An Afternoon Facemask with Dew of the Gods

Today my darlings I am super excited about using the FijiFuji Collagen Whip Vitamin Mask from Dew of the Gods. And no it isn’t because I feel like I need a little extra blessing from Buddhist Monks. Although that is a lovely thought and I will never turn down such blessings.

But that is beside the point.

Today is the last use of this mask. That’s right. Don’t let the blue tint inside the plastic fool you. The plastic itself is actually dyed blue. This is the final wear of this Dew of the Gods Face Mask. I think it actually feels like such a big accomplishment because it is so large a container. I also did not think it would last this long.

I adore this mask. Of the Dew of the Gods face masks that I have tried this is my favorite. Which I wasn’t actually expecting. I have a pink clay mask and a charcoal mask from the brand as well. Both are really great masks and clay and charcoal masks are sort of my go to masking favorites so I was a bit surprised that i liked this so much.

But I found myself reaching for this so much that when the Black Friday sales were popping off I went ahead and picked up a back up. I never pick up back ups of masks. I usually tell myself once I have finished a mask I love that if I clear out two more samples or one more full sized masking jar then i can think about replacing it.

This one, I picked up before I was finished with it.

And yes having the unopened mask lurking in the back did give me an odd anxiety for some reason. I think it was potential product wastage. So I probably won’t do that again but it was a really good sale so i have a hard time regretting it. (It retails for $2 and I think I ended up getting it for around $15 when all was said and done and nothing makes a really great product better than getting a really great product at a really low price. It’s like a double win, especially if you know you will use it.)

According to Dew of the Gods…

Vitamin cocktail, anyone? That Fiji glow really hits different. Rich, luscious and thick electric kaolin infused with vegan collagen, vitamin-C and lychee extract brightens, tones and lifts your skin while restoring its natural bounce. Injected with hyaluronic acid, Fijifuji is all about that youthful, radiant glow — it’s a party in the tropics, and the vibe is Fiji-chic.

Maybe it is the hyaluronic acid in it that I love so much. The mask smooths on easily and feels a little more like the clay you would use in a pottery class than your typical clay mask. I think it is because clay masks tend to be looser and this really looked like a chunk of blue clay you would start on a potter’s wheel. But it does smooth over the face really easily.

It is cool from the start and I did feel the cold along my cheekbones as I wore it. I also noticed that if I have allergy puffy eyes that coolness does help reduce some of the puffiness just by default. This is the mask my babydoll loves making fun of. He thinks it looks like some sort of Mesoamerican death mask.

It does dry down pretty far in the 15 minutes of wear that I usually keep it on for. It isn;t exactly kiln baked but it is dry. I keep a facial brush that is too harsh to use as a facial cleansing brush around just for clay masks. As you can see I have used this enough with this mask that the bristles are somewhat tinted. I am going to give it a good soak tonight and see if i can get some of the blue out of the bristles.

I don’t use the brush to remove the mask, I just wet the brush and lightly trace over the mask so that the water loosens it up and makes it easier to remove. Essentially I am rehydrating it and using the trace lines from the bristles to loosen it up. i find this just makes mask removal just a little easier.

Then it is rinsed off and I have to say but skin always feels so fresh and clean. I feel smooth and really revived with this mask. It not only perks the skin up but if you have a day where you feel like you are dragging just a little bit, then this kind of gives you a bit of an energy boost without resorting to an extra cup of coffee.

While I like other Dew of the Gods Masks the Fijifuji Collagen Whip Vitamin Mask is my favorite. As much as it bothered me to know I had a back up instead of waiting until I finished and cleared this and at least one other product out, I am thrilled that as this empties, I have one jar of this waiting in the wings. And now I can use it to prompt myself into using up other masks because I will not open the new jar until I have emptied two more. That was the deal I made with myself when I purchased the back up. I remember because I put a post it note on the box. So it will be a little while before I get to see this mask again, but I know it will be worth the wait.

20% Off Your First Apiceuticals Order with code WELCOME20

It’s Face Mask Friday with MZ Skin

It feels as though I have not managed to get to do a face mask on a Friday for a really long time. For some reason things seem to happen on Friday afternoons. Things like wind storms knocking down powerlines and sending trashcans rolling down the street and emergency projects that people forgot to tell me about. And deadlines.

Seriously, who thinks putting a deadline on a Friday is a good thing? They are best placed on Thursdays so that you can spend Friday doing any clean up work post deadline on projects you had to let slip to meet the deadline. Then after they are cleaned up you can have a restful weekend.

At least that’s how I’d arrange things. Unfortunately the universe declined my offer to be the universal scheduler and so I have missed my fifteen minutes of down time on Friday afternoons.

These packets came to me in a Cohorted box. There are five packets of the same MZ Skin Radiance and Renewal Mask …

A deeply exfoliating face mask that instantly brightens tired, dull skin.

What it does: It’s formulated with an 8.5% concentrate fruit acid complex that helps stimulate cell turnover, refines pores and helps to eliminate pigmentation to brighten and restore luminosity. Your skin is left smooth, revived and glowing.

How to use: Apply generously onto a clean face and décolletage. Leave for 15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with warm water. For best results, use twice per week.
MZ skin

The full sized mask comes in a tube and is 3.38 oz. It retails for $173. So it is a bit on the pricy side. I don’t know if the packets are ever sold individually. I will say that the mask that came out of the package was exactly the right amount to cover my face, neck and upper chest. The pack contains 0.06 oz (2 mL)so by simple math you would get about 56 uses out of the tube which comes down to $3 per use which isn’t that bad all things considered. It is just the initial cost right there that had me backing up.

If you want to try it for a little less, Dermstore has a 20 mL tube for sale for $30.59.

And yes this is how i convince myself to puirchase expensive skin care which should give you a little ppoiler about how I feel about this mask.

The mask in my hand was white with a little bit of pearlessence to it. I don’t know if that came across in the picture but it kind of shimmered in my hand. It actually made me think of the old infomercials you used to get on late at night for Pearl Cream. (Which it you remember the infomercials it is the secret of the orient and why Asian women never age. I don’t know if anyone else remembers them but I watched a lot of Up All Night with Gilbert Gottfried and that was an oft repeated ad. Here is the link to the version with Nancy Kwan in case you want to see that ad for yourself and journey into my insomniac childhoond.)

So I was thinking Pearl Cream as I was applying it. The pearl essence really just made my face very shiny once it was on the skin. No pearly skin for me. It just looked wet. And actually it looked wet even after fifteen minutes. It didn’t feel wet. It felt as though it dried to a hard shell, almost as if I shellacked my face.

While I was wearing it there was a bit of a tingling sensation. The sensation was mild and kind of pleasant. It was also only there for the first five minutes of wear. After fifteen minutes I rinsed it off and then patted my skin dry. When my skin was dry my skin felt soft and fresh. I don’t know if there is much physical difference. However about ten minutes after I dried my face, I found that ii had a few clogged pores that were kind of driving me a little crazy rise closer to the surface. they are actually so close to the surface now that i think a good facial scrub tonight will actually help clear them away completely.

I really enjoyed this face mask and will happily use it again. The mask can only be used about twice or three times a week. I expect with repeated use there would be a lot more visible signs of improvement. For now I have the relieve of a couple of clogged pores ready to move out and really soft skin. The price of the full size is a bit high, but the 20mL sized bottle is more affordable and will give me a full ten uses so I suspect that is where I would purchase first. Whatever the size, This MZ Skin Radiance and Renewal Mask is a winner and certainly something I will love to use again.

Up to 65% savings on the Best of Dermstore!

Aceology for Face Mask Friday!

That’s right folks. It is Friday and I am actually getting to do my Friday Face Mask on Friday! why does that feel like such an accomplishment? I think it is because the last two Fridays have been maskus inturuptus. I also thought that with everything that was going on, I might have to skip this week’s as well. But no, it’s masking time.

Each Friday I like to give myself a little bit of a masking break. It is sort of the fifteen minute self care reward for staying on top of things and making sure life runs smoothly both in work at on the home front. It is just me in the house and I can take those fifteen minutes and lay back, clear my head and breathe. On an ideal Friday I will apply the face mask, light a candle and put on some music.

But no radio, Truest me, go radio free music for this because nothing interrupts your fifteen minutes of calm more than a breaking news cast announcement. It is never going to be a good breaking announcement. No one is going to interrupt your music to tell you that something good happened. Good announcements wait for a regularly scheduled broadcast. Personally I would love a good interruption.

‘Good afternoon folks, sorry to interrupt your music, but we just took a survey and at this very moment, no one is doing anything bad to anyone else anywhere! That’s right, we have a lull in all ongoing battlefields and all serial killers and despotic dictators are taking a lunch break, We’ll have follow up news of this spontaneous peace invasion at eleven along with a basket full of puppies. Don’t worry, no one abused them and they all have good homes, we just brought them in to celebrate.’

Wouldn’t that be lovely for a Friday afternoon when you are feeling good about getting your e-mails and files out as well as making sure the laundry was done? So we dare to dream, but until then, no radio for the calm making fifteen.

Today while I did manage to get the laundry done and I am catching up on everything that was slaw this week for one thing or another, i am wearing a mask while answering e-mails today. It is one of the perks of working from home and not having any video calls scheduled.

Today I went with the Aceology Brightening Treatment mask. As you can see from the tube, I have used this before. Quite a few times before. In general I am not a huge fan of peel off masks, but I will say the pain with this one is minimum and my skin always feels good about this. I just make sure I don’t put it too close to my eyes. while I like to avoid pulling at the delicate skin around the eye area, the part that always makes me cry is the part over my upper lip. It always peels off really quickly but somehow the part right under my nostrils, no matter how quickly it removes, it always brings a little tear to my eye.

The mask itself smells fresh and clean and smooths on well. While a lot of time I will review masks when i use them for the first time (and I did do a first use post of this when I first used it), I really like reviewing the same mask when it is at the end of it’s life. This tube probably has one to two more uses out of it, but it has been opened a while. The container is like a paint tube and that has kept the mask from drying out. There is a little dried crispy bit at the edge of the lid where I didn’t clean it off as well as I should have in my last use, but otherwise the mask is the same as when I first opened it. It hasn’t dried in the tube or gone bad. And if you look at the frist use post, you will see it is dated for February, 2022. I will finish this mask sometime this month, so it lasted for me about a year.

This isn’t a mask I reach for a lot or use on a regular basis. Partially because it is a peel off, and partially because I tend to prefer anti-aging or pore clearing masks to brightening ones. But every time I have reached for this it has been good. You may also notice when flicking through my past posts that around the same time that I picked up this Aceology Mask I picked up the Aceology Lifting Mask, Detoxifying Mask, and Firming Treatment Mask. All of those were peel off masks and all were used up within two months of opening. So it is more about me not reaching for brightening masks as often than the fact that it is a peel off mask. I will say I did try a sample of the Rose Petal Mask (not a peel off mask) and it was phenomenal. Let my skin feeling like a rose petal. So in general Aceology just makes good face masks, peel off or other wise (and yes their Green tea Mask is on my list to try this year. Rose Petal and the Detoxifying mask are also on the repurchase list.)

One thing I like about this mask is that I don’t have to set a timer. Which I like when working at my desk. I can just reach up and see if it is dry, if not, I continue to work. In general it is still worn for about 15 minutes, but the trick with all peeling masks is that you have to let them dry so you can peel them off. any parts that are still damp, simply won’t peel off and you will end up with a mess. It is both a lesson in patience and in restraint as you really can’t put the mask on too thickly and thus waste product because you will just have to sit forever trying to wait for it to dry, Because of the dampness in the air today it took closer to twenty minutes for dry time and there were a couple of tiny spots that were still wet as you can see in the photo.

when peeling there is always a moment when the mask comes off and your skin reacts to having the mask peeled off of your face. It will get red and feel hot. Or at least mine does. I tend to look a little sunburned post peel off mask. The color doesn’t last. it is mostly my skin’s reaction to having all of the baby fine hairs on my face being yanked at once. When I removed the Aceology Brightening Treatment Mask it was no different. Then, the redness faded my skin felt smooth, clean, nourished and yes, just a little bit brighter.

The Final Friday Face Mask of 2022

This is it my darlings. The final Friday Face mask of 2022. It is the Honey Potion by Farmacy. I chose this for a couple of reasons. The first is that there was only one use left in the jar and at the moment i am concentrating on using up the face masks that are in my collection with only one use left in them. So this fit the bill. I am actually quite proud of myself for whittling down the open containers in my face mask drawer.

I love having a variety of masks to choose from, but I hate that I can’t see them all because they have multiplied. I have quite a few masks that I love but forget i have and several that I have yet to get around to trying out. And so the almost empties have to go.

The other reason I chose this mask is that this weekend is not a collapse at home weekend. It is New Year’s Eve Weekend. With Friday Face masks I often choose the face mask to start the weekend stay at home and purge the skin a thon. I know, if we ever get bands and sponsors and banners I’ll get a better name. While sounding like a failed music festival, it is generally how I let my skin breath while I try to undo any damage I may have caused during the week.

It is great for weekends when there is nothing planned outside of the house. except that this weekend, there is a lot on. And I didn’t want my skin erupting. So I chose a mask that always leaves my skin looking great and hydrated but doesn’t tend to bring clogged pores to the surface. Next weekend will be a skin clearing Extravaganza.

But not this weekend.

This Honey potion goes on like, well honey. it is somewhat sticky so I have to really be in the mood to use it. Which is why it lasted so long, it is good but you have to be willing to get a little messy. Sometimes I am, sometimes I am not. I am amazed that I didn’t manage to lose th metal spatula. the fact that the lid is magnetic helps but I was certain it would get knocked off at some point. it hasn’t which is kind of a miracle.

the mask goes on like a clear jelly and then you massage it so it turns white. When it turns white it heats up, which i actually kind of like. And I do like this mask it is just the stickiness that has me choosing other masks. Although that is mostly a pre use consideration. Once i;ve committed to using this I am fine and I really like the look of it on the skin.

While I do like this and would consider repurchasing it, this mask is one of those face masks that I know i will only use once in a while. it will not be an everyday mask. So while i will repurchase it, I find there is no rush to do so. I suspect i will pick it up when i see it on sale and am reminded I like it.

Which I am oaky with. While I have been making an effot to clear out some of the older masks I still have quite a collection to go through and having a good mask that I can pick up whenever is not really a problem. And that is where this mask falls for me. Good enough to repurchase but not something i feel i need to have on hand all of the time.

It is however a nice way to wrap up the year’s masking. It is warm on a cold winter’s day and my skin looks great as I start thinking about my New Year’s Makeup. Honey Potion by Farmacy is not a bad way to end the year. And a great start to new Year’s eve skin.

The Last Use of the Blue Butterfly from Lovinah

Fir this Blue Butterfly Stem Cell Face Mask from Lovinah I really had to scrape the bottom of the jar. I had just enough product in the jar to apply it to my face and call it a use. In fact when I pulled it out of the drawer and opened the jar I actually wondered if there was enough for one last use I also wondered why i saved a mask jar with so little product in it. Still I figured I out to see about using up the last dregs and so I applied it.

The scent is glorious. No butterflies were actually harmed in the mask. Thee are sea minerals and plant stem cells. In the ingredients list Blue Spirulina and Butterfly bush are both listed It smells a little like spirulina and a little like the flower of the Butterfly Bush.

It is also a bright blue mask.

There was just enough to cover my face and now the jar is wiped clean and empty. As it is glass I will probably use it for starting some seeds in my green house. Soon it will be time to get them started. I like to start them early and then gradually transfer them into larger containers until it is time for them to start spending some time outside. I find it lets them have a better chance of survival and small glass jars like this are great for starting the seeds. Eventually it will go into the recycling bin, but it will have a few seasons in the garden before then,

Which I think is a nice afterlife for a skincare container.

But not exactly the point.

It has been a while since i used this mask I think it has actually been hanging around since last January. So I had to look it up.

Experience true marine beauty, with this signature deep sea and plant-stem cell facial suitable for all skin types. A luxurious mask of pure natural deep-sea minerals, known for its beauty-enhancing properties, plant stem cell proteins help to boost the skin’s regeneration cycle and pre/probiotics help to protect, hydrate, repair and nourish the skin.

Deliver a surge of intense healing hydration and extra energy to skin for a hydrated, plump, supple skin with the Blue Butterfly Mask.

the devil is in the details but if you take a look at the stress crack on my forehead, it does look just a little less deeply set.

I have to say, it really delivers. After wearing this mask for the recommended 15 minutes my skin feels fantastic and I feel a bit more energized. I think the reason that i kept this jar was actually so that I could remember to repurchase it when the big sales arrived. The Mask is $65 and while I often use masks that are as expensive if not more so, I do like to get them on sale when possible. The fact that there was still enough mask in there to let me try it and to remind me of why i wanted to pick up a full sized jar was just an added bonus.

While the mask was very primary blue, it came off the skin well and aside from a few blueish drips that were easy to wipe off, didn’;t stain anything. I thought it might be like the charcoal based masks that tend to leave a gray residue, but nope, the sink was clean and I just wiped off the few splashes left from removing the mask.

While I took this mask out to make space and to use up the last of it, I am really glad I was reminded of this mask. It really needs to go on the list so i don’t forget that it is one I would love to try out this Blue Butterfly Mask in the full sized version. it did so well with a minimal amount of product i imagine repeated use would product fantastic results.

Acing the Friday Face Mask

Yes it is that time of year again. It is the time i break out all of the face masks that I tried and now have only a little left. I have no idea why I end up with masks that have only one use left in them. Sometimes I get it, like with the samples, like this Rose Petal Mask from Aceology. I tried it, Liked it and even used it a second time. But it is a small tube and somehow slipped through the cracks. Somehow I get that. i don’t understand why i have some full sized jars that somehow I have used all but one use out of. Clearly I liked it enough to use most of it. I have no idea why I save the last use.

But for the past month or so those are the containers i have been emptying out and slowly they are disappearing making room for all of next year’s products. Today i chose this mask because I really like it. It is rose colored and when applied it looks my skin look shiny and vaguely sunburned. It is a gel base so it is a bit like putting jelly on the skin, but far less sticky. And with better skincare benefits.

Until I tried this mask i thought Aceology specialized in peel off masks because that was all i had ever seen from them. Admittedly they make really good peel off masks. I have several in my collection and I will repurchase them. I will also be repurchasing this. It is a fantastically soothing mask. This small tube had three uses and after each use I find myself thinking wow my skin feels like a rose petal. This may be a clearing out of the last uses of face masks but it is certainly not a hardship.

Tonight I will be going out to the first of the holiday gatherings. i wanted something that would make my skin look great and that I knew would not cause any sort of break outs. This was a good mask to reach for. it is gentle and hydrating, which at this time of year I can always use. Plus this week i had some eye issues and ended up rinsing my eye out with saline solution a lot trying to make sure it was flushed clean. While the saline was good for my eyeball there is always skin spillage and saline is not good for the skin. So the little bit of extra moisture was a good thing. Now my skin feels rose petal soft and I am more than ready to get ready for my night out.

While i am saying goodbye to this tube, the full size of Aceology’s Rose Petal Mask is definitely on my new Year’s shopping list.

It’s a Holiday Mask for Face mask Friday

Since I went and used the Santa and Candy Cane Masks for My mid week masking moment i decided to round it out with the third holiday mask I picked up, the Hot Cocoa Revitalizing Mud Mask from Que Bella. You know I love mud masks and I figured this was a self contained one that would have one, maybe two uses and then I could move on to my using up the open masks of my masking drawer plan. Actually I have been using those periodically on days other than Friday to clear them out, so I feel less badly about dipping into a holiday mask.

According to the brand this is…

Perfect stocking stuffer, Contains nourishing cocoa butter, Dermatologically approved, and New for 2022 & exclusive to Target

Yeah not the best description, I know. There is also no ingredients list which I didn’t realize until after I applied it. I was so excited about the holiday theme I got ahead of myself and didn’t check things out like i usually do. This mask retails for $2 in case you are wondering. And I picked it up because of the holiday theme and because I love mud masks.

Normally i am pretty easy going with masks. Some I like better than others clearly, but over all I am generally willing to think of one time use masks as a moment of relaxation. if I use them more than just once it is because they have skincare benefits I like, but the one time use products are more a mental health break or designed to target a specific issue I only need temporary assistance with.

Having said that, I did not like this mask. I cut the pouch open and there was only enough product for one use. I did apply it in a thicker layer than most people but still, if I thinned it out there were maybe two uses. After using it once the bit of mask left behind I had no interest in saving. But I am getting ahead of myself.

First, the scent. It smelled vaguely of cocoa but also vaguely of something slightly industrial. It actually smelled a bit like an unscented candle. but not a soy or beeswax version, something not entirely natural. That kind of waxy candle scent. It reminds me of the red tapered candles that my parents used to get when I was a kid. The kind that were unscented but smelled like red dye and industrial wax when burned. Which is why I went to the website to look at the ingredients. Which they didn’t have on the site.

My skin didn’t react to the test patch so I went ahead and applied it to my face, waited the fifteen minutes and then rinsed it off. There was no tingling or reaction of any kind while wearing it and the mask didn’t really dry down at all in the fifteen minutes which is not typical for mud masks. Still there are a couple of mud masks that I love that don’t dry down so this wasn’t that big an issue.

When I washed it off there was an odd waxy layer left on my skin. It didn’t feel hydrated or really like anything had been done to my skin other than a waxy layer added. It was like the waxy layer was put under the mask and the mask was just for show. To remove it I ended up using a physical facial exfoliant. The one I currently have on hand is the Elemis Skin Buff (I highly recommend it as it is fantastic). It did a lot more for my skin than the mask did.

In addition once the mask was removed I had to clean upo the sink. Not only was there mask residue but my skink had a waxy layer on it where the water was beading up on top of it. So I had to get an exfoliant for my sink as well. (let’s hear it for old fashioned Comet). Over all, I did not enjoy this face mask and quite honestly $2 is far more than this mask was worth. If you are inclined to add small face mask packets to your shopping cart while in Target (which I am inclined to do) give this one a pass. It really isn’t worth it.

A little Milk Glaze for Face Mask Friday

That’s right my darlings, the Face mask Friday returns! However todays dinner prep is delayed. For November I have been putting up dinner recipes to get me through the holidays in between the feasting. This week’s is delayed because I am going out tonight. For those who don’t know, today is Veteran’s day. As a huge swath of my family (both living and deceased) are veterans, it is a big celebration. So my babydoll and I are going out to help out at what will no doubt be a very chilly Barbeque at the VFW Hall. Neither of us are involved in working the actual smokers as those have been running for several hours already. I am just involved with the passing out of plates. Its one of those things where the food is donated but then there is an auction that raises money for the local veterans association. Which is, in my opinion a very good thing.

It is also why I am not cooking today and why my face mask is just a little bit early.

And why I am moving around the house with it instead of sitting back and relaxing with a nice scented candle while I enjoy the pore purging benefits of the Milk Glaze Deep pore purging Lactic Acid Clay Mask. or at least what I hope will be the benefits. So alas no candles and fifteen minutes of mid day relaxation. So as I make sure my face is clean and ready for the mask, let’s see what this mask is supposed to do. (I received this in the Winter Subscription that arrived earlier this week and this is my first use of it, or any facemask from Beekman 1802. As always though I did open the tube and test it on my arm yesterday to make sure there were no reactions.)

Get your glow on with Beekman 1802’s Milk Glaze Lactic Acid Pore Purging Clay Mask! This multitasking milk clay mask is enriched with 10% lactic acid and creamy goat milk to unclog pores while gently exfoliating, polishing away oil and impurities to reveal a clearer, more radiant complexion.

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Kaolin, Lactic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Bentonite, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Glycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Sea Silt Extract, Squalane, Caprae Lac (Goat Milk), Lactose, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Milk Protein, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Tocopheryl Acetate, Vaccinium Myrtillus (Bilberry) Fruit Extract, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugarcane) Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract, Melia Azadirachta Bark Extract, Corallina Officinalis (Red Algae) Extract, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Glyceryl Citrate/Lactate/Linoleate/Oleate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Kalanchoe Pinnata Leaf Extract, Jacaranda Mimosifolia Flower Extract, Bixa Orellana Leaf Extract, Deoxyribonuclease, Glyceryl Caprylate, Polyglyceryl-3 Caprate, Polyglyceryl-4 Cocoate, Glucose Oxidase, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Sodium Carbonate, Citric Acid, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Ocimum Basilicum (Basil) Flower/Leaf Extract, Glycolic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Tartaric Acid, Malic Acid, Sorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer, Sodium Chloride,Titanium Dioxide CI 77891 … and Kindness.
Beekman 1802

Okay on paper this looks like it is right up my alley. Pore purging and exfoliation? Yes and yes please. Actually it is kind of funny. Since I have been using the Glam Glow Clearing Cleanser things have been rising to the surface. this week I skipped the exfoliator so I have some tiny blackheads in the small pores under my eyes and a few deeper clogged pores that have almost but not quite risen to the surface. So taking the time to hopefully clear them out isn’t a bad thing. In fact my skin is more or less primed for this kind of mask.

I also don’t see any problems (or potential problems) with the ingredients list. There isn’t anything that would cause my skin concern. As the brand specializes in products for sensitive skin, that isn’t surprising but every now and then an ingredients list will have a hidden land mine so I like to check the fill list. I did also do the arm test just to be sure. Use the inner arm if you are doing this as it is more sensitive than the outer one.

And so to the face it goes.

The scent of this mask actually reminds me of the Korres Greek Yogurt Probiotic Mask. I like that mask as a moisturizing one, but as you all know at this point, I love my clay masks. Because of the scent though i was surprised as I applied it, and that really is because i have used the Korres one for years and so it was reminiscent. They aren’t alike at all in application.

This is a clay mask. Clay is actually the second ingredient on the list. The masks smoothed over the skin well. It is an easy clay mask to work with. I was able to get a thin layer of mask on my face with no issues. Sometimes clay masks cha stick a little and not spread as easily as I’d like, thus requiring more product. This applied well and I wa actually surprised by how little it took to cover my face. Small amount of product for each application, means more applications per tube. this application created only a thumbs size dent in the tube which gives me great hope that I will get to use it for a while. The mask is $38 so it isn’t outrageously expensive, but it is nice to know I will be able to use it quite a few times.

Well quite a few times if i like it.

After applying I left the mask to sit for 15 minutes. I set the timer and then ran around the house mostly doing laundry. Usually Thursday’s are laundry days but everything got out of whack this week so there is the grand rush to make sure no one runs out of anything important.

When the timer dinged I returned to the bathroom. I was very surprised that while the mask did look and feel a little drier than before it didn’t really dry down to the hard crackle sort of stage. and it didn’t look any different from my application fifteen minutes earlier. It remained movable. Which also meant i was able to move my face throughout which was nice as well. It made removal very easy. I ran the water until it was warm and massaged it off with a damp washcloth.

there was no sticking and nothing that needed hard rubbing.

As with all masks I dried my face and went away for a few minutes to let my skin settle before returning for a final photo. I was very impressed. I don’t know if you can zoom in close enough to the photos without them fuzzing out on you. I kind of looked in the magnification mirror to check things, especially the small sections of tiny black heads that were around my under eyes. They had been taken out. and one of the deep clogged pores by the side of my nose that was only a slight bump under the skin has also been removed. It has been lifting for days like a slow rising leviathan and this was the final push to get it out of my skin.

I don’t tend to have a lot of massive and visible break outs. I do have the small black heads in certain areas that are easy to cover up as well as the barely visible but painful clogged pores that often drive me a little mad. Mostly because they are sore spots that you can’t really do much about until they do something. I have been working to deal with them so this might feel more dramatic because everything was primed to go and this was just the final knock out punch. But in the end this was a knock out punch. The work I did earlier in the week lined up the pins and this mask took them down.

I enjoyed the process of using it. It wa easy to apply and easy to remove. I didn’t need loads of product so the tube will last me a while. It wasn’t over the top expensive and I think my skin looks great. Maybe it was the goat, or maybe it was that extra dollop of kindness they mixed in at the end, but for me this Beekman 1892 Milk Glaze Deep Pore Purging lactic acid clay mask was a winner.

Whip that Collagen good, its the Friday Face mask

Today’s face mask is a new one to me. It came in the September Boxycharm and this is the first time I have been able to use it. This is the Dew of the Gods fijiuji Collagen Whip Vitamin mask. Before we get into the mask itself can I just say that this is just a beautiful packaging. I have tried the Claydate mask from Dew of the Gods and it was a great mask that came in a plain looking jar. This jar is just beautiful to look at and I am hoping that it works as well as it looks.

So let’s get into it. This mask is described as following on the brand website…

Vitamin cocktail, anyone? That Fiji glow really hits different. Rich, luscious and thick electric kaolin infused with vegan collagen, vitamin-C and lychee extract brightens, tones and lifts your skin while restoring its natural bounce. Injected with hyaluronic acid, Fijifuji is all about that youthful, radiant glow — it’s a party in the tropics, and the vibe is Fiji-chic.

Full Ingredients:
Aqua, Kaolin Bentonite, Aloe Barbadensis Extract, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-12 Glyceryl Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride,Hydroxyethylcellulose, Allantoin, Camellia Sinesis Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, L-Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Collagen, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Litchi Chinensis Fruit Extract, Parfum

Looking at the list I know that the Aloe and shea butter are going to make my smooth feel soft. I have high hopes for the brightening effects of Vitamin C and the plumping effects of Hyaluronic acid. As Kaolin Bentonite is the second ingredient on the list, I k now that this was a clay based mask, however when I opened the jar I didn’t expect it to be so clay like. Or really so blue. I know you can see the blue through the side, but somehow my brain thought that the jar was colored or something. It is not. That is the color of the mask. Which is kind of fun.

Admittedly when i put it on my babydoll told me I looked like i was wearing a Mesoamerican death mask. But there are worse things. Also this is why i usually use face masks when he isn’t home or is occupied elsewhere. But that is another story.

the product on the side is where I scraped the inner plastic lid

Moving on. The mask was also a lot thicker than I anticipated it being. It is like turquoise clay. I knew it was clay based but somehow the word whip made me think it would be lighter. it isn’t a problem actually as I really liked the texture, it was just a bit of a surprise.

I skimmed the surface of the product rather than scooping anything out of the jar which worked well. It came out easily and went on well. I did make certain that the lids (both inner and outer) were put back on as soon as possible as this looks like the sort of mask that will dry out very quickly if left exposed. I suspect this is a mask that really needs to be used regularly once it is open if you intend to use the entire product. Of course it also looks like i could build a pot with it and fire it to make lovely ceramics, but i won’t.

The Dew of the Gods Mask smoothed over the skin well and easily. It felt cool to the touch like all clay masks tend to do. After applying it, the only thing left to do was set the timer and relax for the fifteen minutes it took for the mask to do it’s thing.

After about five minutes there was a slight tingling. While some clay masks start to tingle as they tighten and dry out, this was slightly more than that. The tingling didn’t last long but the drying sensation continued. I wasn’t worried about anything untoward happening to the skin. I have had several very tingly masks that made me wonder what was going on under the mask. while sometimes it has led to very good things in a first time use of the mask it always makes me a little nervous and unable to relax completely.

This was light enough i wasn’t really worried. The clay stayed in place with no drippage, the tingling was brief and pleasant causing no unnecessary worries and I was able to lay back and relax. the mask has a light almost citrus scent to it when the jar is first opened but the scent fades almost immediately. The scent seems to stay with the jar rather than the product on the skin.

After fifteen minutes I returned to the bathroom and took the mask off. The product page recommends removing with warm water and I second that heartily. Cold water will remove it, but the warm water really does help it release a lot more easily. For removal I soaked a washcloth in warm water and after squeezing the water out so it didn’t drip, I placed the warm damp cloth on my face and let it soak a moment. The heat and moisture loosened it so that I was able to remove the mask fairly easily. There were bits left in the sink afterwards but it was still a pretty quick clean up.

And how did my skin feel afterwards? Clean, soft and fresh. there might have been a little plumping and brightening, but with one use it wasn’t heaps of change. I do like the way my skin feels though and I think with repeated use there might be some improvements to the skin. The big questions is, would i use it enough times to get to stronger results?

The answer is yes. I rather enjoyed this mask. It was a gentle clay mask that left my skin feeling really good. while I would hope the hyaluronic acid and Vitamin C will give long term results, in the short term my skin feels fresh, clean and soft. Those are enough reasons for me to try it for longer to see if there are any long term benefits. I can say that right now, I am happy to have this Dew of the Gods Fijifuji collagen whip vitamin mask in my masking collection.

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Its the Friday Face mask with Mudmasky

I have, over the past two years or so, received several Mudmasky products. While I am generally down to experience any kind of mask that doesn’t cause me skin irritations, it seems to me that this one is always talked about as being fantastic. Anytime I see a Mudmasky review they are always glowing reviews, but the products I have tried are always just so-so.

In my masking collection I found this Mudmasky Vitamin A Booster Blue clay mask. And you know how I love a good clay mask. It was unopened, so I have have not tried ir and I deliberately steered away from all reviews so that I wouldn’t get over hyped and then let down. I find that for me this is the best way to tell if I really like a product.

sometimes I will look at the reviews and if they are all really great reviews I will feel more let down by the product than I might otherwise have been. And conversely if I read a bunch of bad reviews and then try it, I might think it is better than it is because it wasn’t a bad as the reviews painted it. I don’t know if that is the way anyone else’s brain works but that is how mind does so I didn’t look at the product information on the website until after I tried the mask. I went solely based on what is on the tube. Still it makes sense to post the what to expect before the actual results so, according to the product page…

This Fragrance-free Clay Mask is formulated with a blend of flowers, fruits, and Grade 1 Clay. The clays used are considered the purest and most premium available on earth. As a natural alternative to retinol, we have used Bakuchiol , suitable for even the most sensitive skin. Refines and tightens the pores and boosts your skin with a high dose of natural Vitamin A, your skin will look visibly smoother after just 1 use.
Mudmasky

I should also point out that this mask is a full size and retails for $59. Which is incidentally the same price as one of my favorite clay masks, the Bl’eau Glacial Oceanic Clay Mask. (Although Bl’eau is having a big Labor day sale so you can snag that fantastic mask or their other products for less, this link will take you there if you are interested.)

I say this because this is the mask that I will be comparing it to in my mind. They are the same price, both clay and both pore refining. There are different aspects of each of course, but I will still compare them mentally when deciding my repurchasing options. If that makes sense.

So onto the face the mask went. I know it is fragrance free, but there is a slightly odd scent to it (that I’m sure is just the product since fragrance isn’t listed in the ingredients). This is going to sound strange but it reminds me of grape flavored cough syrup. which was odd. The scent dissipates quickly but for what it is worth that is the scent I got from it.

It went onto the face easily and smoothed well over the skin. There are no solid bits it is just a blended clay paste. which I did like about it as I didn’t have to worry about my sink clogging. (Old house, old pipes). the mask felt cool to the skin which tends to be something that happens with most clay masks. There was a little tingling, but it was mostly the mask as it dried. It was more a sensation of water evaporating from the mask than an actual chemical tingle.

I let the mask sit for fifteen minutes as recommended and then went to wash it off. As you can see from my inability to smile in the photo, the mask dried down pretty hard. I patted water on it to loosen it and then it rinsed off fairly easily. There was not a lot of hard scrubbing which was pleasant. I do love clay masks but sometimes removing them is like chipping a statue out of granite. This was a relatively easy to remove clay mask. I did wet it back down before I used the washcloth though.

Here is the thing. I believe that skin are takes time to work. Yes a mask may give you an immediate result, but generally speaking immediate results disappear almost as quickly as they come. Skincare works based on repeated and consistent use. So I am always a little skeptical when I see the words ‘results after one use.’

As you can see above this mask did have those words. And did I see results after one use? Maybe a little bit. I can say that my skin felt very clean and looked very clean as though the mask purged some deep down gunk it had been holding on to. which was a nice effect. My skin did feel smooth but part of that was that it simple just felt clean.

I suppose you can call that results after one use. What i would call that is encouraging. It is an encouraging sign that repeated and consistent use may actually show some results. I think what I might do is give this mask a little stretch of time to see if there are more results. So There are today’s pictures. I will use this mask for the next week (not every day, but every other day as recommended) and I will see how a week of repeated regular use causes my skin to respond. I think that may give me a better idea of results expected and results that I can share with you.

So I intended to see if I liked the Mudmasky Vitamin A Booster Blue Clay Mask enough to keep it in my mask rotation and I decided that I did like it enough and that I saw enough positive things in my one use to try regular use for a week to see what happens. I suppose tune in next Friday for the comparison pics and further thoughts. I hadn’t planned on a longer trial but this seems like the right thing to do with this mask. And so the surprise Mudmasky trial begins.