Review: Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal and Drink Up Intensive Mask Pods

I confess that I don't take care of my skin as well as I should. I'm incredibly lazy, and I don't wash my face daily. Honestly, I only wash my face when I shower, and the rest of the time I just wipe my face with a washcloth and call it a day.

Despite this, I don't really have any problems with my skin. I have combination skin with an oily t-zone, dry patches here and there, and a blemish every now and then. I thank birth control for how consistent my skin has been for the past couple years.

My biggest concern is dryness, which is usually no problem on a day to day basis, but really shows up when I put makeup on. Liquid foundations, concealers, and eyeshadows tend to highlight my dry spots, and I finally decided to try some products out for it.

I really hate trying new skincare products because I don't want to cause a reaction with my skin. Luckily, I don't have a problem with Origins face masks, and I was so excited to find their products in little travel pods. 

I got Drink Up Intensive and Clear Improvement Active Charcoal to try out. They're $8 per four pods, but each one can be used more than once (at least for me). For the amount you get, I think it's a great steal.

Drink Up Intensive is an overnight mask that replenishes the moisture that your skin loses on a day to day basis. I can probably get about 3-4 uses out of one pod because this mask is really thick. It doesn't soak into your skin right away like lotion does, so I just apply a thin layer and blot any excess. It has a slightly sticky residue, but it surprisingly doesn't bother me too much, and I absolutely love the way it smells. After just one use, my dry patches were completely gone! Of course they'll come back if I don't continue to keep my skin moisturized, but I don't use this mask every night. I find that alternating between this mask and another, less thick mask (Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Mask with Super 7 Complex) works better for my skin.

I absolutely love Origins' Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask. It's a pore-clearing mask, and it works wonderfully. After using it, the pores around my nose, which are usually noticeable, were barely there. It applies smoothly and it starts to tighten once it dries. The first time I used it, I couldn't figure out how to wash it off effectively. Rinsing with water just took forever. The second time, I used a wet washcloth to wipe the mask off. The mask washed off the towel just fine, so that's another plus.

Overall, I love the diverse selection of masks that Origins has, and I'm very pleased that I was able to try these two out at such a great price. I'm definitely eyeing their rose clay mask for the future.

4/5