Ladies and
I've been doing my pampering on Friday nights for a few weeks now... I know, I'm wild like that. I normally do 2 face masks and a hair mask (The Body Shop's Rainforest Radiance Hair Butter -- this stuff is amazing!) before continuing on with the rest of my skincare regime. So I thought that doing a Face Mask Friday post would be the most appropriate thing to do today...
The skoah. aha mask was used on me when I got my facial at skoah. this past mother's day. I've tried cleansers with AHAs and BHAs (like this one from Murad), but it was a bit harsh for me, so I was really excited to purchase this mask because it felt lovely and seemed quite gentle on my skin.
I typically leave this mask on for 10-15 minutes and then I rinse off with warm water. You're allowed to have it on overnight, and it does dry a bit after a few minutes (you can pat your face and not remove any product), but I have yet to try doing that.
Now, I'm no scientist, nor am I any sort of skincare expert. But if I'm not mistaken, AHAs (or alpha hydroxy acids) are supposed to exfoliate while simultaneously hydrating the skin. This type of exfoliant could be a better choice for people with sensitivity to physical exfoliants as there are no solid particles that can abrade the skin.
I did notice that my skin felt like I've lost a layer after using this mask -- presumably, those are the dead skin cells. It did feel a bit weird at first, but I've since gotten used to it. It's quite gentle, which is great for me since I've developed some sensitivity within the past year (what's up with that, skin?). My skin feels quite smooth afterwards and I follow up with the Caudalie mask for a more targeted treatment; I figure this second mask will work even better with no pesky dead skin cells getting in the way.
Still, it can't really replace that feeling of freshly scrubbed skin, so I still use my Olay Pro-X Facial Cleansing Brush once in a while.
I purchased this Purifying Mask from Caudalie ($40 CAD) along with the Vinosource hydrating serum because I wanted something that would help with my blemishes (those stubborn little buggers! >_<), but wouldn't dry out my skin. Caudalie does state that this mask is non-drying and I have to agree with that.
But the best thing is that after using this product, my blemishes look much smaller and are less red. It doesn't completely remove them, unfortunately, I think I'll need something more potent than this mask for them to go away; but I do see a difference!
Blemishes look smaller and my skin feels hydrated? I think we've got ourselves a winner!
Bonus round...
This Embryolisse moisturizer has been lauded by makeup artists on YouTube, so of course I had to try it. I've been using it at nights because I like to use something more moisturizing at that time; but since it's summer, my go-to nighttime moisturizer - the Josie Maran Argan Oil - is much too heavy at the moment.
Lait-Crème Concentré, which I purchased for $30 CAD through Jordane Cosmetics, is not too thick and feels lovely on the skin. It has a light, but very pleasant scent; it kind of reminds me of a less intense version of the Wild Rose Moisturizer by Korres.
Embryolisse calls it a 24-Hour Miracle Cream and while I have yet to experience any skin miracles, I have to say that my skin has been feeling rather nice in the mornings whenever I use this at night. Combined with the Caudalie serum, it has made my skin softer & more supple, and my skin feels very comfortable (neither dry nor oily) when I wake up. It sinks in quite nicely as well and it doesn't make the surface of my skin feel tacky or oily at all, which is exactly how I like my moisturizers.
And thus ends Skincare Week, folks!
I hope you liked this series of posts... I know it was a lot of fun for me to crank these out. It was definitely a great way to get me to finally write about some of these products. Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and if you've tried any of the products in this post, let me know how you like them in the comments! :)
Oh, and tell me...
What are your favourite face masks?
I absolutely love skoah products, and it is so difficult to find information about them on blogs. My skin has been in such better shape since i started using more of there products. The aha mask and moisture induce mask are personal favourites and their toners are lovely!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post!