Friday, April 11, 2008

Review: Lush Imperialis Moisturizer

I recently bought a facial moisturizer from Lush called 'Imperialis'. It's for combination skin. I've been using it for a few weeks now, and so far, I haven't broken out from it. I have sensitive skin, and if it doesn't like a certain product it, little white/clear bumps will surface, or I'll get an itchy red rash that eventually dries out my skin...weird huh?


The label says this batch was made on Jan. 31st '08. It expires Jan. 30 '09. It was made by Hide!


What it claims to do...

The lavender encourages dry skin to produce more natural oils and discourages oily skin from overdoing it. The orange flower water tones, and St John's wort soothes irritation. The company claims it's 'not too heavy, not too light, bordering on perfection'. Corny!

Ingredients: (Safe Synthetic listed in Blue)

Lavender Infusion (Lavendula hybrida), Mullein Leaf Infusion (Verbascum thapsus), Orange Blossom Water (Citrus dulcis), Olive Oil (Olea europaea), Stearic Acid, Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii), Fair Trade Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Glycerine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Orange Blossom Absolute (Citrus dulcis), Tiger Lily Extract (Lilium candidum), St. Johns Wort Extract (Hypericum perforatum), Elderflower Extract (Sambucus nigra), Sweet Violet Extract (Viola odorata), Sunflower Petal Extract (Helianthus annuus), Alkanett Extract (Alkanna tinctoria), Triethanolamine, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

My Ratings

Product: 4/5
This cream is a little greasy for my liking. I wore it under my makeup a few times. The first time, I put some on my eyelids just out of habit...bad idea! Although I wore a primer (UDPP), my eyeshadow MELTED (aka creased and faded in a few hours). I have slightly oily lids as is, but the moisturizer made them even oilier.

I do like the product for the fact that it's made with a combo of safe synthetic and natural or organic ingredients. Nothing too fancy-schmancy, and it doesn't make my face feel like it's burning. M.A.C and Lancome facial care products are too strong for my skin.

Packaging: 5/5
I love the unique container, and I love the fact that it's made from recycled plastic!

Price: 3/5

It was about 3300 yen. It's cheaper in the U.S. ($21.35). Kinda pricey for 1.5 oz of an everyday moisturizer if you ask me...My Holy Grail moisturizer, Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel is $30 for 6.7 oz.

Overall: 4/5
For day, I tried to beat the oiliness factor of this cream by combining a small amount with a lighter, oil-free moisturizer. It's still too greasy! It kept my skin looking fresh and dewy for a few hours, then I realized that the dewiness was oiliness. Grrrrrr...I DEFINITELY CAN'T use it solo underneath my makeup, as it's too rich on it's own.

This is a GREAT night cream. I use it before I go to bed. I like the soothing lavender scent, perfect for relaxing before bedtime. When I wake up, my skin looks rejuvenated, un-pasty and AWAKE. Perfect for a girl like me, who rarely gets enough sleep!

The final verdict:
I recommend this product to anyone who has combination skin, but more towards the dry side.

4 comments:

ilurvemakeup said...

This would be scary on my oil t-zone :o

Habitual Beauty said...

great blog i love it!!!

♡ Nic Nic ♡ said...

oo nice review.. i do agree Lush skin care can be expensive and they dont last forever either, it'll be such a waste if you couldnt use all of it in time, like when i bought their mask - i totally forgot about it, it was sitting in the refrigerator lol.

Aya said...

Lurve: Yes, it's def. a scary sight on the T-zone, but I don't mind it if it's before I go to sleep.

Beutyful habit: Thank you, come back for more!

Nic Nic: I was lemming some of their masks, but since they only last a week (or two?) I was like, ef it, maybe I'll try when I'm richer, LOL.