May has arrived in Vancouver and with it some beautiful days of sunshine. What a blessing! We’re still pretty much confined to our homes but I have a big patio to enjoy a little bit of the outdoors. 4:30pm has been outdoor Yoga for the past month and a half. Our place faces NorthWest so we have sunshine flooding in as of about 2pm until sunset. It gets warm yes, but with the windows and balcony door open and our view of the marina and yachts across the water I really do feel like I’m in the “Vancouver riviera” as a friend of mine calls my place.
In the spirit on Summery vibes I wanted to share my Face Mask collection. I was looking at them in my drawer this week and thinking “wow, I have a lot of face masks”. But they each seem to have a rhyme and reason and I change them up depending on what my skin is needing. Summer is all about that bronze glow and plump beautiful skin is the first step to looking radiant and healthy.
I’d love to know what face masks you love and why. It feels luxurious to add a mask to my skin care routine and now with the extra time I have at home, it’s become a daily ritual; lounge around in the morning with a face mask soaking in all the goodness of their ingredients while catching up on emails and social media sipping my morning smoothie. Yes.
Sheet Masks
Sheet masks are so NOW. Introduced into the North American market from Korea and Japan, these are some of the ones I always have on hand.
Shoppers Drugmart has their own line called Life Brand and they carry a very affordable range of sheet , cream and clay masks. They’re 3 for $5 so I stock up whenever I’m in store and use them at least twice a week. My favourites are the Anti-Aging mask with Caviar, the Tightening Mask with Royal Jelly and the Rose& Cherry Blossom sheet masks.
Tatcha is killing it since they were introduced into the skincare market. Strangely, even though every influencer is going crazy over them (or maybe they’re getting paid to?), I’ve tried a few of their products and honestly don’t care too much for them, that said, I don’t use creams to moisturize my skin ever. Their sheet masks however are lovely and leave the skin hydrated and smooth. I like taking sheet masks to use during a long haul flight, this way I always arrive at my destination looking well rested and glowing. https://www.tatcha.com/product/DS-MASK-4.html?cgid=masks#page=1&start=1
WrinkleResist24 Pure Retinol Express Smoothing Eye Mask by Shiseido. These are my “special occasion” eye masks. They’re not cheap so I make the box of 8 last almost a year. The reason I keep these for special occasions isn’t just the steep price but because these work. Like REALLY work. Any sign of puffiness completely disappears and fine lines with them. These are my little miracle workers. 15 – 20 minutes later, makeup goes on smoothly and I look like I slept for 10 hours. Oh wait, I always sleep for 10 hours..but you know what I mean!
Overnight Masks
A new kind of mask made it’s way in last year. The overnight mask is usually a rich cream mask that you apply as the last step in your skincare right before getting into bed. These are thick masks, infused with oils and butters. I use one of these once a week and can say with all certainty that when I wake up in the morning, my skin is so soft and looks amazing.
The Wild Rose Advanced Brightening Sleeping Facial by Korres is packed with Vitamin C (to combat dark spots) and Rose Essential Oil for balancing out dry skin and plumping fine lines. It’s one of my favourites.
https://www.korres.ca/best-sellers/wild-rose-and-vitamin-c-advanced-brightening-sleeping-facial
Filorga NCEF-NIGHT MAS Supreme Multi-correction Night mask is pure luxury (so is the pricetag which is why I buy it when I’ve collected enough points on my PC Optimum card to get it for free). I can say with all honesty, that this night mask has magic in it. Whenever I’ve put it on the night before, I wake up with baby soft, even looking skin. It really is worth the $95 and because you only need a small amount, it will last quite a while. https://www.filorga.com/wo_en/ncef-night-mask
The Nourishing Sleep Mask by PIXI has Lavender and Rose Geranium oils in it as well as Hyaluronic Acid and Macadamia Seed Oil. It was the first overnight mask I ever bought and it’s lighter weight that the other two I’ve mentioned but still works as well and never clogs my pores or causes any kind of break outs. https://pixibeauty.co.uk/collections/exfoliators-masks/products/nourishing-sleep-mask?variant=34997451466
CBD Infused Masks
A friend of a friend sent me these as a gift. Mermaid Medicals is a Canadian brand that carries a variety of products. I was gifted (by the owner) these two masks as well as the Grapefruit bubble bath, Lavender body oil and a bath fizz. Each product is infused with CBD Distillate (and no it will not make you high). The Rose Gel Mask has actual pieces of rose petals in it and smells fresh, like real roses (not synthetic). The Aloe Vera Mask has walnut husk in it for a bit of an exfoliating feel. I take these into my bath at night and wear one after the other letting them sink into my skin for about 15 minutes each. 
Clay Masks
As part of my FabFitFun subscription I get to try a lot of products. Of all the masks I like using, honestly, clay masks are my least favourite. Even though I have oily skin and probably benefit most from clay masks, I just don’t have the patience to wait for them to dry and feel my skin getting all tight and cracked BUT these two have a creamy consistency to them and are packed with really great ingredients.
Generation Clay Ultra Violet Brightening Purple Clay Mask is a purple clay mask that includes super fruit: Australian davidson plum in the ingredients. It also has Alpha Hydroxy Acid which really tingles on the skin (if you have sensitive skin it might feel more like it’s burning). After it’s dried on my skin I wipe it off with a warm terry cloth and follow up with a rich creamy face mask. Works for me! https://generationclay.com/shop/brightening-purple-clay-mask/
Charcoal Honey Mask To Purify & Nourish by Origins is always in my mask drawer. It has honey (and smells like fresh honey) and charcoal in it and whenever I use it I can feel it pulling all the impurities out of my skin and replacing it with clear, silky, rejuvenated skin which is exactly what I want. This one doesn’t dry like most clay masks but stays creamy. Love’s it. https://www.origins.ca/product/15346/57498/skincare/treat/masks/clear-improvement/charcoal-honey-mask-to-purify-nourish#/sku/91993
Exfoliating Masks
I’m not a huge fan of physical exfoliants (like the really grainy kind). I personally don’t really need anything too abrasive because I already use Prescription Retin A on my skin 3 times a week (a powerful exfoliator). Once in a while however, if I’ve been out all day or feel my skin needs an extra push, is feeling heavy or oily, then I pull out my exfoliating masks. I can’t choose which of these I like more.
Summer Fridays Overtime Mask. This mask is a light weight cream mask with natural buffing beads. Packed with vitamins A, K , C and pumpkin it exfoliates and hydrates skin and smells like Autumn in a bottle: pumpkin and clove spice. Delicious. https://summerfridays.com/products/overtime-mask2
Strivectin Glycolic Skin Reset Mask. I’ve been loyal to this mask for many years. Glycolic Acid comes from sugar and peels the outer most layer of the skin leaving the youthful new skin underneath. This is one you might have to get used to. I’ve been using acids on my skin for many years so I can leave it on for 20 minutes (the instructions say 5) and love to while I sauna. https://www.strivectin.com/glycolic-skin-reset-mask
Kora Organics Tumeric Brightening and Exfoliating Mask. Created by Victoria’s Secret model Mirand Kerr this certified organic mask uses actual crushed quartz crystals to slough away dry skin. The tumeric helps with calming redness and inflammation. Of the 3 above, this mask has the most scrubbing power. https://us.koraorganics.com/products/turmeric-brightening-exfoliating-mask
Gel and Cream Masks
Another mask I repurchase over and over again is the Body Shop’s British Rose Fresh Plumping Face Mask. If you like rose, you’ll LOVE how this gel mask smells. Quintessential rose fragrance, this mask is 100% vegan. I like to use it after a clay mask or the Glycolic mask by Strivectin. https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-ca/face/facial-mask/british-rose-fresh-plumping-face-mask/p/p002006
Ahava Hydrating Cream Mask. Ahava is a line inspired by the Dead Sea. Packed with minerals and sea mud, I use this mask whenever I’ve over done it with the Retin A and my skin is feeling tight, stinging or dry-ish. A thick layer on damp skin and removed with warm water leaves my skin calm and hydrated. https://www.ahava.com/hydration-cream-mask
Banana Cream Mask by Sephora. This mask is purely for fun. A simple cream mask that I enjoy for the true Banana scent. I’ll admit, I sometimes buy products purely for how they smell or their pretty packaging. This is one of them. It hydrates (I guess) but doesn’t really contain heavy hitter ingredients like some of the other’s I’ve mentioned. That said I like to use it whenever I’m in an “island mood”. Sometimes when it’s raining I like to create a beauty ritual inspired by my favourite polynesian islands and pull out all my tropical scented products. Mango bubble bath, watermelon face scrub and this banana face mask. Where’s my Mai Tai? https://www.sephora.com/ca/en/product/instamasks-P442589?skuId=2086999
Summer Friday’s Jet Lag Mask. There are a few ingredients you always want to look for in skincare, one of them is Niacinamide (Vit. B3) – calms redness, inflamed skin and minimizes pigmentation issues. To top the antioxidant benefits of B3, this mask also has Vitamin C, a powerful acid (ascorbic) to gently exfoliate skin alongside Chestnut extract. I’ve heard some people use this one as an overnight mask as well. I took a sample with me on our honeymoon and left it on my skin while we flew to Paris then wiped it off and did a little skin care and makeup before landing. https://summerfridays.com/collections/all/products/jet-lag-mask
This brings me to the end of my Face Mask collection. Hopefully you’ll find a few that you might like to try. Stay healthy and safe.
Love,
Jennifer