Stagger into the store!
Aqua Mirabilis started out as a Luxury Bath Melt which was discontinued and then reformulated to become a “Body Butter” in spring
2004. And personally, I believe that was a smart move, as the old Aqua Mirabilis was
too bloody small!  Plus, I also believe the “new”
scent is far more delicious, with Lush having replaced apricot kernel oil with almond butter. Now a slightly sweeter, nuttier scent, the
new Aqua Mirabilis is a lavish body exfoliant packed with skin-nourishing cocoa & almond butters, while ground almond shells give
you the tastily textured illusion of scrubbing your body with the crumbs of McVities' Digestive biscuits. (Yum!) This makes for an
exquisite weekly body treatment, and while it can be used in the shower, it's not to be confused with soap (so don't get miffed when it
doesn't give you a great deal of lather. It's not supposed to!) I highly recommend first showering & shaving with Lush's almond
Snowcake, toffee Honey I Washed The Kids, or hazelnut Utterly Nutterly soap to prep your skin before breaking out this cookies and
cream scrub. And while Aqua Mirabilis is a spa-quality body buffer, I've found that this "body butter" is
not quite an all-in-one
moisturizing product, despite its indeed being filled to the brim with "butters." Therefore, those with slightly drier skin might wish to
follow up with either the sweet, vanilla-scented Sympathy for the Skin or a honey-toffee Soft Coeur full-body massage to enhance the
naturally delish, skin-smoothing effects of Lush's (new & fragrantly improved) Aqua Mirabilis.
Now, as you’ve possibly already read, I have declared King Of Skin body butter “one of THE best firming & toning body treatments
available on the market.” And I stand by that as far as basic tonifying oils go, particularly ones that can be used on a daily basis for
overall intensive moisturizing. Buffy, on the other hand, is more of a 2-in-one product for
weekly use: it not only contains King Of Skin’s
base of elasticity-promoting cocoa and shea butters (especially good if you’re pregnant or losing weight and wish to give skin a
nourishing, elastic boost), but it additionally packs an exfoliating punch the power of which has never before been witnessed by mortal
man! Lush decided to go for broke with this body scrub; where most of Lush’s scrubs contain
one exfoliating ingredient, Buffy contains
three: ground rice, almonds, and aduki beans. And all of this is set off with the gorgeous fragrance of calming, rebalancing lavender
and rejuvenating, toning lemon oil. After a scrub with this spa day in a bar, slackening skin is firmed, stretch marks and cellulite feel
smoothed, the most horridly dry, hardened heels are softened, and all of these effects stay with you for several days as opposed to
being a simple flash in the pan. To use Buffy, shower with regular soap (remember that Buffy isn’t a soap, it’s a conditioning
treatment), rinse, then rub this body butter all over, focusing on areas which are plagued by dryness, cellulite, or slackening. Rinse
thoroughly to remove the exfoliating grains, pat dry with a fluffy towel, and don’t even
think about applying a body lotion, as Buffy already
did the work for you (and then some). Those with dry skin will likely wish to slay their backsides (and everything else) on a weekly
basis, using this as their sole exfoliator for
the rest of their flippin’ lives; those with oilier skin may prefer to set Buffy aside as their
monthly skin conditioning treatment (and they’ll want to use Buffy particularly sparingly, as this oil-rich product can otherwise be far too
overwhelming, especially for problem skin). Unless you’re an evil scrub demon who requires interventions (that often turn violent) to
grab body butters out of your greedy hands before you addictively use the whole bar in one go, the smaller 100g bar of Buffy
should
provide you with
at least 4 full body treatments: that’s under $2 per week for what could otherwise be $150 spent at a spa for similar,
but no doubt inferior, professional firming body treatments. (And who could afford to go to a spa on a weekly basis bar for A-list
celebrities? I ask you…)
(Discontinued and redesigned in Spring 2004) – King Of Skin was launched in Autumn 2001 as "The New New Thing".  Listed simply
as a "Skin Conditioner", it was shaped like an (oft gold-dusted) crown
.  Meant to be applied to damp skin as a toning post-shower
treatment, its long list of ingredients and the wide range of intensive skin care effects they covered were overwhelming: softening
bananas, deep-conditioning shea, coconut, and almond butters, tonifying tangerine, nourishing Vitamin-E rich avocado, complexion
evening oatmeal, balancing lavender & rose, calming jojoba, frankincense, & sandalwood (which also helps to relieve the redness
and cracking that comes with conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.)  But in Spring 2004,  Lush introduced their line of square-
shaped "Body Butters," a range of intensive body treatments that happened to serve similar overall "skin conditioning" purposes.  It
was then that King Of Skin lost his crown, being redesigned to fit in with the simpler, duller-looking, but more practical style of the other
"Body Butters." At the same time, Lush completely changed its recipe to match the fragrance and skin care benefits offered by Dream
Cream Body Lotion and Dreamwash Smoothie, an altogether different formula consisting primarily of lavender, rose, and chamomile.  
Lushies the world over were quick to loudly complain, so Lush restored the original recipe -- bar for frankincense (also known as
olibanum), which, to this day, continues to be replaced by herbal chamomile.  Personally, while I tend to miss the creative crown
design (though it was prone to getting squished -- even on the store shelves, and especially in warmer weather), I can appreciate the
subtle replacement of  sweet, gummy frankincense, which added a mildly cloying edge when met with nectareous tangerine and over-
ripe bananas.  But truly, the current King Of Skin's fragrance (a review of which can be found below, complete with application and
usage advice) is only ever so slightly different, while the incomparable skin care benefits are identical.
King Of Skin, which used to be shaped like a gold-dusted crown (see the above review), is one of THE best firming & toning body
treatments available on the market (and I’ve pretty much tried them all.) The long list of ingredients and the wide range of intensive skin
care effects they cover are overwhelming: softening bananas, deep-conditioning shea, coconut, and almond butters, tonifying
tangerine, nourishing Vitamin-E rich avocado, complexion evening oatmeal, balancing lavender & rose, and calming jojoba,
chamomile, & sandalwood (which also helps to relieve the redness and cracking that comes with conditions such as eczema and
psoriasis.) Yes, King Of Skin does it ALL, baby, and EVERY skin type will benefit. (If you have oily skin, don’t overdo application and you
will find the finish smooth rather than greasy.) I recommend applying King Of Skin directly to damp skin after showering (I like to use
the complimentary banana-scented Gumback Express Smoothie shower soap beforehand), massage your entire body, then blast
your bod with a showering of toning, pore-closing cold water before
lightly patting yourself dry with a fluffy towel. (I got the cold water
idea from
Clarins’ Huile Tonic application instructions—a body firming oil which used to be my crown jewel until I discovered King Of
Skin.) The only downside is that King Of Skin
can occasionally smell overbearingly odd in the shower: the culprit is earthy oatmeal’s
interaction with so many aromatic genres (fruits, flowers, herbs, spices, and woods) at once. But as oatmeal finds its comfort zone, it
leaves a deliciously light fragrance alongside banana and tangerine. Do note, however, that when Lush launched this restyled
rectangular version of Kind Of Skin, they had initially changed its fragrance to the point of no longer being recognizable:  it's overall
scent and skin care benefits were altered to fall in line with that of Lush's Dream Cream Body Lotion, Dream Wash Smoothie, and In
The Nude Bath Melt -- their line of sensitive skin cures.  So be sure you get the tangerine & oatmeal recipe, which they quickly reverted
back to (for the most part -- again, see the review of the original King Of Skin above for more information) at the demand of hostile,
torch-carrying mobs.  Otherwise, you’ll be wondering what my nose was on about when I wrote this review!
Someone on the Lush North America forum once opened a thread that declared Schnuggle Shower Bar "revolutionary," and I
absolutely agree!  Similar to a Body Butter but with specific aromatherapeutic properties, Schnuggle is intended for use on damp skin
in a pre-bedtime shower.  And in fact, the recipe for this Shower Bar is quite similar to that of Dreamtime Bath Melt, though Schnuggle
tends to lay the soothe of sedative lavender on with a bit more "oomph".  This is important to note, because both Schnuggle and
Dreamtime contain stimulating, zingy ginger oil which, though warming, can also have a bit of a wakey-wakey effect on the nervous
system.  In Dreamtime, ginger's natural aromatherapeutic properties can often get in the way of sending you to sleep, but not so in
Schnuggle's case, where the aroma is all lavender all the time with only a trace of sandalwood, chamomile, and jasmine being
detected in the overall fragrance.  Insomniacs will not only find it hard to resist Schnuggle's miraculous ability to quiet the mind and
magically prepare you for a snuggly slumber, but they will also find themselves quickly becoming addicted to this Shower Bar's effect
on the skin as deep conditioning cocoa butter penetrates and nourishes, leaving skin baby soft with a fresh, powdery finish unlike the
oilier residue associated with many of Lush's Body Butters. (This is owed to Schnuggle's containing cornstarch and kaolin -- also
known as china clay -- which are most often found in dusting powders.)  My suggestion for the perfect bedtime regimen (especially
when jet lag is involved) is to light a lavender candle in your bedroom and then make yourself a cup of herbal lavender tea.  Breathe
and calmly reflect on each blessing in your life (as opposed to worrying, which is the tendency of most insomniacs!)  After your tea,
step into a comfortably hot shower for a combination hydrotherapy and aromatherapy treatment with your bar of Schnuggle, whose
slow-melting oils (much slower than most body butters which makes it quite economical) will instantly soften in the water's warmth.  
Rub this Shower Bar all over your body, effectively giving yourself a slow, soothing, muscle relaxing full body massage, while deeply
breathing in its tranquil lavender lusciousness.  Lightly rinse any excess oils and then gently pat your body dry.  Glide into the bedroom
feeling like a pampered goddess, blow out your sleepy time candle, and then snuggle up under mounds of cozy blankets (preferably
with your most loyal teddy bear).  You'll fall asleep in no time at all, feeling like a million bucks all the while. Because it's so kind to both
mind and body, even those who generally have no patience for nighttime beauty regimens will deem it neigh on impossible to go to
bed without first taking a Schnuggle shower -- once you get a taste of the "schnuggly" life, you just won't feel "right" without it!
The cocoa, shea, and coconut butter based Soft Touch is a Body Butter specifically intended for your hands -- the first body part to
show signs of aging.  (And
no oneis safe from this fact:  heck, I've even seen Madonna up close, in person, and she's positively
ageless but for her hands and feet!)  As an intensive night treatment, The Soft Touch is the most effective I've found yet.  (It works just
as well as an intensive daytime treatment, as long as you apply it sparingly and don't wrongly expect it to act as a simple hand lotion.  
Remember, this is a super rich
butter!)  Beeswax, soy oil, and cleavers cause callouses to quickly vanish, anti-oxidant rich wheatgerm
and mangoes smooth fine lines from the first signs of aging, cuticles are softened, nutritive horsetail hardens nails while fresh
lemons give them a glowing shine, and avocado and lanolin rehydrate skin to the max.  And on top of those primary benefits are the
aromatherapeutic advantages:  with the tropical sweetness of mango and coconut butter is orange scented anti-depressant neroli
combined with an absolute
shedload of soothing vanilla, all topped off with spicy, warming, peppery cardamom.  Some might find this
fragrance a bit sickly because of how universally powerful and enduring it is.  (And I must confess that when I wear it to bed, I can
hardly sleep because my brain becomes completely distracted by this potent perfume, which manages to be just as mindblowing
come dawn as it was at dusk!)  If Lush could simply turn down the aromatic volume just a tad, maybe this scent wouldn't be so difficult
for so many people to get used to.  I think The Soft Touch is owed that much, especially since it works such wondrous wonders on
hands (and feet!) to the point where everyone should feel able to call this product an essential skincare staple.
You Snap The Whip is an intense, body scrubbing Body Butter with the deliciously sweet fragrance of blackcurrant cordials. And unlike
the similarly scented Cherie Ripe Massage Bar and Skin Sin Body Lotion, there isn’t a single note that gets in the way of its full-on
berry-liciousness. You Snap The Whip contains mega-exfoliating pumice and ground charcoal, giving you a rough and rugged full-
body exfoliation. But it’s precisely the latter ingredient which gives this Body Butter its purple-black hue, certain to make an absolute
mess of your shower (and soap dishes and shower caddies, and whatever else it comes in contact with – either directly or indirectly –
whilst wet. And though I’ve yet to witness such a thing, some people even claim to have wound up with charcoal stained skin, too!) You
Snap The Whip is the boldest, mightiest exfoliant of the lot; with a lighter base of cocoa butter and macadamia oil, it contains more
scrub than it does “butter.” This gives it a bit more “grit”, yet it also causes it to not only be less moisturizing than some of the other
Body Butters, but also far quicker to melt away into nothingness. Everyone – especially notorious scrub meisters – will have to be
super sparing if they want to get more than 2 full-body treatments from a single bar. (In which case, you’ll still only manage to get 3
treatments
maximum.) If you’re looking to get a bit more bang (and less mess) for your buck, unless you have oily skin and actually
prefer less moisturization, I’d recommend Buffy The Backside Slayer for an all-inclusive, spa-worthy, exfoliating/conditioning treatment,
despite the lure of You Snap The Whip’s addictive fragrance.