As we get closer to the weekend, my skin has gone from “in decent shape” to “hello, little army of blemishes taking over my face.”

While my current breakouts are hormonal (ahem), I like to do everything I can to treat and prevent future spots. This leads me to trying every deep cleansing mask on the natural beauty market.

As I write this review, I’m indulging in my fourth helping of New Zealand-based Living Nature’s Deep Cleansing Mask, a kaolin clay-based cream mask that’s especially helpful for acne-prone skin.

{Saffron Rouge, an online retailer specializing in organic cosmetics and beauty products, sent me Living Nature’s Deep Cleansing Mask to review. It retails for $47 for 10 treatments.}

You may remember my previous clay cleansing mask review, but what sets Living Nature’s Deep Cleansing Mask apart is its ultra-portability and ease of application.

Living Nature’s Deep Cleansing Mask comes in a box of 10 individually wrapped treatment pouches.

This makes the mask ideal for weekend trips away (you guys do masks on your weekends away, right?!) and provides portion control for those of us who tend to slather on a little too much of the good stuff (looking at myself).

Speaking of the good stuff, here’s what’s inside Living Nature’s Deep Cleansing Mask:

Aqua (water), Kaolin (Halloysite clay), Macadamia ternifolia seed oil, Prunus amygdalus dulcis (almond) oil, Persea gratissima (avocado) oil, Mel (manuka honey), Cetearyl wheat straw glycosides, Cetearyl alcohol (from coconut & palm oil), Citrus grandis (grapefruit) seed extract, Zinc oxide, Limnanthes alba (meadowfoam) seed oil, Sclerotium gum, Oenothera biennis (evening primrose) oil, Triticum vulgare (wheat) germ oil, Citrus medica limonum (lemon) oil, Tocopherol (vitamin E), Leptospermum scoparium (manuka) oil, Backhousia citriodora (lemon myrtle) oil, Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) leaf oil, Totarol, Citral, Limonene

The ingredients that drew me to this mask are kaolin clay, manuka honey, manuka oil and tea tree oil. All of these are known for their acne-busting wonders.

(I can see my blackheads loosen after using this mask, making them easier to extract with mild pressure.)

In addition to those ingredients, the combination of oils, such as meadowfoam seed, almond, avocado and evening primrose, offer hydration and skin-priming benefits that goes deep into your pores.

When I apply this mask, I concentrate more on the areas that truly need deep cleansing — my jawline, my chin and my nose — all areas where I tend to break out.

I massage the mask in well, but am swift in my application. This mask dries fairly quickly, so you want to be sure to get as even an application where you want the mask to do its work!

{I’m having a little too much fun getting pictures of me with natural beauty treatments on my face!}

My only critique of this mask is that because it does dry so quickly, leaving it on for the recommended 20 minutes isn’t that realistic; by about 12 minutes, it begins to flake off (ya know, if you move your face muscles), so I’d say 12-15 is a better time recommendation.

I’m a fan of the scent — Saffron Rouge describes its as an “earthy manuka” smell, but I get more of a light honey-floral scent to my nose — not overpowering at all!

Have you tried anything from Living Nature? Are you on the manuka honey and manuka oil wagon yet? Tell me your thoughts in the comments section!

One of the first group of favorites I named were my favorite cream and foaming cleansers.

While I’m obsessed with oil cleansing, I do keep a few “regular” cleansers on hand for when I give myself facials or feel the need to get a little more out of my everyday cleansing routine.

A new favorite cleanser of mine isn’t exactly a foaming, cream or oil cleanser — it’s, well, rice flour!

{Julie Longyear of Blissoma sent me a sample of her amazing Fresh Mild Rice Facial Cleanser to try and review.}

I think I love Blissoma Solutions Fresh Mild Rice Facial Cleanser so much because it uses so many of the beloved oils I’m used to applying during oil cleansing.

But, it has a thicker consistency that gives it some depth, as well as tiny little scrubbers that gently exfoliate during a morning wash — talk about the best of all worlds!

{Blissoma Solutions Fresh Mild Rice Cleanser has a taupe coloring and a batter-like feeling to it.}

{As you massage the cleanser into your skin, it softens and gently exfoliates without overdrying.}

Here’s what’s inside Blissoma Solutions Mild Rice Facial Cleanser:

Organic marshmallow, organic chickweed, organic plantain, organic damask rose, organic chamomile, organic glycerin, organic sunflower oil, organic brown rice, organic coconut oil, organic apricot kernal oil, glyceryl stearate, organic willowbark extract, organic hemp oil, leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate, cetearyl alcohol, organic echinacea purpurea extract, essential oils of lavender, litsea cubeba, palmarosa, elemi, frankincense, vetiver, xanthan gum, rosemary oleoresin extract, organic grain alcohol, linalool, geraniol, limonene, citral

If you’re acne-prone like me, yet still experience dry spots, Blissoma Solutions Mild Rice Facial Cleanser will most likely work wonders for you, too, because of the smart combination of moisturizing oils (sunflower oil, coconut oil, apricot kernal oil, hemp oil) and acne-busting ingredients (willowbark extract, lavender, frankincense and rosemary).

Other ingredients, such as litsea cubeba and palmarosa, tone the skin while providing additional antiseptic to keep your pores clean.

This is one “regular” cleanser (and I mean “regular” in the sense of it’s not an oil cleanser) that is gentle enough to use every day.

I choose to use it in the shower in the mornings or when I’m performing fancy at-home facials. It serves as the beneficial cleansers I massage into my skin post-oil cleanse and pre-mask (and Blissoma makes a fantastic mask that I’m thrilled to review for you soon, too!).

Will I be restocking Blissoma Solutions Fresh Mild Rice Facial Cleanser in the near future? Yes!

Will I be adding it to my “favorites” list anytime soon? Abso-freakin-lutely.

Have you tried anything from Blissoma? What do you look for in a gentle cleanser? Tell me what you know in the comments section!

It’s no secret that I’m a diehard fan of oil cleansing, but when it comes to mixing the perfect amount of castor oil with other carrier oils such as jojoba oil, grapeseed oil or olive oil, I’m a bit of a clutz.

The first time I tried the oil cleansing method with castor oil, which is a thick, slippery, detoxifying oil, I used way too much and looked like I was wrapped in plastic.

I’ve gotten a little better of blending my own oil cleansing concoctions with castor oil, but when I’m looking for a mix a little more creative and luxurious, I turn to my Roots Rose Radish Citrus Face Oil Cleanser.

{Roots Rose Radish sent me a sample of its citrus face oil cleanser to review. It retails for $55 for a 2-ounce glass vial. Photo Courtesy Roots Rose Radish}

Created by herbalist Christian Toscano, Roots Rose Radish natural beauty products are inspired by the beautiful things in life: vintage botanical illustrations, folk herbalism, Victorian drawing rooms and French gardens.

You can easily see this inspiration in her glassware design and drawstring pouch packaging, which is then brought to life even more by the pure ingredients and thoughtful mixing she puts inside the vial.

Inside the Roots Rose Radish Citrus Face Oil Cleanser are five simple yet effective ingredients for deep cleansing, brightening and softening the skin: cold-pressed, unrefined castor oil; cold-pressed, unrefined jojoba oil; tangerine oil; grapefruit oil; and lemon oil.

{I love the beautiful, sunny yellow coloring of Roots Rose Radish’s Citrus Face Oil Cleanser.}

Good ol’ castor and jojoba oils are the stars at deeply cleansing the skin while maintaining the skin’s natural balance (remember, jojoba oil is the closest oil to our own self-produced sebum).

The citrus oils — tangerine, grapefruit and lemon — are wonderful at lifting your senses, instantly putting you in a good mood. Each also has amazing antimicrobial properties, so you can rest assured that yes, you’re skin is getting clean without being stripped dry of moisture.

If you’re acne-prone yet still get a few dry patches and want to avoid that tight skin feeling after cleansing, Roots Rose Radish Citrus Face Oil should be on your to-try list. My skin feels clean, freshened and balanced after using it.

However, because I know that castor oil is especially wonderful at degunking my pores, I reserve this oil cleanser for a couple times a week to keep the skin purging under control.

I haven’t had any issues with crops of zits popping up after using this cleanser, but I chalk it up to being mindful of how my skin reacts to particularly deep cleansing ingredients.

Have you tried anything from Roots Rose Radish? What are your thoughts on castor oil or the oil cleansing method in general? Tell me in the comments section!