Author Spotlight
Riley Atkinson
Big math test Monday. Swim tryouts all week. Working this day. Working that day. Birthday party Friday. The list scribbled in my beat-up, overused planner goes on and on. Actually, it goes on until the letters get super tiny at the bottom of the page because I underestimated how much I need to check off. I realize, after glancing over my cramped schedule, that I really need a little break from reality. First thing that jumps into my mind for a little self-care? Face masks.
Soap & Glory “Party Recovery Radiance-Boosting Mask”
I wish I could say the name of this face mask is the reason I picked it, but math tests and tryouts aren’t exactly a party. After a day so long the bags under my eyes are the shade of the darkest eyeshadow in my palette, my radiance needs all the boosting it can get.
Soap & Glory easily wins the award for best packaging. The bright pink wall of aesthetically pleasing packaging caught my eye from the other side of the makeup aisle at Target. I picked up this face mask because of its pink, orange and silver design without even looking at the $4 price tag.
When I ripped off the top of the package, my lips curled with disgust at the off-white slime that was oozing out. It smelled like some sort of citrus fruit. I’m not sure which one. Maybe grapefruit was what they were going for?
Not gonna lie, once I had the mask on I got a few eyebrow raises in response to my snapchats — I creepily resembled Jason Voorhees from “Friday the 13th.”
The instructions recommended to keep the mask on for 20 minutes, which was enough time to catch up on my Pinterest feed. I was inspired to plan my future wedding and meal prep for next week by the time the timer on my phone went off.
Overall, I would rate this face mask a 4.5/5 stars. My face genuinely felt smooth the next day and instead of getting the usual questions about how much sleep I got the previous night, I was being complimented on my glow.
Alright, I’ve got to admit I wasn’t expecting to see a milk carton shaped face mask. Even though it’s made by a company I’ve never heard of before, MISSHA, I decided to give it a try simply because I’d never heard of a milk-inspired, well, anything.
After reading up on the Target website, I figured out that the mask formula contains milk protein extract and aloe. The combination is said to exfoliate, smooth and hydrate the skin — all things I’d say a big yes to.
When I ripped off the tip of the milk carton, I was surprised to see the sheet looked like it was completely drenched in real milk. Although that’s not the case, I was a little hesitant to peel it out of the packaging and put it onto my face. After doing so it felt smooth and adhered to my skin well.
I didn’t notice much of a difference in my skin later that night or the next day, but I really enjoyed the smooth feeling when I had it on, so I’d give this face mask a 3.5/5.
Be Berry Fresh Balancing Mud Mask
When I scroll through my favorite bloggers’ Instagrams, the occasional mud face mask selfie will show up — mask covered face complete with a perfectly messy bun. No way would I ever perfect that messy bun or post a picture of me covered in goo, but I wanted to see what all the rage was about. It took me driving to Target and Sephora to realize most clay masks are out of my price range — some were up to almost $80. I eventually went to Ulta and found this balancing mud mask with a price tag of only $7.
When I applied the greyish face mask over my pore-covered, dry skin like the directions told me to, I could instantly feel it begin to tighten on my face. After the 15 minutes of waiting for it to fully dry, I couldn’t even move my lips to say “Look at how stupid I look.”
Honestly, the grossest part of this face mask was trying to take it off. I had to completely ruin one of my white bathroom towels in order to scrub my face clean. There was definitely some scolding when my mom found a towel dirty with grey colored goo — probably should’ve thrown that in the wash before she found it.
All in all, this face mask gets a 4/5 stars from me. I’m glad I liked it because the other plus to investing $7 is that the full bottle will probably fulfill 6 more months of my face mask needs.
*photos courtesy of target.com*
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