Kate Sloan

I have to amend what I wrote earlier in my review of Lush Ultrabland cleanser.

I initially wasn’t that into it because, when applied and removed as Lush recommends, it leaves a gross greasy film on my face.

However, having had a bit of experience with the Oil Cleansing Method, I decided to use a similar methodology with Ultrabland to see if that would make it work better for me.

Instead of just removing it with a damp cotton pad, I now massage it into my face for about a minute, then steam my face with a hot washcloth a couple times, and then wipe it off.

Works SO MUCH BETTER!

Also, tonight, I massaged Ultrabland into my face and then left it on for 10-15 minutes while I sat in the bath, before steaming and removing. My face was so soft that I didn’t even need to use moisturizer. It’s now hours later and my face still feels perfect.

So, yeah, just wanted to say that I’m an Ultrabland convert. I’ll be using it as my nighttime cleanser, at least until the summer comes and my skin switches back to being oily.

review: Lush Ultrabland facial cleanser

Ultrabland is an oil-based facial cleanser, much like an old-fashioned cold cream. Its ingredients include almond oil, rosewater, beeswax, and honey.

PROS:
1. This shit works really well as an eye makeup remover. I massage it into my eyelid and the surrounding area for about 30 seconds and then wipe it off with a damp cotton pad. Works like a charm!
2. When used in the above manner, it leaves behind a little bit of oil which makes my eye area feel nicely hydrated, like I’d just used a fancy eye cream.

CONS:
1. Ultrabland leaves a greasy residue, even after using as directed (rub on a small amount, then remove with a damp cotton pad). I used coconut oil as my moisturizer for years, but even so, I don’t like this residue. It doesn’t seem to sink into my dry-combination skin, and it doesn’t even feel particularly moisturizing - just greasy and gross.

I won’t be using Ultrabland as my facial cleanser, though I’ll probably keep using it as a makeup remover, because it sucks to buy a product you can’t use! I imagine this would be a nice cleanser for someone with dry or maturing skin, or someone who was accustomed to cleansing with oils.

review: Lush Ocean Salt facial scrub

I recently found some fresh Lush products at a discounted price on eBay, so I bought a couple, and Ocean Salt was one of them. It’s a scrubby cleanser featuring sea salt, vodka, and lime juice.

PROS:
1. It smells like a margarita! Delish.
2. Really excellent scrubbing action. Not too harsh, just right! (Though, a word of warning: you don’t need to scrub super hard with this product; just rub it in gentle circles and it does most of the work. That’s what she said.)
3. After scrubbing with Ocean Salt and moisturizing with Celestial, my skin felt very smooth and soft.
4. It didn’t dry me out the way I was expecting it to. (It is probably important that most people moisturize right afterward, though.)

CONS:
1. Some of the batches have swirls of blue dye in them. I’m listing this as a “con” for two reasons, whichever works for you: either you might not want to apply blue dye to your face, or you might be bummed out if you get one of the pots that doesn’t contain blue dye.
2. This would definitely be drying/irritating if I was to use it more than twice a week or so. Apparently some people use this as a daily cleanser, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

Overall, I’m quite happy with this product. As I said, I’ll limit my use to twice a week, and I’ll be sure to always moisturize afterward - I think that’s the best way to use Ocean Salt on dry-ish combination skin like mine.

review: DressGreen unDressed Mild and Moisturizing Soap

I bought this bar sort of by accident. I was looking for a mild facial cleansing bar, containing skin-soothing ingredients like coconut oil, olive oil, shea butter, and vitamin E. DressGreen makes many kinds of soaps, including ones for your face, but I accidentally bought the one made for body skin. Oh well, no big loss - I’m a bit of a handmade soap junkie so I was excited to try it out nonetheless.

PROS:
1. Beautiful packaging. DressGreen’s owner, Lauren, has a background in product design, which really shows.
2. More moisturizing than any handmade soap I’ve tried (and, as you know, I’m a Lush customer, so that’s saying something). My skin feels really happy.
3. A really lovely, subtle smell. There are no extra fragrances added to this soap (hence “undressed”), so I think the scent must come from the cocoa butter or almond oil.
4. Lathers pretty damn well for a handmade soap. My last body soap was Lush Candy Cane, which hardly lathers at all.
5. Does what soap is supposed to do, of course. I’m clean!
6. The bar is a great big size, bigger than the drugstore bars my family buys. This will last me months, I’d guess.

CONS:
1. When I first rinsed it off, my skin felt a bit tight and “squeaky clean,” which is what happens with every other soap. At first I was pretty disappointed, because I thought this meant UnDressed was just as drying as other soaps. Luckily, this effect wore off in a few minutes’ time. (I don’t use a body moisturizer - maybe I should?)
2. Like all handmade soaps, UnDressed needs to be kept out of water - it can’t be left in standing water, nor can it be left in a place where the stream of shower/bath water will hit it, as moisture significantly diminishes the shelf life of handmade soaps. Not a big deal if you’re used to this procedure (especially if you have a draining soap dish!) but maybe kind of annoying for some people.

Overall: UnDressed might be my favorite handmade soap I’ve tried. Definitely recommended to anyone who’s looking for a more natural, less irritating substitute for Ivory or Dove or what have you.

You can buy UnDressed at DressGreen’s Etsy shop or on their website.