If you’re on Instagram you’ve seen the ads for that crazy Hanacure All in One Facial mask that touts instant results by contorting your face into an old lady for 30 minutes before washing it away to reveal a completely new and much younger face. This was the impression I got anyway, so with the hopes of shedding away some lines and discoloration (I’m off Botox!), I shelled out $30 for a single use mask. Yes, $30 for just 1 treatment which is halfway to an actual facial.
You mix a solution from a tiny bottle into a powder and shake them together until it forms a gel, then apply with the enclosed brush. (Sidenote: Can we just omit the brush and assume we’ll figure out a way to spread it on to cut like $10 off the price?) The gel creates enough for 2 faces even with a thick application, so I smeared some on Mike’s face without letting him know what it was. He ‘agreed’ to it much like my kids agree to me putting sunscreen on their faces, both reluctant with a lot of wiggling. After the first 10 minutes I could see the tightening effect start to take place. As it dried, it pulled my skin back really tight which made me look like a really sad hound dog because my lower lids were pulled way the fuck down. Then it went from clear to sort of brown and started to crack. Strange, fun, different. Alternatively, Mike didn’t share my outlook and removed his after it started to take effect. He sent me a text asking WTF I had put on his face since we were putting the girls down at the time and I was in with Lola. Wasted! I could’ve used that on my neck!
But the problem isn’t the process, or even the cost (although $30 a treatment is a lot to ask). It’s the result. I did see some brightening, my skin was softer, and there were even some dry patches and flaking in the days following which is a good sign. The problem for me is that I had a treatment that offered the same (if not better) results for pennies per mask and I’ve been using it for years.
I’ve written about Aztec Secret before. I’ve even bought it for friends who I knew would love it. But I’m not the only one- not even close. There are almost 18,000 rave reviews on Amazon with only 8% being 1 or 2 star touting its magical abilities to brighten, improve overall texture, and fade acne scaring. The tub is $8 for a pound and it will last a really long time, like a year or two. Its only ingredient is Natural Calcium Bentonite Clay which is proven to tighten pores, fade scaring, detoxify, reduce inflammation, and even fade stretch marks. It can also be used in a bath for a detox soak, as a toothpaste to whiten teeth, and as a paste on bug bites and other skin irritations.
Just mix equal parts of the clay with water or apple cider vinegar for even better results and apply a good layer. You’ll start to feel your face tightening and lifting within minutes and your skin will become cool to the touch because it draws the heat out. It also tightens the skin and even pulsates giving a weird pulled appearance which makes smiling, talking, and eating a challenge. You can feel it working and when I remove it, my skin looks much better every single time. It’s my go-to for breakouts and scaring when I can see that I’m starting to look dull. I have tons of fancy masks, but I come back to this one over and over because of how effective it is. It’s magical.
Note- your skin will be red for 30 mins to an hour after so start with 5 or 10 minutes and gauge from there. My skin is like a fine piece of tanned leather because I’ll leave it on for over an hour and barely flush. I think I do so much to my skin that it would barely notice if I were to set it on fire.
Ignore the cleaver marketing and crazy photos that Hanacure posts. If you want to give it a try, by all means go for it, but know that there’s a $10 solution out there that works just as well.
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