Karuna Face Mask Review - Clarifying Face Mask

I am a sucker for giveaways. Every time I go somewhere and get a receipt? You better believe I fill out that survey at the bottom. Every time I get an email that I could win a vacation worth $4,000? I click on that link so fast I'm sure I leave flames in my wake. I enter A LOT of giveaways on Instagram, through emails, on Facebook, on Twitter, Youtube, etc. I've won a few different prizes in the last year, and recently I won a prize unlike any I  had won before: a free face mask from the skincare brand Karuna.

This brand might sound familiar to you because you can't walk into a Sephora without seeing the plethora of sheet masks they offer. They're a 99% vegan skincare line that offers: hand masks, eye masks, face masks, serums and more. When I was informed that I had won and I could chose a complimentary face mask, I saw on their FAQ page that they're vegan and quickly picked a mask.

Apparently I was so excited to choose my mask that I missed the little exert about the ONE product in the entire line that isn't vegan because it contains honey. Which mask was that you ask? Well, it happened to be the mask I was wearing, the Clarifying Face Mask. Of course, I discovered this when I was already 10 minutes in the 20 minute treatment letting it sink into my skin.

Now, honey is a grey area for many vegans. Some eat honey, some don't. I chose a little over a year ago to cut out honey from my life. However, already in the process of my magical mask makeover I decided that I was going to review this mask and keep going because gosh darnit, it was too late to turn back. 

Clarifying Face Mask Review 

The packaging it came in was very cute and it all tied together beautifully, from the sticker on the outside that matched the packaging of the mask on the inside.

This mask is meant for Problem/Acne Skin, which is my face right now unfortunately. It is supposed to:

* Clarify clogged pores by deep-cleaning

* Remove excess oil

* Provide oil-free hydration 

Some of the ingredients are:

* Chamomilla Flower Extract - This skincare powerhouse is known to "
helps fade spots, eliminate acne scars and fight breakouts"

* Arctium Lappa Root Extract - Since this was my first time seeing or hearing about this ingredient, I was pleased to find out that it helps with irritated or inflamed skin and also helps to stimulate collagen synthesis.

* Aloe Leaf Juice - While I knew this leaf helped with burns, I had no idea about the beneficial properties for the face since it "contains two hormones: Auxin and Gibberellins. These two hormones provide wound healing and anti-inflammatory properties that reduce skin inflammation."

The directions were very clear and I really liked that they had pictures of an actual person showing you what to do. I've used products before that have come with a one-sentence instruction and you're on your own after that. I've seen videos of sheet masks sometimes being very wet and messy, so I opened mine over the sink and carefully pulled it out. Thank goodness I took precaution because yes, it was very wet and drippy.  It had a very light, nice smell that was slightly botanical.

 (Please excuse my hair. It's been having a moment....every day since I was born.)

Putting the cloth part on my face was not the easiest because of the fact it was so wet parts kept sticking together before I could lay it on my face. When I finally got the mask positioned on my face, pulling off the white backing took a minute because it kept ripping. Instead of it coming off in one swift motion I would pull off a corner, a piece would tear off, then I'd have to start from where it tore, begin pulling, another piece would rip off, etc.

Once I finished pulling off the backing I sat back and set the timer for 20 minutes. It had a wonderful cooling sensation, and after about 10 minutes I noticed a very slight almost itchy sensation in one area of my face, but that went away after only a minute.

 

Immediately after taking it off I noticed how hydrated and plump my skin looked. Much of the redness in my t-zone area was reduced significantly, especially around my nose and mouth. My skin felt so incredibly soft and healthy and had a subtle glow. The directions didn't say to rinse off any excess product after removing the mask, but there was still a lot left, so I gently massaged it in and wiped off the rest with a clean wash cloth.

 I treated the leftover product that I massaged in like a serum and followed with my usual nightly skincare routine of my eye cream, my night cream and my lip treatment. 

Overall Thoughts

This mask retails for $8. That's not the most expensive mask I've seen on the internet by FAR, but for a single use product it isn't the least expensive either. I had a very positive experience and saw results immediately after taking the mask off. The next morning I woke up and my skin looked AMAZING.

However, while gathering facts for this post, I dawned on me that on their FAQ page there was no statement about being cruelty-free. I gulped and got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach as I emailed them asking the one question to rule them all. I went to bed mentally crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. Unfortunately the next morning I received a statement from them saying that while they don't test their products or any of the ingredients on animals, they sell to China which requires animal testing.

((For anyone who is new to the cruelty-free dilemma - while many companies do not test on animals to sell in the United States, they sell in countries that require them to pay an independent lab to test their products on animals. ))

Some people still consider this cruelty-free because we're purchasing here in the states and not in the country where it is required to test on animals. The belief with this argument is that we are not contributing to the problem. However, my personal belief is that when a company is willing to test on animals when it will help line their pockets, then all they truly care about is money, and that's not a company I wish to give my money to.

Therefore, despite my amazing experience, I will not be purchasing from this company. If they ever change their minds and decide to stop selling in China I will 100% support them, but until then I will look elsewhere for my face masks.

A Very New Resolutions Year

Now that Santa has come and gone, we've returned the gifts that didn't fit, and we partied our way into the new year with friends and loved ones, we find ourselves at a famililar and exciting time of year.

 

The Beginning

We can brace ourselves for the "New Year, New Me" mantras slathered all over social media, and people's sudden temporary gusto for doing things better than they were a week prior. It's hard to ignore the sudden onslaught of "Eat This/Do This/Say This/Wear this to be better in 2018" articles popping up like persistent weeds everywhere you click. It's tempting to give in, to say that this Monday, this morning, this January 1st that everything is going to be different. It's a new day, you're a little different than you were yesterday. We're all a little different (and more than likely hungover) than we were yesterday.

But change, true change, takes acknowledgement and time. It is not something done overnight. It's not something that we blink and I Dream of Jeanie into existence. True change is altering habits by every day making that conscious decision to do it a little differently. To put down the phone more often. To dish yourself a smaller portion size. To stop letting someone walk all over you. To get up earlier. To work out more frequently. To meditate more.

All these things, these beautiful, healthy habits are formed with action, not procrastination and not because of the time of year. If we allow ourselves to fall down the rabbit hole of New Years resolutions we'll keep falling and end up at a table with Alice and the Rabbit as many of us do every year.

The best resolutions that are seen through and kept are the resolutions born from the need to act from one's own personal experiences. If it's New Year's Day, then it's today, if it's 2 months from now then it's then. Though it may seem daunting to see everyone head off to the gym today for the beginning of their annual 3-month membership, remember to love yourself, take a deep breath and stay focused on you - your gym, yoga or spin class will get back to the way it was within a few months.

xoxo

Mouth-Off Whitening Treatment Challenge

For anyone out there wondering which whitening treatment they should try, check out my video below for a mouth-off between two popular whitening treatments.

Facial Face-Off

For anyone who likes all things beauty and facials, check out my facial face-off between Glamglow & Boscia!

Holistic Health: Allergy Edition

To make up for my hiatus over the last few weeks, I'm doing a video or written post every day this week! Today is a video post talking about how I deal with my allergies, I hope you lovelies enjoy <.3

Health in Transition

Eyebrow Problems

Hey lovelies! I thought I would give you a break from my face (sort of) and do a written post today. 

If you've seen any of my videos or photos I've posted on here of myself, then you know I have some pretty thick eyebrows. Despite the fact that I've plucked, waxed, and threaded over the years, my eyebrows have always grown back  with a thick and eyebrow-y vengeance. Even though my eyebrows are quite large and relatively thick, they are less thick towards the front and tail end of each brow. So sometimes I do like to fill them in, just a little bit though; just to give them a slightly more bold appearance.

When it comes to plucking, for the most part I only pluck the random strays and try to maintain my large, bold natural shape. However, about a week and a half ago, I woke up to find what looked like I had plucked the front part of my eyebrows in my sleep. 

 

 (Pictorial evidence - see how the front part looks like i have a section missing from both sides towards the middle/bottom? Yeah, there was hair there the night before. I would NOT do this to myself, no matter how much money someone paid me. Well, maybe for a million.)

 

I emitted a silent scream that morning and immediately began contemplating how to fix this. I knew that it would take a couple of weeks for the hairs to grow back to full thick and bushy glory. I also began trying to figure out what exactly the f*&% had happened to my brows to cause this. I had filled in my brows the day before, and I had scrubbed a little harder than usual to get my makeup off that night. However, I didn't notice those holes after the makeup was off and I was moisturizing. I spoke to a coworker about it the next day, since she fills in her brows every day, and she said she scratches in her sleep and has woken up to find eyelash and eyebrow hairs missing on many occasions.

Color me nervous - I hope this doesn't become a reoccurring problem. The picture above was actually taken this morning when I woke up. You can see the hairs are growing in, and I feel that they're growing fast, but obviously not fast enough to take away my insecurity about it. 

Enter meet cute Castor Oil. I hopped on Youtube that same day and found several videos talking about the magical benefits of castor oil. Of course, it's not an actual miracle product, and it won't make changes overnight. The videos I've watched though have suggested that after several weeks worth of use that it does help improve thickness and possibly speed up hair growth. I have ran around to 3 different health food/regular food stores in my area - no such luck. Apparently places down here don't see a need for virgin castor oil. I'm actually at the point where I'm planning a New Orleans trip today purely to swing into Whole Foods to pick some up, or I'm ordering it online tonight. One of the two is happening, but I will post an update in the next few weeks after acquiring it to let you know/show you how it's working on my brows <.3

Tory Burch for FitBit

In the last few years fitness has become a prominent presence in the fashion industry. Instead of tight jeans, there are designer track pants and instead of cardigans, there are sequined wind breakers. Fitness and fashion seemed to have simultaneously fused, and with that ever-present fusion on the runway and on the streets, collaborations have begun to pop up left and right. 

Designers, celebrities and fitness companies are taking their products to a new level to satisfy consumer demands. With fitness as a big part of our culture, it only makes sense that our clothes need to look good, not only when we're at work and out to dinner, but when we're working up a sweat too.

To satisfy the need for designer duds that look good while doing burpees, a feat in and of itself, there have been collaborations across the board:

 - Kate Hudson for Fabletics

- Heidi Klum for New Balance

- Stella McCartney for Adidas

Even Riccardo Tisci for Nike! Yes, the guy that designed Kim Kardashian's wedding dress is making clothes for Nike. 

(Don't worry though, I don't think there are any lace trains in his collection. It'd be a little hard to do squat thrusts with a lace train behind you. Think about it.)

My favorite collaboration thus far though is one I just found out about last week and I'm so excited I decided to do my post about it tonight: 

Tory Burch for FitBit 

 FitBit is an amazing product that is essentially a high-tech bracelet or necklace that helps keep you healthy. It tracks how many calories you burn in a day, how many calories you take in, and most amazingly; how well you sleep. This amazing device actually monitors your sleep patterns so you can see how well you're sleeping, or not.

This collaboration is awesome, not only because Tory Burch is an amazing designer, but now keeping healthy doesn't look boring. It looks you're wearing a beautiful designer bracelet...that also happens to be helping you keep fit. 

Metal Hinged Bracelet: $195.00

 Fret Pendant Necklace: $175.00

 Silicone Printed Bracelet: $38.00

Silicone Printed Bracelet: $38.00

The Tory Burch accessories don't come with the monitoring device, which goes for about $100.

The price of staying healthy and looking impeccably chic while doing so? Priceless.