"Beautiful skin requires commitment not a miracle."
Erno Lazlo
In addition to your morning and evening skincare routines, face masks are essential to help target any existing concerns you might have. Ideally you should incorporate them into your weekly skincare routine 2 - 3 times a week, as a little booster and additional source of TLC for your skin. Whether you're dealing with dullness, congestion or dehydration, we've got you covered with our #SkinFood favourite recommendations below.
Dullness
The words 'glow' and 'radiance' have become buzz words in the last few years with a slew of new products entering the market promising to give you that coveted look of dripping in candle light. Should a lack of radiance (i.e. dullness) be a concern for you, we recommend introducing some gentle yet effective acids into your skincare practise in order to help encourage cell turnover. When your complexion appears dull, more often than not it means that your skin has not shed the surplus of dead cells that have collected on the surface. By using a chemical exfoliant in the form of gentle acids, it kickstarts this process, encouraging fresh cells to come to the fore. This in turn, reveals a brighter and more radiant complexion. Glycolic acid and lactic acid both form part of the AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acids) family and have been proven to help encourage cell turnover without causing too much stress or irritation. As such, these two powerhouse ingredients are increasingly being featured in more and more at-home masks and facials due to their benefits.
#SkinFood Favourites - Radiance Masks
To target this area of concern, our #SkinFood favourite masks are Oskia's Renaissance Mask, Ren's Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask and Caudalie's Glycolic Peel. All three products are largely derived from natural ingredients, meaning the more potent acids are delivered alongside gentler skin-loving ingredients, minimising irritation. Each of them will help to provide a notable improvement in radiance and an overall lift to your complexion after use.
*Things to Note*
We recommend doing an acid-based mask such as this once a week only so as not to overly strip the skin. Also, when using stronger ingredients such as AHAs in your routine, it is of the utmost importance that you wear sunscreen every day so as to avoid causing any unwanted damage or hyperpigmentation.
Congestion
If you are prone to having oily skin which suffers from the occasional spots or breakouts, introducing a clay mask into your weekly routine will help to balance the production of excess oil and lift any impurities from your complexion. The key ingredient, clay, serves in detoxifying your pores by lifting bacteria lodged inside. This in turn, helps to curb future breakouts.
Clay masks are typically composed from either bentonite or kaolin clay. These ingredients come from the Earth and have a high mineral content. Fun fact, bentonite clay is actually derived from volcanic ash. "Clay masks are made from negatively-charged molecules and most toxins are made of positively-charged molecules. This means that clay mask molecules bind themselves to toxins deep in your pores, [bringing] them to the surface." By regularly lifting these toxins from the skin your complexion will appear both clearer and more luminous.
#SkinFood Favourites - Clay Masks
To help alleviate unwanted congestion, our #SkinFood recommended clay masks are Glam Glow's iconic Clearing Mud Mask, Honest Beauty's 3-in-1 Detox Mud Mask and Caudalie's Instant Detox Mask. All three of these options will help to purify, condition and revive your complexion with regular use. For those that need heavier lifting in this area, we suggest going with the Glam Glow mask as it will seriously clean out your pores. (A good dupe for this is the Body Shop's Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask.)
*Things to Note*
If you are suffering from moderate to more severe acne consult our Acne 101 manual which shares more targeted advice and product recommendations for how best to tackle your breakouts.
On the other hand, if the oiliness you experience is just limited to your t-zone and you are perhaps dry in other areas, you can try multi-masking and isolate the clay mask to just the centre of your face. You can then add a hydrating mask to the remaining exposed areas.
Dehydration
“Gently pinch the skin on the cheek. If it looks like you have fine lines, you are dehydrated,” advises skincare expert and celebrity facialist Joanna Vargas. Dry and dehydrated skin can be caused by several factors; it could be that you're not drinking sufficient amounts of water, that you are overly exposed to AC or heating in your work or home environment or simply that it is your genetic predisposition. If this is the case, adding hydrating masks to your routine as often as a couple of times a week will nourish and deeply hydrate your complexion, helping to minimise fine lines and wrinkles.
Ingredients which are typically found in hydrating masks are inevitably a range of oils which typically penetrate more effectively into the deeper layers of the skin. Honey is also a commonly found component as it is a humectant, meaning it has the natural ability to hold onto water, retaining moisture.
#SkinFood Favourites - Hydrating Masks
To help combat your dehydrated skin, our #SkinFood favourite hydrating masks include Charlotte Tilbury's Dry Sheet Masks, The Organic Pharmacy's Honey & Jasmine Mask and Farmacy's Honey Potion Renewing Antioxidant and Hydrating Mask. All three of these options will serve to deeply hydrate and nourish your complexion. Tilbury's dry sheet masks can each be used up to 3 times improving the cost per wear. If you are a fan of sheet masking, these are a fun and effective option for you. Should you be in need of very deep hydration The Organic Pharmacy's mask is truly excellent and can be left on to absorb into the skin on its own, doubling up as both a mask and a moisturiser.
*Things to Note*
You can buy raw unprocessed honey from your local supermarket or health food store and apply this to your skin as a more economic alternative. This acts as an excellent at-home solution that will still deliver results.
Comments