Unboxing Beauty

Disclaimer: Products were sent to me for review purposes. All opinions are my own and unbiased. Contains referral links

A great network for bloggers to connect with companies for product review is Brandbacker.  This network gives bloggers the opportunities to apply for campaigns that are of interest and review products.  I only apply to products that I am interested in trying out personally.  I have used Valentia’s products in the past and this review is for their Skin Detoxifying Clay mask.    This product was supplied to me free of charge in exchange for an honest review. 

About Valentia

The Roman Goddess of healing, Valentia, relied on nature’s gifts to heal the citizens of Umbria. Whether matriarchs seeking to maintain their youthful look or farmers seeking help for sun damaged skin, Valentia used berries, herbs, barks and other natural ingredients. We also rely on all natural ingredients due to their protective, preventative and corrective powers.  Just like our namesake, Valentia Skin Care products have been formulated with natural and organic cosmetic ingredients that will repair and protect the skin.

After performing extensive research into what skin care customers find most important, we found an overwhelming demand for skin care that is natural, free of toxins and paraben-free. Natural ingredients with an organic base have proven most effective at repairing skin damaged by sun or wind, preventing signs of aging such as wrinkles, dark spots, and reversing the effects of oxidative stress on the skin.

Valentia’s Skin Detoxifying Clay Mask  is a vegan product, contains organic ingredients, made in the USA and using sustainable energy, contains organic ingredients and made with 98% natural ingredients. It is also alcohol and paraben free. It will help detox, clarify and hydrate your skin, while reducing excess oil, reducing the appearance of pores and improving the texture of your skin.

• Kaolin Clay: Clay minerals draw impurities, improve skin tone, and tighten pores for smoother firmer skin.
• Plant Stem Cells:Naturally decreases the level of pro-aging toxins and works to soother the skin, reduce redness, and improve evenness.
• Spirulina: A botanical stimulant full of vitamins that hydrates the skins surface and contributes to tissue regeneration of the skin.
• CoQ10: Lessens the appearance of wrinkles by reducing free radical damage and stimulating health collagen production.
• Hibiscus & Cranberry Fibers: Both lend their anti-aging properties to firm and reinforce the skin, helping to reduce the creation of new wrinkles.
  

It also contains Aloe Vera ~which is a powerful moisturizer that doesn’t leave your skin feeling oily or greasy. It soothes, treats inflammation, helps speed up skin healing and also has a plethora of antioxidants ~ beta-carotene, Vitamin C and Vitamin E, which help improve your skin’s firmness and keeps your skin moist and hydrated. It also contains over 75 different nutritious ingredients, including minerals, enzymes, amino acids, salicylic acid and much more.

• Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C)  is a new comer on the Vitamin C market ~ it is a fairly new in skin care products, but it is also very stable as well.  It is a derivative of Vitamin C and this is gentle as it waits to convert to ascorbic acid after it is absorbed into the skin.  It is an antioxidant that can help heal blemishes, brighten skin and can stimulate collagen production.
• Palmitoyl Oligopeptide & Palmitoyl Tetapeptide-7 are chains of amino acids and can increase the levels of production of collagen and hyaluronic acid deep down in your skin, helping to heal and restore firmness and elasticity to your skin.
• Astaxanthin is derived from marine algae, is an anti-oxidant, will help smooth, moisturize, even out skin tone and brighten your skin tone.
• Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) is  full of powerful anti-oxidants, due to its high concentration of polyphenols, green tea helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
• Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry extract) , Prunus Virginiana (Wild Cherry), Punica Granatum (Pomegranate), Vaccinium Angustifolium (Blueberry),  Rheum Palmatum (Rhubarb) are all full of vitamins and antioxidants, helping to combat free radicals to help prevent premature aging.

 

Ingredients:  Deionized Aqua (Water), Organic Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera), Kaolin clay, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C), Globularia Cordifolia Callus Culture Extract (plant stem cells), Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetapeptide-7, Undaria Pinnatifida Cell Culture Extract, Ubiquinone (CoQ10), Hibiscus Fibers, Cranberry Fibers, Sodium Magnesium Silicate, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Cellulose Gum, Purified Smectite Clay, Cranberry Fragrance, Haematococcus Pluvialis extract (Astaxanthin), Organic Rosa Canina (Rosehip Seed Oil), Wildcrafted Panax Ginseng, Wildcrafted Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea), Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi (Bearberry), Organic Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry extract), Organic Viola Tricolor (Violet), Wildcrafted Prunus Virginiana (Wild Cherry), Punica Granatum (Pomegranate), Vaccinium Angustifolium (Blueberry), Citrus Limon (Lemon Essential Oil), Organic Rheum Palmatum (Rhubarb), Phenoxyethanol, Ethyl Hexyl Glycerin, Spirulina Maxima (Spirulina), Macrocystis Pyrifera (Kelp), Vitis Vinifera (Grape Seed Oil), Organic Centella Asiatica (Gotu Kola), Wildcrafted Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail), Wildcrafted Taraxacum Officinale (Dandelion), Wildcrafted Geranium Maculatum (Wild Geranium), Kosher Vegetable Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Sucrose Stearate, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Lecithin, Tocopherol. cosDNA.com analysis

This clay mask is very soft and I did   have to mix it before applying it, as the product is a bit separated when I opened up this jar.  It has a smooth, creamy texture and a medium weight ~ it is not watery. It has little bits of what I am assuming are the cranberry and hibiscus fibers ~ those little granular bits will help as a scrubber when I rinse the mask off.

I totally LOVE the scent of this clay mask ~ it smell just like cranberry juice and that shouldn’t be surprising, as there are cranberry fibers, cranberry extracts and cranberry fragrance added to this product.  If you love a good sweet berry scent, this is for you!

Description: Not your ordinary mask, this clay mask removes excess dirt and oil from the skin caused by makeup, environmental toxins, and everyday contaminants. Kaolin Clay helps pull dirt and oil to the surface, offering a deep cleanse that leaves skin clean and clear. Added Hibiscus and Cranberry Fibers make this mask unique, providing an extra layer of skin exfoliation, leaving skin feeling and looking smoother, and softer. This Detoxifying Clay Mask reverses and clears away skin damage, giving you stronger, firmer and healthier skin.

The mask spreads easily on my face.  This does have a slight tingling for the first 5 minutes or so, but the sensation does stop after that. When the mask dries down, it does not cause my skin to feel tight or dry. Rinsing off with warm water after 20 minutes, massaging the mask as to use those seeds/fibers to unclog my pores. My face did not feel striped dry, in fact, it felt hydrated and my pores looked smaller! I love the scent of this mask too. 

Due to the tingling sensation, if you have sensitive skin, I would not recommend this, but if you have oily skin, this would a pretty good mask!  I was really impressed on how “tighter” my pores looked after one use and how refreshed my faced looked ~ more bright and relaxed.  The short term benefits from this mask is that it does detox, removing dirt, excess oil and debris, it did make my skin brighter, soft and smooth while my pores looked smaller ~  which means it did improve my skin tone and texture.  My face also felt more hydrated.    

Now, according to Valentia, the long term benefits will be:

• Enlarged pores will be reduced
• Firmer & more strengthened skin
• Clearer skin with less breakouts

I will quibble over the long term benefits with this product ~ there is no way to really permanently shrink your pores ~ you can only reduce the appearance of them and it is all temporary.    I am not sure a wash off pack can make your skin firmer, as usually you need to leave the products on your face to do that.  But it doesn’t hurt to temporarily firm and tone your skin.  I will agree that this mask, with its amazing ingredients, will continue to detox and purify your skin, which will lead to less acne breakouts.   I was impressed by the immediate results that I saw from this clay mask, plus it smells great too!  I really enjoyed using this product and since I have oily skin, I can use this mask a couple of times a week with no issues.

 

Have you tried Valentia Skin Detoxifying Clay Mask?  Are you interested in giving this a try? Let me know in the comments below!   You can purchase this scrub at Amazon (link here)  or Valentia online shop (link here) for $25.00 (4 oz tub)  

If you purchase at Amazon, you can also use these coupon codes to save more!

• Receive a free Organic Rosehip Seed Oil with the purchase of any Valentia Product. Enter code GGLGP8RC at checkout. 
• Buy any 5 Valentia products and save 20% off your purchase:  Use  code MVPQV7VP at checkout. 
• Buy any 4 Valentia products and save 18% off your purchase: Use code  WYU6LDX7 at checkout. 
• Buy any 3 Valentia products and save 15% off your purchase: Use code  J42Q2RDG at checkout. 
• Buy any 2 Valentia products and save 10% off your purchase: Use code U6KZNBQZ at checkout. 

   http://www.instagram.com/valentianatural
http://www.facebook.com/valentiabeauty

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014PJLKJ6

[ Disclaimer:  Products were sent to me for review purposes.  All opinions are my own and unbiased. ]

[ Contains referral links. Description in italics from Valentia Beauty ]

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