Hello beauties,

So a couple people have been asking me about masks and cleansers they’ve seen featured on blogs, TV, or other websites. There are some amazing products out there, but looking at the ingredients from many ‘trending’ masks, I advise you to proceed with caution.

To start, DO NOT trust Pinterest with your skin. Lemon juice should be nowhere near your skin, and will absolutely not substitute for a citric acid or toner. While throwing your entire kitchen into a blender to make a mask may seem appealing, it’s important to understand the effects each of those products will have on your skin. The fact is, just because it’s all natural for your body, does not make it any healthier for your face.

Secondly, a lot of mud-masks and charcoal-based masks have been trending lately. While I do love a couple of these such as the Bentonite Indian Healing Clay Mask and the Black Mask by Revision,

BUT

many of the masks trending right now such as the GlamGlow mask have essential oils caked into their formulas, and a slew of parabens that will make your skin feel smoother for a few days, but ultimately make you more susceptible to having oilier skin, and needing more products to upkeep the imbalances it will cause.

Finally, products should be educational and not fear what the consumer knows. Don’t be afraid to go to the ingredients page of a product and read what it says. In my experience, a lot of trustworthy companies explain what each ingredient does, and you can fact-check this with a simple google search. Don’t trust reviews, and don’t trust bloggers, NOT EVEN ME! Go out there, do a little research for yourself, and try it for yourself.

**Keep in mind, some products purge your skin and will make you break out the first time or two you use them. Do not let that steer you away! That is actually good. The product is getting all the gunk from below the first layer of your skin and pulling it to the surface. Do not continue a product that makes you itchy, red, or irritates your skin beyond a pimple or two!**

Feel free to ask any questions in the comments, via e-mail, or however else you might find me.

xx Leah