MUDD, For The People you Hate (Mudd Original Face Mask)

Member Name: Lemonlurver

Product:	Mudd Original Face Mask
Date:	11/03/04 (436 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, Can be used in the war against terrorism

Disadvantages: It hurts, it looks terrible, it's messy

Fresh clean skin, there is nothing quite like it. For years I?ve been using face masks, trying all types but nothing I?ve found clears the skin and tightens my pores as much as my lovely facial sauna. I?d be quite happy steaming my face every day, although this is not recommended. It?s relaxing and purifying, one of my favourite pastimes. Sometimes though, it?s not practical. I either don?t have the time, or I?m away from home. They aren?t the most portable things in the world, so I generally rely on a face pack.

As my local Boots was out of its sachets of alien blue exfoliating facemasks, I decided to give Mudd a go. It?s been around for years, and some women swear by it. I?d always been upt off, as the packaging doesn?t really suit my minimalist style. The packaging is truly awful. I cannot think of any redeeming feature. It comes in a white plastic tube, with MUDD emblazoned in orange down the side. Not very attractive. It just doesn?t fit in with the glass and chrome minimalist chic I?d like to see in my bathroom. In terms of bathroom aesthetics, it?s the beauty equivalent of a toilet roll dolly.

As I have slightly sensitive skin I bought the variety for? You guessed it, sensitive skin. It is stated that it?s an extra gentle pure clay formula, and hypoallergenic.

The first time I used it I followed the instructions perfectly. I soaked my face with a warm moist cloth, and carefully blotted dry. I then applied the mask all over my face, of course avoiding the delicate eye area. I am so glad I did, because with 30 seconds of applying the mask my face felt like it was burning. My eyes were streaming and everywhere I used it felt tingly and tight and rather sore.

It dried quite unevenly taking a fair amount of time, but it did eventually have that satisfying
tightness. Of course, as soon as you have a dried facemask on, the first thing you do is laugh. It crumbled everywhere!!! Using previous facemasks I?ve found that they don?t crumble to the same extent. Maybe this is because of the so called purity of the clay, all I know if that it made a real mess over me.

I waited the required 10-15 minutes before removing it (even though I was waving a sheaf of paper in my face to keep it cool) I washed it off as recommended, with a cool wet cloth to soften and then I wiped off. The smell is not too unpleasant, but it didn't smell like natural clay. The perfume added to it was quite floral.

The first thing I noticed was that my facecloth was a disgusting mess. Yuk! The mask is a light greyish brown, and a smooth texture, but on the cloth it looked like the excrement of a very sick puppy. Really quite disgusting.

I then examined my face, for any signs of irritation. Surprisingly, there were none. I was expecting a pink blotchy face but it looked quite fresh and even. My skin felt much more toned. The enlarged pores I sometimes have on my cheeks were smaller. However, on closer inspection it hadn?t gotten rid of all the impurities on my nose, which my facial sauna always removes. However, the stinging started again not long after and I had to use my night cream to make my skin feel suitably moisturised. There were no dry patches on my face but it did feel as if I?d been out in a chill wind on my cheeks. That?s not what I would hope from something that is meant to be relaxing.

I decided to give it another go, the next time I was away from my sauna. This time I tried it in the bath. Not recommended. I thought doing this would stop the pain, after all my baths are hot enough to boil a baby, so I thought the steam would soften my skin and make the
MUDD?s job easier. All that it did was stop the mask from drying up. The heat and tightness were still there, but the steam stopped the mask from drying at all. Of course when I examined it, it hadn?t made much difference to the impurities in my skin, but my skin did feel slightly more toned.

I won?t be using this again. After two applications the tube of 75g is more than half full, and for 99p it was a bargain. The pain and discomfort, offset by the failure to remove the black bits on my nose, was not part of the package. If this is the extra gentle formulation I?d hate to introduce my skin to the standard version. I know I have sensitive skin but I would have expected the Sensitive formulation to be suitable as there was nothing I was allergic to in it. Possibly it was too perfumed, but as it is supposed to be for sensitive skin you would have thought they would have cut it out.

I would only recommend this to people whose skin was made of leather. It?s too harsh for me. I would also recommend it to people planning on inflicted torture on their enemies. I?m sure it would be most effective for that.

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