Testing a $70 face mask....

This is a review of Sand and Sky's pink clay face mask. This product is being widely promoted on Instagram in Australia and it has had hundreds of rave reviews. I have always had problem skin, so I thought I'd give it a go to see if it could help with my pores, breakouts and blackheads.

I ordered this mask from Sand and Sky's website on the 12th of April and I received it on the 19th (my birthday!). I paid AUD $69.90 and shipping was free - honestly, for the price you'd hope it'd be...

According to Sand and Sky's website, their 'Porefining Face Mask' tightens pores, 'supercharges your glow', detoxifies and brightens. It has a 4.6 out of 5 star rating which has been calculated off 333 reviews.

I put off ordering this mask for some time. I knew that if it didn't do exactly what it claimed to, then I would have thrown away a lot of money. However, I kept seeing the adds pop up on my feed and after reading endlessly positive reviews - I caved.

Sand and Sky recommend that people with sensitive skin should use their mask no more than twice a week. I have very sensitive skin, so I made sure to strictly adhere to these instructions.

I have large pores on my cheeks and nose, which I was hoping this mask would reduce. I slapped it on the first night it arrived and didn't take any pictures for this blog. I assumed that I would use the mask many times and that there was no need for me to rush into taking a snap.

I used this mask a total of 3 times before I gave it away to a friend. I hate this mask.

This mask did nothing to brighten my complexion and my pores remained as visible as always. I am a regular user of L'Oreal's Paris Pure Clay Detoxifying & Brightening Charcoal Mask, so this was the standard that Sand and Sky was up against. When I use the L'oreal mask, the results are instant and very satisfying. When I used Sand and Sky, all I got was a slightly tingling feeling all over my face (which is apparently normal), which caused a lot of discomfort.

And then came the pimples.

Around my period I get the occasional pimple around my mouth/nose/chin area. When my cycle moves on, so do the pimples - so I know that my recent breakout was unrelated to my hormones and was sparked by something else. My entire chin area was covered in sore, red, blind (not whitehead) pimples - you can see for yourself in the picture below!

Seeing as the Sand and Sky mask was the only new product which I introduced into my skincare regime, I can only assume that the product was simply too strong for my sensitive skin and thus, my body freaked out.

I'm sure you can appreciate that it is pretty hard to share a photo of yourself looking shitty, so be kind people.

I am not trying to bag out Sand and Sky's product. With so many glowing reviews, it's obvious that this product is incredibly effective for some people - differences in skin and sensitivities simply mean that I am not one of those lucky individuals.

I hope that this will be a warning to other sensitive-skinned beauty-lovers. Be aware that if you have acne-prone, sensitive skin - then this product might aggravate it.

If you're looking for an alternative mask, for a fraction of the price and which won't spark a massive pimple sesh - then I highly recommend the clay range from L'Oreal.

Recently, I've been moving away from makeup and more towards skin care - so you can expect to see a few posts about that shortly.

I also have another Mecca Cosmetica Beauty Loop box to review! Time flies when you're focusing on uni and neglecting your blog....

The final word:

Sand and Sky Porefining Face Mask

AUD $69.90

Ships in 3-5 business days (in Australia)

If you have sensitive or acne-prone skin STAY AWAY

I wasted my money, don't waste yours

Sand and Sky made me Wanna Cry