Beauty Must-Have: Glossier Masks

The first time I officially met Emily Weiss of Into the Gloss was at a L’Oreal event for the launch of a mascara. We shared a car on our way home, and had a chance to talk. What you see on the Internet is a super-stylish, beautiful, savvy woman. What you meet if you can get a moment of silence with her is a thoughtful person with a rapid-fire brain. Quite simply, she’s a force of nature. Mad respect over here.

When the PR team sent over the new products from her beauty brand Glossier, I admit they sat there in a bag for a bit. Here’s the thing: I like Emily. I like that site. What I didn’t want is for the products to not deliver on their promises. I’m a tough tester; I play with hundreds of products a year. I can tell you pretty quickly if the product is a winner or not, and particularly for the over 30 skin care set. So, I waited for a bit, and there they sat until a few weeks ago.

I’m happy to report that the Into the Gloss team has some winners on their hands.  Here are a few of my favorites:

First up is the Mega Greens Galaxy Pack. The website describes it like a green juice for your face, and I’d say that’s pretty accurate. If you’re suffering from lackluster skin that’s dull, congested, and pretty wrecked from too little sleep or too much fun in the sun (or too much fun, period,) this is a good one. It’s got a base of kaolin clay to help draw dirt and impurities from your skin, and the base is antioxidants and leafy greens.

What I like about the mask is that it really delivers a gorgeous glow, even on those of us with (ahem) older skin. I also like that you don’t have “squeaky clean” skin afterwards, which means it cleans without stripping your face of its moisture barrier. It’s a good mask for Sundays if you’re tucked in and trying to apologize to your face for piles of makeup or too late of a night before.

The other favorite is the Moisturizing Moon Mask, which is a great soothing treatment for nighttime.  I slathered this on after shooting outfit pictures in the sun, and I could feel my skin just lapping it up. It’s got a mixture of sweet almond oil, hyaluronic acid, and plant-based squalane, which essentially means it can help restore lost moisture while it smoothes fine lines and gives you a bright complexion. This is a must-have in my book. Sleep with it next to your bed if you have to, but use it regularly, particularly if you pair a good retinol-based night cream and eye cream to go with it.

I’m not how we’ve gotten to a place where we think masks are a “treat.” With regular maintenance and care, your skin will hold up to all the primers, makeup, creams, and powders that you throw on it every day, not to mention the times you sleep in your makeup or walk around without sunscreen (both of which are…I mean, you know better than that.) These two masks are a great add-on to your beauty regimen (not to mention they’re considerably cost-effective in comparison with other masks that perform as well,) and with regular use you could wind up looking brighter, better, and….well, a little glossier.

Glossier Mega Greens Galaxy Pack and Moisturizing Moon Mask, $22 each, available viaglossier.com