A Review Of The Incredible Face Mask By May Beauty*

Although I stressed constantly about my skin when I was younger, looking back on it I think I was pretty lucky. Yes, +I suffered from breakouts, an oily t-zone, and huge pores, but by and large I managed to escape the curse that is severe acne.

When you have spots and acne it affects every single aspect of your life, and although my skin wasn't that bad it did get me down at times and hamper my self confidence. One of the good things about getting older is that your skin changes and my skin now is probably the best it's ever been. That said, I do still get the odd breakout especially at the time of the month, and my pores? well they're still there and they're still obvious.

I don't think we're ever happy, are we? but if your skin is getting you down the are some things you can do to make it, and yourself feel a little bit better. A little while ago now I was given the opportunity to review a new face mask, you should know by now that I love face masks so I jumped at the chance to try something new.

The Incredible Face Mask from MayBeauty is a peel off mud mask that is designed especially for skin that is prone to spots, acne, blackheads and oiliness. This dermatologically tested, and animal friendly mask, contains dead sea mud, and glycerin, and claims to rejuvenate and deep cleanse the skin by removing the dead skin cells, and dirt particles, that clog the pores and cause spots.

Unusually for a skin care brand though MayBeauty are firm believers that skincare alone doesn't have all the answers. With every starter pack of the masks that you buy you also get a copy of their booklet, The Incredible Skin Guide which helps you to tackle some of the root causes of acne.

As well as giving you comprehensive instructions on how to use the masks and their benefits, the booklet also offers general skincare advice and advice on dietary changes that can work in conjunction with the masks to reduce spots, acne and breakouts. It features sections on foods that cause acne and foods that cure acne, as well as advice on useful supplements, and a section on sugar addiction.

It all makes sense really if you eat badly, and don't drink enough water, it's bound to show in your skin. I'm going to level with you here though, I haven't really stuck to the dietary advice, over the past few weeks I have been trying to eat more healthily but my experience here is going to be purely based on the mask, and what a mask it is!

You always know it's going to be a messy one when you get a mask brush with it, and that's exactly what comes in your starter pack. You get a lovely soft, white branded mask brush which is the complete opposite of the jet black mask!

Tear open your mask sachet and you're greeted with a pleasant, fresh smelling, sticky black liquid that resembles Marmite, all you do is apply it evenly over clean dry skin, avoiding the lips, eyes and eyebrows. I would also keep it away from your hairline, and if you're a guy I would shave before using this mask and I would avoid any areas of facial hair if you can - this stuff sticks! You also need to avoid any damaged, broken or inflamed skin and any areas of severe open acne.

I personally found it easier and a lot less messy to use the mask brush but you can use your fingers if you like. The brush washes out really easily in warm water, so just let it dry and your good to go next time you want to use it. You can also use warm water to wash away any of the mask that's gone astray.

Before

Then all you do is sit back for 30-45 minutes and relax. Because of the nature of the mask you can't use it in the bath but I used the opportunity to lie back, relax and take some time out. You can gradually feel the mask tightening and in time it will look less shiny and will feel drier to the touch. It does take a while but you need to wait until the mask is completely dry and set.

After 

I'm not going to lie with this mask the adhesion is strong, so this best way I've found to remove it is to wiggle you nose, and move your face around till it loosens a bit like you can see below.

Then like a wax strip peel the mask off. I going to be honest here and say that this did make my skin tingle - the mask clings to every little facial hair, so the best thing to do is just to pull it off as quickly as possible. As you can see my mask came off in one piece but if you have any residue or any mask that didn't come loose than you can just remove it with water

As you can see from these photos, when you first remove the mask your skin does look a little bit pink, and it feels a little bit tingly, but splash your face with cool water and this dies off quite quickly. Afterwards your skin is left feeling very fresh, very clean and very smooth, and if you look closely at the mask you've removed it's a bit like those pore strips that everyone used to go mad over, you can actually see some of the gunk that the mask's removed.

I've been using this mask once a week for the last 5 weeks and I have to say I have noticed a difference in my skin. After my first use my skin did actually break out but with continued use my skin looks a lot clearer especially around my nose and chin, and my usual time of the month breakout was almost non existent.

If you have severe acne or really sensitive skin than I probably wouldn't recommend this mask but if you have skin like me and suffer from visible pores, congestion, oiliness, and breakouts, or you just feel as though your skin needs a deep clean, than this could be the mask for you, and it's definitely something that I'll buy x You can purchase The Incredible Face Mask directly from MayBeauty in a variety of configurations starting at just £19. Please let me know if you try it x I'd love to hear your thoughts x 

*Press Samples