And Three Current Favourites
Hands up if you absolutely love a good old pampering session? For me and so many of my friends I am sure, if we were given the choice between a night out on the town or at at-home spa night, we’d be in our bathrobe and have a face mask on before you could even have ordered your first cocktail.
Yep, we do love a good face mask, but I know many of us are still a little unsure about which to use, and how to use them. There are SO many different types, different brands and different price points, so I’ve put together a convenient list of face mask facts, if you will! That will hopefully help you to soak in all the benefits that face masks can offer.
Face Mask Four One One
1. Figure out the mask you need. Face masks come in so many varieties and forms which cater to different skin types. The first thing you need to do is figure out your skin type, or visit a skincare counter for a mini assessment. Most masks are clear about the skin type that they cater to, or in some cases offer nourishment for all skin types such as the Beauty Sleep Face Mask from Sanctuary Spa. After all, which skin type doesn’t require softening, soothing & restoring!
2. Steam your Skin. Steaming your face before applying a mask will open up your pores and (sorry gross but..) soften the dirt and debris within your pores, making it easier for the mask to lift any oil and dirt from your skin. The easiest way to do this is to fill a sink with warm to hot water, then soak a soft flannel and simply lay the flannel on your face for around 20 seconds.
3. Don’t wait for Clay to dry. I’m a huge lover of clay face masks, but a mistake I made very frequently before talking through my pamper routine with a skincare expert was to let the clay completely dry on my face. I would leave it on for longer than the recommended time, thinking that this would work better at drawing out the rubbish from my pores, but instead, it just draws the moisture from your skin.
4. The three phases of clay masks. Phase one is the damp phase, when you first apply it and your skin absorbs the benefits from the mask. Then Phase two is when the mask is slightly dry, this stimulates the blood flow in your skin before Phase three – when the mask starts to dry and should be removed before it causes your skin to become dry and tight. If you love the benefits of clay masks but want to avoid the drying side effects, try a mud mask. My absolute favourite is the which retextures the skin and clears pores as well as having anti ageing benefits too.
5. Don’t forget your neck. Your neck and décolletage area are just as important as your face when it comes to aging, clarity and cleanliness, so don’t neglect that area when applying a mask. I usually use a dollop the same size as the one I applied on my forehead, and spread a little more thinly across my neck.
6. Everyone’s skin is different. When you choose to add a face mask into your weekly regime, it’s absolutely fine if you want to use it once or twice a week, depending on your skins needs. If you have oily skin in summer, or dry skin in winter, then listen to your skin and use a mask more frequently to counter these problems.
7. Give yourself a spa facial at home. Salon quality skincare is now easily available for us to buy, with ingredients in peels in particular that can exfoliate and polish the skin just like an expensive facial. My absolute favourite at the moment is the – it’s a cocktail of fruit enzymes and extracts which remove dead skin cells and leave the skin noticeably brighter, and much more comfortable to use than acid or chemical peels.
8. Try a sheet mask. You’ve probably seen the many sheet masks that I hauled from Hong Kong, but there’s a reason I love them so much! They have just as many benefits as cream masks, if not more, they’re easy to travel with, and you can leave them on for as long as you like. Once the mask is removed, you keep the remaining serum on your skin, allowing your skin to soak up the benefits from the mask.
9. Don’t over moisturise. It’s tempting to layer up on the moisturiser if you’ve been left with tight, dry skin after using a mask, but that just suffocates your skin. Instead, apply a serum straight after the mask to allow your skin to really benefit from its ingredients, before applying your standard amount of moisturiser to lock it all in.
10. Patch Test. If you have sensitive skin, try out the mask before applying it to your face by doing a patch test first. Apply a small amount of the mask to your jaw line and leave for the recommended mask time, this way you’ll know whether your skin is going to react negatively to the mask.
Face Mask Favourites
I’d love to know if you have any face mask tips, any favourites or recommendations? Let me know in the comments below!
xoxo
