GlamGlow was conceived by a couple in Hollywood who were looking to help out some friends’ skin concerns. What started as a favor, friend-to-friend, ultimately developed into a wildly successful and popular skincare brand. Only available for retail for three years, they have received scads of awards for being awesome and are used personally, in salons/spas, and by the professionals the product was originally intended for.
GlamGlow ThirstyMud treatment
I’ve made no bones about the fact that I do not believe in miracle products. The purveyors of the YouthMud Tinglexfoliate and the SuperMud Clearing treatments released GlamGlow ThirstyMud around (I think) holiday season 2013.
Resources I generally trust thought highly of the brand, so when some of these people came forth raving about the GlamGlow ThirstyMud mask, I was intrigued. Though the mask can be applied and removed, the consensus was the same: slap it on before bed. Go to sleep. Wake up and be stunned by how awesome your skin looks (and feels!). Women reported that their husbands and boyfriends (who, per them, do not usually notice) were also noticing and commenting on the difference.
Kicker? The $69 price tag for 1.7 ounces of product. OUCH. I like masks, but that’s over $40 per ounce. Does it have gold in it? I promptly forgot about the product because it is simply too much to ask (for my needs and skin).
I was in Sephora with a friend a couple months after hearing about it. We wandered to the skincare section and I saw the petite teal display jar perched on the shelf. I opened it to take a look and WHAM – sweet, awesome, coconut goodness hit me. I know I sound like a broken record repeating my preference for unscented face products, but the coconut scent GlamGlow Thirstymud has is perfect. It isn’t that cloying, sickening, artificial coconut fragrance that some products have. I put it back down – smelling awesome is not enough to win me.
One of the friendly sales associates in Sephora approached and offered me a sample of it. I accepted – maybe it would be enough to wow me. She generously filled one of their little plastic sample jars. It came home with me and sat in a drawer for two more months – I didn’t want to use it, I was afraid I would end up loving it but being unwilling to buy it.
I recently found it, of all places, the Member Rewards section of a site I subscribe to for only $45 (using your reward points to cover the rest). That brings it down to just under $27 an ounce. Still more than I wanted to pay, of course – but I thought, “Well maybe if it is a little tub of glory, I could justify it as a pre-wedding make-my-skin-awesome splurge. Better try my sample.”
I cleansed and exfoliated as I always do before slapping a mask on my face. I skipped the Josie Maran 100% Argan Oil, and instead scooped out the product with the little plastic spatula provided with my sample. I warmed the translucent, beige, coconut-scented goop on my fingers for a moment and then applied it to my face, concentrating slightly more on my cheeks (they are drier) than in my T-zone. It felt great, and my face smelled amazing.
After a few minutes, my face tingled slightly. I didn’t know this product was supposed to tingle (I could not remember reading it or hearing it anywhere), so I was a little worried. I checked to make sure I wasn’t having a reaction – I wasn’t reacting, I had no redness, so I ignored it and went to sleep.
When I woke up, I rushed to a mirror to see my allegedly glowing awesome skin.
Nope. Was my skin moisturized? Sure! Did it still smell faintly of coconut? Yep. But there wasn’t any marked improvement over how my skin normally looks when I wake up. In fact, because my skin is not hyper-dry, my t-zone was a bit too moisturized and dewy despite my very-sparing application there. Secretly, I wanted it to blow my mind even though I knew even at $45 it was more than I was okay with.
I am glad I was not blown away by the GlamGlow ThirstyMud. Don’t get me wrong – the product isn’t bad. It is, in fact, a really nice product. But for me, however, it is not $69 (or even $45) for 1.7 oz nice. It is something that would be great as part of a spa facial, but not something I want to shell out and keep at home. I really wish GlamGlow would make a lotion or something that smelled like this product (at a friendlier price point, of course) because I would be very interested. If you have chronic dry skin or are a hardcore skincare junkie and this is your main (or only) hobby, go nuts! You can purchase GlamGlow Thirstymud direct or from Sephora for $69, but I also just found it on Amazon for only $67. If you would like more info about it being available for $45, leave a comment.
Disclosure: Some of the links here are affiliate links – this means I may get a very small percentage of the sale if you decide to buy something. I’ll only tell you that something is awesome if I have verified it myself!