When it comes to face masks, people often fall into two camps: you either love them or just can’t be bothered. And if you love them, you fall into one of a few sub-camps: you’re either a diligent, devoted multi-masker who hasn’t skipped an at-home treatment in years, you’re the mask indifferent who will try anything (sheet, clay, goopy, overnight and otherwise) at least once (me) or you’re a sheet-hater who balks at the idea of being forced to sit still for 15 minutes, lest it slide off (which is kind of the point, imo). But, the latest launch from Charlotte Tilbury changes the mask game, maybe even more so for the haters of the traditionally wet sheet mask.
Charlotte Tilbury’s Instant Magic Facial Dry Sheet Mask ($27 each or $98 for a four-pack), for starters, is dry. So dry that when I took it out of the package for the first time, I said to myself, “Well, this isn’t going to work.”
If you’ve ever tried a traditional sheet mask, you know how it goes: you take it out of the package and there’s a lot of liquid and fluid (heralded as serum), but, in actuality, a lot of it is water and glycerin and not a whole lot of concentrated skincare action. What this mask does is has the active ingredients (don’t worry, we’ll get to those) along the inside of the mask that are worked into the skin when you put the mask on and start massaging your face.
True to Charlotte Tilbury form, this mask uses some of the tried-and-true ingredients found in some of the other CT products (this and this being personal faves). Ingredients like vitamin B3 to repair and brighten skin tone, plant stem cell matrix and peptides, which smooth out wrinkles and fine lines, crocus bulb extract, which restores density and elasticity to skin, and all kinds of “magic oils and butters” for super-hydrated skin.
Debbie Thomas, clinical esthetician, says, “in my clinic, I use all these advanced machines, but if your skin isn’t healthy and you’re not doing the home care, you’re not going to respond well to any treatment,” which means at-home treatments like this (as if we had to be sold on doing masks), alongside a consistent skincare routine, will build up your skin’s barrier, making it more resilient and more receptive to other skincare actives and treatments.
According to Charlotte and her team, the “bio-mimetic vector delivery system” and “5 skin solution IQ” allow for just the right amount of active ingredients to be delivered to your skin and also allow for a much more concentrated delivery system. Plus, the dry formula also means that the mask can be reused up to three times without harbouring any nasty bacteria that would fester in a wet mask.
Admittedly, you look like Hannibal Lector when you have it on, and while it’s definitely much easier to walk around (thanks to the hooks that go around your ears and keep it in place) and get stuff done while you’re letting the ingredients sink in for the requisite 15 minutes, don’t expect to be able to talk without freaking anyone out for the duration of your treatment.
So, does it actually work? In terms of hydration, my skin felt hydrated right away. I did the mask right before bed (Charlotte recommends trying first thing in the morning to really experience the benefits), but I woke up with my skin feeling more hydrated than it has in months.
Ready to experience the magic? The Charlotte Tilbury Instant Magic Facial Dry Sheet Mask will be available online March 3.
I love sheet masks, so I’m a bit excited yet a bit apprehensive to try this one out.
So stoked for this!