Lush Dark Angels Review

Based on high demand, the first product I'm reviewing from my haul is Lush Dark Angels. Lush has got me hooked already. Although its pricey and not available near me, I think it's well worth it because it's like buying ready-made DIY products. With DIY, sometimes by the time you've bought all the ingredients, the price is already high, and you run the risk of hating the final product. With Lush, its like you're getting the best of both worlds: the ingredients are few and fresh, and you're still getting a well-vetted product.

So onto my thoughts on Dark Angels.

The ingredients: 

• Charcoal is a very powerful substance that chemically attracts toxins towards it. In fact it is routinely used to save poison victims! When applied topically, charcoal literally draws impurities out of your pores. 
• Rhassoul mud is a natural anti-bacterial agent. 
  
• Sandalwood is used widely in India for treating dry skin, oily skin, sensitive skin, and acne scars. Its fragrance also relieves anxiety and increases concenration. Little wonder then that it is used for nervous brides-to-be!
• Black Sugar is an excellent exfoliant, with fairly large, coarse bits.
  

Highly impressive but a bit messy
I used this stuff on a particularly oily-skin day. After taking off my makeup, I took a penny-size amount of what looked like pitch black, sandy Play-doh. I put it in my palm and mixed it with water to make a paste. I put it all over my face, and the earthy smell really refreshed me and make me feel all woodsy. The scrub is intense, so avoid if you have sensitive skin or open blemishes.

After rinsing, I FREAKED OUT because there were tiny black spots around my nose and cheeks. I'd heard of getting a "tattooing effect" from charcoal, so I quickly grabbed my Coastal Scents cleanser brush and scrubbed for dear life, followed by a bit of Biore Cleanser.

Whew, it was all good after that. The second time I used it, I used a bit less, and there was substantially lesser spotting. I just had to follow with cleanser, but no brushing.

Effects: my skin is smoother than a baby's butt. This thing really scrubs the dead cells off your face, and the oil doesn't return for days. It's BY FAR the best exfoliant I have ever used. Although it requires a bit of effort and substantial sink cleanup, its my baby and I love it for who it is!

Another downer, is that it has a short 2 month shelf life. With the recommended usage being 2x a week, I'm afraid I'll not use it all up. I guess that's the downside of buying fresh preservative-free products.


4 stars for performance: It. works. wonders.
1 star removed for the short shelf life, messyness, and ability to spot your skin if you use too much.

Grease Lightning review is up next! Thanks for reading!