What’s the Deal With This Fresh Face Mask?

LUSH’s Fresh Face Masks aren’t like the regular masks you have in your bathroom cupboard. In fact, you do not even keep them in your bathroom cupboard; you keep them in your fridge. When they say “fresh,” they mean fresh. These masks could not get any fresher unless you went to the store to buy the just-delivered ingredients, made the mask, and used it that day. The masks are made with fresh ingredients and have a shelf life of about 20 days, so they are only available to buy in stores. However, you can still see the full collection online. The masks for the week are made, then shipped into stores, usually on a Thursday or Friday. Once they are gone, they are gone until the next week. You can think of it a bit like a bakery setup.

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There are 11 different formulas, but I decided to try the limited edition Cranberry Festival Face Mask. The mask was launched just for the holidays and took inspiration from traditional Christmas ingredients. It contains cranberries, organic silken tofu, argan oil, fennel seed infusion, fresh chicory, rose clay, fresh fennel, and a range of oils, to name just a few of the ingredients.

The antioxidant cranberries and cleansing fennel work together to brighten and nourish dry winter skin. You apply the Festive Cranberry Mask in the same way you would any other clay mask. You smooth it on all over your face and leave it on for five to ten minutes, then rinse it off with warm water.

Given that the mask has a pretty pink color, you probably expect it to smell mostly of cranberries, but it is actually the peppery fennel that is the dominant scent. When you apply it over your face, you will notice that there still are cranberry skins in the formula. They will also help to exfoliate your face.

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The mask dries quickly and rinses away easily. When I rinsed it off, my face felt much softer, but there wasn’t any tight feeling that you can sometimes get with clay masks. You will have the tendency to want to touch your face but keep your fingers off it. As for the smell, there is a very faint fennel smell when you first rinse off the mask, but it dissipates quickly.

You could probably get about eight to ten applications out of the 2.1 oz pot. If you are worried about using up the mask in a short time, you can also try extending it down to your neck and decolletage and even putting it on your hands. You can also try freezing it. You will lose some of the benefits, but at least you know you’ll have a pot if you run out. Because this is a limited edition formula, it might be best to stock up on the masks while you can. Clear out the old ice cream in your freezer so you can keep a stash of the festive masks for the rest of the year.