The Revitalizing Neal’s Yard Rose Antioxidant Facial Mask

When I think of Neal’s Yard Remedies, the first thing that came to mind is its supposedly famous Wild Rose Beauty Balm. It can be used in multiple ways; as a rich cleanser, gentle exfoliant and deeply nourishing balm. Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? But we’re here not to talk about the beauty balm.

Came a chance when a dear friend on her travels mentioned she saw this brand’s counter. She made the kind offer if I’d like something from it. Naturally, I opened up the website and looked around to see what peaked my interest the most. There were many, many temptations. Somehow though, this particular product just made me wanted to grab it out of my laptop’s screen right away.

Neal’s Yard Remedies Rose Formula Antioxidant Facial Mask.

What it is:

Revitalizes and brightens NORMAL and DEHYDRATED skin.

Gently exfoliating maple combined with damask rose and gotu kola to stimulate collagen encouraging a fresher, brighter complexion.

To be honest, I didn’t quite know what to expect with this mask. The word “Rose” and “Antioxidant” spoke to me. There’s just something about it that tickled my fancy. That night when I first tried it, I was surprised by quite a few unexpected things.

First, it doesn’t smell like a rose. Well, I should know by now that rose doesn’t always have to smell like a conventional rose scent. This one though, smells much like a clay, mixed with essential oils. I’m not very good at describing scents, but I can tell you that it’s far away from rose. It took me a few times of uses until I got used to it, or more like accepting the fact that it doesn’t smell like roses.

The texture is on the runny side. It was a little tricky to apply this. I wasted a few drops on the sink even when using a spatula. I do find that stirring the product is important. The bottom of the pot is thicker than on the top. I literally have to scoop the pale ivory mixture then glaze it over the skin, before using my fingers to spread it evenly. I usually tilt my head up slightly, just to prevent it from dripping off and make a mess.

This is a clay mask that will dry like plaster and cracks if I try to make funny expressions. In the instruction, rinse with warm water. Since I am not a fan of warm water on my delicate skin, I stick to cool tap water and try to remove as much mask as I can manually with my hands. Then with the help of pre-soaked face cloth (I use the ones for babies), I gently remove whatever is left, usually on the perimeter of my face and crevices around the nose.

Alright, the last bit. This mask tingles! Oy, that I didn’t see coming, at all. I’m aware that it says “exfoliating”, but I didn’t think that it will feel like that. It’s also very cooling. The instructions says to leave it up to 10 minutes but the tingling sensation was a little too much for me to handle for the first time that I washed it off just after 5 minutes. I worked my way up since then, noticing that the feeling lasts for about 5 minutes and then subdues to nothing. Just a stiff face. That being said, 15 minutes is the maximum limit I give when using this mask. It is a clay mask after all, I don’t want to risk drying out my skin.

Let’s access the benefits of this mask according to the web’s description:

• Deep cleansing
• Revitalizing
• Radiance-boosting
• Toning and firming

Check, check, check and check.

No kidding.

I was pretty much hooked on the first try despite the uncomfortable tingling sensation because hello, the results were quite visible after I washed it off and more so the next morning.
My face looked instantly lifted, from both aspects. It looked more firm, toned and even. And it’s also more radiant, not the glowy way, but brighter and more refreshed. The overall look is what I’d describe as revitalized.

Like being drenched in cold shower. The first few minutes were quite torturing, shivering. But after a while it becomes better and when I get out of the shower, pat myself dry, I just look ready to face the day. For the lack of better analogy, this is exactly how I’d portray the Neal’s Yard Rose Antioxidant Mask does to my complexion.

I’ve also noticed that the mask seems to help dry out some smaller whiteheads and blemishes as well. So yeah, there’s some deep cleansing and a little purifying action going on there. But, by any means, this is NOT a mask I go for when my skin is acting up. That calls for different, more targeted products to tackle it.

The mask can be used once a week or as needed. I’m quite wary due to the rather strong exfoliating properties that I limit myself to using the mask twice a week. Three times sometimes, but that’s stretching it. It’s perfect for midweek and weekend. To pick things up. Or anytime when I feel my face looking a bit dull.

Neal’s Yard Rose Antioxidant Mask’s results remind me a little bit of Mario Badescu Enzyme Revitalizing Mask but I love Neal’s Yard’s times more. It gives much more visible and better results. Of course the results are not permanent, because it is a mask after all. However, incorporating it regularly into the skincare regime has kept my complexion looking in tip-top condition, provided my hormones didn’t take over.

There’s nothing that I don’t adore about this mask. The results trumps all the other nit-picky factors such as the scent and the slightly discomforting tingling sensation. It has quickly became a favorite of mine and there’s hardly a single week gone by where I don’t use this. Again, if my skin is acting up, I’d skip this.

It’s quite addictive. Ironically enough, I actually miss that odd scent. There’s only a quarter left in the blue glass pot and I’ll make sure I savor it.