My Winter Skincare Routine, Part 4: Masks

And now for the fun part....FACE MASKS! In the winter, I look for masks that hydrate my skin or brighten my complexion. As you can see here, I tend to gravitate towards Korean masks; I've been consistently using The Face Shop, Innisfree, and Tony Moly masks for several years now. Though there are plenty of great masks from other countries and other brands, I've stuck to these brands because they are fairly affordable and highly effective.

As a reminder, I have combination skin, though my skin gets very dehydrated in the winter. As far as when and how often I use these masks, I use sheet masks 1-2 times a week, depending on how my skin is looking. I love using them before a night on the town, though I also use them right before bed when I want to pamper myself. I use my clay mask less often and only for "emergencies."

The Face Shop's Mango Seed and Chia Seed Masks: These two masks perform similarly in terms of the results. They're great for extremely dehydrated skin. After using these, my skin is hydrated and feels plumper. These sheets are packed with so much essence and I find that I don't need to use as much of my moisturizing cream when I use these masks. I'll probably repurchase the mango one and not the chia seed mask, only because the scent of the chia seed mask is unpleasant to my nose. I purchased mine directly from the brand's store in California. Unfortunately, I can't find these masks on an online site that I've purchased from. But if you want another hydrating mask from The Face Shop, I highly recommend their Avocado mask (which was not featured here, only because I used them all up).

Tony Moly I'm Real Mask Sheet (Tomatoes): My skin tends to look dull in the winter, so I turn to this mask to make my skin appear more radiant and bright. Though Tony Moly's masks aren't filled with as much essence as The Face Shop's, I still find them to be highly effective. This mask, in particular, makes my skin glow immediately after use, and the effect seems to linger well into the next day. This is also great at minimizing redness. Despite its brightening properties, the mask does not dry out my skin and actually hydrates it. You can purchase this from iMomoko or Peach and Lily.

Tony Moly Pureness 100 Mask Sheet (Caviar): Sometimes when I eat junk food, take long flights, or get stressed out, my skin starts to look a little crappy; my face gets more sensitive, dry, splotchy, and tired-looking. When that happens, I always turn to a nourishing mask. My favorite this season is this caviar mask, which makes my skin look much more awake and plumper. As with the other masks I've mentioned, this works immediately after I use it. I got mine from Peach and Lily.

Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask: I recently wrote a review on this mask (read it here), indicating how much I like it. While it is a little drying, I still use this to clean out my pores when I need to. In the winter, I only apply this on my T-zone and use it no more than once a week (sometimes only two times a month).

Tips that Work for Me

1. Do not leave sheet masks on your face for more than the recommended time, especially if it's made out of cotton. Doing so potentially can dry out your skin, because the cloth will absorb the moisture from your face. I leave my sheet masks on my face for no more than 15 minutes.

2. For best results, use sheet masks after you exfoliate. By removing the dead skin cells on the surface of your skin, the essence from your masks will penetrate into your skin much more effectively.

3. I personally like to use sheet masks after my toner and booster for better absorption. In addition, I always pat and press the mask essence onto my skin after I take off the sheet. Again, this helps it absorb better.

4. There is always a little bit of essence left in the packet after you take out the mask. To avoid waste, I apply the excess essence onto my neck, chest, and hands.

5. Most sheet masks' benefits are temporary, which is why I prefer using one right before I go out for an event or a fun night out. From my personal experience, makeup application goes on much more smoothly after using a sheet mask.  I also find that I use a lot less foundation because the masks make my skin appear healthier and more even-toned than usual.

6. If you don't have easy access to sheet masks, you can soak cotton pads in your favorite hydrating toner and place the pads on your face for three minutes. Avoid using an astringent toner, as it can dry out the skin.

If you haven't read the other parts of my Winter skincare, hop on over to my previous posts!
Part 1: Cleansing
Part 2: Toner and Serums
Part 3: Moisturizers and Eye Creams

Lastly, I've been looking for a good sleeping pack. So far, I've tried Laneige's Water Sleeping Pack and The Face Shop's sleeping mask, but I haven't been satisfied with them. Let me know if you have any recommendations for sleeping masks!

So I'm sure lots of you use masks. If you do, please share: What are your all-time favorite face masks?

Till later,

Eva

FTC statement: This is not a sponsored post. The links provided above are not affiliate links.  I purchased all the products mentioned above with my own money.

Related Items beauty brightening hydration Innisfree Korean masks sheet masks skincare The Face Shop Tony Moly