Review: LUSH Cupcake Fresh Face Mask

LUSH say: "Chocolate heaven for oily and teenage skin. Its action removes excess oil and calms breakouts. Rhassoul mud cleans and soothes, linseed, cocoa butter and cocoa powder soften the skin. Balancing peppermint, spearmint and sandalwood oils complete this effective and delicious experience."

The novelty factor of this product (for me, anyway!) is quite simply overwhelming. It's a CHOCOLATE FACE MASK, you guys! It looks chocolatey and it smells chocolatey. And in the interests of giving a well-rounded review, yes, I tasted it. You should probably resist the urge to taste it, because the little gritty bits overpower the fact that it's chocolatey, and basically it's like eating dirt. I spat it out. Lucky you are not meant to actually eat it.

Let's talk about smearing Cupcake, this fresh face mask from Lush on your (OK, my) face. It's fun! You end up with a brown face, it smells delightful while it's drying, and applying it is a really pleasant feeling. The tiny gritty bits work as an exfoliant when you put Cupcake on, massaging your face and removing unwanted dead skin cells. It's a satisfying experience, and provided you use a fairly thin layer, it takes only five to ten minutes for this baby to dry. Afterwards, my skin felt soft and supple, and looked healthy, calm and more balanced. Cupcake is perfect for my oily, breakout-prone skin, as the ingredients work to absorb excess oils and soothe pimples.

I normally use a face mask just once a week, however Cupcake was so gentle and soothing, that I upped it to three times a week. I also did this because the one disadvantage of all those gorgeous fresh ingredients, is the short expiry date (for example, my mask was made on 29/4/2013 and expired on 20/5/2013 - that's less than a month to use the entire 75g tub). So I really had to work actively to try and use the product up. Cupcake is so hip and cool, it's vital that you keep it chillin' in the fridge (OK, it might be to preserve the fresh ingredients). Whatevs, dudes. Some of the fresh ingredients in Cupcake include linseed, cocoa powder, cocoa butter, Rhassoul mud, mint, peppermint, spearmint and sandalwood oils.

I'd recommend Lush Cupcake Face Mask to teenagers, people with oily skin and those who suffer breakouts. I have oily, pimple-prone skin and this really worked to calm my blemishes and balance my complexion, reducing the annoying shinies. I've had much clearer skin since I started using this mask, so it may also work to prevent breakouts.

Disclaimer: This product was provided by PR for review. No money was offered/accepted. This review is my honest opinion.