I'm fairly fond of Lush products and really enjoy the payoff it gives my skin, so I decided I wanted to purchase a gentle cleanser. After some research, I found that beauty gurus and Lush aficionados swear by this product, so I knew I wanted to give it a shot. Ultimately, I chose Ultrabland because of its great reviews, the fact that it was not an exfoliator, and I figured if I ended up hating it as a cleanser, it still was a better alternative to constantly buying makeup wipes.


What it is: Ultrabland is a thick, moisturizing facial cleanser and makeup remover made of beeswax, honey, rosewater, and almond oil. Its purpose is to cleanse, moisturize, and replenish the skin as close to its original state as possible. Its texture is close to a vaseline, but a bit creamier.

How to use: Take a dab of Ultrabland with clean, dry fingers (a little goes a long way). Apply the product to a dry face (even your eyes) by massaging in circular motions. You want to make sure you aren't rubbing it onto your face too roughly; remember that when applying facial products, the hands should be kept on the same plane as the face. Remove the product by either A) wiping it off with a warm, damp cloth or B) wiping it off with a toner-dampened cotton pad.

Initial thoughts: Wow, does this smell!! The first time I used this, I thought there was no way that I would make it a week using Ultrabland without wanting to barf and never touching it again. However, I stuck to it and I've noticed that even though I can still can't stand the smell, it's not as potent or unbearable. The consistency was very greasy and intimidating. I removed Ultrabland using a damp cloth and right off the bat, I knew I needed to follow up with another cleanser and toner because I felt like my face just wasn't clean. I then finished it off with Lush's Full of Grace. With a few uses, my skin felt a lot softer and my acne flares became less occurrent. My scars and breakouts did not necessarily reduce.

Ultrabland Challenge: After a few weeks of owning Ultrabland, I felt like I was in a rut and wanted to take my skin to the next level. With that in mind, I decided to partake in the Ultrabland Challenge-- something embedded on the pot in which you solely use Ultrabland (I believe toners and moisturizers are still fair game if needed). So as of four days ago, I've been using this cleanser morning and night. I follow it with Lush's Celestial for daytime, and Full of Grace at night. I ALWAYS use a toner (Kiehl's Ultra Facial Toner which is a non-alcoholic formula) and I highly recommend that you do. I've noticed that after using Ultrabland alone, and even still sometimes with toner, there will be makeup and dirt residue still left behind on my face. I'm not sure if this is normal, or if it's my cleaning methods, or because of the toner I use, but I just get as much off as I can while trying to refrain from any other cleanser.

Results (thus far): I have dry/oily combination skin, especially when I wear any type of makeup. My skin, so far, has become less dry in the dry spots, but also more oily in the oily spots. My previous acne scars along the front of my cheeks have reduced in color and size. My existing blemishes have also almost all gone away, or reduced in size. However, I have broken out on my chin and forehead, and in blemishes that are occurring UNDER the skin! Could this be because of the leftover dirt?

I feel that my opinion on Ultrabland could go in either direction, and that I'm really just stuck in the middle of love and hate. My only advice would be to just try it for yourself for a couple of weeks. Because I think that things get worse before they get better, and also because of pure curiosity, I'm going to continue with the Ultrabland Challenge and hope to see better results. My goal is to get rid of acne scars, future zits, and feel comfortable in my skin so I can go makeup-free all summer. I will follow up with a full results post in a month!


Cons: Bad smell, Leaves oily skin, Doesn't fully clean?
Pros: Soft skin, Calms redness, Removes (most of, but not completely) makeup, Long-lasting

* This post is not sponsored, all opinions are my own