I've heard about Skinfood's Black Sesame Hot Mask and read about it in a few blogs years ago, and wanted to see if this mask would work out for me. Bloggers, friends, and their mothers seemed to love this.
So, did it live up to the hype?
Product Information
Skinfood's Black Sesame Hot Mask claims to be a "highly moisturizing heating mask" that deep cleans the skin. It has sesame seeds, roasted salt, and sugar to exfoliate the skin and leave your face soft an smooth. Yes, it does claim that it heats up. In fact, the tub has a warning that says, "Use in environment with moderate temperature; if used in a hot environment such as a bathroom or sauna, mask can overheat.
Appearance and Texture
The product is a grayish, slimy substance that smells just like roasted sesame seeds. Some people who have used this stated that they don't like the scent. I personally didn't mind it, though I can see how it may turn people off if they're not used to smelling/eating foods with black sesame.
The way I use it
I used this once a week for over one month. After I double cleanse, I apply a generous amount of the mask, gently rub the granules around my face, wait 5 minutes, and then rinse it off. I use this while the shower is running hot water.
Results
1. Let's talk about the heating. One of the things that past reviewers have said was that they didn't feel that this heated up enough. From my experience, the only way it heats up is when I use it in the bathroom while the hot water is running in the shower. The heat effect actually does last quite a long time, as long as that hot water is running.
2.I'll be straight up and say that the exfoliating effects are laughable. Sure, it made my skin feel somewhat softer, but the difference wasn't that remarkable. This is definitely not a great exfoliator for someone who wants to clean out blackheads. When I had rough patches on my skin, this did nothing to minimize them at all. I've even tried to leave this on for 10 minutes. Still, I wasn't impressed at all.
3. The claims of providing "deep cleansing to the skin" are ridiculous. I don't see any ingredients in this that would help to clean the skin at all. My skin didn't feel any cleaner.
Verdict: 2 out of 5
This mask made my skin feel soft, but its effects did not seem to last very long. The only thing I enjoyed was its heating effects, but I don't even think these effects were that beneficial to my skin. Overall, I think this is a gimmicky product that does little to exfoliate, deep clean, or soften the skin. There are plenty of other masks from Korea and Japan that are much more effective. I'll finish up this tub, but will only use it as a massage emollient for days when my face feels very cold. I will not be repurchasing this.
Maybe some of you who have used this had a better experience. Do share: Have you tried this mask?
Till later,
Eva,
FTC statement: This is not a sponsored post. The links provided above are not affiliate links. I purchased all the products mentioned above with my own money.
Innisfree's Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask was something I just happened to pick up one day when I was looking for something to deep-clean my skin. Specifically, I needed something to clean out the pores and blackheads around my nose. (I swear, my pores were so large that they each could have had their own postal zip codes.)
If I could sum this product up in five words, it would be, "OH MY GAWRD, SO GOOD." After owning this product for almost two years and repurchasing two tubs of this, I figured it was time to write a review.
Description
This clay mask is intended to absorb excess sebum and clear out the impurities within your pores. The mask itself is a buttery clay substance that is fairly easy to spread on the skin. It has a very faint scent that is fairly pleasant. The mask comes in a plastic 100 mL tub (pictured above).
Ingredients
Water, Titanium Dioxide, Butylene Glycol, Volcanic Ash, Glycerin, Silica, Trehalose, Kaolin, Bentonite, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Zinc Oxide (CI 77947), Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Juglans Regia (Walnut) Shell Powder, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Opuntia Coccinellifera Fruit Extract, Orchid Extract, Camellia Japonica Leaf Extract, Pvp, Peg-100 Stearate, Polysorbate 60, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Xanthan Gum, Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Zea Mays (Corns) Starch, Sorbitan Stearate, Polyacrylate-13, Mannitol, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Lactic Acid, Polyisobutene, Menthoxypropanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate, Polysorbate 20, Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Disodium Edta, Phenoxyethanol
How I use it
During the summer, I use this twice a week after my oil and foam cleansers. I slather it all over my face, concentrating on my T-zone. In the winter, I only use it once a week, as my skin tends to be less oily during colder months, and I only apply it to my T-zone. I wait for it to harden for about 12 minutes, then I rinse it off completely. While it does take a while to remove, I don't think it's as difficult to take off as other clay masks (e.g., Origin's charcoal clay mask). Then I follow it up with my usual toner and pore serum.
Results
1. This does an amazing job cleaning out all the gunk out of my pores; as a result, most of my blackheads are gone and the pores around my nose appear noticeably smaller.
2. It's also surprisingly gentle on my sensitive skin, in that my skin does not react or get irritated by it at all. In addition, my T-zone has gotten less oily since using this.
3. I think it's great at preventing pimples from getting too out of hand. Every time a pimple begins to rear its ugly little head, I use this mask and the zit goes away within a couple days.
Other considerations
1. I probably wouldn't recommend this to you if you have extremely dry skin. I always follow up immediately with my usual skincare because this mask can be a little drying. I would avoid using this product more than twice a week for that reason.
2. If you plan to purchase this with the intention of minimizing the appearance of pores, I suggest you follow up with a pore serum; this clay mask is great at making pores look smaller immediately after you use it, but a pore serum will help to make that effect last longer. I use the Be the Skin pore serum. That serum does not work to minimize the appearance of my pores on its own, but complements this clay mask really well.
3. This clay mask does not replace exfoliation, despite what some online retailers say. This is a deep-cleaning mask, but it is not as effective in shedding off dead skin as exfoliating products.
Verdict: 4.5 out of 5
I gave this a pretty high rating because it is one of the few masks that I've used that effectively cleans out my pores without irritating my skin. The only qualms I have are that it is slightly drying and it can't double up as an exfoliator.
You can purchase this at various Asian/Korean beauty websites like Korea Depart, some Korean supermarkets, and Amazon [Affiliate Link]
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So do share: What is your favorite clarifying mask?
Till later,
Eva
FTC statement: This is NOT a sponsored post. The link provided for Amazon is an affiliate link. You are not obligated to purchase the items through this link, and you may purchase these products on their official websites or other retailers.
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