Coalface Cleanser by Alex

About the Item

Coalface Cleanser

3.5 oz for $10.95

Available in any size 3.5 oz and up

The Official Lush website says that Coalface “removes impurities and tones” and is good for normal to oily skin types.

The soap contains: Liquorice Root Decoction (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Propylene Glycol, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Stearate, Rosewood Oil (Aniba rosaeordora), Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Powdered Charcoal, Sandalwood Oil (Santalum album), Glycerine, Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, *Linalool, Perfume, Silver Edible Lustre (Potassium aluminum silicate, Titanium dioxide, Iron oxides and hydroxides).

My Review

In a lot of ways, this soap is like Robert the Bruce’s victory over the English army at the Battle of Bannockburn: NO ONE saw that one coming. Which is actually the only way this soap is like the Battle of Bannockburn. The point is, I don’t think anyone would look at licorice –the jelly beans you always eat last because they taste like shoe polish – and charcoal – a cosmetic chiefly worn by English street urchins a’la Oliver Twist – and say, hey, that would make a sweet facial cleanser. But somehow, this soap manages to defy conventional wisdom and cleanse a dirty, greasy face like no other, while simultaneously upending all we have come to expect from charcoal and licorice in the past 10,000 years of human existence.

I was intrigued by this soap for many reasons, not the least of which being that many people swear by it for general skin care and acne relief. In fact, I’ve heard that a lot of people switched to Coalface from Proactiv Solution because they found that it worked better (also it’s cheaper and all-natural).

In addition to licorice and charcoal, this soap contains a fairly sturdy soap base derived from palm oil, and with a number of fragrances, some sandalwood oil and a little bit of edible silver. Yeah. That’s right. Silver. Weird huh? Anyway, licorice is a natural demulcent (soothing agent) and has restorative properties that help heal damaged skin.

Sounds like a good thing to put in soap to me, but what’s up with the charcoal? Well, as anyone who has ever swallowed bleach and made it to the emergency room knows, charcoal absorbs and neutralizes toxins (which is why you have to swallow activated charcoal after the stomach pump). The same principle works in cosmetic applications; the charcoal absorbs and neutralizes excess oils, dirt and grime from your skin, as well as adding a light exfoliant to the mixture. Think of the charcoal particles as little sponges that suck up all the nasty crap on your face and grind away dead skin cells. Pretty badass huh?

So I grabbed a sample of the stuff at the Lush store a few days ago and busted it out as soon as I hopped in the shower. The first thing I noticed as I lathered up was that it did not smell quite as pleasant as most Lush products. In fact, it smelled like Windex, which was a little unsettling. But the nice, gritty texture of the charcoal was pleasant enough, and when I rinsed it off, hot damn, did I feel clean. My face was tingly and literally ‘squeaked’. I’ve used a number of face washes before, and probably my biggest problem with them was that they either A: left my face too greasy or too dry, or B: were so harsh with their benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid that they actually triggered more breakouts. Coalface did neither and didn’t even leave my skin dry (though I still recommend you moisturize, lest your face flip out and overcompensate for the lost oils with gnarly nose grease).

Hate it or love it, the underdog’s on top, to quote 50 Cent. This is one of my favorite Lush products, and one of the few that I would consider my ‘staples.’ The only con I can think of is the smell, which you’ll get over quickly. It’s not like benzoyl peroxide or any of the other synthetic alternatives smell any better. I do wish that they had been a little more clever with the name (Bits of carbon + rough texture = Diamonds in the Rough is a way better name?), but I really can’t fault them on it.

Bang for your Buck Rating: $$$

Overall Rating: 4.5

B Electro by Sally

About the Item
B Electro Soap
3.5 oz for $6.95
Available in any size 3.5 oz and up

The Official Lush Website lists B Electro Soap as a new (and limited time only!) guest soap infused with “grapefruit, jasmine, rose and fennel.”

Its safe synthetic components are: Sodium Palm Kernelate, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Sodium Stearate, Perfume, D&C Green No. 8, D&C Blue No.1, D&C Yellow No.7, D&C Red No. 27.

Its natural and/or organic ingredients are: Fennel Oil (Foeniculum vulgare), Grapefruit Oil (Citrus grandis), Jasmine Absolute (Jasminum officinale), Rose Absolute (Rosa centifolia), Glycerine, Sodium Chloride, Benzyl Salicylate, Geraniol, Farnesol, Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, and Limonene.

My Review:

I hate to say it, but this is one of the few Lush products I’ve tried that I’m not absolutely dying over. When I read on the forums that it was finally available in the U.S., I ran out to Providence, RI to snag it from the mall. It was propped up on a table right near the register, and I grabbed a huge piece in my hands, smiled, closed my eyes, tilted back my head, took a deep whiff and… cried out in disappointment. Really, I think I actually said “What?” out loud and snarled my lip. What was this soap? It was like a cheap impression of Sexy Peel without the soulful orange undertones and the lick-your-lips citrus fullness.

As I sit here now, I imagine melting down sexy peel, adding not-quite-ripe grapefruits and then watering it down significantly (and of course, dumping the contents of a whole pack of yellow highlighters inside).

I tried not to show my disappointment. Instead, I picked up a piece to buy and had Alex try smelling it to see if I was crazy. He thought it was good (I think?), but it wasn’t the delicious punch in the face that Porridge is for us, so he pretty much walked away to toy with some other soaps.

I bought it, took it home, sliced off a little piece and set it in the shower to replace my big Ice Blue bar that I’ve been working on for almost a month now. My first shower with it was just a few days ago, and I must say that the experience was about as wonderful as my first impression of the soap was. Don’t get me wrong– I’m going to give this some more time– but it didn’t have great lather and had no aromatic qualities that really stuck with me thoughout my shower. In fact, I sort of found myself rushing with it because the smell was so sour to me. It isn’t horrible, by any means, and I’m actually a HUGE fan of citrus scented goods… it just didn’t pack a punch the way I had hoped it would. I detect the grapefruit, but it really just comes off smelling like a big-ass bar of sexy peel went sour. Booo!

What have others said about the scent? Most reviews I’ve read just keep saying that the scent is up in the air– they hated it, but can see how some would like it, or loved it but could see how some could hate it. The one thing they all agree upon is that B Electro would be suitable for men and women as it isn’t overtly floral or girly.

That being said, we judge a soap on more than just our personal scent preferences, because I know plenty of people who LOVE the B Electro smell. I have to give this soap MAJOR points for color payoff– it LITERALLY looks like someone dumped highlighters into this baby. When I rubbed it on my wash cloth to wash up, it was glowing like we were under a blacklight. The picture really doesn’t do it justice.

The ingredients in this present another huge upside to the soap. As written in my Porridge review, B Electro also has the typical ” base of Rapeseed Oil, Sunflower Oil and Coconut Oil. These oils combine to moisturize in an unbelievable way– complete with vitamins A, D, and E, zinc, potassium, calcium, iron, and phosphorus.” However, on top of that, this soap has Fennel Oil, Grapefruit Oil, Rose and Jasmine Absolutes! This baby is GREAT for your skin! I haven’t noticed much of a difference yet, but like I said, I’ve only used it once and was so put off by the smell that I doubt I was grazing my skin to check my good work.

Another upside to this soap is because it lathers so little (as opposed to Porridge, which is soft and lathers like crazy, or even Rockstar, which is medium-soft and lathers a little) it will probably last a reaaaallllyyy long time. Hope you like the scent!

Bang-For-Your-Buck Rating: $$ (for long lasting for the semi-expensive price)

Over-All Rating: 3 (for long lasting, unisex capabilities, and fabulous color)

Do you want to try this soap? Leave a comment and be entered in a raffle to win a sample (with free shipping) sent right to your door!