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What it is: Fenty Skin Cherry Dub Blah 2 Bright 5% AHA Face Mask is an exfoliating, cherry-scented, gel mask that is applied to dry skin and rinsed off after 10 minutes. It contains a variety of acids to immediately help smooth out dull skin and is supposed to help brighten the complexion and combat dark spots with regular use. This is purely a chemical exfoliator, as there are no gritty particles in it.
Price/Quantity: $39 for 75 ml / 2.5 fl oz
Availability: Fenty Beauty, Sephora
Packaging: Heavy glass jar with a sturdy plastic lid. There is also an added plastic cap/liner that sits between the jar and lid.
Smell/Fragrance: It has the type of cherry scent that for some reason brings back memories of childhood. It’s a strong, sweet, well rounded fragrance with just the right amount of tartness. I’m not against fragrance entirely in skincare but I prefer, if it is added, to be something like this, where it is very intentionally part of the experience and not just an afterthought.
Expiration/Shelf Life: 12 months after opening
Ingredients:
AQUA/WATER/EAU, GLYCERIN, GLYCOLIC ACID, AMMONIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYLTAURATE/VP COPOLYMER, PROPANEDIOL, POLYACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER-6, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, LACTIC ACID, 3-O-ETHYL ASCORBIC ACID, CARRAGEENAN, MALPIGHIA GLABRA (ACEROLA) FRUIT JUICE, MALPIGHIA GLABRA (ACEROLA) FRUIT EXTRACT, SALICYLIC ACID, PANTHENOL, CAFFEINE, SODIUM HYALURONATE, TOCOPHEROL, ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS (ROSEMARY) LEAF EXTRACT, HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) EXTRACT, ORYZA SATIVA (RICE) BRAN EXTRACT, RAPHANUS SATIVUS (RADISH) ROOT EXTRACT, LEUCONOSTOC/RADISH ROOT FERMENT FILTRATE, LACTOBACILLUS, MALTODEXTRIN, OLETH-20, PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRA-DI-T-BUTYL HYDROXYHYDROCINNAMATE, SODIUM BENZOTRIAZOLYL BUTYLPHENOL SULFONATE, SODIUM PHYTATE, GLYCERYL POLYACRYLATE, PARFUM/FRAGRANCE, PHENOXYETHANOL, RED 40 (CI 16035).
My Experience With It
I first tried the Fenty Skin Cherry Dub Mask about a year ago, being somewhat intrigued with the ingredient list. With one use, I see immediate results. My skin looks and feels smoother and makeup applies much better. They say that with regular use, it is supposed to brighten the skin and treat dark spots. I use it somewhat regularly but not religiously and I haven’t seen these longer term benefits in my own skin personally. I do notice a slight brightening effect right after using it but I feel it’s probably just due to the top layer of dead skin being gone creating that illusion. For the most part, my skin tolerates this well with minimal to no irritation and I’m very happy with the results. It’s not the cheapest option for exfoliating the skin, but using a thin layer is still effective, and I can stretch out the time between uses. The price is worth how it works for me.
How I Use It
After some trial and error, my favorite way to use this is right before I shower. I may or may not wash my face before hand. If my skin is quite dry (not much oil on the surface), I won’t even wash my face, but if it’s oily I’ll do a quick rinse and pat my skin dry. I will then apply a thin layer all over, avoiding the eye area and lips. If I have any breakouts or areas of the skin that are broken I may try to avoid those as well just so it doesn’t sting. When I first started using this, I left it on for the recommended 5-10 minutes. After close to a year of using it, I feel like it’s better for me if I leave it on for more like 10-15 minutes. If I approach longer times like 20 minutes, I do notice it causes some mild redness and irritation.
I rinse this off in the shower because it is quite thick and simply using my hands with some water over the sink TAKES FOREVER. It is much faster to let the water run over my face in the shower to remove all of the product from my skin. I sometimes use a cloth (wash cloth, square of gauze, etc.) to speed this process up. Doing this is an added level of physical exfoliation, so be mindful that may be a bit too harsh if you have sensitive skin. Personally, I love the combo of this and it does an amazing job of making my skin feel super refreshed.
Depending on how dry or oily my skin is, I may not even use a facial cleanser afterward. In the warmer months, I’m more likely to cleanse either before or after but in the winter I often skip it.
When I use it more regularly, 2-3 times a week (for example: Mon, Wed, Fri) is a good amount that doesn’t irritate my skin but also maintains the smoothness I like. However, I kind of jump around to different products now and then so I don’t follow this pattern religiously.
How Long It Lasts
I’ve been on the same jar for this entire past year and I’ve just now finished it. Last fall, I repurchased a couple more jars to have on backup in anticipation of running out.
I’d say if I was only using this one exfoliator regularly, I might be able to get around 4 months out of the jar. In the year that I had the container open, I didn’t notice any changes in texture, smell, or effectiveness of the product.
Pros and Cons
Things I like:
- Less harsh than a physical exfoliator.
- Just as effective if not more effective than a physical exfoliator.
- The cherry fragrance is a treat in itself (there’s something nostalgic about it).
Drawbacks and other considerations:
- Difficult to rinse off at a sink (better to do this in the shower) because it’s thick and gummy once it dries down. Using some sort of facial cloth makes this go much faster and provides a tiny bit of extra physical exfoliation.
- More time intensive than a physical exfoliator since you need to let it sit on the skin for a bit.
- It has a noticeable stingy feeling on the skin, which is even stronger if I’ve done any facial hair removal before use. I wouldn’t say it’s painful or all that uncomfortable, but it’s noticeable even with regular use.