Review: Korres Pomegranate Scrub and Mask

I know I love Korres, you know I love Korres.

I reviewed the moisturiser before and it is my HG moisturiser, I'm going to buy no other than this until my skin changes (which I hope isn't for ages because you know it took me long enough to find this bad boy).

I've had the mask and scrub just as long as I've had the moisturiser but you can't scrub and mask everyday so this review comes months after the first one.

First the rambling:
I'm always a bit funny when  it comes to masks and scrubs because I feel that some hurt my skin by being too scratchy and others are too wimpy to do anything which helps my skin.

Also, I had boxes for these items and I took photos but my card went a bit funny and both the photos and the boxes are long gone.

I had high hopes for these products as the moisturiser is basically, a don.

So, here's how I got on..

First things first, the Pomegranate range is aimed at those with combo/oily skin so I don't think they would work if your skin was normal or dry (but Korres cater for all different types so you'll find something for you on their website).

The scrub.

Korres say: "A creamy scrub containing naturally derived exfoliating grains. The Olive stones effectively refine the pores, reduce black spots and remove excess sebum, leaving skin radiant. Pomegranate extract, rich in tannins, reduces pore size and rejuvenates the skin. Olive and Calendula active extracts protect the skin due to their antioxidant properties."

I say:
Creamy scrub? I never thought that scrubs were meant to be creamy and I just assumed that a creamy scrub would not clear the oil.  This scrub is pretty creamy as scrubs go (more on oil clearing later on).
Do the olive stones refine pores? When I used the moisturiser it said that it, too refined and reduced pores and I didn't notice until the last few days of using it but this time I made sure to check and my pores definitely looked better whilst using this scrub.
Reduce black spots? I don't have black spots so I can't comment on this but my skin did look more even in tone. 
Remove excess sebum? Hell to the yes, I find a lot of scrubs either don't remove enough sebum or remove too much.  This scrub removed the sebum perfectly.
Radiant skin? Yep, I've never used a scrub which cleared oil and made my skin radiant with as much success as this baby did. 
Pore size reduced? Affirmative.

So, it holds up to all the claims it makes, is there anything else worth me mentioning? I think so (surprise surprise!)  The suggested usage is once every 5-ish days but I find that if you do use it once every 5 days, your skin starts to behave so you can start using it once a fortnight.  Then you can scale back usage to about once a month.  I've been using it without the moisturiser but I think if you use the moisturier as well, you don't need to use the scrub that often.

I like the fact that the packaging for the range is the same colour but different hues, the mask tube is a darker pink than the scrub tube and the moisturier has another shade of pink on the tub.  

Another thing I was impressed with was the fact that it really spreads well, you only need a tiny bit.  I've been using mine exclusively and I only took my photo for it the other day, it still looks pretty full.

The one bad thing about this scrub is something that I have always experienced with scrubs.  After using it, my face did get pretty warm but this feeling faded within 2-3 minutes and it's a minor discomfort considering the results I got from it.

Purchase? I'd be a fool to try something else so it's an all out yes.

You can buy the scrub from here.

The mask.

I haven't used the mask as much as the scrub (despite the suggested usage being "use after the scrub") because I wear glasses.

This might seem like a trivial matter but those of you without glasses will never realise the pain :( I currently don't have any contact lens (thank you very much Specsavers).  I'm getting my eyeware from Tescos (surprising!) for the meantime as they're far better than Specsavers, both in price and customer service.  Can you believe that SS gave me non scratch lens which got scratched? That wasn't the worst thing, they wouldn't even remove the scratch despite being in blatant breach of contract.  I wrote to their HO and they offered me free glasses but I told them to shove it.

Back to the mask! Yes, if you've got glasses and you have to take them off to put a mask on, you try your best to not do it unless you really need it because not being able to see isn't good.

I've used the mask more on my forehead than anywhere else because firstly, you can do that without removing your glasses and secondly, it's the greasiest part of my face.

I have however, used the mask on my face when in the shower and a few times when I'm "resting my eyes" (perving on the Mon when he's getting changed, hehehe).

Korres say it is "formulated with white argil, a natural clay with significant sebum-absorbing  capacity that removes impurities and deeply cleanses the skin, leaving a fresh and radiant complexion. Pomegranate extract, rich in tannins, reduces pore size and rejuvenates the skin. Zinc regulates sebum secretion and provides antibacterial protection, balancing oily skin functions."

I say:
Absorbing sebum? Yes, very good at doing this.  You know how some masks dry you out but then you grease up a few hours later? This mask doesn't do that.  It doesn't give you the extreme clean feeling but it makes your skin feel comfortable. 
Impurities removed? Yep, my skin looked lighter after using it so the dirt was gone. 
Deeply cleansed skin? Yes, properly cleansed which means that my skin felt soft and clean, not tight and clean. 
Fresh and radiant complextion? Indeed, I mentioned before that I looked lighter, I think radiant is the word I meant. 
Reduced pore size? With enough usage your pores shrink so much that you have to actively look for them, they're not the first thing you see when you look at your face in the mirror. 
Rejuvenates skin? As I said above, I don't use this mask as much as I should, I whip it out when I'm feeling super greasy and it really does give me a brand new skin feeling. 
Oily skin balanced? This (I think) is a claim that very few companies make and are able to prove.  I find that a lot of the masks I use will dry my skin out but then give me super greasy skin the day after which is a bit pointless.  The Korres mask totally balanced my skin out, after taking it off, my skin feels really soft and normal.  I'm happy to say that this feeling lasts for quite some time.


Purchase? Yes but if it was a choice between this and the scrub, I'd get the scrub.

You can buy the mask from here.