magnificent masks

I make sure that I apply a face mask at least once a week and the majority of my favourite ones are actually homemade, although there are a few store-bought masks that I quite like. I like homemade masks the most as you know exactly what's going into them, you probably already have the ingredients lying around in your kitchen and they're really easy to make. Here are a few how-to's on my favourite masks, the first of which is an oatmeal mask.

This is really easy to make, just put a teaspoon of oats, a teaspoon of natural yogurt and a drizzle of honey in a bowl and mix together. Then apply liberally all over your face and wait for 10-15 minutes.

This isn't the easiest to take off, I get some kitchen paper and wipe off the excess before washing the rest away, otherwise my sink ends up being blocked!

I'm pretty sure this mask will work for all skin types, as I have oily skin and my skin loves it. The yogurt and honey will moisturise dry skin, also the oats will gently exfoliate, the yogurt will soften and protect your skin with it's antioxidant properties and the honey is just all-round amazing for your skin (think antibacterial with antioxidants, all that good stuff).

Next up is the seaweed mask. I found out about this from Michelle Phan on YouTube, who claimed it was great for oily skin types. I gave it a go, and loved it (apart from the smell, yuck!).

Just cut a few strips of dried seaweed and place them in warm water for a minute or two. Then smear the strips on your face and leave on for 5-10 minutes.

Seaweed is great because among other things it detoxifies the skin and contains antioxidants. If you want to know all the benefits, just Google it.

I found my seaweed at a Chinese supermarket, but I think large supermarkets should stock it.

I mentioned at the start of the post that I have a few favourite store-bought face masks too, and these are the Lush face masks and the Clearasil Daily Clear Vitamins & Extracts Wash and Mask.

I normally get about 6-8 uses out of the Lush face masks, which is annoying as they are meant to expire one month from buying, so they last me about two months. They're also meant to be kept in the fridge to keep the contents fresh.

The one I have, Love Lettuce, is a mask catered for normal to oily skin and is slightly exfoliating, and the only reason I got it is because I had 5 empty Lush pots and you get a free face mask if you bring them into a store. I also want to try the Cupcake face mask too!

The Clearasil Daily Clear Vitamins & Extracts Wash and Mask was the product that was the "Big Skincare Mystery" at the start of the year. I tried the little sample I had and my skin felt really good afterwards, however I don't get the same feeling with the full sized product?! You're meant to leave the mask on your skin for only two minutes, which is great if you're in a rush, and this can also double up as a daily facial wash.

If I have any actual spots that I need taken care of, I find that putting toothpaste on said spot for a few minutes is great for drying it out, but my holy grail for spot-zapping is (brewed) chamomile teabags. I had a really bad allergic reaction a few months back, which resulted in horrible pimples all over my cheekbones. I put a teabag on each cheek for a few hours each day, maybe if I was watching a film I'd put it on then, and my skin was back to normal in four days, and if I do the same process to a spot it reduces the swelling massively, and the spot ends up going away much quicker.

Do you have any DIY skincare solutions?