Within the Lush range that I am quite taken with are the toner and steamer tabs which can be found in the 'face' section on the website or in my local Lush shop, they can be found next to the moisturising creams.
Toner tabs
A toner tab is designed to give the skin on your face a little more TLC and when the weather is this cold and this icy, my skin definitely needs a little something extra to keep it in tip top condition, more so when I am have just got over a really bad cold and I feel like my skin is very dull and lifeless and in need of something extra and instead of using a facemask, I decided to use the Moon and Sun steamer tab which I purchased online with a few other bits.
The Moon and Sun steamer Tab, although not an exciting name by Lush standards is smaller than a 10p in size and is a bright white coloured tablet with some lavender flowers placed on the top. Each Tab you buy is £2.50 and for that you get a 7g tab which you only get one use out of. The last time I bought a product from this range it cost 75p so there has been a bit of a price increase for these products, that said the price didn't put me off.
 |
| Lush Moon and Sun Tab |
So what exactly is a steamer tab and more to the point what does it do? When I purchased my first ever tab I was slightly perplexed as to what to do with it and had to look online for a bit of help. This tab is sold as being "A blend of oils for both mind and skin, skilfully presented in an easy to use tab. Steam clean your face whilst you inhale the mood-adjusting essential oils" which is exactly what I feel I need. Although I cleanse and moisturise my skin every day and use a mask at least once a week, I live in London and commute every day too and from work using either a bus or the tube, that mean pollution and it can leave your skin feeling dry, dirty and every now and again really horrible, so I try and do all I can to ensure that no dirt and grime has the chance to cause any damage to my skin.
Old Skooling it
For anyone who has ever had a cold, I am sure you will have put a teaspoon of Vicks Vapour-rub into a hot steaming bowl of water from your table, thrown a towel over your head and inhaled until your eyes were stinging right? Well it is sort of like doing that with this product.
So to use this tab, you simply drop it into a bowl of steaming hot water and the two things that are a must - the water has to be steaming hot from the kettle, so take extra care with your bowl and you will also need a fairly large towel to go over your head. The water needs to be steaming hot because through the steam the essential oils are released and are able to work their magic. Once you place the Tab into the water, it mimics the actions of a Bath Ballistic in that it fizzes around in the water and this once again is due to Sodium Bicarbonate which helps to soften the water, which for me is helpful as I live in a hard water area, making the products kinder to your skin.
 |
| Lush showing how it is done |
For me, one of the good things about these tabs is that you don't need a lot of water to make them work, if you use too much water you are at risk of drowning out the fragrance. So, taking the advice I was given, I used a pint and a half of steaming hot water from my kettle and put it into my bowl and not the bowl that I use to wash up with I might add, then dropping in the tab and letting it whiz about for all of 30 seconds, put the towel over my head to keep the steam in one place and then I put my head over the bowl and allowed the steam to give my face a sauna. Now because the steam and the contents within the bowl are hot, you might need to give yourself a break after about 5 minutes and ensure that the bowl is on a hard surface and not resting on your lap. After about 15 minutes I felt I had had enough and I did have a break and then after a few minutes I repeated the process again which you can keep on doing until you feel the fragrance is no longer there. As I haven't uploaded a video to youtube, there is one from Lush which you can see HERE and it shows you all you need to know.
Once you have finished with your facial sauna, it is suggested that you need a cotton wool ball or pad to draw up some water from the bowl which will act as a toner whilst at the same time remove any bits of grime and dirt which have been pushed to the surface of your skin from the facial sauna, as you wipe your face with said cotton wool you might be surprised at how dirty it turns with dirt, I certainly was especially as I cleanse and moisturise daily. So for me this is another reason why I am quite fond of these tabs, you have two different products in one tiny tablet.
 |
| The Lush explanation of usage |
Bit smelly?
The Moon and Sun Steamer Tab smells of lavender, a fragrance which I really like and it is fresh smelling lavender that you will find, as though you have just walked through some lavender fields. Lavender which is soothing for the skin is also soothing and calming on the nerves, helps by relieving tension, helps with depression and irritability and in general it is effective for headaches, migraines and for those people who suffer from insomnia. Neroli Oil comes next and it hosts similar properties to Lavender in that it is soothing, calming and helps relieve stress and tension when used in this way. Finally comes Geraniol which is an uplifting essential oil which again helps to relieve stress, tension, anxiety and tension. It is also kind to the skin in that it helps to create a balance between oily and dry skin ensuring that excess oil is removed but the skin remains moisturised.
All of these ingredients together also promote a calming effect leaving you feeling at ease and stress free. For further ingredients contained within this product you will find them available on the Lush Website.
Afterwards...
After using this product I was left feeling refreshed and de-stressed and as your face cools down from the hot steam, your skin initially begins to tighten and is soft to the touch. My skin was definitely moisturised and felt much fresher and cleaner than it had done in a very long time, despite using cleansers and toners on a daily basis, I was quite shocked at how much dirt was removed from deep within my pores when I wiped my skin with a cotton wool pad using the water from the bowl. Once you have patted your skin dry there is definitely no need to add any moisturising cream like you would need to with a face mask for example, because your skin is soft and smooth to the touch and it was noted that the floral smell I mentioned earlier was still evident a few hours after use.
So would I recommend this product? Yes I definitely do because it is absolutely brilliant, I loved using it and it was easy to use. I am someone who likes to pamper herself and this is definitely a product which allows me to do just that with minimal effort and fuss.
Don't forget to enter my TWO giveaways which you can find HERE and HERE
