I use Lush soaps as hand soap as I prefer to use shower gels in the shower. I'd started to build up quite a collection of soaps from various Lush gift boxes so I decided to give up liquid hand soap in favour of solid soaps. The best thing about this has been that the persistent patch of dermatitis on my little finger is finally gone! (I also highly recommend Lush's Handygurugu hand cream for this too) The other bonus is that Lush soaps make the bathroom smell amazing!
This has a subtle scent compared to some Lush soaps and not really that fruity. The soap itself has sultanas embedded into the top of it. Now these are a real nuisance and really serve no purpose at all. They are plump so don't exfoliate at all and make a real mess in the basin. I have drains that block easily so I ended up picking the loose ones off before I had to pick them out of the drain.
This is also quite a soft soap so it needs to be away from moisture on a well draining soap dish (my search for the perfect soap dish is eternal!) Otherwise it will turn to mush. It also makes a mess of the soap dish.
Overall, this is pleasant but a bit messy to use as leaves my skin really smooth an not dried out like some soaps.
I got this in a gift box from Lush (which I bought for myself, because why not!) which had a decent piece of this soap and a small Ro's Argan Body Conditioner in it for a very reasonable price of $14.95. It wasn't actually a soap I was particularly keen to try but all Lush is good Lush, so when my piece of Honey, I Washed the Kids ran out I popped this into my soap dish to give it a go.
Note: I only use soap in the shower to wash my hands, so this soap hasn't been used on anything other than my hands.
Sultana of Soap is way softer than pretty much any of the other Lush soaps I have tried. The huge looking piece has lasted less time than smaller, harder pieces of soap - something to consider if you're shopping on a budget.
The soap is a creamy 'vanilla' off white, with teeny dark flecks, which I'm assuming are the sultanas. Scent wise, it reminds me a lot of an item my Nana used to bake a lot: Eccles Cakes. In easier to understand terms, it's a sweet, slightly spiced scent that is warm, rich and pleasant. I really like the scent of this soap!
The lather is super creamy, and more hydrating than I was expecting. I don't really find that my hands dry out or feel tight after being cleaned with this soap - I do admittedly slather myself in lotion post shower, but until that point my hands are feeling nice regardless.
I would recommend this as a soap for people who aren't all about the super strong scents - it's one of the few I think my Mum would like :) My hesitation in giving this product 5 kisses comes in with the fact that it does melt/get used up really, really quickly.
Tips: Lush gift sets are a great way of trying out new Lush products - but as always if you can make it into a Lush store you can always ask them to slice off a few days worth of soap for you as a sample -they're amazingly generous in this way.