All About Masks

Face masks are amazing, let's be honest. There's one for every skin type and for every concern. They come in grey, cream, pink, blue, and clear. Some are sticky, some are goopy, some are thick, and some are thin. Today, I'm going to share with all of you my thoughts on the face masks that I have at home! I find that the most effective way of removing these masks (except for the Kiehl's one) is with a damp muslin cloth and warm water.

Sanctuary Spa Deep Cleanse Facial 5 Minute Thermal Detox Mask
Is that name a mouthful or what?! This mask is very thick and is as grey as the packaging it comes in. I like to use this in the middle of the week just to get rid of anything that has settled into my pores during the week. To apply, your face needs to be slightly damp otherwise you're going to be tugging and tugging at the mask to get it around your face. As the name implies, it is a thermal mask; this means that it will heat up. I was surprised at how much heat it generated, but it went away by the time I was finished working it into my skin. I know it says that it's a 5 minute mask, but I generally leave this on for about 10 minutes while I prepare myself to start some uni work in the afternoon. The best part? This does not leave your face tight and gross!

Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask
This mask seems to have reached cult status in the beauty world. I eagerly purchased my tube from FeelUnique when they were having a 30% off sale. To be perfectly honest, I'm not convinced that this is such an amazing mask. First of all, the smell is so strange; it is described as being vanilla and mandarin but to me it smells like milk or cream (and I can't stand the smell of either of those things). So, while I'm applying the mask and waiting for it to dry a little, I pull a little cranky face because the smell makes me a little sick! What I do like about this mask is that manuka honey is high on the list of ingredients. I find that this mask does a great job of calming my skin down on 'angry' days as it is very soothing and moisturising. You can leave this mask on for as long as you wish, too.

Sukin Purifying Face Masque
This kaolin clay-based mask was my introduction to the mask world. It's a pink pot of magic! It contains aloe vera to soothe and rosehip oil to soften and hydrate your skin. I love the smell of Sukin products, but I can't quite explain what it is! It's going to sound very strange but I associate the smell with marshmallows, and that is a giant plus for me. I found this to be a very effective purifying mask; it doesn't dry out my skin or irritate it. It isn't harsh either, which is good for my sensitive skin. I gave my mom a little sample pot to take with her when she went to Singapore and she told me that she absolutely loves it (and said it was even more effective than the GlamGlow mask!). The best part is that this mask will not break the bank at around AUD$15. I can't seem to find this on the Priceline website, which leads me to think that this will be discontinued soon. Better stock up!

GlamGlow Supermud Clearing Treatment
Ahh, the famous GlamGlow. Who hasn't talked about them? This mask is used by almost everyone in my family. I find it to be very good at deep cleaning my pores at the end of the week, but be warned as this mask is quite harsh. When I use it, I only apply it to my forehead, my nose, around my mouth, and my chin and I keep it well away from my cheeks. It can be a little bit annoying to apply due to the pieces of eucalyptus leaves in it. This mask really is not for those with very very sensitive or reactive skins. It contains eucalyptus and has a 'minty' feel to it. When wet, the mask is a grey colour but as it dries on your skin it turns into a minty green (except for the pools of oil drawn from your skin that have collected on the mask… glamorous indeed!).

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Overnight Hydrating Masque
This one isn't actually mine, but my mom's (she has quite dehydrated skin and has invested in a few hydrating face masks). I like to apply this as the last step of my 'pamper nights' on Sundays. It's a gel mask which you apply relatively thickly on to your skin, wait 10-15 minutes, and tissue off. When you tissue off the mask, you only get rid of the excess but you have more than enough product on your skin for the mask to continue to work while you sleep. This mask contains hyaluronic acid and squalane to provide long-lasting hydration. When you first apply it you can feel a slight tingle, but that goes away after about 5 minutes. When I hop into the shower the next morning and wash my face, I can feel that my face becomes slippery when the residue of the mask comes in contact with water. You may think that your skin has absorbed it all, but you're wrong! It becomes like a barrier between your skin and the environment and what you're left with is super soft, extremely hydrated, and glowing skin.

What are some of your favourite masks that you would recommend?