On loving LUSH BB Seaweed

After recovering from an eczema flare-up on my face, I set out in search of a mask to pamper my skin and found myself in LUSH at Metrotown. Explaining to a helpful SA that I was looking for something nourishing, we narrowed it down to Love Lettuce, Catastrophe Cosmetic, and BB Seaweed. Although all three masks are suitable for any skin type, I took home BB Seaweed for my dry and sometimes-sensitive skin.

Although a batch of BB Seaweed contains a staggering seven pounds of nourishing seaweed, this mask smells more herby and grassy than oceanic (which is not a bad thing at all). Big chunks of seaweed lurk in the pot, which make this mask extra-fun to slather on and wash off. The texture is quite thick, so there's no risk of dripping seaweed bits all over yourself.

I love this mask for being two skincare steps in one: first, ingredients such as lime tree flower extract, rosemary oil, and honey nourish and condition the skin; afterwards, I massage my face as I slooowly wash off the mask, so that the finely-ground almonds and millet flakes hiding in the mask gently exfoliate away any dry bits. The result: a fresh, soft face free of any rough patches!

Due to the lack of preservative ingredients in LUSH Fresh Face masks, they have a very short shelf life and should be kept chilled. The sticker on my BB Seaweed pot showed a "best before" date that is less than a month after its creation! I did decide to continue using it after this date and was careful of any changes in appearance, smell, or texture--especially very small, green, fuzzy bits (i.e. mold!) Many people see the short shelf life as an inconvenience, but it also motivated me to use it regularly, since I know I can't keep it tucked away forever. As with any exfoliating product I have, I used it only about once or twice a week to avoid the negative effects of over-exfoliating, and probably got at least 5-6 generous uses out of a pot. If the expiry date scares you, try splitting it with some friends or even making a girls' night-in of it.

Have you tried BB Seaweed or any other LUSH Fresh Face masks?

Ingredients: Tilia europaea (lime tree) flower extract, Viola odorata (sweet violet) leaf extract, kaolin, honey, glycerin, Prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) seed meal, Fucus gardneri (Bladderwrack seaweed) extract, Aloe barbadensis leaf juice, Panicum miliaceum (millet flakes), Olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, bentonite gel, Rosa centifolia flower, Rosa damascena extract, Pogostemon cablin (patchouli) oil, Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf oil, Fucus vesiculosus (seaweed) extract, citral, geraniol, benzyl benzoate, limonene, linalool, perfume

Available at LUSH (in-store only) - $6.95 CAD / 60g