What’s common between John Stamos, David Beckham and John Legend, besides them being household names whose net worth include more zeroes than you can count on your fingers?
It’s that these celeb dads swear by the wonders of face masks. That poreless skin we see onscreen isn’t all Photoshop.
If your skincare routine has been the classic soap-and-water rinse, your mug has in all likelihood experienced the ravages of quarantine – air-conditioned rooms drying your skin, upturned sleep cycles leaving baggy eyes and stray wrinkles from relentless exposure to gadgets’ blue light while WFH and home-schooling the kids.
The silver lining is celebrity radiance doesn’t always cost starry prices. We’ve rounded up four DIY face mask recipes loaded with the TLC of branded sheet masks and professional facials for you to pamper yourself with. All you need are basic kitchen ingredients and 20 minutes of uninterrupted me-time.
Hydrating green tea mask (makes two masks)
Place 2 teaspoons of loose green tea in a mug, pour over ½ cup boiling water; steep for 10 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Place ½ cup rice flour in a small food processor; strain green tea mixture over rice flour, blend to form a paste. Add ½ ripe avocado; blend until smooth. To use, spread half the mask on clean face and neck; leave on for 20 minutes. Rinse mask off with warm water, then pat face dry. Place remaining mask in a small container or jar; cover the surface directly with plastic wrap and seal with a lid. Mask will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Purifying papaya mask (makes two masks)
Peel ¼ papaya (220g), remove and discard the seeds. Cut papaya into chunks; place in a food processor with 2 teaspoons white chia seeds and 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil. Blend until smooth; stand for 5 minutes or until mask has thickened. To use, spread half the mask on clean face and neck; leave for 20 minutes. Rinse mask off with warm water then pat face dry. Place remaining mask in a small container or jar; cover the surface directly with plastic wrap and seal with a lid. Mask will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Vanilla mask for sensitive skin (makes two masks)
Mash 1 large (230g) ripe banana in a small bowl with ½ cup thick plain coconut yoghurt (or almond milk), ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar. To use, spread half the mask on clean face and neck; leave for 20 minutes. Rinse mask off with warm water then pat face dry. Place remaining mask in a small container or jar; cover the surface directly with plastic wrap and seal with a lid. Mask will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Exfoliating oatmeal mask (makes two masks)
Pulse 1/2 cup rolled oats, 2 tablespoons brown sugar (or demerara sugar) and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon in a food processor until finely ground; tip into a bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil, followed by ½ cup water to form a thick paste. To use, spread half the mask on clean face and neck; leave for 20 minutes. Rinse mask off with warm water then pat face dry. Place remaining mask in a small container or jar; cover the surface directly with plastic wrap and seal with a lid. Mask will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Camera Press
