What is it?Essential Care's 2-in-1 Purifying Mint Face Mask is the first ever skincare product to be certified to both UK Fairtrade and Soil Association Organic Standards. Containing purifying green clay, mineral-rich sea kelp, and extracts of raspberry, mint and sugar cane, the mask deep cleanses and gently exfoliates your skin in one go. It is suitable for all skin types and is completely free from chemicals, artificial fragrance and colour, hydrogenated oils, petrochemicals, glycols, DEA, MEA and TEA.
Who is testing it? Me. My skin is normal with a few dry patches. A busy Christmas and lots of time spent indoors had left my skin looking a little the worse for wear, so I was looking forward to giving myself a new year treat with this mask.
In Use: I had quite a surprise when I opened this pot as the face mask is not a cream as I had expected, but a green powder. It's very easy to use – scoop approx. 1 teaspoon of the powder into your hand, add enough cool water to make a paste and apply to your face. I liked the fact that you could add the water yourself and make the mask as thick or thin as you liked. The leaflet with the mask is very helpful and has lots of great suggestions. As well as doing a full mask treatment and leaving the mask on for 10-15 minutes, you can mix up a thinner paste and simply apply and rinse off immediately for an instant 2-in-1 cleanse and exfoliation.
I used the powder both as a full mask treatment and as a quick cleanser / exfoliator and was really impressed with it. It felt very cleansing on my skin and, although it is an exfoliator, it is very gentle. My skin felt really clean afterwards, but not at all tight or dry. It felt smooth and looked glowing and healthy.
As well as mixing with water, the mask powder can also be mixed with other things such as citrus or rose petal tonic (oily skins), yoghurt or coconut milk (for normal/dry/sensitive skin) or honey and rose petal tonic (mature/ sluggish skin). I love the fact that this one mask can be used in so many different ways to give your skin lots of different treatments. It's a great idea and it's very effective. It's also great fun!
Any negatives? Unfortunately, I don't really like the smell of this mask. It has a mild minty fragrance which is strongest when the mask is first applied. It did spoil the enjoyment of using the mask a little, but luckily the smell wore off once the mask had been on the skin for a few minutes.
Price and Availability: The 2-in-1 mint mask costs £20 and is available direct from Essential Care.
Overall: Although I didn't like the smell, I did really enjoy using this mask and was very impressed with the effect it had on my skin. It's good value for money as it can be adapted and used in different ways, and it's great that it's chemical free, fairtrade and certified by the Soil Association.
Verdict: 4/5
