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Lush King of Skin
by spiritwood
"The emperor's new clothes, because with skin this good, you won't need any"
So say Lush on their website. I think that I scare my neighbours enough without running around with nothing on so I shall deny myself that pleasure. This is a relatively sensible review... apologies.
"King of skin" is a ... thick body butter/lotion in a solid bar. Kindly sent to my daughter (YES! My daughter! The bloody cheek!) by my mother in a box full of other Lush stuff that is still stinking out my kitchen. My mother is old school and has not yet got the internet so she used a copy of Lush's newspaper "Lush times" to order a batch of things.
So sprog and I have used solid shampoo, solid conditioner, the "Buffy" exfoliating body butter and now this one. I am starting to really like some of these products but will avoid some of the colourful perfume laden ones as they contain far too much rubbish.
Initial impressions are of the size, it is a good size, chunky and solid. It comes wrapped in a clear cellophane with a label on the back listing the ingredients. It looks like white chocolate and smells pleasant and not overpowering at all thank goodness. I can clearly tell that it contains a lot of both cocoa and shea due to the aroma and texture. This has the typical chocolatey cocoa butter smell but it is gentle. There is a hint of banana too, but on the whole this is innocuous and will not overpower any perfume that you choose to wear after using it.
I believe that "King of skin" used to be available in the square shape (as per the pic) but it changed over to the shape that it is now. The shape round and chunky with a "crown" on the top, so these will not fit in the cute little square silver tins which is a shame. I stick it on the bathroom windowsill and it seems to cope fine up there.
USING IT:
The instructions on the back advise you to use it like you would a hair conditioner but on your body. So you wash, rub this on and then do a final rinse and dry off. I have also used it neat on my hands which is not really what it is for but it was very lovely and I will do it again. It does melt fast in very hot water so using it in the tub would be an expensive habit. I sat on the side to apply it. By using it direct on the skin rather than soaking in it you use far less so a little goes much further.
The "King of skin" bar leaves you with a very soft and silky "coating" over your skin but it does not feel overtly greasy or cloying. It leaves a trail of melted butter on your skin which then disappears. There is no strong after-scent or annoying stickiness and it does make your skin feel amazing. I am sure that much of this is due to the cocoa/shea and avocado combination because I make a bar like this (without the bananas) and it has a very similar effect. All cocoa and shea combinations have this lovely effect especially when blended with quality moisturising oils.
EFFECTIVENESS:
Like a lot of Lush products, this is a luxury item. It is certainly not cheap but considering what it is actually in it the price is not too bad I suppose. Cocoa butter and Shea do not cost an awful lot and if you spent 20 quid buying the raw base materials in you could knock out 15-20 of these (which is what I intend to do).
The bar is extremely efficient at softening and moisturising the skin. I tend to suffer from dry skin so really appreciate a product that will moisturise without greasiness. This is a gorgeous bar which lives up to its name. My skin stayed soft for hours afterwards and I have taken to applying it neat on my hands because it is so effective. I just rub the bar over my knuckles and rub it in and although there are no directions to do this, it really helps my dry hands.
As for my daughter, the lucky recipient of the Lush box, her skin is already flawless but feels extra delicious after a rub down with this. She loves it but then she is very into her baths and helps me make the oils and butters at home, so she is an old hand.
THE INGREDIENTS:
For Lush who tend to use too much junk in some of their products, this is good. It contains mainly natural stuff in good quantities and it is a high quality product. The only artificial ingredient in this is minimal perfume, the rest is a mixture of oils and butters and fruits. I have used it on my face neat and had no adverse reactions at all.
The two largest ingredients here are the cocoa butter and shea. Lush have added extra virgin coconut oil, organic jojoba and almond oil to the mix as well as oat milk which is brilliant for irritated or dry skin. They have then blended in avocados which are very moisturising and bananas which act as an emollient. So the title "King of skin" is fairly fitting, they have really gone to town on the best ingredients for dry skin. There is a video available on Youtube showing how they make these bars and it is very interesting if you are thinking about trying to make your own.
INGREDIENTS:
Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter, Fresh Organic Bananas, Oat Milk, Fresh Organic Avocado, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Perfume, Organic Jojoba Oil, Almond Oil, Tangerine Oil, Lavender Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Rose Absolute, Frankincense Resinoid, *Limonene, *Linalool
*occurs naturally in essential oils
SUMMARY:
I am slightly irritated that I have been writing glowing reviews on Lush products but there you go. I still think that they would do well to drop the junk elements of their stock but this is certainly one of the better products for being natural and skin friendly. It is also easy to use, not offensive to smell and works a treat. I love it... again!
"King of skin" is priced at £5.25 for 75g and is available via their website or from their stores.
https://www.lush.co.uk/product/252/King-of-Skin-Body-Butter
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Lush Ultrabland
by Torialou
Lush - Ultrabland Facial Cleanser
PRODUCT OVERVIEW
I am sorry everyone it is another Lush review!
Ultrabland is one of Lush cosmetics range of cleaners, I am not sure where Lush come up with some of their product names, some I can see why, but others like this I think "why would you call something ... this?" At a guess maybe it is because the product is gentle, but I am not sure I like something as good as this being called ultrabland, it makes me think the product is boring.
Ultrabland is available in two sizes, 45g and 100g and comes in small black plastic pots with a screw lid. The product itself reminds me of a body butter, it is very thick and has a fairly oily consistency to it. Scent wise there is very little noticeable, I can detect something but it is very faint. The cream reminds me colour wise of a yellow butter.
Lush states that the Almond oil and beeswax in the product combine to make a thick base that grease and dirt on the face to bind to, enabling it to be lifted away from the skin when you remove the product residue with a damp cotton pad.
I actually use this product as a make up remover rather than a cleaner, the nice staff in Lush kindly informed me that this product was excellent for removing stubborn waterproof make up. I have to admit to being a sceptic when they told me this, due to the thick texture I was sure that this cream would cause major break outs on my skin the moment I used it. The ladies gave me a small pot to trial and due to my skin being oily/combination I was advised to remove the residue after with a damp cloth or one of the toner waters.
Did it work? A great big stonking yes! I applied the cream to my make up and every last bit came off with no heavy or repeated rubbing required for my waterproof mascara or eye liner. The product is too heavy for my skin (although it has not caused any breakouts) so I have started leaving it to soak in for a short while and then use a soap cleaners and hot cloth to remove the residue. It really has made a huge difference to my skin and I have not looked back.
Before anyone asks this product is alright to be used as an eye make up remover, I did check before applying it to the eye areas.
A little bit of added information, Lush operate a system where you can trial their cosmetic products simply ask a member of their staff and they will organise a few days trial of the desired product and place it in a small pot for you to take away free of charge. Also with Lush if you take back 5 clean tubes or pots they will give you a free face mask in return.
INGEDIENTS
Almond Oil, Rose Water, Beeswax, Honey, Fresh Iris Extract, Glycerine, Rose Absolute, Tincture of Benzoin, Methylparaben, Propylparaben
PRICE
Ultrabland is available for £6.75 for the 45g pot or £10.75 for the 100g pot.
SUMMARY
This is a very versatile product, it can be used as a regular cleaner for people with dry skin or a make up remover by all. It is extremely effective, it has removed every bit of stubborn waterproof long lasting make up that I have thrown at it and caused no irritation to my skin or eyes. I would highly recommend it to anyone, particularly as a make up remover. You really do not need much either so the small pot will last a good 2-4 months depending how much you use. It is a little expensive but I honestly have no issues on spending the money on a product that I can not praise enough.
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