I WAS anti-sheet masks, considering the waste created by the single use plastic.
But now there’s a new generation of hydrogel masks that are changing the game.
Here, I put three to the test . . .
BUDGET: Biodance Bio Collagen-Real Deep Mask, £5, urbanoutfitters.com
This is the mask that kicked off the revolution, so I knew it had to be good before I tried it.
The shape wasn’t a great fit for my face, but a few small cuts helped fix that in no time. It goes on flexible, like an old-school sheet mask, but after about an hour it hardens so that it doesn’t slip down skin – which is just as well as it’s designed to be worn overnight.
I toss and turn in my sleep, so prefer to wear it in the day (although it’s not often I can set aside the three to four hours for it to fully absorb, but it would be great on a long-haul flight to counteract the drying air).
After use, my skin looks and feels far healthier, with a radiance I’ve not seen since last summer!
MID-RANGE: Dr Jart+ Hydro Firming Mask with Hydrolyzed Collagen, £8.50, drjart.co.uk
I’m a huge fan of the rubberised masks Dr Jart+ are famous for, and last time I was stocking up I saw this had pretty much straight five-star reviews, so I added it to my order straight away.
I was immediately impressed that it promises to absorb in just 60 minutes, going from opaque white to clear just like the Biodance mask, but in a quarter of the time.
Like with the others, my skin was instantly more glowy, and looked healthier overall with less dryness and fine lines, but with this mask I noticed the softness lasted for days.
This almost never happens with face masks, and even made my make-up sit better too. It’s my new favourite.
LUXURY: Augustinus Bader The Hydrogel Face Mask, £26, lookfantastic.com
Although £26 for a single use mask feels steep, if you’ve always wanted to try the luxe skincare brand, which has a celebrity fan base spanning Victoria Beckham, Margot Robbie and Demi Moore, this mask is one of the cheapest ways to do so (second only to the eye patches, which are £6 cheaper) and costs far less than the brand’s face cream, £155 and serum, £150.
Given the price, my expectations were high. It wasn’t too slimy, which meant applying it was easy, and it didn’t slip around my face while I did ironing. It’s instantly cooling, and once I took it off my skin was glowing.
A nice treat that would make a great gift.
Pick of the week
THE beauty offering at M&S keeps improving with a section dedicated to Korean brands like Biodance launching last month, and beauty boxes – the latest of which has landed for Mother’s Day.
M&S The Glow Up Edit, £30, worth £133, contains four full-size products, and four travel sizes from Aveda, Hello Sunday, Nuxe and This Works.
Get it in-store and at marksandspencer.com
