The Ultimate Facial: Detoxifying and Moisturizing Mask

I never really enjoyed face masks until I discovered the wonder and joy of the fresh face masks that LUSH makes. If you don't have a LUSH by you, unfortunately you can't get them since they have to be refrigerated and they make them fresh, but for about $6 you can get a face mask at Lush that has enough for about three masks and expires in about two weeks. The upside: the ingredients are all fresh and organic (think seaweed, asparagus, blueberries, garlic, honey, oats). The downside: it expires in two weeks. 

However, what I learned from using these face masks:

1) They feel AMAZING cold. If you have a day where you got too much sun, slap a cold face mask on and let it sit for fifteen minutes and it will greatly reduce the redness and help prevent peeling. 

2) They are incredibly great for your face, no matter what their designed purpose. Every face mask I have used, whether it is designed for exfoliation, moisturization, cleansing, etcetera, always makes my face feel like it's been buffed with a nail emery board in a very good way. 

3) It's a lot cheaper than getting a facial at a spa (which I also really enjoy). 

Since I started using masks, I now keep all my masks in the refrigerator, regardless if they are LUSH, Perfectly Posh, Arbonne or my favorite, our Detoxifying and Moisturizing Mask. However, I do admit that I have ones from all of the manufacturers in my refrigerator because like shampoo, I believe that your face needs variety when you are treating it and the same routine day after day will stop shocking your skin and getting it to improve. So while yes, I use all of our skin care products, I don't use them every single day with the exception of our face wash. 

Tonight I have a date night with my husband since it's his company Christmas party and I'm going full-out with my makeup and doing full face. I started preparing last night with our Facial Resurfacer but today? Mask time!

I have had this mask container in my refrigerator for nine out of the eleven months that I have been a distributor and I've used it at least three to four times a month each month. And look how much is still left. It's about half full. It is not going bad since I keep it in the refrigerator, and it still smells and works wonderfully. The directions suggest a thin coating (usually a good fingerful is sufficient since it spreads well) and to use it no more than 1-2 times a week. 

Math time: 

Cost of the mask: $50
Use: 4 times a month x nine months = 36 masks
I have half of it left. 
$50 divided by 72 masks = 69 cents per mask

Not a bad rate for a prestige skin care item that really works and is fortified with anti-aging complex. 

So it feels cold, it works, it moisturizes your skin, it helps with anti-aging....and....it smells great. To me, it smells very much like cucumbers, so from reading the ingredient list, I gather that some sort of cucumber extract must be in it. However, what is actually IN it? 

Top ingredients that caught my eye: 

1. Kaolin. I'm not surprised at all to see this as this is a top clay ingredient used in most cosmetics. It's job? Absorbing excess oil and water into itself as well as making a paste when mixed with water that has a texture. You will see this used in virtually every facial mask, even the ones from LUSH. 

2. Vegetable oil. Also not surprised to see this one either...the mask isn't greasy or oily, but a little bit of oil is needed for spreadability and the mask does direct you to use a cleanser after you take it off. I use our 3 In 1 Normal To Oily Cleanser. 

3. Yeast extract.  This is an antioxidant, and antioxidants strengthen skin structure and help prevent environmental damage. 

4. Vitamins A, B, C and E. These are NEVER bad for your skin, but Vitamin E especially is great. 

5. Orchis mascula (flower extract). This is going to be found in a lot of our products, including LipSense. Flower extracts have varied purposes but many of them stimulate microcirculation, improve dryness, reduce redness, and revitalize aging skin.

6. Jojoba seed extract. Surprise surprise, this has Vitamin E in it as well which can be used to treat sunburns! It also speeds up cell regeneration which will help with treatment of scarring, acne and reducing the appearance of wrinkles. 

7. Arnica montana. Arnica traditionally is used to treat injuries and soothe muscle aches, but it also will reduce inflammation!

8. Camellia sensis (leaf extract). Another antioxidant! See #3 above. 

9. Zinc. Remember zinc oxide? The white cream people still occasionally put on their noses to prevent sunburn? It is also used to treat skin irritations such as diaper rash and other issues, but also can be used as a mild astringent. 

10. Volcanic ash. I know this is a strange thing to see in skin care products, but if you haven't seen any skin care products with charcoal or other carbon-based products in them, take a look if you have especially oily skin. I have found for me that any facial wash or scrub with charcoal in it is especially effective at helping control oily skin, which I have in abundance. Activated charcoal'when used in a face mask magnetizes to and helps extract the dirt out of your pores, making them less visible. If you have ever had a professional facial, part of the facial usually is a manual pore extraction where the aesthetician actually manually extracts the dirt and oil clogging your pores. This will help in the same way and I have noticed my pores are less noticeable by using products with ash or charcoal in them. 

So my routine this morning? I used a gentle facial scrub to take off the products from the night before, put the mask on my clean dry face, let it sit for twenty minutes, and then washed it off with clean warm water. After that, I washed with our 3 In 1 Normal to Oily Cleanser, moisturized with our Daytime Normal To Oily Moisturizer and then topped that with our Silk Pore and Wrinkle Minimizer. The after picture was taken just after washing the mask off and before cleansing and moisturizing.

The end result is that my face is clean, moisturized, soft, and ready for full face tonight!

This mask would make a wonderful Christmas gift without a doubt! Don't forget about the people in your life that love facials! This is a gift that will give all year long!

The Detoxifying and Moisturizing Mask retails for $50.00 USD. Please contact me to order! (And no, I have no idea why the flyer shows it blue. It is white.)