Triple Action Exfoliator // Hydration Injection Masque
For day to day life up until the pandemic I was pretty confident in my skincare routine; it removed my makeup, cleansed my skin and left me feeling hydrated and nourished. Everything was good; that was until I suddenly had to wear a thick cotton mask whenever I was out of the house, and cover my face a lot of the time. The results? A nightmare.
Due to the thick mask covering my jawline, chin, nose and mouth, I’ve been experiencing breakouts and clusters of black heads along the places where the mask meets my face. So, when ARK Skincare reached out to me to try and solve the problem I was overjoyed. They’ve carefully tailored products to combat the main struggles of mask-ne, help reduce irritation and achieve clear, glowing skin.
Breakouts and skin irritation sky rocket when wearing a mask for a number of reasons, the main one being that bacteria ultimately gets trapped within the mask and rests on your face, causing spots. However, it’s not just the bacteria that’s causing the issue; wearing a mask comes with a lot of problems, whether it’s sensitivity and irritation caused by the fabric brushing against the face, allergies or sensitivity to the detergent used to wash the mask or the overproduction of sebum caused by the raised skin temperature under a mask, everyone seems to have at least one mask-ne struggle.
There are a few easy steps to try and decrease the impact of mask-ne; the main one being staying clean. Making sure to double cleanse your skin each night with an oil-based and water-based cleanser, followed by a toner, moisturiser and serum, greatly reduces the risk of bacteria building up. If I can I’ll also avoid wearing makeup if I’m planning on donning a mask, as this is not only a waste of good lipstick, it also causes a further buildup of product and muck on the skin.
The two products that ARK specifically recommend are the Triple Action Exfoliator, a very nourishing and soft exfoliator designed to be used once or twice a week to gently remove dead skin cells and create glowing skin, and the Hydration Injection Masque, which is truly one of those miracle skincare products that can make your dull and tired skin into glowing skin within a matter of minutes. After trying the combination of these on the event Zoom call I was so amazed at how soft my skin felt that I went round getting my family to touch the back of my hand where I’d swatched the product, so that they too could see how good it was! Both of these products are designed with a range of ages in mind, and the time that you leave them on reflects the age and needs of your own skin. I personally love to pop them on whilst I get on with something, whether that’s brushing my teeth, or even having a bath, and removing at the end with a damp flannel or cloth to reveal shining, happy skin.
Speaking of hands, one main tip I picked up from this event was the importance of caring for your hands too. Our skin is not the only part of us that is under attack at the minute, our hands are getting washed and slathered in hand gel much more frequently than they’re used to, and no doubt it is drying them out. Some of my fellow ARK girls recommended using any excess product you have from your nighttime skincare routine to exfoliate and moisturise your hands so that you can wake up in the morning with soft and gentle skin.
Have you been struggling with mask-ne? Let me know in the comments below!
Love Chloe x
Thank you to ARK Skincare for kindly gifting me these products.
