It’s not that I was in the market for another clay mask, but it wasn’t possible for me to walk past a giant tub with a label attached claiming to be the “world’s most powerful facial,” and also read that you’d be able to “feel your face pulsate!”

And it was only $8.

Inside of this 1 pound tub is the real deal – 100% natural Calcium Bentonite, a green clay that’s been used to clean and detoxify the skin for thousands of years. The amount included will allow me to mix mud masks for probably the next 10 years, 5 if I’m using it for body wraps like they also suggest doing.

I found it at Vitamin Cottage, I’ve probably walked right past it 100 times.

I didn’t mind making the paste, it was easy to scoop a small amount into a bowl and add some cider vinegar (their recommendation and great for tightening pores) which activated and awakened the clay making it temporarily bubble.

And then it happened. Sure enough my face was pulsating. Every little heartbeat pulled my skin tighter and tighter until it was dry and ready to be removed. When I walked back into the bathroom, I wanted to laugh at how crazy my face looked but I couldn’t move it.

I swear if it were clear I’d wear it under makeup daily, like a face lift you brush on.

So since it’s just us girls, and my vanity left me years ago,  it’s totally worth showing how crazy my whole face looked.

Ok, here’s the thing – the overall softness and glow my skin had after I took it off was pretty remarkable. It cleans out pores better than a ton masks out there for a lot less money and no impure chemicals. According to their (really bad) website, the clay contains ‘almost every mineral found on Earth’ and the negatively charged clay pulls out the positively charged toxins and pollutiants in the skin. I’ll go ahead and skip the 25 minutes of Googling to see if that’s true and just believe them.

Don’t let my sad, droopy face fool you, I loved this mask. You can find it on Amazon (where you can also read some great reviews), or at a Vitamin Cottage, Whole Foods, and other health food stores.