You know, I have always had this impression that since I don’t have very large pores it would be easier to maintain clear skin. I also thought that as I got older, the chances of breaking out would also diminish. It just seems like none of these things are really true. No matter how nice you think your skin should be it just seems like it will always take some work. Unfortunately, not everyone has the time.
I personally don’t have the time or money that it takes to buy expensive brands or put excessive amounts of effort into my routine. Doing my makeup, feeling clean, smelling good and pampering my skin on occasion is so refreshing and I love doing it. But the truth is that I need quick solutions for my complexion issues. Things like facial cleansers and nighttime moisturizers are the only things I seem to manage to use on a very consistent basis and that is mainly because I can just use them quickly in the shower, or right after my shower.
I enjoy using bath bombs, face masks or even doing hot oil treatments on my hair. But the real problem is that I am not always consistent because there are so many other things that take precedence in my life. It is important to take care of yourself. You start feeling worn down, frumpy and all around frustrated with your appearance. This could also make you feel really unmotivated. I know I do when I get caught up in everything and don’t feel like I’m looking my best. It is just such a confidence booster to look and feel good!
I was talking to my dear Grammy recently about how I have been breaking out more easily lately and I didn’t know what to try next. It just didn’t make sense to me because I wasn’t doing anything differently and it just seemed like my skin was getting worse. She recommended that I should try an activated charcoal mask. She had heard good things about them from my aunt.
They know me really well. Especially that I can be all over the place. All the time. So they explained that this could be a really great option for me because these masks can be really affordable, very quick and I’ll only need to use it as regularly as once a week if I choose to!
Since all of these benefits seemed to be right in my ballpark I decided that it was worth a try! Considering all these things, I decided I was going to need to find a new product that would also be affordable. I stumbled across a charcoal mask by Vena Beauty that I decided to try out and tell you what I think!
Things to Consider When Trying Vena Beauty Black Mask
Possible side effects: So I did some research and I have heard that when you get masks online, there can definitely be some things to look into and worry about. If you don’t look into the ingredients and know what you are putting on your skin, you could be at risk for chemical burns, permanently enlarged pores and even scaring. Scary right?!
But in this particular case, I didn’t find anything that hinted towards any of these problems. Which is a very good thing! But that is a good tip if you are worried about trying a cheap product from another country and you can’t find the ingredients list!
If you have sensitive skin though I don’t think I would recommend this product. I think peel off masks like this could be a little harsh and because they can hurt when they are being peeled off. If you have sensitive skin, this could be more pain than it is worth. It would be better to try gradually removing the blackheads with a clay/charcoal cream mask that will rinse off instead.
Efficiency: This product might actually take a little longer to dry than some other masks, but this is because they recommend putting it on in a reasonably thicker layer. While it says it may take 20-30 minutes to dry, it is definitely not going to take any longer than that. Since it really should be used in more of a spot treatment for troubled areas instead of full face coverage. I think it probably won’t take long to dry because you only need to use it in a few places.
Skin Type: This is typically recommended for people with oily skin. The charcoal is really great at removing any excess oils. If you have typically dry skin, this could potentially make your face even worse. But only if you don’t moisturize after using it. If you have really dry skin or really sensitive skin, I would probably recommend that you steer clear of this mask and use something else. It isn’t that you can’t use anything with charcoal in it, but it might be smarter to use something that is going to have elements that will replace those removed oils with moisture. So something containing clay, vitamins, or any moisturizing ingredients. These peel-off masks can’t normally contribute that to your skin because they need to dry enough to peel off, any ingredients that might moisturize your skin would also ruin this aspect of the mask.
Multiple Purpose and Benefits: This product is a very straightforward and simple mask! It is meant to remove blackheads and oils mainly. This will help unclog your pores and remove dead skin. The nice thing about this mask is that you really only need to use it for spot treatment once a week. When you’ve used it enough to remove blackheads and buildup you can probably drop back to more occasional use!
Who Should Buy This Product
I think this is the perfect mask for anyone who has oily skin, regular breakouts and a face full of blackheads. This will help clean out the impurities in those pores and just really pull the junk out in a similar fashion to Biore Pore Strips.
The reason this is so beneficial is that it will allow your everyday cleansing washes to really penetrate into your pores and maintain that cleanliness. It may take a few uses to remove as many of the blackheads as you want. But everything has to start somewhere! Especially because if you have never used a mask like this one and you have little tiny hairs on your face and this will pull them out. It sounds terrible, I know. But in reality, you kind of need to get them out of the way with the first peel, after that it might make it easier for this product to really get into your pores the second time around.
Once you have used this a few times to get your skin where you want it to be, you can probably drop back from weekly use to occasional use. As long as you are cleaning your skin on a regular basis. This is meant more for removing buildup. This will not happen very often if you are washing your face regularly, always washing off your makeup and using something to tone and tighten your skin and pores.
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Who Shouldn’t Buy This Product
For one thing, this mask might be really painful, depending on who you are and how you handle pain. I don’t typically have too many issues with it personally but something like this definitely makes even my eyes water! So if you have issues with getting your eyebrows waxed or peeling off a band-aid…this will probably be no better. Just keep that in mind!
I also don’t think this is really a great mask for anyone who is looking for anything more than really just removing oils, dead skin and blackheads. Quite frankly, it’s hard enough getting rid of those particular issues! So it isn’t like this is a bad product because it doesn’t help with every type of issue. That’s a bit of a tall order. So there isn’t a lot that this does for things like moisturizing or shrinking pores, but you kind of have to pick and choose sometimes!
Pros
- Oil control
- Removes dead skin
- Cleanses dirty pores
Cons
- May hurt to peel off
- Could dry out your skin
- Will potentially irritate dry skin
Features and Benefits
Removes blackheads and cleanses pores. It actually physically pulls the clogs right out of your pores. Blackheads are a mix of dirt and makeup (in my case anyway) and the oils from your face that get packed into your pores. They can lead to acne that is even deeper in your skin because your skin is clogged, dirty and can contain bacteria can lead to infections of a sort. (Aka breakouts.)
Acne treatment that will actually dig deep into those pores to help pull out toxins that contribute to your acne and blemishes. Charcoal is an incredible cleaning agent that is good for a lot of different things. But the main purpose here is the fact that it is a wonderful product that detoxes your skin to prevent future outbreaks!
Anti-aging treatment that will soften your skin and in turn soften any wrinkles that you might have. Keep in mind that it will not be getting rid of them completely. It will just help to soften the look of them! Moisturizing after the use of this product will also help with this!
Great for spot treatment! This isn’t really meant to be put in places with hair, like around your lips and DEFINITELY not your eyebrows. So, for this reason, it is really great for spot treatment in troublesome areas. Like on your T-zone, chin, nose and even your cheeks.
Provides oil control which is great for people who excessive amounts of oil on their face and are self-conscious about it. Greasy, shiny looking skin can actually make your hair greasy as well. By soaking up a bit of the oil with this mask you can really get this issue under control. My sister has a lot of issues with this and this is the type of thing would really help her control that. She is one of the only people I know with excessively oily skin, minimal breakouts, but extremely sensitive skin. But this is something she could definitely try because there isn’t a whole lot of danger of it drying out her skin. But there might be a possibility it will irritate her skin. That is why patch testing the product on an area like your arm is so important!
Social Proof
From what I have seen, almost all peel off charcoal masks work wonders for some people and do nothing for others. It isn’t that it is a bad product, it is because everyone has such drastically different skin. However, in some beauty vlogs I recently watched, this product seemed to work really well!
I like watching beauty vlogs because you can actually see the product in action and I think that is really important if you are unsure about the product. I think the best way to do that is either watch videos or try it myself and that is true for pretty much everyone. I haven’t personally used this product and I don’t want to give you the impression that I have. My job here is that I want to give you an idea of how this product could work for you and explain why I would use it personally.
In the end, a product that works really great on my skin is not guaranteed to work on yours. But this is review is meant to be helpful in the way that I can explain what my skin is like and exactly how this could work for me. You can at least get an idea of how it would work for you if your skin is similar!
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Alternatives
If you aren’t interested in the product I reviewed in this post, I thought it would be nice to outline some possible alternatives! I know that sometimes I’m intrigued by a mask but I find out it just isn’t what I’m looking for at the moment. Maybe in the future! But I don’t want to leave you hanging. So I thought I’d suggest some alternative masks that could help you in case this wasn’t the right one for you!
Wake Up Beautiful Mask by Pacifica: This mask is supposed to be super hydrating and perfect if you just need something that you can wear to bed! This could be really fun for a sleepover, as it claims in the description. I know I would have fun with it! Overall, this is a quick, easy and effortless mask. Especially if you can sleep without moving and getting it all over your pillow! (I might have trouble with this.)
I’m Real Sheet Mask by Tony Moly: I don’t know about you, but depending on the day or the weather, my skin just does its own thing. Half the time it’s greasy and oily. The other half it is so dry I get dry skin patches all over. Summer VS Winter does not bode well for me.
But if you have similar issues and don’t know what to do for your skin, you could try this variety pack! These are sheet masks so they are perfect if you hate the mess but love the benefits! And with 11 different options, you can try something new every day!
Purity Made Simple by PHILOSOPHY: This is a well-researched clay mask that is meant to purify your pores and extract any impurities from them. It will make your skin soft and smooth while all around improving the look of your pores. This has a lot of the benefits of the charcoal mask but if you hate the idea of covering your face with charcoal this could be a great product. It has all of the same benefits for a similar price, but without the charcoal!
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Conclusion
Everyone, I saw actually using this product thought it pulled more out of their pores than even Biore pore strips!
Admittedly, not everyone loved it. It just really didn’t work for some people, but they didn’t have many complaints other than the fact that it didn’t remove ALL of their blackheads. I still consider this worth a shot. That is because those people are usually ones that either did not open their pores by steaming their face or they used the product once and expected everything to be completely clear instantly. That really isn’t how any product works. You have to be consistent to really give it a chance to work. That is how it was meant to be used!
I can understand not recommending a product if you had a bad reaction or if it harmed your skin. But since I didn’t see anything along those lines I really would recommend giving this a try!
External References & Citations
- chevron-circle-right See the best charcoal face masks according to Amazon reviews!
- chevron-circle-rightScuddles Blackhead Remover Mask Review
- chevron-circle-rightBONVITA Bamboo Charcoal Peel Off Mask and Brush Kit Review
- chevron-circle-rightBlack Peel off Charcoal Mask AsaVea Review
- chevron-circle-rightCidBest Official Charcoal Mask Review
- chevron-circle-rightToullGo Original Activated Charcoal Mask Review
- chevron-circle-rightRAAM Products Purifying 3 in 1 Activated Bamboo Charcoal Mask Review
- chevron-circle-rightFood Grade Activated Charcoal Powder Essential Elements Review
- chevron-circle-rightVena Beauty Black Mask Review
- chevron-circle-rightEcocharms 8 Sheets Organic Charcoal Facial Mask Review
- chevron-circle-rightAuperwel Black Mask Review
Last update on 2023-04-18 at 02:11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API