Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask

If you've got oily skin and huge pores, then you know that clay masks are great for detoxifying your skin of all the oil-ies and impurities. You may not know that the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask ($16USD/$21CAD, 1.7oz) is pretty popular here on the internet. I've had the mask for about a year and a half and I've finally sorted out my thoughts on this mask. 

The Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask contains activated charcoal and white china clay to draw out impurities. Per the handy dandy Sephora website, When environmental toxins, dirt, and debris get under your skin, its waste-filtering system gets jammed, pores get clogged, and skin looks cloudy. Nature's complexion clean-up crew gets to the bottom of skin's overcast condition and clears the way for it to act its best. tl-dr, it's one of those masks that make you look like a scaly monster when it dries up. 

Application: Relaxing but messy, as are most face masks if you don't use a brush. The packaging indicates that the first step in using this mask is to open your pores with a damp towel. While it isn't part of the mask itself, this is the most soothing part. From there, it gets a little dirty. The product is a thick, gooey and wet - all at the same time. It smooths over the skin without a hitch and is pretty easy to thin out over the face. However, when it gets on your hands it feels like mud. Brush recommended (you can use a flat, synthetic foundation brush).

Removal: Also messy. Not to mention, difficult. Once the mask has dried, it's no fun to remove. It's hard to get off with just water and it clings on to the skin. You've either got to scrub your face intensely with your hands or get your perfectly white face cloth dirty with the charcoal-coloured mask. To avoid this, I usually use the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask before a shower, then use a konjac sponge to wipe of the mask residue when I've hopped in. 

Results: The Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask is intense - it does what it says and it ain't gentle about it. It literally pulls oil right out of your skin, making the skin feel tight and dry. I feel like I need to put on a thick moisturizer right away after using this mask. I don't find it to minimize pores (which it doesn't claim) nor does it reduce the size of my zits (more like it dries them up). 

Overall, it's a decent mask that does the trick if you're feeling oily or clogged up, particularly if you can handle the messy application/removal. To my dry skinned peeps, this one isn't for you. Personally, I like to pull out the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask for my oily summer days but pass on it during the drier winter months. 

What's your favourite clay mask? 

Purchased by me. 

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