LUSH Dark Angels

Always come back to this product. Life saver

I love this! I have am on my 4th tub and have came to the conclusion that you get a different result for each batch of dark angels. This is handmade so I will accept that.

The current tub that I am using washes off very easily. I do not leave it on for a long time. I rinse it off the moment i am done rubbing my face with this. My experience with the previous tub wasn't that great. It left black patches on my face and I needed to use my other facial cleanser to do a quick rinse to get rid of the black patches. Therefore i would recommend using this only at night. I had no issues with faint black patches on my skin at night. It didn't cause any irritation.

I have noted different intensity of the scents of all 4 tubs. Also, my current tub has very obvious chunks of black sugar grains.

Despite the inconsistency in the scent and quality of the product, its performance remained the same in keeping my oily skin in check across all 4 tubs.

before using this product I was using Cetaphil's cleansing bar which sadly left my pores clogged. I had pretty bad acne after a while and at first, I tried LUSH's herbalism which didn't help much. it wasn't working for me and I wanted more of a deep cleansing exfoliant to clean my skin. someone working there at LUSH told me to try dark angels and I have been using it for almost 2 years now. it cleared up my skin so well and was perfect for my oily/acne prone skin. I have the occasional breakout here and there, and I will admit this doesn't really help prevent my PMS breakouts very much, but other than that it's amazing. it is a little drying, to be honest, so I think this is better for oily skin peeps out there. if used every day it could last you up to a month and a half almost. This product really helped reduce and clear my acne and this is definitely something to invest in.

Pros - Leaves skin squicky clean and feeling fresh - Leaves skin smooth - Reduce blackheads - Good facial scrub - All natural and eco-friendly Cons - Painful to use at first esp if you're not used to facial scrub - Leaves black/grey residue - Not ideal for sensitive skin since it might give your skin redness after use because of the scrub - A bit messy to use for beginners - Has muddy smell

I think a lot of people give this product a bad review because of the products tendency to leave a film on your skin. I have found that the absolute best way to use this product is in the shower. I use a small sized amount on my face and massage around, neck and chest also, followed by a rinse. This product is messy and i find it easier to keep clean in the shower where you can just rinse everything down afterwards. I use a microfibre cloth afterwards to get any residue, oil and skin off of my face. This method makes my face feel like a baby bum every time I use it. I use this daily and have been using it for about 3 weeks. I will be repurchasing the larger size when I run out. I prefer this hands down to the Herbalism cleanser - I find my skin just loves it a little more!

I really want to love Dark Angels, I really do! It's a pretty strong exfoliant that's still gentle enough for daily use on my oily skin. I use it on my face during my morning shower, and I absolutely believe it makes my skin smoother and softer (It might even help with my moderate acne?)

The main issue I have with this product is that it stains my skin grey! Not cute. I have to use one or two cotton pads (both sides) soaked in toner to remove the residue. Often I'll find grey smears on my neck or chest as well.
I'm also not a fan of the standard black pot that most Lush cleansers seem to come in, but oh well. I won't detract points for that.

Overall, I do enjoy using Dark Angels despite the staining. It doesn't break me out or leave my skin dry or irritated.
I won't repurchase just yet as I want to try all of Lush's cleansers to find which works best for me. If they change the formula so it doesn't stain, I'd probably go straight back for more!

This is a great product for what it is - a facial treatment/scrub for 2-3 times a week - and what it costs - 10 euros for the big jar that will last you for about 6 months at least, since it's in dry form and won't spoil so quickly.

What it is not: a daily - or twice daily - face wash.

I have combination skin with seborrheic dermatitis on my oily T-zone with big pores and hormonal acne on the cheeks. This takes care of it all. I used it every second day for about a month and it cleared up most of those white acne-y bumps that don't produce a white head that could be squeezed, but just stay in your skin until pierced and removed by a professional? I don't know what they're called, but this cleared them up. Now I just use it every second day during my PMS breakouts or as a mask after shower if my face is feeling exceptionally greasy and clogged up.

This is great for clogged pores, whiteheads, and drastically improving the overall skin texture, getting rid of various bumps etc. It also improves that red, gaping-pores look my T-zone gets when I'm breaking out and my skin's oil production is through the roof. It doesn't irritate my dermatitis and both degreases and conditions my skin; my dry cheeks aren't any worse off with this than the oily parts of my face.

Now, yes, this makes a mess in the sink, but it's a good product, so as long as you wipe your sink down while the grey splash marks are still wet, it'll be fine. Yes, it does leave a black residue on your skin; that's the coal sticking to grease/dirt in your pores. I've solved this problem by using the scrub in the evening, following with an acid toner, moisturising serum, and the rest of my skincare, and washing my face with a light milky cleanser in the morning. I'm convinced the residue actually keeps on working on drawing filth from your pores if you don't try to get it off your face immediately after use. And yes, if you have dry skin, this isn't for you; and if you have big red inflamed painful acne, this is probably also too rough for you. I'm not so sure it's not for sensitive skins; my skin is pretty sensitive and I'm fine using this, but still: it's an intense scrub. Be gentle with it, don't rub your face too hard, don't use it every day, and make sure you follow with appropriate moisturising treatments; the scrub doesn't dry out your face, but it is an aggressive de-greasing treatment, so your skin needs some calming down. And NO, this isn't for taking off your eye makeup, are you serious?

All in all: damn good product. One of Lush's finest. If you have lots of cash to spend on skincare, then don't bother with this; it's not exceptional, you can probably find something with better effect and less downsides that's more expensive, but for this price point, it's a total steal. I'm almost through my first jar and I'm definitely buying a fresh one. I can't imagine my skincare without this on hand for breakout control.

I was very surprised by this product! I had no expectations. But this is probably the best scrub cleanser I've ever used! It is awkward because it is a solid and you have to dissolve a chuck of it in a bit of water, but a little goes a long way. But it leaves my skin feeling sooo clean it GLOWS after I use this! I've been using for months and my skin has overall improved significantly, and I think using this between microdermabrasion treatments has made all the difference.It smells beautiful, too, reminds me of sweet licorice tea.

Pros:
Deep clean
Gentle, no irritation
Leaves skin GLOWING and soft
Smells amazing
Grainy but not abrasive
A little goes a long way

Cons:
Awkward to use and very messy, should be used in the shower
Has to be rinsed off again in front of a mirror otherwise might leave black marks behind

This is not something I could use every night, even for my oily skin it would be too stripping over time. But I use it once or twice per week to maintain that gorgeous glow. Will buy again.

This product did not work for my acne. It is very difficult to remove and leaves a big mess, plus residue on your face. Even when taking it off in the shower!!

However it does look pretty cool, smell nice, and make your skin soft. I am still disappointed tho.

Feels sooo good, but hurts really bad afterwards! :(
I have dry and sensitive skin, and IN THE SHOWER, this scrubs feels good, but afterwards, when you've dried your skin, the pain begins..Not recommended for dry or sensitive skin.. (I used it on the body, and I would NEVER try it on my face! it would fall of from the harsh scrubbing!)