Havana Sunrise Facial Cleanser Roulade

Havana Sunrise is one of those products that you would describe as being 'typically Lush'. What I mean by this is not that Lush have a generic prototype by which all of their products follow suit, but that this is one of those cosmetics that you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else but in a Lush store. 

Shaped and named as a homage to one of the most popular brands of cigar in the 90s, this facial cleanser doesn't do things on a small scale. Weighing in at an impressive 300g, this is the biggest and only facial cleanser from Lush that comes in this design. Aimed more towards men, this product offers a long and rather interesting ingredients list that gives you some indication of the thought and effort that has gone into producing this beauty. 

While I'm obviously of the female kind, Lush products are never exclusively for one gender, and as a cosmetics connoisseur will tell you, a good quality cleanser should be able to support, improve and transform anyones complexion - no matter whose skin it is. 

Presented as a long roulade of about 30cm in length, with a diameter of roughly 3cm, this 'facial smoothie' gives off a wonderful and rather calming fragrance. Primarily a facial cleanser, this is unique in that it's rolled up in soap paper - a component that gives it a different consistency to other facial cleansers. Despite the long list of components that has gone into creating this, the scent is a rather neutral one - a creamy, nutty aroma with elements of the lime oil and the mint acting as subtle undertones. 

While you can detect the coconut oil and elements of the cocoa powder a little more than the other ingredients, all of the different smells come together perfectly and create a very sweet, rich and rather calming aroma. I cannot imagine anyone disliking the smell of this because while the scent is very pronounced, there's nothing particularly special about it either. It reminds me of Buche De Noel a little in that it's a very pleasant fragrance but nothing that'll blow your socks off. 

Described as a 'facial care roulade', Havana Sunrise works a little differently than most of Lush's other solid cleansers. To use, simply cut off a small amount - roughly around 2cm in width, wet the piece between your hands and then massage the lather across your face. You can either apply the cleanser directly to your skin or stimulate between your hands and then apply the cream to your face. Although this product doesn't seem as if it produces much to work with, I found that when I massaged this directly onto my face, I could easily feel a thin layer of oily substance on my skin afterwards. 

After leaving it on for a short while, I rinsed my skin under the water and patted my face dry. What I found was that my skin felt really clean and cleansed, and radiated a gentle scent that stayed with me for a little while after I had exited the shower. Furthermore, I was also really impressed with how little my piece of the product had shrunk - leaving me to believe that this 300g monstrosity would last far longer than a regular 100g pot of another cleanser. 

Unfortunately, I found that Havana Sunrise made my skin rather taut after use and my complexion felt dry - so much so that I had to apply a lotion immediately afterwards to bring back some of the moisture. A similar thing happened to me when I used Dark Angels - a product aimed at those with greasier skin. From my experience with this cleanser, I would say that this is more suited for those with an oiler face, or at least those with combination skin. 

While there's lime oil to add radiance to your complexion and kaolin to improve the condition of your skin, I didn't feel as if it was as effective as other cleansers I have used in the past. In a way, this product reminded me a little of Movis - a cleanser that smells lovely and sounds great on paper, but one that just doesn't work on my skin type. Whether it's because I'm the wrong gender, or whether my skin is too dry to begin with, but this gorgeous looking product will not be replacing my favourite, Angels On Bare Faces, anytime soon. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Fresh Organic Lime Juice (Citrus aurantifolia), Glycerine, Fresh Mint Decoction (Mentha piperita), Rapeseed Oil: Coconut Oil (Brassica napus: Cocoanucifera), Aduki Beans (Phaseolus angularis), Kaolin, Water (Aqua), Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera), Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis), Perfume, Cocoa Powder (Theobroma cacao), Bergamot Oil (Citrus Aurantium bergamia), Geranium Oil (Pelargonium graveolens), Tonka Absolute (Dipteryx odorata), Sodium Choloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Citral, Coumarin, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool, Radiant Gold Lustre (Potassium Aluminium Silicate, Titanium Dioxide, Colour 77491).   

Vegan?: Yes. 

2015 Price: £12.95 for 300g. 

Year Of Original Release: 2015.