Madara Brightening AHA Peel Mask - A Review For My Pure*

Although I'm a bit to launch into a bit of a whinge I have to say that by and large I'm pretty happy with my skin. Now that I'm in my mid (cry) 30's my skin seems to be have sorted itself out. It's a bit drier and I no longer get the spots that blighted my teenage years and bar the odd hormonal breakout my skin is pretty clear.

 

I still have quite oily skin though but some people (aka Mummy Lou) see that as a blessing and in some senses I can see why - the fine lines seems to be slower in appearing and as yet I have nothing I could really describe as a proper wrinkle - sometimes though oily skin is a pain. Make up slip slides off my face, and sometimes I think you could probably drive a truck through my pores. Chuck in a bit of redness and a general lack of smoothness and maybe I'm not as happy with my skin as I'd originally thought.

Good skincare can make a difference though  and something that has made a real difference to my skin are products containing AHA's (Alpha Hydroxy Acids), for example glycolic and lactic acids.

More often than not plant derived, these toners, masks, moisturisers and cleansers have really made a difference to both the appearance and texture of my skin.

Always wanting to experiment and try new brands, for one of November's My Pure reviews I decided to try a product that I'd already heard a little bit about the Madara Brightening AHA Peel Mask.

Made in Latvia from 99.9% natural ingredients, this face mask contains a combination of Vitamin C, from the Quince fruit, lactic acid and Elderflower extract.

This product is designed to exfoliate and deep cleanse the skin, and unclog the pores, which will in turn lead to a more even, brighter, and fresher complexion. 

This mask comes boxed, and comes with a instruction leaflet. AHA's and the like, are pretty powerful ingredients, and even through the concentrations that your using here are way less than you would get in a salon peel you still need to read the leaflet thoroughly before you do anything. This mask isn't suitable for anyone with fragile or hypersensitive skin. You also need to use an SPF cream and your need to avoid sunbeds or intensive tanning for at least a week after use. Other that that it is suitable for all skin types, and the instructions tell you the best way to use it and how long to leave it on depending on your own skin.

Packaged in a squeezy tube, the texture from this mask wasn't quite what I expected. With a pleasant herbal smell, it's an opaque, white in colour, and has almost a cream, gel, serum type feel to. It's quite liquidy and it doesn't feel sticky or like any other mask that I've ever tried. 

Since I have an oily / combination skin the instructions advise that I use the mask twice a week, and leave it one for about 10 minutes at a time. It's easy enough to apply but I have to say I'm still not sure how much to apply, so I just applied enough to create a thin layer across my entire face and neck avoiding the eye area.The mask feels quite cooling and a little bit tingly when its first applied but it does seem to warm up as time progresses. Time for scary mask pictures!

I know, it's nearly Christmas not Halloween but I hope this gives you an idea of what it looks like on the skin. You can't see much much but you can start to see and feel a tightness. After my ten minutes are  up it does start to feel drier on the skin and it does seem to have set slightly. I don't think it matters whether it dries or not because if you have a different skin type your potentially leaving it for less time than I did. It is possible to almost roll it off, but you need to wash it off properly with warm water.

I'm not going to lie this mask does my skin looking quite pink (more than it looks here) and feeling a bit tingly after application but this is what it's supposed to do. You're removing all of that dead, dull skin to reveal the fresh, bright new skin underneath. That's probably why they recommend that you use this mask at night to give your skin a chance to go back to normal. 

I did get a few breakouts after my first couple of uses and whilst I am now feeling the tingle a bit more now than I did at first,  I do think that this has made a difference. I've only been using it for about 3 and half weeks now but already I can see a difference - my skin looks fresher, and brighter, and it's also starting to look a lot clearer. My expected hormonal breakout was almost none existent, and my skin feels a lot smoother particularly on my notoriously bumpy forehead. I usually like to try out skincare products for at least 4-6 weeks but all I can say is so far, so good. I know my skin responds to acids and glycolics so I'm definitely going to continue with this one till at least the bottom of the tube. 

I know people are often a little bit scared of AHA's  but if your looking to give dull, tired, mehhh skin a boost then this mask could be one to try. My Pure offer two sizes of this mask, the 60ml tube that you can see here, which retails at £20, and a more purse friendly 12.5ml size, which would be an ideal way to try this product, and retails at £5.50.

(*Sample)