Boots Botanics Conditioning Clay Mask

I like to use a face mask at least once a week to give my skin a treat. I am a huge fan of Lush's fresh face masks but unfortunately my nearest Lush store is some distance away and it's not always practical to visit when my mask runs out. As such I am usually on the lookout for other offerings and on a recent trip to Boots spotted the Conditioning clay mask in the Botanics range. I don't tend to use a clay based mask too often, but it can be good from time to time to clear up any clogged pores and give the skin a really deep clean. The Conditioning clay mask comes in a clear plastic tube that is a greyish green colour due to the colour of the mask. It will set you back £4.89 for 120ml of product.

Whenever I purchase skin care products I try to look for those that aren't packed with hard to pronounce chemicals and parabens. The Botanics range claims to harness the power of plants, using active extracts in a variety of beauty products. In this case, the mask contains Burdock, which contains both antioxidant an antibacterial properties to purify the skin. The combination of these two ingredients is claimed to protect against redness and irritation. And now for the science bit ... The clay acts to draw out impurities by exhibiting a negative electrical charge to attract deep-rooted impurities from the skin without overdrying. My main concern with using clay based masks is that often I find them too drying so I was keen to see if this mask would really live up to their claim.

Before using this mask I washed my face and pat it dry with a towel. The instructions state that the tube should be shaken before use. I followed this and then squeezed a little of the mask onto the palm of my hand. I was really surprised at the consistency of this. In my experience clay masks tend to have a fairly thick consistency but this was really watery. I thought I hadn't shaked it vigourously enough so tried again but the result was the same, except that my arm now ached! Fair enough I thought and I proceeded to apply this to my skin. It was a little messy to apply due to its consistency, but at least only a small amount of mask was needed to cover the face. As I applied this I noticed that the mask had quite a subtle smell, one that I would describe as sweet and earthy and overall quite pleasant.

I left the mask to dry, which according to the instructions should take around 10-20 minutes. This is longer than most masks I've used. As the mask dried it began to change colour, becoming lighter and flakier in consistency. However I was pleased to notice that it didn't crumble and fall off. Whilst it was drying I could feel my skin tighten, which is a normal sensation, but by the end of the 20 minutes I found that this was starting to get quite uncomfortable and was looking forward to taking it off. I rinsed the mask off with warm water. It came off fairly easily but as it was not as thick as some of the masks I'm used to I found it caused more of a mess in and around my sink than other masks I've used.

Once removed I noticed how tight my skin was. Now I normally do find that my skin becomes tight when I use a clay based mask but this was much more than normal. It felt like the mask had sucked out every drop of moisture from my skin. Running my hand over my cheek, it did not feel at all soft, which was surprising as one of the main ingredients is glycerin, which usually acts to soften. I rushed off to apply some moisturiser but even this did not restore my skin to its normal self and several further applications were required over the next few hours. I have used this mask a few more times since and have had the same experience each time. However, my mum also used this mask and said that her skin felt fine afterwards so I guess it's just my skin type. On a positive note I could see that even after one application my skin was a lot clearer and the mask had clearly removed a lot of grime from my face.

Overall I have mixed feelings about the mask. It clearly worked in giving my skin a deep clean, but the tightness that came with it was a little overpowering for me and it is for this reason that I personally won't be purchasing again. However I believe this effect will vary depending on skin type so don't let that put you off giving this mask a go.