Innisfree Super volcanic pore clay mask

I recently purchased the Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask from Innisfreeworld online which came as part of a set containing Jeju volcanic pore toner and Jeju Volcanic Pore Cleansing Foam - all for the same price as the mask alone! 

I love clay masks. I've loved them since my teenage years using superdrug "fruity chemically tingly mask packs" at sleepovers and this love carried me through to buying Eve Lom Rescue Mask in my early 20s. When I heard all the rave reviews of this little beauty from Innisfree I snapped it up quickly during their free shipping offer! 

So back to the mask at hand!!

Ingredients: WATER, TITANIUM DIOXIDE, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, VOLCANIC ASH, GLYCERIN, SILICA, TREHALOSE, KAOLIN, BENTONITE, POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, ZINC OXIDE (CI 77947), GLYCERYL STEARATE, CETEARYL ALCOHOL, JUGLANS REGIA (WALNUT) SHELL POWDER, CAMELLIA SINENSIS LEAF EXTRACT, CITRUS UNSHIU PEEL EXTRACT, OPUNTIA COCCINELLIFERA FRUIT EXTRACT, ORCHID EXTRACT, CAMELLIA JAPONICA LEAF EXTRACT, PVP, PEG-100 STEARATE, POLYSORBATE 60, STEARIC ACID, PALMITIC ACID, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL, XANTHAN GUM, IRON OXIDES (CI 77499), ZEA MAYS (CORN) STARCH, SORBITAN STEARATE, POLYACRYLATE-13, MANNITOL, MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE, LACTIC ACID, POLYISOBUTENE, MENTHOXYPROPANEDIOL, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, TETRASODIUM PYROPHOSPHATE, POLYSORBATE 20, IRON OXIDES (CI 77491), DISODIUM EDTA, PHENOXYETHANOL

Packaging: The 100ml comes in a small jar - you'll need a spatula, which doesn't come with it: I'd recommend buying a big bag of them as they always come in useful even if you don't use them for your face creams, to get the last bits of product out of jars without digging with your nails! 

Texture: This stuff is thick I actually used a spatula to get a small amount out and then used a wet face pack brush to apply it - worked like a charm. It's completely smooth unlike glamglow mask and is a very pale grey colour when applied. It dries to a bright white/grey colour FYI.

Scent: Clay, no added fragrance just that comforting earthy smell which I associate with complete relaxation and "girl talk" while watching soppy movies! 

Face masks: you may be doing it wrong!!

I was talking to a friend of mine who works at a dermatology practice the other day and among the usual skincare conversations we normally have, clay masks came up. I was complaining that I hate the feeling when I yawn with a clay mask on and my whole face "cracks". 

She looked horrified - "you let the mask dry out on your face???"

"Well yes, that's what you're supposed to do right?"

"No!!! When it dries its pulling moisture out of your skin, haven't you noticed your face feeling tight after?"

"Well yes...but I thought that was supposed to happen.."

"No!"

So apparently we're supposed to be washing the mask off before it gets dry and flaky - at the stage where it's just starting to change colour and still has some "tack" to it, she likes to mist her face to prolong the process while wearing a mask - I tried it out - mind blown!! I used Avene thermal water spray but you could just use a plain mister or even a fancy one (I wonder if nature republic bee venom mist would work?)

She also went on to tell me that I should keep the clay mask to my oily zones and to put a moisturising mask over the other parts of my face (makes sense...also justifies a new purchase!!!) 

Results: Clay masks are used to gently exfoliate dead skin cells and loosen debris in the pores (or loosen "blackheads") 

When I removed the mask my pores appeared smaller (probably due to some of the gunk covering them having been washed away!) and my face was much less "ruddy" also in the evening following the mask I finally managed to get "grits" when I oil cleansed!!!! (Maybe some of that blackhead loosening action?)

Rebuy: Yes, it's cheaper than Origins Charcoal mask the only other clay mask I've tried without added menthol (seriously what is it with a lot of companies adding menthol to give that tingly feeling to make you feel like it's "working" it just irritates!!!) and it works really well for me. 

I've yet to try the toner and foam cleanser that I received with this mask as I've run out of pH testers - but I'll report back if they pass the pH test! 

Pros: 

It does what it says on the tin

Non-irritating

No annoying menthol tingle

A little goes a long way

Cons:

Slightly difficult to get hold of

Pot packaging - apparently the 200ml comes in a tube (score!!) 

It has a lot of ingredients - do check if you're sensitive to any of them and run them through cosdna before purchasing! 

Innisfree capsule recipe pack - A Selection

Innisfree capsule recipe packs come in a variety of different "flavours", a mixture of wash-off packs and sleeping packs. I recently purchased 6 different ones to try out while Innisfree were offering a "buy 3 get 3 deal." Here's what I got:

I'll be adding to this review as and when I use each pack (as it seems a little silly to review them all separately!) 

Innisfree is a Korean cosmetics company that bases most of their products on ingredients sourced or inspired by Innisfree Island. They appear to be a sort of "body shop" type store in Korea with an emphasis on "Eco" and natural products. 

Innisfree capsule recipe pack: Seaweed.

This is a wash-off pack containing "jeju green complex" which sounds rather ambiguous if you ask me! It's meant to be brightening and "warming".

Texture: very sticky and gel like with little hard dark green particles which look like seaweed. It spreads easily with a pack brush and when heated by the skin is a lot less sticky! 

Scent: not fishy or seaweedy! More that sort of fresh smell you get from men's shower gel - actually pretty refreshing! 

Ingredients: no idea I can't find it anywhere!! It's just lucky I didn't have a reaction to this!

Effects: after applying the mask warmed, just slightly not like one of those horrible heated clay masks that actually burn, but a gentle "I've just stepped into a heated room" warmness. 

After 15 mins I added water and massaged my face - only to find those little dark green bits did a very gentle job of physically exfoliating my face! 

Afterwards the little dry flecks of skin around my nose were gone and my face felt quite moisturised - nothing dramatic but a pleasant surprise none the less!

Rebuy: maybe, I'd like to try out the other masks I purchased. For reasonably cheap 15 min treatment the results were pretty good. I will definitely have 2 more applications out of this little pot (a little goes a long way) 

Innisfree Capsule Recipe Pack - Rice Sleeping

The next mask I tried was the Rice Sleeping Pack. I took this with me while I was on a 3 day trip to visit family in North Wales before Christmas - I had to really cut down my skin regime and this was a great way to save some precious packing space! 

Scent: Rice, like rice pudding - not quite as pleasant as I'd have imagined more of a stale cooking smell (I guess I'm spoilt with the scent of my other products)

(Excuse the worse than usual photo, I was staying in a farmhouse!) 

Texture: Like pudding, it seemed to have minescule granules in it (may have been my imagination) like rice flour. Applied quite thickly and took about 10 mins to sink in - it didn't feel very smooth on my face.

Effects: A nasty rash. I overeggagerate, it was a small rash effecting my jaw line (the most sensitive part of my face) no redness just hundreds of tiny little bumps which made my skin feel like sandpaper. It's a week later now and my skin is back to normal but it went through a dry flaky tight phase and then all peeled off. No idea what the ingredients are so I can't pinpoint the cause except that this was the only new product of been using! 

Rebuy? Err...no, sandpaper face was not a good look.