As someone who is obsessed with skincare and has a general love for peeling things off her face, this product immediately triggered my interest. Also, it is literally PITCH black when you apply it, so that kind of adds to the fun of putting it on.

An important thing to note about this product is that the directions are pretty much entirely in Korean. But due to the amount of time I spend on the internet, I knew just what to do. (And it’s kind of self explanatory since everything is numbered and all.) First, wet your face with a warm towel to open up your pores and bring those blackheads to the surface. Then, you apply a Deep Pore Sebum Softener, which you leave on your face for about 10 minutes before washing off. I didn’t really notice that this part did too much for my skin, but I guess it primes your pores for the next part which is the ~fun~ part: the carbon mask.

Don’t apply this like you would any other face mask: since it’s designed to remove blackheads, you really only need to apply it to areas that are prone to breakouts and blackheads. For me, like many others, that’s my T-zone, so I applied to my forehead, nose, and chin.

I’ve heard complaints about this mask before that it takes forever to dry, but I felt mine drying up within 10-15 minutes of applying it. But I was feeling patient and really wanted it do its magic, so I let it sit on my face before about 30 minutes until I felt my face cracking anytime I talked or smiled.

Okay, I lied. Now HERE is the fun part. Peeling it off. It’s slightly painful (avoid eyebrows obviously), but the pain is definitely very much worth it. Since the mask is black, you can actually see all the gunk and dirt it’s removing from your face, and I immediately noticed that my chin looked 100% clearer. You’ll probably have some small leftover black spots that are difficult to peel off, so wash your face with warm water after removing the majority of the mask.

The third part of this set is a Skin Clarifying Pore Treatment Essence. This feels just like water and helps to relieve any dryness that might have been caused because of the mask and leaves your skin feeling nice and soft.

So, this mask definitely did live up to the hype for me. Not only did I have a little bit too much fun applying it/taking photos of myself with it on/peeling it off, but it actually WORKS! It won’t remove 100% of your blackheads on the first go, but I definitely noticed a decrease after the first time I used it and even more so with the second use. You can buy the mask here on YesStyle.com, where you can also shop from a ton of other cool Asian beauty products (and there’s free shipping if you spend over $50).

But you’ve been warned: this site is dangerously addictive for makeup lovers, and if you can manage to buy only one product from this website, then I commend your willpower.

—Devon Kelliher

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