I’ll be honest, I’m a huge fan of facial masks. I love it, because it’s the only product that gives your skin instant boost and you can see immediate results. My skin never was perfect, I’ve suffered from blemishes for as long as I can remember, so I really can’t count how many masks or anti-blemishes treatments I’ve tried. My long way of fighting my imperfections helped me to identify the number of products that help me and which I will be repurchasing and recommending over and over again. I’ve found some of those products by reading other girls’ reviews and I do believe that this post might be useful for someone who is still looking for sort of ‘magic-bullet’ for their skin. Some of those products are a bit pricey, none of them are super-cheap, but I can assure you, that I’ve tried many products from more affordable brands and in my opinion, it is always better to invest into a better ingredients list, than saving money and then fighting with even more impurities, that many ingredients in cheap products might cause afterwards.
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1. Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask | Around £9 | Bought from eBay HERE
There was a time I used to buy only Korean cosmetics, I probably have tried all of the mainstream Korean beauty brands, but only two products stole my heart for a long period of time. It was BB cream by Missha and this Volcanic Clay mask by Innisfree.
The first thing that caught my attention was a unique ingredient in this mask, which is Jeju Volcanic Scoria. It’s very pure and rare ingredient, formulated from soldified lava caused by volcanic eruptions in Jeju island, it absorbs impurities and sebum that are deeply embedded within skin pores. Innisfree claims that this mask has 4-Free Formuls, which means it does not contain any mineral oil, colorants, ethanol, animal-tested ingredients.
This mask is an absolute miracle for those with oily, blemish-prone skin. What I loved most about this clay mask is its instant cooling effects. You can feel the mask cool down the face right away. It feels refreshing and nice. I also love that you can leave the mask on for longer than 10 minutes without the skin feeling irritated or awkwardly stiff. This mask makes your face bright and clean. It really does make a noticeable difference upon before – after usage. Plus, it magically helps soothing and calming your breakouts in one single application. It helps drying out your pimples and reduce acne redness. I usually use it once a week when my face is trouble-free and use it more often when I’m experiencing breakout.
2. Kiehl’s Rare Earth Pore Cleansing Masque | £21.50 | Buy HERE
Kiehl’s is one of my the most loved brands. I think I’ve tried all the products from their Rare Earth line and I absolutely loved them all. I totally have a thing for clay masks, but as I noticed, it helps me the most to minimise and clear the pores and to heal breakouts. Rare Earth Mask contains three major ingredients: Amazonian White Clay, Oatmeal and Aloe Vera.
This mask has a weird scent but that doesn’t bother me much since it wears off within a few minutes of application. It’s a very smooth to apply and a thin layer is recommended so this pot will probably last a very long time. A little goes a long way. You get a slightly burning sensation when first applied but it does go away. I personally love the warmth since it makes me feel like my pores are opening up for the product to reach down and under. After rinsing this product off, my skin feels smoother, looks clearer, and the results do last. It reduces the size of my pores because of the deep cleaning it does so I always make sure to use a toner to help remove whatever was left on that water wasn’t able to take off. Any pimples I have goes down by the next morning and your skin looks a lot brighter than using some brightening face creams.
3. Madara Detox Mask | £20 | Buy HERE
4. Origins Out of Trouble 10-Minute Mask | £23 | Buy HERE
I like the simple and clean design of all of Origins’ products and this one is no exception. I’m also glad this comes in a convenient squeeze tube. I prefer my masks in squeeze tubes, sachets, and the like actually because it makes it easier to bring along with me so I can still pamper myself when I travel. The mask has a thick and cream base texture. It is very easy to apply the mask on your skin; it also dries out very quickly, not at fast as Madara’s Detox is, but still, you should apply it quickly.
Active ingredients are Camphor (This highly aromatic herb has been prized for its purifying and preservative powers. It is also a counter-irritant and skin purifier), Zinc Oxide (well-known for oil absorbing properties), Menthol (cooling effect). It’s free from Sulfates and Parabens.
There is absolutely no chemical smell in this mask, it has a strong scent of ‘nature’ I would say.
It’s a multi-funtctional product, so it could be used it a number of ways. If the zit is coming, apply this mask for 20-minutes on this specific area. This product also opens up the pores, and makes the skin look hydrated. Use this mask 4 to 6 times a week to get rid of your oil from your T-zone, and if you need a deeper cleansing just use the mask before going to bed, and leave the mask on your face for overnight, clean it up in the morning, and the face will be smooth and you will notice the massive difference.
5. Aesop Parsley Seed Facial Cleansing Masque | £27 | Buy HERE
Let me introduce you to my new friend: Aesop Parsley Seed Masque. It’s hard to count how many great review I’ve read about this product on the different blogs and in magazines. It’s even harder to count how many photos of it I’ve seen on Tumblr and Instagram. This is a truly one of the most hyped products of all times, so I just couldn’t not to try. After the very first use – I was shocked. It’s officially my number 1 mask at the moment and I already ordered other products from Aesop and can’t wait to try them all. I can understand every single good review about this mask – it’s divine.
Active ingredients are parsley seed, evening primrose and rosehip seed.
It feels like a clay mask when you apply it, but thinner and more watery than others I have. You apply a thin layer all over your face after cleansing which feels really cooling and then leave it on for 15 minutes.
6. Masque BAR Anti-Blemish Mud Mask | £9.99 | Buy HERE
And the last but not least it’s Anti-Blemish Mask by Masque BAR – another Korean gem in my collection. Masque Bar is a Korean brand which Boots is introducing to the UK market. They create affordable, at-home masks in the form of sheet, mud and creme masks which tackle a range of skincare concerns.
Active ingredients are Tea Tree, Kaolin, Vitamin A
I love this mask as it has a distinctive calming effect and it’s easy to carry it when I’m travelling. The box contains 3 mask sachets, but one sachet lasts for 2-3 uses in my case, so the box is quite long-lasting, if you are using this mask once or twice per week. I use this mask when my skin is not bad and I just want to quickly refresh my face and cleanse it. When my skin gets more troubled, I’m switching to other masks that were presented above.
I hope you find this post interesting and helpful.
Tell me about your favorite anti-blemish treatments/masks in the comments section!