Dermalogica Skin Refining Masque

...quite disappointed with my last Dermalogica face masque, I did feel rather pessimistic about whether the Dermalogica Skin Refining Masque would be any better, but decided to give it a go anyway.

The tube comes packaged in a sliver-grey box with information about the product printed on it. The tube itself is white with a grey flip-top lid. The lid is easy to open and fastens securely. All information on the tube is printed in grey. ...
...week and followed with a Dermalogica moisturiser.

The masque itself is just slightly off-white in colour and quite thick textured, though not as thick as most clay-based masks I've used. The texture is smooth and creamy enough to spread easily over the skin, meaning that the thin layer suggested in the directions is easily achievable, and as a result, you don't need to use much.

Once the masque begins to set you can ... more

This was yet another of my rather expensive impulse buys, bought whilst stocking up on my 'essentials'. I bought it from my favourite online beauty store for £22.50, but I know it can be found cheaper elsewhere (you may think I'm mad paying more than I need to for it, but I've become quite loyal to this particular site as I think it's fantastic!). The cheapest I've seen it selling for is £17.95. After being quite disappointed with my last Dermalogica face masque, I did feel rather pessimistic about whether the Dermalogica Skin Refining Masque would be any better, but decided to give it a go anyway.

The tube comes packaged in a sliver-grey box with information about the product printed on it. The tube itself is white with a grey flip-top lid. The lid is easy to open and fastens securely. All information on the tube is printed in grey. The front shows the name of the product and how much you get in the tube (2.5fl oz/75ml). On the back of the tube are the directions for use and a description of the product, what it does and how it works, which reads as follows:

'Recommended for skin with excess oil production.
A skin-clarifying masque with oil-absorbing Kaolin and Bentonite Clays plus Zinc Oxide to remove impurities and refine the skin's surface, helping to reduce oily-skin breakouts. Soothing botanical extracts of Mallow, Arnica and Cucumber help soothe the skin while purifying Watercress, Lemon and Ivy revive dull skin. Contains no artificial fragrance or colour.'

The directions are simple; apply a thin layer, leave to set for 10 minutes, rinse thoroughly with warm water. It's also suggested that the masque should be used 3 times a week and followed with a Dermalogica moisturiser.

The masque itself is just slightly off-white in colour and quite thick textured, though not as thick as most clay-based masks I've used. The texture is smooth and creamy enough to spread easily over the skin, meaning that the thin layer suggested in the directions is easily achievable, and as a result, you don't need to use much.

Once the masque begins to set you can feel the skin starting to tighten just ever so slightly, but it's not at all uncomfortable, just enough to remind you that the masque is there! I have really sensitive skin and find that this is usually the point at which face masks start to irritate me if they're going to, but I felt no discomfort or irritation whatsoever with this one.

Once the ten minutes is up, the masque looks and feels almost powder-like. When it comes to washing it off it seems to wash off really easily, there's no need to scrub away like mad to get it off. However, even when I think I've washed it all off thoroughly, I always seem to find a patch that I've managed to miss, usually the area just above my top lip or the crease of the chin. But once I spot the bit I've missed it's easy to wash away just as the rest.

I'm useless when it comes to timing things like this. Either I forget to look what time it is when I apply the masque, or I go off doing something else and forget to check the time, there's always something. I've often left this masque on for 20 minutes or more, and have suffered no adverse effects from doing so.

On washing off the masque my skin feels immediately softer and smoother, and any blemishes seem less noticeable. This is not one of those clay masques that draws all the impurities in your skin straight to the surface resulting in a massive breakout of spots, so would be perfectly fine to use before a big event. My skin also feels clean, fresh and less clogged-up than usual.

I always tone and moisturise after using a face mask, just as I would after using my normal cleanser. The results of the masque are still evident after toning and moisturising, and it's a few hours before my skin starts to feel slightly greasy again (I have very greasy skin).

I've been using this masque now for about 2 months, on and off (I never have been good at sticking to beauty routines!). I started off using it 3 times a week as suggested in the directions, and noticed the appearance of my skin was improving more the more I used it, having less breakouts and looking less greasy and clogged-up, so definitely a product where long-term use pays off. Since that I've just been using it when my skin's looking or feeling particularly bad, and it certainly gives my skin the deep-clean pick-me-up it needs with immediate results.

Overall I'm very impressed with this masque, and will definitely be buying it again. Although it is expensive, a little really does go a long way. I've used mine about 25 times in total and still have about 2 thirds of the tube left. My faith in the Dermalogica brand is now fully restored!

 

...less