REVIEW: Innisfree Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask

My eldest sister visits South Korea often and whenever she heads there, I constantly remind her to grab any inexpensive sheet masks she can get her hands on. Even the cheap, unbranded sheet masks in Korea works really well for me! This time around though, I told her to get me the Innisfree Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask even though I am not a fan of clay mask, but after reading about it and how almost everyone swears by it, I couldn't help but give in as well. It is also slightly cheaper if you get it in Korea (13000W) instead of getting it online in Malaysia which is about RM50+ for a bottle. The first Innisfree store in Malaysia just opened its doors in Sunway Pyramid last week as well! Plus, they always give out lots of sample in the store when you make a purchase so yay!

Anyhow, I wasn't sure if clay mask could be used when I have mild acne, but after doing some research and reading up on various articles on clay mask and its effect on acne, it is actually recommended since the main function of clay mask is to extract all the dirt from our pores which allows our skin to be cleansed more thoroughly. There are many clay mask out there in the market that targets acne as well so I thought I'd give it a try.

They have the 100ml and 200ml bottles on sale but I got the smaller one since I wanted to test it out first. (Size comparison with my Iphone 5)

It claims to tighten pores + removes sebum + exfoliate + deep cleanse + enhances skin tone + cooling effect) 

There are actually three ways to use this product:

1: Using it as a face mask after cleansing and toning, leave on for 10 minutes and rinse. 

2: Only applying it on certain areas like the nose which is more prone to blackhead, leave on for 10 minutes and rinse.

3: Overnight spot treatment for pimples or acne.

How I used it: I used method 1 this time around. Before applying it on, I washed my face with my Hada Labo foam cleanser, and I did a mini DIY facial steam for 5 minutes (my face over a large bowl of steaming hot water with some green tea) before applying the clay mask in hopes of getting my pores to open up and allowing the mask to cleanse it thoroughly.

Review: I didn't like how the product was in a tub since I find tub products unhygienic and more prone for cross contamination, plus no spatula was included in the box which was a downer. The product's consistency was thick enough for me to use only a relatively small amount to cover up my entire face with a moderate layer which means I could roughly use the product about 12 times or more. The product didn't really have any scent but there is a certain smell that feels really clean (?) I am really glad the product was easily spread on my skin and there were tiny beads (volcanic clusters) as mentioned by other bloggers. One thing I really liked was that it did not feel extremely dry nor did it crack (one of the reasons why I dislike clay masks) even after leaving it on for about 20 minutes. My skin still felt soft despite the tightness from the product drying up. It was also really easy to rinse it off as opposed to previous clay mask I used with just warm water and using my fingertips to roll off the product. I only really felt the cooling effect while rinsing away the product and it felt nice. To be honest the difference after using the mask was not very obvious as claimed by some reviewers. However, my skin did feel slightly softer and my pores seemed a tad bit less obvious as well but it didn't really help with the redness of my sensitive skin and seem to make it a little redder but it is probably because of its exfoliating functions.  

Pros: Affordable, 3 way product, easily spreadable, cooling effect, does not dry up, a little goes a long way, skin felt slightly softer after using, pores slightly minimized, easily rinsed off unlike certain clay masks. 

Cons: Tub container, no spatula, redness not reduced and appears to be redder.

Repurchase: Maybe. 

I can't really tell if I like this product yet since I only used it once and it takes more than 3 weeks to see the effect of product. I will continue to use this clay mask on a weekly basis for 3 weeks to allow it to take full effect. (May update if product proves to be effective after 3 weeks)

 Before

After