But, lately, my skin has stopped cooperating. It looks dull and sallow and, well, old. And it's icky dry and flaky, despite the nearly religious use of my favorite exfoliant. I blame the 16-hour days, lack of quality sleep and questionable eating habits. It's my own damn fault. I'm back to bad skin days.
This past Wednesday I reached my breaking point. I drove straight to Sephora after work, determined to purchase the most heavy-duty, skin revitalizing mask I could find. I marched to the Bliss department-- you know, the brand known for supercharged spa products-- and scoured for the mask that would save my ailing skin. I settled on Bliss Steep Clean Pore Purifying Mask. It just sounded heavy duty and, at $55, it was about half of what I was prepared to spend.
I'm happy to report that Steep Clean didn't disappoint. It comes in a large pump tube that features a double sided chamber. The idea is that you pump out both sides of the formula and then mix then together as you apply, which activates the enzyme exfoliating system. The funky, dual side pump was a little tricky at first-- I couldn't get both sides to come out at the same rate-- but things looked up from there. The fresh-smelling, rich cream went on easily. I massaged in and left for 15 minutes as directed. It didn't burn or sting in the least, so I was worried that it wasn't working. After the prescribed time had passed, I wiped off with a warm washcloth and then rinsed with temperate water.
My face did look a little reddish and blotchy afterwards, but nothing worse than what you'd expect from any deep cleaning mask. I applied a layer of Kinerase Ultimate Night Moisturizer and went to bed. The next morning my skin was noticeably smoother and less congested looking, plus my makeup went on more easily. But, the real "ah ha" moment was after I came home and washed my face. I was practically glowing... and that was just one application. I can't wait to see what my skin looks like after the second use of Bliss Steep Clean. Love it. And highly recommend it.
→ Buy the Bliss Steep Clean Pore Purifying Mask, $55.00, at blissworld.com.
