Hello fellow Bloggers and beautiful Bloggees!
I ordered
a new face wash from
Sephora the other day, and when it arrived, my package contained several deluxe samples, including a
Boscia Luminizing Black Mask, which I was simply
thrilled to receive.
Boscia Luminizing Black Mask
I’ve been dying to use a mask for a few weeks now, because while my skin is looking pretty decent, I needed a little boost. I’ve had a light smattering of blackheads across the tip of my nose, and my complexion is a little dull right now. When I saw the little black tube, I couldn’t even wait to try it! But I did. Because I’m a freak about reading other people’s opinions on things. Instead of my go-to, of other blogs, I decided to read through the 18 billion reviews for the mask on Sephora’s website. Things ranged from it burning their skin and peeling off hair like wax, and it being the most luxurious thing to ever grace the face. Since I couldn’t come to a decision one way or the other, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
I washed my face and allowed it to dry. I used lukewarm water for this, as I had already washed my face today, but had my
DermaDoctor DD Cream on that I wanted removed before I used any other treatment. I didn’t want to be too harsh on my poor, sensitive skin.
Above: I washed my face, but left my eye makeup and brows done since I wouldn’t be applying the mask on or around that area.
After my skin had dried completely, I looked at how to use the product. According to specialists and most of the reviews that I read, you needed to apply a fairly
thick layer in order to get the full benefit. It had a tar-like consistency and I used most of the sample. I might get one more use out of it.
The full size is 2.8 oz for $34.00 on Sephora. The sample I received is 0.7 oz. I would imagine that you would get around 8 uses from a full size bottle. Which is fair enough for the price. This isn’t the type of mask I would spread to my neck and decolletage, as I feel the skin there is too sensitive and thin, and might become irritated or even end up with micro abrasions from peeling it off.
Boscia Luminizing Mask
Above: The product as it looks when you squeeze it onto your fingertips.
The mask is deepest black, giving you the impression of having tar smeared across your face. I It’s a pretty shocking look. The mask spread well enough, but it was difficult to get it even everywhere. I found that using cold water to rinse it off of my fingers worked far better than using warm or hot. It just melted away. I can’t stress enough how thick this is, and that you really, really don’t want to get it near your hairline, or if you have sideburns. I focused on the center of my face, since my nose is my biggest problem area right now. Also, with all masks, be careful if you have facial piercings! You don’t ever want to get any kind of mask stuck in those, as it can lead to infection.
Boscia Mask Complete
Above: As you can see, it’s a very surprising thing to see staring back at you in a mirror.
I carefully avoided my eye, brow, lip and nostril areas to ensure I wouldn’t wind up irritated. Now it was time to let the magic work. You’re supposed to use this for 20-30 minutes, or until dry. At about the 10 minute mark, I noticed it tightening up around my lips and on my nose and forehead, the places where it was applied in a less thick layer. I also noticed my eyes watering uncontrollably. The mask has a strange odor, which reminds me of pickled ginger, that you’d get with sushi! The smell didn’t bother me so much, as vinegar is one of my Holy Grail items, and that’s what it reminded me of, but my eyes hated it! The fumes irritated me until the mask dried up completely. However, they weren’t red, just watery.
At around the 25 minute mark, I tapped my fingers lightly around my face, checking to see that it was dry everywhere. It seemed even, so I smiled my biggest smile in order to get the corners worked up, and began peeling. I always start at the bottom of my face and work my way up. When I smile, it peels up around my lips and I’m able to have a good starting point. The first thing I noticed was it was really, really attached. Not that pieces were left behind. This thing peeled off, for the most part, in one large sheet. I’ve rarely had peel off masks stay together so well upon removal. As I did this, I checked out the part of the mask that had been attached to my face. And ew. Ew, ew, ew. There was so much gunk, little tiny hairs, dead skin cells, flaky bits…I could not BELIEVE the amount of garbage in my pores! My poor face! Anyways, even though it was a very stuck-on mask, it didn’t aggravate me at all. I have sensitive skin, but I would say if you have papery or thin skin, AVOID THIS AT ALL COSTS. You’ll most likely end up tearing your face and going all red and splotchy. My face stayed its normal Tim Burton White tone throughout the entire removal. I noticed in one or two spots on my cheeks, the product hadn’t dried completely, so I let that sit for another five minutes or so. There were a few little bits and pieces that hadn’t come up, and I took a washcloth with cold water and gently wiped them away. They came right off, no problem. I removed the rest of the mask and went to check out my face!
After
Above: After using the mask, my skin is a lot brighter!
As you can see, my skin has lost a lot of the dull, lifeless look from the first shot. Also, this was immediately after removing the mask, so while my face may not be bright red, it’s a little pink in spots due to the washcloth. However, my skin has brightened up considerably! I did a serious nose check, and I didn’t see a single blackhead. Most of the fine hairs covering my face were gone, which is a plus in my book, but you may enjoy your peach fuzz. I was quite pleased with the final result.
Above: Direct sunlight, up close, further back, and in the shade. All photographs were taken outdoors to have the most natural light.
Verdict
Packaging: 8/10 – I guess I’m going to have to get over hating tubes of product, because that’s what people keep coming out with. This wasn’t bad though. A very simple black tube with white writing on it. Since this was just a sample, I didn’t receive a box with it.
Look of Product: 10/10 – Okay, I’m a sucker for funky masks. I like green ones, gray ones, black ones, red ones…You name it. And this is one of my favorite looks. The pitch black, shiny mask is just…neat.
Smell of Product: 3/10 – Alright, I know I said above that I don’t mind the smell of pickled ginger, which is what this smelled like, seriously, but the fumes irritated my eyes to the point where I considered just removing the mask and scrapping the whole project. It’s the main thing that would keep me from purchasing a full size, but it may not stop me completely.
Texture of Product: 8/10 – While it’s not bad, it’s incredibly thick and tar-like. This can make it difficult to apply evenly. I didn’t mind too much, as it wasn’t tacky like some masks I’ve tried, that feel like glue. This was a whole different can of worms. In a way, it reminded me more of a homemade honey avocado mask, just because it didn’t pull when applying, but it was just so heavy!
Using Product: 8.5/10 – I’m conflicted here. I already put above, in the Smell of Product category, that the fumes irritated my eyes. So I’ll go ahead and give it this rating, because other than that, the mask felt really luxurious on my face. It was like I went somewhere and got a facial! I didn’t tingle or burn as with some masks, and even when it dried, it never felt too tight.
After Using Product: 10/10 – My skin was bright, my blackheads were gone, the excess oil on my nose left, and it livened up my dull complexion. Peeling the mask off may end up being harsh for some people, so be careful! My skin is sensitive, but it’s thick, and I use a collagen booster so it keeps it from getting papery.
Overall Result: 7.91/10
Not bad, Boscia! Highly recommended! Now this is all with the caveat that you have a skin type close to mine. That you can handle pulling something like this off of your face. Imagine duct tape. Now imagine pulling it off of your upper lip. Can you handle that? I would recommend purchasing this product in its full size if you’re okay with that one thing. It definitely illuminated my skin and it removed all the gunk from my pores. I think my skin looks and feels really nice right now, very light and very clean. I stress the importance of using cold water to remove from your hands, or any that’s left on your face. And if your eyes begin to burn, don’t be a martyr unless you’re a blogger like me. Take it off.
What do you think? Have you tried Boscia Luminizing Black Mask before? Have you tried other black masks? What would you like to see next? And as always, thanks for reading!
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