It’s Face Mask Friday with Dew of the Gods

I know, this Dew of the Gods Fijifuji Collagen Whip Mask is not a new to me mask,. I reviewed it a few weeks ago when I used and opened it for the first time. You can see that post here if you are interested. I have used this mask several times since then. I have to say there was something about the mask that made me think that it would dry out in the container rather quickly. Thus far that hasn’t happened. I know it has been open less than a month, so it really shouldn’t have dried out by now.

And it hasn’t.

However There was something about this clay mask that just looked as though it needed to be used in a timely manner. I suppose that applies to all skin care but when clay masks dry out you realize that clay is what they use to make pottery and old school mud bricks. I suppose technically they use mud for mud bricks, but i have had several dried out clay masks that make me think of bricks.

I have used this mask a number of times since my first use, so the container has been opened and closed several times. Which I think is important. It means that the mass has been exposed, at least as long as it takes to apply the mask and put the lid back on. So it hasn’t simply been sitting sealed on the shelf. Admittedly I have had masks dry out while still sitting sealed on the shelf. Which is why I try to go through them in an timely manner these days.

And actually that was one of the reasons I chose this mask today. Soon I will be taking out all of the partially used masks and I will go mask-tastic crazy in the run up to new year’s as I clear out the open and partially used sample sizes.

But I couldn’t resist using this again, as well as comparing it to the original opening use of the mask.

The container is a very lovely clear plastic that shows off the blue of the mask inside well. They contrasted it with the yellow of the lid. While attractive, it also seals really tightly which helps preserve the mask. Using it today, there has been no change since the first use. The Dew of the Gods Fijifuji Collagen Whip Mask applies smoothly and easily. It feels cool on the skin, smooths out with little effort and covers with not a lot of product.

At first the mask just feels cool, then it starts to tingle a little. I was worried that the tingling would grow more intense but it doesn’t. It does last though. The tingling remained at more or less the same level as it started. it was only as i was getting ready to wash it off that the tingling started to fade. I can’t actually decide if it is something in the mask that causes the tingling or if it is the mask drying out.

In the fifteen minutes that I wore the mask, it only partially dried out. And even then it wasn’t the intense chip me off with a stone chisel that some of the clay masks can get. I suppose that too argues for the longevity of the mask as well.

And I realize that this post seems intensely focused on the drying out of the mask. I’m sorry about that. I think I am so focused on that aspect because the container feels as though it is so much larger than my other clay masks and it seems to use so little with each use. While I love both of those factors, especially as i really like this face mask and how smooth it leaves my skin. I want it to last longer.

I also had to throw out two masks this morning when I went to look at my masks and plan my end of year clear out. So I suppose it is on my mind. I just hate wasting good product.

I’ll try to be less obsessive.

I do like this mask and my skin does feel great after using it. I won’t be using it for a while though as i descend into the land of clear outs. It was a good mask to use today though. It doesn’t dry all the way down but it also doesn’t drip, so I was able to lay back and sort of relax for the fifteen minutes that I wore the mask. Which was a nice change. Usually i do relax with the mask, however lately I have been reaching for masks that I can wear while either moving around the house or sitting at my desk. While this mask can be worn while in motion, even if it does look like a Meso-American death mask made of turquoise.

But today I took the fifteen minutes and used it to decompress. To be honest as much as I enjoyed the mask, having those 15 minutes to mentally relax and take a breather were worth far more than the skin benefits. Don’t get me wrong, I will always love the skin benefits and this Dew of the Gods Mask has them, but as far as self care goes, taking a little time to breath is priceless. And today, that’s what I got. Along with a does of whipped vitamins. I call that a win.

Hydro Gel Charcoal Eye Mask (1 Pair)

A familiar favorite for Face Mask Friday

Oh yes my darlings, this afternoon I brought back a familiar favorite. It is the Yensa Pumpkin Turmeric 2-in-1 Radiance Polishing mask. I’m sure we have covered the basics before, but to refresh, according to the product page…

Get your SUPERFOOD GLOW on with our Pumpkin Turmeric 2-in-1 Radiance Polishing Mask. Infused with 8 orange skin-loving ingredients to help nourish and polish the face for hydrated, smooth, supple and radiant skin. The lightweight and exfoliating formula polishes and resurfaces skin in only 5-10 minutes! Pumpkin helps boost collagen and Turmeric soothes skin.

In case you are wondering the 8 orange skin loving ingredients are: pumpkin, turmeric, carrot, papaya, grapefruit, ginger, honey and orange. Personally I think they are stretching the term orange with both honey and grapefruit, but as I adore this mask I am willing to be a little color blind.

I chose this mask because despite the early in the week exfoliation, I could use a little bit more. (I always do this after being sick actually. It doesn’t matter what the illness is, I generally find that as I get better I need more exfoliation. Its like my skin is purging while my body fights the internal fight. But only when I am on the mend.) And this is an amazing and gentle exfoliation. It always leaves my skin feeling simply fabulous and I thought fabulous was perfect for a Friday.

Plus even with my still stuffy nose I can smell this mask. It has a warm scent that it spicy, earthy and sweetly pumpkin-y (it isn’t a ‘pumpkin spice’ scent though) and just reminds me of fall.

This mask goes on clear but with an orange tint. It looks a bit like honey to be honest, but it doesn’t have the cloying sweetness or the intense stickiness. It does make you look wet for the 10 minutes you have this on. The wet look remains as you wait, there is no change in the mask as it sits on the skin.

turns white as you massage with just a little bit of water

And even though it looks liquidly and makes me think of honey dripping, the mask doesn’t drip, it actually stays in place well. I never lie down when I am wearing it though. even though the mask doesn’t move a part of my brain still thinks honey and I just can’t lay back on the pillows. I have to sit up. I have tried and it is fine, it just hurts my brain and becomes less restful, so I work at the desk while it is on. I just have to use the speaker phone if I answer any calls.

when the ten minutes are up, I return the toe bathroom sink. I put a little water on my hands and massage the mask into the skin. Here the masks starts to turn white and the exfoliation comes into play. I massage the mask in small circles periodically dipping my hands under the tap for a little more water. Then when I felt I have had enough exfoliation I rinse the last of the fine grained particles away.

before mask on left, after mask on right, not much difference in the photos, it is a gentle exfoliation after all, but the skin feels so much better, just ignore the baggy allergy eyes

As always my skin looks healthy and freshly exfoliated. It feels fantastically clean and I honestly don’t want to put anything over it for a bit. After a few minutes I will go in and put a tiny amount of moisturizer on my skin. Moisturizing right after exfoliation is always a good thing, I just love enjoying that freshly scrubbed feeling for just a little bit.

Today I brought out this mask because I wanted a little exfoliation and a reminder that autumn is on it’s way and that this summer will not last forever. This summer has been brutal in so many ways and I am more than ready for a change of the seasons. While this Yensa Pumpkin Turmeric 2-in-1 Radiance Polishing Mask can’t change the seasons, It can remind me that a new one is on the way and make my skin feel fabulous while I wait. As far as consolation prizes go, that is a pretty good one.

And as a reminder Yensa still has a sale going on: Yensa CBD cleanser is still on sale for 50% off (!!!) until Monday, August 15th. Use code CBDDAY22 at checkout and stock that cart up to over $50 pre-tax for 50% off the cleanser and for free shipping. CBD is a natural anti-inflammatory and can help your skin relax and feel good while you remove the dirt and makeup from a long day. I really enjoy this cleanser and have used it a number of times.

Time to call The Removalist, it’s Face Mask Friday

This mask isn’t a new one for me in fact i have uses it several times on face mask Friday, The Removalist mask is from Go-to skin care and in my opinion is one of their best products.

Shop Go-To and enjoy good skin and instant popularity.

this mask is a detoxifying clay mask that just gives your pores a really good clear out. This week with the sunscreen on during the days I was outside and the humidity making me feel kind of gunky in general I decided this was a good day to roll out a detoxifying mask.

I love that this mask only requires a thin layer applied to the skin. In fact it works better if it is used in a thinner layer rather than in a thick goopy one. It does tingle a little bit but it also feels very cooling somehow which is a nice contrast of sensations.

well I think it is a nice contrast. My mother does not care for it, which is why she traded me her tube of this mask for my AHAVA moisturizer (which is too moisturizing for my skin). We both got things we loved so everyone was happy.

I don’t know why it always amuses me that this mask is a sort of purple-y clay that smells somewhat fruity. I think it is the pepper berry they mention but as I have no clue what a pepper berry smells like that is just a guess. The fruitiness does smell vaguely berry like. It also has kaolin clay which helps to draw out the impurities.

Unlike a lot of the clay masks I have it doesn’t really turn gray ish as it dries. It stays more or less the same color it just becomes less shiny. Over all it it is a great Friday face mask and my skin feels excellent.

And of course having put it on I can now kick back and realize that I forgot to look up candles as i reminded myself to do last week. This time, when i am finished with my mask, I am making a to do list. Summer scented candles will top the list. I also need citronella candles too. Last night I took a book out to read and was nearly carted off by the mosquitos. This year they seem to have the wing span of jumbo jets. I was so worried about the proliferation of rabbits this year I forgot all about the mosquitos. Oh yeah, a list is most definitely in order.

Do I care for I Dew Care?

Today’s mask is one that has been lurking in my masking drawer for a while. It came in a set of three jars, all from I Dew Care and all masks with different purposes. I used one, didn’t think it did much and as a result ignored the other two. So today, I decided to break out the I Dew Care Matcha Mood Mask and see how it performs.

This was originally part of the three piece set. The mask I tried was Cake my Day. It was sweet and fun, but had no real skin beneficial properties that i could find. I have Berry Groovy Still waiting in the wings, but to day is all about the matcha.

Matcha Mood is a green tea-scented wash-off mask infused with antioxidant-rich Matcha, Soothing Aloe and radiance enhancing Vitamin B3 to calm, soothe, and refresh stressed complexions.
I Dew Care

Opening the jar, the scent of matcha does waft out. There is no doubt that if you love matcha, you will enjoy the scent. If you don’t, then you won’t. It is simply very present. I like matcha but I don’t love it. It is something I can take or leave, depending on what it is in. I have a real fondness for the subtle sweet and earthy flavor of matcha ice cream, but I don’t like cold matcha drinks. I’m kind of picky about what matcha I will consume, but the smell is something I am okay with even if I won’t deliberately seek it out.

The look of the mask in the jar reminds me less of matcha and more of whipped avocado that is about to go from green to oxidized. It hasn’t quite oxidized yet, but it’s right on the edge. To ne honest when applied to the face it feels a bit like room temperature avocado as it is spread on the face. The mask spreads onto the skin easily and stays in place well. It is thick enough that there is no dripping.

And I did have to sit up actually. Oddly enough because I remembered I needed to order a candle. I was getting ready to lie down and relax and light up one of my favorite candles from Paddywax (Its the Edgar Allen Poe Candle form their Literary collection. I keep meaning to order the large candle, but I just love their little tins with the smaller ones, that I just buy those.) And I remembered it is February and Valentine’s day is coming up.

Not only does Paddywax have a great Valentine’s Day sale on their candles, but this is the time of year when they offer their Sparkling Grapefruit candle in the color block holder. I’m not sure why the grapefruit is considered a Valentine’s candle, but I do know that my babydoll loves it. We put it in the living room and he really enjoys the scent. So I am taking advantage of the Valentine’s sale to order it. By the time I ordered it, much of my masking time slipped away (I also perused the rest of the site and debated a couple of other candles – their checkout process is actually easy) so I just stayed at the desk instead of zoning out.

Enjoy 14% Off the Valentine’s Day Collection at Paddywax!

While I was wearing the mask, I can’t say that I felt any tingling or reactions from the mask. Which is fine, tingling is not a sign that a mask is working. It is just a sign that the mask tingles. The mask really just feels like I have a thick layer of cream on my face. Removing the mask was super simple. I just used a damp cloth to wipe it off and then I splashed a little water on my face to remove the last dregs and patted my skin dry.

skin post mask (the water from my tap was very cold, hence the red tinge to my skin)

After a few minutes I checked back in with the mirror and my skin to see how the mask performed. My skin felt clean and moisturized. There was no waxy residue left behind and it was a nice afternoon break, but to be honest it wasn’t anything special. Nothing was especially soothed or refreshed. There was no real calming of the skin. My skin felt moisturized because I slathered it in cream and left it covered for fifteen minutes. It felt clean because the cream washed off without residue.

The best thing I can say about it is that it allowed me a fifteen minute break and did no harm to my skin. I like the name and I like the various scents, but this is the sort of mask you do with your twelve year old niece when she comes over for a spa day. It was fun, and I will use up the last of it, and give the berry scented one a shot, but The Matcha Mood is not a mask I feel the need to pick up in a larger size.

A little Refinement for the Friday Face Mask

For those who have been following along this week, you might have heard me mention that I am starting a four week long Face Mask trial. While I love trying out all sorts of new face masks and I love using them for a variety of skin concerns and wellbeing situations (because let’s face it sometimes you just need to give yourself a fifteen minute time out before your brain explodes), they are skincare items and many of them are supposed to show skin progress through repeated use.

I must confess I am very guilty of bouncing from mask to mask based on the skin concern of the moment or merely because something is new. In December I used Sheet masks throughout the week in order to dwindle my stock pile and on Fridays I used up a lot of my open masks, you know the ones that had only a few uses left but were so good that I didn’t actually want to use up the last bit of it. I don’t know why I do that. It is like I just don’t want to say good bye. Even though I know I can repurchase. I think part of it was that I kept telling myself I couldn’t buy masks until I used up and cleared out several from the drawer so i knew I wasn’t going to be repurchasing them right away.

It is a habit I am trying to break in the new year. Mostly because those last little bits of the mask I loved so much can in fact go bad and become unusable all while taking up space in a relatively small masking drawer.

However as I started using up masks to clear out space, several new masks arrived in subscription boxes. So I have several new masks I really want to try out. While Fridays are going to be a mix of using existing products and trying out new ones, I am going to try and pick one product to focus on for the month so that I can see if there are any noticeable longer term results from the mask. This was week one for the Juice Beauty Bamboo Pore Refining Mask. Plus I figure if I post the before pictures here at the beginning of the trial then there will still be a copy of them even if I do something boneheaded like clear my photofile.

I chose this for a couple of reasons. First, while I usually love Juice Beauty products, I recently tried out a moisturizer that my skin did not react well with and that I honestly hated more than any moisturizer I’ve tried in the past five years. And I felt kind of guilty because it is a brand that I generally enjoy. The second reason is that over the holidays, I tried a one time sample of this and loved it. (a friend picked up a new sample and we had a face mask moment in the midst of holiday chaos.) It is actually in my notebook of products to pick up with a big star next to it.

Before mask, side view (a lot of my clogged pores occur along the lower curve of my orbital bone so I wanted to have a good pic of the area as this is where i want the most improvement)

The third reason is that it is a two minute mask.

A two minute mask means that on Mondays and Wednesdays, when I know I am going to not have to see anyone in the afternoon and don’t need a face of makeup, I can take lunch, remove my makeup, apply the mask, make my sandwich, remove the mask and then eat lunch, all without taking a huge chunk of time out of my schedule. Two minutes is a perfect weekday masking length.

And yes my darlings, I know today is Friday, but as it is the first week of the mask I wanted to go over my initial impressions (plus today I am making bacon blue cheese bread during the day for our happy hour treat tonight so I was going to save my Friday mask for after dinner tonight since masking and running to and from the oven aren’t really great mixes.

Mask on and thoughts of a career as a bankrobber dance through my head

So what does the Juice Beauty Bamboo Pore Refining mask do?

Clear and hydrate skin at the same time with our NEW Bamboo Pore Refining Mask. Help protect against ‘maskne’ with bamboo charcoal & kaolin clay to help detox; Aspen bark to help smooth & hydrate, and exfoliating polyhydroxy acids for a softer, smoother complexion.
Eco-values: With Certified Organic Ingredients to protect humans, animals and the planet.
Sustainable Packaging: Sustainable & recyclable glass jar. FSC Paper.
Juice Beauty

Clay and charcoal are always good things in my face mask products list and truth be told my area has very rapidly rising infection rates at the moment (on top of seasonal colds) and the face masks are back to being worn more diligently. I’ll admit there was a moment for a while where it looked like they could be eased out of use, but that moment passed. At least in my area.

So maskne too has returned. For me it is the rise of clogged pores, so there are no surface blemishes but I can feel the little bumps under the skin. So I’m hoping this mask will come in handy. It also means that Friday masks may end up focusing on brightening and other non-pore clearing things for a while. I actually have an Aceology mask I have been waiting to try out that is high on my list of new to me masks to try. I actually want to try out their Ice globe facial massagers but that is more for my skincare tools list than the masks.

But on to the first use of the Juice Beauty Bamboo Pore Refining Mask. As you can see in the above photos, the charcoal makes this mask black. There is a vague charcoal scent to it, but it is very much a back note. The scent of the mask is light and easily fades but I get more of plant like scent to it that I think might be from the aspen bark. The scent is light and fades quickly so the scent isn’t much of an issue if you are scent sensitive, but it is a pleasant scent while it lasts and I think it is from the Aspen.

After two minutes the only difference is where I felt an itch and scratched my face,

I expected from the description that the mask would have exfoliating particles in it, but it doesn’t It is simply a smooth clay like mask. It is lighter in feel than many clay masks I’ve tried.

When on the skin there was the feeling of coolness but I did not detect any tingling sensations. I always suspect masks with shorter wear times to tingle more as though they were super charged, but there was no tingling.

post mask, not a lot of change but i feel clean and refreshed,

Because of the Kaolin Clay I expected the mask to have to be scrubbed off like a mud mask, or maybe crumbled off. Because this one only sits for two minutes it was still wet when i went to remove it. Which made it super easy to remove. I am also glad I have the Glov mask removing cloth. It is already stained from another charcoal mask and using it kept me from staining my washcloth. And yes, before I included the Glov cloth in my routine I did have one wash cloth I just used for masks. The washcloth works well, just choose one for masks and use it, that way if a mask stains it, there is less of a concern.

The mask was easy to remove with a damp wash cloth and when it was gone, I rinsed out the cloth, hung it to dry and splashed a little clean water on my face to remove the last of the residue before patting my face dry.

Was there a lot of change after a first use? No. My skin did feel soft and hydrated. There was no issue with the mask being too intense for my skin and quite honestly my skin felt clean and refreshed. The next morning however I could see that some of my deeper clogged pores were moving closer to the surface. I think that this is a mask that will help bring those clogged pores up with repeated use. As I am gaining more and more clogged pores from wearing the mask again, it will be interesting to see how this Juice Beauty Bamboo Pore Refining Mask performs in the next three weeks. My hope is that it will bring the clogged pores to the surface so they can be cleared away and hopefully prevent other pores from clogging. But only time will tell how effective that will end up being. For a first use however, it was quite positive.

A tag team duo for Face Mask Friday

Okay I have to admit, I am kind of excited about today’ facemask. In the past year there have been a lot more Dr. Botanicals products cropping up in subscription boxes and because of that they have been pinging my radar a lot more. Dr. Botanicals tend to be very affordable and to be honest all of the products I have tried from them lately have just been killing it. Some of their products I would take over several higher priced items actually.

And in my masking drawer was a Turmeric Face mask from Dr. Botanicals that I had not yet tried. So I decided that today was going to be it’s day. As with all new masks, I took it out, slipped on my reading glasses (Incidentally Thinoptics has a 25% off sale going on. Plus, if you don’t know the strength of reading glasses you need they have a Clarity kit so you can find out. It comes with it’s own deal and I’ll link it down below) and looked at the back of the packaging.

Usually face masks say something along the lines of apply to clean dry skin. Dr. Botanicals recommended using an exfoliator on your skin before applying a thin layer of mask and letting it sit for twenty minutes. And so i thought to myself, ‘I don’t have any exfoliators currently open, but I do have that Elemis Skin Buff I have been wanting to open up.’

So i used it as an excuse to open up the Elemis Skin Buff as my exfoliator. For a while I had a couple of exfoliators open and I wanted to use the open ones before opening another one. I just finished the Hey Honey Come Clean Exfoliator. It is really good and I already ordered a new one (gotta love sales, this was part of my stocking up from Lovely Skin order. The multi brand sales are just too hard to resist – and still going on if you ae interested). But it was time for the Elemis Skin buff.

This is actually my first time using it and I was happy to give it a go. It has a light and creamy almost face wash scent to it. The scent is very light. when dispensed the Skin Buff is white and creamy with very fine granules. I wet down my skin massaged the exfoliator in and found it gave a really nice gentle exfoliation. It rinsed clean away which was really good for me today specifically as I am using the mask right after. I was very impressed with the exfoliator and look forward to keeping it in the line up until it is used up. I am actually really happy the mask recommended it.

As the Elemis Skin Buff is going to be in rotation for a while I’ll just leave it with a positive first impression and move on to the Dr. Botanical’s Mask.

After rinsing off the exfoliator and patting my face dry, I applied a thin layer of the Tumeric mask. It smoothed on easily, like a really thick moisturizer and then I left it for twenty minutes. The scent is lightly turmeric scented, but mostly the mask smells like a skin care cream. I then lay down with my headphones on for the twenty minute relaxation masking time. As always I lit my candles.

I am currently using one of Paddywax’s Fall Favorites Black Fig and Olive in case you are wondering. It has just the right amount of sweetness and earthiness and just really suits the season. And it isn’t pumpkin spice. Don’t get me wrong I like pumpkin Spice. I actually have a candle called Pumpkin Souffle in my office, but not everything autumnal needs to be pumpkin. The fig and olive candle from Paddywax is a different scent profile and still very much with the season.

twenty minutes later (in case you are wondering the headband slipped and I had to adjust to keep my hair out of the mask

After my twenty minutes of relaxing, I went back to the bathroom to rinse off the mask. Most of the mask absorbed into my skin but on even the clear patches I could feel the mask residue as though it was a layer of plastic locking the rest of the moisture in. All of the mask, residue and all, rinsed of easily and cleanly. I essentially splashed water in my face, rubbed the skin to get the last of it rinsed off and then pat my skin dry with a wash cloth. It was essentially like removing a cleanser from the skin in terms of rinsing difficulty.

While I love clay masks, sometimes it is nice to have a mask that just rinses easily and cleanly away. This did just that. It is designed for skin calming and brightening. My skin feels nice and perhaps with repeated use I might see a brightening effect. I will certainly be happy to continue using this Dr. Botanicals Turmeric Face Mask as I really like the soft skin it leaves behind. For a first use though, it left a very positive impression.

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Face Mask Friday: A month of the Golden Tree bark Mask from Healing Bark

This is a sponsored post but as always the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Skincare isn’t magic. There are very few items in the skincare realm that you can apply and expect to receive instantaneous results. And if they do give instant results they really should come with a doctor to supervise.

Or maybe a poof of smoke and jazz hands.

Possibly with a Ta Da to follow.

Skincare is something that takes time to work, the effects cumulative. It was one of the reasons that I was so tickled when Healing Bark sent their mask Golden Tree Bask Mask to me to try out. Like most masks it can be used a couple of times a week. It can also be used daily. Once i tried it out and found that my skin had no adverse reactions, I used it once a day for the past month.

It was an October long experiment.

In other posts I’ve gone into the ingredients list – in this case a list of one ingredient, Thanaka Bark as well as other aspects. As this is the end of the month long trial, this post is going to be about what I learned and re results i saw. But first, lets look at what the mask claims on the website.

Solve your skin problems with Myanmar’s ancient beauty secret! Give yourself beautifully renewed skin with the deep cleansing and detoxifying Healing Bark.100% Natural, Detoxify & Brighten, Anti-Oxidize, Cool & Calm, Gentle on all skin types.
Healing Bark

Over all it is not a long list of claims and none of them are that outrageous. This past month I used this mask on a daily basis. I got myself into the habit of taking off my makeup after dinner mixing up the mask and applying it to my skin. The mask then sat on my skin for thirty minutes. Then I rinsed it off and went about my evening.

The ritual of it helped calm things down. This was a bit of a strange month and I generally found that taking the time to slow down to use the mask calmed me down. It let me think through issues (mostly with scheduling) without panicking or making a snap decision without putting too much thought in it. The measuring out of the powder, the stirring until the water absorbed, the application and the sitting was actually very beneficial. And destressing also helps your skin out so there was a natural side perk to it.

With the mask itself I learned how to use it over the month. At the beginning of the month I followed the directions. I measured three scoops of mask powder and two scoops of water and then stirred. If it needed more then I added a bit more water. The goal was to get it to a spreadable paste.

I generally found that with these measurements, I had mask left over. So the first thing I did was reduce the tablespoons. I started with one tablespoon of mask to half a tablespoon of water. This wasn’t quite right so I added another half tablespoon of mask. Then dribbled a little water into it. That seemed to be about right for me on most nights. Occasionally i went with two tablespoons of masking powder. In general I found this cut down on waste.

With the masks Healing bark sent a masking kit. The bowl is perfect for mixing the mask. Even if you don’t use their kit, you need a bowl with rather steep sides. To mix the powder in, you need to mix fairly vigorously and for a little while as the water is slow to absorb. The high sided bowl keeps you from making a mess. The tablespoon in the kit was very handy as was the plastic palette knife. while I mixed with the plastic, I did use my silicone masking spatula to apply it to my face. As a consequence I mixed the mask to a consistency that was easily spreadable with the silicone spatula.

I learned that while you can’t rush water absorption, warm water mixes faster than cold water.

And finally with my reduced measurements, I went through exactly one container this month. So once a day masking used an entire container in one month’s time. As the mask retails for $14.99, that wasn’t an extravagant cost either. Of course it only matters if the mask works. And so to the before and after pictures. The before picture was taken on October the 1st before I used the first mask and the After picture was taken today after I washed off the last of the mask and patted my skin dry.

After each masking my skin felt fantastically clean. It didn’t feel stripped but it did feel as though I had given myself a deep down clean. And while I love the improved feel of my skin, I noticed that I was getting fewer blemishes and the number of clogged pores on my skin was also reducing.

My skin feels clearer and cleaner. The changes are subtle and a lot of them are things that are easier to see with the fingertips than they are with the eyes. But even though i can’t invite you over to feel my face (which would be very weird invitation in general). I think the before and after photos do show an improved look to my skin. For me having fewer clogged pores in my frequently clogged zones is just kind of amazing.

All in all I am very happy that I used this mask this month. Using the mask each day for an entire month gave me a real feel for it and an understanding of how best to use the mask. It allowed me to feel the cumulative results and to take that time out each day to just breathe and take a moment to sit and think rather than react.

So lets take a good look at those claims again and see how the mask did. Deep cleaning? Yes. I think that deep cleaning was definitely done with this mask. Detoxifying? Well if the fewer clogged pores are an indicator than yes, I think we were successful there as well. Anti-oxidizing? A fancy word for reducing the look of dark spots. My main dark spots are on my forehead and I can definitely see a reduction of the spots there, so I think we are good with that claim. Brightening? Yes we are good there as well.

Over all this mask did pretty much what it said it was going to do. It is what it claims to be. I like that. Just as I like that their ingredients list has only one item on it. Will I use this mask again? Definitely. Do I think this mask is worth picking up and adding to my masking collection? Absolutely. While I will still try out other masks, This is a mask I will keep coming back to when I need a good deep clean and a fresh feeling face. I was very happy with the Golden Tree Bark mask from Healing Bark.

Art Naturals for the Friday Face Mask

Ah masking time. It feels like it has been forever. I know it hasn’t been as I mask a few times a week, but it feels like it has been a while since I have actually gotten to sit down and do a Friday Face mask. Maybe it is just because I skipped last week.

So what have we planned for this week?

Today I decided to try the Art Naturals 3 in1 Facial Treatment. No it isn’t one product that promises three things, it is three products combined into a pack. This is the packet that I received in this month’s Birchbox. It has a three step process. Step 1 is a Brown Sugar Face Scrub, Step two is a sheet mask (vitamin C infused for this one although they have others. All the ones I’ve seen on their site feature the same scrub and toner it is just the mask that varies) and Step 3 is a witch hazel toner.

And so into the bathroom we go to start with step one. The first thing I noticed was that the steps had perforations between them so that you can separate the products to use one at a time. As this looked like a brilliant Idea, I separated them. I was very glad that I did as soon as I opened Step 1.

Step 1 is the brown sugar Face scrub. I’m guessing that it removes anything on the surface of your skin and gets you fresh clean cells so the following products have a better chance of succeeding. To tear it open there is a tear mark.

It is located in the center of the packet. I followed it and it tore open pretty easily. The problem was that it was in the middle of the packet. I folded it in half and squeezed the product out. It is brown and slightly sandy. Onto my damp skin it went.

The Brown sugar face scrub is a gentle exfoliate, but it is not really a pleasant product to use. The scent is a bit like burnt walnuts mixed with burnt sugar. It is a bitter and slightly acrid scent. It was an okay exfoliate that wasn’t too harsh, but it felt weirdly thin and syrupy on the skin, like cold maple syrup mixed with very fine sand particles. Although I do feel bad about insulting maple syrup in such a fashion. It just wasn’t terribly pleasant to rub onto the skin and I was relieved to rise it off.

The best thing that I can say is that it did wash off easily and left my skin feeling nicely, but not over exfoliated.

But I wasn’t a fan.

Step 2 is the Vitamin C Face mask, went on rather well. It had a thick paper backing so unfolding it was really easy. The mouth hole was a little small. I sort of had to pucker up to get my lips through and then felt as though the mask still wanted to cover my lips. Which is odd, because usually the mouth cut out is really large. I don’t think of myself as having large lips, but this mask made me feel a bit like Mick Jagger.

Its probably why I put on the Rolling Stones for my fifteen minutes of relaxing masking time. It might not be zen but it made me happy.

When the fifteen minutes are over, the music is reluctantly turned off and I returned to the bathroom. I took off the mask. The Vitamin C sheet mask was very juicy. It had plenty of serum left on my skin. This left me in a bit of a pickle. Did I pat it in or wipe off the excess and move on to step three?

I decided on a compromise. I took off the mask, patted in some of the extra serum with my fingers and waited a coup0le of extra minutes. Then I wiped off the excess serum and moved on to step three.

Step three is the Witch hazel toner. On the front of the packet it is labeled as such. On the back of the packet in the directions it is called a gel. It too tore through the center of the packet and sprayed some product across my sink. (the scrub did the same so I recommend opening them over a sink so you don’t have to clean a counter or floor). The witch hazel toner is thicker than a toner and thinner than a gel. It is a slightly thickened liquid. It still drips but isn’t as runny as an actual liquid toner.

I applied it and waited for it to sink in. Because my skin was pretty saturated with Vitamin C masking serum it took a while and I finally had to pat the excess off.

This three in one mask from Art Naturals was an interesting product. I like the idea of the three and I think I may take to exfoliating prior to masking. I am not certain I will add the toner after masking though as my skin really had absorbed the masking serum and wasn’t really ready to take in a toner. Perhaps an hour or so after masking it might be an idea, but not right after the mask comes off.

Would I pick up an art naturals mask again?

It depends.

The actual mask itself was good. The mouth cut out was a bit on the small side but the mask and it’s serum were both good products. The witch hazel toner may have been a good product on its own, but it really was rather superfluous. While I like the idea of exfoliating before a sheet mask and will start incorporating the idea more often, I hated every second of using the exfoliator in this masking packet.

So basically, if Art Naturals sold the mask on its own, I would purchase it and use the mask. That part I liked. I have no use for either of the other two products. And to be honest, if I wanted a Vitamin C mask I would just go onto the Facetory site and order from there. They have plenty of Vitamin C infused masks that are comparable, if not better. In short, the mask was good, but not good enough to seek out. I would consider using the mask part again but skip the other products.

The actual best part about this mask was learning that I do like exfoliating before a sheet mask is applied. That was the real take away from today’s masking experience.

A little Papaya for the Friday Face Mask

Good afternoon my darlings I hope your Friday is going well. Mine has been kind of busy, but I can’t complain as it has also been quite quiet. So I’m taking advantage of the quiet to catch up on a few things. As a consequence, today’s face mask is being taken at the desk.

Through a mix of subscription boxes I managed to get three separate sample tubes of the Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel mask. I am not complaining. First off because I really like Elemis products and second because the mask was already in my on-line shopping cart when the first of them showed up. Once the other two appeared I figured I could get a good long test and then I would know for certain if this was a product i wanted to purchase.

Before I get into this mask I should point out that while my skin is mostly clear right now I had a bunch of clogged pores that I am 90% sure are due to the eye cream I was using. One of the best ways I know to clear them out is to use the Herbal Dynamics Beauty Chamomile and Cacao clearing mask on the affected areas to bring them to the surface and then the following day use and exfoliating product to help clear them away. So yesterday I used the clearing mask. It is pretty strong so I try not to use it too often. It’s kind of a once a month mask or a spot treatment mask for me.

Yesterday I spot treated and then today I am using the Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel mask. The mask is a thin white cream that has a consistency almost like a gel cream moisturizer. It smooths on well and has a lightly frutal/floral scent that actually reminds me of freshly cut papayas. You know that initial scent when you first slice into them. It isn’t a strong scent and it smells very clean.

I applied the mask and let it sit while I answered some e-mails at my desk. This isn’t a mask that lends itself to the lying down and relaxing. It has a zingy tingling so it that feels oddly energizing. If you’ve got no one in your office with you, this is definitely a mask you can work with. I went with a thin layer because I was concerned about the peeling aspect. I didn’t know how strong it was likely to be. Last night I did a test patch and had no reactions to it, but with the tingling I knew it did something so I figured caution was in order.

According to the Elemis Website this peel is…

A non-abrasive cream exfoliator infused with natural fruit enzymes to gently smooth and clarify tired, lacklustre skin. This rinse-off exfoliator gently dissolves dead skin cells without abrasion. Infused with the natural enzymes from Papaya and Pineapple, the mild cream formula purifies and protects whilst leaving skin looking and feeling smooth, revitalised and radiant.

Now I know a lot of people have issues with fruit enzymes and if you are one of them then I would steer clear. Personally I do not have issues with them.My skin has never reacted poorly to a product I’ve used containing them. everyone’s skin is different though, so check the label if you know your skin has issues.

I applied the mask, set the timer for fifteen minutes and began typing. In the fifteen minutes a lot of the mask absorbed into my skin. There is clearly some left on, but much of it was absorbed. I washed it off and my skin did look brighter once I had. it could have just been the dulling cream look to it, but I’ve posted before and after pictures below. It isn’t a massive brightening, but I think it is noticeable, especially in person. My skin felt soft and there were no negative after effects. I think the woord peeling just makes me a little nervous. It brings mental images from horror movies to mind where massive strips start peeling from the body exposing muscle and bone.

I should probably watch fewer horror movies.

But i was pleased it was a gentle and not overly dramatic and traumatizing peel.

The fact that most of it seemed to absorb in made me feel better about the thin layer I applied. It seemed like the right amount to get the job done. I liked the way my skin looked and felt. The only issue I had was with my lips.

Okay, I know that sounds strange because as you can see in the photos, I did not apply the mask on my lips. However when I washed it off I’m guessing some got onto my lips and the residue left my lips feeling a little waxy. I used my Milk Makeup Kush Lip Scrub, partially because it was handy and partially because it is almost empty and if the mask affected the remaining product it wouldn’t be an issue. I just didn’t want to leave something called a peeling mask on my lips too long. the mask took it off easily with no damage to the Milk Makeup, although it did scrape off the top layer with my finger nail just to be sure.

I really like this mask, but I think what I might do before the next application is to apply a lip mask first so that my lips are covered and it won’t be an issue. The only reason it makes me potentially nervous is that it is a peeling formula and my lips tend to dry and chap easily. I think peeling masks, like any exfoliator really, should be used sparingly so I will be using this mask as on occasional thing every couple of weeks to see how it performs. With three travel sized tubes I am set for quite a while on this mask. At the end of my supply I will definitely know if i want to purchase the full size, but for now, it looks very good.

Incidentally Elemis is having a customer appreciation sale going on right now. If you are looking to stock up on some of their products, now is a good time to look into it. I’ll post the link below.

To thank you for staying with us through a tough year, enjoy 25% off sitewide plus 30% off select daily items* Use Code: THANKYOU

The Friday Face Mask with GlamGlow

I’ll admit, when I first tried out this mask a few months ago, I wasn’t that enthused by it. It seemed okay, but not really something to get excited about. And we all know I get excited about masks.

Since I am trying to work my way through my open masks, using up open products (or passing them on) before I open new ones, I decided to give this Berry Glow Probiotic Recovery Mask from Glam Glow another try. While I did use this mask today, I also used it throughout the week. Twice more this week actually. I used the Berry Glow Monday, Wednesday and finally again today for face Mask Friday.

While I wasn’t impressed by it on my initial trail, this week, I really liked the mask. I think that what changed has been my skin. I think that now that my skin is starting to edge into winter dry, it really liked this mask.

Let’s get into the mask a little bit first.

A creamy, nutrient-dense soothing mask with antioxidant-rich berries and probiotic ferment that instantly boosts skin’s health, restores radiance and helps promote skin’s biome for strengthened skin.

It is a short list of claims.

I’ll be honest, I have no idea if my skin’s biome was strengthened. I also have no way to test it. Unless there is a home skin biome testing kit that I can pick up, I will have to take their word for it. What I can say is that I applied the mask, waited for fifteen minutes and then went to wash off the mask.

Or what remained of the mask.

Mask as first applied on the right, mask after fifteen minutes on the left

My skin drank in the mask like a parched man reaching an oasis.

It is not a terribly thick mask, just a heavy cream. It smells of artificial berry. Not a particular type of berry, but the manufactured scent that is filed under the name ‘berry scented’. There was no tingle or itching when applied. It is super light to wear and it doesn’t run or drip. It is also easy to wash off. There was no real scrubbing or rubbing involved, just a quick rinse with water.

When I washed my face and patted my skin dry with a towel, my skin was soft and plumped up (which reduced some of my fine lines). I’m pretty sure the jojoba oil is responsible for the softness. And since my skin drank in so much product, I would be surprised if it didn’t plump out.

At the moment I am trying out a moisturizer that is, at best, okay, so I can see why my skin might have needed some extra moisturizing. The heat has been combatting a cold front so the air is dryer and that also means i needed more moisture. I think the combination of the two made it the perfect time for a probiotic mask. I’m still not a fan of the artificial berry scent to the mask, but clearly this is it’s time to shine.The berry scent make make the brain think summer, but for my skin, this is a winter use product.