Not Bland at All

I've long since moved past the foaming gel cleansers targeted at acne that only left my skin feeling dry, and worse than before, onto thicker, creamy cleansers that moisturise and cleanse the skin deeply. I've reviewed a few hot cloth cleansers that got me started, and I'm now moving onto more of the balm variety! Today I'm here to share my thoughts on Lush's Ultrabland facial cleanser, and contrary to it's name, I don't find it bland at all.

So, I wouldn't exactly describe this as a cleansing balm, and Lush seems to have described it just right, as a "rich, soft, oily cleansing cream". It has a very thick, almost paste like consistency. It's not a balm which I would usually associate as melting into an oil. With Ultrabland, as you work it into the skin, it almost absorbs and melds leaving an oily residue/film. While that sounds really unappealing, and what I would assume is the main turnoff for most people, it's actually what I love most about it. The residue isn't uncomfortable feeling at all, or oily to the touch, it just leaves your skin feeling incredibly moisturised. It also leaves my skin with a rather radiant, healthy and moisturised glow! If you're really antsy about the residue, it pretty much comes off in the toner stage anyways. Because of it's very thick consistency, it is quite a labour-intensive product. You really get a bit of a workout massaging this into the skin! It doesn't feel bad at all though, you  aren't tugging at the skin, just more so really getting down in there, which is also why I think it's so effective at cleansing. 

I tend to use it on dry/damp skin, because I find getting it too wet seems to thin it out. I use about a pea sized amount and massage it for a minute or so - I really go to town. It doesn't sting the eyes at all. I then let it sit on my face while I do other things in the shower, then use a wash cloth to remove it. Just rinsing isn't going to cut it, you need some sort of wiping/friction action to work the product off because it is so thick and almost...adhered to the skin. There's no need to get rough though! The cream also has tiny crumbs(?) in it that I find give the most gentle exfoliation.

Personally I haven't used it with a full face of makeup because I have the smaller tub and want to preserve it for as long as possible, so I only go in with it once, after I've removed the majority of makeup with a wipe/cleansing oil. If using it alone, you would need to double cleanse. The ingredients Ultrabland contains are really lovely; the oils help moisturise, but the main selling point is the beeswax and honey. Beeswax is apparently very good for removing makeup, and I've heard that honey is quite antibacterial and helps with acne prone skin.

I have to say, my skin has been in very good condition since I started using this, and while I don't use it everyday, I can attribute some of that good-skin-ness to this product. I have combo/oily skin and don't find it too heavy at all. I definitely think this would be beneficial for all skin types. If you can't tell, I really love this cleanser! The 45g tub retails for $17.95 and the 100g for $28.95.