I remember back when I was in fourth grade, I had a couple of my friends over for a girls’ beauty night, full of movies, popcorn and facials. You know, typical sleepover stuff. Anyway, we had SO much fun with the various mud masks we played with, and I have to say, I felt like a woman, beautiful and glowing.
Now, here I am, 10 years later, still playing with mud masks. Except this time, I’m an educated consumer with specific skin concerns besides, “Does it smell good?” and “Is it fun to peel off?”
I’m now more concerned with the occasional (painful and mountainous) breakouts, moisturizing my dry-as-anything winter skin, all while making sure that any fine lines are erased as best they can be, and that my pores appear microscopic and not clogged.
Relatively normal-skinned girl seeks an evenly textured facial surface, with a clean, poreless, healthy glow. Apply within.
I did a ton of research on products that are both skin-clearing, as well as nourishing, and you’d be surprised at the amount of stuff out there! But there was ONE product in particular that kept coming up time and time again in search after search. Enter Glamglow out of Hollywood, CA.
Glamglow is a line of volcanic mud-based exfoliating masks originally created for Hollywood actors, musicians, and performers as a way to have camera-ready skin. The GlamGlow product line is now widely available to the general public at $69 for a jar that promises 17 applications or over 1,000 spot treatments. (Thanks http://www.thedermreview.com/glamglow/)
I read, watched, and heard so many amazing things about the brand as a whole, and it seemed that even though it is SUPER hyped, it was still a fan and professional favorite, having accrued tons of awards. I was curious. Are the Glamglow products worth the hype? Hmm?
That’s when I dug deeper into Glamglow, and sought out a product that would suit my needs. I landed on their Supermud® Clearing Treatment mask, described as, “The World’s most Scientifically Advanced Clearing Treatment. Clinically Developed by GLAMGLOW® Dermatological Chemist to help fight all common skin concerns. Designed For Men & Women of All Ages & All Skin Types. SUPERMUD® for Super Clear Super Poreless Skin.”
Here are some of the highlights:
TEAOXI® EUCALYPTUS LEAF
Groundbreaking TEAOXI® is GLAMGLOW’s proprietary continuous time-release technology, delivering daily fresh natural eucalyptol, natural linalool oil & powerful flavonoids direct into our formula from real pieces of Eucalyptus Leaf contained in our magical healing SUPERMUD®.
ACNECIDIC-6™
ACNECIDIC-6™ 4.4%. The World’s first Clearing Treatment with a proprietary 6 acid blend. AHA & BHA acids are perfectly PH balanced for mind-blowing faster results.
- Glycolic – Helps Restore Photo Damaged Skin & Improves Skin Texture.
- Salicylic – Helps De-clog to Minimize Pores & New Skin Rejuvenation.
- Lactic – Helps Pigmentation, Moisture, Stimulation & Skin Collagen.
- Mandelic – Helps Fine Lines, Wrinkles, Aging Skin & Skin Elasticity.
- Pyruvic – Helps the Effects of Scaring & Clearer Skin.
- Azelaic – Helps Fight Follicle Bacteria & Breakouts.
PORE-MATRIX™
PORE-MATRIX™ Our Activated-X Charcoal is an Xtreme absorption carbon, attracting toxic substances into its mass up to 500 times its volume from all skin types, within the deepest & toughest areas. Our new proprietary K17-Clay™ will better extract & encapsulate excess sebum oils, bacteria & toxins in a controlled stasis state, revealing a Pore-Matrix™ of extraction dots & areas, ready to be washed away for seemingly poreless skin.
BIO-LIFE-CELL-SCIENCE™
Uses the complex natural occurring skincare benefits of green life, for Advanced Scientific Skincare.
- EUCALYPTUS LEAF – Helps Fight Toxic Skin Complications.
- LICORICE ROOT – Helps Regulate & Alleviate Problem Skin.
- PEPPERMINT PLANT – Helps Control Bacteria & Irritations.
- CHAMOMILE – Helps Inflammation & Regeneration.
- MARIGOLD – Helps Fight Viral & Microbial Issues.
- COMFREY HERB – Helps Analgesic Recovery.
- ALOE VERA – Helps Healing & Rejuvenation.
- IVY – Helps Relieve Itching & Tightens Skin.
- CUCUMBER – Helps Soothe & Calm Skin.
Now, I don’t know about you, but that seems like A LOT OF INGREDIENTS… And a lot of claims. Helps fight bacteria and breakouts while soothing, calming, regenerating and hydrating? What is this stuff, some kind of sorcery? Unicorn blood? What’s going on here?
I was hooked. And after explaining all of the above to my husband, he agreed to the purchase. We were on our way to being glamorous, that’s for sure. I couldn’t wait for the stuff to arrive.
So yesterday, as I lay in bed trying to take a nap, because frankly, this whole pregnancy thing is really starting to get more than exhausting, the UPS man came bearing gifts, and one of those gifts, was the highly anticipated Glamglow mask! Hurrah!
I excitedly pulled back the sheets with a renewed vigor, and (gently) tore open the packaging. There it was.
First things first, I love the packaging. It’s clean and sleek, just the way I like it. Lift the lid, and you’re greeted in the best way possible, “Hello, Sexy.” Why, hello there… Under that flap, there’s an informational card, followed FINALLY by the little jar containing the supposed elixir of life, or at least the bomb-diggity of mud masks.
I already had a clean face, since I’d taken a long shower just before deciding a nap would be a good idea, so I just got right down to applying the stuff. At first, I was shocked at the deep charcoal color of the mud. I don’t know why. I had seen photos of it and videos of folks using it. I guess I was just shocked that it was THAT dark!
I applied a thin layer to my whole face, and set the timer for 20 minutes. Immediately I noticed a surge of coolness on my face, followed by some tingling. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it was intense, like it was actually doing something. As I examined myself in the mirror, I noticed that this quick drying mud had some chunks of stuff in it, and I’m assuming that’s all the leaves, plants, roots and other good stuff.
As I sat around waiting for the 20 minutes to pass, I couldn’t help but be impressed with the smell. Being pregnant, I am very, VERY sensitive to smell, and there have been certain smells that have really sent me off the handle. Bye chicken. NO. THANKS. But THIS mask smelled so unbelievably fresh, and wonderfully energizing. The peppermint and eucalyptus are the two major scents that shone through, and they were invigorating and revitalizing.
I closed my eyes and pretended I was at an exotic spa somewhere, far, far away. But then the timer went off and I was back in my kitchen with a super tight, powdery-grey mud mask on my face.
But first, I had to inspect. One of the claims under the PORE-MATRIX™ section of the product description is that the charcoal in the mud will actually PULL the crap out of your pores, leaving little black dots on the mask itself. Like, it actually sucks all the dirt, excess oils and other bad stuff from your face, leaving your skin super clean and seemingly poreless. And little black dots I had. They were all on and around my nose, and I have to say, I was a bit grossed out, but happy to see that the claims were more of a reality than a nice thought.
Anyway, the mask was fully dry, and felt super stiff and silly. Time to rinse!
Now, here’s the thing. I didn’t expect major results. I mean, I totally expected to have smoother skin, and that’s about it. After I got all the goop off my face, I was actually floored. Astounded. Shocked. Befuddled. And all in a good way. Nay. A great way.
My skin was smoother, by far, but that wasn’t all. It was at this moment after patting my face dry that I wished that I could have gone back in time to take some before photos of my face so that I could truly compare and contrast what I looked like pre-application and post-application, and share that with you here.
My skin was brighter, and tighter, yet so supple. It didn’t leave my face at all dry, and my super annoying, won’t ever go away blemish on my chin was significantly less red. And my acne scarring was reduced to a point that I could barely even see them, and my whole face just looked like it was glowing. I felt SO clean, and SO hydrated. Like I said, floored. All of this after just ONE use? After seeing my results, my husband decided that he too wanted to get on the bandwagon.
I can’t wait to see what this stuff will do to our complexions and skin condition after sustained weekly usage, but what I can say is this: It’s wonderful. Glamglow followed through on claims just after using it one time, and I’m officially on board with Glamglow. And yes, it’s worth every pretty penny.
