Review : Lush fresh face masks

I am not a big believer in having expensive treatments at a spa to feel pampered and relaxed. One of my favourite ways to indulge myself is to spend an evening having a long, hot, candlelit bubble bath, with a glass of something alcoholic and a face mask smeared on my face. Whenever I plan such an evening, I turn to Lush and their extensive range of fresh face masks.

I have really temperamental skin that has gone through every stage, from red and dry, to oily and spotty, to normal, to oily T zone and dry cheeks... you name it, I've experienced it. So, I have been able to try a variety of the Lush fresh face masks.

Lush says : Chocolate heaven for oily and teenage skin. Its action removes excess oil and calms breakouts. Rhassoul mud cleans and soothes, cocoa butter, linseed and cocoa powder soften the skin. Balancing peppermint, spearmint and sandalwood oils complete this effective and delicious experience.

I think : This was the first fresh face mask I ever tried from Lush. I was breaking out left, right and centre, and for the first time at aged 24, I was experiencing problematic 'teenage' skin. Funny, considering that in my teens my skin was flawless. Anyway, it smells divine. I'm a chocaholic, and had to do everything within my power to stop myself grabbing a spoon and tucking in. As with all of the face masks, it was so cooling and soothing... well it would be coming straight from the fridge! I found this one a little difficult to spread on my face. It had a clay-like texture, so I think it would benefit from being a little smoother. It dried quickly, but fell off in clumps, which made it a messy experience! Once I washed it off, my skin felt softer and my spots were less noticable. I didn't have any new breakouts whilst using this either, so the smell and outcome definitely make the mess and awkward texture worth it.

Rating : 4/5

Lush says : An effective, exfoliating face mask which gives normal to oily skin a softened, smoothed and radiant glow. Polishing almond shell is balanced by the skin softening qualities of almond oil and seaweed gel. With soothing Lavender essential oil and the magical cleansing, tightening action of Fuller's Earth.

I think : I tried this mask next. I wasn't suffering from breakouts anymore but was experiencing some oilyness in my T-zone. The assistant actually recommended this one to me. It had a weird smell - not a bad one, just weird. It was kind of herbal smelling, but was very clean and fresh and I could tell that there was lavender lurking in there somewhere! This one was gritty since it was an exfoliating mask, but was a lot smoother in consistency than Cupcake so it was easy to spread onto my skin. It dried quickly like Cupcake did. I loved the fact that this exfoliated as I washed it off, and my skin felt so amazingly smooth afterwards! It seemed to reduce my redness too - which is a fab bonus. My skin felt less oily for a day or two after using this, but to keep my skin as oil-free as that, I'd have to use it every other day - which would be a little inconvenient and not to mention expensive!

Rating : 4/5

Lush says : A superhero face mask to combat spots, cleanse dirt and calm and sothe all troubled skin. Antiseptic fresh garlic and tea tree essential oil, reinforced with deep cleansing kaolin and fresh grapes, are aided by softening honey and free range eggs.

I think : I bought this one by accident. I meant to pick up Catastrophe Cosmetic but was in a rush and grabbed the wrong one. I took one whiff of it when I got home and it made my eyes water! The only time I hate the smell of garlic is when someone has been eating it, but even this was overwhelming. I couldn't even bring myself to touch it, so I gave it to The Mothership for her to use. My Mam has troublesome skin, like me. She still gets breakouts even though she has just turned 50! She used this months ago, so please be aware that her review is from memory!

She says : It's okay. The smell wasn't that bad, she got used to it. She remembers it being messy, but her skin felt gorgeous afterwards. She says it made her skin glowy and she felt younger, but can't be bothered with all the fuss because the effects barely lasted a day. By the end of the pot, she actually liked the smell.

Rating : 2/5

Lush says : Blueberries rich in beneficial anti-oxidants and full of vitamins and minerals to reduce inflammation and have an antiseptic effect. Soothing chamomile, Irish moss and almond oil with the gentle cleansing action of calamine save the day.

I think : This was the one I had meant to purchase last time! I adore blueberries. They are considered a 'superfood' so are really good for you. I love the smell and taste of them, so was excited to try this, particularly as it claimed to reduce inflammation (thus reducing redness). This was the smoothest I have tried to date - the perfect face mask texture! It wasn't chunky, was easy to spread, and didn't cake as it dried. I loved the purple colour too. It smelled AMAZING and had little chunks of blueberries in it. As it was drying, it felt a little powdery though, and after I read the ingredients I realised that it was the calamine powder I could feel. Once I washed it off, my skin felt baby soft, and was still so smooth the next morning, I could have gone without a moisturiser if I wanted. The only thing I was disappointed in, was that it didn't actually reduce my redness. I actually think it aggravated it a little more. Even though it was perfect in consistency, smell and colour... it doesn't do what it says on the tin. I got similar results with Love Lettuce, and that one didn't make me red. If you don't want to combat redness though, try it. It's gorgeous.

Rating : 3.5/5

Lush says : Fixes your face with oats, bananas and illipe butter. Use it to clean and soften dry and sensitive skin. It was invented at our Ready Steady Create weekend by a group of enterprising Lush shop managers. You will be delighted to hear that a blend of fine oatmeal, fresh bananas, ground almonds and vanilla smells as tempting as a very posh breakfast, and even more delighted when you try it. Oats are a wonderful thing; they calm your skin (and if you eat them they help to reduce cholesterol). Ground almonds give you an exfoliating scrub, bananas are a lovely, nutritious skin softner and illipe butter reduces redness. Cleansing yet moisturising; just right.

I think : This smells fabulous - really natural and delicious. It had a thick consistency in the pot, but had a mashed banana/porridge consistency as I put it on my skin. It wasn't as disgusting as the thought of spreading porridge on your face would be! It actually felt quite nice, and I could feel the illipe butter melting into my skin as I applied it. I loved the fact that this one didn't dry like the others did. It meant I could leave it on a little longer, which made it a super relaxing treat. The only thing is, as the illipe butter melted, little bits of oats and banana would drip off my face. Not pretty, but my childish sense of humour found it funny! When I washed it off, my skin felt amazing. It exfoliated slightly, which left my skin feeling silky smooth. My face looked really healthy and even when I put make up on, I had a beautiful dewy effect that didn't come from my Benefit High Beam. And it really did reduce the redness! My favorite out of the bunch by far.

Rating : 5/5

Price : The fresh face masks are £6.45 if you buy online, but if you buy from a store they're only £4-something. This is because they need to factor in the extra packaging costs, as fresh face masks don't contain any preservatives and need to be kept in the fridge. This also means that they have a shelf-life of about 3 weeks, so unless you are a face mask junkie and apply one every night, these may not be for you. I think the price is reasonable for an occasional treat though - especially one that's made with fresh ingredients.

Overall : I really love Lush products and the fresh face masks are no exception. I love that they are made with natural ingredients, and there is one available for every skin type - even if you have skin that can't make it's mind up, like mine. All of the ones I tried smelled delicious (with the exception of the garlic one - urgh), and the majority of them smelled really edible! Don't eat them though, I can't imagine calamine powder or lavender oil being good for your internal organs! Seriously though, I think everyone should try at least one fresh face mask. They make a fantastic treat, so if you fancy a pampering evening with your girlfriends or Mum, go and buy one! Or you can save up 5 black pots from your other products (eg. Ocean Salt scrub, Big shampoo, Volcano foot mask), so when you hand them back to Lush, you get a fresh face mask for free!