Naturalla Beauty

I've become pretty passionate about face masks during the last few months, but I think it's an obsession that's fully justified.  I can't tell you how much the overall appearance and condition of my skin has improved since I've been religiously masking twice a week.  Today I want to introduce you to one of the newer masks in my rotation: Blue Orchid Botanicals' Renewal Mask.  



Rosehip extract is highly anti-inflammatory and full of Vitamin C, leaving your skin soothed and bright.  

Green tea extract is packed with Vitamin E and other antioxidants and is a fantastic anti-aging ingredient.  

Lemon peel contains Vitamin C and natural AHA's that exfoliate, tone, and brighten.  

The combination of the two clays and these three power ingredients leaves the skin feeling clean and detoxified, but also plump and radiant.  I've definitely noticed an added brightness to my skin following a treatment with this mask.

I also love the versatility of dry powder masks, since they're so simple to customize to suit your individual skin needs.  My favorite mixing combination for the Renewal Mask has been water with just a few drops of jojoba oil.  The jojoba oil prevents the mask from drying quite as solidly - making it that little bit more gentle - which is something my skin has appreciated this winter.  Blue Orchid Botanicals also suggests mixing it with aloe vera, yogurt, or avocado, which all sound like great options as well.



The Bottom Line
Blue Orchid Botanicals' Renewal Mask is a great mask to have in your arsenal!  Clay masks are some of my favorites and this one does a great job deep cleaning the pores without ever feeling overly harsh or stripping.  The added benefits from the rosehip, green tea, and lemon peel are fantastic and my skin is noticeably brighter and more luminous after using this product.

Have you tried anything from Blue Orchid Botanicals?


Disclosure: Product provided for review.  I was under no obligation to write a positive review in return for free product, nor was I compensated for this post.  All opinions are my own.

It's no secret that I've become slightly obsessed with face masks recently.  There's just something lovely and luxurious about taking the time to pamper, treat, and nourish your skin, and any awesome skin results that come afterwards are just icing on the cake!  Clay masks are some of my favorites, but if left on too long, they can sometimes leave my face feeling tight, stripped, or sensitive.  Which is why I'm so happy to have discovered EvanHealy's French Rose Clay.  A simple blend of pink kaolin and Moroccan rhassoul clays, it's remarkably effective but also very gentle and never leaves my skin in any distress.

The powdered clay is extremely soft and velvety.  It's more finely milled than most clays I've encountered, which produces a slightly thinner consistency of mask.  I usually like to mix in a couple drops each of jojoba and frankincense oils, and then just enough water to hold it all together.  The mask feels cool and refreshing as you apply it and it's amazing at sucking all the gunk and oil out of your pores.  In fact, one of the gross-but-awesome things about EvanHealy's mask is that you can actually see the stuff that is being pulled out of your pores as the clay absorbs it, so there's no question as to whether or not it's doing something.

After washing the mask off, my skin feels soft, clean, and refreshed.  My pores look clear, any blackheads are gone, and I don't experience any redness or dry skin.  I still follow up with an oil and/or moisturizer, but that's as a regular part of my routine, not because I'm feeling a desperate need to infuse as much moisture back into my skin as possible.

The Bottom Line
If you're looking for an effective clay mask that's suitable for all skin types (even sensitive!), I don't think you can do any better than EvanHealy's French Rose Clay.  It's excellent at decongesting the skin and great for keeping pores clean and skin looking vibrant.  Even my Mom - who is usually pretty low maintenance with her skincare - is a recent convert.  The results speak for themselves and she's a fan now too!

Where to Buy: $21.95 from EvanHealy

What are your favorite masks?

If you saw my All Natural Face haul, you may remember that I recently bought their Papayas and Coconut Face Food Cleanser.  Basically, it's a powder cleanser made of only dried coconut milk and papaya, that can be used as either a face wash or a mask. 



The All Natural Face has a whole range of Face Food Cleansers to suit different skin needs, but the enzymes in the papaya one are supposed to exfoliate and help remove dead and flaking skin.  Thinking about it, I've been questioning how many of the papaya enzymes would actually survive being dried.  I don't feel like this product does much exfoliating, but I've been enjoying playing around with it nonetheless!

I've used it as a face wash (rinsing it off immediately) and as a mask (leaving it on for 10-20 minutes before washing it off.)  I prefer it as a mask, but my absolute favorite way to use it has been mixing it with green clay.  

Dry ingredients

All mixed up

I like clay masks, but they often leave my skin feeling dry, stripped, and in need of tons of hydration.  Mixing the clay with the Papayas and Coconut Face Food is the most amazing combo!  I still get the detoxifying effects from the clay, but the Face Food leaves my skin feeling soothed and moisturized at the same time!  It's the best of both worlds!  (I hope no one else just heard Hannah Montana in their head, like I did.)

It's also super quick and easy to make!  I use equal parts of the two (about 1/2 teaspoon of each) and add just enough water to make a smooth, easy to spread paste.  Then I apply it to clean, dry skin and leave it on for anywhere from 10-20 minutes.  It doesn't dry as hard as a straight clay mask, which I kind of like, but it does still dry down.  After washing it off, I tone and moisturize, as usual.  

On my face!

The Bottom Line
I've been loving this mask!  I like to do a mask about once a week and the combination of clay and Face Food, leaves my skin looking noticeably brighter and refreshed.  I love how affordable it is too.  The Face Food costs $7.50 for one ounce (larger sizes are also available) and I got my clay from iherb for $4.57.  I'm also curious to compare how this would work with plain coconut milk powder, so you can expect an update on that eventually, once I track some down!




Disclaimer: All products purchased by me.  Contains affiliate link to iherb.  Get $5/$10 off your first purchase with coupon code ITI429.