I’m always on the hunt for products to shrink my large pores.
The Faith in Face Missing Pore Hydrogel Mask lists its effects as pore care, sebum control, and clarifying. It claims to clean even pores that are invisible to the naked eye using a three step process. Step one consists of using peppermint leaf extract to melt sebum, step two uses salicylic acid to clean pores, and step three uses witch hazel extract to tighten pores.
Faith in Face claims that this hydrogel mask adheres and absorbs into the skin easily. It describes this mask as feeling like a second skin and offering a cooling sensation as soon as it touches the face. This mask is said to help with excess sebum, balance skin condition, and calm sensitive skin. Faith in Face also notes that the thickness of the hydrogel decreases as it becomes absorbed by the skin, indicating effectiveness.
Instructions say to remove all protective film and apply hydrogel mask to face for 30 minutes. It also recommends to test a little bit of the essence on the back of the hand for those with sensitive skin.
I found it difficult to remove the hydrogel mask with the two protective layers as the essence paired with the mask made everything very slippery. I recommend using scissors to cut all the way around the outer packaging to instead of trying to pull everything out through one side.
After managing to pull out all the layers, I realized that this mask actually has two parts: one for the top half of the face and one for the bottom. The hydrogel feels similar to cellulose but with a bit more slip. The mask migrates down the face because of its slipperiness, so I recommend laying down or at least sitting as it may be difficult to readjust the mask during use. I had some trouble getting the mask to stick to the tip of the nose due to the cutout. There was an indication of a slit to help shape this part, but the slit wasn’t cut all the way through. I also found that the area between the eyes was too wide, so I was unable to fully lay down the mask in this area. The cutout didn’t make the mask impossible to use, but it’s important to acknowledge that since the product is embedded into the hydrogel, the parts of the face that the mask doesn’t touch will not receive the effects of the mask. The mask provides a moderate to strong cooling factor that builds and decreases. It also has a witch hazel scent to it.
My skin felt refreshed and clean after use. The cooling effects lightly linger for a bit afterwards as well. There is no oily residue left, but the face may feel ever so slightly filmy if you touch using hands. I actually used this mask twice in the span of about a month, and I noticed different results. With the first use, I noticed that it helped shrink the pores in the area underneath my inner eye corners. One thing that may come off as a red flag to some people is that a lot of small blackhead bumps appeared on my nose as a result if this mask. Some people may not like this, but I think it’s good because it means the mask drew sebum and other gunk up to the surface, allowing them to be more easily removed, otherwise known as “purging.” I think these bumps are a testament to show that this product works to help clean pores. The second time I used this, I double cleansed and gently exfoliated using the Faith in Face AHA Peel So Good Bio Cellulose Mask before applying the Faith in Face Missing Pore Hydrogel Mask. I think this made the results more apparent because I had cleansed my pores of impurities before attempting to shrink them, allowing the mask to focus on shrinking the pores instead of cleaning in that 30-minute time frame. I was satisfied with the results the first time around, but I was super impressed the second time I used this. My deep, dark pores were pretty much gone, and I could only notice them when directly facing the light, which, even then, my pores still looked completely clean and not as deep. Before using this product for the second time, another product had messed up my skin and pores, and I lost all motivation to keep up with my skincare routine as a result. This product just completely took me by surprise the second time around, and now I’m so excited to get back in the skincare game.
Basically, what I’ve learned from using this product twice is that you will achieve much better and amazing results if you treat your skin to a deep oil cleansing massage and a bit of AHA exfoliation before use. I love this product and will definitely be repurchasing to save for pore emergencies. I had no intention of repurchasing the first time I tried this, but now that I know how to boost the effects of this mask, I’m obsessed.
