01915 REVIEW: LUSH CATASTROPHE COSMETIC & DARK ANGELS

Shopping at Lush for the first time I was a bit overwhelmed with the amount of products that they carry and also the smell! Am I the only one who finds it nauseating? I was there to pick up the much raved about Brazened Honey mask but decided against it after discovering it contains eggs. I don’t eat eggs so I certainly don’t want it in my skincare. Lush says the egg is added to the mask for the protein but why not just eat your protein? Instead I ended up picking up the Catastrophe Cosmetic fresh face mask, with blueberries and calamine, and the Dark Angels scrub with charcoal. Both vegan products recommended for oily skin.

I really like the Dark Angels scrub. It leaves my skin feeling really soft and glowy. (Yup, that’s a word now.) It’s coarse enough to feel like you’re getting a good scrub but doesn't irritate the skin like some other products I’ve tried in the past. I’ve been using it every couple of days when my skin starts to feel dull. It does have a slight charcoal-like odor to it, but I don’t really mind it too much.

It contains black sugar, charcoal and cold-pressed organic avocado oil. A 100g tub of this stuff costs about $13 which is half the cost of the Clinique scrub I was using before. I really like this product and when I finish it, I’ll probably buy it again.

The Catastrophe Cosmetic mask is said to offer deep cleaning and has calamine powder and talc to absorb oil from the skin. The fourth ingredient listed is blueberries which are meant to add nutrients into the skin (though I’m not convinced). A small tub, enough for about 3-4 facials, costs $7 and has the shelf life of about two weeks due to the blueberries and has to be stored in the fridge.

I thought it was going to be a moisturizing mask but it’s actually more like a clay mask that dries on the face. It’s also difficult to apply as it keeps coming off the face as you smear more blueberry mess on. As I’m struggling to get an even layer on my face I’m thinking to myself – “What’s the point of this? Why not just eat some blueberries?” Once I rinsed it off my skin, it was left with a strange residue and I had to use a few cotton pads of toner to get it off. Overall, I won’t buy this product again. It seems like a novelty product to me and I’m sure a lot of Lush fans will disagree but oh well. I like simple products with natural ingredients that work well and without the struggle. 

Oh and if you’re wondering about that cute little spatula in my picture, I got it from The Face Shop and it cost $2. It’s perfect for digging face masks out of the tubs so that goop doesn't end up under your fingernails! 

Lush is Canadian and handmade. Each product features a picture of the person who made it, when they made it and when it expires. Cute!