As a general rule my face is relatively spot free. I tend to go a few months completely spot free and then, every once in a while, I'll get four or five pop up at the same time. Typically I get those bright red spots that come up from under the skin that cannot be popped or squeezed so, short of plastering them in concealer, there's nothing I can do to distract attention from them. I was in the middle of one of those spotty phases when I was last browsing my local Lush store. I'd intended to pick up a few bath ballistics and ended up returning with this Catastrophe Cosmetic Fresh Face Mask as well.

This face mask is described as a 'deep cleansing' face mask which should be used to maintain clean and clear skin. The mask isn't designed to get rid of spots already there but rather to prevent them from popping up in the future. This sounded pretty good to me. I'd much rather be spending money on products that prevent spots than products that get rid of them.

The face mask comes in a little black recycled plastic pot, clean out five of these pots and take them to your local Lush store and you'll get a fresh face mask for free! Otherwise this will cost you £5.95 for the 75g of face mask. Personally, I don't find this price to be too bad, I managed to get seven uses out of my pot which works out at just over £1 per use. That's about the going rate for a single use face mask in the supermarkets and I don't find them to be anywhere near as high quality as this one.

The screw on lid of this pot contains the Lush logo, product name and little description which states this face mask if 'your best mate in a pot'. There's also a little 'V' symbol on the side showing that this face mask is suitable for vegans and, as with all Lush products, this hasn't been tested on animals.

The main ingredient in this face mask is fresh blueberries. These not only give the face mask it's blue colour and sweet, fruity scent but are also an antioxidant and thriving in vitamins and minerals, exactly what you need for a clear and healthy looking complexion. Almond oil is used to moisturise and Irish mosh gel softens the skin. To reduce redness of any current spots and blemishes there's chamomile essential oil and rose absolute and, to finish, a mixture of calamine and talc sooth the skin and provide it with that 'deep cleanse' promised by this product. As with all fresh face masks from Lush this one is preservative free so must be kept in the fridge.

When I bought my face mask I didn't anticipate just how long I would be out shopping thus mine was left out of the fridge for about four and a half hours. I got home to find my face mask had separated somewhat. There was a layer of liquid covering the more the solid part of the mask and I thought I'd ruined it before I'd even used it. I mixed it all back up and set in the fridge again over night and, thankfully, it was fine again the following evening so all hope isn't lost if you do the same thing! Although in future I'll definitely be making sure my face mask is the last thing I buy when out shopping and recommend anyone else buying one does the same thing.

I love applying this face mask. It's a pale shade of blue with bits of blueberry mixed up in it and has a very subtle but nice and fresh blueberry scent to it. I find the scent to be very relaxing and because the face mask has been in the fridge the cool temperature of this on my skin is very soothing. That's probably the thing I love most about Lush's fresh face masks actually! It's easy to apply and completely mess free. I just dip my fingers in the pot and run them across my face and the mask transfers to my face easily and quickly. I find I only really need a thin layer to get the full effects of this too. Applying the face mask takes about two minutes and then I'm free to relax for ten minutes whilst this works its magic on my skin.

The mask is a clay one and dries really quickly, it only takes about a minute and half to dry completely. I do have a few issues with this once it has dried though. Firstly, I find this makes my skin feel quite tight and itchy although this is something I experience with all clay face masks and not just this one. I'm just not a massive fan of this type of mask in general. Secondly, this crumbles off my face once dried an awful lot. I have to sit there imaging I've had botox almost. Any facial expression will cause this to flake off immediately and it's these bits of blueberries which are the worse for it. By the time I get to actually washing this off there's no blueberry bits left on my face, they're scattered around my house instead! Thankfully these bits of flaked off face mask do not stain. I've had them on clothes, the sofa and even my laptop keyboard and the initial marks left by them come of really easily. Wiping down my fabric sofa with a damp cloth does the trick and washing my clothes gets the marks out first time. So, whilst this isn't a massive worry, I'd still prefer it if wasn't so messy! It's quite hard to relax when you're concentrating so hard and not creating any lines in your face and who wants to clean their house when they're trying to pamper themselves!?

When I do actually want the face mask to come off this is easily achieved. I just wet my face cloth and rub it over my face. Taking it off takes even less time than putting it on and doesn't require constant scrubbing. I then just have to give my face cloth a quick rinse under the tap and all of the mask is taken out of it so it doesn't ruin or stain this either.

The face mask does have pleasing results. My face instantly feels smoother, softer and more supple. It doesn't really have any skin brightening effects which is a shame as this is one of the main things I look for in a skincare product, but it does reduce the redness of my spots quite a bit and makes my skin look healthier and clearer. I do believe this mask is playing an active part in keeping my skin clear too. Once I'd managed to clear up those spots I had at the time my skin has been left even clearer than usual since I've been regularly using this. I've definitely noticed an improvement in my skins condition. All of the changes it has made are quite subtle and it's hard to pinpoint exactly what improvements this has made but my skin just looks healthier.

I do have extremely sensitive skin on my face and have experienced no reactions to this face mask whatsoever which is obviously a massive bonus and I feel confident in saying this mask is safe for sensitive skin. The vast majority of the ingredients in this mask are completely natural so unless you're allergic to a specific ingredient included in this then I can't see what there is for your skin to react with anyway. I can't say the fresh scent of this mask particularly lingers but I don't mind that so much, it seems to do as it claims and that's the most important thing (and quite a rare thing to find too)!

All in all, a recommended face mask. Used regularly this really does make an improvement in the skins condition and if you are prone to spot outbreaks then I think this would do wonders for you.