benefit: porefessional deep retreat pore-cleaning clay mask (review)

Every now and then, a face mask is a must. It is a nice way to pamper myself and focus on some much needed self care. Since I had a sample of the POREfessional Deep Retreat Pore-Cleaning Clay Mask from Benefit sitting around, it made sense to incorporate it into a recent relaxing evening. (For the record, that relaxing evening included pizza, season two of The Ultimatum: Queer Love, and sweatpants.) Ready to find out how this clay mask performs? Keep reading for a skin care review.

Maybe it is because I grew up in the time where Biore Pore Strips were all the rage (and were in every television show and movie) but I have always been very away of the large pores on my nose. I've tried all sorts of products over the years, but the issue remains. Normally, my solution is a pore filling primer like the Benefit POREfessional Pore Minimizing Primer or the Hard Candy Smoothing Primer Balm to reduce their appearance. However, the POREfessional Deep Retreat Pore-Cleaning Clay Mask sample offered an opportunity to address those noticeable pores once more. The sample came with 10 mL of product, which compares to the full sized version that has 75 mL of product. At $53 CDN for the full sized version, it was clear that this clay mask from Benefit would need to make a noteworthy difference for me to add it to my cart on the Sephora website.

According to the brand, this is a "smooth, creamy clay mask that visibly clears pores and feels gentle and comfortable on the skin." This boldly coloured purple mask certainly stands out! The colour is fun and the product can be applied easily. It is creamy and smooth, as described. I also like the tin that the clay mask comes in - partly because it is cute, but mostly because it keeps the product nicely contained. I was able to use the mask three times with the amount supplied in this sample tin. There is no obvious scent to the mask, which is a real benefit. (No pun intended!) This applies like any other face mask, but what make it unique is that after 30 minutes, "dots" appear as the oil is drawn out of the pores. Again, maybe it is the Biore Pore Strips marketing forever ingrained in me, but it is kind of nice to see that the mask has done something. Skin care is often slow and subtle, but the POREfessional Deep Retreat Pore-Cleansing Clay Mask speaks to my need for instant gratification. 

As for how the mask works? Wow. It was a little alarming to see all of the little purple dots on my nose before rinsing off the mask for the first time, but it was something that I got used to by the third use. (Though the rest of my skin is dry, my nose seems to have other ideas.) The mask was fairly straightforward to remove, and afterward, my skin felt a little tight, but the pores of my nose looked a whole lot better. If a full sized version was purchased, my focus would be on my nose rather than the entire face, because that is the area where it is most needed. So...would I add a full sized version of this clay mask from Benefit to my shopping cart? It is something that I am considering. I really like that I can "see" this clay mask working. 

Have you tried the POREfessional Deep Retreat Pore-Cleansing Clay Mask from Benefit? What did you think of it?