Vinies Luminous Skin Mask
My skin is feeling decidedly oily today (for me), and I have a couple of blemishes that haven't come up properly yet. I decided to slap on a mask to try to draw out any excess oil.  The one pictured is the one I am trying today.

This is one that I got a sample for last month- it claims to contain Licorice Root Extract, Tamarind, Brahmi, Orange Fruit Extract, Bearberry Leaf Extract, Magnolia Extract, Mint Leaf Extract, Primrose Flower Extract, Lemon Balm Leaf Extract, Millefoil Flower Extract, Indian Sandalwood Oil, Indian Narcissus Oil and Indian Rose Oil.

I can smell the licorice root straight away- I know its not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but I like the smell.  Quite earthy as opposed to artificially perfumed.  

The look of the product is rather unpleasant.  It is a muddy slime green, like a fetid canal, with a gritty texture. The texture I don't mind so much, as a bit of grit will exfoliate when massaging onto the face in application.  However the look of it is really off putting- as though it has gone off, before I have even used it at all!  Not a good look smeared all over the face.  Think swamp monster rather than olive skinned goddess..

The smell remains pleasant during the treatment, and it does seem to really dry and tighten on the skin as it dries due to the clay in it.

The blurb about the product says it is for "luminous skin" so not really descriptive of any particular skin type, but after using it I would advise against it if you have a normal to dry skin.  I think the clay action will dry you out too much.  I am having an oily day, and it has been too harsh for me. It has dried me out to the extent that I felt tight and scaly afterwards.  I was disappointed as it appears to have discoloured my face cloth during the removal process to a sludge brown, and it has left me with red blotches (which I will now treat to a little sudocreme to calm it down).

Overall I would not recommend this to anyone who doesn't have oily skin as I think the action is too harsh.  I may use it up to treat spots, but as a mask it is too strong for my tastes.  The look is less than appealing, and the smell won't win it many fans, bar me, I think.

The Ayurvedic philosophy of the product range is appealing- a holistic natural approach, so I might be tempted to try more products by Vinies Ayurveda's Soul, but this isn't going on my wish list for purchase.