Lush: Mint Julips Lip Scrub

Hi everyone,

Today's review is of the Mint Julips Lip Scrub by Lush. This product retails for $9.95 through the Lush website and contains 0.9oz of product. Lush describes this product as, "Just like the scrumptious cocktail served in hot southern summers, Mint Julips is packed full of fresh peppermint and sweet castor sugar. Peppermint is responsible for that ‘tingly feeling’ you get after brushing your teeth or using lip balm, so we thought it would make a perfect addition to our lip scrub! Plus, it makes Mint Julips tastes like a big, creamy bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream."

This is a sugar scrub and Lush uses Fair Trade sugar as the base of their lip scrubs which makes for an effective exfoliant. Lush recommends how to use this product as "Scrub your lips with our sugary Lip Scrubs to make them smooth and tempting. Take a pea-sized amount and scrub your lips soft, then lick off the excess!"

I've long been a fan of the ELF Studio Lip Exfoliator (retails for $3 full-price for 0.16 oz of product) and decided to try this Lush product to see how it would compare. While I like that the ELF product comes in a lipstick-style tube for convenience, I find that the actual scrub of the Lush product is much better. It's a finely milled sugar scrub that doesn't hurt when applied to even the most sensitive of lips.  I find that once you get to the bottom of the ELF Lip Exfoliator the product becomes quite hard and is painful to apply onto your lips. With the Lush scrub, when you move your lips back and forth the product scrubs your lips but it doesn't hurt at all. I actually find that I have to stop myself after about 30 seconds so that I don't overexfoliate my lips because you can't tell until after you wipe off the product if you've over exfoliated since it's doesn't ever hurt your lips. After using the scrub, I highly recommend applying your favorite lip balm to help renourish your lips. Personally, I love using the EOS Visibly Soft lip balms - see my review here. Additionally, I also like that Lush uses natural ingredients in their products so I don't have to worry about accidentally swallowing the product. In fact, Lush even recommend licking off the excess product on your lips. I find the flavor of this scrub to be very pleasant as it's minty fresh with some notes of cocoa. It truly tastes like a mint julip!

The price of this product might seem a little pricey, but truly, a little bit goes a LONG way. I've had mine for several months and I still have more than half of it left. I tend to use it about once a week so as to not over exfoliate my lips.

Final Verdict:

I really like this lip scrub! I think Lush did a great job of making a product that works for people with very sensitive lips and the flavor of this scrub is very minty fresh with hints of chocolate. I think for the price, this is a great item to try, especially with the winter months coming up which means lots of chapped, dry lips. If you like the ELF lip exfoliator definitely give this product a try, I highly recommend trying it!

What are your favorite Lush products? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

-Meg

Lush: Ayesha Fresh Face Mask

Hi everyone,

So I recently stopped by my local Lush store and picked up a couple items which I'll be reviewing over the next couple of weeks. The first item I'm reviewing today is the Ayesha Fresh Face Mask which was recommended to me by a Lush Sales Associate when I told her I was interested in a mask for dry skin that was targeted at removing dead skin and brightening the face. I'm not entirely sure this was the best mask for me, but since this was my first visit in a long while I took her advice and bought it.

This facial mask contains 2.1 oz of product and is vegetarian and preservative-free. This mask retails for $6.95 so it's very affordable and I think you could probably get between 3 and 5 uses out of it depending on how much you apply each time. This is a "fresh" product from Lush so you have to keep it in the refrigerator and they last about 2-3 weeks. I bought mine on 10/15 and it says it expires on 11/4 so you do have to use it fairly quickly. Also, once you bring back 5 face mask pots to Lush you'll get a free facial mask so in essence buy 5 get 1 free!

Lush describes the Ayesha Fresh Face Mask as "a blend of tightening and toning ingredients to refresh tired-looking skin. We use vitamin C-rich kiwi to brighten dull spots, asparagus to nourish and absorb excess oils and honey for hydrating and soothing red areas. This fresh mask is named after the fictional priestess who discovered the secret to immortality - ten minutes with it on and you’ll see why! Dull, tired and mature skin transforms for a bright, youthful glow."

To use this face mask, cleanse your face first and pat dry, then smooth a good amount of the product all over your entire face (avoiding the eyes and mouth). You should leave the mask on for about ten minutes but make sure to not let the mask dry completely.

So first off, I didn't realize this mask was intended for mature skin until I got home and read more about it. Had I known it was I probably wouldn't have gotten it as I'm 24 years old and definitely do not have mature skin. Nonetheless, I did find that this mask left my face ultra smooth and it made my skin feel tight (in a good way). It also took away all the dead skin on my face and left me really shiny for a day or two which is what I assume they refer to as the "youthful glow".

I was also very turned off by the smell of this product. It's a very strong earthy and herbal scent. I think you have to smell it for yourself to determine if you like it or not, but be aware that it's a very strong and overpowering scent.

Results:

So first the good side of this mask! Immediately after using this mask, my skin felt very soft and I could feel that my skin was nice and tight. Additionally, my pores were pretty much nonexistent after using this mask, which is something I'm always looking for in a face mask.

Now, on the negative side, with the dead skin removed from my face, I found that my skin on my face was very shiny and it even showed through my foundation and makeup. Even more problematic than that, I experienced some MASSIVE breakouts a couple of days after using this mask. I'm not talking small breakouts, I mean large breakouts and the kind the hurt under the skin.

Final Verdict:
I liked how smooth and tight this product made my skin and face feel immediately after using it, but I hate how I had massive, painful breakouts from it. I definitely won't be finishing the pot because the breakouts just aren't worth it to me. I definitely think this would be a great product for mature skin as it does have a great lifting sensation and for those who are not prone to breakouts, as that was my biggest problem with this mask. I am curious about trying another Lush facial mask, maybe the Self-Preserving Mask of Magnamity? I like that they updated the formula of that mask so you don't need to keep it in the fridge and it will last much longer!

Have you tried any of Lush facial masks? Which ones are your favorite? Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

PS- Sorry for not updating sooner, it's been a very busy couple of days! I'm trying to get back on track. See you all tomorrow!