Imagine ending your day, in a plush, snow-white robe, while sipping herbal tea from a dainty teacup, hair in a messy, but oh-so-cute bun, all while masking.

This fantasy is more of a delusion that I suffer every time I see a new mask. I have a drawer full of them (delusions, that is). This is a sampling of the fantasies that lie within my magic skin drawer.

• Masks you paint on and wash off … giving you perfect skin
• Masks you apply before you fall into a beautiful dream-like state … allowing you to wake up with perfect skin
• Masks … that give you perfect skin (but only after you peel the serial-killer-looking-sheet mask off your face)

Given my love of all things beauty, it’s no surprise that I own a mask or two, but it does surprise me that I own as many as I do. For one thing, as much as I love the idea of masking in my plush, cozy, robe, my reality is that I’m usually slapping these things on while I’m doing twenty other things. Also, did I mention that I loathe washing my face? Obviously I do it, but I have yet to figure out how to wash my face like those women in the soap ads, their dainty hands lapping up a perfect wave of water which hits every angle of their face, leaving them feeling fresh and clean. I feel like it takes me a good few minutes to wash my face, a couple more to get all the areas the initial washing missed, and then the time it takes to wipe down the vanity. Sound familiar?

The other issue is that I’ve always been skeptical about masks. Do they really work? Can they really hydrate, tighten, brighten, and make you look YEARS younger? Could the delusion be a fantasy and could the fantasy be true?

 

WHY I STARTED USING MASKS

A couple of winters ago, I swapped coasts, moving from East to West, temporarily leaving my beloved Boston for Los Angeles. I’d lived my life in constantly changing weather (ever hear a New Englander say, “if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute, it’ll change) and dozens of harsh winters. This type of weather along with my normal/dry skin has inspired a strict skin-care routine in which I moisturize every-single-day. Cold, dry, winter day? Moisturize. Hot, humid, sticky day? Moisturize. No matter what, I moisturize. If I need more, I use more and if I’m really feeling dehydrated I up my water intake and start using a humidifier. Problem solved.

When I moved to Los Angles, a strange thing happened. My skin got dry. Like, really dry. Although, dehydrated is probably a better word for it.

Now granted when I travel (or in this case move) it takes my skin and hair a while to adjust to the new situation, particularly the new water (shower) and given the drastic change in weather (going from the worst winter I’ve ever suffered to a sunny and sometimes downright hot inland weather of my temporary new home) I knew to give myself time to adjust. The thing is, time had passed, and my skin was still oddly dry. In the past, dry skin was a result of just having dry skin and extra dry skin was a result of winter’s harsh cold, I hadn’t considered that my skin was getting A LOT more sunshine than I’d ever received in the winter, so much so, that my skin was drying out as a result. Since I had already tried every trick I knew – I decided to ask a local, fellow beauty lover for advice, and she had some. “Just get a mask, I do them all the time. You should go to Lush.”

A mask? That just seemed so silly, so gimmicky, and so not-something-that-could-possibly-work. But…I had this fantasy, and someone had just given me permission to enact my fantasy. Besides I’d always wanted to get a mask from Lush, you know the ones they display in slick looking bowls, all creamy, and rich and well, “lush.” I knew what I had to do. I got myself to a Lush and picked up a mask.

 

Lush: Oatifix Mask

For those of you who aren’t familiar, Lush carries an assortment of masks each of which are made from a combination of natural ingredients (fruits, grains, oils…). These masks are made off-site and delivered to the store once a week. You are encouraged to refrigerate them (they will go bad if you don’t) and use them within a couple of weeks of their made-by date. Each concoction is meant for a different issue and since my issue was dryness, I was given the Oatifix mask. The Oatifix mask is made of oats, bananas, ground almonds, oils, and butters. Oats are the main ingredient, hence the name, “OATifix.”

As soon as I got home, I washed my face, and spread a thin layer of the mask on my skin (sans robe or tea). The mask had a home made feeling to it (in a good way) and felt slightly odd on my skin (odd in the way that putting things you eat on your face should feel) but it also felt like it might work.

Fifteen minutes later, I washed my face (it feels equally odd to wash food off of your face) and was pleased at the results. The mask had moisturized my skin and made it feel softer than it had felt since I left Boston. I was sold. I used the rest of the container (I believe I got 5 masks out of it) and went on to buy more before testing other types of masks. Here are my pros and cons.

 

Pros / Cons: Lush Oatifix Mask

Pros:

• The product worked. It was hydrating and softening.
• The experience of applying and wearing the mask (though odd at first) was positive.
• Although odd at first, I quite liked the coolness of the refrigerator cold mask on my face after coming in from having sun blaring on my face.
• The mask is made of recognizable ingredients that are known for their hydrating benefits.
• The masks are made fresh each week.
• The cost is respectable for the multiple uses you get out of the product. $8.95 plus tax.

Cons:

• Washing a product of mashed up produce off my face in the sink was a bit cumbersome. I always ended up having to wash my face a second time to get the bits on the side of my face (closer to my hairline) and off of my neck (always awkward to wash).
• I had to go to Lush at a particular time on a particular day to ensure I could purchase the product every time I ran out. My local Lush store (and I believe all Lush stores) only got deliveries once a week and sold out very quickly.
• It has to be stored in the fridge.
• It goes bad rather quickly (about two weeks) which means you can’t just throw a container in your drawer as a backup for emergency issues.
• In spite of its’ value (I got about 5 masks per container /$8.95 plus tax) it still felt like more than I wanted to spend for something that needs to be used quickly. My last container went bad before I ever used it. Money down the drain (without benefit of being on my face first).
• This is a Lush product so it must be purchased from them. If you don’t live near a store – this isn’t a practical choice. Most of their masks can’t be purchased on-line.

Overall, the Oatifix mask is FANTASTIC. If I was living the white robed, beauty guru life, (the one you see in those fantastic “morning routine” YouTube videos), I would keep myself in Oatifix masks all year round. Given that I’m looking for something equally effective but far less high-maintenance, I opted to try sleeping masks.

 

Sleeping Masks

A sleeping mask is exactly what it sounds like. You apply a thin layer of the mask over clean skin (same as a traditional mask) and wear it to bed. No need to rinse. I came across several of these masks and liked them just fine but found that most of them didn’t work much better than a good old fashioned layer of icky-sticky Vaseline, difference being, that most of these masks were FAR less sticky and therefore more comfortable to wear to sleep. Then I remembered a mask I had tried some time earlier, a mask I liked but frankly didn’t need at the time. It was time to give that mask another go. 

 

The Sephora Collection: Honey Sleeping Mask

This mask had caught my eye long before I moved to Los Angeles. The perfect little orange box surrounding the little orange pod which held the mask found it’s way into my basket despite the fact that I had no need for a hydrating mask. You see I’m drawn to citrus colors (and flavors) the way most women are drawn to chocolate (and the way most beauty bloggers are drawn to highlighter). I just want EVERYTHING orange, lemon, or lime colored. Since I didn’t really need the mask, it got a “meh” review from me and I moved on with my life (although I did keep the orange packaging the pod came in).

I ordered the mask from Sephora.com (it’s no longer available in-store, but thankfully it’s still available online). At this point my skin had started to adjust to the gross amounts of sunlight it was getting but I was also moving through Southern California towards LA and even though the weather/temperature tends to stay the same, it was different from place to place. I was now facing summer in Los Angeles and really wanted this mask to work.

I put a thin layer of the mask on my clean, dry, face and went about the rest of my pre-bedtime ritual before hitting my pillow. I was a tad inconvenienced at first. I’m most definitely a side/stomach sleeper but that didn’t feel like an option. After about fifteen minutes of so, I decided to massage the mask into my skin to make sure none of it was tacky. I realized that the mask wasn’t all that sticky and I was fine to turn to my side and sleep on my arm. At some point I fell asleep – not at all bothered by the mask, which had undoubtedly seeped it’s way into my skin (or perhaps on my pillow).

When I woke up, my skin felt nice. It was subtle yet noticeable. When I washed my face I felt as if I still has a thin layer of mask on there – which was nice (I took it as a sign that it hadn’t transferred onto my pillow). I should mention that if you are thoughtful with the application and storage of the mask, you could easily get two if not three uses out of that rather small capsule. Given the ease of use, I decided to use the remaining mask three (yes three) more times and was pleased with the results. At $4.00 plus tax, this mask is very affordable, given the fact that I often get three/four masks out of it, it’s a steal but the real beauty of this mask is the ease. This mask is a winner. Here are the pros and cons.

 

Pros / Cons: Sephora Collection Honey Sleeping Mask

Pros:

• It works.
• It’s easy. You put it on and don’t wash it off until you shower the next morning.
• It’s affordable. I get multiple uses out of one pod (which I believe is meant as a one time use)
• It’s not too sticky and I could easily sleep in it.
• Has a nice texture that I could massage into my skin. It massaged nicely into my skin but my skin didn’t drink it all up – there was enough left to create a sort of barrier which allowed it to do it’s work overnight.
• You can buy and keep these masks for hydration emergencies.
• It doesn’t require refrigeration (although you could store any remaining product in the fridge if you want a cooling mask).

Cons:

• Since it’s a Sephora Collection item you can only buy it at Sephora. Since it’s no longer available in stores you have to buy it online which means you will have to pay shipping.
  • Please note that if you spend $50 or more at sephora.com your shipping will be free.
  • Also note that if you purchase items regularly at Sephora.com there are a couple of programs that make shipping free.

So we finally get to the third category of mask and I’ll be honest with you, I had no desire whatsoever to try these. For one thing, I have everything I’ll ever need in my Sephora Collection Sleeping Mask: ease, affordability, the pretty orange packaging…and for another, there’s just something creepy about the Jason-like mask. This doesn’t fulfill any part of my robe/tea fantasy.

YouTube Made Me Buy It / Actually It Was the 99¢ Only Store

Los Angeles is known for lots of things, celebrities, beaches, kale…but the thing that I love the most would have to be the many, many, many, beauty stores. I had no idea that one city could yield so many make up stores. Every Sephora I ever went into was crazy busy. All of them. There are the stores you always hear Beauty gurus talking about like Frends, and Naime’s. There are brick and mortar stores for brands that you didn’t even know had their own stores: Make up Forever, Nyx Cosmetics, and Elf Cosmetics. It’s amazing!!!! And then there’s the dirt-cheap alternative to beauty stores known as dollar stores. And there’s a new category for me to add to my list, none other than Asian grocery stores, some of which boast a rather impressive line of beauty products.

 

Sheet Masks

The one thing that kept catching my eye, particularly at the 99¢ Only store and Asian Grocery were the assortment of dirt-cheap sheet masks. So many masks! I finally gave in a bought some from my local dollar store. My favorite ingredient is collagen, so most of my masks boast that ingredient but I found one that really spoke to me called the Milk Essence Mask from a brand called Pure Smile. The warm white and soft blue packaging was appealing, but it was really the glass milk bottle that compelled me to spend a whopping $1.50 during that first trip to my local Korean Grocery store. I now had a small but impressive collection of sheet masks.

*Pure Smile is a Japanese company, making this a Japanese mask, not a Korean /K-Beauty product as I had once assumed.

A few things about sheet masks in general. The first time I used a sheet mask, I was terrified that I was going to rip it. Dozens of mask-uses later, I realize that that’s not going to happen. First, the sheet-fiber is stronger than you think it’s going to be. Second, after a couple of masks, you get the swing of how to unfold a sheet mask until you are downright cavalier about it.

The other thing is I always have a reaction to the size of the mask. Sometimes, as in the case of the Milk Essence mask, I feel like the mask is going to be too short and too wide, or the holes for your eyes/nose/mouth aren’t going to line up. Other times, I feel the masks are going to be too long… it’s always something, but at the end of the day it’s never mattered. The mask has always accommodated my face and even in the case of the Milk Essence mask which does leave a sliver of forehead exposed, there’s plenty of serum in the mask and once you’ve massaged the fluid through the mask, you can use the extra serum on any exposed areas and your neck (the mask will only cover your face but there’s enough extra serum for your neck).

 

Pure Smile: Milk Essence Sheet Mask

I applied the Milk Essence mask, occasionally massaging both the masked areas as well as the extra serum I applied to my neck. This wasn’t really necessary, but the masks have so much extra serum on them that it feels like it’s being wasted if I don’t. After fifteen minutes (I sometimes leave it on for twenty) I removed and disposed of the mask. I was left feeling like I got a nice dose of moisture and for $1.50 it feels like a steal. Not nearly as moisturizing as a traditional mask, and a bit less moisturizing than the sleeping mask, but for ease and cost, I think it’s worth keeping around. Here are the pro’s/con’s of this mask.

 

Pros / Cons: Pure Smile: Milk Essence Sheet Mask

Pros

• Dirt-cheap. $1.50 plus tax.
• Easy to use. You put it on, take it off. Done.
• You’re done masking in fifteen minutes.
• Has extra serum that can be used on your neck.
• Works well for the money.
• You can buy and keep these masks for hydration emergencies.
• Doesn’t require refrigeration but could be refrigerated if you like a cold mask.
• Note: This mask works as well as most other affordable sheet masks and can easily be swapped out for other moisturizing sheet masks.

Cons

• Though sheet masks can be purchased at a variety of stores (Dollars stores, Beauty Stores, Teen Clothing Boutiques) I’ve only seen this particular mask at Asian Grocery Stores and other Asian markets that you might not have in your area. I’ve seen this brand on-line, but by the time you account for shipping, it might be better to try a different sheet mask.
• Works well, but not as well as other types of masks.

 

Final Thoughts

My skincare drawer boasts many more masks than what I’ve covered today, but the Sephora Collection Honey Sleeping mask is the one I always go back to. It just plain works.

The Milk Essence mask was my favorite sheet mask, and I still enjoy using it, but I think that there are other sheet affordable masks that work equally well, if not better. (I haven’t tested a lot of mid-priced sheet masks, and I’m interested in seeing how their ingredients match up).

The Lush Oatifix mask is my secret favorite. It will definitely be purchased again, but our encounters will forever be dictated by chance. Though the results are the best, the effort simply isn’t worth it for me. I love you Oatifix, but for now, you’re just too high maintenance for me.

 

Coming Soon on YouTube: Higher End Masks!

My new YouTube channel, Foodie Beauty Life will be launching later this month. I will be sharing my love of food, beauty, travel, and all the little things that make life worth living with very soon. If you enjoyed this post about affordable masks, please join me on FBL YouTube where I’ll be sharing my experiences with higher-end masks including two from GLAMGO and a sheet-mask from 7 Wonders.

Stay tuned for my launch announcement here and on Instagram @foodiebeautylife