I continued to browse, I realized how pleasant and subtle it was and how clean it made me feel. I was sold.  So much so, in fact, that I just bought another chunk of it this morning (I bought that last one the day after Christmas… less than a week ago…yeah… it’s a problem).

So, let’s get down to business. First of all, love the color and the over all design of the soap. I like how simple and chic it is. Just a big block with a giant lotus stamp in it. I mean, I do love how creative they get some times; the swirling loops and spires on Spice Curls, the crazy highlighter-soup and glitter of Angel’s Delight. But the simple, clean elegance of this soap fits very well with its M.O. Relaxed, earthy, and rich.

The smell, of course, is the major selling point of any soap (let’s face it, they’re almost all technically composed of the same melt-and-pour base). The overtones are patchouli and orange, blended with lavender, pine and lemongrass to add depth and tone. Sally says she doesn’t like this one specifically because of the patchouli, and I’ve heard this complaint from a number of people. I’ll admit, in just about every other context, I dislike the smell. I find it over-powering and way over-used by dirt-children and wannabe hippies. But I think this soap balances it well. In fact, it smells like… something else entirely. There’s definitely that rich, musky smell from the patchouli but it’s not that nose-wrinkling, pungent-inscence-stand-next-to-the-foodcourt smell I typically associate it with. It’s waaay toned down and it’s full of little subtleties that keep me coming back for another whiff. The lavender gives it a breezy, clean-laundry smell and the orange and lemon grass make it just a little bit fresh and citrusy like an open window in the spring time. The best part (and this goes for a lot of Lush products) is that it smells natural. It smells like something my body produced on its own if I stuck to a diet of flower pettles, rain water and sunshine.

A brief word on the technical side of this soap: As far as Lush soaps go, this one is more on the glycerine side of things than most, which means that it cuts easily, lathers nicely and disperses its odour very well. However, it also melts like crazy, especially in salt-treated water like we have at my house (to combat the minerals we get from our well water). Glycerine soaps absorb moisture well, so on hot, humid days this soap will be very gooey to the touch. I reccomend keeping it in a dry place and toweling it off after use if possible. Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled program…

In general, this soap is balanced and well put together. It’s not overly ambitious. It’s beautiful and charming in its simplicity. It’s Karma. I’m not going to bother getting into the actual meaning of that word, nor am I going to mix up my Asian cultures by talking about how “Zen” it is or how “Fung Shui” or “Tai Chi” or any of that crap that marketing people typically tac on to things that seem like they come from The Mysterious Orient. The truth is, it doesn’t matter why they call it that. The intoxicating smell and vivid orange-red color speak for themselves without flashy clicks and whistles.

I never want to stop smelling like this. Seriously. Ya feel me?

Bang-for-your-Buck Rating: $$$ (Or $$$$$$$$ if you happen to get it on the Holiday Sale going on until the 11th of January!)

Over-all Rating: 5
PS: I am aware that they make a Karma perfume and that it does not come from the bodies of people who ingest rainwater and sunshine exclusively. Maybe some day I’ll give it a try, but for now I’m satisfied with the soap.