LUSH Oatifix Fresh Face Mask

After my first experience with a LUSH fresh face mask left me less-than-wowed (and more-than-"unscented"), I was nervous that there would be something surprising and disappointing about the second mask I'd picked up - Oatifix.

Well good news, everyone! This Oatifix face mask is totally different than Cupcake!

Immediately the smell of this product made me think of my mom's banana bread. It's sweet and smells very "homemade" - like you could have made this in your own kitchen.

Scooping out about half of the 60g pot with clean hands, I also noticed that this mask was a much different texture than Cupcake:  it's thick, like a thick and chunky oatmeal. If Cupcake was like frosting, Oatifix was like batter.

From the LUSH site:

Few things are more soothing than a big bowl of banana porridge, all sweet and squishy. Did you know the same is true for your skin? Sensitive, dry or irritated faces love Oatifix for its calming oats, softening mashed banana and ground almonds to slough away flaky skin. Keep in mind that dry skin doesn’t just occur in the winter! The sun can be equally harsh, as UV rays penetrate the dermis and heat can leave you feeling tight and dry. Use Oatifix year-round on sensitive, dry skin in need of nourishment to keep it flexible and soft.

I smoothed some of the mask over my entire (clean) face, avoiding the mouth and eyes area...

Guyyyys, the smell!!! It smells SO YUMMY. And the great thing about the smell was that it never became too overpowering - it was just scrumptious and pleasing the entire time. I think that there was something a little more "unnatural" about the smell of Cupcake that I didn't like after a few minutes. But Oatifix stayed smelling like Mom's banana bread and it never became too potent. The banana smell is because there are actually bananas inside this fresh face mask. (You can see the full ingredient list below.)

After leaving this mask on for about 10 minutes, it was time to rinse it off. The Oatifix mask took a little longer to wash off than Cupcake, because it is so much thicker and chunkier. (It also left lots of oatmeal-ish bits around my sink area that kind of looked like the remnants of vomit... which isn't really relevant.)

My face instantly felt fresher, hydrated, soft, and not at all tight. Honestly, my face felt like a baby's bottom. I looooved it! And as delicious as the product smelled, it didn't leave a lingering scent after I washed it off. In short, I'm now afraid that I won't be able to go into a LUSH store again without purchasing more of this fresh face mask.

Here's a bit more info about Oatifix Fresh Face Mask, to make sure you've got all zee facts:

• Due to the fresh ingredients, you have to keep these face masks refrigerated. There's even a little mini-fridge right in the LUSH store where they keep the masks!
• This mask has a quick expiration date! Again, due to the fresh ingredients.
• You can't buy this product online in Canada/US - it's in-store only. (Though Jayne let me know that you can buy these online from the UK site!)
• This mask is vegan.
• In Canada/US, a 60g (2.1 oz) pot of Oatifix Fresh Face Mask retails for $6.95.
• If you bring back 5 of these little black empty pots, you'll get a free face mask! #RecyclingIsSexy
• Here are the actual ingredients in Oatifix:
• Glycerine , Fine Oatmeal (Avena sativa) , Fresh Organic Bananas (Musa paradisica) , Water (Aqua) , Ground Almonds (Prunus dulcis) , Illipe Butter (Shorea stenoptera) , Kaolin , Talc , Vanilla Pod (Vanilla planifolia) , Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia) , Sandalwood Oil (Santalum austro-caledonicum vieill) , Benzoin Resinoid (Styrax tonkinensis pierre) , *Coumarin , *Benzyl Cinnamate , *Linalool , Perfume , Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides)

The helpful girl at the store told me that you could get about 2 uses out of each of these little pots. I thought I'd used about half of the pot during my first use, but there was much more than half of it left the next time I went to use up the container. So my second mask was a lot thicker than the first that you see pictured above.

Now that I've tried these two different LUSH Fresh Face Masks, I've got my eye on a few others in this line of products as well:

• Cosmetic Warrior
• Catastrophe Cosmetic
• Brazed Honey
• Love Lettuce (thanks to a reader recommendation - thanks Britt!)

Let me know in the comments if you've tried any of these face masks - I love hearing other people's opinions!  You can browse all of LUSH's face masks here (not an affiliate link).

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{Linking with Monday Must Haves, I Feel Pretty, and Beauty Buzz}   Disclaimer: I purchased this face mask myself!