Review: REN Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask

If there is a product that I struggle with, it is definitely this one. It's so well-loved by anyone and everyone who tries it that I was convinced that I would love it. I tried a sample, and just didn't understand it, in part because of Sephora's directions on how to use this product. But we'll get to that in a minute.

This REN mask is encased in their familiar packaging: a bag inside a bottle, so your product stays bacteria-free and so you use up as much of it as possible.

One of my favorite parts of REN's mask packaging is this cap--it keeps your mask from drying out.

The goop itself is orange. It's very citrus-y, but not in an unnatural way. The scent comes from the ingredients, not from some added fragrance (think the difference between smelling Bath and Body Works pumpkin soap versus smelling pumpkin puree). It's not a uniform consistency, so it feels very much like putting a high-end jelly on your face.

Now, let's cover the discrepancies among the directions for using this, because if there's one thing that drives me crazy, it's that I don't have nailed down directions on using it.

The Sephora website page reads: "Apply a generous amount to clean skin. Leave for 10 minutes. Pat and 'lift' with fingertips to raise up exfoliated layer of dead skin cells. Rinse thoroughly with warm water," (Sephora page for Glycol Lactic Mask).

So the first time that I used this mask, I followed those directions exactly, because that's what the nice Sephora consultant told me to do and I have a problem disobeying authority figures. It did sound silly to me to pat at a gooey mask, but like I said, I utterly fail at disobeying given instructions. I absolutely hated this mask. It felt fine on my face, but the removal process felt so bizarre and I didn't feel like it was doing anything and it took forever to lift enough of this stuff off of my face that it seemed effective.

I went all ranting and raving to my sister. We were both so confused about why I hated it so much, given that it's one of the most loved masks out there, among Sephora-goers and beauty bloggers alike.

Then fate stepped in. I became obsessed with REN's website (RenSkincare.com). It's adorably designed, I love the idea that they'll send you samples of your choosing (and because I love REN it gives me the chance to try out new products I'll probably like as opposed to picking out samples from Sephora, where I can choose between six shades of foundation and six fragrance samples I'll never use). REN also gives you 10% off your first order and 10% off your favorite product for life.

So I was perusing the REN website, and decided to take a look at the REN page for the Glycol Lactic mask (REN page for Glycol Lactic Mask). The directions are different. Yeah, you read and understood that correctly. Sephora and REN give different directions for using this mask. REN's directions read: "Apply a generous amount to clean skin over the face and neck, avoiding the eye area. Leave for 10 minutes. Dampen enclosed cloth and gently wipe off mask. Rinse with warm water."

WHAT SORT OF COMPANIES ARE THESE, GIVING ME CONTRADICTORY DIRECTIONS. Obviously, this whole experience turned me into a troll and made me really freaking mad.

I went to Sephora and got a second sample of this mask, because darnit, I was going to love it even if it was the last thing I did. I followed REN's directions this time, and was significantly more pleased.

I even looked more pleased in this picture. Or I look like someone who really needs to get some sleep but instead finds herself doing masks after midnight when she has class in the morning.

Moral of the story: don't trust websites. Don't trust Sephora (which is something I never thought that I would say). Read directions for products both on Sephora's website, and on the website of the maker (in this case, REN). Read beauty blogger reviews of the product. Do all of the research that you can, or ask me to do it (this experience has made me a pro in spending hours looking into a single product).

All of that being said, this still doesn't feel like a holy grail product for me. I need to use it with more frequency, and then hopefully I'll come to a final conclusion on the matter. It's also really expensive. It's $55 for 1.7 oz of mask. The crux of the issue comes in that this is a really unique mask. It's the only mask I've seen at Sephora that is citrusy and uses glycolic acid. I'm going to have to do a few more thorough searches on Sephora's website, then I may find some cheaper alternatives that do similar things.

Ultimately, I don't know that I'll be repurchasing this. The direction-discrepancy definitely tainted my opinion, then there was all of the hype surrounding it. But I know for sure that I won't be returning it.

Review: Boscia Clarifying Detox Mask

Last night I was doing my homework, hopped up on coffee and quesadillas, when I took a moment to wash off my makeup. After I did so, I took a good look at my face and realized how congested my pores looked. So I opened my medicine cabinet, trying to decide which mask to use. I settled on this Boscia Clarifying Detox Mask. I tried a sample of this mask months ago, really liked it, bought it, then promptly forgot it existed at all. It sat, gathering dust in the back of my medicine cabinet for months. After pulling it out last night, I'm really glad to report that it is amazing, and I honestly have no idea how I could have forgotten how great this mask is.

I really like the design of Boscia's masks. They all come in the same size bottle, most have a color associated with them that appears on the bottle, fading from colored on the bottom to white on the top. For example, the Green Tea Oil Control Mask is green, the Bright White Mask is sliver, and the Cool Blue Calming Mask is (you guessed it) blue. This is the only one of Boscia's masks to be contained in an entirely white bottle. I sort of really wish that it had a color to it like the other ones.

It's just a squeeze tube, which works fine for me. I guess I'll see if I have any difficulty with getting product out when I get toward the end of the bottle, but for now, it's great. You can sort of tell from the photo: the mask itself isn't quite white. It almost has just the slightest hint of blue/green/grey to it.

It's smooth, with the slightest scent of mint to it. It feels sort of like The Body Shop Tea Tree Face Mask, but this one will actually dry down on your face, whereas the Tea Tree Face Mask dries, it just doesn't crack.

I think that out of all of my face masks, this one provides my favorite mask-feeling. It tingles, but in a super minty delicious way. Sometimes the Tea Tree Face Mask will tingle too much, then stop entirely. But this Boscia mask tingled pleasantly until I took it off.

It left my face feeling much less congested, and just generally clean. It also didn't give me an issue with my nighttime moisturizer. Sometimes after using a mask, I have to be careful which moisturizer I use because the moisturizer can end up stinging my face, but I didn't have that problem after using this Clarifying Detox Mask. I ended up moisturizing with Origins Night-A-Mins, a product I'm trying out to decide if I'm going to purchase it.

Overall, I loved this mask. I'm definitely going to find a way to show it the love it deserves and work it into my weekly routine.

I'm also in love with the price of this mask. Lately I've been purchasing and using a lot of REN's masks, which come at a pretty whopping price point. They range from $34-$55 for 1.7 oz. In comparison, this Boscia mask is $25 for 2.8 oz.

Finally, just let me say that I hate air conditioning. I'm sitting at work right now, freezing my butt of, actually wishing I was outside in the 90+ degree weather. You know I'm struggling when I would rather sweat that shiver.

Review: REN Clearcalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser

In the last couple of weeks, my skin has been acting up. I'm going to go ahead and make a totally crazy assumption, and say that it has to do with going back to school. I'm waking up early, I'm constantly on the run, I have what feels like a never-ending supply of homework, I'm staying up later to finish said homework, I'm probably not eating the best, and I'm drinking between three and five cups of coffee a day. And my skin looks as stressed out as I feel.

In comes the REN Clearcalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser.

I'll be honest, before this cleanser entered my life, the idea of a cleanser that didn't foam was an entirely foreign concept. Before I got into higher end skincare, I just used Neutrogena and Clean and Clear cleansers. And they stripped my face of every natural oil that I had. I'm so glad I've been introduced to nice products since then.

Anyways, I was relying entirely on gel cleansers. My favorite was my Clinique cleanser (Liquid Facial Soap). I used it in conjunction with my Clarisonic. But then I got bored and I had some money sitting around, so I bought ALL the skincare. This one one of the face washes that I was drawn to, but I didn't really understand how it worked without foaming. I know, I can be dense sometimes.

So I got a sample of it from my local Sephora, and honestly, the second that I smelled it, I knew it was over. I needed to own it. Like with most products that don't have an immediately obvious scent, I can't tell you what in the heck this smells like. But it smells delicious. Earthy and clay-like, the smell is almost edible. I probably shouldn't eat this, though, so I can't really tell you what it tastes like.

I've said it about REN before and I'll say it again. I love REN packaging. Love, love, love. Even the boxes that the products come in are beautiful. The first time I opened a REN box was when I bought this cleanser, and this beautiful, flow-y, sort of flowery inner packaging appeared. True love.

If you're interested in the ingredients, here they are! What strikes me is that the first ingredient is chamomile, so this is definitely a soothing wash (something I can definitely attest to).

One thing that people love about REN is that it's "clean" skincare. It doesn't contain any sulfates, parabens, or synthetic fragrance, etc. I think it's pretty cool, but it isn't a deal breaker for me. But it does help to explain the high price we pay for REN (in addition to it being a British brand--I feel like they hike up prices when they send things overseas--think Soap and Glory, a British drugstore brand that we pay Sephora prices for).

Anyways, the Clearcalm 3 Clay Cleanser has a thick, creamy consistency. It has a slight brown-grey color to it. As I've said, it doesn't foam, but it definitely leaves my skin feeling clean and more soothed. Knowing that I have this product on my side makes me feel a lot better about my skin acting up.

I will give one criticism, although I don't think it even counts as a criticism. I wouldn't use it to remove makeup. That just isn't the function that it's meant to do. Women complain about it, but there's a simple solution. Take off your makeup before using this, or use this as your morning cleanser. Personally, I never wash my face with makeup on. I either use a makeup removing wipe or I use a cleansing balm (the one I really like lately is Julep's new Bare Face Cleansing Oil). I think that expecting your face wash to be able to do everything is just not realistic. Your face wash can remove makeup, or combat acne, or brighten your skin, or exfoliate. But it can't do everything at once. It's sort of like mascara. Mascaras that focus on one thing (lengthening, volumizing, water-proofing) are the most effective. Expecting one mascara to do everything under the sun is just going to leave you disappointed.

Now that I've waxed poetic on mascara uses, this REN cleanser retails for $32 for 5.1 oz. I love it. I'll recommend it to anyone asking what face wash they should use for acne prone skin. I even used it with my Clarisonic the other night! It felt strange, because there was no foam/anything even remotely like foam involved. But after I washed the clay cleanser off, I can honestly say that my face felt more clean and smooth and soft than it does any time I use a foaming gel cleanser. I'm a convert to the Clarisonic with clay cleanser!

Review: REN Invisible Pores Detox Mask

Like all of us humans out there, I have pores. And while most of them don't feel the need to get clogged/be obnoxious/get all gross, some of them give me issues. Namely, the pores on my nose. I also occasionally have trouble with the area directly around my nose, my right cheek (is it from my phone? I'm disturbed to think about bacteria growing on my phone and causing acne), and the sides-of-my-chin area.

And even though I wash my face twice a day, exfoliate, and moisturize properly, sometimes I need to detox my pores via a nice mask. I like clay masks, but sometimes I like to mix it up. Thus, my love affair with the REN Invisible Pores Detox Mask began.

I've been wanting to try this mask for at least the last three months. But there were a lot of damn road blocks, considering that I live near two Sephoras and regularly visit the Knoxville Sephoras, too. First, my local Sephora didn't seem to have it in stock (in reality, REN had changed the name of the mask from Pore Minimizing Detox Mask to Invisible Pores Detox Mask. They also changed the color of the packaging, from a dark blue to this olive-y green. The color change threw me off, so I thought they were different masks).

Then I went to the Sephora at Carriage Crossing, and I wasn't paying attention, so I asked for a sample of the wrong mask, one that I already own.

Then I went back to my local Sephora at Wolfchase, realized the mask/packaging/name discrepancy, asked for a sample, and was promptly told that they were out. Well, it was worse than that, really. She managed to get the SMALLEST bit of product imaginable out of the bottle and acted like that would totally work for testing a mask! It was probably enough product to cover a pencil eraser.

Then, I went home to Knoxville. My mom and I went to the Sephora in the West Town mall, where I asked for a sample of this mask. The poor beauty consultant spent like thirty minutes trying to get some product out of the bottle. It was entirely full, but the pump must've been malfunctioning.

So finally, I just bought it. I could always return it. I just feel so bad returning products: they just get returned to the manufacturer and don't get any love.

Anyways, so now I own this mask! Success. First off, I love REN's packaging. Truly. It's beautiful and practical and just awesome.

I also love the system that REN utilizes for their products. Within the plastic, there's a vacuum sealed bag. The product (in this case a mask) is stored in that bag. Every time you pump some out, the bag contracts. This method results in a cleaner product for you--you're not dipping fingers in, and there's no contamination of the product with the air, so the risk of bacterial growth is almost entirely non-existent. And to prevent the mask from drying out in the pump and making it more difficult to use the next time, there's this little cap attached to the pump. Then there's the clear plastic body. You can see how much product you have left so that you know when you should repurchase it!

Long story short, REN has packaging their products down to a science.

This mask has a beautifully natural smell to it. I'm not sure that I can describe it, but it's the sort of clean-smelling product that I could just sit around smelling it for hours. Okay, I'll be honest. Right in the middle of writing this post, I sat around for 20 minutes with the pump of this mask held up to my nose. Beauty blogger struggles, right there.

So, the instructions for using this:
1. Apply generously.
2. Allow to dry.
3. Remove by rubbing with fingers.

"Wait, what? You remove this mask by rubbing it with your fingers?" You may find yourself asking these totally expected questions.

It's true. You remove it by rubbing it with your fingertips. It's super cool and unique. I think it's a particularly effective method, as well. Think about it: if you're trying to pull gunk out of your pores, is wetting the mask to remove it going to help? No. With this REN mask, it's like the mask itself adheres to the gunk in your pores, then when you rub it, the gunk comes out and off of your face. There's a noticeable difference when I look closely at my pores.

That being said, it's not a miracle product. No product is a miracle. But ones that claim to do absurd things bother me. This mask doesn't make any crazy claims, which I enjoy. The Sephora page says, "This mask reduces the appearance of pore size and leaves the skin purified, smoothed, and toned. It draws out impurities, helping to eliminate blackheads."


I've heard a couple of criticisms of this mask, one being that it flakes while it dries. I don't know what these women are doing while waiting for this mask to dry, I don't think it would flake unless you were doing some sort of weird facial exercises. In fact, the last time I used it, I tried to get it to flake by doing just that: I contorted my face all sorts of weird ways. And not a single bit of this mask came off. So until you're actually rubbing at it, I've concluded that it isn't going to randomly start falling off of your face.

The other criticism that I've heard is that it doesn't have any lasting effects. Women basically say that it shrinks their pores for a few hours, but then it wears off. This going back to the miracle theory. There isn't a product out there that will actually shrink your pores. It simply doesn't exist. But with regular bi-weekly use, this mask will clear out your pores and help keep blackheads at bay. And that's more than enough for me.

This mask retails for $34 for 1.7 oz. It's not a cheap product, there's no way around that. But it's still one of my favorite masks, so I'm not dissuaded by the price. If you look at it in terms of other REN masks, it's on the cheap side. All of REN's masks are 1.7 oz, and the Clearcalm 3 Mask is $45, the Radiance Renewal Mask is $55, and the Smooth and Renew Mask is $37.

Overall, I really enjoy this mask. It smells great, I love the packaging of the product, it has a unique removal method, and it does exactly what it claims to.

Sephora Haul #1

Every once in a while, I do something that I really shouldn't do, and I spend an insane amount of money at Sephora. Usually it has something to do with rewarding myself. That's true of this week's Sephora purchases. I've been holed up with 40 other Resident Assistants and our bosses for approximately the last week, doing training and staff bonding and such. Today, we moved some 500+ freshmen into their dorms, a HUGE accomplishment. I personally helped about 50; there were a lot of boxes, a lot of microwaves, and a lot of my personal sweat. But I survived, and to reward myself, I bought a bunch of stuff online at Sephora a couple of days ago knowing that they would arrive today. So after finishing up with the freshmen, I headed over to the mailroom and picked up my swag!

All the boxes.

Because I'm a VIB Rouge, I get free shipping on any order from Sephora.com, so I broke up my purchases so that I could get the maximum number of free samples possible.

I basically bought everything that had been on my "Loves" page-everything from masks to lip lacquer and eyeliner to eyebrow mousse.

I've had the old versions of the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils on my wish list for so long, it's not even funny. I think spending $19 on a colored eyeliner that you'll only wear once in a blue moon is silly, but dock those suckers down to $6 each, and I'm all over that. Since I already own a teal Kat Von D eyeliner (Waterproof Autograph Pencil in Eyegasm) and a liquid Stila mint eyeliner (Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Turquoise), I figured it was time to purchase some purples. I bought Crash, Lust, and 1999.

I think that 1999 is going to turn out to be the most wearable (in fact, I'm wearing it as I type this), and Lust will probably be the one I use the least. But they're all beautiful, and I love increasing my makeup collection.

Crash, Lust, and 1999 on my hand. 

Directly after doing this swatch, I washed my hands, then took a bath, then a nap. And there's still a faint smudge of 1999 hanging out on my hand. They really do mean 24/7 when they say it with these eyeliners.

Then I picked out the Too Faced Ready.Set.Prime duo. I'm a faithful user of the LORAC Behind the Scenes primer, it's one of the best and cheapest eyeshadow primers at Sephora, but I just can't turn down a great deal. These primers are .17 oz each, combined they're .34 oz. It's a $12 set. For comparison, the Too Faced Shadow Insurance retails $20 for .35 oz of product. Needless to say, this was a phenomenal deal. And who knows, maybe I'll love them.

I've been researching brow fillers for quite a while. If you've looked at any of my posts where I've included a picture of myself, you know that I don't have thin or sparsely populated eyebrows. I'm half Greek, so I've always had eyebrows that, to a certain extent, had a life of their own. I think my mom sat me down when I was probably twelve and taught me to tweeze them. And thankfully I avoided that middle/high school issue of overplucking eyebrows. Instead, mine have always been full and I love them that way. They're pretty low maintenance these days, but I've been looking for a way to make them look just a little bit more "solid," I guess. It's a hard thing to describe, but I've been wanting them to make a little bit more of a statement and make me look a tad more put together.

Then I found the Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Brow Mousse in Rich Brown. At first I was a little worried, I have BLACK eyebrows, and I was worried that this would make them look awkward and mismatched. But it's such a dark brown that it blends right in with my black brows. And it's such a great product. It doesn't look harsh like a pencil filler and it doesn't look chalky like a powder. I love it so much I may have to do a separate review of it.

Oh, Ren, how did I live this much of my life without discovering the beauty that is your products and packaging? I recently bought the ClearCalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser and I fell absolutely head over heels in love. It's important to note that I don't even have acne anymore, I did in high school, but I've long since gotten over it (save the occasional stress pimple and the blackheads that refuse to leave the pores of my nose). But I can't get enough of this line of products. I got a sample of this mask from Sephora a couple of weeks ago, and I can honestly say that it's the only mask that I've tried that leaves a NOTICEABLE difference in my skin. The night I tried this mask, I had a stress-related pimple on my forehead. It was red. It was angry. When I washed this mask off, I honestly thought magic had happened. The pimple was significantly smaller. It wasn't red at all. Basically, this is about to become my holy grail of spot treatment masks.

I also decided to try this Shiseido Lacquer Rouge in RD305, or Nymph. I've fallen in love with lip lacquers, and I can't wait to see if this one lives up to my expectations.

It's a beautiful blue-rose color, although it's sort of difficult to see because my camera only wanted to focus on the books in the background. In case you can't tell, I (a) love to read, and (b) I'm a history major (although I'm also a religious studies major).

The Lacquer rouge on a human hand. I'm so excited about this product that I actually almost put it on before my bath/nap. Review to come.

The last product that I actually spent money on: Boscia Clarifying Detox Mask. I got a sample of this from Sephora a couple of weeks ago, and initially when I applied this mask, I didn't think I was going to like it. But I loved the tingling as it dried, it make my skin feel minty fresh. Also, considering that I spent $45 on the Ren mask above, I was thrilled by the $25 price tag on this one.

Sample time! I got four samples of different foundation primers. I'm only 20 and don't struggle with keeping my makeup on my face, so I can't justify spending money on foundation primers just yet, but if offered a sample, I will always accept.

Another thing I love in sample form: shampoo and conditioner. This stuff will definitely come in handy when I travel.

I'm about to run out of my favorite foundation (well, to be honest, it's a BB cream), Garnier Skin Renew BB Cream Combination to Oily Skin in light/medium. I'm worried that once I lose my slight tan from the summer, it'll be just a tiny bit to dark/orangey for me. And I've sort of developed a crush on the Urban Decay Naked Skin liquid foundation. It comes with four different samples in a range of shades, I'll probably fall somewhere in between the included 2.0 and 3.5, but it'll give me an idea on whether I like this foundation enough to spend $39 on it.

The final set of samples that I picked were the Philosophy Full of Promise Treatment Duo, mostly because it was the only remaining sample that I was even remotely interested in trying. I got four samples, each with .14 oz of product, so in total, I have .56 oz of product (.28 of each: the day cream and the night cream). The full size version of this product retails for $75 and you get 1.0 oz of product. If you do that math, that means these samples are worth $42. I love it when samples turn out to be worth that much.

Finally, the random samples. I'm not really sure how I ended up with these, we'll see if I ever use them.

Overall, I love Sephora. An inappropriate amount. I really wish I was in my dorm room playing with all of my new makeup.