Does Oily Skin Need Ultra Hydration? #ValentiaUltraPlumpingHydrationMask

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

If you've been here a while, you've seen my love of masks develop from 'eh? what's a mask?' to 'OMG. Can you SEE my skin? I feel amazing!"  And, you might even have noticed a trend - clay, clay, clay, maybe an oxygen mask here and there - but mostly masks designed to pull all the oil and debris from my pores.  I'd never even though about a hydration mask.  Wouldn't it make my oily skin a total grease ball? Would it be wet and (ugh) moist (shudder) and tacky?

I totally went into this experiment with trepidation!  Luckily, I haven't been let down by Valentia before, and I was hoping they'd do right by me again.  Hit up the little search bar on the side of my blog, and you'll see how much I love their serums and moisturizers!

Right on the Valentia Ultra Plumping Hydration Mask box is lots of information about what you can expect from this mask - first of all, it's alcohol-, paraben-, and cruelty-free.  The formula is vegan-friendly (and even made using sustainable energy), and many ingredients are organic and natural.  It has some of my very favorite skin-loving ingredients, like Aloe Vera, Green Tea, Hyaluronic Acid, and natural oils like Sea Buckthorn and Rosehip seed.

I have to say, my fears were not assuaged when I opened the jar.  This mask is bright mustard yellow, and jiggly.  Like some weird alien Jell-o.  But, it's not scary at all.  It smells softly like fresh orange juice, and a hint of fresh herb, like mint. 

This mask feels smooth and cooling on the skin. I applied it with a makeup foundation brush, like I do most of my masks.  It doesn't apply like a clay mask - the formula is thin and translucent, but not runny.  It stays where you put it, but it doesn't dry hard, like clay.  In the 30 minutes I left it on, it does firm up, but it never feels tight.  There was some slight tingling, but it was in a pleasant way, not in a 'my-face-is drying-out' way.  I didn't experience any redness or irritation from the tingling, or the mask. 

I washed the mask off with warm water and a washcloth.  The yellow color of the mask didn't transfer to my face or the washcloth, and it came off pretty easily.  Then, the reveal.

I expected that my oily skin would stage a revolt, that my skin would feel tacky, and break out.

It didn't.

My face felt amazing.  I was shocked.  My skin felt firmer, a little tight, like it was lifted.  It was soft - not wet, not tacky, not goopy.  So soft.  Radiant.  The tiredness that I'm wearing in the Before picture is gone - in 30 minutes.

I'm obsessed with the striped "V" inspiration of the Valentia logo.  The base is GlitterDaze Quick! Sand Help! and the stripes are done with Maybelline Bold Gold.

Not only is my skin feeling more hydrated and firm, this mask is supposed to detox every day cellular wear and tear, and increase collagen production.  I would definitely recommend this to anyone, with any skin type, who wants their skin to feel refreshed, lifted, and radiant.

For more information, or to purchase, you can find Valentia on Facebook, Instagram, their website, or on Amazon, where their Ultra Plumping Hydration Mask currently sells for $25.

Have you ever tried a hydration mask?