I love trying out new skincare, especially masks. Or anything to help my skin. I tend to have combination to oily skin and I like trying new things to control my skin.
At Sephora I saw the Ole Henriksen Pore Balance Facial Sauna Scrub and the Cold Plunge Pore Mask. They're both from the Balance range and I picked them up as a set.
To be honest, I already owned the scrub but (spoiler alert) I loved it so much that I bought another.
The facial scrub has volcanic sand, green fusion complex, neem seed oil and AHAs. What's nice about this scrub is that once you start rubbing it into your skin, it starts to heat up. Hence the name "sauna scrub". They recommend using it 2-3 times a week, which I agree with. The scrub isn't too abrasive on the skin, but you don't want to over do it anyways.
The cold plunge mask was really something new to me. Firstly, I LOVE the colour. Am I the only one who partially judges a mask by how it looks? Yes. Okay, let's move on...
The mask has clay and snow lotus extract. It's quite cooling on the skin, which is slightly alarming at first, but then it feels a bit more soothing. When the mask dries down, it doesn't feel overly tight which I like. To take the mask off, you rinse it off with cool water. I don't know about you, but that goes against everything I've heard before. Usually, you would take the mask off with warm water.
Both of these products recommend using a toner and moisturizer afterwards. They don't necessarily say to use these products together, but since they were sold as a set, I decided to try that out.
It works well. The scrub heats your skin, which opens your pores, enabling you to really purify your pores and get rid of dead skin. The mask afterwards feels refreshing and the coolness would help to close your pores after extracting impurities. To me, they just make sense together. Definitely use a light moisturizer afterwards to make sure your skin is balanced and quenched.
I've used this quite a few times now and I really like it. Even my boyfriend likes it, which means something! Dare I say, it might be one of my favourite masks? I love the different temperatures and sensations on my skin. It leaves my face feeling clean and my skin stimulated (if that's the right word?). I have combo/oily skin, but even with dry skin I don't see you having a problem with this.
I would highly recommend using these two products. It definitely makes me want to try more skincare from Ole Henriksen! Honestly, everything I've tried from them so far, I have ended up loving. They are seriously killing it with their skincare. I applaud them.
Have you tried these products? Let me know in the comments below!
The scrub retails for $34 (Sephora) and the mask retails for $44 (Also Sephora).
Until next time,
Hey guys, so I've been seeing these products floating around the internet for quite awhile now and they both seem to be really hyped up. I LOVE face masks and I'm always down to find a new amazing product to make my skin feel and look good. So naturally I had to try these guys.
I ordered them, got them quickly (thank you Amazon) and got right down to it. I decided to get my BF to test them out with me because not only do we both like to relax with a face mask, we both have different skin types.
I have combo skin - I can get quite oily in my T zone and my pores are large around there. Right now with winter, my skin is all over the place. I was also on my period, which causes me to break out more than usual. Usually, my skin is decent break out wise. I don't get big pimples often, but I do tend to get those annoying under the skin breakouts - where your skin has little bumps. I also have a decent amount of blackheads.
As for he BF, he has oilier skin that is acne prone. He has large pores around his T zone. I'd say his skin is a bit more sensitive than mine.
Let's start with the Shills Peel Off Mask. We took some before photos:
And some after photos:
Honestly, I was really disappointed with this mask. I read so many raving reviews and it did not cut it for me. You have to put it on quite thickly and you don't get enough product for the price. It didn't really pull any gunk out of our skin - just some hairs. Little holes appeared in the mask too once we peeled it off, so it looked like it worked when it really didn't. I tried this mask again by myself after steaming me face and it worked a little bit better, but not much. It also hurt so much to take off - especially around the cheek area. Yeah, our skin felt softer but it didn't quite yield the results we had hoped for. We'll continue to use it, but definitely won't repurchase. Maybe if you really steam the heck out of your face and maybe if you have EXTREMELY large, gigantic pores it will work? But honestly, it didn't work any better than ones from the Drugstore. I'd rather stick with pore strips.
Also, be careful where you apply this. Avoid delicate areas and areas where your hair can easily be caught. I avoided the side of my eyes due to this. My BF put it too close to some areas and it hurt even more.
*You'll notice I didn't put a photo of the mask peeled off. That's because there was nothing to see.
Now, this is the one I was really excited for: the Aztec Secret Healing Mask. I read/saw so many amazing things about it and how it can really clear up acne after several uses. I really love clay masks, so I was excited how this would measure up compared to my favourites.
As before, we took a before photo:
And an after photo:
We really liked this mask! It was different because the tub comes with just dry clay and you have to mix it yourself. It says to use Apple Cider Vinegar or water and we opted for water because didn't have the other. The first time, it was tricky to mix and to get the right consistency. We didn't get it as smooth as we wanted (as you can see in the picture), but the second time we got it right! It should be a smooth paste.
We used to the mask 3 days in a row to see what results we'd get.
Once you put the mask on, you feel a lot of different things while it's drying. It gets super tight, a bit sore and you feel your face throbbing. Once you take it off, your skin is red. Like you had a bad sunburn on your face. It does go away after about 30-60 minutes. I think it's because the mask draws your blood up closer to the surface.
It draws out impurities MUCH better than the peel off mask. And it makes your skin feel so good. It feels soft and rejuvenated. It cleared up our skin a little bit. I'm sure with more use, it would make a huge difference.
This mask was definitely a win in my opinion. The only down side is having to mix it yourself and the splotchiness of the face once it's rinsed off. We'll continue to use it and I would repurchase it. It was actually cheaper than the peel off mask and came with more product.
I would even say that this mask was so good that it's possibly my new favourite (or tied) clay mask.
As always, reviews with skin care can be tricky because everyone's skin is different. What works for one person might not work for the other. You'll never really know unless you try it yourself. In that case, have any of you tried these masks? What did you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!
Until next time,
UPDATE: I have since used the Aztec clay mask with apple cider vinegar instead of water and it is a whole new experience! The clay mixes much easier and it the perfect consistency. The smell isn't too great, but your skin will thank you for it!
