Saving Face Part 4: The Masque

And so to Part 4 (and the final part, no less) of Saving Face, the masque. Or mask, depending on how you’re feeling. The mask is the part of your skincare regime that lends a sort of day spa feel to the whole affair. It’s one thing to feverishly cleanse in the shower and slap on some moisturizer with your first cup of tea in the morning, it’s quite another to scrape your hair back, put on a robe and lie on the couch with a green face.

A mask should be a weekly – fortnightly part of your routine, depending on what you’re using it for. A good deep clean every two weeks will help keep on top of blocked pores and unsightly blemishes, and a hydrating mask will help smooth out any signs of stress. If you have specific problems, like blemishes to zap, dry spots to nourish or irritated skin, then choose a product tailored to that need, and use it regularly for full effect.

And finally, most importantly, do not shy away from donning a robe and sipping from a glass of wine as the mud on your face hardens. Wine is, after all, full of antioxidants and robes are day-spa par for the course.

SKIN DETOX

Yes to Carrots C the Difference Exfoliating and Soothing Mud Mask for Dry to Sensitive Skin

My friends, I have found a new love in this mask. I feel like I am spoon feeding my face with every application of it, and technically I am. Based on the notion that those who always eat their vegetables always have good skin (and it’s true) Yes to Carrots products are packed with carrot seed oil, carrot juice and minerals harvested from the Dead Sea. This is a gentle mask that feels great on and purifies your skin without leaving it feeling stretchy and tight and feels as nourishing as it sounds.

RRP: $21.95

COOL, CALM & COLLECTED

Aveda Outer Peace Cooling Masque

When your skin is irritated, it shows. Rhythms have bee disrupted, cycles have gone haywire, and throw into the mix a poor diet, lack of sleep or hormones, and suddenly you’re walking around with a face you thought you’d waved goodbye to in year nine.

Enter Aveda’s Outer Peace Cooling Masque, part of their Outer Peace Blemish Relief Skin Care range. According to independent clinical testing, statistics show those who use this mask over four weeks demonstrate at 92% reduction in blemishes. Tamanu oil from the islands of Vanuatu joins lemon, tea tree oil and geranium plus a host of other organic delights to soothe irritated skin and get it back on the path to good health.

RRP: $69.95

HYDRATION

Phyt’s Aqua Masque Hydratant

For skin that needs a serious drink, a weekly hydration masque is often the best way to go. Sometimes the epidermis needs a little help absorbing and retaining moisture, and as we head into colder weather and brisker winds, you might find your skin needs a touch more than a daily moisturizer. Also the skin under around your eyes is especially delicate and highly susceptible to drying agents, so investing in a good hydration mask will help keep fine lines at bay.

Phyt’s Aqua Masque Hydratant is an all natural ‘bath’ for dry skin, containing clove, hazelnut, lavandin, lemongrass, oregano, cypress, rosemary, palm. I found this one particularly good for use around the eyes, it’s very gentle and my skin feels lovely and supple.

RRP: $51

PROBLEM SKIN

Origins Out of Trouble 10 Minute Mask to Rescue Problem Skin

This is a must-have for the skin care collection. Must. Have. Superman in a mask, if you’re in trouble, it will rescue you, no matter the problem. Dry areas? No worries. Spots? Be gone. Dullness? Thing of the past. This caped crusader contains a bevy of potent ingredients – zinc oxide and sulfur to absorb excess oil and protect skin, glycerin to quench dry surfaces, camphor to comforts and soothes overactive skin and salicylic acid to slough away dead cellular debris. All in the name of healthier, happier skin.

RRP: $45

STRESS RELIEF

Estee Lauder Stress Relief Face Mask

All work and no play (plus spending a lot of quality time with air conditioning) makes for tired, stressed skin. Tired stressed skin needs some blessed relief, something that will put back what your busy lifestyle has taken out.

Call this one the Friday Afternoon mask, if you will, as it’s perfect as a prelude to a glass of champagne in a candle-lit bubble bath (the ultimate Friday night unwind). It is here to help your skin take a load off, to refresh, soothe, hydrate and re-energise, with a powerfulmix of antioxidants, vitamins and botanicals. The appearance of fine lines is reduced and your skin comes out the other side looking like it doesn’t know what five hours of sleep a night looks like at all.

A mask to be enjoyed.

RRP: $70 for a box of six

RADIANCE

Aveda Tourmaline Charged Radiance Masque

I have always had a thing for radiance masks, ever since my mother gave me a Lancome Brightening mask when I was a teenager and I became preoccupied with the idea of making my face glow in less than ten minutes (clearly doesn’t take much to pique my curiosity). Having a brightening mask in the bathroom cupboard is a brilliant idea, not least because doing one regularly will help keep your skin bright, but also because there are always those occasions that you need to glow for – interviews, presentations, big work functions, weddings, birthdays – and a brightening mask is the quickest way to do it.

Aveda’s Tourmaline Charged Radiance Masque is a good one, full of plant derived ingredients like Brazilian palm tree kernels, avocado oil, coconut-derived glycerin and shiitake mushroom that work towards improving the tone, texture and appearance of your skin. And if you’re wondering what Tourmaline is, it’s one of nature’s wonder ingredients, a hugely energising mineral that boosts your skin’s own energy, making it glow.

RRP: $79.95

Feature image by Chaval Brasil on Flickr