Lush Dark Angels Face Cleanser {Product Review}

Price: Rs 700 for 100 gms (approx.)

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)

 

Pros

natural ingredients

makes the skin really soft

exfoliates amazingly!!

Cons

doesn't control oil production

doesn't remove oil or cleanse really well

very expensive!!

My Experience

I got this in June and have been using it on and off since then. I had been wanting to try the product since a very very long time so was very excited to try it out. So, how to use it a very big problem and trust me when I say its damn messy!!! It will blacken your washbasins and everywhere else it touches. 

How to use? Take a pea size amount and pour a drop or two of water on it and make a paste which will be a little watery and cleanse with it thoroughly. Though, I would like to say that it doesn't really cleanse well. I use oil to remove the traces of sunscreen from my skin and this product doesn't cleanse that oil as thoroughly as I would like. 

But, its a damn good exfoliator. It leaves the skin soft and smooth and removes the whiteheads but it didn't really have any noticeable effect on my blackheads. I use it on alternate days to scrub my face properly. Its not at all harsh. Oh btw, avoid looking in the mirror or you might frighten yourself :D Yes, it looks like black paint on the face!! 

 

Its definitely expensive and would last two months at max if used regularly which I think is way too less. The expiry period of the product is probably four months from the date of manufacture but I do have issues with this date things in Lush. They provide date of packaging and expiry but the date of packaging is date when you buy the product. So, how do they calculate the date of expiry? Honestly, Lush is not really working out well for me!!

Have you used Dark Angels?

Other products I love or hate from Lush:

Lush Caca Noir

Lush Aqua Marina Cleanser

Lush Gorilla Perfumes - Short Description

Update on Lush Caca Noir

Loving / Using It Vol. 1 - Garnier Pure Active pore unclogging wash

 

Loving / Using It : Loving It

Ok, so, let me say this is a new series which I have though just a minute ago! I have been dying to talk about this product but it has not yet been a month since I have started using it so the product review would come in time. 

But, I am totally loving this product. And, it is very rare that I love a product so much that I am just dying to talk about it. Yes, I would recommend it to all of you whole-heartedly! Especially for oily skin and acne prone skin beauties, go and grab it right away :)

What do you think about the series and the product if you have used it?

From the Archives : Oil Cleansing Method {DIY}

So continuing in the same series, let me bring this long lost post. This is one of the very much recommended beauty practices for both oily and dry skin beauties. It helps with tan removal to acne healing. And, its amazing as it removes makeup and cleanses the skin and detoxifies it. Since it is a little intense treatment for the skin, it should be done only once or AT MAX twice a week. 

Yes, by the name, you can make out it uses oil. So, please do not be afraid or prejudiced. I have always maintained that oil is amazing for skin when you know how to use them and which ones to use. So, here is a tip - Always use cold-pressed and extra-virgin or virgin oils whether it is olive or coconut or almond or sesame. Also, sesame oil is the one which is recommended heavily in ayurveda as apparently it is the only oil which can pass into the blood stream. Anyways, let us start with the post and please let me know of the doubts and clarifications.

A few days ago I had talked about OIL CLEANSING. Well, let me introduce to you something which I stumbled across a few days ago. I tried it and trust me, its amazing. I do not know how well it removes make up but it makes your skin squeaky clean without drying it. Rather, it leaves your skin smooth and supple. And, your skin glows the next day. You would love yourself.

It removes makeup fantastically as any oil would. 

Before proceeding, let me give a little background into OCM method. Oil is said to dissolve all the grime and dirt and dead skin cells and blackheads and what not. So, in this method, we especially use castor oil because castor has the most cleansing properties of all oils. Since castor is a drying oil and is extremely thick and concentrated it is not advisable to use it naked on the skin. It should be diluted with some other oil. Many people in the west prefer olive but I would suggest almond or coconut or sesame. No personal grudges with olive but it is something I do not really find amazing. If it works for you, go ahead!

Procedure:

• Start by keeping everything close to you. You would need a dry smooth cotton wash cloth (not too harsh for your skin), a bottle containing castor oil and olive oil mixed in a proportion suitable to your skin* oils and running hot water.
• Apply oil generously to your face and neck skin and massage it well the oil into your skin well using firm hands for around 5-10 minutes. It feels relaxing and is soothing for your face muscles. Exercise your cheek bone, jaw bone, nose, chin, forehead and eyes (use ring finger for eyes). The finger movements should be outwards and upwards towards the ear from the chin, cheeks, nose and upper lip area.
• After massaging to your heart's content, soak the wash cloth in hot running water and cover the face apply it on to your face. Keep the warmth of wash cloth to the point you can bear. Make sure the cloth is not too hot and let the warmth seep into your skin. Keep it on the face until it cools down. Then, wipe your face to remove the oil. You will find a lot of oil gone from the face. Wash the wash cloth in running hot water and repeat this step until all the oil is wiped off from the face and neck. Use the same wash cloth.
• Wash and soak the same wash cloth under hot running water for sometime to clean it and saturate it. Again apply it your face, keep till it cools and then, wipe away your face. Repeat this cycle till you feel your skin is clean. 3-4 times should be enough. 
• After you are done, DO NOT use any facewash. You can apply moisturizer according to the need of your skin. In place of moisturizer, you can apply a drop of the same oil used to cleanse your face. If it does not feel dry and tight, do not apply anything on to your face. Your face needs to breathe. Go and have a nice sleep.

Next morning, you need not cleanse your face. A wipe with a wash cloth or a splash of cold water is enough to clean it. Your skin would be glowing. Oil cleansing not only removes grime, dirt and make up from your face, but also, the blackheads and blemishes. This procedure should not be done too frequently. I think 2-3 times is fine in a week. Care should be taken not to scratch the skin.

Go and check it out for yourself. Have a happy cleansing.

* Remember, castor oil is quite thick and can be drying for the skin if used in large quantities. It has cleansing properties but is too strong on skin if used alone. That is why you need another light oil to dilute it. You can also use jojoba oil. For the mixture of oil, you can use 75-25 castor-olive oil combination for normal skin. You can experiment with different proportions till you find the one suiting your face.  The proportion of mixture should be such that for dry skin people, castor oil should be less in proportion like 50-50 or 60-50 and people with oily skin can have 80-20 as the proportion. But, since every skin is different in its needs, you should find out the right one for yourself. It would take trial and error but remember one rule, do not use too much of castor oil. It will dry your skin irrespective of its type.

PS: Italicized and striked paragraphs/sentences are new additions. Rest of the post is as it was published earlier. 

Baby Oil vs Vegetable Oils {Skin Care}

I have been using the regular Johnson's baby oil to remove sunscreen from the skin. And, in the meantime, I have been searching for a more natural product to use instead of mineral oil. In this interim, I also came to know that usage of mineral oil daily accelerates the aging process. 

Whether that point is true or not, I can not say. But, I can point out one thing that while I was using baby oil, I was not able to get rid of my blackheads. And, in fact, my blackheads were getting worse day by day. The day I started using the coconut oil, I could see them gone soon enough.

Also, I had been using groundnut oil a year back when it had totally eliminated my blackheads. Also, from the perspective of money, coconut oil seems cheaper at Rs 42 for 200 ml. I am currently using the Patanjali one. Whether it is pure or not is something I can not answer.

But, I do have a question which if you can answer, please do so. When I went to the Kama store couple of months back, I saw that they were selling 100 ml or something at 800 bucks which makes it literally 8 times more than the Patanjali one. 

One would say its the quality difference but is the price difference really justified??? I do not know how to react to such difference in prices. No, this is not the only instance either. Anyways, this post is about baby oil vs vegetable oils. 

And, my experience says that the vegetable oil is anytime better than baby oil. What do you say? 

Related Posts:

Tip of the Day 

pH level and Citrus Fruits 

My Skin Care Routine

Auravedic Ritual Skin Lightening Mask {Product Review}

Price: Rs 200 for 50gms

Ingredients

Pros

makes the skin really soft

helps reduce blackheads!

makes the skin glow

improves skin complexion

effects stay for 2 days at least

does a 2-in-1 job of scrub and mask

gentle on skin

no stinging 

Cons

stains the skin yellow!!

doesn't last long!

My Experience

Ok, the first time I used the product, I didn't know how I was supposed to use it so used it on completely dry skin and applied a really thick layer as it wasn't spreading easily on skin. That time only I used around 3-4 uses of the mask!! Then, I realized that it should be applied on damp skin. 

From next time, I started using it in the bath. Keeping it for 20 minutes is something I hate but still follow. Yeah, I am running low on patience these days!! Ok, so the product is a commercial version of homemade ubtan. The worst part of the product being it stains the skin and clothes YELLOW :(

As you can see in the pic, it is a little grainy in texture which is very gentle on skin and helps to clean the blackheads and dead skin cells. Its is recommended to use the mask daily but honestly it becomes an expensive deal to use it daily. In that case, the homemade deal would be better.

I got around 10 uses with the product. But, yes, its a good product and it has definitely improved my skin a lot. Though, I didn't notice any skin lightening. Some one had commented that my skin was looking pink after using this product so that was something surprising. 

I have liked Auravedic products more or less so this is another addition to that list. There is another product which came along with this one. Its just the powdered ubtan which has to be mixed with some liquid and used daily so I shall try it out next. Meanwhile, you should check this out :)

Availability

http://www.auravedic.com/skin-care/skin-lightening-mask.htm

PS: Product sent by brand. 

Other products from Auravedic:

Auravedic Botanical Actives Pulpy Facewash Honey Almond 

Auravedic Pomegranate Grapeseed Face Polish

Auravedic Reviving Body Cleanser