$135 for 4 sheets, available at Escentials
One of the things we look forward to the most after a taxing week is plonking ourselves down on the couch with a cooling sheet mask that not only helps us to relax, but also helps to plump, renew and hydrate worn-out skin. Verso’s Intense Facial Mask is one we’ll be kicking back with this week. The hydrogel mask is packed with potent anti-ageing ingredients like retinol 8 – a vitamin A derivative said to be more potent but gentler than conventional retinol – plus a blend of skin soothing and reparative ingredients like centella asiatica, canola oil and ceramide. Together, these ingredients promise to moisturise and stimulate collagen production to make your skin appear firmer and brighter.
Want more? Depuff and detoxify your way to a slimmer and “smaller” face with this step-by-step manual, and stave off the advances of Old Father Time by following these anti-ageing beauty best practices every self-respecting office lady should know. Get your daily dose of beauty at www.herworldplus.com/beauty.
$99, available at alliesofskin.com
As much as we’d like the effects of a mask to last well beyond the first few days of application, stress, pollution and late nights can quickly revert your skin to its tired and dull state. Luckily, Singapore brand Allies of Skin offers a convenient and effective solution. Its 1A All-Day Mask feels like a lightweight cream-gel textured sleeping mask, and it’s supercharged with nutrients, antioxidants and actives that help to soothe and repair your skin while protecting it from pollution. The best thing? It can be worn in the day, under makeup and sunscreen – no wonder our resident beauty guru and porcelain complexioned associate editor is a fan!
$60, available at all Shiseido counters
With the ongoing Korean beauty boom, it’s far from uncommon to hear of people adopting skincare routines with multiple steps. Count us guilty of it, too. But let’s be honest here, who has time to carefully lay down serum after serum when all you’re going to be getting is four hours of – let’s hope – proper rest? Now here’s where the handy sleeping mask comes in. Products like Shiseido’s Ibuki Beauty Sleeping Mask are chock-full of reparative vitamins – in this case, C and E – plus moisturising extracts and aromatic properties that are said to help you to fall asleep faster. The Ibuki Beauty Sleeping Mask one-ups the competition by promising to “trick” your skin into believing that your body is in a deep state of sleep, therefore maximising your skin’s ability to repair itself, even in just a few hours. The result? Refreshed and radiant skin the next morning.
$30, available at all Innisfree stores
Environmental damage can wreak havoc on your skin, causing it to look dull from lack of hydration and time to repair itself. UV rays also stimulate excess melanin production in the skin, which can make it look blotchy and uneven in tone. So if you tend to be out in the sun a lot, Innisfree’s Whitening Pore Sleeping Pack will come in handy in helping you to maintain an even skin tone. The product is infused with six types of citrus flavonoids, vitamins C and E – antioxidants that work in tandem to fight the effects sun damage on the skin. Plus, the brand says that these ingredients are derived from freshly squeezed organic tangerine peel. Imagine how that’ll smell – yum.
$29.90, available at all leading personal care stores
Sometimes, all you need is an extra burst of hydration to instantly bring back the glow to dehydrated skin, especially if you are constantly shuffling between the outdoors and an air-conditioned office. L’Oreal Paris Hydra Fresh Genius works well as a daily sleeping or wash-off mask to help hydrate the skin, as well as boost its ability to retain moisture. Moisturising jojoba oil as well as glycerin and hyaluronic acid, two humectants which help to attract moisture to the skin, are contained within this product. What we love most is how much fun it is to apply this product. You can literally feel the burst of hydration on your skin as the cream-gel textured product transforms into water droplets as you massage it into your skin.