Seven hacks to get the most out of your sheet masks

I have a growing suspicion that if the Project Vanity team were to pool all of our sheet mask stashes together, we’d have enough to fill a large suitcase! We’re so crazy about sheet masks, we pretty much hoard them every time we spot them on sale. Not only are they a nice, effective boost to our regular skincare routine, but the act of masking in itself feels like 20-minutes of blissful pampering after a busy day. At an average of about P50 per mask, it’s honestly not a cheap habit to have, so we’ve found seven ways to make the most out of each one!

Tailor your mask

If you encounter a mask that doesn't quite fit your face, don’t hesitate to cut away! 20 minutes is quite a long time to be bothered by an imperfect fit, and you may be missing out on fully absorbing the essence if the mask isn’t fully in contact with your skin. To make fit it to your face shape a bit better, simply cut it horizontally, along the same line as the flap for your nose. This should allow you to better position the placement of your mask over your eyes and mouth, especially if your face is smaller or bigger than the cutout.

Don’t hate, refrigerate

I once had a friend complain to me how uncomfy and sticky masking can feel. I told her to pop the mask in the fridge before use and she now looks forward to her masking sessions. The cold sensation of the essence feels very soothing particularly if you’re hot and tired. This trick is a must if you use undereye mask sheets - it deflates puffiness and lessens the appearance of dark circles!

Metal masking

When I first saw that Estée Lauder came out with the Advance Night Repair Concentrated Recovery PowerFoil Masks, I freaked out a little before eventually warming up to the idea. By putting a foil barrier on top of your mask, you lock all the moisture down thereby creating a more efficient facial essence delivery system. Now we all can’t afford to spend $20 on a single mask so thank God for DIYs and Althea!

Two is better than one

If you check our collections, you’ll notice that we don’t just hoard one type of mask. That’s because no one mask can address all our issues with just one product, and the needs of our skin can actually change on a daily basis. So until we find that magical mask that solves all problems, we’re happy to do double masking! The idea is to use one mask after another, so your skin can get all the treatments that you need. And because your skin will already be moist from the first mask session, the second one actually penetrates the skin better because there are no dry barriers to overcome. Not only will this fast track your way to perfect skin, your face will also thank you for the intense hydration!

Complete the package

Ever feel like your eyes and lips are feeling a little unloved compared to the rest of your face because of your sheet mask habit? Don’t leave them hanging; if your sheet mask doesn’t use an include a flap to cover these areas, just use separate eye and lip masks for these areas underneath your regular mask. Multi-masking cuts the wait time if you’re looking to speed things up!

The final touch

Did you know that the best time to use a sheet mask is actually AFTER applying all your skin care? That’s right: after the essences, serums, moisturizers, etc. is when your mask should be going on so that it can seal all that goodness in.

Leftover essence is a mist opportunity

Most masks will have quite a bit of essence left in the packet after you’ve done masking, and we’re thrifty enough to ensure that this precious liquid isn’t simply thrown away. Apply the remaining essence all over your body for an intense moisturizing treat, or grab a clean, empty spray bottle and transfer the essence in. Et voilà! You get a nice facial mist that serves as a great (and easy) pick me up whenever your skin starts to feel blah. For more viscous essences though, dilute it a bit with a bit of added distilled water or another mist like Avene Thermal Spring Water, otherwise it may simply clog the nozzle of the spray bottle.

Do you love sheet masks as much as we do? What are your favorite masks, and how do you make the most out of every use? We want to know what your mask-imizing techniques!