Venus & Mars: Lulur

The Javanese Lulur Soap is the first soap I have ever tried from Venus & Mars. I am so intrigued by it because it's been said that the Lulur has been dated back for centuries as a skin daily ritual in keeping the skin soft and glowing especially by brides before their wedding. 

The Javanese Lulur is considered to be the queen of treatments and has been practiced in the palaces of Central Java since the 17th century. There, the pursuit of beauty has long been a daily ritual and the Javanese Lulur an integral step, leaving skin soft, supple and shining.

You know I don't like waiting for that BIG DAY just to get myself pampered when I can do it as early as now. It feels so good being pampered. As recommended by V&M, I also bought this bar to help fight my bacne aside from using their V&M Spa Milk Salts.

V&M's version of the Javanese Lulur

From to their Facebook page:

V&M's Version of the Javanese Lulur  

LUXURY BAR | Cold-processed Soaps | Skin that's clear and polished.  

What is so unique about VNM's LULUR?
It is designed to leave the skin clear from impurities by means of its turmeric content mixed with emu oil and tea tree and whiten the appearance through its powerful combination of arbutin, calamansi and papain. Moisturize and pamper the skin with the rest of the ingredients and you'll sure find a noticeable and renewed skin! 

What can we actually achieve with Java turmeric spice? 

1. It reduces pigmentation.
Turmeric can help even out skin tone. Just leave this on for fifteen minutes everyday. 

2. It makes the skin supple.
It leaves skin smooth, polished and supple. Of course, single application will not make the difference, you have to use it regularly and you'll be surprised to see how much your skin has changed for the better. Imagine the mix of turmeric with shea butter, mango and emu oil! These are super heroes when it comes to moisturizing and taming even the toughest and roughest of skins! Trust me in this. :) 

3. It inhibits cell damage.
Turmeric is an excellent anti-oxidant, hence, it stabilizes free radicals that are known to cause damage to cells that eventually leads to aging and various diseases. 

4. It reduces hair growth.
Turmeric is believed to reduce hair growth by softening even our hair strands! Some doctors even recommend using it for unwanted hair. 

5. It helps heal acne.
Many people love turmeric because of its acne-healing property. Just imagine turmeric with emu oil and tea tree! What a powerful combo that is! 

6. It is an excellent skin beautifier.
With this version??? What more is left to say?

 Ingredients: emu oil, tea tree essential oil, turmeric, tea tree leaves, shea butter, arbutin, calamansi, papain, olive oil and coconut oil, mango 

Don't be confused with this soap. It is no mistake why this is here. It is still the same soap, bought from the same brand, but with a different packaging dated 3-4 years ago. I never thought I'd see this photo again in my laptop; it was my previous purchase of the Lulur soap in V&M, and I do believe it's a 120g. What even made me ought to try it is that it even 'reduces hair growth'?? This I got to see for myself.

Previous Experience On This Soap: I'm not sure if my nose is just "sensitive", but it had a strong yet tolerable scent. I've read other reviews and majority of them doesn't seem to be put off by its scent... aside from me. It was still tolerable, and overtime, I finally get the hang of it. I tried it on my face, but it stings like crazy! I was so alarmed that I had to wash it off immediately. It didn't burnt my face or anything. I did want it to sit in my face for at least 2-3 minutes, but I can't let that stinging happen again. As suggested, I did tried this soap for my bacne, waited for few minutes before rinsing. It helped a lot especially when I used their V&M Spa Milk Salts -- leaving my back all clear like nothing happened!

Current Review On This Soap: Since I have tried this soap, I expected that stinging feel from my previous use.

I cut this soap in roughly 5-6 pieces to save money. I don't want to see this soap go away within two weeks of use. Every time I use it, surprisingly, it didn't had that 'strong scent' on my use, but had that faint scent of Turmeric. I'm not sure if it's just me, but I didn't felt any stinging feeling even after I waited 5-10 minutes before rinsing. I hate to say this, but I was actually waiting for the 'stinging' to happen on my skin.

I really can't tell if this helped me lighten my skin in over a month's use which I doubt. Like any skin care products, it would take time and patience before anyone can see the results. In my case, it wasn't an instant whitening sort of thing, but more of a brightening effect, but did help prevent any bacne from happening! Prevention is better than cure.

As for the part were it "reduces hair growth", I can't attest to that if it works. I'm not a very hairy person to begin with. I really can't tell if did worked. BUT if in some way did helped "reduce (unwanted) hair growth", that would be a bonus!

The soap is a bit pricey especially for people who are on the budget. Basing on the list of ingredients, since the highlight is turmeric, I would say buy a pack of turmeric and squeeze f-r-e-s-h lemon juice to make a paste, OR mix turmeric and milk, apply it in the area for 20 minutes to help reduce dark spots, then rinse. Of course, the soap is much convenient and ready to be used in no time! But for someone who has a busy schedule, who has no time to prepare EVERY. SINGLE. DAY, I still think it's a great alternative and much cheaper. I would say it is still depends on one's preference. You know I like to spoil myself once in a while.

Only comes in one size: Php 225 per 120g bar