When I first hopped on the lush train, I searched everywhere for reviews on Lush Masks! I have fairly sensitive combination skin (I have asian skin), so I'm very particular with what goes on my face. Because of their natural ingredients however, I was pleasantly surprised at how gentle most of them were on my skin! So, I decided to put all of them to the test, to see how they effected (if at all) my skin.
Packaging quality: 5
Price: 4
Lets start with the packaging. The packaging is this cute little black pot (for Canada anyway), that lasts me about four uses. I slather on the mask generously until I clearly see the colour of the mask in the pot, on my face. So, it COULD last for more uses, I just like using a generous amount. Masks in Canada cost 5.95CAD, and expire after 3 weeks. I HAVE used mine over the expiry date, with no troubles. I'm not going to say you can do it, although from my experience, as long as you keep it in the refrigerator you should be fine. Do remember that companies put an expiry date that expires a fair bit before the actual expiry of the contents, for safety purposes and unknown factors that may occur (ie - you just purchased it and then proceeded to go shopping for the next 5 hours).
If you return 5 pots to a Lush store you get a free mask. It's really nice, because according to the store worker, right now Lush is working with a toy company that makes toys for developing countries by melting these pots into molds!
An asterisk (*) beside any ingredient means that the ingredient occurs naturally in essential oils.
Note that all "descriptions" are the official Canadian LUSH Mask description
Love Lettuce
Quality for combination skin: 5
Quality for sensitive skin: 5
Would you buy this product again: Yes :)
Ingredients: Agar, Kaolin, Honey, Fuller's Earth, Glycerine, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Shell Powder, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Seed Meal, Lavandula Angustifolia Extract, Chlorophyllin-Copper Complex, *Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume
Description: At LUSH, we believe that simplicity can be genius. Love Lettuce is a great example of how very few ingredients can make a fresh, effective product that is fantastic for the skin. We blend ground almonds, honey, lavender oil and fuller's earth to brighten and balance. Everyone loves lettuce; this one is perfect for all skin types. A lavender and almond love letter to dull, flaky skin.
Review:
Because I kept breaking out from stress due to final exams, I would get extremely patchy oil in some places, and either dry or normal patches in others. This was a great mask to balance out both! It has this very nice fresh scent to it, reminiscent of spring and grass. It's fairly gentle, and the effects took about a week to really start showing through. All in all, definitely something I would use in times of stress, and for people who have very bad combination skin. My sensitive skin took this mask very well, and just soaked in the mask in all it's lettucy glory. This is NOT a mask to get rid of pimples. It's a great mask for
exfoliation, and a great mask for skin balancing, yet still gentle.
Cupcake:
Quality for combination skin: 4
Quality for Sensitive Skin: 2
Would you buy this product again: No
Ingredients: Silt, Glycerin, Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Seed Extract, Talc, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Shell Powder, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf, Santalum Austrocaledonicum Vieill, Fusanus Spicatus Wood Oil, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Mentha Viridis (Spearmint) Leaf Oil, Mentha Piperita (Peppermit) Oil, *Limonene, Perfume
Description: You may be sick of eating Christmas chocolates, but your skin could use another helping! If you suffer from oily or spotty skin, slather it with this cocoa concoction. With spearmint oil to cool, vanilla absolute to calm redness and Rhassoul mud to deeply cleanse -- Cupcake is a sweet saviour for teenage skin. Chocolate mint treat for oily or spotty skin.
Review: I have to agree -- this mask felt like heaven in a little pot, but I couldn't use it!!!! :( After trying it the first time, I found that my face became extremely tight afterward (not a good thing), and of course, a little while after that, my skin started to get dry patches, cracking and redness (even though I had slathered on moisturizer right after I used the mask). It made me break out quite a bit, so I'm definitely not going to be using this again any time soon. This is NOT a mask to balance skin, and although it says it combats redness, I found that redness was more apparent after its use. It's a great mask for exfoliation, sucking up oil and combatting pimples.
Oatfix:
Quality for combination skin: 3
Quality for Sensitive Skin: 5
Would you buy this product again: Yes
Ingredients: Glycerine, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Meal, Musa Paradisiaca (Banana) Fruit, Aqua, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Seed Meal, Shorea Stenoptera Butter, Koalin, Talc, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Santalum Austrocaledonicum Vieill, Styrax Tonkinesis Resin Extract, *Coumarin, *Benzyl Cinnamate, *Linalool, Perfume, Gardenia Florida Extract
Description: Few things are more soothing than a big boal of banana porridge, all sweet and squishy. Now did you know the same is true for your skin? Sensitive, dry or irritated faces love Oatfix for its calming oat infusion, softening freshly mushed banana and ground almonds to slough away flaky skin. Soothing oat and banana mask for dry skin.
Review: This is probably the best mask I used for my sensitive skin. True, it did leave my skin a tad bit oily afterwards (I had to use a very light day cleanser afterward), but the effects were wonderful. My face felt extremely soft, and the exfoliation was a great added touch to the mask. The smell is definitely wonderful (if you love bananas and porridge), and if you have sensitive skin, this will be a treat. This is NOT a mask for skin balancing or combating pimples. It is a great mask for moisturizing skin and exfoliating it.
BB Seaweed:
Quality for combination skin: 5
Quality for Sensitive Skin: 5
Would you buy this product again: Yes
Ingredients: Tilia Cordata Flower Extract, Viola Odorata Leaf Extract, Kaolin, Honey, Glycerine, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Seed Meal, Fucus Serratus Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Panicum Miliaceum (Millet) Seed Extract, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Bentonite, Rosa Centifolia Fower, Rosa Damascena Extract, Pogostemon Cablin Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Fucus Vesiculosus Extract, *Citral, *Geraniol, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume
Description: No suprises here; BB Seaweed is packed full of none other than the ocean greenery itself! Seven pounds of it in each batch, in fact. Our seaweed is harvested locally, right here in British Columbia, so each mask can be filled with the freshest seaweed possible. BB also contains rose absolute to soothe redness and organic extra virgin olive oil to moisturize, so slather up in seaweed to soften and cleanse. Locally harvested seaweed mask for all skin types.
Review: Although there is quite a bit of seaweed in the mask, there was definitely way too much rose extract, and other random assortments of flower extracts for me to really notice the smell of seaweed. Although it's not the best mask to exfoliate with, it does two things that I really need: one, is to balance out redness in my skin, and the second is to balance my skin so that there is an even distribution of oil across the surface of my skin. It definitely did both, and was extremely gentle. Because of this though, any other effects that I may need (such as getting rid of pimples or exfoliation wasn't really there). This is NOT a mask to exfoliate skin or get rid of pimples. This mask is best used to balance skin and gentle moisturize, getting rid of skin redness.
Brazened Honey:
Quality for combination skin: 4
Quality for Sensitive Skin: 3.5
Would you buy this product again: Yes
Ingredients: Koalin, Talc, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Juice, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Juniperus Communis Fruit Extract, Egg, Honey, Glycerine, Foeniculum Vulgare (Fennel) Fruit Extract, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Shell Powder, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Bentonite, Zingiber Grandiflorum (Ginger) Root Extract, Carum Petroselinum (Parsley) Extract, Coriandrum Sativum (Coriander) Extract, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Elettaria Cardamomum Seed Extract, Eugenia Caryophyllus (Clove) Leaf Oil, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Oil, Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil, Juniperus Commmunis Fruit Oil, *Benzyl Salicylate, *Geraniol, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Linalool
Description: If your wild nights out are starting to show up on your skin, cover it up with Brazened Honey. Ground almonds scrub away any dirt, astringent lime and ginger deep clean while the honey gets right to work on softening you up. No one will know just how brazen you are... Refresh and recover with lime, ginger and honey.
Review: It smells like honey, yet there are a TON of ingredients in it (I should know, I just typed all that out -.-). This is the only one that I would recommend AGAINST keeping in the fridge for longer than the expiry date, only because this is one of three masks from LUSH (The canadian LUSH anyway), that contains egg in it. Even though it seemed powerful to me, the mask wasn't really all that bad. Of course it did the standard skin tightening on my face, but I didn't break out wildly like I thought I would. This was, however, only true when I used the skin cleanser "Angels On Bare Skin" (For all skin types). When I used an oil fighting cleanser like Fresh Farmacy (yes that's how you spell it), I started to break out and get really bad redness (the best mask to combat that was Catastrophe Cosmetic). This was definitely the best mask in terms of exfoliation. It seemed like the ground almonds weren't as ground down as in the other masks, so it did a really good job on that field. This is NOT a mask for balancing skin. This is a great mask for exfoliation and minor acne fighting.
Ayesha:
Quality for combination skin: 3
Quality for Sensitive Skin: 3
Would you buy this product again: Possibly
Ingredients: Fuller's Earth, Honey, Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract, Citrus Aurantifolia, Glycerine, Asparagus Officinalis, Actinidia Chinensis (Kiwi) Fruit, Kaolin, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Extract, Rosimarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Pogosternon Cablin Oil, Elderflower Vinegar, Bentonite, *Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume
Description: If you pop along to one of our shop parties, you'll likely encounter a sea of muddy looking faces...because we're doing facials for our lovely customers! Ayesha is a top request for dry or mature skin. Ten minutes with this witch hazel and kiwi fruit mask and you'll see why -- tired looking skin is transformed into glowing, firm faces. Spellbinding witch hazel and kiwi for mature skin.
Review: WOW, did this mask ever tighten. I felt like I had just gotten a face lift when I washed this thing off, which is pretty nice for more mature skin. (When you get into your 20s you should already be starting to use lightly firming facial moisturizers). I didn't enjoy the smell too much (they may have out in too much asparagus), however the mask did make my skin look a bit brighter. In terms of sensitivity, my face was a bit "meh" to this mask, aside from the tight face part. It made my skin lightly oily, but not too bad, unlike Oatfix. This is NOT mask for exfoliation or acne fighting. This mask is great for skin BRIGHTENING (not whitening) and firming.
Cosmetic Warrior:
Quality for combination skin: 5
Quality for Sensitive Skin: 4
Would you buy this product again: Only if I need it
Ingredients: Kaolin, Vitis, Vinifera (Grape), Egg, Honey, Zea Mays (Corn) Seed Flour, Glycerine, Allium Sativum (Garlic) Bulb, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leef Oil, *Limonene, Perfume
Description: Spots! Oily areas! Blackheads! Troubled skin can be frustrating and leave you feeling helpless. Don't let your skin's bad temper get you down -- fight back with Cosmetic Warrior. Our inventors formulated this one with loads of antiseptic garlic, tea tree and green grapes to defeat any offending parties without irritation. Fight troubled skin with an arsenal of tea tree and garlic.
Review: Don't get me wrong: this was definitely the best mask for anyone who has sensitive/combination skin like mine, except for one thing -- the smell. It was so garlic-y and sour smelling that I just couldn't handle it. My eyes would start watering as soon as it was on my face too long :( It worked really well to combat my acne, but this is definitely not a mask I'll be willing to get unless I really need it. This is also another mask where you should not keep it too long past the expiry date, because of the egg. This is NOT a mask for exfoliation or skin balancing. This is a great mask for acne fighting.
The Sacred Truth:
Quality for combination skin: 3.5
Quality for Sensitive Skin: 4
Would you buy this product again: Yes
Ingredients: Ginko Biloba Leaf Extract, Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Oil Extract, Kaolin, Talc, Honey, Carica Papaya Fruit, Glycerine, Yoghurt, Egg, Butyrospermum Parkil (Shea Butter), Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Lanolin, Bentonite, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut Oil), Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Camelia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Aniba Rosaeodora (Rosewood) Wood Oil, *Benzyl Salicylate, *Geraniol, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Farnesol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume
Description: Can you handle the truth? As you age, your skin needs a little more TLC. Don't fret though, taking care is easy thanks to this nutrient packed mask. A perfect balance of brightening ingredients like green tea, fresh wheatgrass and papaya with rich, softening ingredients like free range eggs, linseed oil and shea butter, The Sacred Truth is truly divine. Take care if mature skin with papaya, wheatgrass and green tea.
Review: This is definitely one of those masks that are great for a special occasion, in your early 20s up into the 40s. It's full of anti-oxidants to nourish your skin, and it moisturizes well. Although it doesn't exfoliate, this mask was fairly gentle on my skin, and miraculously didn't make me too oily (even though there was shea butter in it). This is NOT mask for exfoliation or acne fighting. This is a great mask for mature skin, brightening and moisturizing skin.
Catastrophe Cosmetic:
Quality for combination skin: 5
Quality for Sensitive Skin: 5
Would you buy this product again: Yes
Ingredients: Calamine, Talc, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit, Glycerine, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond Oil), Rosa Damascena Flower Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Mattricaria) Flower Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Flower Oil, *Limonene, Perfume
Description: Skin care catastrophes need not occur! Prevent disasters by taking regular care with our deep cleaning blueberry mask. We buy our blueberries locally, from a supplier right here in Vancouver. The little blue bulbs are packed with vitamins for the skin, while the calamine we mix in gets down deep to clear out built up grime. Prevent catastrophes with local blueberries and calamine.
Review: This is a fabulous mask! It gave off this sweet, light blueberry fragrance, and treated my sensitive skin so well! This is my choice mask for my skin. It does not exfoliate however, and does very minor acne fighting. However this is definitely the best mask to use on combination/sensitive skin on a weekly basis. This is NOT a mask for exfoliation. This is a great mask for skin balancing and reducing redness.
Well, there you have it! I will posting up pictures of these masks in a bit! I hope this helped out some people! Just one last question though: which Lush mask is YOUR go-to mask(s)?
