I am sitting here on my day off resting up before a crazy week ahead for a Black Friday week in retail.  In anticipation of the rush ahead and the effect it will have on my skin, I have a day planned of extreme skin focus using my favourite face masks.  If my skin doesn’t feel like a baby’s backside by the end of the day I will be extremely disappointed.

It took me a long time to realise that face masks were an essential part of my skincare regime but I am so glad I did.  It’s easy to overlook a face mask as you leave them on for 10 minutes, wash it off and forget about it but they have long lasting benefits that can really give your skin a boost.  Have you ever just felt so run down and exhausted?  I am telling you a glass of hot water and lemon wine and a face mask will do the trick to help.

With so many kinds of face masks you are sure to be overwhelmed so let me break it down for you.

For dry, dull and dehydrated skin like mine a mask that gently peels off is best as it will buff off the dead skin and dullness leaving your skin feeling seriously smooth and glowin’ without being too harsh like an exfoliator.  On dry skin there is nothing worse than scrubbing ferociously on your skin and this can lead to more damage.  The Origins GinZing Peel Off Mask (£25) is perfect for this as it helps to lift away those stubborn dead skin cells and contains coffee beans extract which helps to waken the skin.

Sheet masks are something I have been crazy obsessed with.  No joke, I have about 10 upstairs just waiting to be used and I like them all for different reasons.  Some are for when my skin just needs that boost, some are for when I am having a spotty patch and some are just because I want to use a god damn sheet mask.  The Koreans back in 2015 or so definitely spearheaded the trend of this ever so slight Phantom of the Opera look of a sheet mask craze.  Not only where they the hottest skin trend but they actually made an amazing difference to the skin!  Estee Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair Concentrated Recovery Powerfoil Mask (£16-£60) are up there with my absolute favourite mask of all time – not JUST because I want to look like Victoria Beckham while wearing them…

Packed full of Hyaluronic Acid this mask delivers an intense surge of revitalisation and hydration in just one mask.  The fact that this sheet mask has a layer of foil over it just helps to seal and lock in all of that hydration – think of yourself like chicken in the oven.  You want to trap all of the moisture so it doesn’t escape, and your skin is the same.

Another favourite is the Charlotte Tilbury Instant Magic Facial Dry Sheet Mask (£18).  I became obsessed with this mask as, even though I love face masks they can be a little on the sloppy side whereas this mask is dry.  DRY.

 

It is infused with product containing vitamins, floral extract, peptides, oils and butters – I know right?  The effects of this mask last for up to 8 hours which is incredible!  Meaning I can put it on at night before bed, go to sleep and wake up with pristine skin.  Plus, I love the way Charlotte says ‘Darlings’, so there’s that.

 

Hopping on the face mask trend came the eye mask trend.  This one, I haven’t became just as obsessed with (yet), I think it’s just because my face would be more of a concern to me than my eyes would be.  That being said I have used The Body Shop Cooling Gel Eye Mask (£6) for years before knowing it would actually do anything.  If I am being honest, I kept it in the fridge and put it on my face when I was hungover.  So it helped that way?  So now that I know they have a purpose I am currently using the Rodial Dragon’s Blood Eye Masks (£39, 8 pairs) which aim to de-puff under the eyes and hydrate and tone.  Similar to the Estee Lauder Face Mask they contain Hyaluronic Acid which binds water to create hydration.  They are an intense burst of amazingness for the eye and I would highly recommend them, even if you only use them every so often.

Away from sheet masks for awhile let’s get back to a good old jar of cream.  For those of you on the oilier side of things why not take a look at some great clay or charcoal masks like the Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque (£23.50).  This mask clears out blackheads like you wouldn’t believe!  Even though I have dryer skin I do get the occasional oily breakout and with that comes blackheads.   This cleansing mask is the bomb diggity for drawing out dirt, oil and toxins which is what normally clog pores and is formulated with the amazing Amazonian White Clay.  Aloe Vera is added into the mask to help to calm and smooth the skin also, leaving skin beaming.

 

Acne prone skin can cause a lot of stress to the person and to the skin so a good skincare regime can become great with the addition of a mask to suit.  When finding a mask to suit this skin type you want to make sure you

are getting one that contains Salicylic Acid.  Salicylic Acid in layman’s terms is an absolute pimple buster.  This may not be sound advice but when I get a pimple or a spot and I later the area with my masks, by morning it has dried up and I can start moving on.  The acid loosens what holds cells together so that they can be cleared away with ease.  I have used a variety of these kinds of masks/treatment in my time however, always revert back to Super Facialist Salicylic Acid Anti Blemish Clay Mask (£9.99).  It’s one of the more affordable masks that I have come across and really does the trick.  Something like this really can be used once or twice a week however, now that I kind of have my skin under control I only reach for it when I have a spot screaming at me.

I hope you found this list of face masks interesting and if you have tried anything I have mentioned or have anything you think I should try then please let me know as I love trying new products.

Here is a link to my latest blog post with https://cosmeticsjunkiee.wordpress.com/2017/11/14/current-skincare-regime/

Enjoy!

Amy xo