LUSH! COALFACE SOAP BAR!
Sweetassgal here! There are some things that just go together naturally...birthdays and pedicures, margaritas with chips and salsa, best friends and shopping...and this weekend I got them all! Two of my three best friends spent Saturday with me getting pampered, chowing on chips and spending some Dough-Ray-Me to celebrate Ruth's Birthday!!! It was a perfect day and I was SO incredibly happy to have some one-on-one girlie time with two of the people who go naturally with me. I have to brag just a little bit here. As I have said many times, I've had the same three best friends practically since kindergarten and as a whole, if you took the best from each of us we would make one HELL of a smart, HOT woman! These women truly are 3/4's of my whole. Let me introduce you to one of my sexy and sensible fourths.
My friend Ruth (Happy Birthday Honey!!) is the kind of friend, wife and mother we all wish we could be! Not only is she insanely smart and sophisticated, elegantly beautiful with a sassy edge and has the kind of sharp sense that brings to mind a sexy librarian but she's been a devoted friend and mother as well. Seriously...flaws anyone? Not hardly. But she does have one consistent complaint...a battle with occasional pimples that pop up around her nose. Yep...that's the WORST thing I can think of. If I didn't love her I'd be forced to hate her. Nah...I could never hate a fellow female just for being fabulous (hence the woman loving feeling we have here at Megs!).
Proactive has been her go to for a while and I'm never one to bash...if it works and you love it then work it! But I have to admit Proactive scares me. My daughter tried it a while back and it turned my lovely gold washcloths to a bright bleached orange! If it was doing that to fabric what was it doing to her face!?! So I've been trying to find something for both my gals that was a little less harsh and more organically driven that still works. Answer came from MEG...of course! The messiah of makeup sent me Lush's Coalface Soap Bar.
Lathering up the bar it was strange to see the black concoction that came forth but I was excited to note that the heady aroma accompanied a slightly exfoliating but not to harsh soft grain. I felt it immediately on the bar and wondered if it was possible to combine a bar lather with an exfoliant...and it was! It was just exfoliating enough to polish my skin but not irritate it. I tend to have an oily complexion and I must say upon first lather I could feel the bubbles sucking up the excess. I have to admit I didn't expect much from the strange little black square but of course, being LUSH...they more than delivered! If you like deep sensory scents like light liqourice, rosewood and sandalwood then this will be an elegant addition to your nightly routine. My only caveat...I have very sensitive eyes and it did irritate a bit so I personally would not use it to take off eye makeup. But it worked fabulously to remove every trace of grit and grime from my skin leaving me glowing and revelling in my soft, supple skin. Crude shape and odd color aside...this is a sultry and provocative soap that is elegant enough to find its place on my equally sophisticated friends wash basin.
Lush's Coalface - $10.95
"Coalface is one of our facial cleansing bars which lathers a little bit and gives your skin a tighter feeling when you wash with it. It bears a passing resemblance to a bar of black soap, but it's mostly made of soothing, detoxifying liquorice root decoction with fragrant rosewood and sandalwood oils to soften and calm the skin. (Body soap is too strong to use on your face. Charcoal, incidentally, absorbs excess oil from the skin's surface and serves as an exfoliator. Mo madea limited edition of this one for a film company when they relaunched the Woody Allen film, Annie Hall, because Annie used to wash her face with black soap for her complexion ; we liked it so much we decided to let everyone use it."
Removes impurities and tones combination skin
Who would have thought charcoal and liquorice could get along? One is tough and gritty, the other sweet and syrupy. But charcoal and liquorice could just be the odd couple of skin care, teaming up to fight oily, troubled skin in our Coalface cleanser. Powdered charcoal removes impurities and mildly exfoliates while liquorice heals naturally. Sandalwood oil tones the skin (and mediates should charcoal and liquorice disagree about anything).
Reviews abound online that many Proactive users have eschewed the harsh chemicals in favor of Lush's Coalface soap. I'm hoping to gift this enchanting little bar to Ruth and get a first hand account of how they compare. Look for an update in weeks to come. Until then...revel in all things LUSH and GLAM ON!!!!
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Reviews
I recived this in my package from Meg, IT ROCKS! It makes my skin glow, I am smitten. Go buy this, NOW!!!
Out of the mouths of Babes! Go Ollie! You Rock! When i read in one of your posts that you suffer from oily prone acne I saw this and new we needed a teenager to give it a try. I m no teenager-but only now have I been getting really oily and weird acne! I really will 100% Purchase this soap again. Espescially around PMS time! I love using it before I go to bed. It really truly gets in there and I feel "squeaky clean" before I pt my pimple serum on and they eye cream and moisturizer. I actually look forward to washing my face with this! I use my Cosmedine Cleaner first to gently remove my makeup and then follow it with this grainy-oil eating concoction! I really think this is all that and a bag of chips! You can eat the oily bag of chips now-now that you've found this cult item! GREAT JOB LUSH! Keeps me in the lush lifestyle without having to look like one! Two thumbs up from this oily T-Zoner for sure! And all natural taboot? Sold! Love It!
this is on my lush wish list! that store is sooo bad! i just recently went to a new store opening for them and walked out with soooooo much stuff! half of which was free from giveaways and whatever but i'm addicted to ~tea tree water~squeaky green solid shampoo~cosmetic warrior mask~love lettuce mask~strawberry feels forever massage bar~the olive branch shower gel
http://manthatsfraiche.blogspot.com/
You guys have totally sold me on this, I will have to check it out next time I'm at lush!
I have wanted to try this out SO badly but I've been told over and over again Lush's face care isn't worth the cost. There isn't a Lush near me so it would have to be shipped and now I want it even more than before. I've even attempted to buy a slice off someone for a few bucks to try a sample size of it and no one will part! I bought Lush's trial skincare kit a while ago and I really liked Ultrabland's results but I hated using it because it felt so nasty on my face and was so difficult to work with. Maybe I'll have to convince myself to try this next time I make an online order. Hurry- someone else tell me why I need this! I have terribly oily skin and constant breakouts if that helps anyone prepare a persuasive speech!
I am definitely going to pick this up soon. It sounds amazing!
I haven't tried this, but I'm a total Lushie. Lush is one of my vices, but luckily for me, my hubby is a Lushie too, so he enables me.
Sound like a great product for oily prone skin like mine! I'll def have to check this out at LUSH next time. Maybe ask for a sample sliver! :) THanks for sharing! :)
¤wuzzyangel¤
It sounds like a great product. One question tho' - is it difficult to remove. I splash my face with water, and I always end up rubbing away a little product from the hairline, and behind my ears. I thinking if you are in a hurry, as I always am, and this left some black residue....
Rie
I splash it off my face but also follow up with a cold wet wash cloth to close off my pores. I usualy use a toner after too so anything that might be left usually gets picked up by that. Hope that helps!
Love, hugs and shoes...Angie
Hello Beautiful People, I haven't tried this soap, yet, but I am sure I will. I did try Origins Activated Charcoal Mask, wow, it sucks up all the icky off the skin and leaves you looking FABULOUS!I am a medical assistant and I have seen activated charcoal used when we needed to detox a baby that swallowed something that wasn't good. I've used activated charcoal tablets for a bad belly too. It only makes sense that this soap, coal-face, would be perfect for acne issues, activated charcoal is a sponge for the "bad guys" and absorbs up to 10 times it's own weight. I had terrible acne as a teen. The dog tore up a tube of Clearasil on the carpet, and guess what? It turned our dark chocolate carpet a bleached out weird ORANGE COLOR. The active ingredient that is suppose to kill the acne has a harsh acid that bleached out the carpet. Sulphur is good for acne as well as the activated charcoal, Principal secret has a blemish cream w/ sulphur that is good. Another great product ( I got a deluxe sample of thru Sephora) is by bare essentials it's RARE MINERALS blemish therapy, active ingredient is sulphur 3.0%, it's a pot of mineral powder w/ a brush. I had a big ingrown PAINFUL pimple under my nose, I used this product and in 1 day it was 50% better, I took off the top of the pimple and brushed it again on day 2 and the next day it was even better. It cleared completely in a few days. The nice thing about Lush, Origins and Bare Essentials it's not chemicals and harsh bleaches. Clearasil and Proactive both use the same active ingredient, they both turn golds and browns a weird bleached out orange color. scary! Thanks for all the posts and sharing. Glam ON.
I also tried Origins charcoal mask and felt like it was a little harsh, which is odd, because my face isn't sensitive at all and 10% Benzoyl Peroxide has been one of the few products that's helped my acne (yes, I've bleached tons of my shirts and towels and pillowcases with the stuff... but it helps).Does LUSH ever give samples? I'd like to try this soap...
♥ Lipgloss and Spandex: a blog for gals who look good and run fast
i was just going through my toolbox of samples that i have (yes, i have a toolbox that i use solely to store samples) and i just found this charcoal mask, i remember thinking it was somewhat odd to me at the time and just threw it in there thinking i'd give it to my teenage brother or sister and never did. i'm so excited to use this tomorrow afternoon!
http://manthatsfraiche.blogspot.com/
I've only tried the herbalism cleanser from lush. I'd still like to think that it works for me but I really can't see any marked improvement in my skin. I'll try this next time!
I just ordered this, along with the sweet Japanese girl soap, mask of magnaminty, and a sample- sized hair care kit. I can't wait to get it. This is my first Lush purchase.
I have not tried this but I will next time I'm at the Lush store. I too have oily skin and especially around PMS time, I get those nasty pesky pimples on my chin :( I'm a lushie lover! Everything I've tried so far I've LOVED! So I'm sold on this one. Right now I'm hook on massage bar
Mange Too Massage Bar
Honey and white chocolate massage bar sweeps you away and their Silk Underwear powder. You rub the massage bar on your skin after your shower and then the powder on top. OH MY!!!! This smell is AWSOME. I can't even explain it. Just try it!
I quit using harsh chemicals on my face about a year ago. All of the things I use now are handmade by a wonderful lady on etsy. She custom made me a mask with charcoal in it and I have to say that it really pulls out all the ickies! I will have to check this soap out, though. (I'm always looking for a great chemical free product for my oily skin)
I love almost all of Lush's products, especially Coalface! AND the pink one... I can't think of the name right now... Fresh Farmacy, that's it!
Another Lushie here...seriously I ADORE that place! Dying to have this onhand for those "after workout cleanses" when it feels like the sweat has congealed in my pores! LOVE "AquaMarina" and the fresh masks...this will a thoughtful and elegant product from the sounds of things and will have some asap!
I can not sing the praises of Lush enough! Their skin care is brilliant! I have used it on and off for years-even before they came to the U.S. I first tried Coalface a few years ago. it really worked well. I have very oily and acne prone skin as you all know by now. It just sucks the oil right up and clears your skin quite a bit as well. I had kind of stopped using it because it can sting your eyes if you are not careful and I hate the smell of licorice. But I was thrilled when I received a slice from Meg. I now have the chance to try it out again. I think that this time I can handle it. May I also suggest the Fresh Farmacy for those with similar problems. It does the same stuff only in a more gentle manner. And it is pink! For anyone who hasn't been to a Lush store it is so fun. It is like a candy shop. There are large stacks of massive slabs of brightly colored and heavenly scented soaps. It is like a rainbow in there. They will freshly cut as big or as small of piece of anything that you want. And everyone can play with anything there. They always do demonstrations. And they love to give samples of anything! I also highly recommend their moisturizers. They are devine. Great review!Satil,Really give Lush and Coalface a try. It will help. I am going to their Toronto store at the end of July. I can pick you up something if you like for a sample.
I am another huge fan of Origin's Activated Charcoal mask. It seriously clears up breakouts overnight. Charcoal is a great ingredient for tackling those nasty breakouts. I'd love to check out the lush coalface bar. I posted a discount code for lush somewhere in the chat section, but for those who haven't seen it.. 15% off at lushusa.com using promo code GIFTFORYOU09. It is good til the end of June. Enjoy :)
Gem thanks for the coupon code!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm racing to their site right now....
I am there!!! they are going to wonder why they sold out of this soap so fast lol. this is a must have and i am going to post on the before and afters for this!
j.baby
hey i just ordered this and the adrk angel cleanser for oily skin, i cant wait to use them!!!
j.baby
I want I want I want!!! I have been using proactiv for YEARS! and although its cleans my face.. it never gets ride of the break outs that are under the skin that have been there for 100000 years!!!
I must admit that I have never heard of Lush but from what I've seen on their website their products look very promising. The coalface cleanser looks interesting. I have sensitive yet oily skin so I am nervous that it could be too harsh on my skin. But I guess that's the point in experimenting!
I doubt that many people will find this to be too harsh. But if you are really worried try Lush's Fresh Farmacy. It has the same type of results as Coalface but is designed to be more gentle.
So far my Lush experience has been less than desirable..maybe after this review I'll give them one more tiny chance
That surprises me. Like I said I have used them for years. The products have always been top notch quality. And I have had so many good experiences with their customer service. For example I had a small problem with my receipt once after shopping in Toronto. It did not list a certain tax amount which made it impossible for me to get a refund at the duty free shop. Not really a big deal. But I sent them an e-mail about it. A week later they sent me a huge box of goodies. They are just so great! And I really appreciate there commitment to using natural ingredients.
I never thought I could use a soap bar to wash my face, and especially an all black bar! But this makes my skin sooooooooo soft and clean feeling. It is also extremely practical and convenient to travel with, as it doesn't end up spilling all over everything else in your cosmetic bag! 5 stars!
FYI-Lush also makes these little tins that are supposed to be for their bars of shampoo and conditioner. But I also use them for my bars of face soap. They make traveling even easier!
I didn't know that! COOL...I HAVE to get some for my new soap!
Love, hugs and shoes...Angie
This stuff rocks! I sometimes get an oily t-zone, which drives me crazy because I'll want to touch my face all the time and soon enough... I break out. I've been using the coalface soap bar and NO MORE ugly oiliness and breakouts! In fact, I went to Sephora the other day to buy mascara and was told by two sales associates that I had beautiful skin :)
I actually stumbled upon Lush in Dublin, Ireland a few years ago and thought it was the coolest stuff ever! It makes great gifts because everything is packaged so cute, smells great, and alll the products work! I give this product 5 stars!
Here comes the geezer commentary…I was hesitant to try this on my dry elderly skin but since Meg was kind enough to send it, I bit the bullet and dove in and gave it a whirl! I lathered it up as much as possible over my white bathroom sink and observed that when you set it down, between the soap and the drippings, your sink quickly looks like it does when little kids come in and wash their hands after playing out in the dirt! It definitely creates a blackish dirty film if it drips or wherever you set it down. No worries on the white sink though, it washes right off! I didn’t get any on my clothes so I can’t say if it would come out of material if you happened to have a way-word glop of coalface drippings make its way on to your lovely pink French silk bra or camisole top that I’m sure most of you wear when cleansing your face! Yes! I do notice how products affect things other than the main thing I’m using it for! I’m just saying…It’s black COAL soap – I anticipated black remains after using it! Then I thought - where do I store this black dripping soap after I use it? If it sits on a soap dish, that soap dish will have your friends thinking you have some filthy hands on a daily basis! It doesn’t lather up like shaving cream or anything but there is a little bit of a texturized soapy feel that happens as you wash your face with it. It was weird soaping up with this black slab. I don’t suffer from acne so I couldn’t say if it would help with that; I’d like some of my friends who lament about breakout issues to try it out for sure! The smell is pleasant enough – and it left my skin feeling really clean. I’d definitely avoid the eye area! The only time I have had any dealings with charcoal other than grilling was many years ago on a first date; my date got us some type of oriental food with acres of Tofu in it (which I had never had before) and my body responded violently with massive amounts of horrendous gastric disturbances – I thought I was going to die! It was especially awful because this was a first date with this guy and trying to hold in the powerhouse of explosions that wanted to happen was creating a vast amount of pain! I finally had to tell the guy what was going on and he went right to his cupboard and brought out these clear capsules full of charcoal and told me to take some. I was hesitant because this sounded nuts to me – I’d never willingly put a charcoal briquette in my mouth, but I took them and just like that… Bata-bing-bata-boom, no more gas! I went right out the next day and bought some at my local co-op. So…you just don’t know what charcoal can do for a gal until somebody shows you something new you never thought about before like this soap!
Jeanasina!
I didn't think about the mess factor because I must admit when I go upstairs to wash my face I'm pretty much in my birthday suit. I'm a MESSY washer and I get water everywhere so wearing clothes isn't an option for me anyway. Kellie mentioned Lush has tins for their bars so I'm going to buy one of those to keep my soap and its suds under control!!!!
Love, hugs and shoes...Angie
the only bummer about these tins is that if the soap/shampoo isn't dry before putting it in they will stick like cement to the tin and then it's a pain to get out because they're the same size as the bars or whatever you'd call a round piece of soap. not to mention they can be a pain when your hands are wet and you're in the shower. i use them but what i do is i just leave them standing up in the tin and leave them on the window sill next to the shower. just giving you a heads up so you don't have soap stuck in the tin.and yes, i know you can dry off the soaps but they're so colorful they leave residue on whichever towel i dry them off with and if you use a paper towel or t.p. then it sticks to the soap. i find just shaking off the excess water before standing them in the tin works best. my shampoo i got back in february and i'm not even half way done with it (of course i have short hair and shampoo my hair maybe twice a week, three times at most if it's really hot outside)
http://manthatsfraiche.blogspot.com/
??? So you know those little "AXE" sticky pads for the shower that you would stick the body wash too...what if you got somehting like that and cut it to the size of the tin...do you think htat would cut down onthe cement stickiness of the soaps?
j.baby
honestly, i've never used axe so i didn't know they have that. that's a good idea though! i have some double stick tape that i will experiment with. thanks!
http://manthatsfraiche.blogspot.com/
Here's the link for the tin from LUSH! Saves the planet by not using throw away containers for Shampoo and Soaps!http://www.lushusa.com/shop/products/cadeaux/accessoires/contenant-a-shampooing
Love, hugs and shoes...Angie
what a great eco friendly idea! i just wish there was a Lush store in our city..... The products look so fun and unique
I thought that I was the only messy washer. I swear water gets all over the bathroom. My husband gets so mad at me. I am glad to hear that I am not alone!
I'm the same! I get water all over too. The front of my shirt is usually all wet by the time I'm done and I have to wipe down the double vanity. ;-)
I have heard nothing but good about this. I don't have oily skin but would give this a try if I did.
I have the occasional pimple and currently use Aveeno Active Naturals Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser. It evens out my tone and minimizes my breakouts, but they haven't completely stopped. So, I'm interested in trying this. I can't wait to hear how this soap works for your friend.
I adore this soap. It leaves the skin clean, smooth and clear. It is surprisingly gentle and effective all at once. It also helps to exfoliate the KP I have on the back of my arms. I always sample specialized facial cleansers on that area of my body. Some work great at battling KP and some fall short. This Coal Face Soap worked beautifully on my arms and the redness was significantly toned down as well. This was my first experience with LUSH but it won't be my last. I am in love with LUSH!
Thanks, Stylemama. My daughter doesn't need it for her face, but, I think this might be something to try for her KP. Next Lush order, I will add this.
I just thought of something...I'm an avid SPF user and in these warm months I get breakouts on my shoulders, chest and high back where my hair hits it. I think the drawing properties are PERFECT to use on these body parts as well to cut through the days sunscreen and draw out impurities of the day. I'm going to try it there too and see if its more than just a face wash. Might as well try it and have blemish free skin for summer time wear!
Love, hugs and shoes...Angie
Great idea SAG! I just may try that myself. Let us know how it goes for you.
I found this soap to be a little harsh on my dry skin. I do like the scent, old fashioned coal type smell, and it really does clean. I think this would be wonderful for oily or acne prone skin.
Beste Hilsin
Unfortunately all bar soaps leave residues so I wouldn't use one on my face though I like L'occitane milk soaps for body in the shower. And anything not gentle enough for the eyes I wouldn't use on my face. My favorite soaps are Aveeno Positively Radiant and CeraVe. Both can be used on your eyes thought they don't get all the eye makeup off so I use Nivea Visage eye makeup remover with a cotton square after washing my face. I'm using the CeraVe right now because Retin A is drying out my skin and it leaves it feeling more moist than the Aveeno.