Get A Little Glam With Your Glow!

If I’m going to give myself a little extra pampering, it usually happens on Sunday. This past weekend, I spent a lot of time re-purposing a room in my home (I’ve still got a long way to go!) to get ready for the holidays so after packing, lifting boxes and purging the room, I thought Sunday evening was a great time to try out my new GlamGlow YouthMud TinglExfoliate Treatment!

This thick creamy product is slightly gritty and has dark flecks in the first sample I took out of the pot. It has a slightly floral scent, which is not at all overpowering. The fragrance is soft and slightly floral. Let’s take a quick look at the ingredients:

Aqua (Water), Montmorillonite (Volcanic Minerals), Kaolin (French Sea Clay), Magnesium Aluminum Silicate (Purified Clay), Polyethylene, Pumice (Micro Volcanic Rock), Camellia Sinensis Leaf (Green Tea Leaf), Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract (Green Tea), Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract (Chamomile), Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract (Marigold), Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract (Cucumber), Hedara Helix Extract (Ivy), Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract (Comfrey Herb), Lavandula Hybrida Oil (Lavender), Glycerin (Vegetable), Parfum, [Benzyl Benzoate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool], Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone.

YouthMud  contains several different types of clay (the Montmorillonite, Kaolin, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate), which are probably mostly used as thickeners in this product, exfoliants (pumice and the polyethylene), antioxidants (Green Tea Leaf and extract, chamomile, marigold), skin conditioning/softening agents (cucumber, glycerin, ivy, Caprylyl Glycol) an anti-inflammatory (comfrey), fragrance (lavender, parfum), preservatives (Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone), and an ingredient that helps make the mask “spreadable” (Hexylene Glycol).

The ingredients are pretty straight forward (even the clays---available online and most likely in your local Whole Foods) and lots of skincare products include all, or at least some, of these ingredients. They are all also readily available to people who want to “do it yourself.” That being said, it’s a pain in the you know where to gather everything and duplicate it at home. One big difference is that if you were making it at home, you’d probably make small batches, which you’d use up in a week, making the use of the four preservatives not really necessary.

YouthMud right after application

I applied YouthMud to my entire face. It spread easily and contained grainy bits of black (tea leaves) and after about ten minutes, it dried to a hard, light green substance. During the dry time, I felt my skin tighten up and tingle a little bit (that’s from the clay, I believe). Some people report that this product burns but I didn’t feel any burning. There are some ingredients here that can be irritants (the lavender, the benzyl benzoate, the hexyl cinnamal, the limonene and the linalool) so that may be the reason why. The exfoliation takes place as the pumice and polyethylene beads rub against the skin during the drying process and during removal of the mask. After YouthMud was completely removed (using warm water), my skin felt soft and smooth, as I expected.

I like this mask and am glad that I purchased it. It is available in two sizes at Sephora, the .5 oz jar (which I purchased) which costs $19 and a larger (1.7 oz) jar for $69. If you’re looking for a “spa-like” feel without going to a spa, you’ll like this mask. It’s a little bit of luxury in a jar!!!

Have you tried YouthMud? What do you think of it?

Ages of Beauty rating: ***