Oh, summer — full of too much sun, too many late nights, and too many margaritas. While we’re already missing our summer fun, we’re certainly not loving the sun spots and dull, dehydrated skin it left behind. Get your skin back in shape with these pads, peels and masks designed to deal with your post-summer skin woes.
Whether you’re dealing with discoloration or dehydration, rough patches or dullness, these at-home peels and masks can help to rejuvenate your skin to reveal brighter, clearer, smoother skin. Let’s be honest: These products aren’t magic and don’t work overnight. But integrate them into your skincare routine now and you’ll see start to see major skin improvements within a month.
At-home skin peel pads
I haven’t ventured into the world of professional peels (yet). You know the ones where you have to hide your face for a week afterwards and that make layers of skin peel off your face to reveal baby-butt smooth skin underneath? While I get up the nerve to try one of those, I’ve been happy to start small with these gentler daily peels that slowly, but steadily, help to reveal brighter, clearer skin. If you’re new to peels, start with the new L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Bright Reveal Brightening Peel Pads. Under $20 and easy to find at Target, Walgreens or Ulta, these pre-soaked pads rely on 10% glycolic complex to encourage cell turnover and a micro-texturized surface to gently exfoliate your skin while you swipe. No rinsing. No measuring. No waiting. Just swipe these one-step pads before bed and see clearer, smoother skin in a month.
Another favorite drugstore find is the Olay ProX Nightly Purifying Micro Peel. I had seen my favorite beauty magazines and websites rave about this OTC peel and it’s lived up to the hype. Free of fragrance, oil and dye, this peel uses a trio acids — glycolic, citric and lactic — and vitamin B to improve your skin in just five days. The formula is lightweight, feels great on the skin, and as an added bonus, it comes packaged in a smart bottle — when you unscrew the top, the ingenious built-in dropper automatically fills with the perfect amount of product you need. You have no excuse not to put it on before bed… even when you’re exhausted from adulting.
I also tried out a sample of the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Daily Peel Pads. One of the things I like about these pads is that they are available in five strengths: Alpha Beta® Ultra Gentle, Universal (same Original Formula), Extra Strength, Medi-Spa, and Ferulic and Retinol Wrinkle Recovery (click here to see the difference and find the best one for your skin type). The pads come packaged with two separate pads. The Step 1 Pad is soaked with the exfoliating acids — wipe it over your face until the pad feels dry. Then open the second pad and apply. This Step 2 Pad controls the acid activity and delivers anti-aging additives. My skin is pretty resilient, so while the Ultra Gentle pads were a bit too mellow for me, I’m looking forward to upgrading to the Medi-Spa, and Ferulic and Retinol Wrinkle Recovery Pads next time.
Post-summer skin masks
I love a good facial mask. There’s something about putting on a mask that says, “I’m taking time for me.” I’ve slathered on a number of different masks this month, but here are three that really stuck out. The First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Intensive Peel truly lives up to its name. It looks and feels like a mask but does alllll the work of a peel. The directions say to “Leave on for one to five minutes as tolerated” and let me tell you – you will feel this one working. The multi-acid peel uses a combination of three powerful exfoliators — lactic acid, salicylic acid and mucor miehei extract — to reveal brighter, smoother skin. Be sure to do a patch test if you have extra sensitive skin and follow this mask up with a soothing and hydrating oil or night cream.
Another favorite was the Bliss Mask a-‘Peel’ Radiance Revealing Rubberizing Mask — try to say that three times fast! Available in a three-pack, you mix the powder with three tablespoons of water to create a glue-like paste. Apply it quickly to your face in a thick, but even layer, and then wait 20 minutes. Vitamin C and antioxidants fight free-radicals to leave skin brighter, while seaweed and Bilberry extract detoxify and calm the skin. When time is up, you get to relive that kindergarten sensation of peeling Elmer’s glue off your hands! The mask comes off in long, thick strips that I’d put in the trash instead of down the drain. Rinse off any remaining mask and revel in your newfound radiance.
Finally, my intro to sheet masks was the Origins Plantscription Youth-Renewing Sheet Mask. While this mask definitely won the award for “Most Likely to Scare the Children” there’s something about a mask that requires that you lay down and relax that provide benefits beyond the skin. Designed to deal with dryness, dullness and fine lines, this oil-infused mask combines raspberry oil, rosehip oil and tamanu oil, along with the Plantscription Collection’s key ingredient, anogeissus, to give you youthful, moisturized skin — and 10 minutes of downtime.
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