Clinique City Block Purifying Charcoal Clay Mask + Scrub Review
I think my beloved Lush Dark Angels is going to quickly be replaced with the new Clinique City Block Purifying Charcoal Clay Mask + Scrub ($28). This dual-formula mask and facial exfoliator is one of two new charcoal skincare offerings that Clinique launched earlier this Summer.
I was particularly excited about City Block Purifying Charcoal Clay Mask + Scrub because I’m a lover of charcoal scrubs and skincare in general such as MAC Volcanic Ash and Freeman Charcoal & Black Sugar Face Polishing Mask. This actually acts as a 5 minute ask to draw out oil, dirt, and gunk from your pore and later it turns into an exfoliating scrub as you wash it off.
Nifty right?
Here’s my thoughts on it!
Clinique City Block Purifying Charcoal Clay Mask + Scrub is a thick creamy clay-like mask that can be applied onto skin and washed off in five minutes (or after it turns a light shade of blue from the bluish gray shade it is when squeezed out of the tube). I typically apply it and lounge around with it for 5 to 10 minutes until it dries down. As it sets it becomes a little tighter and looks and feels like a clay mask. This worried me since I have drier skin and I was worried it would be overkill for duller/drier skin. Ok, so I wouldn’t say I have clogged pores or visible pores so, I can’t speak about how well this drew out gunk from my pores.
I will say that it does a fabulous job brightening up my complexion and smoothing it out (Sorry! No gratuitous photos of me sporting a face full of blue goo but you can always follow me on Instagram as I’ve been known to do mask selfies and lots of pictures of food because I like to take pictures of my food!). After it sets, I wash it off with lukewarm water. As you rinse, the mask breaks down and the grains gently exfoliate skin. It was fairly easy to rinse off and the grains give my skin a good scrub to whisk away dry and dead skin cells. As I patted my face dry I was waiting for that dry, tight feeling to set. Guess what? It never happened! My face felt smoother but I didn’t have to contend with tightness! Added bonus, my moisturizer absorbed so much easier and my flaky cheeks and forehead were smooth plus my complexion was brighter! I’ve been using it two weeks for the past month and a half and I can honestly say that I’ll be repurchasing it in the future. I’m a big fan of Lush’s Dark Angels but I have to admit that can be pretty harsh at times. Clinique’s formula is much more gentle and just as effective! Plus sensitive users will love it has zero fragrance.
All in all, Clinique City Block Purifying Charcoal Clay Mask + Scrub gets a big yay from yours truly. This is a keeper and I can see it becoming a staple in my skincare routine!
Available now at Clinique counters, clinique.com, ulta.com, and nordstrom.com.
Tried it?
Do share your thoughts!
