I’ve noticed that most people leave their skincare pampering time to the weekends. Specifically, Sunday evenings. It might be a way of winding down and psyching yourself up for the week ahead. I too used to be like this. Hands up if you too are the same!
On Sunday evenings, I’d indulge in a pampering treat of a cream mask or sheet mask, as a treat for my skin, and think that I was doing it right.
But you know what? I’m going to make a proposition that face masks are not just for weekends, but should be something you use often to maintain the condition of your skin.
Most of us have been conditioned to the idea that a face mask is a “treat” to be used once a week, and that we often use it on weekends, because that’s when we have the time. Yet, I will tell you that from experience, if you are a wee bit more diligent, and use a mask twice, or even 3 times a week, your skin will improve by leaps and bounds!
It doesn’t even have to be an expensive mask. If you don’t like the hassle of using a cream mask, grab a sheet mask instead. Or, if you’re even lazier, use a sleeping mask. There are so many options available these days!
I discovered this a little by accident. I had this stash of sheet masks that I had from a while ago, that I was close to expiry, and I didn’t want them to go to waste. That’s the problem with hoarding things you know. When they expire, your money is wasted. But fortuitously, I picked up a good habit from here, after I saw the results!
So, in order not to have the sheet masks go to waste, I took to slapping on one almost every night. It doesn’t take very long. Just put on the sheet mask, and go off and do your thing, or watch some TV, if that’s what you like, or read. If you want to potter about, potter away. After 20 minutes, remove the sheet mask and continue with the rest of your skincare.
What I noticed after about 2 weeks of regular masking, was that the condition of my skin had changed, for the better! My skin was so much more hydrated, pores looked smaller, my skin looked more refined, and it felt so much smoother and more plump. When you reach my age, having plump skin is a GOOD thing LOL! 😀
When I eventually ran out of my sheet masks, I stopped this practice of using a mask regularly. What I noticed then, was that my skin seemed to take a longer time to bounce back, especially when I was stressed. When your skin is healthy and well hydrated and treated, it bounces back and doesn’t show stress as much. But when it isn’t, you start seeing the lines creeping on you, and you start to look, well, your age!
So, my skincare routine now involves using a mask every other day, at least 3 times a week. I’ve started sharing my daily skincare routines on Instagram, if you’re curious about what I slap on my skin and how I react to them 🙂
I don’t use sheet masks now (because I’ve run out and not replenished) but I have also realised that I prefer taking my time when it comes to doing my skincare. Sheet masks are nice, but they feel a bit too much like fast food to me. So, I prefer using a cream/rinse-off mask or, if I’m feeling lazy, a sleeping mask or oil mask instead.
Every other day or so, I will put on a treatment mask. Often, it’ll be a sleeping mask with my top favourite being the Sulwhasoo Overnight Revitalizing Mask for boosting my skin. Sometimes, it’s the Laneige Sleeping Mask, but that now resides with my sister, so it’s off my books for now.
Twice a week, I do a clarifying/exfoliating/detox mask, followed by a nourishing/hydrating/cream mask. The former ranges from a mud mask to a glycolic peel mask, and the latter from a sleeping mask as above, or a nourishing mask like the Antipodes Aura mask or the Bobbi Brown Nourishing Mask.
Sometimes, I do an oil mask, which is basically picking one of my facial oils and slathering on a thick layer onto my skin. The Pai Bioregenerate Rosehip Oil is particularly good for this, as well as the La Mer Renewal Oil. They both leave my skin feeling beautifully smooth and rejuvenated the next morning.
The idea, which I’d just like to put across, is not to reserve your face masks for “a special occasion” that may not come until after it’s expired, or to think of a face mask treat as a once a week affair. Often, you may realise that you don’t use up all your product in your face mask tube/tub, because there’s so much in there that you can only use it so often, based on a once a week use, until it’s expired. Yet, I feel that this is the wrong approach to take.
We all lead fairly hectic lives these days, that have us perpetually on the go. A face mask, and a good skincare routine, forces us to slow down and relax. You can’t hurry the absorption of skincare, and you can’t hurry a face mask. Sometimes, when the pressures of the week gets too much, a mid-week face mask treat forces you to slow down, stop and chill for a few minutes.
And I think that’s good for the soul. Sure, we all feel like we are starved for time, what with the various demands made on us by everyone. Yet, never forget that WE owe ourselves some of that time too. You don’t have to take 3 hours over your skincare (like I have done) but a half hour of a face mask isn’t too much for your skin to ask for, I’m sure. Just be smart about using the time effectively, and you can still get things done 🙂
Do you reserve your face masks treatment for the weekends? Do you use face masks more than once a week?
I’m sure once a week will be the norm. But if you have slightly more matured skin, or drier skin, then using a face mask more often is nice for the skin. I’ve realised that face masks tend to be more intensive, and the intensive treatment is great for keeping your skin’s radiance at its optimum. Have you tried doing this? 😀
Paris B
I just started to be more regular with using scrub and masks – twice per week 🙂 I also find that using the hydrating mask as the final stage is giving me the best result. There’s also another tip I learned when applying a mask – after cleansing and scrub, put on toner first before applying the mask. Apparently this help to prepare the skin better to absorb the benefits of the mask.
To sum up of my current routine – cleansing, scrub, toner, mask (pore or anti blemish) then final step, overnight hydrating mask:) If I’m not going out anywhere, I split the routine – morning for the pore/anti blemish mask and later in the evening, overnight hydrating mask 😀
My least favourite mask is the mask sheet. I feel like it’s too big, the holes for eyes and nose, and slit for mouth are always not properly align to my eyes, nose and mouth :'( And it’s wasting my precious lazy time to keep on trying to align the holes while smoothing the sheet on my face. I don’t think I get all the benefits from the mask sheets. Like you said, kinda feel like an instant or fast food, haha.
My most favourite mask, for now, are the clay mud type masks that usually feel cooling on the skin and help the pores issues – cleaning the pores, reduce the pore sizes, etc etc – and also help with even out and brightening the skin. I have several to try in my hoarder collection, hehe. I also like the anti blemish masks (currently using St Ives) but I much prefer to use on my acne area instead of the whole face as I find the anti blemish products usually dehydrated my face :'( But using the anti blemish mask as acne treatment is surprisingly work better than use the specific acne treamment oinment – help dry out acne faster and effectively 😀 Last but not least, the overnight hydrating masks. I’ve tried Laneige and it feels nice. But I like Biotherm Life Plankton Mask better – the effect is startling good and combine with the Biotherm Life Plankton Essence, even better result!
I still haven’t finish cleaning up my hoard collection so I might find more masks hiding away, haha.
Using the hydrating mask after an exfoliating one is one of the best tips I picked up, that’s worked so well for my skin! It’s like my skin just drinks everything up, after the initial exfoliation 😀 I stopped using mask sheets a while ago, but I hear you on how they don’t fit so well. After all, we don’t have the same size face, how do they expect us all to wear the same sheet?! 😛 I didn’t know that Biotherm has a plankton mask! I remember I liked the lotion, but not the smell – does the mask have the same smell?
The Biotherm plankton mask is pretty new or maybe not well known, I’m not sure. When I bought it, it was newly launched and it has a brush included – the salesgirl urge me to get it as she’s not sure if the brush is a permanent addition, haha. Not sure if now there’s a brush included. Anyhow, to answer your question, the smell is kinda similar with the essence but much lighter and less weird LOL I also find the essence smell too strong for my liking at the first time, like some dead fish or that fishy aquarium smell (well, there are suppsedly life planktons inside anyway, haha) but now, I’m immune to the smell 😀
Ah, thanks for letting me know about the mask. I’ll see if there’s a chance of getting a sample, although I’ll be sure to take a sniff as well. Not sure I’m up to leaving it on if I can’t take the smell 😛
I’m not as diligent as you are when it comes to masks! I do have a collection thought, I tend to put them on when I feel like my skin needs a boost. I used to do sheet masks a lot but it’s been cold in the UK and the idea of putting a cold thing on my face…well it wasn’t that appealing.
I do love sleeping masks more these days because they’re so easy to put on and you don’t have to think too much about them!
I saw that a friend of mine in the UK actually warms her sheet masks as opposed to using it cold! So that might be something to try and I imagine the warm feel might actually penetrate cold skin better? 😀
I totally agree with you. I started to mask most nights about a month ago and the result was unbelievable. I was using mainly hydrating & soothing asian sheet masks then. Now i include wash off and sleeping mask. On some days i even double masks ie: exfoliating mask and then hydrating/nourishing mask.
Double masking is my favourite thing to do! It’s time consuming, but I think the effects are so rewarding! Glad you discovered this too 🙂
Ah yes. My skin was a little fussy a few weeks back, and I used sheet masks every single night for a week. It sure made a huge difference! And after that, I bought a huge box of sheet masks with 30 masks inside. That’ll last me a month. I also use other masks but due to time constraint, I only leave them on for 20 minutes each.
Which sheet masks are you using now? I’m quite out of the sheet mask scene now, but I think we have a lot more options today than we had before! I was using a lot of My Beauty Diary before this, but I think people have mostly moved on from that LOL! 😛
Spending the public holiday replying to comments eh? LOL! Sheet masks are so widely available now. I love L’Herboflore sheet masks. They’re more expensive, but GOOD! I also use My Beauty Diary but I prefer L’Herboflore for sure. They’re now at One Utama. I wish they’re sold online so it’s easier to get them.
Guilty! LOL Hence the email spam 😛 Oh I love L’Herboflore masks too! I did hear they’re available at 1U, but it’s so far for me to get to, it might as well not be available! haha! Have to find a way to get them online – they’re the bees knees!
I did start using masks more frequently when I was trying to use them up and had more leisure time. It really does help! I agree, sheet masks are too fussy (and cold). I like leave-on masks right now as they’re the least fuss. I’ll try the facial oil mask some time.
If you already use facial oil, then just apply a slightly thicker layer and it’ll be perfect as an overnight mask 😀 The only problem with leave on masks is how they can sometimes mark pillow cases LOL! So I’m always subconsciously a little more careful with how I sleep when I have an overnight mask on.
Oh my! We’re the same Paris! I first saw a youtube video of Lisa Eldridge about masks & wondered why she does it almost daily then tried it for myself & it works wonders. It may not be as hardcore as yours, but I did see improvements plus I don’t have to worry about its expiry.
Oh I didn’t know Lisa Eldrige does this too – nice to know that I’m doing something advocated by a professional! 🙂 I too like being able to buy more masks and actually use them up! So often, we don’t because we think it should be kept for a specific day of the week or a special occasion, when our skin doesn’t really care or know what day of the week it is anyway! LOL