Why This Australian Skin Care Brand's Charcoal Mud Masks Are Selling Out Like Crazy

There are literally thousands of face masks out there, and like any dutiful beauty writer/skin care enthusiast, I've tried a lot of 'em. And while most are somewhat fun and refreshing, it takes a lot for a mask to really wow me. But I'm ready to go on the record here and say that Mint Skin's face masks are the real deal — I don't know if I've ever been so impressed by a mask, and judging by its past sell-outs, other people agree.

The Australian brand is a relatively new addition to the U.S. beauty scene. They launched here on their website in November 2016, and they're now available on Urban Outfitters' website. Their masks include the Mud O.G. (a clay powder you mix with water and/or apple cider vinegar), the Mud Rosa (a hydrating pre-mixed mask), and the Mud Black (a clarifying charcoal mask).

The Mud Black was sold out and back-ordered in less than a month of being on Urban Outfitters' website, according to the brand, so I figured that'd be the best place to start. It's both purifying and soothing: "Our unique blend of Bentonite clay and activated coconut charcoal work to create a natural drawing effect from the skin to draw out blackheads and oil, while aloe vera works to soften and heal the skin," the Mint Skin team tells me.

After a sleep-deprived, wine-fueled weekend and a long Monday of air travel, my skin was looking decidedly dull, sad, and just generally "ick," so this mask had its work cut out for it. And let me tell you, I was definitely not disappointed.

Here's everything you need to know about this "miracle" mud mask.

The Mud Mask Is Super Satisfying To Apply

After cleansing my face with witch hazel toner, I started to schmear the mask over my face (there's actually a brush available to make application slightly less messy, but I forgot to use it this time).

And if you watched American Horror Story season one, you'll know exactly what I mean when I say I felt like the rubber man — the mud mask is a shiny, inky shade of jet black, thanks to the coconut charcoal. It went on exactly as you'd want a mud mask to: It was smooth, thick, and luxuriously creamy. It had a faint, slightly minty scent, but nothing overwhelming.

After that, you wait 10 to 20 minutes as it dries. I left it for about oh, 16 minutes — it did get a little itchy as it started to dry toward the end, but that's pretty common with charcoal masks as they get to work, from my experience.

Washing It Off Reveals Super Smooth, Supple Skin

The package says to remove with a damp towel, then refresh with water. While I got some off with a damp paper towel (because a face cloth covered in black mud sounded annoying to wash), I ended up massaging most of it off under warm water with my hands. It's a little tough to get off, but the end result was totally worth two minutes of rinsing.

I legitimately felt like I just got a facial, and I'll be singing the praises of these masks for a while. My skin's texture felt way softer and smoother than I'd expected, and it was glowier than it had been 16 minutes earlier, too. The brand reccomends following the mask up with their Rosa Hydration Oil — I used Jurlique's Skin Balancing Face Oil, but you could use any moisturizer, according to the packaging. In fact, I don't know if you could really go wrong using this mask at all. It's that good.

Jurlique's Skin Balancing Face Oil, $50, Sephora

Mint Skin Mud Black Charcoal Mask, $19 for four, Urban Outfitters

It's great news that the masks come in packs of four, because you'll want to use them more than once. Happy mud masking!