review: Artistry essentials Pore Cleansing Masque

Is it just me or is there some complete satisfaction in a skincare mask? I absolutely love them. You have to really commit to a mask. They tighten up your face, making smiling and other gestures feel silly. And lets be honest, they look completely ridiculous. No teenage girl with a brother or dad escapes ridicule when "doing a mask".

However you look during the five to fifteen minutes you spend in a mask, they really work and they feel amazing. Am I wrong? Well... I've used some masks that were blah. Some are too thin and watery, I could have just used my cleanser for a few more minutes for the same results. Some feel like you just have random bits of stuff semi-glued to your face. The homemade variety are fun to do but I'm always left craving a smoothie and I regret not putting those ingredients in the blender instead.

For me the best mask is always clay. When I was a consultant for "The Body Shop at Home" I loved their Warming Mineral Mask. When I first tried out the Artistry essentials Pore Cleansing Masque, that is what I was immediately reminded of. They both have kaolin clay as a main ingredient, so in general they are very similar. The kaolin helps draw out impurities, so your skin is left visibly smoother and pores seem smaller.

The Warming Mineral Mask contains cinnamon oil which heats the mask up as you are applying it. I found this feature enjoyable but many women, especially those with sensitive skin, were irritated by it. It was a very thick consistency and at times I found it very hard to get out of the container, it would harden close to the opening and I had to massage it for quite awhile to get anything out. It almost seemed as though the mixture wasn't emulsified leaving the clay to collect at the bottom (near the opening) and the other ingredients at the top. Now to be fair to The Body Shop I haven't used this product for years so there is no guarantee this is still a problem, lets hope they've improved it or the container it comes in. 

The Pore Cleansing Masque is not warming but it goes on so silky smooth. It is not cold but has a cooling feel to it making it really refreshing. Even though kaolin is the second ingredient, it doesn't seem to have the problem of the other mask by being too thick or hard to work with. It's creamy consistency makes it surprisingly easy to apply. It also has a light scent that I really enjoy.

As I write this post I've actually had the mask on my face so I could really recall what I loved about it so much. I often get milia on my forehead when I am not keeping up with my cleansing and exfoliating. Milia are tiny white bumps just beneath the skin surface formed from trapped keratin. They kind of look like small seeds and they are often found on newborn babies. I have bangs so oil from my hair tends to reek havoc on my forehead when I'm not paying attention. The best thing for getting rid of milia is exfoliation (like my fav Artistry essentials Polishing Scrub), but adding a mask on opposite days takes the texture changing results up a notch. After doing the mask the pores on my face are always less visible and this time it left my forehead a lot smoother. That immediate gratification really is encouraging to maintain my daily routine!

After a small bit of research I've found that the competition for the Pore Cleansing Masque is actually the Clinique Acne Solutions Oil-Control Cleansing Mask. I have not used it but I do know it contains that magic kaolin. It also has salicylic acid, which is great for acne control (hence the name Acne Solutions) but I personally try to limit products that contain it for when I specifically have breakouts. Knowing the quality of Clinique products, it's likely similar in texture and application. However, for the same price the Artistry product contains about half an ounce more. 

I would love to hear about your favorite masks or if you have experience with any of those I mentioned above. Go use one right now, tell me about it later, and have a perfect skin day! ♥