Test Lab

Peel Off Your Problems

Boscia's preservative-free Luminizing Black Mask ($34) purifies and brightens skin with a formula designed to draw out acne and blackhead-causing grime.

The things we do for research. Smearing on a goopy layer of this stuff is frightening at first—it's the color and consistency of tar. It takes about 15 minutes so kick back and relax, ideally in privacy. You'll start to feel the ingredients working—the cooling, antiseptic nature of the witch hazel and the slight constricting of the clay as it begins to dry. Once fully dry, slowly peel the mask off in one piece and you'll physically see the dead skin, blackheads and other gunk coming off. Stuck to the inside of the mask, it's at once gross and strangely gratifying.

Skin emerges feeling really clean and less rough than before. Pores in trouble areas (like around the nose) definitely seem smaller. And even redness from past breakouts is diminished. The fact that you look like a Navy SEAL on a night ops mission while pampering yourself? A welcome bonus.