The Neutrogena Light Therapy Acne Mask

Acne as a teenager? Probably the worst thing ever. All I want to do is impress the boy I have a crush on, yet I have growing pimples on the most inconvenient areas of my face. Even in college, I had yet to grow out my regular breakouts. I am so happy that now in my early 20's, I only face the occasional breakout (usually around that time of the month) and I don't have to worry about eating the wrong food, or using skincare with the wrong ingredients.

The Neutrogena Light Therapy Acne Mask uses light to fight all types of acne, sending therapeutic red and blue wavelengths to the skin at the speed of light. This works to disrupt the acne cycle and kill bacteria. The red light reducing inflammation, and the blue light kills bacteria. This mask is at a class of it's own, because it is currently the only drugstore available light therapy acne treatment.

The mask comes with little cut outs that contain the red and blue lights, as well as glasses to help protect your eyes from the bright light. The mask itself does not feel expensive and is a little flimsy, but it is to be expected when you look at the price point (drugstore, not Sephora pricing).

So what do I do when the activator runs out of uses? Good news, you can recycle the activator through Neutrogena's partnership with Stericycle. Navigate to the Light Therapy Acne Mask page on Neutrogena's website and they will generate a pre-paid shipping label for you! Yes, I know, I hate that there are only 30 cycles on the activator and it won't work forever. But I can understand why they did this, because they wanted to keep the price point lower and maintain the drugstore affordability.

Oh, and I also got my boyfriend to try out the mask a few times.

He seemed to like using it a little more than I thought he would! Besides the fact that it was a little too small for his face.

I know that it's hard to get men to use skincare products nightly, but for some reason getting him to test this out was a breeze. I guess he was drawn to the look of it, and the fact that it lights up red and blue light (see how easy it is to distract them?)

The instructions say to use it everyday. Who is not lazy enough to do that? I'd say I can use it a few times a week but I definitely cannot commit to using it every single day. But using it is actually so simple. You just put the mask on, and activate it with the controller, keep it on for 10 minutes and it will shut off automatically.

I'd definitely recommend trying this one out, at the very least, if you struggle with getting rid of acne. I don't think it will break the bank and I think it is worth a shot. If it doesn't work for you, at least you didn't spend upwards of hundreds of dollars (not sure actual pricing!) getting treatments done at a clinic.

I have no actual complaints about the construction of the mask itself, but I do wish the sunglasses were a bit darker so the light would not be so bright on the eyes. It'd be cool if we could just use our own sunglasses with the mask, instead of these universal built in glasses. They are UV FREE so the light is not going to hurt your eyes, but I just found the light itself a bit bothersome and it was difficult to keep my eyes open so I could preoccupy myself while I wait.

The Neutrogena Light Therapy Acne Mask retails for $45.99 - 49.99 CAD for the full mask, and 30 session activator pack, and a refill/new activator will cost you roughly $19.99 - 21.99 CAD!

I partnered with Neutrogena for this article! This article is sponsored and the product was received for review and promotion purposes. It may contain affiliate links.

Real Techniques Miracle Sculpting Sponge & Mini Eraser Review

Most beauty brands eventually come out with sponge makeup applicators, in competition with the famous, Beauty Blender. Real Techniques tried this already, with their Miracle Complexion Sponge (reviewed here). Although I did really like the Miracle Complexion Sponge because it was the best dupe I could find for a Beauty Blender at the time, I realized it didn't hold up as long as I thought it would and began to lose it's sponge-i-ness.

With these new Miracle Mini Eraser Sponges & Miracle Sculpting Sponge, the sponge formulation seems improved, and I've found myself using it quite often with it still holding up!

The sponges come in hangable plastic containers, with instructions on the back to replace every 3 months. With proper weekly washing, I haven't had to replace mine yet, but I am very thrifty so I try to make them last as long as possible!

Both sponges have angled flat sides so you can get into the curves of your face and are both latex-free. Although I prefer to use them mainly for foundation, you don't have to, and many people use them for contouring, highlighting, concealing and sculpting. I do like them for blending out cream contour or simmering down too much highlight if I don't have a brush with me.

Real Techniques Miracle Sculpting Sponge ($10.49 CAD)

I prefer using this one for applying foundation to my face, but as I mentioned, I have used this for cream contour and controlling too much highlighter as well. I only use this sponge damp, as I don't like the results using any sponges dry. I find I can still get high coverage using it damp. This sponge actually looks like a previous sponge I've reviewed by Sephora, and I have to say, I think I like this one better! Pretty sure it's also a bit cheaper.

Real Techniques Miracle Mini Eraser Sponges ($10.49 CAD for 2)

I wasn't sure why these were called the Mini 'Eraser' Sponges until I took a double-take on the website. They list 6 different uses for the mini sponges: to sweep away eyeshadow fallout, wipe away liner mistakes, pick up brow powder fallout, wipe away mascara smudges, pick up over-applied eyeshadow, blend away too much blush/highlighter.

I don't typically need to use it for any of those things, but don't let it deter you from trying it out! I loved using these, damp, for applying under eye concealer. They got big enough when damp that they were perfect for concealer, but a little too small when dry. I also did use it for baking and for applying cream products.

Overall, I would definitely purchase these. I think they're great dupes for the beloved Beauty Blender, and I actually find myself using these sponges more often. I found a multi-pack on Amazon.ca, here for a good price! I've linked a few good amazon deals below:

You can find all of the Real Techniques sponges and brushes available directly from FarleyCo in Canada. As well as online at Amazon.ca, ObsessedCanada.com (free shipping over $29 CAD),  In stores you can find certain products at Rexall, Walmart, Pharmasave.

These products were received as press samples. This article is not sponsored but may contain affiliate links.