Skinny Dip Buttercream

I had been waiting to try a Lush Buttercream since I had first read a review on their limited-edition Heavenly Bodies Buttercream. After having a look on Ebay, and realising how much Lush's limited edition products tend to sell for, I opted to wait until a Buttercream popped up onto the Lush Kitchen menu, so I could try out a fresh one for a more reasonable price.

Around a year ago, Lush Cosmetics decided to start up the Lush Kitchen to replace the 'retro' section of their old website. The Lush Kitchen is a project run by Lush to unearth long-ago products, and make fresh, limited-edition batches of them to offer customers who may not have shopped at Lush long enough to remember their old, discontinued products.

Personally, I think there is good and bad points to the Lush kitchen, but overall it is a nice way to have a chance to try something out that you may not have been able to buy before. The products are also at their peak of freshness- which is the best condition to use them in.

The problem that is caused by releasing limited amounts of products, is that there often isn't enough for everyone to buy-leading to lots of disappointed customers. As well as this, customers who do manage to buy something such as a limited-edition shampoo, might want to use it as part of their regular routine- which they can't do unless the Lush Kitchen decide to bring it back.

It is generally a total lottery what Lush decide to stock in the Kitchen range, so it is worth checking back every week when the new menu of products is put out.

Skinny Dip buttercream is a soft body soap that has been designed particularly for dry skin, as it's very hydrating and packed with tons of oils and butters to nourish and repair your skin while gently cleansing it. As the name suggests, this soap has a creamy and thick texture, which does replicate the popular cake frosting. Reading back on the history of this soap, it used to be sold in solid bar form, but Lush have changed the formula since then, and now the softer version is sold in 240g tubs.


The scent of Skinny Dip is not one I would usually go for, and if I had smelled it in the shop, I probably would have put it back on the shelf. It's packed with cloves, violet and vetivert oil, and these combined result in a very earthy, musky,  almost savoury fragrance. It's not too strong in the tub, but once used under the stream of water it becomes heady and possibly overwhelming for those who aren't fond of the scent. Personally, I didnt particularly like it, but I think fans of products such as Tramp shower gel might like this. It's also quite a manly scent, so I think it might be more popular among guys.

To use Lush's buttercreams, simply scoop a tablespoon-sized amount out and use it as you would a shower gel. Due to buttercream soap being packed with so many oils, it won't lather up like regular soap or shower gel. Some people might be ok with this, but I didn't feel completely clean using it by itself, so I topped up with some of Lush's Happy Hippy shower gel afterwards. However, after using this, I still found the strong clove smell of Skinny Dip lingered on my skin for a while. If you are a fan of the smell of Skinny Dip Buttercream, the longevity of the scent could be seen as a positive, but as I didn't like it, it was personally a negative for me.

Saying this, my skin did feel softer, though not as baby-soft had I just used my regular shower gel and topped my skin with a massage bar afterwards, which is what I do regularly. I feel that the buttercream would be a good option if you are pressed for time and is an ideal in-shower body moisturiser. But if you do have the time, using a proper lotion or massage bar afterwards is what I would prefer to do.

Although I personally wouldn't buy this variety of Lush Buttercream again, I am still eager to try their Heavenly bodies version, and am keeping my eyes peeled in the kitchen for them to make a reappearance. For those who enjoy earthy and woody scents, I would recommend Skinny dip buttercream, but for me, I won't be trying it again.

4/10