I was assigned to review LUSH’s Cupcake mud mask for our definitive list of pre-wedding vegan mud masks and I ended up unlocking a treasure trove of facial beauty products.
When I went to my local Westfield at White City to grab a pot of Cupcake, Lida, the cheerful soap goddess who helped me on my quest, even picked out a few other products to go with Cupcake and who am I to refuse the such divine advice? So along with the mask, I took home the Angels on Bare Skin face cleanser ($13.95) and the Full of Grace face serum ($14.95).
First was the Angels cleanser – the scent was sweet and the oatmeal-like texture of it felt somehow cozy and natural. I can’t say it did much for my skin, but that’s probably because I didn’t mix it enough. It requires a bit of elbow grease to mix the chunky clay into something you can put on your face.
Second was the Grace serum – oh my gosh, my favorite out of the bunch, putting it on was like instant relief and relaxation. With its soft mushroom mixed with chamomile it smelled like what I imagine a dewy forest in a fairytale would smell like. Because Cupcake, Lida said, is a bit drying I decided to leave Full of Grace on when I put on the mask.
Finally, Cupcake – oh my gosh, it was so delicious. Like I know it’s hard to not sound corny when I say that, but I’m not sure how else to describe it. Even dipping my fingers into the little black pot to scoop out some of the cream felt lovely. It went on smoothly and honestly felt like cake batter (in a good way, in a way that made my inner 5 year-old squeak).
Even after I washed it off, the smell of fresh baked chocolate cupcakes seemed to follow me around the flat.
The combination of all three products left my skin feeling smooth and much much brighter. I think, for the most part, you can pick and choose which items you like. I know for a fact that the Angels cleaner is great for reducing acne, but I’ve been so unfortunately blessed to have relatively clear skin so it wasn’t something I noticed on me.
I definitely recommend the Full of Grace serum. It combined aroma therapy with moisturizing goodness and I never wanted to take it off. I personally felt that keeping it on before putting Cupcake on probably reduced the mask’s ability to tighten my pores significantly but since I tend to find that bit of mud masks a bit harsh I didn’t really mind.