Lush Angels on Bare Skin > Reviews (18)

I've tried lots of Lush products but hadn't tried any of their facial skincare products before I bought this one. I chose it on a whim as I was staying with a friend in a different city and had managed to forget my usual cleanser - I know I could have borrowed something but it seemed too good an excuse to treat myself in Lush!

As I'm sure you know, Lush pride themselves on their natural ingredients, and lack of additives and preservatives in their products, and this is no exception. This contains Rose Oil and Lavender Oil as the main ingredients, and Lush claim 'you'd be hard pressed to find a better all round cleanser and exfoliator than Angels.' It comes in the usual black plastic pot with quirky white 'handwritten' lettering on the label, along with the list of ingredients and the name and face sticker of the person who made it, along with a use by date. This does reinforce the impression that everything is handmade and fresh, and is a nice selling point of Lush. The pot is around 100g and is sold by weight, with 100g costing £5.50 - mine was slightly less at £5.20. One thing to remember is that if you collect the empty pots, Lush will give you a free product when you return them for recycling - I think you need 6 but I've never actually managed to do this.

On opening the pot, this is a very - ahem - unassuming product. It is basically a lump of grey stuff that looks like a cross between cookie dough, putty and playdough, and is flecked with little black and brown things which look a bit like dead insects but on closer inspection seem to be seeds. On reading the ingredients list (see below) I deduce that they must be lavender flowers! The smell is much more beautiful than the appearance though - the rose and lavender combine to make a fragrance which smells like an English garden in full bloom. Looking at the reviews of this product on the Lush website at www.lush.com, some people seem to hate the smell, but I love authentic floral smells and I think this is gorgeous!

The instructions say to break off a small blob of this and to massage it gently onto your damp face to remove oils and dirt and gently exfoliate. I used this in the shower and my only complaint was that the lid was difficult to get off with wet hands: it seemed very tight. However that might be a good thing as at least it stayed intact while I transported it home in my suitcase! When you get it wet, the product becomes a little bit creamier and softens up, making it easy to rub across your skin. I used circular motions to gently massage it into my whole face but concentrating on my T-zone where I get most oily and spotty. You need to avoid your eyes as this can really sting, and I wouldn't recommend getting it into your mouth either!

Once I started to massage it in, it turned quite runny and I was left with the 'bits' of lavender which exfoliated my face nicely to finish. It was not too harsh or gritty and even though my skin is quite sensitive, it felt gentle. It rinsed off my face easily under the shower, although I did get some bits stuck in my hairline which took some rinsing out.

I would definitely recommend using this in the shower rather than at the sink as it does seem to get everywhere and would make a bit off a mess of your basin.

I dried my face with a soft towel and inspected the results: my skin felt very soft and not at all dry and tight like you get with some face washes. It also looked healthy and slightly pink, with a nice glow which lasted a few hours. After using the product for a couple of weeks I'm glad to say that the results last, and my skin still feels soft and comfortable. I seem to be getting fewer spots than usual and certainly fewer dry or flakey patches. However I've only being using it in the shower in the morning as I wear a lot of makeup and I'm not sure how it would fare with that, were I to try and use this cleanser in the evening. I might have to give it a try though as the results so far have been very impressive.