How About A Fresh, Lush Cup O' Coffee?

A while back (which feels like forever now), Liam and I went down to London for a little break to celebrate our anniversary. Of course, once the train tickets were booked I knew it would also be the perfect opportunity to head on down to the famed Lush Oxford Street store and purchase some of the exclusive goodies they had down there. And the first thing I actually added to my basket is this delight - the Cup O'Coffee Exfoliating Mask.

Just around the corner there's a rainbow in the sky. So let's have another cup o'coffee and let's have another piece o'pie! If you're a sucker for the strong, dark, stimulating type, take a shot of this coffee infusion filled mask to the face. Wake up and invigorate the skin with the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Roasted cocoa extract, vetivert and coriander oil combine to create an addictive fragrance. It's so enslaving, don't just use on your face. Smooth over face and body, leave for 10-15 minutes and rinse with warm water for your daily fix.

After leaving my old face exfoliator at a friends, I was in dire need of a new one. My skin was practically crying at me to sort it out. With that in mind, when I spotted the exfoliating mask in the Oxford Street store, I was intrigued. Afterall, a mask that would exfoliate my skin and give me a much needed boost in the morning was something I would definitely not be turning my back on!

Chances are, if you include coffee as an ingredient in a product, I will immediately be interested. There's just something about coffee, the way it smells and instantly perks me up...yes, I think it's safe to say I'm a teeny bit obsessed. Whilst the first scent that hits you is the familiar, bitter tone of coffee, it does eventually gives way to more of a subtle chocolate kind of smell. It's this undertone that makes the mask seem warmer and more appealing, as well as the sweet hint of the Fair Trade vanilla blended within.

Going for the 325g (£12.00) pot, there is a lot more product to be used than in regular Lush masks such as Cupcake, Oatifix etc. The smaller pot of Cup O'Coffee however is the same price, retailing at £6.50 - but you again get more product as it comes in a 150g pot. As the exfoliating mask is marketed for both face and body, it would clearly be more useful to have it in a bigger size. However, if you're like me and normally use a different product for both face and body, you could end up making this mask stretch for quite a few more uses.

The mask itself looks...well, it kind of looks like sludge in my opinion. Whilst it looks quite runny, it is in fact quite thick, and would give pretty good coverage. With a milky brown base, it has dark spots dotted throughout - these are the bits of ground coffee, which give the mask it's 'exfoliating' feel. 

As well as being an exfoliator, Cup O'Coffee contains a variety of ingredients to help aid and hydrate dry and dull skin. With coriander seed oil acting as a stimulant to wake up dull skin and kaolin to soften it, the mask has far more uses than its exfoliator label. Vetivert oil helps to promote tissue growth and replace dead skin cells, and all of the ingredients are natural, apart from small traces of the perfume (a safe synthetic).

This pot was pretty much filled to the brim, and I would say I've used it around about 6 times now on my face and a little on dry patches on my arms, so you can see how little of a dent I've put in it. However, I do use the product quite thinly and prefer to spread it out well, and to give a good scrub for decent exfoliation.

After application, this product works best if it is left on for around 5-10 minutes - but unlike other Lush masks, I've found it doesn't make my face feel as stiff, like I'd dipped it in concrete. Bonus! Washing off with warm water, I was amazed at the results. My skin felt softer and smoother, and when I applied my makeup later on that day, there were no dry patches under my makeup (which always bugs me).

Overall, I'd have to give this product a 5 star rating - it does exactly what it says on the tin and a whole lot more. If you're a very dry skin sufferer like me, then this product should definitely be on your 'to buy' list. Even the horrible always-dry patches on my arms were gone after just one use!

Have you ever tried the Lush Cup O'Coffee exfoliating mask before? If so, what are your thoughts? Or do you have any other Lush products to recommend for me? Let me know in the comments below!

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