Going Ape over Lush Gorilla perfumes!
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photos: we heart this
If olfactory nirvana could be a place, it would be a Lush store. The fragrance of the hundreds of products wafts out through the doors, entices you, envelops you, and pulls you into an explosion of scents. Every time I go into my local Lush, I feel compelled to smell every single fresh, handmade product, even if I’d already smelled them all dozens of times before. The complexity and variety of the scents in Lush products is what makes them so great. And their Gorilla perfume collection is no exception.
The bold and unusual fragrances stimulate your senses in unexpected ways. Mark Constantine, perfumer for Lush, emphasizes, “Perfume is the point…We are an antidote to boring mass-market scents and a movement to get people excited about good quality perfume.”
The we heart this team had the opportunity to try three of the Lush Gorilla Perfumes: Orange Blossom, Lust and Breath of God ($13.95 – 15.95 each, 0.3 oz). Lust is a concentrated jasmine fragrance, Breath of God is a mixture of fresh and airy notes and smoky undertones, and Orange Blossom is the scent of an orange grove on a sunny day.
I was excited to receive the Orange Blossom spray. The sleek black packaging was subtle and unassuming, and lets the fragrance do the talking. Upon first spray, it was STRONG. Some of the fragrance dissipated after a moment or two, and it dried down to an intense sweet floral mixture, with just a hint of honey, but no citrus notes (who knew, orange blossoms don’t really smell much like oranges). It smelled very clean, a bit like a floral scented soap, and a bit like spray-on sunscreen. It remained quite strong for a couple of hours.
Additionally, these fragrances are vegetarian, not tested on animals (they use human volunteers instead), have minimal packaging to preserve the environment and are made with ethically sourced ingredients.
Pros:
• Affordable
• Portable
• Concentrated formula
• You’re buying from a company with great ethics
Cons:
• Overwhelmingly strong at first
If you’re a Lush fan, or a perfumista–these are absolutely worth giving a try! we heartsters, beat your chest if you love Lush (that means leave a comment…)
Marilyn is a makeup maniac and slow but stubborn runner. She loves color coding her day planner, reading celebrity gossip and drinking good wine. Marilyn blogs about makeup and fitness over at her blog, Lipgloss and Spandex.
Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.
I am not surprised to hear that this was initially strong. Lush uses such high quality natural ingredients that they usually pack a punch! But I do find that if you hang in there it subsides and the pay off is big. I love LUSH!! They are an amazing company. I will absolutely check this scent out soon. Great review!!
Yes, Kellie, their ingredients are just fabulous. You can tell that they came from nature–not manufactured in a lab. For the Orange Blossom fragrance in particular, one spray will do ya! Which also means one tube will last awhile.
I am a huge Lush fan. I am not even allowed to walk in their store lest I spend hours just sniffing everything.
I bought a sampler pack of the Gorilla perfumes when they first came out and I loved them. (Karma, Lust and Orange Blossom were my faves.) They definitely are strong and they do NOT play around with the scents. This is more up the alley of a BPAL fan than someone who shops mostly at Bath and Body Works for their scents. (They’re more comperable to BPAL’s heavy throw.)
DEFINITELY check these out, ladies! If you have a Lush store, head to the mall, use a tester and then walk around for a bit and see if it works for you. I KNOW you won’t be disappointed…
I agree, @lyssachelle, these aren’t like Bath & Body Works type scents. They’re definitely natural, strong, unique fragrances.
I received Breath of God! First thing, I love the small size of this. It makes it easy to store in my overflowing medicine cabinet (which holds only one box of actual medicine).
Breath of God is a musky, masculine scent to me. I wouldn’t however call this a guy’s cologne though. It comes across as more unisex and complex. With sandalwood it reminds me of what good incense should smell like, with air mixed in to not make it overpowering. I have to admit it’s a difficult scent to explain.
I’d love to try the orange blossom one, I love anything citrus.
Great review Marilyn! It is so ironic that Orange Blossoms do not smell like citrus! (Why as consumers do we always make these assumptions? Are we brainwashed?) Lush is a quality stuff . . . I am going to check these out.
I’ve tried to get into my local Lush store to sniff out the various Gorilla Perfumes, but my social anxiety can’t take it, hahah! (My local Lush has *very* helpful sales associates. I’ll say “just looking,” but as soon as I pick anything up to smell it they’re right there chatting and trying to touch me. I know it’s just their attempt at good customer service, and they’re doing a great job, but I get freaked out and have to leave. Too much sensory overload with the strong scents in the store!) Thanks for the wonderful descriptions, it gives me a much better idea of what I can be looking for when I get the guts up to actually stay in the store!
Aww, I’m sorry the associates are so overbearing at your local LUSH store :( The one that I go to is pretty good.
Ha, @mandaleem – “my” Lush has super-touchy salespeople, too. Once, a sales associate pulled me into a full-body embrace! It made me laugh.
@lipglossandspandex – Orange Blossom sounds fabulous. I’m going to try it the next time I’m out shopping.
I received Lust and I pretty much wear it every single day! And whoooo-boy they aren’t playing around with their scents. This was INTENSE, but intense in a really amazing way. There is no hiding that this is pure jasmine! Which is fantastic because I’ve always loved the smell of jasmine.
It starts out pretty sharp at first, then mellows to a really deep, heady, earthy floral scent while still remaining pretty bold for a long time. The Lush website describes it perfectly: “powerfully sensual, dirty jasmine perfume that stirs a primal yearning.” Lust is obviously the best name they could have chosen for this scent. So sexy and very fitting for hot summer weather.
I’ve been very impressed with other Lush products, but this is by far one of the most stand out ones for me. This definitely gets 5 stars from me!!
I’m a little obsessed with LUSH. The Orange Blossom fragrance is a great clean/lightly floral scent that’s very wearable. As I mentioned, a little goes a long way with that particular scent, although it doesn’t become unbearable. I love the packaging–it’s a very convenient size and it looks nice. As someone who changes up their fragrance fairly often, it’s nice that very reasonably priced (so I can buy all of them)! My only complaint is that the name of the fragrance isn’t printed directly onto the packaging–it’s only on the little strip of paper around the neck of the tube.
I liked this product so much that I went to my local LUSH to smell all of the scents, and buy more! I purchased Vanillary, and love how it smells like REAL vanilla. I was so excited to find another awesome fragrance! This scent is a little more mild, so I go with two spritzes of fragrance.
Overall, I give this product 5 stars. I highly recommend trying out all of their scents, because I’m pretty sure you’ll find at least one that knocks your socks off. :)
I went to an event for these perfumes when they originally released. I love Orange Blossom and Lust! The solid perfume sticks are really awesome and affordable too. Some are very strong and hard to wear but I think for the most part they are pretty awesome :)
I bought the sample set they had on sale about 6 months ago, and I love it. I wear their Tuca Tuca at least twice a week, and I love to mix it with Orange Blossom or Imogen Rose. The best part of Lush perfumes is that they are made to mix and match!
Went to a Gorilla Launch event in NYC last year and fell in love with the scents, and the creative way the event was set up, it was really interactive and fun, my favorites are tuca tuca and lust! And the scented candles are absolutely divine. Funny, I’m asthmatic and sensitive to some perfumes, and I don’t find them overwhelming or too strong at all….