Face masks are like potato chips—once you’ve tried one, you’ve got to have another. It’s a serious addiction, but the kind that is good for you. They come in all shapes and sizes, tackle all kinds of skin concerns, and are just as fun an activity to indulge in as, well, eating potato chips. And you need them, especially now, when the sun isn’t being all that forgiving to our skin.
Just the thought of an ice-cold glass of lemonade on a scorching summer’s day is enough to cool you down a bit. Now, imagine sipping on that tall glass with an equally cooling face mask on. Grandma’s remedies of straight-from-the-fridge to your skin are about to get a serious upgrade. On regular use, these face masks will calm you down, reduce sun damage (read: redness and pigmentation), deliver instant hydration and basically, give your summer skin an absolute chill time. How, you ask? Well, with the infusion of soothing ingredients like aloe vera, cucumber, green tea, tea tree and other refreshing combinations, of course.
First of all, they’re perfect to sit with during a Netflix-and-chill session. Second, guaranteed inside-out glow. Store these in your fridge and mask on to literally feel as cool as a cucumber. There’s a bonus eye mask in here too, because you need more than those aviators for sun protection.
Buy now: Boscia Cool Blue Calming Mask
There is a certain kind of satisfaction with peel-off masks. The mere action of peeling to reveal fresher, glowy-er skin in the mirror is incomparable. That’s what this face mask does—it cools, calms and provides instant relief—making the skin behind the cool blue peel looks a lot healthier than it was before. The thick opaque gel-like layer turns hard and can be removed after 20 minutes or so. The powerful formulation includes sea whip—a natural anti-inflammatory willow herb—to reduce redness, aloe vera to hydrate and icy-cool peppermint to refresh tired skin.
Buy now: Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Mask
A clay mask to cool? If it’s got soothing aloe vera and oatmeal, why not! My acne-prone skin is very sensitive to new products, but it pleasantly accepted and loved this face mask. It didn’t feel harsh like a clay mask would, and cleared my pores while also leaving my skin nourished.
Alanna Deep Cleanser Mask
Open the jar and the strong (natural) fragrance of this black jelly-like mask will instantly acquaint you with its ingredients—aloe vera, activated charcoal powder and lavender. It is great for skin that needs clearing and cooling at the same time.
Buy now: Anatomicals Off With Their (Black and White) Head Botanical Purifying Tea Tree Face Mask
This sheet mask does it all—tea tree oil and green tea to clarify and prevent blemishes; hyaluronic acid for moisture-boost; aloe vera and vitamin E to soothe.
Shangpree Gold Black Pearl Hydrogel Eye Mask
There are masks that work overtime to give you better skin, and then there are masks that make a difference within mere minutes. These eye masks, sold exclusively at The Ageless Clinic, form part of the latter. The gold flakes are floating in a concentrated treatment essence of minerals, amino acids and proteins, that soak into your under-eye skin through the hydrogel material. The black pearl and gold help fight signs of ageing, and once off, you’re guaranteed to see de-puffed, brighter, awakened eyes, just like I did.
Buy now: Peter Thomas Cucumber Face Mask
A sensitive skin saviour, this extremely gentle mask is packed with soothing ingredients like cucumber, papaya, sugarcane, lemon, orange, chamomile and more. It is perfect to leave on as an overnight mask, to wake up to refreshed, glowing skin.
Buy now: Plum Chamomile and White Tea Glow-Getter Face Mask
With soothing ingredients like chamomile, white tea leaf and liquorice root extract, this mask deeply cleanses and relieves skin from oxidative damage by daily exposure to the sun. The mask also feels very delicate on the skin.
Buy now: Dior Hydra Life Glow Better Fresh Jelly Mask
The cute little jar packs a pretty pink coloured jelly mask that is as appealing to apply as it is to look at. It gently scrubs the residue off with apricot kernel extracts and provides a healthy glow from the citrus fruit extracts.
Buy now: Innisfree It’s Real Squeeze Mask, Cucumber
This one is best used fresh out of your refrigerator, to feel like real cucumbers have been chilled and squeezed specially to be soaked up by your skin.
Buy now: O3+ Sulfur Cooling Mask
All the dead skin cells and dirt collected onto your skin is cleared off with this pore-cleansing face mask. Plus, it feels minty cool while it works to prevent breakouts.
Buy now: The Body Shop Japanese Matcha Tea Pollution Clearing Mask
This creamy mint green coloured mask has dandelion extract, matcha from Japan and aloe from Mexico—and is best used on a weekly basis to extract all the pollutants gathered through daily outings.
Buy now: Just Herbs Petalsoft Anti-Tan Rose Face Pack
Modest and effective fuller’s earth clears and tones the skin, while the other soothing ingredients—rose, liquorice and holy basil—help calm chronic inflammation, redness, and sunburn.
Also read:
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