Thursday, April 8, 2010

Lush Aqua Marina cleanser review

What they say:

"It may look like it was pulled from the ocean, but that's only because it's wrapped in seaweed! Nori seaweed to be specific, as it's packed with nutrients for soft, healthy skin. We wrap it around the most calming ingredients we could think of including soothing calamine and aloe, making this one our favourite cleansers for the most sensitive and dry skin. Take a pea sized amount, mix with warm water and gently massage the milky mixture into your skin. A quick rinse and you'll be clean, soft and soothed.

Glycerine, Calamine Powder, Kaolin, Irish Moss Infusion (Chondrus crispus), Aloe Vera Gel (Aloe barbadensis), Sea Salt (Sodium Chloride), Nori Seaweed (Fucus vesiculosus), Sweet Orange Oil (Citrus dulcis), Patchouli Oil (Pogostemon cablin), Carrageenan, Perfume."

What I say:

No, that's not a maki roll, it is however, wrapped in seaweed. I was sick of how gel cleansers robbed my skin of essential oils, made my skin itch, left dry patches, and made my skin feel like I had my hair pulled back in a high pony tail. Although I love Lush's Angels on Bare Skin, it's more of a scrub/exfoliant, and I felt that might be too harsh to be used everyday on my dry sensitive winter skin. So I went back to Lush and they recommended I try Aqua Marina.
Texture wise, it is smooth with no exfoliating particles and feels just like moist clay.
As to it's cleansing power, it's not really up to the job of makeup removal, it won't even remove liquid foundation T.T. As a result I only use this in the mornings where all it has to do is clean off sleep gunk.
I found that it was easier to break off a small piece and rub it onto my wet face instead of mixing it with water before application. That way it was less messy than having to transfer the mixture onto my face and losing much of it along the way xD
I've used about 300g of this cleanser so far and it hasn't broken me out. It leaves my skin feeling clean, but not tight. I'd say it's comparable to using a cream cleanser in terms of mildness. I wash my bf's face with this (he scrunges his face and screams that his dirt and germs are dying T.T) and afterwards I noticed that his face was significantly brighter and glowy!! @.@
Whilst I was going through the "Vitasoy breakout of 2010", this cleanser really helped to sooth my poor inflamed skin and helped it heal.
The only cons I can think of is that it does smell a bit funky at first, however you do get used to it. Also I think this expires in 3 months so if you're not gonna be using this every day, get only a small amount. Oh and the seaweed will inevitably get soggy n look gross T.T

Damage: $10.50 per 100g
Verdict: If you're looking for a mild cleanser for dry and sensitive skin, give this a try! Lush stores are very generous with their samples, so drop in and ask for some to try at home before you decide.

Foundation, Blush, Eyeshadow, Pencil Liner, Liquid Liner and Waterproof mascara.

Aqua Marina cleanser applied to lower half of swatches. See what I mean by it being totally useless against makeup?

10 comments:

  1. Thanks for the helpful review!

    Have you tried Herbalism (the green cleanser)? It helped me a lot when I went through breakouts. Glad to hear that your skin is clearing up!!! =D

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  2. LOL I like Aqua Marina, probably even better than Angels on Bare Skin but I wouldn't recommend it to be used as makeup remover/cleanser hahaha, I don't even think that's its main purpose. It's a cleanser, not a remover hehehe oh and fyi, I think Angels on Bare Skin stinks more than Aqua Marina hahaha... each to their own.

    Glad to hear that Lush has helped clearing up your skin!! It has for me... as I use Lush as my skincare.

    Cheers

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  3. Great, now I feel like eating sushi. XD Thanks for the review, babe!

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  4. MUHAHAHAH! You crack me up! It made my day to have found your blog!

    <33 Rena
    rainbowbriteness.blogspot.com

    P.S. I also love your header! CUUUUTE!

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  5. whoa whoa seaweed? hm..I don't know how I feel about that ahha I like my seaweed to remain on my food!
    Awesome review and post as always ;)

    xoxo

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  6. That's a sushi roll, I said.

    I wish Lush were around my corner so I can try everything. Thanks for the info, I'll keep that in mind when I move to a Lush-occupied zipcode :)

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  7. I don't think I've ever been to Vancouver before...is the weather often like that? Like New England weather?

    I should have known, all beauty bloggers must have it in their sash~ LOL. Actually I stopped using Herbalism a while ago. Laneige actually cleared my skin out more than Herbalism. *blush* Thanks for your compliment. My skin is far from gorgeous, I have a lot of post acne red marks but I think Laneige is treating it better than other products I've used. I highly recommend Laneige if you've never used them before. =] Plus lately I've been on a green tea craze, drinking like 4 cups a day to flush out everything...maybe that can help get rid of the evil VitaSoy. hehe =D

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  8. oh gosh! vitasoy breakout??? eeeek. my bf loves that stuff! hmm I guess I'll take a closer look at my skin when I'm drinking it.

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  9. As much as I love LUSH, I have to admit that sometimes their items don't work.. this is probably one of them
    I still love others though (:

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  10. omgosh on first view that DOES look like a maki roll.... and not one that is very appetizing!! I think I will give this a try since my current cleanser is running out! i just don't get why it has to be wrapped in seaweed. the name of this product doesn't even sound japanese O__O

    and i'm definitely visitng the Lush store near me... EVERY DAY for some samples BWHAHAHA.

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