Today's post is about my review on Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Oil-Control Cleansing Mask. This stuff has been my loyal companion since 2010 (been repurchased for 2 times) but I only get the chance to blog my experience today, totally forgot about it - I'm so sorry, Sayang..
This is an oil-absorbing clay mask that is made of Kaolin clay, which is well suited to those who struggling with acne and/or oily skin. It contains soothing plant extracts. A fragrance-free mask that lands on the short list of the best masks for those with oily, breakout-prone complexions - that sounds totally me!
Ingredients listed as below,
Active: Salicylic Acid (1%), Other: Water, Kaolin, Butylene Glycol, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Gentian Root Extract, Laminaria Saccharina Extract, Sucrose, Matricaria, Algae Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Powder, Acetyl Glucosamine, Inulin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Capryl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol, Titanium Dioxide
Although the package lists 1% Salicylic acid as its active ingredients clay, it do not have an acidic pH, so the Salicylic acid (BHA) will not function as an exfoliant.
According to Clinique's website, the product claims,
"Soothing natural clay-based mask helps heal blemishes, prevent breakouts and keep skin shine-free. Medicated formula goes deep to clean and unclog pores, rid skin of excess oil. In just 5 minutes, skin looks clearer, smoother, and less blemish-troubled. Gentle, non-drying formula won’t irritate skin."
which to me 70-80% true. This mask does heals blemishes, breakouts and keep the skin shine-free (not forever but at least it does what it says). However, it does not prevent any future breakout which I always looking for in a product. The medicated formula leads by the Salicylic Acid done the job pretty well to clean and unclog pores to get rid of the excess oil with just 5 minutes application.
I used to put this on for more than 5 minutes, probably 20-30 minutes because I felt asleep on the couch (while waiting the 5 minutes pass by), I swear this really dries up your skin and took every single moisture you have! After 30 minutes, I took off the mask and immediately applied moisturizer as usual but it does not help much. The moisturizer soak into the skin like a sponge and my skin felt tight and dry. Added more moisturizer simply make it worse as it just sit on my skin and the tacky feeling intact. No amount of moisturizer enough for that particular night. Since then I learnt the lesson very well, not to put this on if I am too tiring to wait for even 5 minutes.
As far as its effect on oil and acne is concerned, this did not clear them out immediately, but it does reduce the redness, soothe and calm the breakouts. Maybe just me? I do not know. I hope it does well to others considering this is fairly good product for me. I apply this once a week if I have a good skin day for the week, just to balance and control the oil production on my face and I apply twice or more when needed. Usually when the breakout comes into action, I only use that much (shown in the picture) and dab onto the problem areas on my skin, as instructed, leave it for 5 minutes then I rinse off.
The texture of this clay mask is quite runny, not too thick and easy to apply on my skin. I love the fact that I only need a small amount to make a very thin layer to treat the skin. With the not-so-pocket-friendly price tag, who needs a lot of product to treat the unhappy skin?
Among the pros of this products, I found that this mask is made of kaolin clay as it main ingredients, that does pretty good job on deep cleansing and unclog pores. It is actually does helps in absorbing excess oil during application, controlling the oil production as well as acne (post application). With the 5 minutes time period recommended by Clinique, it is actually does not dry out the skin because it contains Gentian root extracts, algae extracts and aloe powder.
However, there are some cons with this product, such as, it does not prevent future breakouts and a little pricey for an oil-absorbing clay mask which I am sure you can have a better pick or at least at par, in the market, with cheaper price tag.
This 100ml tube retail for RM127 available at all Clinique's cosmetic counters nationwide, and website.
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