FROG UNDER THE WELL
I honestly did not know what to expect when I first saw the packaging. I got this in the PR box Lush N' Blush sent me when they were celebrating their first official birthday. I knew it is a mask for all skin types and I knew it aims to clear pores and smoothen skin. But I wasn't sure if it was a sheet mask, a peel-off mask or a wash-off mask and I wasn't sure how many uses it came with. Hence, I've left it in the cabinet for almost two months before I finally decided to take it out and use.
Blue: Freeman Beauty Dead Sea Minerals Anti-Stress Mask (15ML sachet for RM6.90)
FOCUSING ON THE BLUE ONE
I haven't had time to test out the apricot creamy scrub so today we will be only talking about the Dead Sea Minerals Anti-Stress Mask, i.e. the blue one. Just like its packaging, the mask inside is in blue too. When I first opened up the packaging, I didn't think much of how I could store it for later use. So I ended up cutting off the whole top (you can see the pictures below), leaving the whole mask sachet totally open on one end.
So smart... And I realised I couldn't close the sachet back without squeezing out some of the mask product.
DON'T BE FUNNY LIKE ME
Hence, my suggestion to you would be to cut open one tiny corner of the mask sachet. Do not cut across the mask if you don't want to end up spilling the mask all over everywhere, wasting what's not necessary. It would also be easier for you to store it for subsequent use because one sachet can last up to four applications. All you have to take care of is that one little corner instead of a huge cut. If you had accidentally cut it like mine, just carefully roll it up and clip it with a binder clip.
Note:
For those who already cut across and want to save the day, since you are going to accidentally squeeze out some product while rolling it up anyway, straight away roll the sachet up after opening and use those instead of purposely squeezing out product for your mask session.
(I hope I managed to get my message across HAHA)
DON'T BE FUNNY LIKE ME 2
Well, for me I've only managed to use it three times. If I was being more diligent, I could have used it for at least once more (making it four times). That's because after using it for two masking sessions, I left it untouched in the bathroom cabinet for almost three weeks and some of the mask product had totally dried off when I finally decided it's time for my third session. Oops, wasted product again! Make sure you don't repeat my mistake haha!
NOW LET'S GET INTO THE BUSINESS
First stop, ingredient list.
Water, Bentonite, Kaolin, Propylene Glycol, Macrocystis Pyrifera Extract, Sea Salt, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, *Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Montmorillonite, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Titanium Dioxide, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Polyacrylate, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Fragrance, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Linalool, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Blue 1 (CI 42090)
Bolded are the good/star ingredients in the product whereas underlined are those flagged as 3 & above under 'Safety index' in by EWG. Safety index ranges from 1-9 and the lower the number means the less hazardous. Those with asterisk (*) are more likely to cause acne than those without.
The Unknowns
The Unknowns
I was a bit surprised to learn that this contains paraben (you can read this article here about paraben if you're wondering why it has been highlighted here) but I'm okay with it since the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) concluded that parabens at the low levels found in personal care products are not a concern. I've been relying on CIR for all of my cosmetic product reviews and I find them quite reliable, so I feel okay to let this one go.
The Good Ones
I should have known that this contains bentonite and kaolin! The way the mask dries off and how it manages to draw out impurities and cleanse pores should have hinted me. Having Propylene Glycol in it enables this mask to help moisturise the skin especially for those of you who have dry skin. The Vitamin E (Tocopherol) in this mask is good as an anti-ageing ingredient. However, do take note that it can potentially cause acne if your skin is particularly sensitive to Vitamin E.
I'm gonna repeat this every time I talk about the ingredients: never skip a patch test! You never know when it's going to save you from a disastrous discovery of new acnes / red patches after an "enjoyable" masking session. Last but not least, this, shockingly, contains some Titanium Dioxide in it, which is good against the UV rays if you have it applied on your skin when you head out! But, that's not possible, isn't it? So, I guess it doesn't play so much of role here~
It's blue!
The Good Ones (cont'd)
The Sea Salts in this mask are one of the main ingredients. It aims to replenish and balance moisture while purging clogged pores. That makes it a blue clay mask I guess! The Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil and Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil can also help achieve an aroma-therapeutic bliss to help rinse away stress and help us get smooth and radiant skin. We will find out soon about this one!
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The Bad Ones
Sadly, although the Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil is good as an aromatherapy, it could potentially irritate your skin if it is super sensitive *patch test, please*. Whereas for the remaining underlined ingredients, they are either in there as fragrances or preservatives. So if you are known to be allergic to any of them, please avoid using this! Otherwise, since I haven't faced any issue with this mask so far, you should be able to feel safe to proceed with a careful patch test beforehand haha!
Seriously don't understand why I look so "blue" (hehe, pun intended). OMG look at that oily nose!
HOW I USE IT
To be fair, I had only used it thrice. I would recommend using it once, or at most, twice if you have oily skin, every week since it works like a clay mask. I always use a brush to apply my mask because I love how brushes are able to spread it more evenly and I can waste less product as I go. After I've made sure that I've covered all the areas I want covered, I'll give it around 5-10 minutes to dry. The mask smells like some minty toothpaste (maybe Colgate?) I've used before. Not a bad smell and I don't recall being able to detect it after putting it on my skin.
Here is how it looks when it was just applied. I can still smile (although very lightly haha)!
Here is how it looks after it has dried and I can't move my face anymore (OMG why do I look so emotional!). The mask feels super smooth to touch.
I've waited slightly longer than usual before washing it off (taking too many photos hahah) and it has started to crack! Never wait till it cracks before washing off okay! It will dry your skin out and we don't want that!
Grr, the lighting keeps changing when I was doing the photography work hahah! I tried to smile because I was finally going to be not blue anymore HAHA (lame, I know). This is while washing off with a wet sponge.
Look at how blue my sponge became!
Here's the much awaited before-after:
Skin condition isn't great to start with, but after just one use I noticed that my skin has smoothened out so much, redness has subsided a little and the whitehead is (almost) gone!
SERIOUSLY, GO TRY
My face became sooo sooo smooth I couldn't stop sliding my fingers over it. I was most surprised to discover I had a whitehead before the mask (only realised it through the pictures I took HAHA) and it was (almost) gone after I did the mask! That's amazing! I also like how it doesn't leave a blue cast on my skin which would totally make me look like an alien! I even double checked with my Bioderma Sensibio H2O and I can confirm it can easily be washed off unlike some of the clay masks I tried.
PRICE AND EVERYTHING
What's better, is it is super affordable. The one I'm using is a travel size which is great if you just want to try it out first before deciding if you want to commit. But if you're one of those who believe in "go big or go home", you can grab the full-size tube which has 175ml. That definitely makes it cheaper per ML if you're sure you're going to like it!
This post contains affiliate links.
Where to buy:
Malaysia only
Lush N' Blush
15ml (Travel / Trial pack) - RM6.90
175ml (Full size tube) - RM22.20
International
Amazon
15ml (Travel / Trial pack) - USD4.19 (approx. RM16.40)
175ml (Full size tube) x2 - USD19.99 (approx. RM79 for two)
175ml (Full size tube) - USD20.67 (approx. RM81)
Thank you for reading, see you in the next post!
I post new contents on skincare every Tuesday and Friday. Follow me on Bloglovin' so you won't miss it when my next review is up!
Here are some other items I got from Lush N' Blush that I think you should give a try to too!
Corine de Farme Micellar Cleansing Foam Review
Holika Holika Golden Monkey Glamour Lip 3-Step Kit Review
For the affiliate links: If you use my link, I can earn some commission and it won't cost you any extra money. You don't have to use my link, but if you do, it would really help my blog!
The product is sent to me for review purposes by Lush N' Blush. Check out their website on https://lushnblush.com. The review is 100% my personal opinion of the product after personally trying it out. Please make sure you consult whoever is selling you the product and ask for samples if you can! Read my disclaimer here.
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