I'm going to let you in on a little secret - it's incredibly easy to justify a whole bunch of new skincare products when you're trying to prep your skin for your wedding. At least when you're a beauty junkie like me. I have no shortage of face masks, and yet when I was faced with a bout of terrible, relentless breakouts last month, I popped May Lindstrom's The Problem Solver into my Beautylish cart and checked out faster than I could second guess myself. I had heard rave after rave of this product, so I hoped it would work just as well for me.
As you can probably tell from the title, this is quite a pricy product. I've never spent this much on a skincare product, and I did take advantage of Beautylish's flexible payment option to get this. You do get a massive amount of product though, 8.45oz, and as it's a powder a little goes a long way. It's a powder that you mix with water before applying to the skin - I use about a teaspoon of each for a full application, so I can see this lasting quite awhile.The mask is a mixture of minerals and spices that purifies and heals the skin. It contains different clays, raw cacao powder, charcoal powder, and warming spices like turmeric, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. A few reviews I heard said the mask burned a bit upon application, but showed no irritation at all once washed off. Maybe I have lizard skin or something, but I've never experienced anything more than a very gentle warming sensation as the mask begins to dry. When mixed with water it forms a fluffy mousse that spreads onto the skin easily with a brush, and you can let it dry over the course of about an hour.
The only complaints I have about this mask are that I don't like the smell and that it's a bit of a mess to wash off. It smells like you'd expect - maybe a little chocolate-y, and quite spicy. The smell doesn't go away while you're wearing the mask, but it disappears once rinsed off. This mask dries to a thick coating on the skin that takes a bit of work to wash off - you really need to wet it a lot to help it break down. I definitely always need the help of a washcloth to make sure I get all of it off.
Complaints aside, I've been blown away by this mask and would definitely repurchase time and again. My skin was driving me crazy last month and actually really getting me down, but using this mask once or twice a week has really turned things around. I haven't broken out since I started using it (except for one random PMS spot in the center of my forehead - nice), and I've noticed my skin doesn't ever really get clogged up anymore. You'd think the spices would irritate inflammation, but this mask really calms it down. It's been so hot here that I had a bit of a rashy flareup on my jaw, but just using this mask once made it go away. Despite containing clay and charcoal, this doesn't make my skin feel dry or tight whatsoever after washing off. It heals breakouts without completely zapping them of moisture, which I really like - it seems to help them not form such dark marks once they're gone. I've noticed my skin just looks clearer and more even, and my pores look a lot smaller in general. The results I've seen in the past month make it worth the price to me.
The name says it all, really - it's quite a problem solver for any skin ailment. Definitely proceed with caution if your skin is sensitive, but the product page on Beautylish is full of glowing reviews from people who say they have the most sensitive skin. If you're looking for a mask to get you on your way to clear skin, then this is definitely it.
Have you tried anything from May Lindstrom? What should I try next?