Lush Haul - Pass it Forward

A couple of weeks ago I made a visit to Lush in utter despair about the state of my skin.  I have been experiencing quite a few health issues over the last eight months and it starting to take its toll on my skin.  This is not what I would call a breakout because it has been more or less permanent over the last few month and I needed something to calm it down and make it less sore.  I was caking my face in sudocrem to soothe the irritation (which does help by the way) but I needed something more and when I have skin problems I run to Lush - a haven of natural skin goodness.

I went in with the intentions of purchasing the mask of magnaminty but the sales advisor told me that it would probably be too strong for my skin and could make the problem worse.  I have combination skin which is more dry than oily despite being acne ridden and mask of magnaminty is targeted at oily skin. She did sit me down and advised me on which products would be good for my skin though.  One of things I love the most about Lush is that I never feel pressured into buying anything and the sales advisor always take a genuine interest in what it is you are looking for.

Cleansers

Both the cleansers that I were suggested for my skin tone I have reviewed before through samples:

1. Angels on Bare Skin 
2. Ultrabland Cleanser

I purchased a big tub of Angels on Bare Skin and went away with more little samples of Ultrabland.  I would not change anything that I have said in the previous reviews other than adding that Ultrabland is a great alternative to the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish if you cannot afford it.

Toners

Tea Tree Water

So far I really like the tea tree water as it is very refreshing on the skin.  You can either spritz it on to your face or spritz some over a cotton pad to wipe it over your face.  Spritizing is good in the morning or after a work out to freshen your skin up. It is really good at removing excess make-up or grime from your face after cleansing.  The sales advisor carried a bottle with her when she went to South America to keep her skin in top condition due to the sweltering heat in the jungle. If I were going to a hot country this would be top of my list of things to take with me - so holiday goes take note.

Moisturiser

Cosmetic Lad

Do not be fooled by the name it is for us ladies.  The name is actually a typo the moisturiser was meant to be Cosmetic Lab but it turns out it is very good for men (especially after shaving) so the name stuck.  I forced some on my boyfriend to test the theory and his skin looked loads better afterwards.  I was a bit envious of the results on him but it does work well on my skin too and I imagine if I had stubble it would work equally as well (insert lol). It has the lovely scent of terry's chocolate orange and it dries very quickly which I love so it is fine as a base for make-up.  It works really well with my combination skin giving enough moisture to the dry areas but not aggravating the greasier areas like the T-zone.

Pass it Forward

I was advised for many different things for my skin during my visit but I was honest with the sales lady and told her I didn't have that much money to spend since I had just graduated and had not found a job.  I also told her about my under-active thyroid after she told me that spots round the chin area are due to hormonal reasons and she told me her mother has this as well and has suffered many problems due to it. She sends her mother (who lives in America) the above products every month.

I don't know if she felt a bit sorry for me or could just tell that I was having a crap week but when I stopped to admire my new products on the train I found the little card photographed above and a full size bottle of the  grease lightening spot treatment that I could not afford to buy. It make my week and I still smile when I think about it.  It was such a lovely thing to do and it just shows how great the customer service at Lush is.  One day I will go back in and thank her for reminding me that not everything is bleak.


Grease Lightening

I have previously reviewed a sample of Grease Lightening here but now that I have had a bigger sample I can say more about it.  It smells very similar to the coal face soap if anyone has tried that? So almost a little like liquorice and the texture is like a gel (this is due to the seaweed) and as you can see from the photo it looks a little ERM...sinister.  However it is beautifully ugly.  It works wonders at cooling down spots and making them less painful but I am probably not the best person to review this as I am now on a 27 day course of antibiotics for my skin and no matter how wonderful this product may or may not be at sorting out spots it probably wouldn't make a dent in my skin problems. It certainly has not made my skin any worse though and I still use it daily to make my skin feel better. It is like a painkiller for the skin.

So happy ending?  I certainly had a happy shopping trip and I cannot advise people enough to take a trip to Lush if they are having a crap week because I can ensure you'll leave the store feeling a little bit better. However I am still battling the horrors of my skin and it truly is a bad day when Lush cannot sort the problem out but here is hoping the antibiotics help some.

Tits and Zitz

For pretty much half of my life I have had acne which is medically categorised as a skin disease which seems a bit over the top but I suppose there are much worse cases of acne than mine but it was really bad when I was younger.  I started my period when I was nine years old so I experienced physically being a teenager before most of my friends did.  I had big boobs and acne.  If my face wasn't covered in disgusting red dots I would have probably been considered a hottie for the tits alone but instead I became a bully victim because of the zits.

'Bully' is one of those words that when people use it they either give you an understanding look or they look at you like you're exaggerating.  The bullying started at primary school and continued to secondary. The bullying never told a physical form but sometimes I wish it had.  At times I convinced myself it would have been easier than the mental torment.  I still have self-confidence issues in regards to my skin till this day.  I feel very uncomfortable going outside not wearing make-up or even being around some friends not wearing it.  It is rare that I will go outside not wearing any and when I do I feel very paranoid. I know this does not make me special in any way as loads of girls feel like this but it can be good to share experiences and if it helps make someone not feel like an alien then my job is done.

The worst thing about being bullied about something physical or indeed something else that is happening in your life such as family is that half the time it is true.  I could't deny I had terrible skin.  It was not only staring me in the face but all over my face and it hurt.  Both my face and the bullying.

Here is one of my favourite posts on the subject of acne and from someone who has a shittier time of it than me: Scars by Dr Brooke Magnanti but you might know her better as Belle De Jour.

But back to the point - the reason I bring this up is because of the state of my skin right now and it reminds me of how crap a time I went through as an adolescent and it pisses me off that at 21 I am still dealing with it.

My skin did clear up for a couple of years - at age 14 I got put on Dianette which is a contraceptive pill but it is one that is very good for clearing up acne.  So good that I have heard of men being prescribed it.  If anyone reading this has particularly bad skin I would look into this.  I then got took off that pill for being on it too long and my current pill has never helped my skin. Well that combined with an underactive-thyroid which means my hormones are everywhere. As if gaining two and a half stone was not bad enough. They should really rename hypo-thyroidism 'ugly illness'. Ok, slightly dramatic but it certainly is not something that makes you better looking.

I cleanse, I tone, I moisturise and I have prescribed cream from the doctor but nothing is helping me at the moment.  Since age nine I have been searching for the miracle product and I still have no found it so I thought I would ask on here on the odd chance that someone else has battled acne for the majority of their life and has been lucky enough to find this miracle product.

The cream I was prescribed off the doctors is called DUAC cream and it is very good but it just is not working for me at the moment but if you suffer from random breakouts I would go ask for some of this it should clear your skin up in a couple of weeks. However it also has a tendency to dry out your skin so pile a thick moisturiser on at bedtime.

If I had some photo's I would show you's but I actually do not have any digital photo's from my youth and I wonder why this does not bother me.

Much Love,

Glampire

xx

Grease Lightning - Spot Treatment - Lush

Product No.3 of the free samples - Grease Lightning.

This is one of newer products at Lush and one I have pondered about but as I get prescribed cream off the doctor for my skin I have never bought it but on having tried it out for free I am now considering purchasing it.

The product is actually quite similar to my prescribed product Duac and Freederm cream which I also have a history of using.  Both very good for acne but sadly dry the skin out.

One of the main thoughts behind this product is to create a product for spots that does not dry out the skin - it contains: carrageen moss - a seaweed - which is very softening as to not dry the skin out surrounding the spot(s). 


Ingredients

• Aloe vera gel to soothe and moisturise
• Seawater for its antiseptic properties. 
• Grape juice to cool and calm the skin.
• Thyme, rosemary and tea tree herb infusions to be gently antibacterial.
• Witch hazel, an astringent that is great for bruising and helps broken blood vessels shrink and contract.
• Tea Tree oil, a powerful antiseptic

I haven't used the product for long enough to see if it is successful in completely removing spots but it certainly makes them feel a bit better and I have only been using it at night when I remember to put it on.  I think if it was used every night it would be really great.

It is only £5.65 - a bargain compared to the price of some other spot treatments.  I think I will be making a change over from my prescribed cream.