What a couple of weeks, huh? I feel like the minute I get a foothold on things, everything changes again—for the better in most ways. But it’s hard to be trying to live and work in a world that is in completely upheaval.
For me, during times of extreme stress, the first place I notice it is my skin. A week ago, Danny sent me a funny text message and I was going to reply with a photo of myself making a face. Instead, all I did was stare at myself in the camera thinking, “is that what I look like right now?!” My skin was splotchy, red, dry, dull. Not a good look!
Even worse, I had been keeping up with my routine—but unfortunately, being stressed out about my clients, working, pausing my own content, and more had completely taken over. My skin was on autopilot and it needed help.
It might seem a bit trivial to be writing about this right now. But the truth is, taking care of ourselves as much as we can is just as important as ever. If you’re like me, the self-soothing ritual you enjoy most is taking care of your skin. I’m not writing this to say, “forget about what’s happening” or “let’s move on from what’s going on!” But rather, I’m writing this all to say: you deserve to take care of yourself while also remaining active in an important movement and I hope you are able to take time to show yourself kindness, even if it is in small ways, like buying a new face mask.
Without further ado, let’s talk my 3 favorite face masks for soothing sensitive, irritated, stressed skin.
1. Hey Honey Show Your Glow Colloidal Gold and Honey Beauty Mask
I received this mask in an Ipsy bag recently and I really love it. It’s pretty gold, smells like honey, and leaves my skin feeling suuuuuper soft. Here’s what this mask promises:
The colloidal gold is an anti-inflammatory which helps prevent the breakdown of collagen and elastin, preventing wrinkles from forming and smoothing the appearance of fine lines, while mica is used to give the skin a radiant glow.
Honey is also an incredibly soothing ingredient in any face mask, making this one a perfect option for when you want to feel a little lavish while you relax. This mask is best for those looking for anti-aging products, as well as if you have dry skin or are acne prone.
2. First Aid Beauty Pharma Arnica Relief and Rescue Mask
I love First Aid Beauty products—that’s on record—and this one is no different. I also received this in an Ipsy bag and have purchased a full size version of it. It’s relatively affordable (at $32 for a tube!) and feels amazing on. If you’ve never used arnica before, it’s a super soothing ingredient that is often used in bruise creams. I actually keep a tube of pure arnica on hand for when I get a large bruise; if you massage it in first thing, it can reduce the size and color. (Great if you’re prone to bruising!)
This mask contains arnica, calendula, and centella asiatica, 3 botanical ingredients that help heal your skin, as well as soothe it. If you’re experience redness, dryness, or dullness, this is a great mask to try out!
As a warning, it does smell a bit odd (arnica and calendula both have very… interesting smells associated with them). Here’s what it promises, though:
This nurturing mask, which was inspired by the pharmacy, helps relieve the appearance of redness, dehydration, irritation, stress, and tightness. The star ingredient, arnica, is said to have skin-supporting properties that help soothe and smooth. After use, skin appears soft, supple, and dewy.
3. Feel Mindful Palo Santo Soothing Mask
I love Feel products! This one is no different: the Mindful mask (or the Palo Santo Soothing Mask) contains Palo Santo, mushrooms, and niacinamide to reduce blemishes and calm your skin.
I love creamy masks (versus thin or peel off masks) and this one is my favorite. It is thick and rich; you can literally feel how moisturizing it is; and it smells amazing. It contains lavender and chamomile extract as well to soothe skin.
This is the perfect mask for you if your skin is stressed and breaking out; it helps heal existing break outs and prevent anymore from happening, while providing your skin with an extra dose of moisture and soothing.
I often use this mask in particular in tandem with my Aztec Clay mask. If you’re feeling particularly stressed, double masking is really fun; I’ll wear my Aztec Clay (with apple cider vinegar, natch!) mask for 7 minutes, then rinse off, and apply this mask to help soothe my skin and remoisturize. Afterwards, it feels like I’ve just got done having a facial.
