I rarely write about acne products because it’s not an on-going issue for me, but it does seem to flare up more during the hot Summer months. This past July was a doozy in terms of heat and that coupled with sweaty workouts and wearing makeup through the day landed me with some stubborn spots that just didn’t want to leave. First Aid Beauty recently released two new acne-focused products; one is their Oil Minimizing Toner which my husband promptly took as his own, and their Calamine Pore Purging Mask which I will share with you guys today.
The FAB Pharma Calamine Pore Purging Mask is a deep cleansing mask that promised to detoxify the skin and tighten pores. What makes it unique is that calamine is included. Normally we think of calamine for mosquito bites but in this product, it’s used to calm irritation, unclog pores, and offer some moderate exfoliation with its granules.
What’s in it
Salicylic acid and tea tree oil are familiar ingredients when it comes to acne products with their ability to clear pores of excess dirt, sebum or product while killing acne bacteria. Kaolin and Bentonite clays are also part of the formula to draw out impurities and purify the skin further.
First Aid Beauty claims this is for almost all skin types (normal, oily and combo), but I was still slightly hesitant. I don’t use a lot of acne products because they dry out my skin terribly fast, so I figured that even though I have normal to dry skin, I would give it a try as a spot treatment on areas that aren’t clearing fast.
What it looks like
The product comes out as a pasty, light pink cream with little bits of calamine granules for physical exfoliation. It is advised to apply and let it sit for 10-15 minutes to do its thing before washing it off. I applied all over my nose, along my jawline, and a few choice spots on my cheeks and sat there.
The product doesn’t warm up, but you do feel a sensation. I don’t want to use the word stinging because that implies pain, but I do feel something going on as I let it dry. I also do not wait the full amount of time since my skin isn’t used to clay masks, so I waited till it looked about 50% dry and then washed it off. The mask rinses away fairly easily and you feel the calamine granules as you massage the skin with water.
My experience with the mask
My skin felt nice and smooth afterward. Obviously, the pimples did not disappear immediately but I figured I would give the mask another try. The instructions state that you could use the product 2-3 times a week, so I went for a second application a couple of days later.
My skin did turn pink afterward where I put the mask and you do feel that excess oil is pulled out of the skin but I decided to stop using after only a couple of tries since my entire nose started peeling.
To be honest, I was surprised. I didn’t expect the skin on my nose to flake off like I had a bad sunburn but it made me self-conscious and wanting to pick at the loose skin. I caught myself a few times and it’s really hard to stop when you are sitting on a computer for half of the day.
I will be going back to my FAB BHA acne spot treatment gel since this appears to be too strong for me. I guess my skin is still more on the drier side than I thought, and I will be passing this off to my husband who absolutely loves the toner from them as well.
I think this would be a great option for those who have oily skin. If you have combo, be careful in application. It really did a nice job of soaking up the unwanted stuff in pores, but I just can’t use clays like this, or else my skin just dries up.
Do you deal with acne? Does this look like something you would use?
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WHAT?!!!!! That is awful that it caused the skin on your nose to peel! Your poor nose!
Wow, I remember how drying calamine lotion was when I used it as a kid for mosquito bites. Sorry your skin peeled but sounds like another rather innovative product from FAB
This might be too drying for me as well, even though I generally like calamine masks.