⚡ TL;DR
This article covers our hands-on experience with this product. Scroll down for the full story, or jump to our final verdict at the bottom.
Why I Almost Threw This Powder in the Trash
I was THIS close to returning this LBLS Vitamin C and Papain Cleansing Enzyme Powder. Honestly? My first impression was completely terrible. When the package arrived, it looked like it had been kicked across the country. The bottle itself felt cheap, and when I finally wrenched the lid off, I was hit with this weird, chemical, almost plasticky smell that made me gag. I’m not exaggerating. I was stress-eating cheap corn chips in my kitchen while staring at this bottle, wondering why on earth I thought ordering a random powder cleanser was a good idea.
The instructions were a total disaster too. It said to mix it with water in a one-to-one ratio, but how am I supposed to eyeball that in a foggy bathroom at 7:00 AM? My first three attempts resulted in a clumpy, gritty mess that just slid off my face and into the sink drain. It didn’t foam. It didn’t feel like a cleanser. It felt like I was rubbing wet sand onto my cheeks. I was annoyed. I was irritated. I was ready to pack it up and ship it back to the warehouse just to get my twenty-six bucks back.
But then, I decided to stop being a stubborn idiot for five minutes. I realized I was using way too much water, turning the fine powder into a runny soup instead of a paste. I started using, like, three drops of water. I started massaging it into my skin for longer, really working it into the pores on my nose. I honestly don’t know why the consistency feels so wrong at first, but once you hit that perfect paste ratio, the whole experience shifts entirely. It stopped feeling like sand and started feeling like a legit spa treatment.
I hate to admit it, but my skin looks actually good. Like, glowy-good. After a week of consistently using this stuff, the dullness I usually deal with in the winter just vanished. My blackheads? They’re practically throwing a party in the exit lane. They’re significantly smaller. It’s annoying how well this works because I really wanted to write a scathing review about how much I hated the initial user experience. But the results? I can’t argue with them. My face feels smooth, not stripped, and the weird smell doesn’t even linger once you rinse it off.
It’s not perfect. It’s still a bit fussy to use if you’re in a rush, and the bottle design is still mediocre at best. I find myself getting powder all over the counter if I’m not careful, which is a massive pet peeve of mine. But I’m keeping it. I’ll probably repurchase it, though I’ll be complaining the whole time I’m clicking the order button. If you have oily, stubborn skin that needs a serious deep clean, this is probably worth the initial headache. Just don’t blame me if you spill it everywhere on your first try.
If you want to try it yourself, here’s where I got mine.
