[REVIEW] L’Oréal Blue Clay Mask Clear and Comfort (Before and After)

I’m just going to be honest, I originally bought this for the pictures. I didn’t expect much, was, however pleasantly surprised, and decided to write a review. Let me just say, to all my sisters and brothers with sensitive and dry skin: this mask got you covered.

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[1]🌀Ingredients Breakdown [2]Instructions [3]Results VS. Claims [4]Before&After [5]Verdict

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• Cruelty-free: I have no idea. I found a statement by L’Oreal claiming that they no longer test their products on animals, but it includes a loophole or two which crueltyfreekitty explains

• What you get: 48g

• Price (Using this link): 12.99$

• Texture: Feels like whisked, smooth weightless butter.

+iNGREDIENTS

Ingredients: Formula 782796/8, Aqua / Water, Kaolin, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Isononyl Isononanoate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Mica, Ci 77891 / Titanium Dioxide, Stearic Acid, Stearyl Alcohol, Zinc Sulfate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Sodium Hydroxide, Laminaria Saccharina Extract, Pyridoxine Hcl, Myristic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Moroccan Lava Clay, Capryloyl Glycine, Xanthan Gum, Montmorillonite, Butylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Ci 77499 / Iron Oxides, Ci 77510 / Ferric Ferrocyanide, Limonene, Hexyl Cinnamal, Parfum / Fragrance, B206058/1

🌀In-Depth Details Of Interesting Ingredients:

Kaolin: Has absorbent properties.

Isononyl Isononanoate: Skin-softening agent, can be found in cocoa and lavender oils.

Stearic acid: Protects skin's surface against water loss and help in restoring the skin's protective barrier

Laminaria Saccharina Extract: Alga extracts, hydrates, conditions and detoxifies skin.

Moroccan Lava Clay (GHASSOUL): Helps in the treatment of dehydrated, sensitive skin and enlarged pores. It also helps build and strengthen elasticity of the skin.

Montmorillonite: A type of clay that primarily works as an absorbent of oil and other impurities from the skin.

Ferric Ferrocyanide: Coloring agent, also known as Iron Blue, used in cosmetics products, including those designed for use around the eye. Permanently listed (since 1978) by the FDA as safe. I’m guessing this is what gives the clay mask its color as the other types of clay and algae aren’t usually blue

CONCERNING THE ALCOHOL AND FRAGRANCES ON THE LIST:

Fragrances: limonene , Hexyl Cinnamal , Fragrance

Alcohols: Alcohol Denat, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol

A lot of people assimilate alcohol and fragrances in skincare to dehydration and irritation. I would recommend that you watch this video: “Is Alcohol Safe in Skincare Products?” (by Liah Yoo, who worked at Korea's largest beauty company, AmorePacific, and now also has her own brand: KraveBeauty) and consult the links provided in the infobox which refer to published scientific studies and articles. The main point is: yes, alcohol and fragrance can be very stripping and irritating to the skin, but it all depends on how they are used and combined in the final formulation (their ratio, the reactions they have with other ingredients, etc…), I have sensitive skin but my skin did not react negatively to the blue mask in any way. Of course, if you’re unsure, a patch test is always recommended.

+HOW TO USE THE L’Oréal Blue Clay Mask Clear and Comfort

1.Apply an even layer to clean, dry skin, avoiding eye and lip area.

2.Leave on for 10 to 15 minutes, then remove with water.

3.For best results, use 2 to 3 times a week. In case of contact with eyes, rinse them immediately and thoroughly.

I feel like there are 3 phases to this mask: first, it’s damp, that’s when your skin drinks in the moisturizing and antioxidants ingredients the blue clay mask has to offer. Then there’s the start of the drying phase, and here, the clay works its magic by pulling the extra oil and dirt out of your skin. Finally, there’s the almost dry, but never quite there yet phase. Usually, clay masks get extremely dry in this phase, to the point where, if you move your facial muscles, it feels like you’re getting cracks in your skin. This is why people with sensitive skins avoid these masks. But I’m happy to assure you that this one does not reach that phase, even 20 mins into the application (but don’t let it stay for that long), which is why I really liked it, but keep in mind that you should apply a good amount since a thinner layer will obviously dry much more easily.

Another thing to point out is that this takes a bit of an effort to wipe off the face, if you don’t saturate your face with water and use a towel, it might leave you with a bit of a blue tint, which will go away as soon as you properly clean your face. Another option would be to use this just before a shower.

+WHAT DOES THE L’Oréal Blue Clay Mask Clear and Comfort DO?

Let me start out by saying that this product’s claims vary from website to website, I originally read claims stating that the blue clay mask would ‘clear out blackheads’, ‘shrink your pores’ and ‘even your skin tone’ but L’Oreal does not make any of these statements on their website, and since it's their product, I’m only going to directly refer to them.

3 Pure Clays and Seaweed. Clears & Comforts Stressed, Uncomfortable Skin. Visibly reduces imperfections.

‘‘Indulgent. Transformative. Perfectly Clean. L'Oréal Paris created a new super-charged Pure-Clay face mask with seaweed to clear and comfort skin in just 10 minutes. Our indulgent and powerful formula with pure clays and seaweed provides a luxurious experience while helping comfort stressed skin. This creamy, indulgent formula gently yet effectively cleanses to leave skin clean and clear. Clear and Comfort Clay Face Mask addresses your skin's imperfections to reveal purified and healthier looking skin.’’

L’Oreal folks are masters in advertising, so when they use words like ‘clear’, as a consumer you might associate it to clearing out pores, or clearing out acne, or clearing out dirt, it’s not precise and you can assume a lot of different things, so I’m going to try and be as detailed as possible.

1.“Clear and Comfort skin”: This is a perfect example, what does it mean to comfort skin? Anyway, I’m assuming they mean that the product will soothe your skin, which yes, it will because it leaves it very soft. As for clearing out my skin, I tested the mask for 1 month and a half, 3 times a week, and it didn’t really do anything for my blackheads or acne (except for gently absorbing the white gunk out of my active acne whenever I had any). I also tried using it as a topical overnight product on active acne, and although it did not irritate it in any way (which was a pleasant surprise), it also didn’t help. It does not claim to do anything for acne anyway, so that’s not a shock, as, for clearing, it didn’t really clear anything up, except for the dullness of my face. For me, the clearing and comforting effect translate into it making my skin brighter and softer after 10 minutes, which it most definitely does.

2.‘‘Comfort stressed skin’’: Again with comfort.. I’m guessing here they mean that it will calm down irritated skin. If your skin is flushed from the heat or just feels uncomfortable, this will help, but I would never use a clay mask on sunburnt skin for example. So the answer is yes, but up to a point.

3.‘‘Gently yet effectively cleanses to leave skin clean and clear’’: Without any hesitations: YES. I love using this product when my skin feels gunky and over-oily in the T-zone because of really bad humidity and hot weather. Whenever I use this mask for 10 minutes, my skin feels fresh and clean during the whole day, without feeling dry in any way. As for ‘clear’, I guess it does leave it clear of dirt for the day?

This is after 1 application: there isn’t a HUGE difference, but my skin is a bit brighter and the gunk from my acne head has been absorbed.

I used this product for a month and a half, I knew from the first use that I really liked it, but I wanted to find out if it would have any long term benefits. However, just like the Orc Pack Tight Skin, this is just something to use as a pick-me-up whenever you’re having a bad skin day, or if you simply feel like having a little brighter and softer skin at a particular time. Also, since it’s a clay mask, you would expect that it helps with blemish control, but I’ve used it regularly and it doesn’t do anything, I still got my occasional acne during the time I used it.The product does not claim to have long term benefits anyway, so the result I got is just fine.

I really enjoyed the mask, the experience of putting it on is great because the texture is so smooth and glides very easily on the skin, my skin did not get irritated, which is a first with clay masks for me, and I feel like the price makes it worth your money. I don’t really have anything negative to say. Which isn’t to say that I would recommend it right off the bat, the benefits aren’t revolutionary, you can find a lot of masks that will give you the same outcome, some Korean ones are even cheaper, but what’s cool about this one is that it’s clay-based and blue.

+BENEFITS:

1. Fun to use

2. Won’t dry out your skin

3. Can be used on sensitive skin

4. Affordable

5. Makes your skin a bit brighter after only 10 minutes.

6. Smells really good to me

-CONS:

1. It’s the kind of mask that you need to dip your fingers or spatula in to get the product, but you can get the one that comes in a bottle

2. Is kind of a pain to remove from the face

3. WILL stain your towels

   
   🔵Score: 3.0/5 --- I’m satisfied with this for what it is. It would have gotten a 5.0 if it had long-term benefits. I wouldn’t go out of my way to purchase this again as I would like to try other things, maybe another clay mask from the same line.

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+(Wishtrend product link)