So for months I've been walking past the Lush store on rue du Renard (Paris 4e, Hotel de Ville) and been bombarded by the scent coming out of the boutique. I live in France where people go to buy perfume and walking into a Sephora after 11 am means subjecting your nose to an olfactory torture, so I tend to avoid any stores with a particular smell. But after many days of seeing the girls that came out of Lush with nice skin, I decided to buckle.
Now I've read reviews about the pushy staff, but the girl who helped me wasn't so pushy. They were out of what I really wanted to start my Lush experience with, the Balançoire face mask (called Love Lettuce in the UK and seems to be not available according to the Lush US website? Maybe someone in the US can comment to say whether or not Lush offers the same amount of fresh face masks?). So I went for the Matin et Soir (95 g - 7,50 euros, also known as 9 to 5) and the Herbalism (100 g - 9,50 euros).
After two weeks I can honestly say I really like the Matin et Soir/9 to 5 lotion cleanser. It's a pain in the butt because I have to keep my Lush products in the fridge, but I've worked it out by keeping cotton pads downstairs in the kitchen, putting on the amount of products I'm going to use that night or morning on one, and then bringing it to the bathroom. What I like is I can actually see the dirt coming out of my pores, my skin feels clean and soft all day long and the next morning when I wake up, and my pores seem to be less obvious (which is my major problem with my skin at the moment my pores are just out of control).
Now I have mixed feelings in regards to the exfoliating scrub Herbalisme. It seems really difficult to get it to sort of soften up so I can spread it on my face and a lot of little bits end up in my sink, which seems wasteful. I get the feeling that I'm still using the product incorrectly because my results aren't consistent. The girl at the Lush shop told me to use the exfoliating scrub twice a week, but I think it's gentle enough that I exfoliate about every 2 days and also use it on my hands, elbows, knees, and a little on my legs and feet. It does make my face and the other places I use it seem softer, but I still feel like I haven't gotten off the dull layer of skin I want to slough off.
And this is where my problem with Lush begins. Since the products all have an expiration date, I know I'm going to end up throwing away a lot of product because there is just no way I'll use up everything by then. I wish Lush offered small sizes because I'd be a lot more willing to use more of their products. I'm thinking about taking the Herbalisme back and asking to exchange it for something else. I'm not sure how good their customer service is, but in my defense their salesperson recommended it and it's not doing anything for my skin. It has tonight and Sunday night to impress me or it's gone.
There are a few products of Lush's that get good reviews such as the Coalface soap, so I think if I do bring back the scrub and decide to get one of their masks, I'll ask for something that does what the Coalface does, but I won't be changing my cleanser any time soon. For the price (even with the wasteful aspect because of the expiration date) it's pretty good stuff, though a part of me worries that like Kiehl's, Lush might be skincare for a *cough* younger woman. At my age I might need something more hardcore.
So to the other 30-somethings who might read my blog what do you use to keep your skin looking and feeling great? And if you're 30-something or otherwise and do use Lush, what are your favourite products?
Now I've read reviews about the pushy staff, but the girl who helped me wasn't so pushy. They were out of what I really wanted to start my Lush experience with, the Balançoire face mask (called Love Lettuce in the UK and seems to be not available according to the Lush US website? Maybe someone in the US can comment to say whether or not Lush offers the same amount of fresh face masks?). So I went for the Matin et Soir (95 g - 7,50 euros, also known as 9 to 5) and the Herbalism (100 g - 9,50 euros).
Now I have mixed feelings in regards to the exfoliating scrub Herbalisme. It seems really difficult to get it to sort of soften up so I can spread it on my face and a lot of little bits end up in my sink, which seems wasteful. I get the feeling that I'm still using the product incorrectly because my results aren't consistent. The girl at the Lush shop told me to use the exfoliating scrub twice a week, but I think it's gentle enough that I exfoliate about every 2 days and also use it on my hands, elbows, knees, and a little on my legs and feet. It does make my face and the other places I use it seem softer, but I still feel like I haven't gotten off the dull layer of skin I want to slough off.
And this is where my problem with Lush begins. Since the products all have an expiration date, I know I'm going to end up throwing away a lot of product because there is just no way I'll use up everything by then. I wish Lush offered small sizes because I'd be a lot more willing to use more of their products. I'm thinking about taking the Herbalisme back and asking to exchange it for something else. I'm not sure how good their customer service is, but in my defense their salesperson recommended it and it's not doing anything for my skin. It has tonight and Sunday night to impress me or it's gone.
There are a few products of Lush's that get good reviews such as the Coalface soap, so I think if I do bring back the scrub and decide to get one of their masks, I'll ask for something that does what the Coalface does, but I won't be changing my cleanser any time soon. For the price (even with the wasteful aspect because of the expiration date) it's pretty good stuff, though a part of me worries that like Kiehl's, Lush might be skincare for a *cough* younger woman. At my age I might need something more hardcore.
So to the other 30-somethings who might read my blog what do you use to keep your skin looking and feeling great? And if you're 30-something or otherwise and do use Lush, what are your favourite products?
