Don’t let people tell you your 30s will be the best time of your life in a tone that suggests your looks will fade so you better find inner peace. Vicki’s Pick is a weekly beauty column that features Vicki’s all-time favourite beauty products and latest discoveries for women in their 30s who plan on staying pretty on the outside for a long, long time. Inner peace is optional.
My face has a peculiar way of knowing exactly when it’s important to me to look my best and then bursting out into a rage of adult acne. It’s so predictable, in fact, that I actually plan for it. With TIFF 2014 starting this Friday, I vainly want to have glowing, clear skin for all the parties, events, and premieres because, as much as I don’t expect to run off with a Hollywood star, I don’t want to wear my “common people” status on my face in the form of monstrous zits.
That’s why I’m combatting my acne before my pores collaborate and plan their “surprise” attack. I know it’s coming, so I’m prepared. Since I have extremely sensitive skin that’s still acne-prone, I was psyched to find out that one of my favourite beauty brands, LUSH Cosmetics, has come out with new versions to some of their bestselling products that are now available in self-preserving options. I’ve always been a huge fan of LUSH Mask of Magnimity, and now it’s self-preserving? Amazing! Wait, what does self-preserving even mean?
Self-preserving is like next level “preservative-free,” ultimately. LUSH product inventors Helen and Dan Campbell spent about two years doing what the brand calls “expertly rebalancing” some of LUSH’s customer favourites like Mask of Magnaminty. Since water content is the reason why bacteria grows in products without preservative, Helen and Dan spent found a way to decrease the amount of water in certain LUSH products while increasing the amount of self-preserving ingredients like honey, salt, glycerine, and clays.
There’s something about smearing LUSH Mask Of Magnaminty Self-Preserving Face and Body Mask ($12.95 – $24.95) across my face and knowing that it’s self-preserving and all natural that gives me faith that my trusted acne-fighting face mask will work even better than before. It definitely feels refreshing on the skin, and doesn’t cake and crack with the same harshness that masks with preservatives often do. My favourite part is washing it off and letting the exfoliating particles in the mask work their magic on my skin after bentonite gel and kaolin mixture of the mask itself is done absorbing oils and drawing out the dirt from my pores. The mask also contains honey and marigold oil, amazing calming ingredients for my sensitive skin, as well as soothing pepperment.
Fortunately for my TIFF event and party schedule, Mask Of Magnaminty Self-Preserving Face and Body Mask hit stores on August 26th, so I’ve had the chance to start early with my acne-detering regime. I’ll see you at the parties, zit-free. I’ll leave it up to my feet and their inability to walk in heels to embarrass me this year.