BEAUTY // My first Lush Face mask

Hello!

Is it just me, or is the entire blogosphere obsessed with Lush right now? I have had friends whose lives depend on Lush products and seeing all the positive reviews out there I went and bought my first ever item of their skincare range - a face mask. I originally wanted Cupcake but it appeared to be for oily teenage skin which is the opposite of my dry/sensitive skin which gets the occasional breakout. Instead, I opted for the absolutely delicious smelling Oatifix mask which is meant to be an intense moisturizer for dry skin.

The mask itself is full of oats, bananas, ground almonds and illipe butter to help moisturise, soothe and condition your skin. The first thing you must be thinking is 'oh my gosh - that must smell delicious' and by jove it does. I put it on my face and find it so difficult not to eat it. It's sweet and bananary and I cannot wait to put it on.

Due to the oats, it is quite tricky to apply. It's lumpy and grainy and I use this to exfoliate my skin a little bit. However, the lumps to make it tricky to wear. After a minute or so it begins to dry and your face doesn't moult oats as much but getting them to stick in the first place is tricky. I apply it quite liberally but so little goes a long way and I think I'll be getting a good 6 applications out of a pot (I've had 4 so far fyi).

The instructions say to leave it on for 10-15 minutes but I tend to put it on for closer to 40 (out of pure laziness). I then jump in the shower and rub it off with my hands and the hot water which is super simple and I don't know how I didn't think of taking face masks off in the shower before now. It was actually the shop assistant I spoke to in the Oxford St. store (who gave me a tour of the store - bless her!) who told me about that trick. Man, I'm such an idiot.

I guess you guys really want to know - does this face mask work?
In all honesty, I really do not know. Now you ask 'how do you not know?' and the problem is that my cleanser softens my skin so much I do not know if the softness of my skin is due to the mask or cleanser. I have no particularly dry patches of skin on my face anymore and so I don't really have any obvious tell-tale signs of the mask working. I'll will buy this mask again in the winter if I do have dry skin issues to see if that makes more of a difference but, at the moment, I honestly cannot tell. The most I can say is I'll get out of the shower after using it and my skin won't feel dehydrated but it doesn't particularly feel hydrated either.

The strange thing about this mask is that when you remove it, it feels like there is a film covering your face. My skin doesn't feel particularly moisturized immediately but the film feeling is gone by morning and my skin usually looks calm and bright and ready for the day. Maybe that film sinks into my skin overnight but who knows? I certainly don't.

Overall, I couldn't actually tell you if this mask works or not. If I'm honest, I bought it as a little treat for myself. It's nice to sit, watching tv, with a face mask on. It's just a little bit of a heavenly smelling novelty right now. It sure isn't doing any harm by putting it on once a week but I don't particularly think it's making a difference either. But, like I said, my skin doesn't feel particularly dry right now and it's intended for dry skin.

Will I finish my pot? Yes, definitely. 
Will I buy it again? Probably, but only in the Winter if I'm having an issue with dry skin.

Have you tried the Oatifix face mask? How did you find it? Let me know?