We Tested a Bunch of New Face Masks: Find Out Which One Is Best For You
It's officially fall now, and that means it's time to re-evaluate your skin care routine a little bit. My favorite way to kick off a new season is to find a good face mask. (Yeah, I'm that exciting.)
Seriously, though, there's something so rejuvenating about a mask, and there are a ton of great choices out there. If you spent the summer sweating on a beach slathered with sunscreen, chances are your pores need a little, erm, airing out. A clay mask is your new friend. Or maybe your face dries out like a prune the minute the cold air hits. There are tons of luxe new hydrating masks for that. And for glow seekers, serum-infused cloth face masks—-which have been popular in Asia forever—-are becoming more mainstream in the U.S.
But which to pick? Click through for nine new masks to try now—and our own thorough critique of each one.
Fresh Crème Ancienne Ultimate Nourishing Honey Mask, $130:
Ingredients: Honey, echinacea, meadowfoam seed oil, seabuckthorn oil, shea butter, vitamin E. Primarily a hydrating mask.
Scent: It smells like honey! The scent is a bit stronger than other masks I’ve tried, but it grew on me.
Texture: Creamy and just a tiny bit tacky. It’s not a clay-based mask, so it doesn’t have that dry-down, tightening effect. I sometimes leave it on for an hour at a time before I rinse it off.
Post-Mask: My skin feels unbelievably soft, not greasy, and radiant afterwards and into the next morning. I’ve been using it weekly and it’s one of my favorites this season.
Clayspray, $59.95:
Ingredients: Red or white clay is the main ingredient, with different additives depending on which formula you choose: pore refining, tightening, glowing, mattifying, brightening. Additives include cardamom seed oil, aloe vera, sweet orange peel oil, and cocoa seed oil.
Scent: Earthy, with the very slightest clean scent.
Texture: The delivery system is pretty unique, though “spray” is kind of misleading. The mask comes in a metal can that actually pumps the product out–the clay is housed in a chamber separately from the propellant so that stays fresh and uncontaminated. You spray your face with mineral water first, then pump the clay–which is thinner than a more traditional clay mask–into your hand and spread it on your face. Once it dries, it tightens significantly. I could almost feel the gunk being pulled out of my pores.
Post-Mask: My face felt tingly and super clean, but just a little dry.
La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Sleep Mask, $300
Ingredients: Contains caviar extract (hence the price tag), sunflower seed oil, phytic acid and Carica papaya. This mask is best for hydration and rejuvenation.
Scent: Fresh and mildly floral–it’s the same scent as the rest of the Skin Caviar line, if you’re familiar with that.
Texture: It’s really more of a night cream than a mask. The texture is thick, creamy, and luxurious. It absorbs in and you don’t need to rinse it off.
Post-Mask: My skin was like silk the next morning. Just be aware, if your skin is oily at all, it may be too rich for you.
Glam Glow Supermud Clearing Treatment, $69
Ingredients: Contains a hydroxy acid complex, charcoal, clay, and eucalyptus leaf. It’s meant for “problem” skin including acne, blackheads, and discoloration.
Scent: Minty and refreshing.
Texture: It has a thinner base texture, but is chunkier, like an exfoliator. I judge masks (very unscientifically) by how tingly they are and this one really delivered in that regard. If you have sensitive skin, be careful.
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Post-Mask: This is one of Sephora’s best sellers for a reason. After rinsing it off, my pores were definitely less clogged and my face was soft. Despite the extreme tingle, there was no redness or irritation, but I can pretty much put sulfuric acid on my face without side effects. So test a small area first.
Manuka Doctor Rejuvenating Face Mask, $85
Ingredients: Manuka honey, bee venom (reportedly a fave ingredient of Kate Middleton), rosehip, blackcurrent oil, shea butter, cocoa butter. For hydration and rejuvenation.
Scent: Smells like honey, with an undercurrent of menthol.
Texture: Thick and creamy, but firm in the jar. It goes on smoothly, and tingles for a few minutes. It dries a bit on your face, but not in a crusty way, and washes off easily.
Post-Mask: I am glowing every time I use this mask. It wins as my favorite of the season.
Pur Minerals Dirty Girl Detoxifying Mudd Masque, $29
Ingredients: Contains Pascalite clay found in Wyoming, cucumber extract, and salicylic acid. For cleaning, exfoliating, and unclogging pores.
Scent: It smells delicious, fresh and clean.
Texture: It’s a smooth, brown liquid mask that dries down with that tightening feeling common to clay masks.
Post-Mask: My face felt thoroughly clean and not at all dry after I rinsed the mask off.
Garnier Skin Renew Dark Spot Treatment Mask, $16.99
Ingredients: Vitamin C, fruit and flower extracts, Meant for dark spots, dullness, and uneven skin tone.
Scent: Fresh and a little citrusy.
Texture: It’s a serum-infused cloth mask that contains a “half bottle” (that would be 0.5 oz) of serum. It was a little tricky to unwrap the mask–the edges stuck together, but once on it was cool and hydrating.
Post-Mask: I didn’t notice any obvious change in my various blotchy patches, but my face felt soft and refreshed.
Amore Pacific Moisture Bound Refreshing Masque, $90
Ingredients: Flower extracts, bamboo extract, ginger. Meant for hydration, de-puffing, and tightening pores.
Scent: Clean and soft.
Texture: This one is a bit of a process to apply. First you open up an ampoule of liquid and apply to your face, then you open the two-piece mask and place it on your face. But the extra work is worth it, because it's a pretty luxurious feeling. The serum absorbed in easily after I removed the mask.
Post-Mask: I used it in the morning after a night of, um, too much wine. My face felt perked up afterwards. I wish I could say the same for my stomach.
