lush is love

Lush uses "fresh, organic fruit and vegetables, the finest essential oils and safe synthetics" to make their products. Adapted from their website: "We invent our own products and fragrances; we make them fresh by hand using little or no preservative or packaging, using only vegetarian ingredients and tell you when they were made." 

I was introduced to this brand by my best friend. She got a tub of angels on bare skin for me from Australia.

"Angelic, medieval cleansing wash with rose and lavender. Angels on Bare Skin is the Lush version of an expensive medieval skincare recipe. Rare, precious essential oils were first brought to Europe by the crusaders who encountered Arabian medicine. The church immediately banned them because their ability to alter states of mind was considered the devil’s work! But the final result was Cosmetics 1, Church 0. Rose oil and lavender oil were discovered to do wonderful things for the skin, too. Almost a thousand years later, you’d be hard pressed to find a better all round cleanser and exfoliator than Angels." 

Initially, I could not accept it because of the strong lavender scent; I do not like lavender. After a few use, it became less "pungent" and I could use it without feeling grossed out. The texture is very different from the normal cleanser that comes in a tube or bottle form. It is like a paste, more towards a scrub-like texture, but not so rough. The lavender flowers act as an exfoliator which gently remove make up and dead skin. The essential oils (lavender, rose, camomile & tagetes) help to retain moisture in the skin. My skin feels smooth and clean after usage and I'm beginning to love the scent. I find that it is nourishing enough that I do not have to apply toner and moisturiser after washing (ok, I was lazy too). 

My friend also introduced love lettuce mask. I managed to get it from the new store yesterday and I love it!

"An effective, exfoliating face mask which gives normal to oily skin a softened, smoothed and radiant glow. Polishing almond shell is balanced by the softening qualities of almond oil and seaweed gel. With soothing lavender essential oil and the cleansing, tightening action of Fullers’ Earth, you’ll feel fresh in no time. Apply to clean skin, avoiding the eye area. Leave for five to ten minutes, and then rinse with warm water while massaging gently. Keep chilled."

It is very easy to use, like a normal scrub mask. The scent is more acceptable than angels on bare skin even though this product also contains lavender oil. It gives a very thorough exfoliation, and leaves my skin clear and soft. However, I find that the scrub particles (ground almonds I think) a bit too rough. Also, it has a very short lifespan and has to finish within a month. Overall, I am still satisfied with the product.