Anyone else completely obsessed with facial masks? I’ve been using them for years. First, there were those gooey, sticky fruit-based ones that peeled all the peach fuzz off your face. Then came self heating masks, sheet masks, mud masks, and everything in between. But the one that remains my favorite? The black, charcoal ones.

There’s something about slathering that thick, obsidian paste on your face and removing it to reveal smoother, brighter, -dare I say- happier skin. Redness? Gone. Zits? Shrunk. Dull skin? Glowing.

Masks are serious business in my house. So, I recruited the Hubs and we tried out some of the more popular charcoal masks on the market.

This charcoal mask goes on more gray than black, but that doesn’t mean it’s not prepared to get down and dirty with your pores. It’s the thinnest consistency of the 3 we tried. It’s smooth and doesn’t need to dry completely prior to washing it off. I kept it on for 15 minutes and washed it off to reveal smaller pores and less redness. A little goes a long way, and it’s the least irritating of the three I tried – a plus for sensitive skin.

Get it here.

This was the one that started it all for me.  It’s thick, sticky and completely opaque, and it peels off once it dries.  You have to use quite a bit (it doesn’t peel off properly if you apply too thin of a layer), which is hard since it’s not a cheap product, but the results are worth every penny.  My face is consistently left glowing – luminized – exactly as promised.  It’s effects on blemishes are not as noticeable as the other two masks, but it’s one of the few masks that leaves lasting improvement for a few days after using it.

Get it here.

Ok, this mask is more of a mud mask than a charcoal mask, but because of it’s fabulous black color and awesome skin transformation abilities, I’m lumping it into the same category as the others.  This is also the only mask that has Salicylic Acid, which means it’s a mask powerhouse when it comes to blemishes.  The pleasing tingle reminds you that it’s working and it dries relatively quickly from a dark black to a light, concrete gray.  It’s easy to rinse off and leaves pimples visibly reduced.

Get it here.

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Any other charcoal masks you’ve tried and loved?  I’d love to check them out!  In the meantime, I’ll be sitting here with a fabulous, black paste on my face, waiting for it to work it’s magic.

xoxo, Jen