Freeman Banana Oat Smoothing Mask - Or - Always Read the Labels!

So, here's a little review that will hopefully remind you that sometimes, it really is a good idea to do a test-path before trying a new product.  My Mum sent me a whole bunch of Freeman face masks from America and omg I was so excited to try the Banana-Oat Instant Smoothing Mask. Anything that will hopefully smell like banana is a win in my book [Like the Tony Moly Banana Hand Cream]. So today I decided I was due for another pampering session - I got my bath all set up, prepared my magazines, grabbed myself some chocolate, and then I applied this mask. That's about where my day turned awful.

If I had read the ingredients and the description, I probably would have noticed that it utilises acids to 'exfoliate' your skin. Before I put it on, I kind of just throught it would dry up and then turn into a sort of gommage peel. I didn't realise that it would essentially be a mini face-peel.

After five minutes of use, my skin started to feel really hot I rinsed it off immediately. I could not believe what I saw. Every bit of skin that the mask touched was bright red, I looked like I was sunburnt! I was burning up and I could feel my face puffing up too, it was absolutely awful. I had to put my face/neck under a cold shower, then I iced my face [Which you can see in the second photo. The one time I've been glad to have big hands!], and finally I slathered on a thick layer of Cetaphil. Nearly an hour later and my face finally started to calm down. This was around 11:30am today and it's currently 9pm and my face is still quite red and warm though. I was so worried that this would turn into a 'BunBun Makeup Tips' scenario. It did smell really good though, so that's something.

Now that I look at it, this mask most definitely was not one I should have used. And now, I can't tan like I planned to this weekend because I have to limit my sun exposure. It's the gift that keeps on giving! Hopefully the other Freeman masks I received won't be quite so horrifying. I mean, yes, my face is freakishly soft, but wow, I regret using this mask so much. More importantly, I regret not doing a test-patch or reading the instructions more thoroughly and maybe picking up on a few red flags! Hopefully I'll be ok tomorrow, I'll keep you updated.

Don't be like me, read everything and always do a test patch! I cannot stress this enough! Don't ignore the warnings like I inadvertently did.

So, I'm curious,what's your beauty product horror story? ☆