The Beauty Diary by Rebekah Scanlan: Face masks worth shelling out on

A new product people are raving about has just launched in Australia, made from a pantry staple most of us wouldn’t use like this.

What is it about slapping on a face mask that instantly makes us instantly feel fancy AF? Regardless of the logic behind it, men and women the world over love nothing more than indulging in a some serious facial self-care. After all, as far as a face mask is concerned — there’s nothing it can’t fix. Tiredness? Tick. Hangovers? Tick. Knocking 10 years off? We live in hope.

Recently masking (that’s what the cool kids are calling it these days) has been enjoying a bit of a boom, mostly thanks to the likes of green juice swilling celebs like Gwyneth Paltrow, Shanina Shaik and Victoria Beckham who plaster their Insta feeds with mask-clad selfies.

And while we can’t all pose nude with refreshing gold gel patches under our eyes and look like a goddess — goddamit Selma Blair — we can still spoil our skin and enjoy those relaxing minutes like the best of them. Here’s my fave flash facials on the market at the moment.

GLOW RECIPE WATERMELON GLOW SLEEPING MASK

The OG cult face mask is now on sale in Mecca — without the 8000 strong waitlist. It's a little exxy, but worth every cent. Picture: Mecca

Available at Mecca

Price: $69.00

This Korean beauty brand just arrived in Australia and people are excited — especially me. When Glow launched back in 2014 they had just two products and the Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask was one of them. Made from 60 per cent fresh pureed watermelon that’s been painstakingly preserved for 30 days before being mixed with one of my fave actives — moisture boosting hyaluronic acid — as well as alpha-hydroxy acids, glycerine, and seaweed extract.

The result is an intensely refreshing, hydrating and soothing product that’s wildly unique. Who knew a supermarket grocery could be so beneficial? One of its best qualities is its scent, which smells so good you want to eat it.

While a few critics have played down the hype surrounding this cult product — which at its height caused an 8000 strong waitlist for a single jar — I can’t rave about it enough. It’s super convenient, a mask you apply and can sleep in without damaging your sheets, gives me an even complexion and a little goes a long way. The packaging is super sleek too.

While it’s defo a mid-tier price range, it’s undoubtedly worth every cent as all these people agree:

I just tried the glow recipe watermelon sleeping mask.. my skin literally feels like a baby’s face right now 😂 thanks @Laura88Lee ❤️❤️❤️

— halie ✨ (@princess_halie) January 5, 2019

🍉 I'm here to tell y'all that Glow Recipe's Watermelon Sleeping mask is worth every penny 🍉

— Kylie Noele (@KylieNoele) March 6, 2018

Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask was a product that I didn’t expect to fall so much in love with lol

— M (@reallytaanasian) July 17, 2019

ACEOLOGY ANTI-AGING GOLD MODELING MASK

If the queen of face masks Martha Kalifatidis is a fan, you know the product is doing something right. Picture: Aceology

Available at aceology.co

Price: $79

This brand spanking new Aussie beauty company only launched in April and already people are obsessed. Just last week its gel infusion sheet masks sold out when MAFS star Martha Kalifatidis shared a selfie with her 284,000 followers.

While I haven’t been able to get my mitts on those, I have been using this DIY-style mask. You literally get two sachets, gel and collagen powder, that you have to mix in a bowl before applying. It goes on a little gloopy, but unlike some face masks that set on your face, it doesn’t feel itchy during the 30 minutes you need to leave it on.

Afterwards my skin is glowy, fresh and firmer, so I’m a fan. Does it rewind the clock though? I’m not sure, but I still whack it on full of hope.

ALYA SKIN PINK PERFECT AUSTRALIAN PINK CLAY MASK

Bouncy, effective and a gorgeous shade of pink. I'm in love. Picture: Alya Skin

Available at Priceline and Amazon.com.au

Price: $49

When something is number one in its field, it’s worth paying attention — and Alya is the highest rating and most sold pink clay mask in the world. If that hasn’t tickled your fancy, how does the sound of brighter, softer and less red skin sound? Because that’s the effect it has on my canvas after just one use.

Its formula is smooth to apply, almost bouncy to touch, and has a lovely faint smell of roses. If you suffer with skin irritation and even eczema, the natural ingredients in the formula make it sensitive skin friendly too.

LUSH BRUSH STROKES FRESH FACE MASK

Lush's Brush Strokes Fresh Face Mask is available at Lush stores and online for $17.95.

Available at Lush stores and lush.com.au

Price: $17.95

One of the things I love about Lush is their fresh ingredients ethos, with all their products being sold with a made and a use before date. Whether or not I actually use something up before it expires is a whole other topic — I don’t and in my humble opinion, they still work great.

I actually picked up this lush (pun intended) musk-scented face mask in Tokyo a few months back and it has just been introduced into Aussie stores so I’m super excited.

I love how easy it is to apply and after I’ve washed it off, my complexion looks much brighter and my skin feels plumper. It really isn’t badly priced compared to similar products on the market and is a great option for ingredient conscious beauty lovers.

THE ORDINARY SALICYLIC ACID 2% MASQUE

This clay mask does exactly what it says on the tin, but just a heads up, it’s v messy when washing off. Picture: The Ordinary

Available at Priceline and theordinary.com

Price: $21.90

Affordable but potent beauty brand The Ordinary have come out raving about their new clay and charcoal mask, which contains 2 per cent Salicylic Acid — an ingredient used to help the skin peel and reveal the fresh, rejuvenated layer underneath and as such, this baby comes with a strict warning: “Leave on for no longer than 10 minutes.”

It was super easy to apply and did exactly what it promised, with my face feeling free of flaky dead skin and looking much brighter, more radiant even afterwards. There is a but with this one, and that is the process of getting it off.

The grey charcoal and clay mixture may work its cleansing magic on my pores (which seemed tighter afterwards and blackhead free) but it’s a bloody mess to remove. It’s worth the hassle, but definitely a lot of rinsing to get it off, with grey water splashing all over my bathroom floor.

YOUTH TO THE PEOPLE HYDRATE + GLOW DREAM MASK

This smells tasty as and does wonders for your skin while you snooze. What’s not to love? Picture: Sephora

Available at Sephora

Price: $72

I’ve been obsessed with this brand and product for a while and I’m so glad I finally get the chance to spam you about it.

It smells scrummy, works when you’re sleeping and is packed full of natural goodies that do wonders for your skin. The vitamin C gives my often sleep-deprived skin a brighter hue and the hyaluronic acid is a huge moisture boost. I also really love the thick texture of the cream which despite my initial fears, soaks in easily and feels super silky to touch.

The superfoods formula, which is packed with maqui, goji, acai, and prickly pear berries, gives the product a lovely scent. It really is a perfect bedtime companion.

This column is not advertorial content. Every review is independent, honest and ad free.

If you have a question about a beauty product or an item you’d like to see road tested in The Beauty Diary, jump into our official Facebook group where you can join like-minded beauty junkies. You can also catch me on Instagram or tweet me — don’t forget to hashtag #TheBeautyDiary.