I purchased the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask when my skin was incredibly acne prone. I had constant break outs and my blemishes were sticking around for over a week. The mask I had been using was the Trilogy Mineral Radiance mask, but I was hoping for something a little more potent.
The Origins Clear Improvement Mask is a black, smooth formula that spreads easily over the face. It does apply in a reasonably thick layer, and a little does NOT go a long way, so it is likely that you will go through the tube reasonably quickly. Once applied, the mask is slightly cooling and you can feel it working, but on my skin it does not sting, burn or feel overly powerful. Within 10-15 minutes it dries completely, feeling tight and noticeable, but not uncomfortable. Looking closely, you can see any areas where oil and gunk have been pulled out. The mask can then be rinsed off with warm water - I need a face cloth to get it off.
Stop reading now if you don't want an in depth discussion of pimples. After washing of the mask, active blemishes (even ones that are bumps rather than whiteheads) are often open and oozing. It's gross, but it does give you the opportunity to use a tissue and uh, extract the gunk, leaving blemishes much smaller. This speeds up the process. If you are doing this, I would recommend cleansing your face with an antibacterial cleanser to prevent the spreading of bacteria. My skin also feels tighter after use.
If you are familiar with Glamglow, the Origins Clear Improvement mask is a great dupe. It is powerful and works by drawing out impurities to the point where puss and oil are literally pulled out of the skin. It speeds up the process of a blemish, however they often get worse for a day than they would without. This would be very effective as a spot treatment, particularly if you had a single blemish and an event in a few days time. I personally don't like this process/treatment as I find that it increases the scarring left behind. My face is very fair, and scarring is my main concern, so a product that increases scarring is not one that I want to keep using. I have returned to the Trilogy mask, as it is effective, more comfortable and hydrating.
I had heard raves on this product so I thought why not? I thought the size of the tube for the price was a good deal considering a lot of mid to high end masques are about half the size for about the same price as this. This masque is an easy to spread, smooth, dark grey formula. I washed my face, used a warm wet face cloth to open my pores then spread the masque all over my face concentrating on my pores. I did have some congested pores and the odd pimple and a few minor pimples threatening to rear their ugly little heads, so I was curious if this grey wonder would stop the would be pimples in their tracks. I had read how good this was for sensitive skin and how it was not drying at all but surprisingly within a minute of applying this my face began to burn and sting. Now if this masque had some skincare acids in it like glycolic or salicylic acid I would expect it to burn. While my skin is a bit on the drier side during winter, I didn't expect it to burn because my skin is good with a lot of skincare. But the burn sensation did ease away after a few minutes. The second time I experienced the same amount of burning. If I want to rinse off this masque off in the sink it leaves a mess so I prefer to rinse it off in the shower plus that way I can thoroughly get it all off without getting my face towels stained. Afterwards my skin is smooth and my skin got a deep clean, my pores don't look that much smaller though. When I apply my skincare my skin soaks up any moisture much faster and the next day my skin is less oily. As for pimples they don't seem to get as big if I use this but it doesn't seem to prevent breakouts. While I do think there are a fair amount of pros to this masque, I do have other masques that I prefer and give me pretty good or about the same results without the burning sensation so I won't be getting this again. Another thing is that while the tube is twice the size of some other masks for about the same price, I do seem to need more of the masque to cover my face and neck than I do some other masques so I get that evens things out price wise. I definitely wouldn't recommend this for those with sensitive or dry skin, but it probably would suit those with oily skin.
Tips: If you're like me and don't want to have to wash this out of your face towels, I would recommend washing your face and applying this masque and letting it dry before you get in the shower. Another bonus is you don't have to worry about the mess around your sink if you rinse this off with your hands or missing spots by accident. Whenever you use this make sure you have a good serum and moisturizer to use after this as this masque can make your skin tight and dry.