For 2017, I made a list of products- skin care, hair care, makeup, nail polish, etc.- that I’ve been meaning to try and review in detail as part of my resolution to blog more often and include more content. For inspiration and assistance with compiling my “To Try” list, I turned to my social media and fell down the YouTube beauty blogging rabbit hole. If you ever have a snowy or rainy Sunday afternoon to get lost in that part of the limitless (and sometimes downright weird) vlogging world- I highly recommend it. There’s definitely a lot to see.

I digress. One product has been on my radar for a few months now- arriving at my door from Amazon last week- and I finally got to try it this past weekend in-between shoveling my way out of the aftermath of Winter Storm Helena (and I’ll post about that later on this week!)

Elizavecca, a South Korean skincare company- has a long list of masks/serums/creams/SPFs to detoxify, nurture and brighten the skin- almost all of which feature an adorable cartoon pig on the packaging. I’ve been fascinated by Korean skincare products for quite some time now- especially since they seem to work really and ridiculously well based on every review I’ve read and every video I’ve watched.

Out of all of Elizavecca’s products, however- the “Milky Piggy Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask” was the one that not only looked the most effective for someone with occasionally problematic skin like mine- but the most fun, too!

I can’t speak/read/write Korean, so figuring this out for the first time could have been intimidating to someone like me had I gone into this without doing any research, first. Thankfully, though- Amazon’s order page included detailed instructions on how to use the mask- and I felt confident enough after watching countless YouTube reviews/tutorials on the product that I knew what I was doing and could pull this off without incident or injury.

I didn’t want to leave the product uncovered for too long, since I think part of it is activated by being exposed to the air- but the texture was definitely bizarre. It was almost like tapioca pudding in that it was bouncy and jiggly- but had little bits of coarseness mixed in it, as well. The mask came with a tiny spatula to apply it with so that potentially germ-ridden fingers wouldn’t contaminate the product that remains in the jar in-between uses- although I did find the spatula a bit tricky to use at times- especially when it came time to get the mask around my nose and temples (where I usually see the most blackheads/breakouts).

The mask should be applied to a cleansed, dry face. It might be hard to tell by the picture above since I don’t have a lot of visible acne- but prior to putting this mask on, I had some serious blackheads around my nose and forehead. Winter has been pretty brutal with my skin these past few weeks, especially in New England where the weather is just as unpredictable as our driving- drying me out with frigid temperatures and causing my skin to overcompensate with excess oil one day and then the next day leaving my face dewy and shiny from humidity and even warmer weather- and when combined with my heavier serums and moisturizers I typically use this time of year? I see a lot of little blemishes and pimples spring up and they drive me absolutely crazy.

I washed my face as usual and patted it dry with a towel before I slicked my hair back and began applying this mask. I’ve heard different amounts of time to leave it on- ranging from anywhere to 10/15 minutes to 45 minutes- so I decided to settle halfway and use the Milky Piggy Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask for a half hour.

Immediately, this stuff started bubbling up- even as I was still applying it! Once I had it covering as much of my face as possible (where I could still breathe normally, of course)– I set the timer and sat down to wait it out. The mask definitely tickled as it fizzed, but it didn’t hurt or itch or anything. As the minutes ticked away, I did have to use a cotton swap to move some of the foam away from my eyes and nose since the bubbles were starting to overtake vital senses and functions- but I admit I was having a lot of fun watching my face look more and more like the moon emoji.

And you bet I took selfies. How could I not? Look at it! For those who follow my Instagram– you may have caught my Insta-Story where I was laughing so hard that the bubbles went all over me.

After 15 minutes, I rubbed the foam/bubbles into my skin to let the product set and further clean my pores. It began bubbling again- just as big as the first application in certain areas- but already my skin began feeling very refreshed and thoroughly cleansed. My face tingled, but there was no discomfort at all. It actually felt really nice.

I let the mask bubble and set for another 10 minutes before I finally rinsed it off with lukewarm water and patted my face dry with a towel.

To my amazement, my blackheads were gone. Not smaller, not “less noticeable”- but completely and totally cleaned out. My skin felt INCREDIBLE and had a really nice glow to it. It was soft, refreshed, and not dried out at all. I followed up with a quick sweep of my micellar water on a cotton pad to take away any of the mask I might have missed while rinsing my face and a couple of pumps of a lightweight moisturizer/sunscreen so I could go out and face the day and the post-snowstorm temperatures- but I was head over heels in love with this mask and blown away over how well it worked. So much, in fact- that I raved about it for a good ten minutes during brunch later that day.

Anything that causes me to stop stuffing brunch into my face long enough to discuss it at length is worth the attention. Trust me. I take my brunching very seriously.

While I typically use sheet masks 1-2 times a week to replenish and treat my skin after a long day at work, I think I’ll be keeping this mask’s usage to a once a week minimum- because it cleans SO well that I wouldn’t want it to dry out my skin by applying it more than necessary.

I give this mask two thumbs up for sure and cannot recommend it enough to those of you out there who have blemish-prone skin like mine or are just looking for something quick, fun, and easy to give your face a really deep clean and get any and all oil, dirt and makeup out of your pores.

I think I’ve found my new Sunday morning beauty ritual!

You can purchase Elizavecca Milky Piggy Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask HERE

xx