It's been a few months now since I went to Iceland. It's not uncommon knowledge that it's a pricey country; not exactly the place to pick up a bag of souvenirs. I bought two things for myself while we were there - a Hard Rock Cafe T-shirt and this mud mask. It's the most expensive beauty item I've ever bought. In The Blue Lagoon gift shop (and its store in the centre of Reykjavik) it retails for around £80. I got mine in duty free at Keflavik airport for closer to £60. Was it worth it?
I ummed and ahhed over this purchase throughout our holiday. We went to The Blue Lagoon on our first full day in Iceland, and I didn't even bother with looking in the gift shop. I knew their skincare was expensive so thought a purchase was out of the question.
However, I found myself browsing their store on Laugavegur in Reykjavik. When you visit The Blue Lagoon you have access to the Silica Mud Mask; it's in a bucket by the side of the water and you can help yourself. Both times I've tried it whilst visiting my skin has felt so soft afterwards (quick note: the same cannot be said for my legs, if you visit The Blue Lagoon definitely moisturise afterwards!)
Whenever the mask came up in conversation I'd tell myself "there are high end face masks back in the UK that are cheaper, treat yourself to something less expensive". I've always wanted to try GlamGlow, and I can't resist masks that peel off. It's like being back at primary school with a pot of PVA glue.
However, the reason why I decided to purchase this face mask was twofold: firstly Kris had bought himself a new jacket in Manchester Airport for a similar amount so I felt like I deserved a treat too, and secondly I had actually tried this prior to purchase. I would never spend premium pounds on a skincare product that I haven't tried (i.e. GlamGlow). Imagine if my face broke out and went red!? It'd feel like such a waste of money!
The mask comes in 100ml. I kind of wish they did smaller sizes, but they only had tiny little sample sized pots that were like £20 and had enough product to maybe cover one cheek if you were lucky. This was especially frustrating because they had smaller sizes of almost everything else in the range. But I suppose it's nice to know that my £60 is going to last me a while.
Onto the important stuff: is it any good? I've been applying a fairly thick amount to my face, especially in my t-zone area. It dries white, then I've been washing it off in the shower with the help of a flannel.
It definitely fulfils its claim of tightening pores; it's not hugely visible but you can definitely feel your skin tighten. Almost to the extent that it feels warm on your skin. It leaves my face soft and clean, but I sometimes pop a little moisturiser on afterwards if it leaves my skin feeling a little tight.
This isn't "the world's best face mask" by any stretch of the imagination, but it definitely feels premium. The product is of good quality and even the packaging feels expensive. I just wish I hadn't squished the box on my flight home!
I've been using it a minimum of once a week since we got back from Iceland and I don't even think I've used half yet. I haven't really got any other face masks in the house at the moment (I recently finished a tub of Lush's Cup O'Coffee) so will try and resist any purchases until I've used all of this up!
Seeing as I have no future plans to go to Iceland, this is one item I probably won't be repurchasing! Nevertheless, I have really enjoyed using it.
Have you tried any Blue Lagoon skincare? Or have you got another favourite face mask brand?
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