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23 October 2014

My Face Mask Routine

In the past week I've let you in on my AM and PM skincare routines (here and here), so I thought it would be good to do a post on my face mask routine.


Exfoliation is very important, as is using masks. I absolutely love face masks and I have more than I wish to share on this blog. I am a bit obsessed with face masks, but I see it as an investment in good skin days. For a while I applied masks twice a week, but I find that this routine doesn't work for me, timewise. So I rather do it once a week over the weekend and use the opportunity to soak in the bath with a magazine. Although I have been so busy lately that even that has fallen by the wayside! I do however plan on changing that and getting back to my masking routine.

You've all probably heard of double-masking, but how many of you have heard of triple-masking? That's right: applying three masks, one after the other. I read about this either on Caroline Hirons's blog, or in an interview someone did with her. After trying it, I was hooked. It's based on the idea that you first need to purify and exfoliate your skin, and then put the moisture back in.

I cleanse my skin as mentioned in the PM skincare routine (I only use masks at night), and then apply a clay mask to deep clean my skin. For this I love the Korres Pomegranate clay mask, REN Invisible Pores Detox Mask, and the Origins charcoal mask. I leave this on for 10-15 minutes (any longer and you run the risk of drying out the skin), before gently wetting the hardened clay and removing it with a facial sponge and rinsing my skin off.

For the next step I use a chemical exfoliator. Chemical exfoliators contain fruit enzymes to gently exfoliate your skin, rather than manual exfoliators that can be abrasive and hurt your skin (like something with gritty peach kernels, eek!). For this step I like using the REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal mask. Placecol also does a nice one with an incredible fruity scent, but I can't remember the name. I apply this straight after washing off the first mask (and gently patting my skin dry with a clean towel), and leave it on for 10 minutes before gently washing it off with warm water and a facial sponge.

The third and final step is to apply a hydrating mask to put all the moisture back into your newly-cleansed skin. There is a long list of masks that I like for this, including Sorbet and SkinLogic packet masks, The Body Shop Vitamin E Moisture Sink-In Mask, Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask, and the Origins Drink-Up Intensive Mask. None of these masks need to be washed off: the packet masks are removed after 15-20 minutes, and the residue massaged into the skin. The rest of the masks are left on the skin until bedtime, or even the next morning.

This routine keeps my skin looking clear and glowing, and keeps nasty spots and blemishes at bay. It is a little bit time consuming using three masks, but I love the ritual of it. And I get to use more of my masks!

And that is my masking routine! Do you have any mask suggestions? I'd love to hear them.

Until next time!

Hildegarde
xoxo

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