Review: Queen Helene's Mint Julep Masque

Perhaps I'm the last to jump on the bandwagon with this product, but I recently discovered Queen Helene's Mint Julep Masque. While I had heard plenty of rave reviews on it in the Youtube community, I could never seem to find it until recently, when I popped into Walgreens and it was there! It's certainly a low-price object (only $3.99) and was practically hidden on the bottom shelf below tons of more expensive drugstore skin care products.

However, this Masque needs to be more properly advertised. It is quite possibly the best facial mask I've used in years and I'm almost convinced it works on all skin types. The Masque was originally made for people with oily, acne-prone skin, but is not too harsh for those who have normal or even dry skin. Queen Helene (the manufacturer) claims that the Masque will dry up acne, pull out blackheads, and shrink pores (my BIGGEST skin problem). Another great thing about the Mint Julep Masque is that it's 100% Vegan, meaning it is not tested on animals nor does it contain any animal products. Vegan skin care can be outrageously expensive, but this Masque is reasonably priced and ethically made.

The Mint Julep Masque is your typical, classic facial mask with minty green coloring and all. After applying it, you need to let it sit until it dries (the bottle recommends 15 minutes. I sat for 20-25 minutes, but it had hardened in 10 minutes). The formula smells very minty (Vannesa said it reminded her of toothpaste, but not in an unpleasant way) and is extremely thick in consistency. Before applying the Masque, I washed my face with my favorite Neutrogena Oil-Free face wash to get rid of my makeup and any surface dirt.

A quick shot of the Masque before application.

Just after applying the masque.

The masque's packaging.

After applying the Masque, I experienced an intense cooling sensation and could literally feel my pores shrinking. As the Masque dried, it did become very stiff and at some points I felt like I couldn't really move my facial muscles because my skin was tight. I don't think this is a bad thing at all, but I could see how it might freak some people out.

The Masque is all dry! It only took about 10 minutes.

According to the Masque's packaging, you can remove it with warm water and a washcloth. I, however, removed it in the shower, and I think it came out just fine. Once I towel-dried my face, I was impressed to see that the masque had not dried out my skin, but rather shrunk my enormous pores and greatly reduced the size of a pimple I'd been struggling with (said pimple is now gone. Yay!).

After picture! You might not be able to really see, but my pores looked MUCH smaller and my skin just looks firmer and healthier.

Obviously, I would clearly recommend this product. I have absolutely NO complaints about it. In fact, I'm going to go buy another 5 tubes right now so I don't have to worry about running out!