Lush Imperialis > Reviews (11)

I'm not usually a fan of Lush but…

Okay, who am I trying to kid! Yes, I love Lush products but when it came to facial moisturisers something was holding me back making me feel a bit dubious that their moisturisers would work. It was only earlier this year that I took the plunge and bought my very first Lush moisturiser: Imperialis - "the majestic moisturiser".

I chose this particular one from the range of 10 moisturisers that Lush offer because it was the cheapest one that suited my skin type, costing £8.25 for 45g. I have normal skin that has a tendency to become slightly oily in the T-zone area if I'm stressed, ill or hormonal. Lush claim that Imperialis is a cream that simply moisturises and keeps the skin balanced which is just what I was after. It is created for all skin types but particularly good for combination skin.

The pale dusky pink coloured cream comes in a black plastic tub with a screw on lid, packaging that has become standard and instantly recognised as being Lush these days. Lush use minimal packaging creating less waste and thus being kinder to the environment. (You will find a picture of the tub at the bottom of the review as it is no longer the white tub that Ciao has displayed above.) My particular tub was made on 09/01/2006 and has a use by date of 09/03/2007*. As this product comes in a tub not a pump-action bottle, you do need to make sure that your fingers are clean so that you don't end up contaminating your moisturiser with dirt or bacteria. Having said that, I do personally prefer moisturisers that come in a tub as opposed to a bottle.

This cream is one of the most beautiful smelling beauty products I have ever had the pleasure of using. It smells like a bouquet of freshly cut flowers and it comes as no surprise to see that most of the ingredients in this little luxury are in fact flowers: lavender, orange and tiger lily are the main ones and they are key to the balancing properties of this cream. It also contains, among other things, olive oil, shea butter and cocoa butter which are three of the best naturally moisturising ingredients around. I much prefer to use skin care products with natural ingredients rather than nasty synthetics that probably do more harm than good. This product is also vegan-friendly**.

I have been using this moisturiser as a day cream, applying it first thing in the morning before make-up. The cream has a very light consistency and I made the classic mistake of using far too much the first time because I didn't think that such a light cream would be rich enough. How wrong was I! You literally need to just dab the tip of your finger in to the pot and that will provide enough cream to moisturise your whole face and neck. The cream absorbs very well, it takes a few minutes and you are left with soft skin that is silky to the touch, ready to put on your make-up or just up and go. It also leaves your skin ever so lightly scented and it's great to catch a whiff and think "Mmmm what's that gorgeous smell?"

then you realise it's you!

I work in an air-conditioned office and spending 9 hours a day in this kind of environment can create havoc on your skin, drying it out, causing breakouts and generally making your skin turn a bit temperamental. I have found that this cream certainly keeps my skin moisturised throughout the day and not a sign of make-up slippage at all. I have found that I still suffer the problem of blotchiness when the air-con vane is in my direction but I don't think I will ever find a way of solving this problem, short of smashing the air-con unit to pieces…

I began using my tub in February; we are now in May and I have a little over a quarter of the tub left. By my estimations each tub should last at least 4 months of daily use which is damn good value for money if you ask me. I don't use this cream at night as I prefer to use something a bit richer.

Overall I have to say I was very silly to be so dubious about Lush's range of moisturisers; I have now been very tempted to try one of the more expensive ones - if Imperialis is a cheap one and it's this good then I can't wait to find out what the others have to offer!

If you too are curious about Lush moisturisers but aren't sure which one to try then I would recommend this one to start with. It suits all skin types, it's relatively cheap, it does the job well and it lasts for ages. You can purchase this product only from Lush stores nationwide or by internet/mail order (see www.lush.co.uk for more details).

Gets 5/5 from me!

In case you're wondering what those asterisks are for…

Many people just assume that everyone has heard of Lush and knows how they work. Actually many people I know have never ever heard of Lush so in case you were wondering:

*The reason why this product, like so many products from this company, has a "use by" date is because Lush choose only the freshest natural ingredients for their range, making each product by hand and avoiding synthetics wherever possible. This moisturiser has a shelf-life of 14 months which is rather good going as most other brands of moisturisers have a shelf-life of only 12 months. You will notice that there is a small amount of preservative in this cream to stop it going bad.

**Lush is also very much against animal testing. Quite frankly, I don't see the need to fill a rabbit's face full of soap just to be able to say "This will hurt like hell if you get it in your eyes." Common sense prevails surely! So nothing you buy from Lush will have been tested on animals, and all the products will be vegetarian-friendly with many also being vegan-friendly.