Lush Gratuitous Violets Soap

Even though not many purchasers of LUSH Gratuitous Violets Soap were happy about its scent, and many of the reviews on the site were filled with people who disagreed with its scent.

I ordered this to basically give it the benefit of the doubt. I’m a weird gal; usually I favor what the crowd dislikes. They say boo, I say hurrah!

My order of Lush’s Gratuitous Violets came wrapped up in a clear plastic wrap, with a cute deli like sandwich label on it. However my soap didn’t have an expiration date, nor did it let me know who made my soap. I was a little bummed about this seeing how it was my first order and I wanted the full experience.

I could smell the soap slightly through the plastic wrap, and I liked it, however it didn’t smell like any violets I have ever smelled before.

I opened the wrap and the scent hit me immediately. It was strong, and it was wrong! I didn’t like it anymore. It smelled better all wrapped up. For me the scent reminded me of baby powder with a strong smell of a rotting bouquet of flowers, there was also a hint of the same potent smell that lingers out of LUSH’S Karma Soap; nag champa (I like Karma Soap though, but when you mix in baby powder, ugh). I was fooled by the lovely color of the soap on the site, and the nice description the site gave.

Gratuitous Violets is a creamy pastel lavender colored soap. But looks can be deceiving.

It is 3.5oz worth of stink. I am mad because I had just wasted $7.25 on this crud.

I wasn’t about to throw it out though, heavens no! I had to try it first, and then afterwards would pass it on to some friends. Maybe it was something they would fancy, although I doubt it.

I first cut the soap up into sample sized pieces to make it last longer, seeing how Lush has a reputation for fast melting soaps.
Gratuitous Violets began to stick to my fingers the moment I touched it. It sure was soft; I could compare it to a sculptor’s piece of sculpting clay. It was pliable, and I thought that if it is melting now, a sample piece probably wouldn’t even last in the shower. I was able to cut through this particular soap without any muscle power. It cuts like butter. I liked the texture; it was just a shame the scent was such a turn off.

WHISHY WASHY:

I brought in the shower a sample sized cut of the soap. I didn’t want to use it, but seeing how I just spent almost $8 on this, I had to at least say I tried it. So I did.

The lather was actually better than Angels Delight, and the amount of suds I got was surprising.

I was also expecting this clay like soap to just melt the moment steam in the shower began to heat it up. However it withstood the temperature and moisture so that was a plus.

The scent of the soap also didn’t get any more overpowering, and it actually seemed like the horrible baby powder scent had mellowed out; otherwise I may have been gagging. So that was another plus.

I also enjoyed how moisturizing and creamy the soap felt. So I can add another point on that note.

Even though the scent initially was awful, it actually turned out to be not so bad when used in the shower.
It was an okay experience, nothing to go nutty over, definitely not worth a re-order though.

ALL DRIED UP:

After drying off, I could still recognize the scent slightly lingering on me. It was not overpowering though, so I didn’t mind. I smelled clean, and I felt fresh, so I was happy.
My skin also felt moisturized afterwards, and I didn’t have to apply any lotion to my body.

I just wish the scent were more to my liking otherwise I’d say it preformed wonderfully. However it just was not my cup of tea.

WHERE DO I GET IT?

You can order Gratuitous Violets at either the online store at www.LUSH.com, or you can find it at any local LUSH store.
If possible go to the store, shipping charges on the site are way too expensive. Like I said before it will cost you $7.25 for a 3.5oz bar. Throw in ridiculously high shipping charges ($8.26 for ground) and you have a really expensive bar of soap. What really ‘stinks’ is that it’s $8.26 no matter how many items you buy. So one bar will cost you the same as 10 bars for shipping. Something rubs me really wrong about that!

WHAT MAKES IT SO STINKY?

Ingredients: Sweet Violet Leaf Infusion (Viola Odorata), Propylene Glycol, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Perfume, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Titanium Dioxide, Cananga Oil (Cananga odorata), Violet Leaf Absolute (Viola odorata), Cedarwood Oil (Cedrus atlantica), Sodium Chloride, Glycerine, EDTA, Tetrasodium Editronate, Isoeugenol, D&C Red No. 33, FD&C Blue No. 1,

LUSH TIP- Store your soaps in a cool place, such as the refrigerator. If LUSH soaps are left in the shower or in warm areas, you run the risk of having the bar melt on you. Not fun!

OVERALL:

I liked how it made my skin feel soft after using it; I also liked the lather I got out of the soap. However I was not overly fond of the smell.

RECOMMENDATION:

I would recommend Gratuitous Violets yes, if you enjoy the smell of baby powder and rotten flowers (some people are weird like that). The soap itself does my skin justice so I would recommend it for making my skin feel softer and moisturized. It’s nothing to go gaga over though, and the price is a little too expensive for temporarily softer skin, and good shower suds.