Ever since Christian Bale in American Psycho, I’ve been mesmerized with peel-off face masks. Boscia’s new Luminizing Black Mask ($34) is like the mother lode: It’s black, it peels off, it’s all-natural, and it brightens, detoxifies, and protects skin from free-radicals. Like a party in a tube is what that is.Please note the tar-like substance oozing from the one because that is what you schmear on your face. It’s incredibly sticky, yet surprisingly fragrance-free. The directions say to apply an even layer, then wait 15-20 minutes before removing.  Apparently I didn’t lay it on thick enough, because when it came time to rock and roll the stuff would hardy budge. I was hoping to peel it off in one big sheet, like a mask or—guilty pleasure alert—sunburned skin. Instead, I chipped away at small pieces until it dawned on me that this is what I might look like indefinitely:

I’m not sure why I’m smiling. I was in a total panic. In a last-ditch effort I rinsed off the remains with water, which required some serious elbow grease. After such an ordeal you’d think I’d be over this mask. But, lo, my skin! Pink, soft, smooth and just taut enough to know that the black Montmorillonite Clay had done a deep-pore dive. And this morning? Even better.

Filed Under: american psycho, Boscia luminizing black mask, christian bale, how to get rid of blackheads, peel-off face mask, Vitamin C