Sunday's Mask: Koh Gen Do Oriental Plants Deep Moisture Mask

Half the fun of New Year's Eve is prepping for it. Start the night of the 30th, and apply Koh Gen Do Oriental Plants Deep Moisture Mask at bedtime. Your face will still be thanking you when the big shiny ball drops.

This mask is a serious indulgence. The directions assure you that you're supposed to use this at the end of your usual nighttime skincare regimen, and then to leave it overnight; you don't need to swap anything out or rinse anything off. It's an additional luxurious layer for you to swaddle your skin in while you sleep. The ingredients are a cornucopia of botanical ingredients based on the five elemental palettes of the Tao Wheel with the purpose of "resetting" your skin. Naturally, I fell madly in love with the concept. Fortunately, the action is superb too.

The product itself is a clear gel within which tiny white spheres are suspended. These emollient capsules break apart upon rubbing to release fresh ingredients into the skin. A little goes a long way, which is a good thing since the tube is smaller than my hand. The gel glides across my skin, only to immediately melt into it without disturbing my thick night cream. My face feels cooled and refreshed, and there is a luminous glow to my skin. The whole effect is subtle yet penetrative.

In the morning I wake up with soft, smooth, healthy-looking skin. I also always rub a generous amount into my neck and decolletage. Every use of this mask is a special occasion: I've found that I like to pull this out on nights that I use one of my rinse-off clay-based masks, such as Tracie Martyn Enzyme Exfoliant.

Koh Gen Do Oriental Plants Deep Moisture Mask is effective skincare, but more importantly to me, it imparts a sense of true well-being that makes it worth the $90 price tag. The Koh Gen Do product page has a wealth of further information on this mask, including the full ingredient list. Whether or not the Tao Wheel is a valid skincare principle, this mask works and I adore it.

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My Hangover Cure: Komenuka Bijin & Sunday Riley

We had a celebration last evening at Volt and I overindulged in red wine. The next thing I know, it's two in the morning and I'm in bed with stockings still on and a full face of makeup still on. Must save my skin!

Prevention is the first thing. I dash into the bathroom and take out a Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water Cloth. This is the only face wipe I use. It effectively removes my makeup, sure, but the mineral-rich water and essential herbs also infuse my skin with enough healing moisture that I can pass on applying any creams afterward. This makes it an absolute time- and life-saver. I really ought to keep a pack on my bedside stand during the holiday season.

Then I drink three glasses of water (prevention!) and fall back into bed, bare-faced. In the morning I drink some more water and, after a thorough cleansing, assess the damage: my skin is dull, rough, and uneven. What I want to do now is revitalize my skin with nourishing ingredients and swaddle it in deep moisture. And I need to do this in a short window of time.

To the rescue comes Komenuka Bijin Massage Cream Mask. A semi-translucent white gel that aims to "rejuvenate the skin and even the skin tone," this cream mask is full of marvelous ingredients like rice bran, jojoba oil, olive oil, silk powder, yeast extract, sake, and mushroom. The directions tell you to massage the cream mask onto your face and neck in upward strokes for five minutes; then to add another layer over the face and neck without massaging and to leave in for five minutes. Rinse it all off.

The result is brighter, happier looking skin. Nothing dramatic, but my face likes the massage and the nutritious ingredients. The English label on the tube states "Natural Kobo Massage Pack." I ordered mine from Beautyhabit, though this product doesn't seem to be listed right now.

While I'm waiting with this mask on my face for the required five minutes, I exfoliate my parched, chapped lips with Sara Happ Brown Sugar Lip Scrub.

The final step is to seal my skin in with Sunday Riley Juno Transformative Lipid Serum. Two full pumps of this stuff drenches my skin in glowing moisture. My face plumps up right before my face. My nasolabial folds fill out and the tiny wrinkle above my left eyebrow vanishes.

With this ten-minute routine, I almost look better post-hangover than I did pre-hangover. I can proceed with my regular skincare routine and face the day. 

*Thanks to Product Doctor, who gave me the idea for a "hangover cure" post.

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