Lush Dark Angels - Review

You must be wondering, what is this dry skinned gal doing with a cleanser meant for oily skin – recipe for disaster?

Well my hubby really liked this at the store (he has very oily skin) and I could not resist using this once back home. I used to have very oily skin during my teens & was plagued by acne. The pimples have gone, and skin has dried thanks to my A/c lifestyle but I still get black & whiteheads.

What it claims: Deep dark cleansing facial scrub for young, dark and oily skin. A lovely, black, squidgy scrub made with charcoal to absorb oils and exfoliate your skin. Nutritious avocado oil softens your skin, glycerine keeps the moisture in and black sugar softly scrubs; rhassoul mud is anti-microbial and cleanses deeply, while sandalwood and rosewood essential oils are soothing, giving you a feeling of smooth, clean freshness that is difficult to beat.

Ingredients: Rhassoul Mud, Cold Pressed Avocado Oil (Persea gratissima), Glycerine, Powdered Charcoal, Black Sugar (sucrose), Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Perfume, *Linalool, Sandalwood Oil (Santalum album), Rosewood oil (Aniba rosaeodora).

How to use: Dampen your face with warm water. Place a pea-sized chunk in the palm of your hand and add water to create a paste. Apply to your face using small, circular motions. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry.

Best used within 6 months from date of purchase. By the way I store this in the fridge as I feel Mumbai is just too hot & humid for these exotic, handmade, with no preservatives products. The Lush SA had explictly asked me not to store it in the fridge, but it is my experience that they last longer when stored so. I even stored my Angels on Bare Skins cleanser in the fridge (I bought it in April) and it is still going strong. I just make sure no water enters the product.

Price: Rs. 795 /- for 100 gms.

Pros:

1.      It exfoliates and cleanses my skin very well. It always leaves it clean and glowing. Most of my whiteheads are gone after using this.

2.      While it helps reduce the oil around my nose, it has never left my skin dry. I guess it is the avocado oil in this mixture. It softens my skin a great deal.

3.      Rinses off easily, it has never left black spots on my face.

4.      My hubby who has oily skin loves this – it leaves his skin feeling clean and fresh.

5.  You need just a pea sized amount for the face & neck, considering how much 100 gms is, I think this will last a long time.

Cons:

1.      The charcoal is quite abrasive; I prefer to use this like a face pack. Make a paste, apply all over and leave for 10 minutes before washing. I just rub the paste on my chin & nose – the oily areas. Even my hubby finds it too abrasive for daily use & prefers to use this not more than 3 times a week. I use it once a week.

2.      Little messy to use, thanks to the powdered charcoal. Especially if you have a white sink, like I do.

3.   The store refuses to sell less than 100gms. For someone like me, who uses it occasionally, this is quite wasteful as I will not be able to finish so much within 6 months.

4.   This is not a con of the product. At the store, the label that was affixed to the pot listed the wrong ingredients - when I was browsing through the Lush site, I noticed that the ingredient listing on my pack was that for Coal Face Soap, and not the Dark Angels Cleanser.

Will I re-purchase: I am hoping my hubby will re-purchase so that I can dip into it myself on a weekly basis.

I do love using this cleanser as my weekly exfoliator, I love using it before any major party to get an instant glowing facial in minutes. But at the rate at which I use it, it will probably expire before I even get done half –way, & the store refuses to sell quantities less than 100gms.