There I was.. committing to 30 days of straight face masking because SCIENCE. But, those 30 days turned into the 36, and here’s the rest of what happened. If you missed out on the first 15 days, catch up here.
I Did A Face Mask Everyday For 36 Days.. Here’s What Happened (part 2)
Day 16: do you know what the definition of insanity is?
According to urban dictionary (yes, seriously) the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting things to change. I did it again. I tried another Glamglow mask because I’m obviously insane in the membrane. But, this time it was the Supermud. You know, the one that is super popular and extra raved about. Here’s what happened. I applied it, and it does apply nicely because it’s creamy. There’s a slight cooling sensation thanks to the peppermint oil, and a slight tingle thanks to the BHA and AHA acids aka the glycolic, lactic, salicylic and a couple more. It dried pretty quickly– within 3-4 minutes– and I did notice some dotting around my nose, which they claim is their Pore Matrix technology extracting all the gunk out from your skin. You probably don’t know this about me, but I get super freaked out by clusters of dots. It’s to the point where I can’t make pancakes because they start to bubble up into clusters when they cook and the thought of that alone is enough to make me shudder and freak out (like I’m doing internally right now). It’s not even just an “ugh that’s gross.” Like it actually makes me start to feel sick if I think about it for too long. OK moving on before I vom…. I kept one eye closed and ran a quick glance over my skin once the mask dried down. I saw clusters of dots around my nose and cheek area so I quickly washed it off. Thankfully, this mask doesn’t contain pumice so it wasn’t scratchy or rough on the skin, and afterwards my skin did look brighter and the pores on my nose looked less noticeable. Am I completely sold on this? It’s hard to say after just one use, but I’m not hating it, and I’d use this one over the other 3 I tried any day. In fact, it was pretty nice.
Day 17: this is why you don’t impulse shop
We all have slip ups. I slipped up and bought the Peter Thomas Roth mask set at Sephora during their spring VIB rouge sale. And guess what? I forgot to check the ingredients. And guess what? They have some less than great ones. And guess what? I still went ahead and used the Rose Stem Cell Bio Repair Gel Mask. The consistency of this mask is like silicone, goes on easily, and does feel cooling on the skin. But, it has BHT– butyl hydroxytoluene– a synthetic preservative that is toluene based. Toluene is an ingredient that is thought to be carcinogenic. I know there is a lot of fear mongering when it comes to ingredients, and some sources say there is insufficient evidence to really back up the carcinogen claim when applied topically. And, that it’s only a concern if it’s ingested, but I’m always cautious if theres a lot of doubt about an ingredient. Still, I decided I’d just do it for science! As it dried, the thought that kept coming into my head was, “is this thing on?” You know, what comedians say when no one is really laughing at their jokes. But, in this case, I kept wondering that because it basically absorbed into my skin and looked like nothing was on my face. Was this thing even on my face? After washing it off, I didn’t notice a difference. My skin wasn’t more moisturized, nor brighter, nor replenished. The mask was gone. And my skin was the same.
Day 18: please don’t destroy my face like you did Pompeii
The Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask contains volcanic rocks that absorb sebum and impurities out of the pores and help treat blemishes. My skin needs the latter the most! It’s a clay based mask that is super thick and creamy when you apply it and dries within 10 minutes, but doesn’t feel tight or dry on the skin, which I like. I was a little scared when I saw on their website that it has volcanic rocks, but it’s really smooth and I would’ve never known because there’s no rough sediments in it or anything. After 15 minutes, my skin looked brighter and my pimples retreated a little bit more. It didn’t dry my skin out, but it wasn’t moisturizing either. No skin destroying here.
Day 19: dessert’s going on my face tonight
I love October. It’s my favorite month. And autumn is my favorite season. The Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask is basically Thanksgiving dessert– aka delicious pumpkin pie– on your face. At least it smells like it. It’s a pumpkin enzyme based face mask that has some micro polishing aluminum oxide powder. Now, you know I love chemical exfoliators so my skin is used to the burn. And this does burn. It was a little painful, but I did use a glycolic serum last night so that could be why. It burned for a couple minutes then subsided and I left it on for the suggested total of 7 minutes. You probably know that I’m not a fan of physical exfoliation, and I think the use of both physical and chemical in this was overkill for me because it did hurt my skin a little. Overall, it didn’t do much for my skin. I feel like it wasn’t any softer than it already was. My skin was a little brighter initially, but nothing ground breaking. I’d say I definitely prefer my Complex Beauty The Godmother enzyme mask to this one. The Godmother leaves my skin much more brighter, more smooth, and fades scars.
Day 20: getting sheet faced
Oh how I want to do another acid mask, but I should give my skin a rest. I used the Purlisse Blue Lotus + White Tea Treatment Sheet Mask*. It’s full of antioxidants and minerals, and it’s supposed to fight free radicals, improve skin texture, brighten, and firm. The mask felt really cooling and refreshing when I put it on. It had a good amount of serum so it marinated my face nicely, but wasn’t sopping wet. Isn’t sopping the grossest word you’ve come across? I left it on until my face sucked the sheet mask dry, and shriveled it up, so I’d say I got all the benefits. Afterwards, my skin felt cool to the touch, and it felt soft, nourished and replenished. I need to get sheet faced more often.
Day 21: more antioxidants, please
I’m going antioxidant crazy over here, and I hope my skin is loving it and fighting off all those free radicals. I chose to use an oldie (kinda) but a goody (an amazing goody). The Complex Beauty Smooth Operator antioxidant mask has a shit ton of amazing ingredients like: lactic acid, vitamin c, glycolic acid, hibiscus petals, organic blueberry, aloe and much more. This goes on creamy, tingles for the first few minutes, and then dries down since it does have kaolin clay, but it doesn’t feel dry or tight. Afterwards, my skin feels and looks much more nourished, super smooth, bright, and refreshed. Dullness be gone!
Day 22: putting marshmallow fluff all over my face
I’ve never had marshmallow fluff. But I’m assuming it looks like this. I just received a super sweet PR gift including the Too Cool For School Egg Mousse Pack*. It’s my first time trying the brand, and this mask definitely caught my eye because of the name. It comes in an aerosol can and it pumps out into an actual mousse– like the kind I used in high school to scrunch my hair when hair scrunching was popular and a thing everyone did. I used a brush to apply this, but definitely use your fingers. It’ll be less messy, and it blends into the skin better thanks to the warmth of your fingers. You only have to leave it on the skin for 5-10 minutes. It’s supposed to purify, brighten, hydrate, smooth, and leave the skin looking luminous since it has egg white extract. It kind of dries away into nothingness as you wear it , but after washing it off my skin felt pretty smooth and had some luminosity to it. The biggest downside to this is the inclusion of methylparaben. You know I try to stay away from all parabens, but I thought I’d apply this anyway (DO IT FOR SCIENCE). I hope that in the future they’ll reformulate it and find a way to use a natural preservative while keeping this formula and consistency. Overall, it didn’t blow me out of the water, but it was nice and unique to use. I’d use this during a girls night in because it’s fun to apply and kind of like a novelty face mask.
Day 23: why are pimples a thing?
The pimple that’s on my forehead has come to a pus-filled head. TMI, sorry! But, that’s life, and pimples happen. So I thought I’d go in with my handy dandy Complex Beauty The Godmother enzyme mask. It has pumpkin, glycolic acid, vitamin c, different oils, and spices in it that help exfoliate, nourish, and reduce blemishes and the scars they leave behind. Sounds like what I need. I’ve heard a couple bloggers mention that this mask reminds them of the May Lindstrom Problem Solver mask since it also contains those warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg to plump the skin and dry out pimples. I’ve never tried The Problem Solver mask, but I know The Godmother definitely solves the problem that is pimples on my face so it’s one I reach for pretty frequently. Afterwards, my skin was fresh, nourished, smooth, and my forehead pimple reduced a bit. He’s still there, and *insert TMI phrase I said earlier here,* but hopefully it will go down by morning. xoxo, pimpled forehead.
Day 24: I can’t stop with the acids
Since I’m getting a glycolic peel in the morning, I thought it’s best not to apply any acids tonight.. even though I really want to. I want to feel the burn, dammit! I decided to go with the Peter Thomas Roth Irish Moor Mud Mask to help (hopefully) get rid of the pimple that’s still hanging around. He’s on his way out though, and much flatter and less painful than before. After applying the mask, I looked at the ingredients again, and realized it has lactic acid… oops! I did acids again. Oh well, this didn’t burn and I doubt there’s much in it since it’s the 10th ingredient in the list. Anywho, does anyone else get nervous about someone touching your skin? I know no one has perfect skin, but I don’t want to have a giant pimple friend (or two.. or three) on my face when I go in for my peel in the morning. Suck these suckers dry, Peter. Suck them dry. As this mask dried down, it never felt tight or drying. Afterwards, sadly, I felt super underwhelmed. It came off easily with a damp washcloth, and my skin wasn’t dry or horrible… it was just how it normally is. The life was not sucked out of my pimples, but my skin’s life was not filled with joy because of this face mask. For the price, I definitely think you can find better purifying mud masks.
Day 25: peel my skin off and make it new
I subbed my usual face mask for a chemical peel today. I was offered a chance to go to Blushington Dallas for a complimentary glycolic peel from Beauty Rx by Dr. Schultz so of course I had to say yes because you know I love my acids. How many times will I say that over the course of this post? This was a medical grade 40% glycolic peel that only took 15 minutes, and there was no downtime or major peeling. I’ve had professional peels done before and my skin likes them, but my face does peel quite a bit, which is always unsightly. With this one I did experience a little bit of peeling on the nose and forehead, but nothing major. The peel tingled slightly, but overall it was quite pleasant, especially if you like that “I’m working” tingle that my skin is always after. Afterwards, my skin looked a bit brighter and glowy, a pimple on my chin came to a head, and my pimple forehead friend that’s been hanging around flattened out a bit more. The Blushington Peel Bar is a great way to get in a more intense medical grade glycolic peel without breaking the bank (it costs $50 for the whole face), and without suffering major peeling and sensitivity. If you’ve never gotten a professional peel done, I would try this peel bar out because it’s stronger than your over the counter acids, but not abrasive and scary or super expensive.
Day 26: second chances
I was originally going to try out the Herbivore Blue Tansy mask, but when I opened the lid, there was this weird green blob on the lid. And I know discoloration can happen when dealing with natural products, but I’m easily freaked out, and my mind goes to dark places. So, to give me peace of mind, I skipped it for tonight. I’ll probably buy a new one. Anywho, so then I thought I’d give the Herbivore Brighten mask a second chance. The gemstone powder settles at the bottom so they say to give it a good mix before applying it, which I did not do the first time around. So, this time I mixed it up nicely, globbed it on, and hoped for the best. Things were a little better this time around. My skin looked a little brighter, and things felt a little more firm and uplifted. Not dry or tight, but not super nourished either. It’s still not giving me those “shine bright, shine far, be a star” vibes that my inner Eve was seeking, but I’m hoping it works the more I use it. It’s not a bad mask, but I had higher expectations.
Day 27: who knew the stuff you associate with barbecuing would be good for your face
I love activated charcoal as an ingredient. But, a lot of charcoal masks are clay based so they’re super drying. You know the way Spongebob dried up because he didn’t have any water when he went to go visit Sandy in her air bubble house? That’s how my skin feels when I use super skin-sucking clay masks. Luckily, this charcoal mask from Nugg doesn’t do that. It has tea tree, colloidal oatmeal, aloe, witch hazel and more. I applied this in hopes of demolishing the 2 pimples that are still slightly lingering on my face. I applied it on, let my skin soak for almost an hour, and when I washed it off, my pimples felt calmer and my skin felt nice and refreshed.
Day 28: goodbye old friend
Umm… I’m sorry (if you listen to My Favorite Murder then insert Georgia’s voice here). But, it looks like it’s time to bid adieu to my Complex Beauty Ocean Potion mask because he’s officially left me. He was used and abused so lovingly, and I’ve finished him off. Time to place another order ASAP though because I’m running low/out of a couple products now, and they’re definite staples in my collection. I had a small amount left so I decided to apply a super thin layer and managed to (thankfully!) cover my whole face. My skin felt a little vexed before, but now it’s calm and nourished and happy. So I’m happy too.
Day 29: Finding good skin
2.46 a.m on a Tuesday night. I’m watching Finding Dory, and secretly (or, not so secretly, really) hoping these 30 days of masking will help me find some better skin. I have to be up in a few hours, but ya girl’s gotta mask. I made a commitment, ya know? Here’s the thing. I have a super aggravated pimple near my jaw line, and it feels super painful at the moment. Here’s something you may not know about me– I thread my whole jaw/chin area. I didn’t always have to. But, long story short, about 3 years ago I decided I wanted to get rid of the few fine and sparse peach fuzz hairs I had around my chin. But, I was naive and didn’t do my research when searching for a laser hair removal place so when I saw a cheap Groupon, I bought it and went along my merry way to a med spa. Unfortunately, the place I went to severely burned the shit out of my skin. I still have faint scars to this day. And, the barely-there and barely noticeable peach fuzz that once was is now much worse and more noticeable. I’m way too scarred to get laser again (like, actually still physically scarred and mentally scarred) so I personally thread/ wax/ tweeze the area, but it can be quite harsh and causes my skin to break out. I threaded the night before, and that’s why I currently have an intensely aggravated pimple foe around my jaw, and I’m trying to tame him. I went in with the Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask since it has clay to help purify, green tea to calm, volcanic minerals to help fight off bacteria, and more. Afterwards, things were a bit calmer, but I want to speed things along so I went in with Drunk Elephant Babyfacial since it has a bunch of AHAs, and 2% BHA (aka salicylic acid). I applied a light layer over my angry pimple and some scars that I’m trying to get rid of (so basically all over my face LOL– not really). I skipped the areas that really don’t need any help right now and let the AHAs do their job. After washing it off, things looked and felt much better. My pimple friend has chilled out a bit, but to my dismay, he’s still hanging around.
Day 30: going out with a bang
More acids. Oops. I went to Sephora today and bought a new Herbivore Blue Tansy mask solely so I could use it tonight for my last day of the mask challenge. Let’s just put it this way, I would pass up on their Brighten face mask and get Blue Tansy, especially if you suffer from blemishes that aren’t only unsightly, but actually painful and irritated. This mask has a liquid gel consistency, feels cooling and refreshing when applied, and doesn’t dry out the skin. It tingles thanks to the AHAs and BHA in it, but nothing painful. Ah, the painful memories of the Glamglow Tinglexfoliate just rushed back to me rn. Nostalgia. Kidding. The pimple near my jaw line has significantly calmed down now, and overall my skin looks brighter, more radiant, and more even. My inner Eve is much happier with this one!
Originally, this was supposed to be the end, but I still had some masks I wanted to try and some I wanted to share so we’re just going to make this 36 days :)
Day 31: will you accept this rose glow?
I guess we’re not going out with a bang. We’re continuing on with a bang. Tonight was all about the Complex Beauty Rose Glow mask. It’s a fiver. Basically, you only need to leave this one on for 5 minutes to get you a glow. It has rosewater and glycolic acid– another acid, hehe– so it chemically exfoliates and nourishes, and smells divine. It has a smooth gel consistency that applies very nicely and feels refreshing on the skin. It has a tingle thanks to the glycolic acid, but it’s not painful, and actually feels nice if you’re used to the acid tingle. After 5 minutes, I washed it off and my skin looked brighter, and the few pimples I have were sucked out a bit more to help speed up the healing process.
Day 32: hello old friend
Good things do happen. I realized that I had transferred a bit of my Complex Beauty Ocean Potion mineral mask from the full size jar into the small sample pot so I could have easier access to it in my tiny medicine cabinet. Well, guess what? Ya girl had enough left over to apply it once more before I order the full size. And good thing, too, because I have a giant zit on my cheek that erupted last night. The thing about using a lot of purifying masks is that they pull the toxins out, bringing all that pimple-y bacteria goodness to the surface. I’m glad it’s getting out, but getting everything to go away, scars and all, is the hard part. After Ocean Potion, everything felt calm and looked more even (as always). But I still went in with a second mask– Complex Beauty Baby Face purity mask. It has niacinamide, activated charcoal, organic rooibos, organic aloe, and much more so it’s purifying, but nourishing and hydrating. It’s one of the few charcoal masks that doesn’t dry my skin out thanks to the hydrating and nourishing ingredients. After washing it off, my skin felt and looked super soft, nourished, calm, and clean. Like a baby.
Day 33: I’m blue da ba dee da ba die
I hope that song is now stuck in your head. Today was a moisturizing break for my skin. Some hydrating nourishment with a side of anti-aging is always welcome on my skin. The Complex Beauty Thirst Quencher hydra mask is full of botanical hyaluronic acid, organic aloe, Vitamin B5, amino acids, and more. It has a slight tingling sensation, but it’s nothing painful, and I love the jiggly jello consistency that glides on easily and feels refreshing. You know this one sorts out dry patches (disgusting ones, if I may add) beautifully for me and hydrates nicely. It feels like little baby ice cubes are kissing you all over your face and I love it. Afterwards, my skin felt and looked more vibrant and moisturized.
Day 34: you can just call me bloody face
I’m kind of on an AHA spree over here, and my skin hasn’t freaked out yet. So, why fix what’s not broken? More acids! More burn! I decided to go in with a big gun today and try out The Ordinary’s AHA & BHA peeling solution. It has 30% AHA (glycolic, tartaric, lactic and citric) and 2% BHA (salicylic acid) with some hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B5, black carrot, and Tasmanian pepperberry. Since I’m trying to lighten some post inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and of course, always chasing that glow, these ingredients will be great. This basically looks like you’re smearing some blood all over your face, and it tingles, but oddly enough didn’t burn as much as Drunk Elephant’s Babyfacial did. Maybe because my skin is getting used to higher percentages of AHAs. It has a serum-y consistency and spreads easily so you too can look like Kim Kardashian getting a blood facial. You leave it on for 10 minutes and it tingles the whole time, but it’s nothing unbearable. Keep in mind, I am used to acids. So I would work up to this percentage if you aren’t used to the burn. After washing it off, there was no red staining left on my skin, and things were more visibly radiant and glowy. It has 5% more AHAs so it’s a bit stronger than Babyfacial. Still, my skin didn’t feel irritated after, but it didn’t feel nourished or calm either. Basically, it felt like I could tell that I used something strong on the skin so I went in with a thicker moisturizer to calm things down– Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream and Pixi Beauty Hydrating Milky Mist*. Things felt much more nourished and soothed after.
Day 35: getting sheet faced.. again
I’ve been meaning to try more sheet masks, which is why I was excited to receive a few sheet masks from Missha. Tonight I’m trying out their Otter Animal mask*. Sounds super weird, and it kind of is because you’re literally pulling a leatherface–kinda– and wearing the face of another. In this case, an otter’s. Luckily, it’s not made from an actual otter’s face because then we would have a huge problem. This mask is supposed to be super hydrating thanks to the hyaluronic acid, which is an ingredient I love because it really moisturizes the skin and gives it some life. A downside of this mask was that the fit wasn’t that great, but I made it work. The mask was nicely saturated (sopping, really) and I let it sit for 15 minutes before rubbing in the serum left on my face after removal. Afterwards, my skin felt cool to the touch, refreshed, and moisturized. And, it looked radiant and glowy. This is how I like to get sheet faced.
Day 36: sweat pants, hair tied, chilling with a blue mask on
The blue bitch is back. You know how when you’re hungry you open the fridge door and stare out at the mere remnants left for you to eat, but none of it sounds appealing to you? So you just stand there, blankly staring into the cold abyss, waiting for something delicious to just appear out of thin air Phil of the Future style? That is me when I open my skincare cabinet. I have a ton of masks, as you know, but I always want something new. But, I decided to use the Herbivore Blue Tansy mask once again because I did really like it. I hate the smell of blue tansy, but love the effect on the skin. After applying it, my skin felt calmer, smoother, and looked more radiant. I do really like this mask and think it’s great if you suffer from blemishes!
So… what happened?
This whole experiment was to see what would happen to my skin. Would it help it out? Or would it freak it the f*ck out? Even though there were a few mask failures, I think masking everyday made a big difference to my skin. Unfortunately, thanks to hormones (and threading!) my skin isn’t completely clear. But, masking everyday while also being diligent with my skincare routine definitely amped up the scar healing process and helped it in other ways. My skin is a lot brighter, super smooth, and more supple. So, face masking everyday may not always be practical. But, being consistent with it helps a lot and it’s a great way to relax and just have some “me” time with yourself and your skin. Will I continue to face mask everyday? Probably not because I am lazy af and actually really surprised I was able to mask for 36 days straight. But the goal is to mask at least 3 times a week now to keep things up.
The favorites
* All the Complex Beauty face masks (extra shoutout to Ocean Potion, The Godmother, Smooth Operator, and Baby Face
* The Ordinary AHA Peel
* Drunk Elephant Babyfacial
* Herbivore Blue Tansy
* Juice Beauty Blemish Clearing Peel
Do you have any fave face masks? Did you make it to the end? This was super long LOL. Let me know in the comments below!
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