Earlier this year, after using a product that was sent to me, my skin went crazy and broke out like never before. I have dry skin and don't normally have to worry about breakouts, apart from the odd hormonal spot that comes at a certain time of the month and even at that, it isn't every month. My skin reacted so badly to the product and triggered such a bad breakout that it honestly took around 6-8 weeks to settle down and clear up (shea butter and cocoa butter are not friends of my face!). I was really desperate for my skin to get back to normal because not only were the spots very painful but my skin was also very inflamed and I didn't like applying makeup as I didn't want to aggravate it further but sometimes I just had to! Why am I telling you this? Well during that time, I felt that I needed a new product to my routine to treat the breakout and prevent more occurring and that is why I bought the subject of today's post: Herbivore Botanicals Blue Tansy Face Mask.
I regularly use AHAs in routine but prior to buying this mask, I didn't use BHAs because, like I said, I wasn't really prone to breakouts. This mask contains a combination of the two. BHAs are oil soluble and can penetrate the pores more deeply than AHAs meaning it can really unclog the pores. AHAs exfoliate the surface of the skin so the combination of both should result in clearer skin. This mask also contains Blue Tansy Oil, which soothes irritated skin, so overall this mask should have answered all of my skin's problems! But did it?
The instructions say to use every other day for the first five days and 2-3 times weekly thereafter. The mask itself is very gloopy in texture and smells very herbal/medicinal, which I wasn't keen on but even if I don't like the scent of a product, I will still use it if it's effective. I applied an even, quite thin, layer on my cleansed skin and left it for 5 minutes, gradually working my way up to 20 minutes. It definitely tingles on the skin and because my skin was already in a distressed state when I began using this mask, I was alarmed - I really didn't want to stress my skin out further. I have quite reactive (some might say sensitive) skin so whilst some people see tingling skin as a sign that a product is working, for me it is also a sign that my skin might not like the product so it's a fine line trying to decide now soon is too soon to remove it as sometimes the tingling stops after a minute or two. With that in mind, I waited 5 minutes the first time I used it as I was afraid to wait any longer. My skin felt quite tight when I removed it so I followed with my very trusty Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist and Omoressence because these products will always soothe and balance my skin. I continued use every second day and then 2/3 times weekly and within around 2 weeks, my spots were beginning to heal, however my skin was still quite inflamed and very dry.
Whilst this mask did help banish my breakout, I really don't feel that it is one that I can use regularly as it is just too drying on my skin when used too often and the tingling still doesn't sit right with me. That bring said, I still use it occasionally but it is not one that I will repurchase. However, for oily, combination and acne-prone skins, this mask would be a good option as it is effective at combatting spots and if they are your main issue, it would serve you well. Sephora currently have a sample set with this mask and the matching Lapis Oil available, which would be ideal if you would like to try this mask without paying the full price.
I want to know your thoughts on a product making your skin tingle - is it a good or bad thing? I'd love to hear!
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Thanks for reading!
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