A fascination with Korean beauty products has brought an influx of masks to the market over the last couple of years. Sheet masks come infused with anything from vitamin C to emollient moisturisers, gold particles to kelp, while jar based products are better for the environment and long term use.
Far from being just for Instagram, masks can offer a deep treatment offering salon-style performance at home, leaving your skin relaxed, restored and rejuvenated. Here are a few we loved.
bee-yü, Cleanse, Tighten & Regenerate Face Masque
£88 | beeyuskincare.co.uk
This premium mask comes from New Zealand and contains both bee venom and Manuka Honey. We’re informed that no bees are harmed during the process, but it’s obviously not vegan-friendly or suitable for anyone allergic to bee or wasp stings! £5 from each jar is donated to the UK Bumblebee Conservation Trust.
The plethora of natural ingredients combine with the bee venom to give a tingling sensation and a little redness when applied, so don’t try it just before anything important. Manuka Honey is known for its anti-microbial qualities and helps clear away dead skin cells, while the bee venom stimulates collagen production, improving skin elasticity and improving firmness and texture. The formulation also contains hyaluronic acid, clover flower extract, flower oils and Swertia Chirata extract which plumps
the skin surface.
Clubman Charcoal Peel-Off Face Mask
£7.95 | Superdrug
This one is mainly for the chaps, but we wouldn’t blame anyone for having a shot. Activated Charcoal draws out toxins, debris and impurities from the skin, whilst clarifying and refreshing. You’ll also find Ghassoul, a fine natural clay from the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, which helps to enhance skin clarity by lessening surface oils and blackheads. Suitable for all skin types, but – as with all charcoal masks – it takes a bit of effort to clean it off your skin and the sink afterwards! Messy but fun.
Tropic Clear Skin Blemish-Fighting Mask
£20 | tropicskincare.com
Try this once a week if you have acne or blemish prone skin. The thick green clay mask goes on smoothly and keeps breakouts at bay. It’s a vegan, cruelty-free mask which uses traditional natural and herbal ingredients including willow bark extracts, ginger, green clay, charcoal and raspberry leaf to minimise the appearance of pores and rebalance skin. It smells pleasant and would be a good choice for younger or oily skins.
Jane Scrivner Masquerade
£35 | janescrivner.com
This is a soothing multi-functional mask which offers a great weekly skin treat. The combination of decongestant, repairing and revitalising ingredients provide the perfect balance for more mature skins. It’s packed with essential fatty acids and vitamins, French clay, witch hazel, organic rose hip oils and calming immortelle. The end result is soft, calm, radiant skin that looks brighter and feels revived.
PMD Clean
£89 | uk.pmdbeauty.com
Lastly, if you want to give the performance of your mask a bit of a boost, try the PMD clean. It’s a wonderful multi-purpose beauty tool. The waterproof silicone bristles are soft on the skin, with a gentle anti-ageing massage action. Not only great for cleansing but also really helpful for applying moisturising masks and removing the remnants of dried clay or peel-off masks that always seem to get left behind.