Lush Reviews

LUSH Face Mask Catastrophe Cosmetic

After a very long time, I had five empty Lush pots. You know what that means – I can claim a free face mask, woo! It has been a while since I’ve had any new Lush products, so as soon as there was a good time I headed over to get it and this time I picked Catastrophe Cosmetic, one I have never used before.

As with all Lush face masks, it will need to be kept in the fridge and used with 28 days. Use a generous amount and put onto clean skin for 10-15 minutes before washing off. The clay-like mask itself is a grey/blueish colour which is thanks to the main ingredient; blueberries which are full of antioxidants. The other main ingredients are calamine powder and chamomile blue oil. I have tried other face masks like Don’t Look At Me and Rosy Cheeks and I remember in particular Don’t Look At Me having a really positive effect on my skin.

Catastrophe Cosmetic is very soothing when applied and with having the bits of blueberries, it adds to that natural vibe Lush is so known for. It also smells sweet and gorgeous which lasts as you wear it. You can feel it tighten on your skin but not too much. The main drawback I would have would be the consistency of the mask, it is very thick and clumps can get a bit stuck on your fingers as it dries while applying. It’s a mask that is suitable for anyone really no matter your skin type. Ultimately, I don’t think this is my favourite compared to some of the others and I would be inclined to try other Lush face masks first before coming back to this one but it is not bad at all.

LUSH X ASOS Exclusive Bath Bomb Duo Set

Following a collaboration between the two companies, certain Lush products are available for purchase on the ASOS website. One of which is the bath bomb duo set which is exclusive to it. It comprises of two bath bombs – Intergalatic which is a predominately bright blue bath bomb and White Noise, a bath bomb that is more of a lighter grey/blue colour. Intergalactic contains peppermint oil, grapefruit oil, vetivert oil and cedarwood oil. I would say it’s the more striking of the two based on colour alone. White Noise contains cedar wood, sicilian red mandarin oil and patchouli oil.

The Intergalactic bath bomb was a lot more colourful and turned the water into a bright blue colour, with glitter visible. While the bomb is fizzing away there were lighter blues, pinks and purple colours which looked really pretty. It also smells really nice, as Lush products tend to be! Out of the two, this one was definitely my favourite and it was the one I went for first. It’s a good contrast to the White Noise bath bomb as it’s louder in presence but the White Noise bath bomb is a bit calmer. Visually, it isn’t as much to look at it, it turned the water into a predominantly grey colour although like the Intergalactic bath bomb, it made the water glittery which is always nice.

It has been a while since I’ve had a Lush bath bomb so it was a welcome treat. It made for a couple of very relaxing baths and like the above face mask, I didn’t pay for this one either as it was gifted. I definitely want to go to Lush at some point in the near future and treat myself to a few new things because unfortunately one side-effect of enjoying these products is that I no longer have them!

Mini Skincare Reviews

It has been a long time since I last discussed anything skincare related on this blog. Given that I now have more free time on my hands, I thought it would be fun to pick a few things out that I am currently using and talk about them. I am by no means an expert, but as with everything on this blog, I do it for the fun!

There is a theme to this as well. All the products that I am discussing have all been gifted to me from friends from around Christmas and my birthday just gone. I want to show appreciation for them and as these are products that I haven’t bought myself, I think it makes it more interesting.

In uncertain times like this, I think self-care is important for anybody and it can mean anything (ok, within reason) that helps your physical and mental wellbeing. I do enjoy skincare as a way of self-care as I really do like that fresh-faced feeling. It’s probably why I seldom wear makeup. Not that I don’t look after my skin normally, but I think lately I’ve been able to take a bit more care so my skin is feeling the best it has been for a while.

But anyway, here are five things that I have picked up to talk about today;

Magical Moringa Beauty Balm – Lush
This beauty balm creates a soft mattifying effect after each use. You take a little bit onto your finger, allow it to warm a bit and then apply after moisturising. If you are wearing makeup it helps keep it in place as a primer, but I tend to use this one daily as part of my routine without using any makeup afterwards. It definitely gives you that soft ‘finished’ feeling after use. Just make sure your face has been exfoliated as I have found a couple of times it if it isn’t then it can struggle to rub in properly and leave bits, so it may not be the best if you have dry skin. Having said that, recently I haven’t had this issue. Maybe it’s because I’ve been making a bit more of an effort recently. A plus point is also that because you don’t have to use much at a time, I can guarantee this will last a good while.

Ultra Violet Brightening Purple Clay Mask – Generation Clay
I mean with this one you had me at purple. In all seriousness, I really like this clay mask. Even though I’m only using a 15ml tube, this is still going to last me a while yet as you really don’t need to use a lot for full coverage. The downsides with a lot of face masks is that they can get rather messy, but this one is very easy to apply and only requires a thin layer. It dries very quick and gives you that nice tightening feeling which is only I can imagine botox to feel like (ha!). Very easy to wash off and leaves your skin feeling nice and clean! Thumbs up from me.

Let The Good Times Roll – Lush
This face and body cleanser smells so good and every time I use it I begin to feel hungry. No lie. Then again, in fairness some of the ingredients do include Popcorn and Cinnamon powder. To use it, you take a bit of the cleanser into your hand and add a little water to make it into a paste. I also love the texture of it before applying, it reminds me a bit of Play-Doh. If you have already splashed your face, you can put it straight on and rub it into your skin. As it’s fairly ‘fresh’, it doesn’t have a particularly long-lasting use by date so it is wise to start using once you get it. It leaves skin feeling clean and soft.

British Rose Exfoliating Gel Body Scrub – The Body Shop
First impression is the gorgeous smell that greets you as soon as you open the lid. I love the smell of roses and this says it is created with real rose petals and essence of hand-picked roses from Britain. Always good to know! The product itself is light and the granules are not harsh on the skin, making it easy to exfoliate. It leaves skin feeling soft and I always feel super fresh getting out the shower when I have also exfoliated and this was no exception. Did I mention the lovely scent?

Unicorn Lip Scrub – Lush
Now I love a good lip scrub and it’s even better when it’s filled with fruity flavours and colours! As with any other lip scrub, you put a bit on your finger, place it on your lips and buff away. For once, if you do fancy licking any of the excess then you actually can. In case you’re wondering, it tastes a bit like sherbet-y childhood sweets. The scrub itself is like sugar that’s bound together a bit more which makes it less messy. As somebody who is prone to getting dry lips at times, a product like this is brilliant. Then all you need to do is to put on your favourite lip balm afterwards to make your lips feel really moisturised.

Don’t Look At Me – Lush Face Mask Review

The mask in all its blue glory

As the bank holiday weekend draws to a close I wanted to treat myself earlier so I ended up buying a couple of things from Lush. Over the years, I have bought many things from Lush, but never any of their face masks and today I decided to finally buy one out of curiosity because with Lush products you can always tell the difference. And what an interesting name for a face mask that you will hope will make you want people look at you because your skin will obviously look so much better! I must admit more than the name the thing that attracted me to this face mask was the vivid blue colour of it. There were a couple of other masks there that I was deciding between but this one was definitely the most striking.

These face masks cost £7.25 each for a 75g pot and must be kept fresh in the fridge and used up within a few weeks. So not the cheapest or particularly long lasting, but good if you fancy treating yourself! My skin has been looking incredibly dull as of late and this one was recommended to me by the staff at Lush. I can see why by looking at the ingredients; for example, lemon juice is one of the ingredients and lemon is known for its brightening properties. This mask is rice based and it’s the crushed rice that is the exfoliator and so it doubles up as a scrub as well as a mask. Interestingly, looking at the ingredients there is also organic silken tofu listed which helps the mask to moisturise. I must admit I don’t think I’ve ever had a face mask where tofu is listed as an ingredient or even knew about its skincare benefits. I’ve learned something new today!

Looking like a Smurf for a bit

So, what is it like? Once I opened the pot the zingy and zesty scent of the lemon and grapefruit was very noticeable – but in a good way, it gave off a light and fresh feeling. The mask itself felt quite gritty because as mentioned it is an exfoliator based mask but the application is easy enough and starts to dry properly after about 10-15 minutes which is the recommended amount of time for leaving it on. I ended up running a few errands while it was drying so I left mine on for a bit longer but it doesn’t really matter. When taking the mask off the rice was fairly gentle and you can feel yourself buffing away all the dead skin cells which in turn also gives you a brighter complexion. I must admit though having the mask on itself looks quite funny – I look like a Smurf extra!

Straight away my skin felt a lot smoother, moisturised, cleansed and generally better in itself. Though I wouldn’t say I would have looked in the mirror and been shocked at the difference I can tell it has done it good. Despite the small pot and feeling like I generously put it on myself, I feel like there is still so much left so I am a little concerned as to how I am going to use this all up in time! This is mostly because I wouldn’t recommend using this any more than about once or twice a week because of how rich the ingredients are, but I’m sure it’ll get used somehow. I’m looking forward to seeing my skin improving even more and I think I will definitely try some of the other face masks Lush has to offer in the future.

DIY Green Tea Face Scrub

I love making DIY face masks and scrubs, I really do. It’s nice being able to quickly put something together just using things from your own kitchen. There are a few things in the kitchen that I call ‘key ingredients’ in terms of skincare, which is extra virgin olive oil (that is probably my number one thing), honey and brown sugar. They never fail to make my skin feel great and it only really takes a couple of minutes to put together. In addition, a quick tip with extra virgin olive oil; it is great for taking makeup off and it always moisturises your skin in the process instead of making it dry. Today, I want to take these things and add something else- green tea! Green Tea divides a lot of people but I honestly love it and I drink it pretty much every day. I am the only one in my office at work who likes it, but I’m glad I do because as much as I love ‘normal’ black tea, having several cups a day can’t be the best thing in the world.

Green Tea Scrub (which looks a bit like mint sauce!)

 

This green tea scrub is very simple to make, first off make a cup of green tea! Then while you’re waiting for that to be done, get some brown sugar in a small bowl as that’s going to be your exfoliator, then add in the extra virgin olive oil and honey, as they going to be your moisturisers and then I get my used green tea bag, open it up, put into the bowl and mix together. Then it’s time to put it on your face, use the sugar to buff away at the skin in circular motions, wash off with warm water and then use your favourite moisturiser. How much you put in of each ingredient though is up to you. A lot of the time, I use it when going in the shower so I use it for my whole body. But be warned, the green tea can make it quite messy in the shower so be careful with it otherwise there’ll be little bits everywhere! Additionally, if you don’t drink all the green tea that you made earlier, it can also work as a toner- another little tip there!

Looking good right? Maybe afterwards!

Green tea has many anti-aging properties which is why it’s so popular in beauty products, for example some moisturisers list green tea as an ingredient, not to mention if you go into somewhere like The Body Shop you’ll see green tea skin care sets (one of which I own and reviewed in a previous post!). It’s also good to just drink as when you’re healthy on the inside, that’ll reflect on the outside too. What makes this scrub great is that these items are full of antioxidants and work great together to leave you with healthy, rejuvenated skin.

While I’m not as healthy all the time as I would like to be, I honestly think doing these DIY scrubs and masks over the years and drinking green tea has helped my skin to stay in good condition. Don’t get me wrong, I do like using bought face scrubs/masks too, but I do like making my own where you know where all the ingredients have come from. I did a review of a sheet face mask not too long ago and I thought that was one of the best face masks I’ve used in a loooong time. I loved it so much I’ve bought two more of them as they were on offer and I can’t wait to try them out! Another benefit of making masks or scrubs yourself is that you can choose what goes into it. Plus green tea is just awesome, you know… I even own green tea perfume by Elizabeth Arden. Turns out green tea can make you smell good as well as look good!

Boots Ingredients Sheet Face Mask Review

Hello everyone!

It’s been a while since I’ve done any sort of reviews and I thought I’d do a little review of a sheet mask I just tried. As I said in my previous blog entry, I still do not have access to a fully functioning laptop, but I have borrowed one to type this teehee!

I’ve been interested in sheet face masks as they seem different and perhaps more efficient as they are less messy than the typical clay or mud based counterpart. I know they are very popular in Asian countries such as Korea and have now started to make their way here. I purchased the Boots Ingredients Lotus Flower and Tiger Lily Sheet Face Mask just by chance when I was on my lunch break at work. At £2.50 for one sheet per pack it isn’t the cheapest by any means but curiosity meant I had to give it a try. One thing I noticed on the packaging is that it says ‘Made in Korea’ which shows how important the emphasis is on acknowledging the fact it has come from Asia to ensure you’re getting a decent product.

Bit scary!

Putting the sheet mask itself on is a funny task, there are holes cut out for the eyes, nose and mouth and you have to adjust this accordingly with terrifying results! Some face masks can look a bit scary at the best of times but this one looks like it could be part of a Halloween costume, which is all part of the fun! You have to leave it on for roughly 15 minutes and you don’t need to wash it off after, which is what I love about it, you just massage any residue left into the skin. For once you don’t feel like you need to go to all the trouble of getting the bathroom sink messy and then having to moisturise your face after rinsing. Even when you’re done there’s still plenty of moisture in the sheet so I’d recommend keeping it scrunched up and just massage your face with it. Instantly, you can tell the difference with your skin, the mask is very hydrating and improves the appearance of the skin, instantly my skin feels smoother. There’s also quite a bit left in the packet itself that you can use too, maybe if you’re going for a bath or shower. I always find with face masks of any kind they always put more in the packet than you realise so you may as well make good use of it.

I think this sheet mask has definitely made me interested in trying more sheet masks in the future. I love the fact there’s not much mess and I do think that in Asia they do tend to be innovative and forward thinking with their beauty products and this isn’t an exception. I don’t especially have any complaints about it, perhaps it’d be nice if there were some better deals on it in store to make it easier to get more at a time without any big cost as the price for this would soon mount up. But overall, my skin right now feels the best it’s been in a while as it’s been feeling quite dull and not as good as it could be lately, which I’m sure is down to the cold winter months! I’d recommend a mask like this especially during these winter months when your skin might feel drier than usual just to give it a boost, oh and if you fancy giving whoever lives with you a fright!

Review: Simple Day Cream, Simple Illuminating Radiance Cream and Superdrug Chocolate Orange Mask

Lately I’ve started popping into Superdrug more and more, as I work in the Bullring there are many nearby shops which prove tempting but Superdrug is always the one that is nearby and one where you can pick up a few bargains! I especially love going in there before work when I have a spare five minutes or so and buying a few things, it makes me feel productive particularly because once I finish work I tend to just head straight to the train station. But anyway! Yesterday, I saw some Simple creams which caught my eye, partly because they are at half price at the moment and I also picked up a face mask because that was what I came in for. So how are they?

Little bit of buying before work

I’d been running out of general face cream so I decided to pick up the Simple Vital Vitamin Day Cream. I must admit I quite like it, it isn’t greasy as with other face creams I’ve used in the past and it absorbs easily. The consistency is light and it says that it has a SPF of 15 so that’s an added benefit there- especially if you’re like me and loathe sun cream- it makes you feel a little less guilty! At least if there’s a little bit of sun you know you have that protection (but of course do use sun cream if it is really sunny!!).

Here’s the pot of cream in all its glory…

The only downside is that most creams tend to have a protective cover of foil when you first purchase them but this one didn’t so when I opened it, it was a bit messy! What I like about Simple though is that their philosophy of not having any harsh chemicals in their products and more focus on important vitamins for the skin such as Vitamin E. It also makes this product suitable for both sensitive and non-sensitive skin, so essentially it makes it suitable for anyone. This is why there are several Simple products around my house such as the antibacterial hand wash and even shampoo/conditioner because it is a fairly reliable brand.

Aaaand here’s what it looks like without the lid. Creamy.

It says that it keeps skin hydrated for 12 hours and I find that it lasts personally and as long as you don’t have excessively dry skin it should be ok for throughout the day and then you can team it up with night cream before bed. I also tend to use this cream (or any face cream) with the Simple Kind to Eyes Soothing Eye Balm as it’s important to look after the eyes as well because the skin underneath our eyes are sensitive and our eyes are one of the most expressive parts of ourselves!

Next, I’ve never used Simple’s Illuminating Radiance Cream before but what first strikes me is the bottle itself suggests a serum but the actual product is a light moisturiser and I have to say it’s quite nice having a pump instead of having to dip your fingers into it as with the aforementioned regular day cream. Makes it seem a bit fancier! As with the day cream, this also has an SPF of 15 so you have a bit of added protection from the sun which is always a bonus.

Looks more like a serum bottle right?

When I looked at my skin after using it, I noticed little bits of glitter on my skin which I’m assuming is the ‘light reflecting minerals’ it describes, the key thing is that it’s certainly nice for a quick radiance boost. I don’t think I can notice any dramatic changes to my skin, but I can imagine this product would look really good during the summer months with the glitter particles (ahem, I mean light reflecting minerals…) reflecting from the sun. I try not to wear foundation day to day as I like to let my skin breathe, but I can definitely see this cream being less effective under the foundation.

So like I say, this product is best during the summer months which isn’t much use for me now as today is the beginning of October! Overall, it is very lightweight and keeps my skin feeling fresh and clean so it’s not too bad, it certainly does no harm anyway.

Then lastly… ahh, the Chocolate Orange Mask! To be honest as soon as I bought it I thought that I would have been better off going for one of the clay masks such as the Dead Sea Clay Mask because this runs into the same problems as the Sugar and Spice Self Heating Mask that I’ve tried before. Because it is self-heating too, it doesn’t actually dry and while it initially smells lovely and gives a comfortable warm feeling, it drips everywhere and even gets on your lips! Mmmm, nice. You actually feel like your face is melting, so while it does make your skin feel nicer after, I recommend using this one in the bath! A bonus to using it in the bath is then you know the rest of your body will benefit from it too.

So there are my little mini reviews, hope you enjoyed it! I’m especially pleased that I’ve managed to write all this while getting ready for work. It’s always good to have a productive start to the day!