Skincare | Sinivalia Bentonite Clay Detox Face Mask - First Impressions

Ello, ello.

This is another of the Sinivalia products sent to me. This time around we have the Bentonite Detox Face Mask*.

The website says it's good for acne and absorbs oil which would really help my skin. It's also natural, good for sensitive skin, cruelty-free and vegan, paraben, gluten and sulphate free, and made in the UK - all very Lisa-friendly things! The idea of having a tub of face mask mix to use as and when is brilliant. I try to use a face mask at least once a week, and this says it can be used once a week on the label. It also says it exfoliates, something I do two to three times a week, so It's easy to incorporate into my skincare routine. The fact that this is numerous face masks rather than one is awesome. It saves so much hassle and packaging and the tub is huge!

I don't know what I was expecting when I opened it, but I wasn't expecting powder. As it's clay I am not sure why this is, I have a lot of experience with clay. I definitely wasn't expecting to get powder all over me when just unscrewing the lid. It was so full! I felt like I was looking at a years worth of face mask right there.

After a brief chat with my Sinivalia buddy, Kelly of The Vegan Taff about this product, I set to the kitchen to make my first mask. As Kelly had said you only need around a teaspoon of the powder in the mix, I popped a loaded teaspoon into a bowl and dribbled some water in. After a bit of mixing I realised that this wasn't enough water, so added some more. And some more. And some more... until it was way too watery to stay on a face. When I picked up the tub to add some more powder, I realised the instructions said to dissolve it in WARM water (or the Rose Toner from the same company) - I'd used cold. So I started again with warm water, being more careful with the amount I added. I ended up needing another teaspoon of powder (or so I thought). Mixing it reminded me of mixing icing sugar and water.

When I got to this consistency, I decided to put it on my face. As there are no pictures of it mixed on the product, I went for the one that looked like it would at least stay on my face. As I was applying it, it seemed to apply in a thin, translucent layer... which needed hardly any product. I thought I'd double it up a bit and get a thicker consistency on half of my face to see if it made any difference. I did find it quite entertaining how lumps of it looked a bit like bogeys while I was rubbing it in/on. Especially around my nostrils where the lumps gathered. Tee hee. 

One layer.

Two layers.

Bogeys!

I left it on for the recommended 15 minutes, and while I was doing this I decanted the rest of my mixed face mask into a plastic container and popped it in the fridge in hope of not wasting it. While it was on I could feel it drying and my face getting tighter and tighter. I love this about face masks. I like to imagine them pulling all the dirt out of my skin and absorbing all the oil that makes me look so shiny if untended. Once 15 minutes had passed I went to the skin to remove it.

Oh my days. This takes some rubbin' (hey, Ainsley lovers)! I don't think layering up was a good idea – not only did that half not dry completely but it took me about 10 minutes to get this off with warm water. I shall definitely be investing in a flannel for future face mask removal. I shall also keep the layer of face mask thin – if I keep mixing it to the consistency pictured in this post. There is a picture of a lady with this face mask on on the Amazon listing for the product. It has a really smooth, solid texture so I shall be trying for that next time I mix it. Especially as in Kelly's review of this product, she found removal really easy. I think this is because her mix was thicker and so dried better.

My face was all red and ouchy straight after I had removed it but this didn't take long to subside. My skin felt so soft and my pores were smaller than I'd ever really seen them. I looked so toned, smooth and matte. The immediate affects were clearly brilliant, and I can't wait to see how my skin improves using it weekly.

This Sinivalia face mask is available from Amazon here for £10.99 (usually £15.99) which I think is a bargain for the amount if usage you can get from this tub. It's apparently great for anti-aging effects, but due to my beautifully youthful complexion (lol), I wouldn't know much about that... yet.

Do you have any super face masks I should try out? Do you know the secret to mixing this face mask for optimum usage? Do let me know in the comments below of you do! Have a wonderful day.

*DISCLAIMER: This post contains a PR sample but my views are 100% honest. (I'm a rubbish liar).