A Rose Clay Masque By Any Other Name Would Not be Oblige by Nature

Product provided for review. All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

Welcome to another episode of, 'Nidia is a Masque Addict'.  Today, we get a little fancy with a French Rose Clay mask with a DIY spin.  If you have sensitive skin, or if you like to customize your skincare, you may want to keep reading!

Oblige' by Nature is made by a company called Naprodis, founded in 2000 by Dr. Paul F. Petit - a Naturopath/Chiropractor/Clinical Psychologist and Pelotherapist (someone who treats conditions with mud baths.  Yeah, I had to Google it.)  So, if anyone knows his mud, it's this guy.  When I was given a chance to try one of his mud masques, I was pretty excited!

Other than a DIY masque I'd made, I'd never seen a commercial clay masque come as a powder.  Oblige has 4 different clays based on skin sensitivity, with Green being for intense detoxification,  Yellow for normal to oily skin, Rose for normal skin, and White for the most sensitive of skins.

I chose the Rose clay, mostly because I'd never tried it before.  It is a very fine powder, pink in color, and pretty much odorless.  The ingredients are all natural, and sourced from all over the world.  There are no phlalates, parabens, or sulfates, no GMO ingredients, no fragrances, no gluten, and it is vegan and cruelty-free.

To make the clay into a masque, they recommend mixing it with distilled water or their hydrolates, which are distilled floral essences, enriched with vegetable glycerine and B-vitamins.  For those who like to customize their masques, this is where this product shines.  Naprodis currently offers distillates of geranium, rose, lavender, and neroli, or you can add your own.  Want something stronger? Add some Apple Cider Vinegar.  Soothing?  Chamomile tea.  Use cucumber or lemon water, or add whatever essence you like.  I used it both with plain water and with InstaNatural Moroccan Rose Water, and I really liked it with the rose essence.

One thing I found interesting was Dr. Paul's take on the common direction to leave a mud masque on until it is dry.  His view is that once the clay is dry, it is no longer active; so keep the clay wet for the full 20 minutes you are using it, and then wash it off.  I tried spraying my face with water, which could get a little messy!  One time, I had made a little extra masque, so I just kept applying it over the 20 minutes.  No mess, and my face stayed wet the entire time.

If it's called Rose clay, why am I orange? I had to take a picture after my husband compared me to an Oompa Loompa.  So what if I'm orange, if it works, right?  And, I think it does.  My skin felt soft, and pleasantly tight, but not irritated. It pulled a lot of gunk to the surface and the day after I had some extracting to do. 

Just a little simple nail art today, inspired by the color of the clay, and the logo.  The base color is Kelara Venus (sadly discontinued).  I made the leaf by painting first with Koco Blue Moon, and then making the smaller leaf inside it with Milani Enchanted Emerald.  I scratched out the veins with a small dotting tool, and filled in where necessary.

If you'd like to learn more about Naprodis and Oblige by Nature, please check out their website.  They have additional information about ingredients, and Dr. Paul has a blog of sorts where he posts his ponderings. You can also find them on Facebook.