If working in the beauty industry has taught me anything, it is that there are as many things you can put on the outside of your body as you can put inside of it. For every vegan (and veganly-priced) juice bar, there is an equal and opposite beauty label looking to infiltrate your mind and body via pore. Perhaps the hippest example is Herbivore Botanicals, whose minimalist packaging and maximalist inclusion of various dirts and flowers have granted the brand a following over the past few years. So when Herbivore’s Blue Tansy Resurfacing Clarity Mask landed on my desk, I thought my time had come, that I had been summoned by the God of Face Concoctions to test out this blue goo.
You see, I’m not one to do the dirty (clean) work. Intense skin caring is as little an occurrence in my daily life as being cynical about said skin caring is. But if a questionably blue flower and its oh-so-botanical comrades wanted to do the tough stuff for me, who am I to object? Equal opportunity for undoubtedly detrimental chemicals and blue plants, alike!
Herbivore Botanicals’ muse ingredient has a reputation for being anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and non-irritating: an ingredient of resistance against skin care injustices such as the “WTF”-worthy winter breakout and overall rough skin texture. What’s more: as it’s fighting your seasonal skin battles for you, the flower’s anti-redness regime doesn’t leave your face war-torn after washing off.
Apparently, you don’t have to be full of chems to fulfill proper resurfacing mask protocols, such as “numbing” and “tingling," either. Beauty: if it hurts or tingles, you’re doing it right! However, the sensation of Herbivore's mask was subtle and proved to be more psychologically affirming than physically annoying.
As it turns out, trusting the Tansy to get on its little blue hands and knees and resurface the heck out of my face wasn’t a bad idea. Per the directions, I used the mask three days in a row — displaying an unnatural dedication — and came out of the ordeal significantly smoother and likely a bit high from the strong herbal scent that had been emanating from my face for 15-20 minutes.
For $48, you, too, can experience this mask that I can only very cheesily describe as too good (and too blue) to be true. Purchase it here.
