Do you ever just look at all the stuff in your bathroom and want to go full Marie Kondo on it? ‘Cos I do, and did the other day, and it brought me to two main conclusions. A) I need to stop spontaneously buying things and b) there’s a lot of plastic on my vanity and in my shower. Convenient plastic packaging that I could probably go without if I tried. So I gave it a go for one week, via Lush.
The challenge: To go one full week using only zero-packaging beauty and body products.
The hurdle: MESS.
To absolutely make sure I wouldn’t revert back to my usual products, I waited until my essential goodies were all used up so I could seamlessly replace them with the naked goodies. I had just gotten a new tube of mascara so instead of buying another new one, I just went a week without it. No dramas.
At a glance – here’s what I got.
Not in this image, my bar of soap.
Full disclosure: I didn’t buy all of these – Lush were super kind to send me the makeup products ‘cos they’re only available online.
Little Pot of Energy | Naked Body Lotion
$20.95 / 125g
This baby is literally just solid moisturiser. Switching from a tub / squirt bottle to Little Pot of Energy took zero effort. As you can see in the pic, Lush has even shaped it into a little pot. There’s an instructional video online showing you how to use the lotion, which is to grip it by the bottom and use the lid as an applicator. This works, but I did the opposite. I used the lid of the pot as a grip and used the butt as the applicator. It just worked better for me. In terms of the lotion itself, it was just a touch too greasy for my liking, but it still worked an absolute treat on my skin. Apart from my disgustingly oily t-zone, I have very dry skin so I need a hydrating moisturiser. Little Pot of Energy ticks that box.
Aromaco | Solid Deodorant
$12.95 / 100g
Out of all the products I tested, Aromaco solid deodorant is definitely the one. Did I think my favourite naked body / face product was going to be solid deodorant? Absolutely not, but here we are. This beats my usual roll on deodorant in every single way. It’s got a nice, clean subtle smell and it’s HEAVY DUTY (I stink, I really stink). I even took my chaotic dog for a run with Aromaco on and I still smelt okay afterwards. I LOVE IT, I BLOODY LOVE IT!
Also, my usual deodorant is wrapped in plastic with a plastic lid so this felt fantastic to use in every single way.
Definitely keep this in a container or some beeswax wrap to keep it fresh.
Amazon Primer | Naked Facial Oil
$19.95 / 20g
The usual face oil that I use has a lil’ squirty top and sometimes I squeeze a little too much onto my face and it runs into my eyeball. I was drunk, leave me alone. The Amazon Primer naked facial oil means you can control exactly how much product you want on your face, because you literally just rub it on. It’s a fab primer and my makeup didn’t budge at all. That’s the good. The bad is that I have extremely sensitive skin so I broke out almost immediately. Do not, do not, let this dissuade you. Much alike the rest of me, my skin really hates change. It was also just a couple of spots on my forehead and one on my cheek, so it wasn’t that bad. Nowhere near high school levels of bad.
If you relate to this, allow me to recommend Face Hero from Zoe Foster Blake’s Go-To skincare range. It’s the only face oil I’ve tried (yet) that hasn’t resulted in a breakout within the first week.
Okay, back to naked packaging.
Flyway Hair | Shampoo Bar
$15.95 / 55g
FAST FACT: One shampoo bar equates to about two to three shampoo bottles, or up to 80 washes.
I picked Flyway Hair because of its subtle scent and it just looked really cool. But I was skeptical at first. Could something so small – a dry, hard disc that easily fits in my palm – really work as “normal” shampoo does? The short answer is oh my god, it really does.
Nothing happens if you run it under water, but the moment you start rubbing it on your head – creating friction – all the bubbles start to form. I was so surprised by the sudden amount of shampoo bubbles, I forgot to close my eyes… which is how I found out it doesn’t sting very much if it gets in your eyes. Novelty aside, it really is just solid shampoo.
Lush sells round tin containers designed to hold the shampoo bars after each use, although a common complaint is that it sticks to the inside of the tin. So instead I kept it in a soap dish, taking it in and out of the shower with me. The bar does take a little while to dry after use so I definitely recommend keeping it out of the shower between uses.
American Cream | Pressed Conditioner
$16.95 / 55g
It’s the exact same stitch with the American Cream pressed conditioner, except no bubbles. I cupped the conditioner in my hands and ran it through my hair until it was all silky and smooth, you know what I’m talking about. Alternatively, you can work the bar between your hands until it’s reached a creamy consistency, then run your hands through your hair. Whatever works for you. Like the shampoo bar, I kept this in a soap dish in a dry part of my bathroom between washes. The conditioner was definitely a lot easier to handle than the shampoo bar – again, less bubbles.
7 To 3 | Cleansing Wipe
$4.00 each
Let me say immediately that the 7 To 3 is not a single-use product. It may look like a simple makeup wipe, but it certainly is not. This baby is thick and it’s biodegradable.
All you have to do is splash your face with water, wet one side of the pad, and rub it all over your face. It’s pretty much a cleansing cream you can use to remove light makeup around your eyes. It’s super gentle on the skin and smells absolutely delightful. I used it after I took off my makeup – like a final cleanse, ya know? And I just rubbed it allll over my face. In the name of science, I even put a whole bunch of stubborn lipstick on and the cleanser got it all off.
Jade Roller | Naked Cleansing Balm
$9.95 / 15g
Alternatively, you can just use the Jade Roller naked cleansing bar. I love both products, but the Jade Roller has mung beans embedded in it. You bet I massaged my face with it every night. Did I overuse it? Yes. Do I regret it? No. I kept the cleansing balm in my shower and it easily slid into my daily routine. The mung beans do fall out over time, but eh, not a big deal. ADD IT TO THE LIST.
Prince Charming | Naked Shower Gel
This was part of Lush’s limited edition Valentine’s Day range so it’s no longer available unfortunately. For that reason, I won’t get into it that much. What I will say is that the solid bar works in exactly the same way as a bar of soap. Although, Lush’s naked shower gels don’t contain any soap base so it’s not actually soap. I looove shower gel, but it’s not a necessity.
Glow Sticks | Solid Highlighter
$24.00 each
Lush sent me the Egret and Pipit glow sticks, which are solid highlighters. This was such an easy swap. I don’t use highlighter often, but for me at least, I just found no difference between a palette and a highlighter stick. Both did the job, both excellent colours, both really easy to use. I’m really just getting my word count up at this point. NEXT.
Lipstick Refills + Refillable Lipstick Case
$20.00 each for lipstick + $16.00 each for the refillable lipstick case
J’ADORE the lipsticks. Although, let me preface this bit by saying I am not a huge lip person. The most I do is lip balm because I have dry lips, so I can’t really compare this to other lippies I have… I literally have two. Lush sent me the lipstick refills in Saporro (like a soft pastel pink) and Madrid (strong red). Both are stubborn as hell – you can’t just use water to remove the shade. Lush also sent me a refillable lipstick case, which are sold separately.
The lipstick, once in the case, acts like any lipstick. But first, you need to remove the wax seal from the lipstick refill. Pull the black tab up from the bottom, which will reveal the actual lipstick inside. Then remove the bottom black bit and slide the lipstick into its case – literally any empty case you have, you don’t have to use Lush’s one – then remove the rest of the peelable wax and you’re good to go.
Visual coming in hot.
I did… not… do this correctly the first time.
This is what I did. Do not do this. I don’t even know how I did this.
I live and learn, what can I say?
Slap Stick | Solid Foundation
$34.00 / 30g
AIGHT, the last thing Lush sent me was the slap stick, otherwise known as solid foundation. The slap sticks aren’t available in-store so if you’re super keen on it, head to a store for a free consultation and a Lush team member can recommend your shade.
Out of all the products I tested, the slap stick was probably the hardest to get used to because you can only handle it from the bottom and things can get a bit messy. You can either apply it directly, use your fingers, or a brush. In terms of storage, I literally just kept it in the recyclable cardboard box it came in. That was the easiest thing to do. But in terms of use, I’d say it’s light on coverage but blends really easily. But again, because I have an oily t-zone, it started to feel really greasy after a couple of hours. I expected that to happen though, so if your skin tends to be more on the dry side, I’d give these a go.
Conclusion
There are definitely products I’ll buy again. My top three naked goodies are the solid deodorant, the solid shampoo bar, and the pressed conditioner bar, with the Jade Roller coming in a very close fourth. This was a zero effort switch to zero packaging and I had no issues whatsoever. I thought there would be way more mess, but I was wrong. Even my experience with the slap stick, though messy, still felt good to use because I was reducing my waste.
At the end of the day, any switch to naked packaging is still a win. It’s a step forward to cutting down on plastics and I’m bloody stoked I’ve started incorporating it into my routine. And one day, who knows, packaging might just be a thing of the past.
