I have experienced a lot of Lush products over the years, many of which have smelled good enough to eat, and some of which I have actually tried to consume because the temptation was far too great. But I have never purchased a Lush product before that has had me doubting whether or not it was actually a cosmetic or a pudding.
Those who have already experienced Rudolph Jelly Face Mask will know what I mean when I say that this is easily the most frustratingly tasty smelling product on the planet. Never have I wanted to grab a spoon and tuck in more than with this seasonal special. Put it this way: when I was craving chocolate the other day, I used this very jelly mask to curb my cravings as opposed to actually eating anything.
Containing so many amazing skin-worthy ingredients, this gorgeous product is easily my favourite jelly mask that Lush have ever released. It has everything that makes a product great, and then some. Kaolin clay helps this face mask to absorb excess oils on the skin and clean out the pores; carrageenan extra gives Rudolph a boost of skin-softening properties that leave your complexion looking beautiful.
As if that wasn't enough, the fresh orange juice and tangerine oil help to brighten the skin and leave it looking super radiant, while the vanilla and cocoa absolutes give this limited edition its wonderful scent. And if there's one stand out feature about this face mask that needs to be talked about, it's the aroma that greets you from the moment you remove the lid.
Imagine a high-end chef creating a chocolate orange mousse for dessert with the most exquisite of ingredients. This mousse has the richest of cocoa powders, the sweetest of oranges, and the smoothest of textures. This may give you some idea of how delicious Rudolph is to smell and use on your face. To say I didn't at least lick this jelly mask a few times, in the hope that it tasted of pudding, would be a lie. Yes, it really does smell that good.
Fragrance aside, the whole purpose of this product is not to simply wish that it was a pudding. While its consistency is very jelly-like, it was really easy to tear a little piece away (about the size of a penny) and massage it in the palm of my hand, with a little drop of what. What this did was create a thick, mousse-like paste that I could then apply across my face and leave on for twenty minutes to get to work.
What was great about Rudolph was that I didn't find any pieces fell off of my face during this time, which some of Lush's fresh face masks tend to do. In addition, I could also feel it getting to work at tightening my face a little bit, without removing any of the moisture from my face.
After the twenty minutes, I was able to remove the face mask under the running water in the shower, and immediately feel how smooth my complexion felt from using this. There was something very warming about this experience and my face felt slightly plumper and radiant after rinsing off the product. While I knew there was nothing on my skin, my face felt like it was radiating heat: it felt so full of life.
What I did find with Rudolph was that using it on a daily basis didn't heed the same amazing experience every time. This I feel was because my skin became spoilt, and the effects of the powerful ingredients wore off. However, applying it once a week, or even once a fortnight invigorated my complexion so much - to the point that I found myself reliant on using this every Friday night to rid my pores of the working week.
Overall, this is a really effective jelly mask that is going to sorely missed by both myself and many other members of the community. While I'm not suggesting that Lush would consider making this a permanent product, I do hope that this formula comes back again before next Christmas. Other variations with similar smells and effects would be equally appreciated.
What is great about this jelly mask is that it lasts far longer than the regular fresh face masks, so you could buy a few of these and store them for when the Christmas range disappears from shelves. However, Rudolph would easily be my go-to face mask if it was a regular, and I just know I wouldn't be able to sustain a collection big enough to see me through the whole year.
Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Propylene Glycol, Meadowsweet and Orange Peel Infusion, Talc, Kaolin, Fresh Orange Juice, Cocoa Powder, Fullers Earth, Rhassoul Mud, Carrageenan Extract, Tangerine Oil, Brazilian Orange Oil, Vanilla Absolute, Cocoa Absolute, Titanium Dioxide, Synthetic Tin Oxide, *Limonene, Perfume, Colour 45410, Colour 14700, Colour 15850:1, Colour 77947.
Vegan?: Yes.
2018 Price: £7.95 for 65g.
Year Of Original Release: 2018.
When I was younger, I distinctively remember being obsessed with filling my red bucket with all of the trappings of a dirty garden and then smearing it all over myself. It was probably the most fun I ever in my early years, and I remember how much fun it was for my mum to have to wash me and my clothes afterwards...
However, there is something rather human about caking ourselves in mud. Some like to do it in aid of charity; some just simply find themselves in places where mud is an abundance; and some of us, like myself, enjoy smearing it all over my body and face in the name of good skin. The fact that this particular batch of mud smells like a chocolate cake only serves to make it even more enjoyable.
Mud is one of two limited edition naked body masks that made their debut release at the Lush Showcase last weekend. While probably overlooked for the prettier bath bombs and more colourful skincare range, I would honestly say that this is probably one of my favourite products of the whole release. There is something rather natural and slightly imperfect about it that makes it that much more appealing.
Let's be honest and say that it's hardly the most attractive of cosmetic products, but that's what I love about it. Crumbly, a little stodgy, and definitely not something that is going to survive any form of transit whatsoever, this limited edition beauty is the underdog that goes above and beyond for your skin, and is the same size as half of a regular bath bomb.
Containing cocoa powder and orange oil, Mud shares its scent with the very popular Cupcake Face Mask, although I should definitely point out that this is far richer and a little fruiter as well. To my nose, it smells of a rich, dark chocolate mousse, covered with a sugary sweet ganache topping. The scent is as foody as they come but that's what makes this product so delicious and decadent.
While it's very crumbly, which I think is something that Lush have definitely got to reformulate before any future release, the product is really easy to use. Between the fingers, Mud is rather squishy and feel similar to the likes of a pastry biscuit that just hasn't been cooked yet. Simply break off a piece between your fingers, add a tiny amount of water and massage the product across your skin.
You'll find that this body mask coats your skin really quickly and you don't need a lot at all to cover your entire body. In fact, unlike other body masks of similar sizes that have come out in the past, this one would probably last a little longer. I can imagine getting a good six full body coverages from a single mound, which is makes it really good value for money.
Once on, try and stay away from the running water for a good five minutes. You may wish to belt out your favourite song; practice your flossing; or even scrub the taps if you're a little bored, before rinsing the body mask away under the shower. You may even wish to apply this for even longer and leave the bathroom for a short while to let the mask do it's magic. However, I would envisage that this would most definitely leave a trail of black around the house and I cannot imagine you'd be feeling as good afterwards, if you had to mop the house up to counteract the mess you've caused.
Once rinsed away, the chocolately smell stays on your skin - offering a warm, comforting aroma that would work well at boosting your mood in the colder months of the year. Furthermore, your skin feel really soft and smooth, even though this doesn't act at all like a scrub, and the inclusion of the rhassoul mud helps to leave your skin feeling really clean and clear as well.
As a tip, I would suggest storing Mud in one of your metal Lush tins so that it saves dropping crumbs all over the bathroom floor every time you wish to use it. This was you can scoop out as little or as much as you wish, and would save the product leaving black splodges all over your bathroom.
Overall, while the product doesn't look perfect, I really enjoyed the fact that it seemed like a child had created an inedible pie for me. The ingredients featured still did their job at improving the consistency of my skin, and the smell is as delicious as it is rich. I would definitely buy this again if it became a regular product, and I only hope that they'll figure out a way to make this a little sturdier so that there is a possibility that it could make its way into shops. Perhaps wrapped in a leaf would work?
Quantitative Ingredients: Rhassoul Mud, Sodium Bicarbonate, Glycerin, Sesamum Indicum, Citric Acid, Cocoa Powder, Brazilian Orange Oil, Myrrh Absolute, Vanilla Absolute, Anise Alcohol, Benzyl Salicylate, Coumarin, Eugenol, Limonene, Linalool, Perfume.
Vegan?: Yes.
2018 Price: £6.50 each (125g.)
Year Of Original Release: 2018.
Scent Family:
I cannot say that I've ever loved the smell of sausages enough to want to smother my face in them. Having said that, I feel the same way about coffee and yet I use Cup O' Coffee like my life depends on it, which it does on some occasions.
German Sausage Facial Cleanser is a weird concept to say the least. Yet it is often those weird and wonderful inventions that make the biggest impact, and this particular product is definitely one that leaves a lasting impression. Made from base of rhassoul mud and potatoes, German Sausage is a very 'foody' smell, and one that may take a little getting used to before it can be fully appreciated.
Although it may seem like an odd ingredient for a cosmetic, potato happens to be naturally rich in vitamin C, which is great for maintaining the skin's natural radiance. Furthermore, it is this component that helps to give the cleanser a slight gritty consistency, which works alongside the oatmeal to act as a gentle exfoliator as well. The rhassoul mud also plays a part at helping to soften and smoothen-out the complexion - acting as both a gentle exfoliator, while also absorbing excess oils that may be present on the skin.
Alongside the above two ingredients, you also have the inclusion of both cocoa butter and almond oil. Both of these ingredients help to moisture and nourish the skin, and when the product is left on the face for a short while before being washed off, it can improve the condition of your complexion over a number of days.
In terms of the other key notes, the inclusion of sage, parsley, basil and rosemary are what gives this cleanser its distinctive and rather potent aroma. My nose detects the sage and rosemary at the forefront - both offering a heady but rather dry, herbal fragrance. On top of this, you can even smell the dry, starchy components of the potato - almost like a tray of overly roasted potatoes that have been left out overnight to dry. You can smell each of these ingredients quite easily, and I'd say that these are the components that give German Sausage its distinctive smell.
To use, you simply take a small amount (perhaps the size of a small grape), and massage it across the face. For best results, I tend to leave this on while I continue my shower, and then rinse it off just before I get out. This allows the cocoa butter and rhassoul mud to work their magic and improve the condition of the skin.
Luckily, this scent doesn't linger too much on your face after you've washed it off, so you don't have to worry about justifying to strangers why you smell a bit like a human hot dog.
Having used this daily for the last couple of weeks, I have found that this can, and perhaps should, be used daily to get the best results. I found that within 2-3 days of using this in the morning, my complexion seemed to look brighter and my skin felt noticeably smoother.
Having said this, I didn't feel as if this was as effective either Buche De Noel or Angels On Bare Skin. Furthermore, the consistency, although not at all scratchy or rough, was not as easy-going on the face as the products mentioned above. For those with sensitive skin, I can imagine that this cleaner could have the potential to irritate the pores a little.
In terms of complexion types, I think that this cleanser would suit most consumers' needs. However, I think that perhaps it would work a little better for those with normal to oily skin, as the rhassoul mud and potato would definitely help to remove any excess grease.
Overall, this is an odd one to say the least. Not many other companies would be brace enough to bring out a facial product that both looks and smells like something you'd have in a cooked breakfast. Although not a fan of meat in any shape or form, I appreciated the uniqueness of this cleanser and will continue to use it daily until my tub finishes. This has opened even more possibilities for what this company might make, and I for one am excited to see what they do next.
Quantitative Ingredients: Glycerine, Potatoes, Ground Almonds, Rhassoul Mud, Kaolin, Cocoa Butter, Aloe Vera Extract, Fine Sea Salt, Soya Milk Powder, Fresh Sage, Fresh Parsley, Sage Oil, Basil Oil, Rosemary Oil, Alpha-Isomethyl iphone, Geraniol, Hydroxycitronellal, Limonene, Linalool, Perfume.
Vegan?: Yes.
2017 Price: £7.25 for 100g.
Year Of Original Release: 2017.
UP
Those who have already experienced Rudolph Jelly Face Mask will know what I mean when I say that this is easily the most frustratingly tasty smelling product on the planet. Never have I wanted to grab a spoon and tuck in more than with this seasonal special. Put it this way: when I was craving chocolate the other day, I used this very jelly mask to curb my cravings as opposed to actually eating anything.
Imagine a high-end chef creating a chocolate orange mousse for dessert with the most exquisite of ingredients. This mousse has the richest of cocoa powders, the sweetest of oranges, and the smoothest of textures. This may give you some idea of how delicious Rudolph is to smell and use on your face. To say I didn't at least lick this jelly mask a few times, in the hope that it tasted of pudding, would be a lie. Yes, it really does smell that good.
What I did find with Rudolph was that using it on a daily basis didn't heed the same amazing experience every time. This I feel was because my skin became spoilt, and the effects of the powerful ingredients wore off. However, applying it once a week, or even once a fortnight invigorated my complexion so much - to the point that I found myself reliant on using this every Friday night to rid my pores of the working week. 
