Which GlamGlow facial mask is right for you?

GlamGlow mud masks have been getting a lot of hype this year, and you might have already heard about how much beauty bloggers and skincare fiends love them, but I was dying to try them for myself! These cute, colorful pots filled with skin-nurturing ingredients started out as “facial in jar” products for celebrities, but now anyone who loves masks (AND I DO) can get their claws on them.

GlamGlow masks are also fairly pricey, so I wanted to know if they’re worth my hard-earned change. I got a set of samples of every kind of mask GlamGlow offers, and I tried ‘em all, over the course of a few weeks.

So! First up, we have:

GlamGlow YouthMud Tinglexfoliate Treatment, $69 | shop it

This mask is supposed to leave your skin radiant by gently exfoliating and tightening pores. I was skeptical—I mean that’s what basically all masks say they do, right? And I was reading between the lines, since I’m no wee inexperienced bebe who’s never tried a mask before. With a name like Tinglexfoliate Treatment, I was expecting this ish to BURN on my sensitive skin. This made me deeply nervous to try it. But in the name of scientific discovery, and for the love of all y’all, I knew I had to bravely smear it on my face.

This mud mask is black. Black! It’s black because there’s volcanic rock in it, and the base is French sea clay. When you put it on your face, little bits of...gunk are randomly spread around your face. These are apparently bits of tea leaves. Ok. And guess what? I wasn’t exactly wrong—this mask tingles like crazy, we are talking “tingling to the point of wondering whether it should be tingling so much” tingling. I left it on for 15 minutes, until it had dried to a grey color, and washed the now-stiff mask off with a washcloth.

Result: Yes. YAAAAAAS. My skin was noticeably tighter in a nice way, and it felt amazing, very smooth. You guys, I actually looked radiant. I would shell out $69 clams for this and do the mask once a week.

GlamGlow Thirsty Mud Hydrating Treatment, $69 | shop it

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This is a hydration mask, designed to give you dewy, supple skin in a single treatment. It has coconut, honey, and something called oat beta glucan in it, but really, I don’t care what’s in it—IT’S WINTER, MAKE MY SKIN NOT-CRACKY.

It feels nice, creamy almost, when you spread it on your skin, and it smells vaguely vanilla-ish, like frosting that’s good for you? The mask is the color of caramel icing, and as you put it on, you notice a nice cool sensation that stays as long as you leave it on your face. For a mask, this is very weird—you can leave it on your face and use it as a moisturizer, or wash it off entirely, or wipe most of it off and leave the excess on your face overnight. I chose the final option, wiping off most of it with a tissue and rubbing the rest in. Would my sensitive combination oily/flaky-as-hell skin break out???

Result: Ahhhhhh. The mask works—I went to bed feeling hydrated, and I woke up with hydrated skin. No breakouts to speak of, but I don’t think I’d use this mask as my normal moisturizer, as it’s a little too heavy for me. A great once-in-awhile treat for your face!

GlamGlow PowerMud DualCleanse Treatment, $69 | shop it

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A new mask from GlamGlow, this is a mud-to-oil mask that is supposed to deep-clean your pores without drying you out. It’s got apple, chamomile, and lavender in it, and it’s quite thick and soft-feeling. The most subtle mask in the GlamGlow collection, the DualCleanse mask looks, from far away, like you’re not wearing a mask at all, so it’s perfect for not scaring the crap out of your partner. It smells like green apples, and feels smooth to apply. There is some tingling action until it dries (about 10 minutes), but nothing that made me feel vaguely worried.

Result: THIS. THIS MASK IS MY JAM. The DualCleanse mask is my favorite Glamglow mask, because YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN MY SKIN AFTERWARDS. It was clear, it was smooth, it was velvety-soft and moisturized. My pores looks miniscule and dainty. I didn’t need to moisturize afterwards at all. If I had to choose a mask to buy, it would be this one, hands-down. Miracle in a jar!

GlamGlow SuperMud Clearing Treatment, $69 | shop it

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The SuperMud Clearing mask is designed to suck your pores clean and shrink them, and features charcoal, clay, and eucalyptus leaves in its ingredients. It’s dark gray, kind of gritty, and smells minty. It, too, leaves little pieces of plant material on your face. MAJOR TINGLE ALERT—this mask tingles enough to make you faintly concerned about whether or not you should go immediately to the sink and wash it off. Don’t. Stay with it for beautiful skin.

Result: This does what it says it will—I put this mask on both myself and my girlfriend, and both of us ended up with smaller pores, vanished blackheads, and smoother skin. I will say that this mask reminded me strongly of the Queen Helene Mint Julep mask, which I’ve always loved. It felt like a luxury, natural version of that. While my skin looked nice, my girlfriend’s skin looked INCREDIBLE—her pores looked invisible, non-existent, like a doll’s. She attributes this to the fact that she uses masks way less than me, making the results more instantly visible and dramatic on her skin.