Origins Clear Improvement Mask

My skin has been playing up quite a bit recently. Having lived with very dry skin for years now, it's been quite a shock to have a forehead resembling a bumpy oil slick at the end of the day. I've got an idea why this is happening, but that's a whole other blog post. I've needed to do something about it, and remembered I had this mask from an Origins gift set I received, so thought I'd give it a go as it was already in my stash.


The Clear Improvement mask is a charcoal mask that is designed to draw out all of the impurities that clog up our pores and leave are skin looking in a bit of a sorry state. To apply, you first wet your face with a warm cloth to open up the pores, then apply a generous layer of the mask and leave it on for around 10 minutes whilst the mask dries.

The mask is quite a thick consistency anyway, so it's really easy to slather on and doesn't use up too much product with one application. It dries quite quickly too, so it can feel a little bit tightening on the face. The good thing is, unlike with a lot of other masks, it doesn't remain feeling this way once you've removed the mask, my skin actually felt quite breathable. The mask has got a nice cooling sensation too, so your skin feels nice and refreshed, and wasn't left red or irritated.

In terms of results, I've been pretty impressed. It's not a mask to use if you're looking for an instant difference. In fact, it has to get a little worse before it gets better. As this mask is designed to bring everything to the surface, I did notice a couple of spots come out after my first application, no major breakout though. After I'd say about three uses my forehead started to feel much smoother again and had a much less oily feel to it in the evenings. It's also improved the general appearance of my skin too, I've found it looking a lot less dull.

If you're skin is misbehaving at the moment, I'd definitely recommend giving this a go to help bring it back under control again. It's a bit pricey at £23 but well worth having for the results it gives, and as you don't need much product, it works out quite well in terms of price per application.