New Year, New Skin: Black Pore Mask

I’m sure you’ve seen it all over the internet- the revolutionary new black pore mask! It claims to clear out your pores like no other product has before. But is it worth the hype?

After seeing the claims I was curious about what secrets lay within the depths of my pores- so I ordered it and (im)patiently waited for it to make its way to my doorstep.

I may have received a knock-off product because everything but three words is written in a different language, but we’ll see. Due to the unfortunate language barrier I’m not super clear on the instructions but considering my extensive experience with facial masks I am assuming I am to start with a clean, dry face. Cleansing is going to remove any makeup or product residue from earlier in the day; gently pat dry with a clean cotton towel. Soft!

I decided to apply with an old foundation brush because this stuff is messy! I started in my T zone, I wasn’t sure, yet, if I wanted to do my whole face. This seemed a little more tricky to apply than it looked in the ad and it starts to set up pretty fast while going back over a spot that’s started to set already makes it get a little blotchy. To help that I just gently tapped more into those places.

I took too much for just my T zone, so for the sake of not being wasteful I went for it and did my whole face. Did I mention that this stuff is messy?

It was a bit of a challenge to get a consistent amount applied all over, which can cause some dribbling- this happened between my eyes and between my nostrils and cheeks and the dribbles took a lot longer to dry than the rest of the mask. It’s not uncomfortable but don’t expect to hold a conversation with this thing on and try to avoid getting too close to your hairline or eyebrows! The most fun part was definitely peeling it off. I started at my chin and peeled it upward. It feels kinda cool and you can definitely feel the dry skin coming off.

I guess my pores didn’t contain any mysteries for me. Basically the only stuff on my mask was some dry skin I’ve been battling around my nose from using tissue and a couple of unimpressive comedones from the very tip of my nose.

Overall I’m unimpressed with this product. My pores don’t really look any different, my skin came out of the whole thing feeling dry, dryer than it was before anyway, and the areas where it removed dry skin ended up getting sensitive.

This mask may be better suited for someone who has oily to oily combination skin, wears heavier makeup more often, or who maybe isn’t so fanatical about skincare. I would not recommend this mask to someone who has dry to very dry skin, who exfoliates regularly, or who has had prolonged sun exposure.

All in all this product is kitschy and can be kinda fun but it wasn’t really worth the wait. The same results the mask touts can be achieved by cleansing with an appropriate cleanser, regularly exfoliating (but not over-exfoliating) and, most importantly, keeping your skin hydrated with a quality moisturizer and drinking enough water.

Thanks for stopping by, friends! If you have any questions about skincare or makeup please email shannon@livelovelash.com for a chance to have your question featured in a blog post!

Written by Shannon Wells