little white truths

 L'Oreal claims/product details:

• Combines three pure clays with the purifying properties of eucalyptus extract 
• Deeply cleanses and mattifies the skin
• Has a creamy texture and works deep into the pores, leaving skin visibly purified and matte-looking, without drying it out
• Skin is left feeling refreshed and revitalised
• Kaolin: a pure clay that's highly concentrated with silicates, known to absorb impurities and excess oil to help purify delicate skin affected by daily pollutants
• Montmorillonite: a pure clay rich in minerals, helps purify and re-balance the skin, reducing imperfections
• Ghassoul: a pure clay able to absorb impurities and oils without causing irritation, leaving skin smooth, fresh and radiant
• RRP $19.95 for 50ml, but do shop around (I bought mine for $10 AUD)

Verdict

This product doesn't work for me, and given how many people I've seen comment on how incredibly drying it is, I would approach it with caution - even if you have oily skin.

It's a pale green mask that smells of eucalyptus and clay. It's beautifully creamy and smooth in texture, and I like the feel of applying it to my skin.

While it's not super uncomfortable as it dries down, my face does start to feel pretty tight after five minutes, and I make sure not to leave it on any longer than ten minutes - reason being, I left it on for almost twenty minutes when I first used it, and by the time it came to washing it off, my skin was stinging.

On the next three uses, I left it on for ten minutes max, and while my skin didn't feel red raw after use like it did the first time, it still didn't feel good. In my experience, this mask is incredibly astringent and it feels like it's pulling the life out of my skin. 

Indeed, my face always feels unbelievably dry after use, which is why I'm not going to use it on my face anymore: as of today, it's getting used as a body mask so I can get through it.

I'm not sure what's in this that's causing it to strip my skin so badly, but note that it contains both artificial colour and also fragrance. Yes these ingredients are low on the list, but I wanted to mention them all the same.

Overall I don't like this product and I've given it a 'disappointing products' tag. Yes it's not designed for my dry skin, but given how bad my face feels after using it - and also given how many people (even those with oily skin) have said that it strips and dries out their skin - I'd be really careful with this one.

Blurgh.