VLCC Ultimo Blends Charcoal Face Pack Review

Skin Type: Dry and occasionally acne-prone
Skin Colour: Fair with neutral undertones

In this post, I will be reviewing VLCC Ultimo Blends Charcoal Face Pack which is a brand new launch by the brand. Read on to know how it fared for me.

Product Description:
VLCC Ultimo Blends Charcoal Face Pack is a unique face pack that blends the goodness of 100% pure activated Charcoal with Clay & Essential oils. It is a unique formulation designed to fight environmental aggressors & urban pollution (fumes, hydrocarbons, tobacco & sun radiations etc.)
Features & Benefits:
• Powered by 100% Pure Activated Charcoal
• Binds excess oil, impurities and draws them out of the skin
• Black Clay rich in minerals helps brighten skin complexion
• Green Clay removes oil, impurities & detoxifies the skin
• Neem Oil rich in antioxidants, protects against environmental damage
• Tea Tree Oil with its antiseptic properties helps prevent & treat acne
• Sandalwood Oil soothes skin inflammation, reduces blemishes & evens out the skin tone
• Chamomile Oil hydrates, soothes & moisturizes the skin
• Eucalyptus Oil rich in antioxidants helps induce immunity
• Orange Oil controls excess oil & gives a lightening effect
• Carrot Seed dry powder extract helps lock skin moisture

Price:
INR 350 for 100 g

Ingredients:
Pure activated charcoal, Black clay, Neem oil, Tea tree oil, Sandalwood Oil, Eucalyptus Oil

Directions for Use:
• Clean face and massage evenly.
• Rinse after 15-20 mins.

My Experience with VLCC Ultimo Blends Charcoal Face Pack:

First things first, This pack comes packed in pure black coloured tube which houses all the details about the product including product description and ingredient list in English. The tube has a circular logo on the top of it which mentions the product name. It comes with a black-coloured cap which closes tightly with a light click. The closure cap is leakage proof. All the products in the Specifix range bear almost the same kind of packaging. The size of this tube is perfect for travel purposes and it can easily come in your bag. Overall, I love the colour-themed packaging and its sturdiness. It is simple but it is pretty.

The colour of this product is charcoal black. This is a clay based pack with essential oils and is claimed to be suitable for all skin types. Made from a rich blend of different natural ingredients, clay and activated bamboo extracts, the ingredient list is intriguing. Each ingredient performs a different function and the formulation is really amazing. The fragrance of this pack is however not that amazing. I can’t even guess how it smells like exactly. But, it is surely not pleasing to the senses. I didn’t expect a pleasant odour from activated charcoal products also.

This pack has a thick creamy consistency. It does not contain tiny granules. The texture of this pack is quite smooth, so it spreads on the skin easily and evenly. It does not feel heavy on the skin. Only a small quantity is good enough to cover the entire face. This mask dries out completely and the good part is it doesn’t does much time to dry down. Within 5 minutes of application, it settles on my face completely.

I apply this pack on the full face, but away from the eyes with a brush to keep things neat and clean. I keep this pack for 15-20 minutes depending on the results I wish. Following this step, I wash my face with cold water and pat it dry. On drying, it settles to a complete matte look. After the required time, I massage it gently and then wash it off with normal water. I have no problem to rinse it off as the mask does not have sticky consistency. Overall, the formula is very gentle to the skin and it doesn’t feel stretchy.

Now, I shall talk about the results that I saw after using it. The pack felt quite relaxing on my skin and did not sting my skin. It did not cause any break outs also. It initially gave a slight cooling sensation to the skin but after sometime this sensation faded off. My skin woes and acne problems trouble me occasionally, so I have to incorporate charcoal packs in my skin care routine which will purify my skin from within and will prevent further aggravating of acne problems. This charcoal pack did a great job for me. It unclogged the pores and removed excess oil from my skin which is the root cause of acne. It also arrested tough dirt and impurities which do not go away with normal cleansing or scrubbing. And the good part is it gives a matte finish that lasts for long, about 5-6 hours depending on the humidity outside. Due to this, my skin develops less pimples now because it remains oil-free for long.

This product claims to be suitable for all skin types. It also claims to nourish, soothe and hydrate the skin. This claim isn’t true at all. It doesn’t nourish my skin even a bit. After rinsing off the mask, my face was feeling dry. This is because my skin type is dry and activated charcoal products makes it even drier. This product from VLCC didn’t hydrate my skin and I had to moisturise my skin after this to reduce the dry feeling. It is an excellent solution for people with oily skin. But for me, I would prefer to use it just once or twice a week as it makes my skin really dry.

This is the only possible con of the product. Other than this, it improved my skin texture and also shrinks the size of the skin pores by unclogging them. Plus, this mask has good toning and tightening properties due to the rich mineral content in it. This mask has good cleansing properties as well. It also helps in increasing blood circulation and has decent antiseptic properties for acne prone skin. It also effectively detoxifies the skin and is great if you stay in polluted city. It wipes off dullness and gives a nice glow to the skin. But don’t expect this to make your skin soft and supple.

I would advise you not to use this pack more than twice a week because it would mean an overdose of oil absorption and rendering your face dry. Currently, I am using this pack twice a week for best results.The glowing effect of this masque is not very long staying. It stays for about 1-2 days after which you would need to use this again.
I loved this product and this is very good charcoal based clay pack which does its job well. I like the overall feeling of having a stress free, bright, soft and deeply cleansed face. The price does not feel hefty on the pockets too. The results just don’t stay for very long; otherwise, this just works fine.