Unmask your potential with one of these purifying face creams…
THE BRIGHTENER
The latest addition to Origins’ line-up of the UK’s bestselling masks is the Dr Andrew Weil for Origins Mega-Bright Dark Spot Correcting Night Mask, £48, a leave-on cream packed with vitamin-rich botanical extracts and dark spot-fading actives. Massage it in, leave for 10 minutes then rub in any excess so nothing goes to waste.
THE PORE PERFECTER
There’s a reason charcoal has been a trusted cosmetic ingredient for generations – powdered carbon (that’s really all it is) loves sucking up icky stuff from our skin. Likewise, Clinique’s Pore Refining Solutions Charcoal Mask, £22, works like a Hoover on pores and mattifies oily patches.
THE WRINKLE SMOOTHER
Sheet masks – face-shaped patches saturated with complexion-boosting serums – originated in the home of so many skin innovations, South Korea. Unpeel the two transparent parts of the SkinPep Collagen Growth Factor Face Mask, £19.99 for five, and smooth them over your face for 30-40 minutes for a plumping, peptide-rich skin infusion.
THE FACE FIRMER
Promising to mimic the action of Botox, Temple Spa’s The Contourist, £50 for six masks is an ultra-firming sheet mask that tones, tightens and fades pigmentation. With a chin strap and loops that hook over the ears, it’s slightly scary looking, so make sure you’re not expecting any visitors when you pop it on.
THE SCALP SOOTHER
Tea tree oil is well-known for its calming properties, but apply too much and it’ll really sting. The Australian Bodycare Scalp Treatment Mask, £14.50, gets the blend just right, resulting in a cooling sensation that soothes itching and flakiness. Apply when your hair is dry and leave overnight for maximum effectiveness.
THE HAIR HYDRATOR
Bleach, heat and stress can really take it out of your hair, but a weekly moisturising mask will counteract the damage. New from the Pantene Expert Collection, the Hydra Intensify Masque, £6.99, floods locks with a triple whammy of nourishing nutrients in just three minutes.
THE SPOT STOPPER
Unclogging pores and reducing sebum are key to preventing spots. From the new acne-targeting range, the Avene Cleanance Mask, £15 (Escentual.com), does both, plus it contains kaolin clay for a matte finish.
THE CULT REBOOT
To mark its 15th anniversary, REN has rereleased their classic Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask, £32. This cult favourite harnesses a cocktail of fruit acids to exfoliate dead skin cells and flush out pores when rinsed off.
THE BOTANICAL BOOSTER
New to the UK, French brand Aloree uses chlorophyll, the key component of photosynthesis in plants (ring any bells from biology lessons?) that also has anti-ageing properties. The pearlescent green Skin Rescue Radiant Face Mask, £24, oxygenates cells and leaves your complexion with a subtle shimmer.
THE HYALURONIC HERO
Another sheet mask, Indeed Laboratories Hydraluron Moisture Boosting Mask, £19.99 for four, is soaked in moisture-maximising hyaluronic acid. In 15 minutes, the key ingredient seeps in deep, leaving your face fresh, plumped and dewy.
THE POST-SUN QUENCHER
To stop your tan fading faster than that blissed-out holiday feeling on your first day back at work, a major dose of moisture is in order. Phytomer Sun Soother After-Sun Mask for Face, £25.25, drenches skin with hydration and protects against the free radicals that threaten your tan’s long-term potential.