Hey Everyone!
I apologize for the lack of blogging lately. I’ve been totally swamped by good old university work – mouth covered in chocolate and eye-bags the size of god knows what. Despite that, I’ve been on Lush’s tail to try every face mask they have. I’ve reviewed the Lush Brazened Honey Face Mask, and I’m here yet again to do another one. This time it’s the Catstrophe Cosmetic.
If you love blueberries and love them enough that you want to look like Willy Wonka’s Violet Beuraguard when she impulsively chews some gum that eventually turns her into a blueberry, then I’m very pleased to say that this is for you. Although the feeling will be temporary, you can relish in the fact that for that temporary 10 minutes, you will look like one. Congratulations.
What is this baby supposed to do?
Lush’s Catastrophe Cosmetic, besides blueberries, contains soothing chamomile, irish moss, almond oil, calamine powder and talc among others. The ingredients are supposed to act as an antisceptic, calm and soothe the skin and overall reduce inflammation with essential vitamins, minerals and good ole antioxidants.
For the purpose of this review, I can’t obviously dig into my skin to find if those antioxidants are present but I can see if there is an improvement in this skin. Like all reviews, let’s see if these claims hold.
A Look At the Mask:
The texture of the mask is a smooth and thick paste. There are some prickly bits here and there thanks to the skins of the blueberries mashed into the mask but nothing overly exfoliating or even enough to act as a daily facial exfoliant. It smells very fragrant, reminiscent of lightly sweetened blueberries and I reckon purple flowers like violets and lavender. It’s for sure a scent that is nothing to complain about. The mask comes in the same sort of tub that every LUSH fresh face mask comes packaged in which brings about 10 uses depending on the thickness applied at each use. This is fine mainly because the mask will expire in three weeks and because it is a slightly drying, it is not a mask to be used daily. Catastrophe Cosmetic being made of fresh ingredients must be refrigerated which is a welcome demand because these masks are absolutely heavenly when applied straight from the fridge.
Let’s Put it On:
Step 1: Start with a “freshly” cleansed face.
Step 2: Dig some of the mask out from the tub with your fingers. You can see just how thick this mask is. It reminds me a lot of the Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask!
Step 3: Spread the mask evenly over your complexion with your fingers. The mask shows a little resistence so you’re going to have to push a bit because it’s so thick. It’s such a nice break from the usual nitty gritty masks that LUSH makes even if you can still feel a bit of prickly bits from the blueberry skins.
Step 4: After the mask is evenly spread, it will look something like this. I don’t really like applying double layers of masks because this mask does contain an ample amount of talc to soak up oil. Too thick a layer will dry up the skin, even for combination skin like mine.
Step 5: Wait 5 to 10 minutes. I tend to wait about 10 to 15 minutes just because I want my moneys worth. Just Kidding! I feel like I need to give it ample time until it looks something like this. All crackly.
Step 6: Rinse off the mask with warm water. These masks are always such an absolute mess to wash up because they take a little while to dissolve the substance before it can melt off with the water. The skin looks smoother and more glowing after the application!
What do I think about it?
This mask is great because it feels nice. It does make my skin smoother to a degree but nothing substantially noticeable. I really only use this mask because it feels super refreshing after the wash but I don’t know about the skincare benefits. My regular zits popped up here and there and I have to say that the after effects are nothing unique and special to celebrate about. If I used a scrub from Biore, I would still have the same effects on my skin. Overall, I did notice less redness after I washed off the mask and a very smooth, soft and clean feel on my face as you can see from the pictures!
Perhaps its the fact that I know that blueberries have antioxidants and that the antioxidants are good for my complexion that makes me buy into the quality of these masks. If we eat an apple, we know that it’s good for us, but do we immediately see the effects? Not really. We could be taking in the antioxidants but I did not specifically notice again any unique or special effects. Yet, it didn’t hurt to have this mask, it made me feel special at the end of the day so I guess I’m pretty much neutral, leaning on to happy. Maybe a mask isn’t only applied just because it provides you skincare benefits, perhaps people wear masks because it makes them happy. I know I do. Also a bit of a warning to more dry skin types, you might find this a little too drying. Your favourite moisturiser applied after will suit you just fine.
I’m currently on my LUSH BB Seaweed mask now, look forward to a review when I can!
P.S There is a current MAC Giveaway on my Facebook Page for the MAC Liberty of London lipglass in Frankly Fresh!!
Click this to enter! xx
You will have to join my facebook page to enter this giveaway!
Love,
Roseanne