Lord of Misrule Bath Bomb by Lush

Bath bombs are not my thing; in fact until a couple of months ago I would have openly laughed in your face if you had said I would be sharing my thoughts on one here on the Internet.

The Lord of Misrule Bath Bomb by Lush however looked too good to turn down and will aching bones and joints I decided to give one a whirl and see if there were any benefits to be gained by literally launching £3.50 into the bath.

This is what Lush have to say about the Lord of Misrule:

‘Revel in your bath with this mischievous bomb that features a spicy herbal blend of patchouli and black pepper oil. Inspired by the ruler of the pagan Feast of Fools, Lord Of Misrule has a deep green exterior that slowly froths away to reveal a rich wine-coloured centre. Just like at the Feast of Fools, when the wine starts to flow, the popping candy crackles and the festivities begin…’

You can watch a cool video of the bomb fizzing away in the bath and read more about the product here.

Needless to say I wanted to toss this into the bath like a hand grenade but was stopped seconds before doing so. My childish giggling being pushed to one side as I was shown how to use it properly.

A little hot water drawn the bomb was placed into the water and the taps turned to hot. The fizzing and popping was instantaneous - the water changing to a lovely emerald green in a way not too dissimilar to an oil slick spreading. As I remain transfixed by the changing colour I noticed an oily film on the surface of the water and then blam, the beautiful fragrance of patchouli hit me and started to fill the bathroom.

After a few minutes the bomb had halved in size and the water started to become a deep red, and just as claimed, it looked like I was about to dip a toe into a massive bath of red wine (all my dreams come true).

Once completed dissolved the fragrance of patchouli and pepper was so clear it was almost hypnotic. The oily film remained and I was a little concerned that this would leave my skin oily after finishing, but alas this was not to be.

After soaking happily for 30 minutes yes my skin felt softer and much smoother, but would it feel the same after drying off? Well, yes, and what is even better is that the lovely fragrance had been absorbed by my skin leaving the faintest hints of patchouli, not too masculine but far from being feminine.

Is £3.50 too much for one? Well I’m inclined to say yes yet again, I think £3.50 for every bath is too much but the beauty of this bomb is that it is easy to break into two and at that price, effectively £1.75 I think its good value for money and would buy and use again.

To a bloke this has a fascinating wow factor watching it bubble and fizz away, smells lovely and leaves skin so much softer and smoother. You can’t say fairer than that in my opinion.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Thank you for taking the time to sneak a peek at my musings, why not tell me your favourite bath products in the comments below?

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Elements Aqua by Hugo Boss

Launched in 1996 by Hugo Boss, Elements Aqua was a fragrance I never had any intention of buying and therefore I was a little disappointed when I opened a gift from my mother to find this instead of the Bvlgari aftershave she knows I love.

Whilst my bottle of Element Aqua was a gift it can be found in most high street shops and can be purchased online at numerous retailers however I would add a note of caution. The price of Elements Aqua can vary wildly and I would always recommend that you shop around should you wish to buy this. Actual prices range from £15 for 50ml of the EDT up to a whopping £30.

Marketed as a classic fragrance I was very apprehensive about using this as I personally hate Hugo Boss Dark Blue and am not a big fan of sharp and woody fragrances. Despite my reservations I did eventually use Elements Aqua (the name itself suggests a clean and light fragrance) and all in all I wasn't overly disappointed although I will reserve complete judgement just to make you read the rest of my rambling lol.

The bottle to Elements Aqua is plain glass, moulded in a wavy design with a pale blue colouring it looks more like a stylish bottle of coloured water rather than an aftershave. Granted, the wavy bottle design does make it exceptionally easy to grip, and the atomiser does give very good coverage without using much of the fragrance.

The notes to Elements Aqua are surprising:

• Head Notes: Lavender, pineapple, spearmint, wormwood;
• Heart: Coriander, freesia, pepper, tea;
• Dry-Down: Vetiver, patchouli, sandal and vanilla

Reading the notes to Elements Aqua left me feeling rather upbeat and less apprehensive about using the fragrance. From the notes I expected a heavy, cool spicy fragrance that dried down to a woody yet fresh undertone. I also expected the lavender and pineapple to be overbearing notes leading me to believe that it would have a citrus tang if nothing else.

As stated above, a few squirts of the atomiser were all that was needed to get a liberal spread of the fragrance. Despite not shaving prior to using this did on first application sting a bit, and it is clear that alcohol is a major ingredient within the fragrance.

Indeed, as expected when I first applied Elements Aqua the lavender and pineapple were evident, as was the spearmint giving this a very strong fresh smell that was more oriental than actual citrus. The head notes only remained for around 10 minutes before they started to alter and the freesia and tea started to become the overriding fragrance making the overall aroma heavier and warmer. Gone was the fresh sensation and I would describe this as more of a manly masculine fragrance on a par with Fahrenheit.

The heart notes were the strongest of the fragrance, remaining evident for well over an hour and I was surprised by the delay in the emergence of the dry down notes. When they did start to become clear, the freesia was still there lingering however in the same way as nutmeg as a note brings out woody notes, the patchouli and sandal combined wonderfully to make this a very light almost woodland fragrance.

It was clean and crisp yet still warm and the dry down notes were still noticeable well over 12 hours after application.

Despite the fact that I don't tend to like woody or heavy fragrances Elements Aqua was something of a new sensation and a very unique fragrance that I really did like much more than any other that fall into the same category. Personally I use Elements Aqua for office wear due to it's excellent staying power and clear defined smell, however I wouldn't say this is something you would want to wear on a date or at a special occasion.

All in all, only a small amount of the fragrance was needed on a daily basis, and due to the affordable price tag I would say that Elements Aqua is very good value for money. It is not my favourite and will never replace the lighter fragrances in my collection, but it is one that is handy to have around for a change.

I wouldn't go out and buy another bottle, but I also wouldn't be disappointed if I received this as a gift again in the future.

RECOMMENDED

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Givenchy Pour Homme Blue Label

Givenchy Pour Homme Blue Label came into my collection of aftershaves as a gift. Personally I had never heard of this fragrance but I assumed that it did indeed rival the "fit man smell" of Ralph Lauren Blue and Joop. 

Having owned previous Givenchy offerings and personally finding them all to be of a high quality I had no hesitation in trying this out.

I didn't buy my bottle, but you can expect to pay around £22 for a 50ml bottle and £33 for a 100ml bottle of the EDT. 

In brief this is one of those ‘nice’ fragrances in my opinion, it is nothing special to write home about and certainly not an aftershave I would be shouting a recommendation for from the rooftops.

The packaging to the fragrance looks rather refined, but once the bottle has been retrieved the first thing that strikes you is that it looks extremely tacky made up from clear chunky glass and melted down blue biro's. 

The blurb for Givenchy Pour Homme Blue Label states that:

An aromatic homage to the traditional gentleman, reinterpreted for the modern man of action. This fragrance embodies the energy, style and attitude of today's man. It goes on and on, but basically the fragrance should be cool, mixed with spices with woody undertones to give a warm manly scent.

The notes are:

Head: Grapefruit, hedione and bergamot;

Heart: Cardamom, davana and pepper;

Dry down: Olibanum, vetiver and cedar.

When I think of that description of a fragrance I think Fahrenheit with it's warm woody tones and before trying I actually thought this might simply be a rip off of the Christian Dior fragrance. 

One spray of the atomiser dispenses a large amount of the fragrance, and first impressions are of a light citrus fragrance that is easy on the nose and ultimately unique and refreshing - you really can pick out the grapefruit tang. 

It should be noted however that the refreshing feel is replaced by a severe burning sensation - Christ, this burns more than other fragrances when applied after shaving due to the high alcohol content.

After settling the citrus fragrance vanishes completely with warmer undertones coming to the fore. The cardamon and pepper really make this warm and spicy, and I swore that I could detect hints of tobacco and amber. 

Given an hour to settle and this certainly does become more of a manly, warm and rugged spicy musk smell, although it isn't overpowering in the slightest. It's masculine but exceptionally subtle. The fragrance remains faint but is noticeable on clothing and when stationary for well over eight to nine hours.

The actual results of applying this fragrance were not unpleasant, I do like the smell, however I just don't think it suits me personally. 

Initially this is a light and refreshing fragrance but this fades too soon for my liking and I am not a big fan of deeply woody fragrances, they remind me too much of Old Spice. 

Although my wife liked this when she purchased it, she went off it very quickly and it now is only used for casual wear and for around the office during the day, I certainly wouldn't be spraying this on myself if I was embarking on a romantic evening out, there are better fragrances that guarantees the right type of attention. 

At most, only two sprays of the atomiser are all that is needed to give good coverage making the actual product very good value for money. 

All in all Givenchy Pour Homme Blue Label is not an offensive fragrance that will have people walking past holding their noses and judging by the price and bottle design it isn't trying to capture the crown of the more exclusive male fragrances on the market. 

I'll continue to wear it until the bottle finally runs out but I won’t be rushing to replace it. 

If you are looking for a fragrance that is fairly cheap, long lasting and spicy/woody in nature this is for you. 

If you are looking for something light, refreshing and will make you stand head and shoulders over everyone look elsewhere.

RECOMMENDED………….at a push

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Bvlgari Pour Homme Soir

Any regular reader of the blog will know that I have a kind of love thang going on for fragrances from Bvlgari. They release an aftershave and I’m probably queuing up to buy it on the day of release.

In this case, when Bvlgari Pour Homme Soir was released I had to have a bottle and quickly. Oh how I wish I’d had impulse control!

With Bvlgari I could always rely on a few things, the first that they produce quality products, the second that I’d never smelt a fragrance produced by them that left me feeling cheated. 

The bottle is the classic Bvlgari Pour Homme design similar in looks to the female versions of the Bvlgari range. Instead of being rather flat the bottle is quite tall standing and the glass has a "pinched" effect at the top where the atomiser and lid meet the bottle. 

Bvlgari aftershaves normally don’t need fancy packaging - usually once you've tried or smelt it, you know that it is the quality that will keep you coming back. The only thing that sets the Bvlgari Pour Homme Soir apart in terms of looks from the regular Pour Homme is the word Soir in tiny lettering on the bottle.

The notes to Bvlgari Pour Homme Soir are outlined below and it is marketed as:

"A rich, elegant, woody scent aimed at charismatic men looking for a refined and sensuous evening fragrance. Profoundly vibrant and enveloping, Bvlgari Pour Homme Soir enriches the elegant and comfortable woody musk signature of Bvlgari Pour Homme with precious and rare raw materials, amber and the novel charm of papyrus wood, which add sophistication and sensuality to the note."

• Head: Darjeeling tea, bergamot and rosewood;
• Heart: Lavender, pepper and musk oils;
• Base: Cedar wood, patchouli and papyrus amber.

Being concentrated means that only 3 squirts from the atomiser are needed to cover the face and neck with what is at first a really strong fragrance. 

As soon as it leaves the bottle it starts to fill the room. While being strong, it isn't overpowering and initial impressions are that it is almost light and airy with the ability to project the head notes without making me gag. 

The Darjeeling tea is not the note that really hits the nostrils, it is that of the bergamot orange and this gives the immediate lemon and orange citrus zing and thus the impression of being quite a light fragrance. At this stage so far, so good but that changed pretty dramatically. 

Initially I could tell no real difference between Pour Homme Soir and Pour Homme Extreme. They share identical head notes and I spent a good 20 minutes wondering how Bvlgari had gotten away with simply putting the same product in a different bottle and marketing it as new.

After around 10 minutes the light and citrus fragrance totally disappeared. Not good, not good at all.  I couldn’t help but spray some onto the back of my hand so I could sniff away like a bloodhound to identify the fragrance. The citrus is indeed replaced by a warmer feeling of lavender blended with pepper. No offence intended Bvlgari but I found this to be, how can I put this, vile.

30 minutes in and the The Darjeeling tea starts to provide subtle undertones of spice that reminded me of an old wet tea bag. Not the aroma I‘m looking for personally! As all of the notes blended it became overly heavy and warm and this is completely at odds with my favourite aftershaves and fragrances.

The warm fragrance remained for well over 5 hours unfortunately and as it started to change again this was when it fell from grace. The fragrance seems to evolve over time and whilst initially it is far from a masculine fragrance with its light airy head and heart notes as the base filters through it becomes heavy in an understated way. The woods and papyrus amber retain the warm feeling yet it becomes refined yet rugged on the nose and the noses of those around the wearer. Not being a big fan of heavy woody fragrances this is where I came to the conclusion that whilst I liked the aftershave, ultimately it didn't retain enough of the citrus zing or light airy feeling.

A 50ml bottle will cost in the region of £40 on the high street making is a little bit too expensive. 

I still consider Bvlgari Pour Homme Soir to be a product that gives exceptional value for money as it is more of a concentrated fragrance. This means that a little really does go a long way as is the case with most Bvlgari aftershaves so it is likely to last well in excess of 6-9 months, possibly longer.

I usually wear Bvlgari for day and night wear, but with Soir it was consigned to purely for daywear while I emptied the bottle. 

Pour Homme Soir is a long lasting fragrance but it doesn’t do enough on the aroma front, is too warm and heavy for my personal tastes. If you like Fahrenheit by Dior or other aftershaves that have spicy or woody notes then you will love this. 

Personally I can’t recommend this but I would seriously suggest you try before you buy.

An extremely rare miss from Bvlgari.

NOT RECOMMENDED

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Ralph Lauren Polo Black

Launched in 2005, Ralph Lauren Polo Black was originally one of the aftershaves that fell into my possession thanks to a relative who has no idea what sort of aftershave I’m really in to.

I have always been a fan of Ralph Lauren fragrances and class Ralph Lauren Blue as one of the aftershaves that is guaranteed to women stopping dead in their tracks with just one whiff.

Available in both 50ml and 125ml bottles of the EDT or aftershave, prices range from £20 for the 50ml and £35 for the 125ml bottle. Personally I prefer to buy my aftershaves online due to the discounts available however this fragrance can be found in most duty free shops, perfume counters and most high street fragrance stores. I’ve seen bottles of this retailing in Selfridges for £40 for the 125ml bottle. Shop around!

Source

I can honestly say that I haven’t seen one jot of marketing for Polo Black. I’m guessing that as Ralph Lauren is a global brand they chose to use word of mouth and their very well presented website as enough to sell the product to us, the mere masses.

What is clear from the Ralph Lauren literature is that Polo Black has been designed for the urban professional, being sexy, mysterious and slightly dangerous. Ultimately described by the marketing blurb as modern, daring and sophisticated. Anyone else wonder who the hell comes up with this guff?

It's easy to spot thanks to the jet black bottle and Ralph Lauren logo and very easy to hold and apply. Unfortunately Polo Black does not come with any printed notes making it very hard to judge what this should smell like on application and dry down, however from further research it is clear that Polo Black contains iced mango, silver armoise and patchouli noir.

The first application of this fragrance was a pleasant surprise, a few sprays from the atomiser produced a very good coverage of the aftershave and there was little to no burn at all even after just shaving. The first thing to strike the senses is the very light nature of the fragrance, this smells clean and crisp and something of a sensory pleasure. The mango provides a fruity base to the fragrance which does make this very light initially.

As the fragrance begins to dry it is clear that there is tea and pepper contained within the formula as the fragrance becomes warmer and slightly heavier on the nose.

After finally drying down completely after around half an hour all of the ingredients blend wonderfully, the dry mango is still the overriding fragrance, however the patchouli blends to give a more balanced well defined edge that makes this more masculine. Without this I would have said it was aimed more at the female of the species, as it simply was too light and fruity.

As stated earlier, only 3 squirts of the atomiser are required to give a very good cover of the aftershave meaning that a 50 ml bottle will last for well over 6 months.

In terms of longevity Polo Black is exceptionally hardwearing, as you would expect from a quality brand name. Polo Black is noticeable well over 10 hours after application. Colleagues at work have commented on the lovely new fragrance I wear and for them to do that it must be good.

Polo Black is indeed a modern fragrance that has a masculine edge and fruity aroma. It won’t overload the senses making it a perfect all purpose aftershave great for daywear, special occasions and romantic nights out.

Polo Black is perfect. With both Polo Blue and Black Ralph Lauren have moved away from the traditional heavier rugged fragrances and in my opinion this is by far the best fragrance in their range, closely followed by Blue and Polo Sport.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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