I truly love face masks and I would like to share a few of them with you. I though I'd jump in and start with two fairly new additions, namely the Origins Clear Improvements Active Charcoal and the Drink Up Intensive Overnight Masks. Unfortunately Origins products are not available in South Africa, so you had better rope in that overseas friend who owes you a favour!
I have a sample of the Origins Clear Improvements Active Charcoal Mask which is enough for a couple of uses. I thought it would be gritty, but instead it comes out as a thick, smooth, gel-like cream. It's a very dark grey, almost black, and doesn't have an offensive smell. It doesn't smell like charcoal at all, phew!
The instructions are simply to apply a wet cloth to your face to "open up your pores" (hmm…) and then apply a layer of the mask, let it dry, and rinse off thoroughly. It applies easily and smoothly and starts drying after about five minutes (I don't apply a thick layer as I want to stretch the number of applications I get out of the tube). It tingles slightly around my nose and on my cheeks. The first time I used the mask I was worried about the tingly feeling as my skin sometimes acts out at the most random times and with the most random products. It gets quite uncomfortable trying to speak or, in my case, drink coffee, just as it would with a clay mask, although feeling less heavy than a clay mask. After 10-15 minutes (depending on how thick the layer was that I slapped on) I rinse the mask off. My complexion is bright and my skin is soft, and even though my skin tingled, there is not a red patch in sight. My skin has been going through a weird phase the past two weeks, but this charcoal mask seems to be clearing it up nicely, and keep everything in check. I would definitely purchase the full size of this mask.
I usually follow this with a hydrating mask. So either the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask, or one of the Sorbet or Skin Republic packet masks.
The Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask has been much hyped-about on both international as well as national beauty blogs. It is said to be a boost of hydration for you skin that is left on overnight, so that you wake up with plumped, hydrated skin.
The mask contains plant glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and apricot kernel oil for instant hydration; avocado oil and mango butter for longer lasting hydration; and Japanese seaweed to prevent future moisture loss.
The mask is a pale yellow cream and smells like apricot and mango, yummy! I apply this after cleansing and toning. A little goes a long way, which is a good thing seeing as I probably won't be able to get my hands on a tube again for quite a while!
The mask sinks in easily, and my skin is only slightly tacky. It feels more like you're applying a rich night cream than a mask. The first time I used it I applied it about two hours before going to bed, and by the time I went to sleep, most of the tackiness had gone.
I have to say, I didn't see any vast improvement in my skin the next morning. My skin was healthy looking and hydrated, but I think I'll be able to see a much bigger difference in the dead of winter, when the cold and dry Pretoria air sucks all the moisture from my skin.
Are there any masks you're loving at the moment? Tell me in the comments section!
Until next time!
Hildegarde
xoxo
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