No Zit, Sherlock

Every time I do a face mask, I think of all the kooky face masks I’ve seen on TV. They’re always super thick, super hideous, and super rubbery. They always, ALWAYS startle/horrify someone, usually the male lead.

I had never been able to find one like that. At one point in the 80s, I had a gelatinous cucumber mask that would peel, but it was thin and clear and it didn’t do much of anything. It was so long ago, it was probably my mother’s product. Actually, it was so long ago, I had perfect skin and it wouldn’t have made a difference if it DID work.

Anyway, I’ve always wanted one of those thick, rubbery face masks, so when I saw a single-use packet of Bliss’s “breakout-busting rubberizing mask” on Sephora.com for $5, I had to try it out. AND it’s named No Zit Sherlock, which sounds like something I would title a blog post, so I did.

It looks a little like a science project when you get it. It comes with a packet of powder, a tongue-depressor mixing stick, and a plastic measuring cup, all in shiny mylar bag. When you mix the powder with water, it turns into thick, gloppy, gray mud. I was hoping for a more fun color like green or blue (like on TV!) but it was gray as gray can be. Maybe it would be from an old TV show, in black and white.

It goes on very thick, which is fine, and, as far as I’m concerned, accurate. Then you have to wait 20 minutes for it to dry. If you want, you can go stare at someone at close range without talking (or blinking). Or, crouch around a corner and wait to startle/horrify your cat. I let the mask dry for 30 minutes, because I was dead-set on pulling it off in one piece. Which I did, and then I left it on a plate in my kitchen to freak out my husband/male lead.

They say the rubberizing effect helps cleanse the skin of impurities and enhances absorption. (I say it makes it SO FUN!) You can see from my photo that it really gets into the pores, and those fine lines on my face. (Yay.)

OoooOOOooooh! Scaaaaaarrrrryyyyy!

Aside from being fun and creepy, the mask is meant to calm skin, fade blemishes, and prevent future breakouts. I don’t know that it prevented future breakouts, but my skin did look better after I used it. I had a few “situations” on my face at the time, and the redness was definitely reduced. It basically made my skin chill the eff out, which was nice. In my experience, it's rare that a mask provides instant visible results.

I left my rubber face out overnight, just to see what would happen. It shrunk, and turned white and hard. Like someone carefully ripped the face off a tiny mime. See?

Happy Halloween!