I have to confess that I'm not really sure how to categorize this review. Once again, Lush — creator of powdered toothpaste and solid bath gel — has gotten very creative with its product formulations. Right now I'm mystified and charmed by its new "wash cards." I happened across these clever little inventions when I was browsing the Lush website and noting the addition of several new perfumes. I was pondering my next opportunity to get to a Lush store to try them, and wondering whether my local Lush would even carry the full line, and then I noticed the wash cards and ordered a few.
So what are they? Each wash card is a flat rectangle, measuring about one inch by three inches, made from a mix of apple pulp and cellulose fibers. Each card is infused with a detergent ingredient (sodium lauryl sulfate) and fragrance, so that it serves as a "perfume tester to go" (according to Lush) as well as a very skinny soap. The card can be sniffed dry — they're very well-fragranced — and when it's wet, it releases a scented lather too. I'm guessing that wash cards help to side-step the challenges of stocking and shipping sample vials of liquid perfume (fragile and flammable!), while also staying consistent with Lush's image as a colorful soapmaker.
I've been trying four different wash cards in rotation over the past week, and it's been a fun way to sample four new scents while keeping my hands nice and clean at this germy time of year. What Would Love Do? is a green card, and mine has a few apple seed shards visible in the card's surface, which is kind of neat. This fragrance is a cozy blend of lavender and tonka bean, sweet and soothing. If you like Lush's Twilight shower gel or Sleepy lotion, you'll like (or love, hah) What Would Love Do?.
I'm Home (a light brown card) turns out to be another comfy fragrance. It smells like a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream with caramel and chocolate sauce drizzled on top, and although I'm not as much of a gourmand fan as I used to be, it made my mouth water. If you've enjoyed Lush's Honey I Washed the Kids soap or It's Raining Men shower gel in the past, you'll probably have the same response to I'm Home. And, also in the food-inspired category, there's Cardamom Coffee (a dark brown card), an earthier scent that really does evoke Turkish coffee with cardamom and just a little bit of sugar.
Lastly, I was looking forward to trying Amelie Mae, since it sounds like the little sister to Imogen Rose, an old favorite of mine. This is a rosy-pink card, and it emits a happy, girlish blend of rose, sugared red berries and ylang ylang. It actually reminds me more of Snow Fairy crossed with Rose Jam than Imogen Rose, which is just fine. Now I really want to try the actual Amelie Mae perfume.
These cards are good introductions to the new Lush fragrances, but I do still feel like I need to try the perfumes to find out how they'll unfold and endure on my skin. If you're wondering how long they last, I can tell you that I've tested some of them for five hand-washes and they're still going strong. The card doesn't disintegrate; instead, it gradually loses its lather and scent, at which point you can dispose of it. I've also realized that an unused wash card would do an excellent job of scenting a dresser drawer, desk drawer or closet shelf.
If you've already been lucky enough to try the new Lush perfumes in person, let us know what you thought in the comments! And if you're looking for a way to sample them without making a trip to a Lush store, consider adding a wash card to your next order of bath bombs and skincare. I only wish I'd tried these earlier so that I could have recommended them as holiday stocking-stuffers!
Lush Wash Cards in What Would Love Do?, I'm Home, Cardamom Coffee, Amelie Mae and other scents are available for $1.95 each. They are available through Lush stores and the Lush website.
It sounds to me like the cards may be a good way to carry individual use soaps while travelling (like through airports) or a way to semi clean hands where sinks are in short supply. Do you think these would be good for that?
I really wish that there were nice smelling disposable wipes for this purpose. These sound like you need water, which works against the convenience for me. Does anyone know of such a thing? Most wipes make me queasy with their chemically smells.
I do love Herban Essentials wipes, and I know Robin does, too! I don’t know whether they clean/disinfect quite as well as soap, but they definitely make me feel fresher and happier when use them on my hands, arms, legs, back of neck, etc.
Hi Dilana! Yes, you could definitely keep one of these in a handbag or tote — they come wrapped in clear cellophane. The only problem would be that they need to dry out and stiffen before can you use them properly again. So you could put it back in the cello and then let it air-dry when you have a chance somewhere…?
I tried some of the perfumes (don’t want to make you jealous, but I have two Lush shops at walking distance from work!). I bought the Amelie Mae solid. Nice full jammy rose to me. The solid doesn’t project well, but I found the eau de parfum too overwhelming. A product in between would be perfect for me.
I tried Cardamom Coffee the same way, and had a similar reaction..the solid I could hardly smell and the liquid was a bit too strong and I found it a bit cloying after a few minutes. I liked it in theory but a goldilocks version would be just right! The cards are a cool idea, though, I might get a few just for fun.
Hm, interesting! My local Lush didn’t have any of them new scents last week, but maybe I’ll stop by again after Christmas. I liked the jamminess of Amelie Rose, too!
The cards *are* fun, and a good way of getting a “ballpark” idea about the fragrances. The price is right, so even if you don’t like the scent enough to pursue the perfume, you’ll still have hand soap for a few days!
Loving gourmands, I blind purchased both I’m Home and Cardamom Coffee liquid perfumes the moment they were available (wanted Amelie Mae too but it wasn’t available).
Unfortunately, both were scrubbers for me. On my skin, I’m Home was very artificial and “sweet melted plastic” while Cardamom Coffee was just sharp, green cardamom with a “burnt” background of some sort. I had to return both… I would suggest trying them out in person. Reading reviews though I think they work for a lot of people.
Amelie Mae sounds good. I will try it next time I pass by a Lush.
Oh no!! Now I’m glad I didn’t blind-buy the actual perfumes. I’ve been tempted!
I tried the Amelie Rose edp today, it’s lovely, the violet is very pronounced on my skin, and the Rose nice and jammy. Good projection &lasting power too!
What a clever, innovative product! I love the suggestion of using a wash card to scent a drawer.