Health + Wellness

We Tried A No Waste Beauty Routine For A Week And This Is What We Thought

By – who always has time to go to breakfast, no matter how busy she is.

First up, let me preface this story by saying that I am a beauty product addict. As Urban List’s beauty editor (I know right, what a job), I get dozens of products to try on a monthly basis, and I absolutely test out every single one of them. My typical routine? About 13 steps over morning and night, give or take a few. So when Lush asked me if I would try out a no waste beauty routine, I was sceptical it could even be done—what about my five different serums? My moisturizers? They even wanted me to give up my usual make up. 

But considering my beauty routine is the one holdout in a bathroom that has otherwise gone plastic-free (with shampoo bars, body soap, deodorant bars and even bamboo toothbrushes), I was up for the challenge—here’s how the week went. 

Morning 

Armed with a box of Lush’s packaging free beauty goodies, my mornings started with a gentle cleanse with one of their 7 to 3 Cleansing Wipes. These look like a makeup removal pad but are actually a jelly-like cleanser—you just wet the pad, wipe it over your face to activate the cleansing cream and rinse it away after some gentle lathering. It left my skin feeling cleansed but not dry, much like a cleansing milk. I wasn’t exactly sure what to do with the wet pad, but leaving it out on a paper towel to dry seemed to work. 

Next was the Light Touch Naked Facial Oil in lieu of a moisturizer. A hard bar that cleverly incorporates both a toner and a moisturiser, you just glide it directly over your skin to warm it up and allow it to leave a light covering of oil on your skin. Now this I loved so much it may just become a part of my permanent routine—it left my skin feeling so supple and smooth, and even helped with the rosacea I’ve been struggling with for months.  

Evening 

Stripping back to a basic, three-step routine that didn’t include a single serum was tough, but I did it in the name of research—even resisting my beloved eye cream. First up, the Jade Roller Naked Cleansing Balm, an oil cleansing balm embedded with mung beans for a gentle massage. As with the facial oil, just rubbing this bar over my skin and then massaging it worked best. It did seem to leave quite an oily residue, even after washing with the Movis Facial Soap, my second step for the night, so I’m not sure this one will stay on my rotation. The Movis Soap though, was a blissful cleanse—rubbing it straight onto my skin meant I got a gentle exfoliation, but it wasn’t drying. 

No moisturiser for the evening either—instead it was onto the Full of Grace Naked Facial Oil, which uses murmuru butter and organic almond oil to hydrate the skin. After a week of using the facial oil bar, I could honestly see or feel no difference in my combination dry and oily skin between using this and my $95 packed-in-a-plastic-jar moisturiser—so it definitely gets a thumbs up from me. 

Makeup 

I don’t wear a whole lot of makeup on a daily basis—usually foundation and a dab of lip gloss is enough for me, with a swipe of mascara and some lippy for post-work social engagements. So Lush’s no waste make up range was actually perfect, as it features a stick foundation, solid highlighter (both with just a wax wrapping instead of packaging) and refillable lipsticks. 

The Slapstick Foundation had a buildable, solid coverage, and just glided on—it felt so light I was sure it couldn’t possibly last an entire day, but it managed to not only prove me wrong, but last through to a post-work dinner as well, with just a dab of Egret Glow Stick to get me through (told you—low maintenance, I let my skincare routine do all the work). As for the lipstick, it felt as much like lip balm as it did a lipstick, and yet lasted through a four-course dinner. I may never go back to packaged lipstick again. 

The Verdict 

So would I make the switch permanently? If I didn’t have a bathroom full of packaged beauty products to use, absolutely. Of course, I might add in a few necessities (that eye cream, obviously), like sunscreen, some anti-ageing serums (wrinkles scare me, ok) a primer and mascara, but otherwise, I would happily switch to a no waste routine. After a week, my skin felt just as plump and smooth as it does after using my plastic-heavy favourites, and maybe even better—I think it appreciated a break from the 13 step routine. It’s better on the wallet, better on the environment and just as good for your skin, so why not? 

You can check out Lush’s full line up of packaging-free beauty products here

Image credit: Lush 

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