Oh, cleansers. So boring to write about, yet so essential! While I’m a diehard Bioderma fan, I wanted to try something that might help my poor dry skin out a little bit more during the really bitter late winter we’ve been having in the UK. Bioderma doesn’t dry me out at all, but it doesn’t have any hydrating properties and I was hoping as Ultrabland is essentially a bunch of oils, it might give my skin a little extra help.This little spiel on the Lush website sold it to me:
“Mo says that her skin is of such a dry and sensitive type, that when she wakes up in the morning it is so tight that she can’t even smile. She uses Ultrabland daily to put some elasticity back into her skin and protect it for the day.”
Well. Who can doubt Mo’s glowing testimony? The website also recommends that if you really have problem skin, using it alone will help “bring it back into balance.” I am always really sceptical of claims like this and see them as a marketing gimmick, but I thought I’d give it a go seeing as Lush seem to be overly enthusiastic about the product. Well, I gave it a couple of days, but I just couldn’t do it – I need the extra moisture! I could image if your skin is oily, or sensitive, that regime might work better for you.
The product is a thick, balmy, slightly yellow cream. I personally hate the smell – it smells of honey. Real honey, not fake, synthetic honey, and it’s not a scent I like at all! However, it’s not overwhelming and I’ve got over it. Looking at the ingredients list, it really does seem to have something for every skin problem – almond oil and beeswax to make a nice oily base to grab dirt and makeup, honey which is antiseptic, and rosewater to reduce redness, to name a few. So I had high hopes!
Usage wise, it’s very easy. I massage it all over my face and use cotton wool pads damped in hot water to take it off. You only need a small amount to ‘dissolve’ all your makeup, and while I prefer to double cleanse with it, you don’t really need to with light makeup. I don’t take my eye makeup off with it though – it does work just fine but it’s a little more of a cumbersome procedure than using my Bioderma. I don’t feel the need to wash my face with water afterwards and I don’t find – providing I don’t use too much which I did at first – that it After a week or so of using the product I had lots of breakouts on my forehead – just small little blackhead types. I can only attribute them to Ultrabland really, as I’d changed nothing else and when I normally break out, it is always, always on my chin. However, they went away within a few days and I’ve not seen them since.
My pot is pretty much finished now and it’s been a little over a month. I’ve not been using it every day, but at least three times a week, so it’s lasted a decent amount of time. I won’t say this is the wonder product that Lush say it is – at least for me – but I feel it’s contributed to softer skin and takes my makeup totally off without leaving my skin tight or dry and it actually feels like it’s hydrating it as well. I will be repurchasing it as it’s great for those days when you need to double cleanse and I like that it helps my moisturising routine along a bit!
Usage wise, it’s very easy. I massage it all over my face and use cotton wool pads damped in hot water to take it off. You only need a small amount to ‘dissolve’ all your makeup, and while I prefer to double cleanse with it, you don’t really need to with light makeup. I don’t take my eye makeup off with it though – it does work just fine but it’s a little more of a cumbersome procedure than using my Bioderma. I don’t feel the need to wash my face with water afterwards and I don’t find – providing I don’t use too much which I did at first – that it After a week or so of using the product I had lots of breakouts on my forehead – just small little blackhead types. I can only attribute them to Ultrabland really, as I’d changed nothing else and when I normally break out, it is always, always on my chin. However, they went away within a few days and I’ve not seen them since.
My pot is pretty much finished now and it’s been a little over a month. I’ve not been using it every day, but at least three times a week, so it’s lasted a decent amount of time. I won’t say this is the wonder product that Lush say it is – at least for me – but I feel it’s contributed to softer skin and takes my makeup totally off without leaving my skin tight or dry and it actually feels like it’s hydrating it as well. I will be repurchasing it as it’s great for those days when you need to double cleanse and I like that it helps my moisturising routine along a bit!
Ultrabland costs £6.75 for 45g and is available from www.lush.co,uk
Have you got a favourite Lush skincare product?
I'm a big fan of this and I find it's best for removing heavy eye makeup from sensitive eyes. What also works really well with it is if you wash it off with a wet flannel, the scubbing motion is exfoliating too!
ReplyDeleteI had a tester of this, I found it worked pretty well for me. But I totally agree on the smell, ick.
ReplyDeleteI never liked ultrabland as a cleanser how ever you can use it as a cleansing mask. Put it on you face for some time and when you remove it with a cotton pad from the face you'll see all the dirt it has drawn out from the skin.
ReplyDeleteMy face fav from lush must be the dark angel face scrub which i also use as a mask but i have very oily skin so if you don't i should be careful. But their fresh face range with masks are awesome!
But you should try the little you have left of your ultra bland as a mask!/Azure
I have sensitive eyes and this works wonders for me =)
ReplyDeleteBeen using it for nearly three weeks. My skin got horrible the first week and has not cleared up as much as I'd like (but I've always had bad skin)
ReplyDeleteUsing just a dab, and removing with warm facecloth then toner.
How long should I wait before giving up?
I always use things for about a month to see if I like them unless they have an obviously rubbish effect from the get-go.
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