Fabulous Pore-Clearing Face Masks At Every Price

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Are you pores feeling a little plugged these days? It's ok, it happens to the best of us. No matter how good you are about cleansing your face every night and removing all traces of makeup, your pores are bound to feel clogged every once in a while. Thankfully, there are a ton of great products out there that will have your pores feeling squeaky clean in no time. Here are three of our favorites:

After a nasty run in with "adult acne" in my early twenties I was turned onto the wonders of sulfur masks, such as this one by Peter Thomas Roth, by my dermatologist. Sulfur masks are truly amazing for blemished or acne-prone skin. The sulfur is a natural antibiotic that kills off all of those nasty bacteria that cause blemishes. I used to put a touch of sulfur mask on my worst blemishes and leave it on overnight. By the next morning the spot would be half of its original size and the scary red color would be gone. Sulfur masks are 100% worth the high price!

Peter Thomas Roth Therapeutic Sulfur Masque


→ Buy Peter Thomas Roth Therapeutic Sulfur Masque, $40.00, at sephora.com.


For everyday clogged pores I rely on my trusty Origins Clear Improvement Mask. Love, love, love this stuff. I became addicted to Clear Improvement when I was living in London one summer. Although, logically, I know that the smog in London can't be any worse than the smog in Los Angeles, I felt covered in a uniquely horrible layer of exhaust grime the entire summer. A desperate trip to the beauty department at Selfridges netted me a tube of Origins Clear Improvement Mask. One use instantly took away the nasty grime lurking in my pores and I've been hooked ever since. Seriously, you can actually watch this stuff work on your pores. It changes color from black to grey as it sucks the muck from your skin and leaves little black dots where your icky pores have been wiped clean. My bathroom cabinet has been stocked with Clear Improvement non-stop since that summer.

Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask


→ Buy Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask, $23.00, at sephora.com.


Not ready to drop a twenty or two on a face mask? Not a problem. One of our writers' favorite face masks can be yours for less than the cost of a tall latte. "A really good mask can be found at any drugstore," offers Kim Moshtaghi. "It's the Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque -- it is miraculous! I use it once a week and it keeps my face fresh and clean for the rest of the week."

Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque


→ Buy Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque, $4.71, at drugstore.com.



This post originally appeared on March 18, 2007. It has since been updated.