I love face masks. To me there's nothing more relaxing than using a face mask after a stressful day.

One of my favorite lines of face masks is Lush's Fresh Face Masks. I used to use them religiously in high school, then I stopped because life got too busy to take the time and use a face mask. Recently, I've been able to find the time for luxuries like face masks.

While at Mall of Millennia I stopped by Lush to see if they had anything that could help my skin. Recently I have been having more breakouts than normal and wanted to correct this issue. As I mentioned in a previous post the sales girl recommended Love Lettuce and let me tell you, that girl is a genius.

My Lush haul from that trip, including Love Lettuce.

Lush describes Love Lettuce as "our exfoliating ground almond mask that scoops up dirt, oil and debris and washes it all away. Exfoliation is an important part of good skincare, as it removes the buildup of dead skin that can clog your pores and cause impurities. Love Lettuce is a great example of how just a few ingredients can make a fresh, effective product for the skin. We blend calming French lavender oil with seaweed and honey to nourish and soften skin, and to balance oily T-zones."

While I personally hate to fully support the description that companies issue for their products, I do have to admit that Lush is spot on for their description of this face mask. 

While the pot this mask comes in seems fairly small I was able to get four and a half uses out of it. The four uses were full face with part of my neck and the final use was focused on my breakouts and T-zone. While I do wish I was able to get more applications out of this mask, I am pleased that I was able to get about five applications. At a price of $7.95 (at the time of this post), that breaks this mask down to $1.59 an application. I feel that is a fair price for a quality mask.

What it looks like when first opened. You can see the almonds used to exfoliate.

This mask gently exfoliates but is also strong enough to help banish any rough spots. Towards the last two applications my face became very dry from forgetting to moisturize while running late for work. This mask assisted with the dry skin without being irritating. It was not an instant ticket to soft, moisturized skin but it did help my skin repair itself faster than it normally does. (Forgetting moisturizer is a pretty regular thing in my life)

I also felt this mask lives up to the claim that it clears pores and draws away oil from the skin. Oily skin is not a huge issue in my life but it does occur from time to time, especially when it gets extremely hot and humid out. This mask helped clear up an oily patch that was present when I started using it. Unlike other masks that clear up oily patches it did not dry out my skin or make my face feel "tight". 

Smooth application and even coverage!

I wish I could claim that Love Lettuce cleared up my breakouts but unfortunately I can not say that. What I can say is that I believe this mask kept my breakouts from becoming severe and prevented anything major from forming. As someone who can occasionally resemble an appaloosa this was greatly appreciated. 

Overall I would happily recommend Love Lettuce to individuals looking for a good mask. It will probably not be on my list to clear up breakouts, but it will be on my list for a good exfoliating and cleaning mask. Plus, the ingredients are mostly natural which is always a plus in my book!

Back of the pot with ingredient list. Not the expiration date and production date.

Fresh Ingredients: Agar Agar Gel (Gelidium cartilagineum) , Kaolin , Honey ,Fullers Earth , Glycerine , Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis) ,Ground Almond Shells (Prunus dulcis) , Ground Almonds (Prunus dulcis) , Lavender Oil (Lavandula augustifolia) ,Chlorophyllin , *Geraniol , *Limonene , *Linalool ,Fragrance . *Occurs naturally in essential oils

Please note all of the black pots that Lush products are sold in are recycled. They have a program where you can bring in 5 empties and receive a free face mask, so remember to save those pots!

I am an absolute lush for Lush Cosmetics. ;-)

(I feel like this post calls for that.) 

When I realized that my skin was threatening to breakout on a level that could compare with my high school experience, I decided it was time to splurge on my skincare and take a trip to the local Lush Cosmetics. 

I am extremely lucky that my nearest Lush is 20 minutes away as opposed to 90 minutes from when I lived in Illinois.

When I got to Lush I was immediately welcomed by one of the sales girls who was doing a bath bomb demo. Because I already have a pretty big stash of bath bombs and bubble bars I started to wander around the store.

It has been over a year since I last stepped foot in a physical Lush store and I was curious about several new products I had seen online.

Having used their Big Shampoo in the past I was curious about the new Jersey Bounce shampoo. The salesgirl reassured me that it had the same volumizing properties as Big but it was not as drying as Big. I decided on a small pot of the Jersey Bounce and continued my lap around the store.

The next product I hunted down was Lemony Flutter. Lemony Flutter is a cuticle cream I have used for years with great success. After my trip to Chicago last week my cuticles have been extremely dry and cracked. This product has always been able to restore my cuticles (and dry hands) to a softer state in no time.

After getting these two items I was approached by another sales girl asking if she could help me with anything. We spoke about the fresh face masks for a bit and she recommended Love Lettuce based off my skin type and issues. Here's hoping Love Lettuce keeps me from looking like an Appaloosa this week!

The final item I got was a complete impulse purchase. I had heard about it from another blog and liked the idea of a mask with caffeine in it for the mornings. Hopefully, Cup O'Coffee was worth the purchase! So far I like the scent and the texture looks pretty decent!

Lush Haul

I'll try to comment about these items after I give each one a few uses. My rule of thumb is that you never know how a product works until you've tried it for a week or two.
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As far as other fun updates in my life:

Congrats to my little brother who graduated with his Bachelors last Saturday!!! I'm so proud that he joined the ranks of the NIU Alumni! Go Huskies!!!!

NIU CLAS Graduation

If it wasn't obvious from my Chicago comment earlier, I went home for his graduation and got to see my family and my moms pets.

If this doesn't qualify Pumpkin for sainthood then I don't know what will.

I also got to go to the Kenosha outlets and hit up White House Black Market. For some reason the Kenosha White/Black is so much better than any of them here. While I was at White/Black there were all these boxes around the store. This initially irritated me because normally all the clothes are hung up, but one of my favorite sales girls quickly rushed over and informed me that the boxes contained sweaters that were $10 a piece! Apparently the Kenosha White/Black had gotten an overload of inventory from one of their stores and they needed to move it quickly to make room for the new items! 

Yellow isn't my favorite color but who can resist for $10!

The final update I have is that I am currently in the middle of the audition process for the Orlando Concert Band! While I lived in IL I had played with the Crystal Lake Community Band. I love playing in band so when a friend told me about the Orlando Concert Band, I knew I had to try out. Currently, they do not have any spots open for a full-time flutes so I am auditioning as a substitute flute. So far I have played with the for one rehearsal, I have three more to go before I find out if I will be accepted as a sub or not. 

It's nice to have this out again, even though the music is mostly marches.

As a parting note, enjoy a picture of the trouble twins. They're so not happy that I won't let them sit on my laptop while I type this. 

They look innocent but I swear they're not.

With the temperatures dropping and the winds getting harsher I've found my skin drying out much quicker than normally. In an effort to fix this and help my poor skin recover without putting too much junk on it I visited my favorite natural beauty store, LUSH. After looking at the other products offered I settled on the Oatifix Fresh Face Mask and the Full of Grace serum. My decision to get these two products was supported by my love for LUSH's face masks, and the serum can pack that little extra kick my face needs for moisture. 

It should be noted that these items can be used separately but I prefer to use them together, because I feel the serum opens up my pores to receive the masks better.

How I'll use these products is, after washing my face, I'll apply the Full of Grace by rubbing the bar directly on my face, then I'll massage the resulting serum into my skin. Immediately after massaging the serum, I apply the Oatifix Fresh Face Mask. After letting this combination sit for 10-15 minutes (or more if I get distracted), I then remove the mask using warm water and a washcloth. An important thing to note is that you shouldn't scrub with the washcloth but you should gently massage the mask off. 

Oatifix Fresh Face Mask
Scent: I found this mask to smell a bit like banana nut oatmeal. It is a soft refreshing scent that I did not find overpowering. It should be noted that I was aware of the scent the whole time I wore the mask.

Texture: This mask has a very thick texture that I found a bit difficult to spread. To get this to spread consistently I had to apply it in a circular motion, which probably helps with the light exfoliation it provides.

Result: My skin felt smooth, moisturized, and did not feel as tight as it did before I applied the mask. 

Packaging: This mask is sold in the traditional black pots that other LUSH products comes in. I feel that though the size of the pot is quite small I will easily be able to get 4 or more applications from it.

Notes: Like all LUSH Fresh Face Masks Oatifix must be refrigerated and it does have a short shelf life. If you use this product consistently though I do not believe there will be an issue with using this in time. 

Verdict: I would repurchase.

Full of Grace Serum
Scent: This has a light, soapy scent that I did not find overwhelming and did not notice once it was applied on my face. 

Texture: The bar itself is extremely smooth. When it is slightly melted it becomes an oil/serum like product that glides easily onto the face and is absorbed quickly. 

Result: I found this left my skin smooth and helped it absorb the face mask better.

Packaging: When bought directly from the LUSH store this is stored in a small paper bag. I have stored this in my bathroom drawer in just the bag, but I have also bought the tins that LUSH sells and currently store it in that. Overall I haven't noticed a difference when storing it in the tin vs. the bag. I just find the tin adorable. 

Notes: This product will melt if exposed to heat. I typically store it in my refrigerator in the summer to be on the safe side, but my current bar has done just fine sitting in my bathroom drawer. It also tends to give my face a greasy shine for an hour or so. 

Verdict: I would repurchase. 

So have any of you tried the Oatifix Fresh Face Mask or Full of Grace Serum? If so what did you think of it?