The Mask-Haves

From selfie-worthy bubbling formulas to high-tech foils, face masks now give you more variety for your buck, says PEARLYN THAM

- Pearlyn Tham

LET’S FACE IT: The facial mask used to be the least sexy skincare product around and was always the source of slapstick humour in movies. Cue someone answering the door and scaring away the visitor or postman with a thick layer of green gunk on her face.

Facial masks have, of course, evolved a lot over the years and are no longer just stereotypical green gunk. There are serum-soaked sheet masks made popular by Korean and Japanese brands, leave-on gels and creams, rinse-off clays and so on.

Makeup artist Clarence Lee, who masks once to twice a week, says that rinse-off clay masks are good for deep cleansing and sebum absorption. One of his favourites is Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Mask.

“A leave-on overnight gel mask like Laneige Water Sleeping Mask is great for those who sleep in airconditioned rooms and on longhaul flights where the cabin air is very dry,” he says, before adding that some overnight leave-on masks tend to “evaporate” while he sleeps.

Dr Georgia Lee, medical director at TLC Lifestyle Practice, opted for a leave-on gel formula when she added a mask — the Restore Gel Mask — to her DrGL product line. Why not the more common sheet mask? “A gel mask fits your facial contours better, something that a sheet mask cannot do. Moreover, the facial surface area varies from person to person,” she explains.