Over the last few months I've really gotten into skincare, and looking after my face in general. Getting rid of blemishes and getting the skin squeaky clean are at the top of my list of priorities, so when I heard about this, I knew I would buy it sooner or later. I was half expecting my local Boots to not have it in stock, but they did and they had their 3 for 2 offer on too, so I couldn't resist!

This face mask claims to refine your pores and give you an intense clean, particularly on the T-zone area. The mask is particularly suitable for oily skin, however I believe that this would work well for any skin type. There is one thing that I have to mention first before delving into the details of the product however... this is not a peel! I saw this mentioned by a few others who have reviewed it and now that I have seen it for myself I also have to admit that I am completely baffled as to why they have named it as such. Everything else they say on the box is fair game but I really can't make head nor tail of that one.


The packaging design is everything you'd expect from Soap & Glory - clever puns, witty text and everything you need to know about how to use the product and what results to expect. What I particularly like about this mask is how they listed the key ingredients and their properties - it makes me put a little more faith into the product. The tub is also surprisingly thick and good quality, it feels like you're giving yourself an expensive treat when you open it up!


Onto the mask itself; this is a very thick, clay mask that does dry fairly hard on the skin. However you do have to rinse/wipe this product off and I personally prefer to do this with a muslin cloth to make sure that my face is completely free of product. You can choose to leave the mask on for five minutes for "a quick refresher" or fifteen for "a real deep-cleaning do–it-yourself kind of facial"; I prefer the latter.


The mask contains small, blue beads that appear at first to provide exfoliation. I imagine that they do, but their party piece is that they burst when the mask is rubbed onto the skin and give the mask a blue tint! I have to admit that I thought this was going to be a much more dramatic effect, but it is just a tint unfortunately. Soap & Glory say to rub a grape-sized amount onto the skin, which for me is just about enough to cover the entire face - a little goes a long way here. Also as suggested, I like to concentrate this on the ever-troublesome nose area and extend it out from there.


As mentioned before, this does dry fairly hard and to me this isn't an unpleasant sensation. Perhaps it is a placebo but it feels like it is actually doing something - shrinking my pores perhaps? I'm not so sure but when leaving it on for fifteen minutes, it is nice to relax and let the mask do all the hard work! After your time is up, you can rinse it off the face quite easily using your hands or a face cloth of any description.


I wasn't expecting too much from this product despite Soap & Glory never letting me down before... and needless to say that I was impressed! My skin was literally squeaky clean (particularly on my nose), felt fresh and clear and calmed the redness down on my skin. I would perhaps go as far as to say that it has improved the skin on my nose by a fair bit; I don't need to powder it quite as much as I used to. It is suggested to use the mask 2-3 times weekly and I intend to keep this up!

Final verdict: An effective facial mask, that does have a misleading name but delivers very promising results. Despite initally seeming expensive a little goes a long way and actually works out to be more cost-effective than the one-use sachet masks.

The Fab Pore Facial Peel can be found in Boots for £8.