Magic Bag O' Samples: GlamGlow Mud Mask

I'm about three and a half weeks out from filming in High Definition. That means that I need to 1) learn my lines (whoops...), 2) lose about ten pounds (not happening), and 3) get my skin HD ready. I might actually be able to do that last one.

About a week ago, I was able to get my hands on a deluxe sample size of GlamGlow Tingling & Exfoliating Mud Mask. It's, supposedly, this miracle product that you slather on, and when you rinse it off fifteen minutes later you're Christie Brinkley circa Uptown Girl. Yeah...right.

Here's what Sephora has to say about it:

This mud mask leaves skin noticeably radiant and glowing. It activates moisturizing collagen synthesis, provides gentle resurfacing exfoliation, and helps to leave skin smoother, brighter, and softer. While providing tighter skin texture and tighter pores, it provides a more youthful appearance and absorbs impurities without removing natural oils.

And GlamGlow, themselves:

Designed for Hollywood’s Entertainment, Music, Fashion and Award industries for camera-ready soft glowing skin. Dredged off the coast of Southern France, home to glamorous Cannes, St. Tropez and Monaco. GLAMGLOW is an amazing rapid gentle exfoliant mud mask for men and women, high in ancient volcanic pumice rock, super antioxidants and minerals.

Those are some serious claims! I figured, I'd try it now, and at worst, I'd break out and have a month to get over it. At best, my skin might look nice for Thanksgiving, and I might save the rest of the tube to use before filming for a little extra oomph.

Um...I bought a jar.

Well, to be more specific, Thomas and I went in together on a jar, and we got it through Amazon for about half the retail price. I'm sorry, but the day I shell out almost seventy bucks for a face mask is the day you can cart me off to the looney bin. Not that it isn't worth it, but I just don't have that kind of money. Anyhoo, back to the story.

I put on the mask, which is very pleasant and natural-smelling, and has large bits of green tea leaves scattered throughout. It's very scrubby, and left a lovely cooling feeling, but I wasn't seeing any magic, yet. After fifteen minutes, the mask was very dry, hard, flaky, and downright uncomfortable. In fact, it had begun to itch, so I ran back to the bathroom to rinse it off. That's when I saw it. The pores on my nose were, dare I say, clear! Actually, all of the skin on my face was clear, save for one pimple that showed up as a result of the mask, and was quickly dealt with (with an extractor! Be careful, folks!). I could tell an immediate difference in the look and feel of my skin, and even ran into the living room, yelling for Thomas to feel my face. Why he puts up with me, I'll never know...

The effects lasted for almost three days. I did feel the need to do a "touch up" mask after two days, but probably could have gotten by without it. Thomas has trouble with the pores on his nose clogging up, so he used a little just in that area, and was really happy with the results. After a couple of days of discussing it, we decided to go in together on a jar.

This is, easily, the best mask I've ever used. I have a fancy-schmancy one from Basin, the tried-and-true Queen Helene Mint Julep, and have slathered on more strawberries and avacados than you can shake a stick at, but this one tops them all. My skin is smoother, brighter, more supple...it glows. I'm still a little too young to be able to tell if it tightens or helps with wrinkles, but even if it doesn't, it's still worth trying out--especially during holiday party season! My advice: go to Amazon. Prices are considerably cheaper, the sellers are generally reputable (mine came from Amazon, directly), and you can find smaller sizes.

Final Verdict: 9 out of 10. The price is the only thing keeping this from being a freaking 11.