A bit of background for you - my skin has been an ongoing battle (and one of my least favourite topics) since I was 12. I have combination skin with a very oily t-zone, dry cheeks, uncontrollable cystic hormonal acne around my chin, and on top of it all, my skin is VERY sensitive!
Testing new products has always been a total nightmare because I never know what the reaction will be like. Too many trips to the doctor with allergic reactions has had me sticking to the same skincare routine and products for as long as I can remember.
For all of my teenage years and a good portion of my early twenties I was on the pill in hopes to solve my acne problems, and just turned a blind-eye to the long list of side-effects. And while the pill did make a noticeable difference, after 10 years mood-swings, weight gain, and depression, the side effects were no longer outweighing the results. I went off the pill in September of 2018.
The first three months off the pill had me in tears. Not only did the acne on my face drastically worsen, I had acne pop up in places there never used to be, including my back & chest. Not ideal!!! I spent a small fortune trying big name brand products with little to no improvements. I tossed up day after day... do I just go back on the pill?
Not ready to just give up yet, I did a bit of research on all natural options for oily & acne prone skin, and again & again LUSH products kept popping up. With nothing to lose at that point, I gave LUSH a try and ordered my very first pots, and honestly I never looked back. With a bit of testing and tweaking, below is the list of products that work the best for my daily skincare routine:
My LUSH Skincare Routine Products:
- Herbalism Facial Cleanser
- Tea Tree Water Toner
- Vanishing Cream Moisturizer
- Grease Lightening Spot Treatment
- Dark Angles Facial Cleanser (shower-only)
- Ocean Salt Body Scrub (shower-only)
Yes, I know that is a big list! (and this is just my go-to's for face!) Let's take a deeper look into each one:
Herbalism
Herbalism is gentle exfoliating facial cleanser, and the holy grail of products for sensitive skin. Even after my very first use, the blend of rosemary, chamomile & nettle balanced out my skin tone and eliminated the redness in my cheeks. Ground almonds are used as the exfoliant, so it's not too harsh or abrasive, leaving my skin irritant free. My face feels super clean and soft afterwards, so I use it every morning & before bed.
I will admit though, using a "pot" cleanser took some getting use too! I pinch a pea-sized amount from the pot, and add a drop or two of water from my fingers and mix it into a paste before putting on my face, then wipe it off with a wet cloth.
Tea Tree Water, Vanishing Cream, & Grease Lightning
Toner is my FAVOURITE part of my skincare routine! After you have washed your face, just spray this directly onto your skin from the bottle. Seriously, just do it. Skip the cotton pad. Close your eyes and spray 2 or 3 times and voila!
My old toners used to leave my skin feeling tight and itchy, and really dried out my cheeks. Most of the time I would end up skipping toners to avoid scratching at my face all day. LUSH's Tea Tree Water is made of just a few simple ingredients so you don't get any uncomfortable dry or tight skin after using. It's done absolute wonders for my acne on both my face & back.
After spraying my face in the morning I follow-up with massaging Vanishing Cream moisturizer right on top. Vanishing Cream is a bit heavier (but still super lightweight) than the previous LUSH Enzymion I was using, but it just soaks RIGHT into your face. Just like the name, it vanishes. Don't forget, keeping your skin hydrated is really important to stop your body from producing excess oils! Don't skip out on moisturizers!
Finally, Grease Lightning! (cue John Travolta). I just recently added this into my routine as a spot treatment. It contains witch hazel, and honestly it must be some sort of "witch craft" (punny, I know). I dab a little bit of this on acne areas after a cleanse and by the next day the areas are noticeably flatter, less red, and no longer irritated. Witch craft I tell ya!
Dark Angles & Ocean Salt
Now while each of these cult-classic LUSH products deserve their own review, I found what works best is to use these two one after another, and in the shower only.
When I first opened Dark Angles I was intimidated and scared for my white face cloths (spoiler alert, it stains). I won't lie, Dark Angles is messy.
I started using this as a daily cleanser because it is honestly such an amazing LUSH product. After the first use you are left with soft, matte skin, but getting the black residue off my face ended up being quite a difficult task. Most days I was left with what looked like a 5 o'clock shadow I couldn't scrub off without soap.
This cleanser is much more abrasive with sugar crystal exfoliatant, so I took it out of my daily routine as it was a little too harsh for everyday use. But not wanting to give up the results of Dark Angles, I instead moved it into my regular shower skincare routine.
In comes Ocean Salt. This sea-salt exfoliant is the perfect product to scrub off Dark Angles, and you are left with a double whammy of touchablely soft skin ALL over your body. You only need to use this product once to get hooked. If you are going to try any product, try this one first. My journey with LUSH facial products has been nothing but pleasant. Their products not only work as described, the company has huge core values for cruelty free products and ethical buying.
I love trying new LUSH products! What are your favourites you would recommend? Have you tried any of my regulars? Leave me a comment or send me a message!
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* I purchased all the LUSH items myself and I not affiliated with LUSH. All opinions are my own