ren glycol lactic radiance renewal

The Ren Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask is probably one of my favourites. It's little blurb says that it is "an instant complexion-perfecting mask that brightens and renews skintone and texture, minimises pores, diminishes hyper-pigmentation, and reduces the appearance of fine lines in as little as 10 minutes". It kind of does that but maybe not as thoroughly as advertised. It's formulated from four different acids which chemically exfoliate and "resurface the skin: glycolic acid from pineapples, lactic acid from passion fruit, citric acid from lemons, and tartaric acid from grapes -- as a result, it smells super fruity and almost edible.

Anyway, in terms of application, it's gloopy looking and has almost a honey-like textures but a tad grittier. Once you slather it on, you look like you're covered in some weird looking (not to sound unappetizing but anyway) slug-gloop. It tingles a little here and there depending on how sensitive your skin is. The blurb does say that it's not suitable for sensitive skin types and more recommended for congested and mature skin, but when my skin is feeling more sensitive it just stings a little more when you put it on. 

All in all, it's a great mask if your skin likes acid exfoliants -- mine does. It smooths things out and leaves you super glowy, and feeling like you have a fresh layer of skin.

Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask

I bought this mask because I've heard a fair few good things about it and after having this in my life for about a month or so, I have some fairly decent things to say about it too.

When I first put this on my face, I was a bit overwhelmed by the strong fruity scent; it doesn't smell particularly bad, it's just quite... pungent and some people may be a bit put off by it. As I generally lean towards cleaner, earthy scents, I was slightly 'meh' about the smell but I've noticed that quite a lot of other people say they really like the smell so I suppose it depends on whether or not you like extremely intense fruity odours. Anyway, the first time I used it overnight, I slathered on a fairly thick layer and looking back on it, I definitely put far too much on because when I got into bed, my face ended up sticking to my pillowcase which immediately made me go a bit, 'eh I'm not sure I like this mask'. Also, I should probably mention that even though this is a mask, it seems more like a really, really thick and creamy moisturizer than anything.

The next morning, I noticed that my skin was definitely much softer and hydrated after rinsing the remains of it off. However, as the day progressed, I did notice that my skin was much, much oilier than it had been previously. This may have been a one-off though, probably down to the fact that I had just put way too much of it on my face or that I spent too much of that day outdoors in the sweltering heat and humidity -- I'm not really sure. But either way, I gave it a second chance and I've been using this on the days that I feel like my skin needs a bit of help (usually after a long night out). So instead of slathering on a thick layer that ends up sticking to my pillow, I've been using the tiniest amount and really, really rubbing it in so it's not as sticky. With this method, I haven't been feeling excessively oily or greasy the next day, just delighfully moisturized. Long story short, this product will definitely be sticking around; I'll probably decant some into a little pot for those dehydrating plane journeys as well since this mask dries clear.