Very much like Claudette Colbert and Lorelai Gilmore before me, I'm a modern woman who never forgets to start her day with a cup of coffee. Except some days it's not a steaming cup of joe I reach for, but Lush's Cup of Coffee mask!

About the mask: Cup O' Coffee is one of Lush's bestselling Fresh Face Masks, a collection of face masks made with fresh fruit, vegetables, butters, clays and essential oils. Because they are all made fresh, these masks are specifically made to last 3-4 months at most, so these are definitely not things you want to have collecting in your cabinet. Some need to be refridgerated, some can be left in your bathroom. Cup O' Coffee is stable so I was able to leave it in my medicine cabinet.

How well does it work? Despite appearances, (look at those HUGE grounds) Cup O' Coffee is actually quite a refreshing exfoliating mask. The mask blends the aromatics of coffee and cocoa extract with super hydrating and moisturizing ingredients like kaolin and agave syrup to make a thick but malleable mask.

The coffee grinds in the mask can be used for a thorough exfoliation, but you can also remove the mask quite easily with very little exfoliation too, if you use a hot, soaked cloth for removal. I have mildly sensitive skin and never experienced any irritation with the mask, but I also did remove it before the 10 minute mark, so I allowed the mask settle but not to fully harden. While I had no irritation after use, this IS a strong mask, so I wouldn't advise using this on your face more than once or twice a week. It IS, however, very effective as a blackhead remover for people with excess sebum on their nose like me! Instead of stripping your skin with a nose strip, give this a try.

My favourite part? I know that Cup O' Coffee is sold as a way to help you wake up in the morning, due to the caffeine, but it does such a good job of refreshing my face and making it feel smooth that I often found myself using it before bed too! This mask is also supposed to be a body scrub, which I didn't use much it for because I liked it so much on my face, but you could take advantage to buff your knees or elbows with this too!

Pricing: I actually received this as a Christmas present, but I was using the 150g container and it lasted for at least 16 masks, which for the price of $10.95 is less than $0.75 a mask or less! I also used this as a blackhead removal mask a few times, using very small amounts to help keep my pores clean, so I probably used it closer to 20 times.

What's your favourite Lush face mask?