Let’s Try… Cheap Face Masks!

There is something that just feels fancy about facial masks. When I was a teenager, my household was down to just me and my mom. Every so often, we would make a special trip to Target (back in the 90’s, this was still an adventure! We only had a Shopko in town!) and buy this magical mask that was black and made with Dead Sea salts. We felt oh so posh as we would spend a weekday night relaxing into our masks, eating our smorgasbord dinner (which is still my favorite), settling into an episode of the hip new show Friends. The worst part of this night, though, was rinsing that dang mud mask off. It was a mess!

This is why I adore sheet masks. Seriously, whoever invented the sheet mask (a one-time use paper or gel mask impregnated with delicious skin happy ingredients to help a variety of issues, from dryness to old-ness) should be up for an award. You simply slap it on your face, wait a while, and throw it away. No rinsing! They are still a special treat though, since one use can cost you anywhere from $7-$20 (and up!), so imagine my delight when I stumbled upon these sheet masks at Target: we have come full circle.

Yes To is a drugstore brand that is reasonably priced and has a reputation for having pretty decent stuff that is mostly natural and free of parabens and whatnot, and are leaping bunny certified. These masks are $2.99 each. TWO NINETY NINE!!! It didn’t take much arm twisting for me to throw them in my basket, and even less to try them out back-to-back on Sunday night while catching up on the Olympics.

Obviously, I went for the Yes To Tomatoes Detoxifying Charcoal Paper Mask first. You never look cute in a paper mask, but this one is black, so I felt a bit like a bank robber. Or the Gimp. Or my cat.

Originally, the instructions say to relax for 10 minutes, then take it off. Apparently people were freaking out about the tingling sensation that occurs, because they felt the need to add a sticker to let you know TINGLING=WORKING. Clearly, today’s youth was not raised on Denorex dandruff shampoo ads, where we all learned this vital piece of information.

Back to the mask: it was wet, but not gloppy. It stayed on pretty well during semi-reclined tv watching and cheering for Gabby Douglas. It had a floral scent that I was NOT a fan of, and it did, in fact, tingle quite a bit! But not so much that I needed to abort my mission for clean pores. After 10 minutes, off it went. Life remained largely unchanged.

I waited about 2 minutes for my skin to un-tingle, then on went the Yes To Coconut Ultra Hydrating Paper Mask, made with virgin coconut oil. Lovely! At first I thought this mask was also tingly, but I realized it was just leftovers from the first one being reactivated. This mask felt pretty nice on (if a little cold), and didn’t slide around too much during the 10 minute wait. It really, REALLY smells like coconuts. Not unpleasantly, but I was for sure getting suntan lotion vibes.

Ten minutes later, I ditched the mask (after also smooshing it around my neck- everyone does that, right??) and hoped for glowing skin. It was…. underwhelming, but still wet, so I decided to let it absorb as I folded a basket of laundry.

I shouted something at the TV, and realized my face felt like a giant piece of fly paper. SO STICKY you guys. I couldn’t take it any longer and rinsed it off, feeling defeated that these $2.99 masks were not the hidden gem I hoped they would be.

But hold on… maybe they were ok? As I was Snapchatting with Pamela the next evening (and as we all know, unfiltered Snapchat tells the TRUTH), I realized my skin looked pretty good actually! So maybe, MAYBE these masks are ok in a pinch, or on a Tuesday. I have others I prefer and will savor and reach for on nights when I really feel like I need some rehab, but these might just be alright for easy maintenance.

I bought these masks with my own dumb money during a Target fugue state and decided to tell you what I think. Do you have a favorite sheet mask? Let us know in the comments!!