Review: NARS Mud Mask

Sexy packaging. Not-so-sexy product.

Yes, NARS has a skincare line. No, I am not impressed.

Specs:

-3.6 oz

-formulated with Active Phytoseed Complex, seaweed and Masada Mud from the Dead Sea

Cost:

$45

Availability:

NARS or SEPHORA

Review:

An admission: I am a mask hoarder. I must've been the kid who played in mud and dirt for hours, because I LOVE trying any kind of clay/kaolin mask that exists. My favorites are from Aveda and Evan Healy (her green tea mask is heavenly!), but I decided to give NARS a try since it got such great reviews on Sephora.com. Big mistake. 

Packaging is sleek, but the product itself is lacking. This mask applies wonderfully--it's deep forest green and has a thick consistency. BUT, and here comes the big BUT, it's terribly drying. I looked at the ingredients list (important, ladies!), and ALCOHOL is the third ingredient listed, which means it's comprised of a heck of a lot of alcohol.

TALC is also a component of this mask, which irritates many. Immediately after using this, my pores seemed smaller and I loved the way my complexion looked, but the day after, I noticed that my skin was really dry and I started breaking out quite a bit. Bad reaction to the alcohol, I reckon. The same has happened when I used other skincare products containing alcohol. I'm guessing that a lot of people who positively review this are not at all sensitive to normally skin irritating agents like alcohol, but for me, this didn't work well. 

I'd seriously consider the ingredients list before buying this. Plus, it costs a whopping $45, and I don't think the mediocre results merit shelling out that much for a mask. Many thumbs down. It claims to purify and clean your pores, but all it gave me was breakouts for a week.

Recommendation:

This may be a good mask for those with normal skin that isn't sensitive to many products or ingredients, but this wreaked havoc on my combination, sensitive skin. Worth a try if you fall into the former category, but I'd recommend getting a sample of this from a NARS counter first, instead of wasting $45 for a mask that does about the same job as any drugstore mud mask can.

Grade:

3/10