Today I’m going to review the ‘GLAMGLOW’ SUPERMUD clearing treatment. When I first saw this product online I was unsure whether to get it or not as it is pretty pricy at £39.99 for a 34g pot but, like always, I decided to try it as “I deserved it” – haha! It is basically a mud mask but claims to be ‘The worlds most scientifically advanced SUPERMUD clearing treatment’. It has so many ingredients in which all do some good to the skin.

So what does it claim to do exactly?

It says it helps to; improve skin texture, improve the effects of scaring, fight breakouts, improve skin collagen & ageing, de-clog & minimise pores, regulate skin problems/irritations & complication. With this claim why wouldn’t you want to try it?

What do I think?

I’ve used it a few times now and each time I have noticed that my face has felt so much softer. It made me feel as if I had had a deep clean as I felt so fresh – my skin really did feel more glowy. My pores aren’t too big anyway but I still noticed that they appeared slightly smaller. I like that this face mask literally pulls out all of the crap from your face – & you can see it too (see the photo below!). I like the choice of being able to use this as a spot treatment too, as opposed to a full face mask, so if I get a massive zit I will whack this beauty on top of it and hopefully zap that zit away! The box recommends that you leave the treatment on for 5-20 minutes, I kept mine on for the full 20 to see the full effect but if you’re in a rush it probably works too as it seems to dry out pretty rapidly – great for the spot treatment! With all that said, I am still unsure if I would purchase this again because I’m sure there is a cheaper alternative on the market. This face mask isn’t a miracle worker but is definitely a good one.

Best way to apply?

I apply this with a flat foundation brush and paint a thin layer over my face avoiding my eyes & mouth of course! I then wash it off with warm water. This mask has a clay texture & the product is a dark colour so make sure you clean your foundation brush afterwards so it doesn’t get ruined.

Quick note: Disqus is being a little weird for me so I'm sorry if I haven't replied back to your comments! It's being odd, logging me out when I try to publish certain replies on my desktop.

Lately I've seen people mention GlamGlow all over the place and it made me extremely curious. Sorry for the stock photo tonight. I completely forgot to photograph this item before I used it, and before I knew it, the jar had been banged around my skincare drawer and managed to accumulate quite a few scratches and dings.

I first tried a sample of this about two months ago. I was able to stretch the sample into two full masks but I didn't really see any results straight away and felt like I needed more applications before I could fully judge it (foolish, in hindsight). So I went for it, bought a full sized jar. Now this stuff is not cheap; $69 for a mere 1.2 oz. On one hand, you can really sheer out the mask and get quite a few uses out of each jar ... but it's still $69.

Here's the ingredients, as per Sephora:

Water, Kaolin, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Sodium Hydroxide, Eucalyptus Globulus, Mandelic Acid, Charcoal, Parfum [Benzyl Benzoate, Linalool], Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Azelaic Acid, Pyruvic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Maltodextrin, Iron Oxides, Peppermint Oil, Butylene Glycol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Glycerin, Chamoilla Recutita Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Hendera Helix Extract, Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone

I'm a big fan of some of the ingredients, like kaolin clay, mandelic acid and charcoal. I'm less enthused about peppermint oil which can be really irritating to sensitive skin. I also dislike that it's packaged in a jar where it stays wet and rather exposed. I much prefer masks that are either in tubes or packaged dry, ready to be mixed when you need it.

It is dark grey in color and dries to a much lighter ash color. One thing that I noticed was that there were bits of leaves and stems inside, something I've never seen in other clay masks (husband made a point of asking me why I had bits of twigs and clumps of what he thought were tea leaves on my face). It dries very, very quickly and the neat thing is that you can see the oily spots on the mask where your pores are. I think seeing those spots provides a little bit of instant gratification, don't we all long for that instant gratification; to know that a product is fixing us?

The short term benefits were marvelous. My skin was soft, tight and extremely smooth but not any more so than after using a cheaper clay mask. I noticed that a film of something water insoluble was left on my face, so I did rinse that off with face wash. However the next morning, though my skin was still quite smooth from the exfoliation of the clay and AHAs, I had broken out in both cystic acne and smaller white pustules. Having repeated using GlamGlow about five more times over two months with the same results, I can safely say that I think GlamGlow Supermud Clearing Treatment is irritating my skin rather than treating it in any way. People often disagree about purging and skin irritation with exfoliating products but given that I rarely get cysts and have only seen these fast pustules spring up when I use a product with known irritants, I feel like I can assume that it's the GlamGlow.

Edit: After my last and final use, my skin REALLY freaked out. This was four days ago, a really delayed reaction. But this morning I woke up with red skin, the exact shape and outline of the mask application. Not only is it red, but the skin itself is stiff and for a lack of a better term, hard. D'oh.

If you want a much cheaper and much less irritating mask, I definitely would recommend the Aztec Secret Healing Clay instead. Though the clay differs (GlamGlow is kaolin based and Aztec Secret is bentonite) the drying of the clay and formation of oil spotting is similar. I add a drop of tea tree oil which helps with inflammation when I have active acne.You can buy Aztec Secret for under $10 at Whole Foods and a jar will last you quite a while (I've had mine for over three years). GlamGlow is available at Sephora.

Have you tried anything pricey that was a bit of a let down, where a cheaper product worked infinitely better?

Products featured were purchased by me, for my own use. for additional information, please refer my Disclosure Policy.

How long does it take for GLAMGLOW supermud to clear?

Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment after 20 minutes (Absorption time!) Glamglow Supermud Review As you can see from the photos, the ‘Pore-Matrix’ really starts to pull out all the oilies and impurities, roughly 20 minutes after applying Glamglow Supermud.

Does GLAMGLOW have a supermud mask?

There are those products, though, that earn a lot of hype before they even hit our desks. Case in point: Glamglow's beloved Supermud Clearing Treatment ($60). Countless celebrities have posted themselves in the cult-favorite gray Supermud mask, so we were excited to try it.

What is a glam to go treatment?

Glam to Go Treatments are travel-friendly and perfect for your Glow on the Go. SUPERMUD is our most advanced clearing treatment and

1 best-selling charcoal mud mask. Fights problem skin and skin... Totally don’t recommend!!

How often should I use GLAMGLOW?

Because my skin is not particularly acne-prone, I'll probably use it every few weeks after a particularly late night or annoying cluster of breakouts." Three Byrdie editors put Glamglow's Supermud Clearing Treatment to the test.