Your skincare regimen is one of the most important parts of your day, and while you’ve surely got the cleanse-serum-moisturizer-SPF system down to a science, are you including a weekly mask even in the summertime? Most beauty mavens know that a weekly treatment for your skin will do wonders for your complexion (and if you want to get super fancy, do a weekly hair mask at the same time–we quite like this one.), but how do you pick the right one, especially when your skin is a bit picky? We’ve rounded up seven face masks that you’ll love, no matter what type of skin you have. (PS: Don’t forget your H2O! We all know borderline-excessive amounts of water do wonders to your skin!)
Dry
It seems strange that anyone could possibly still have dry skin in the middle of a humid Toronto summer, but this writer knows it’s definitely a real thing. If you’re one of those people that just can’t shake the dryness, look for masks that have honey in them. Honey is a natural humectant, which helps lock moisture into your skin, keeping it hydrated for longer. Fresh Cré¨me Ancienne Ultra Nourishing Honey Mask ($164, sephora.ca) is a bit on the pricey side, but we promise it’s worth it. Formulated with antioxidant echinacea and, duh, honey, this super-rich treatment will deliver so much moisture to your parched skin, you’ll notice the difference as soon as you wash it off. If you’re searching for something that is a bit more budget-friendly, THEFACESHOP Real Nature Mask Honey ($2, thefaceshop-america.com) is a winner. Don’t let the purse-happy price fool you–this face mask (along with all of the other ones they have in the collection) pack some serious punch when it comes to good-for-your-skin ingredients.
Oily
For oily skin, you want to look out for ingredients that attract oily and dirt like a magnet, as well as ones that help to mattify skin, nixing any signs of grease, especially once the temperatures start rising. Charcoal is great for oily skin, especially for those who have a lot of blackheads or acne-prone skin, as the grease, dirt and oil actually stick to the charcoal so you can wash it away. Clinique Pore Refining Solutions Charcoal Mask ($25, clinique.com) gently extracts and washes out pores and then visibly reduces them, preventing any further blemishes. Green tea and tea tree oil are your new BFFs when it comes to mattifying and drying out acne-prone skin. The Sephora Collection Green Tea Face Mask ($8, sephora.ca) will leave skin looking fresh sans-shine and will help maintain that breakout-free face.
Combination
Oily here, dry here, normal here. Your face may be confused about it’s concerns, but you don’t have to be when it comes to your treatment. LUSH Mask of Magnamity Face and Body Mask (starting at $13, lush.ca) is SO GOOD this is all we recommend for your precious complexion. Okay, so technically it’s a cleanser, but you can use it as a mask too, so it instantly gets more brownie points for being multi-functional (and let’s not forget you can use it as a body scrub, too). This little baby is packed with ingredients that do it all: clay and peppermint to get rid of dirt, preventing blemishes; aduki beans to exfoliate (no microbeads, yay!); and vanilla absolute and honey to soothe and hydrate your skin after you’ve given it a good scrub. Apply a generous layer to skin, leave it on for 10 or so minutes and then give your face a gentle massage before washing it off. You can thank us later.
Anti-Aging
It’s never too early to start using anti-aging products in your skincare regimen. Okay, so maybe you don’t need everything to be plumping, lifting, smoothing and brightening, but one or two products rotated into your routine starting in your twenties is just good sense. The Body Shop Drops of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask ($30, thebodyshop.com) has fair trade babassu oil and Edelweiss stem cells to hydrate and rejuvenate your skin while you snooze, so you wake up with a plumper, happier, “bouncier” complexion. Newish to the Canadian skincare scene is Filorga and the Meso-Mask ($70, murale.ca) that is a must-have for those needing a bit of overnight brightening (we’re huge fans of getting great skin while we sleep). Massage some of this potion into your skin before bed and wake up with more a smoother, more radiant complexion that makes it look like you slept 10 hours (even if you only slept six) and turned back the clock in the process. It may not even look like you need a coffee (even if you really do).
