La Mer’s Purifying Mask Will Elicit Major Compliments On Your Skin

I’m always on the hunt for a beauty product with instant gratification—a rare find these days in the world of retinols, night creams and hair growth vitamins that take months to start giving any sort of results. My evening routine often incorporates a little something extra if I can squeeze in the time, usually in the form of an under-eye patch, a microcurrent session or a sheet mask that I can apply and let marinate while I finish up emails or put away dishes. I’ve tried an abundance of face masks over the years, yet none have offered the truly visible results of the skin-balancing La Mer Deep Purifying Mask.

If I’m being completely honest here, I am quite addicted to this product—it’s now my go-to skincare product that I use several times every week and have come to rely on for glowy, dewy, real-life-Instagram-filter skin. I’ll break it all down for you as to why.

La Mer’s newest detoxifying mask is an impurity magnet, ideal for purging skin of all that daily debris that clings to its surface including dirt, bacteria and oil, causing a less-than-perfect complexion over time. I was a victim of said dirt wreckage, especially after a summer of caking on sunscreen and sweating out muggy afternoons in the city, and my skin was crying out for help in the form of a dull, lackluster appearance and less than appealing pore size.

Enter my new miracle product: The La Mer Deep Purifying Mask is composed of a proprietary Pretoxifying Ferment. It’s a 99% naturally derived ingredient containing bamboo charcoal, sea salt, and antioxidants that blend together with the brand’s signature Miracle Broth (a blend of sea kelp, vitamins and minerals) to help draw out impurities, refine pore size, and balance the skin overall.

Three times a week as part of my evening routine, I dip the accompanying silver brush into the thick, goopy jar of mud-like substance and apply a generous layer over my entire face. It’s a process that feels oddly luxurious considering I am applying green goo to my skin—but it is La Mer after all, so it’s guaranteed to be nothing short of that no matter what Nickelodeon-esque color it comes in.

As the mask dries, it gradually feels tighter on the skin and develops a very mild tingling sensation—both signs that it’s appropriately baked for the right amount of time to reap all the benefits. After 10 minutes of running around the house, folding laundry and finishing other to-dos for the evening (including scaring my boyfriend with my kelp green mud face), I run the accompanying sea stone-inspired sponge under warm water and slowly start wiping off the mask, which has since dried and turned into more of a seafoam green than when I applied it wet. At this point, I have the removal process down to a science (apply a light layer of water to my entire face, use the sponge to remove the majority of the green goo, then follow up with a face wash to ensure it all comes off)—though I will admit the process was a bit messy in the beginning.

Nevertheless, it’s worth it; ten minutes later my skin is radiant, my pores are smaller and my face just feels refreshed like I’ve just gotten a luxurious facial at an overpriced spa in New York City. This creamy cooling mask has been a godsend for my face, and so I shall hereby keep it as my secret no longer.