'Dark Angels' is a product I have wanted to try for ages but my local Lush store seemed to stock it on-and-off (forcing me to circle around the skincare section like a mad woman). However on my last visit, I got it!
This product is essentially a face (and body) cleanser with some extra scrubby-ness added in. It contains powdered charcoal (giving it a highly pigmented black colour) and rhassoul mud creating a thick, clay-like texture. It also contains organic avocado, sandalwood and rosewood oils to moisturise and some added black sugar to exfoliate the skin. Like most Lush products, it comes in a standard 100g tub and a larger 250g version.
It is suggested on the tub that you should 'take a piece of cleanser in the palm of your hand, add a little water and mix into a paste'. I realised why as the texture alone is very tacky and waxy (think a typical dry mud between your fingers feeling), however with just a little water dribbled in it becomes creamy and soft. This is great as you can use just over a pea-sized amount or cleanser and it goes a long way (meaning even a small tub will last ages). It has a faint scent, which I can only descibe as kind of woody and citrus-y.
As soon as I rubbed the cleanser into my face I could feel the exfoliating sugar, however, unlike some products I have used before, it felt very gentle which is great as I have sensitive acne-prone skin. For a slightly rougher product it went on very smoothly and wasn't watery or cakey. It also felt extremely cooling and soothing which may be down to the oils and avocado, and did not aggravate even my problem areas on my face. I left the product on for around 10-15 minutes and it dried a little on the skin like a face mask.
Probably the only downside to this product is that it it very messy to rinse off (but then buying a charcoal product, what can you expect?) and I found the best way was to rinse with a wet wipe or cotton pads and lukewarm water. For this reason I would recommend the cleanser as a pamper-night treat rather than a daily skincare product to use every morning before work, also as any exfoliating treatments can be harsh on skin and should only really be used once or twice a week. It's also good to wear a towel around your neck (or an old shirt) as it has a pretty big tendency to get dirty. However, when rinsed off in the sink it formed into small specks of charcoal which were fairly easy to rinse away and didn't clog anything up.
My skin afterwards feels very moisturised (even though I only applied a tiny bit of my everyday Simple moisturiser after the treatment) and much softer than usual, as my skin is normally very dry. My skin was also not red and angry after it, which is unusual as most exfoliating products seem to have this effect on me! Although the price is a little higher than most small Lush products at £6.40 for 100g, this little tub will last me a long time. I would definitely recommend 'Dark Angels' especially to those with dry or problem skin struggling to find a gentle exfoliant and cleanser with natural ingredients (and don't mind getting their hands messy!)
