Somewhere during the early days of March last year, I browsed online in need of a physical exfoliator. One year after I got this, it finally gets a review!
Let me introduce you to an impulse buy from BeautyMNL, it's the MIJU GLOW Aztec Bentonite Clay!
This is a tiny jar of bentonite clay for your weekly face mask session. It's definitely made to be like the famous Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay which is a trend I got on back in 2017. The smell of apple cider vinegar takes me back to that innocent year. I can still feel the sting and tugging on my face. The things we do for our skin!
This costs Php 172.00 when I got it last year for 50g worth of product. It's on sale for Php 79.00 right now on BeautyMNL! Check it out here: https://beautymnl.com/products/20100-bentonite-clay-50g
FEATURES
Like all clay masks in the market, it promises to care for your skin by the following benefits:
Exfoliating
Deep Cleansing
Unclog and Minimize Pores
Removes excess oil
DIRECTIONS
Mix the Bentonite clay powder with water or apple cider vinegar with a 1:1 ratio or until you achieve a paste-like texture.
Apply onto clean, dry face, avoiding the area. Allow it to dry for 15 to 20 minutes.
Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.
For best results, use once a week.
For external use only.
HOW DID IT DO?
Like I mentioned earlier, I have already used a clay mask before. For this product, I opted to use water instead of apple cider vinegar since my acne wasn't as bad as they were in 2017. Also, I didn't follow the 1:1 ratio as recommended, I went for 1:2 instead: 1 part clay, 2 parts water.
It will seem too watery, but here's the trick - after you mix the clay and water, leave it out for a few minutes. The mixture will eventually thicken and you'll avoid mess as you put it on your face. You will also save a lot of clay with this technique. No need to add more clay if you want a thicker mask!
Anyway, it's different from the beloved Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay. That one is a really fine powder without any traces of other particles. This one from MIJU Glow is coarser with little specks of black elements. You can feel like there are tiny rocks within the mixture as you brush the mask on your face so this may not be good for sensitive skin types.
After I washed it off, I didn't notice any redness on my face. It's probably because I used water instead of that funky smelling vinegar. My face felt deeply cleaned.
I used my aloe vera gel from Luxe Organix after the mask to moisturize my face.
PROS
Affordable.
Travel-friendly if you're looking for something to stash in your skincare bag.
Leaves your face feeling extra clean.
CONS
Too gritty and abrasive on the face.
Since it's small, you'll run out of it fast. Better stick to bigger jars if you're not taking it anywhere. Don't use too much plastic!
FINAL THOUGHTS
I think I'm pretty much done with rough clay masks like this one. I'd go for milder and lightweight clay masks that don't strip the oils from my face too much. Chemical exfoliants are also more preferred by skincare experts and I am beginning to venture into that.
Is this a repurchase? Nah. Do I recommend it? Sure, if you're still into clay masks to pamper yourself once in a while to. But this as a weekly skincare regimen? Nope. It might do some damage to your skin, especially if it's sensitive.
'Til the next review,
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