The Best Skin Softening Treatment

March 19, 2009

Paula’s Choice Hydrating Treatment Mask is what you hope moisturizing masks will turn out to be when you buy them but somehow they never quite deliver. It leaves your skin the way you hope wonderful moisturizers will but with a more lasting effect. This mask is a hybrid of the most effective cream you’ve ever used and a fantastic softening mask. There is not a trace of greasiness. The feeling is more of drawing water from the air.

My skin is generally oily. I haven’t much need for hydrating masks. But there is no product that comes close to the performance of this one when

- I’ve gotten too exuberant with the exfoliants and my skin is very sensitive and a bit inflamed. Even my regular non-irritating products will sting, but not this wonderful stuff. Wear this for a couple of night and I promise you, your skin will feel baby-ish – moist, plumped, relaxed. It allows a very healing environment. Each morning, I can tell that my skin has healed significantly just overnight.

- It’s a case of sunburned skin, which should never happen but if you believe that, you don’t have children. The product applies very soft and velvety. It doesn’t sting, spreads easily, is not greasy or slippy, and feels calming and cooling to skin.

- I do my usual Skin Balancing Carbon Mask which is quite lovely in a green-black swamp mud sort of way. I place this around my eyes as an eye mask. I gob it on but it’s thick enough to not migrate into your eyes even if the mask is on an hour because you forgot it and the green stuff is crunchy and itchy but your book is so good you didn’t rinse it off. The consistency is of a thick cream, like DQ soft ice cream. It holds a formed swirly shape.

- My children had very very dry skin as toddlers and one still does to this day. Chlorinated pools are particularly offensive. You know those patches of scaly, itchy skin they get on their back? Nothing, and I mean nothing, solved the problem as well as this product. I tried Eucerin. Dormer. Keri. Shea. Akerat. Hydrocortisone. Curel. Lubriderm. Body Shop Butters, though I was averse to using something scented. This is the stuff they ask for. All 3 have a tube by their bed. They haven’t outgrown the dry chapped hands in winter tendency but we have the solution for all these problems.

- I want the best hand and foot cream I know. Sleeping with socks is more than I can bear but with this mask, I don’t need to because it stays put. I add a few drops of lavender or rose oil for this purpose only, barricade the door to my room, and dare someone to get me out of bed. Wear this at night and the Pure Mineral Sunscreen SPF 15 in the day and your kids will very soon stop telling you that you have old lady hands. These are 2 of the most skin-soothing products I know, no matter how sensitive or irritated the skin might be.

- You have a friend whose skin reacts to everything she puts on it. This is the only thing that doesn’t require a few days of indecision about whether it will irritate. She can tell almost immediately that it will be fine. She uses it as her everyday moisturizer. I was glad to give her some to try. I gave her the whole tube 4 days later. Many of you with reactive or sensitive skin will do the same when you see how your skin looks and feels after replacing your moisturizer with this for 3 days. (Of course, it contains no sunscreen so either you use that as well in the daytime, or just use this for a few nights and leave your day routine as is.)

- Your husband is going out with skin so dry that it looks like it has a layer of chalk on it. God knows why that would be after scrubbing his face with Irish Spring. It has no scent and it won’t get in his eyes or make his face shine. He can feel the effect so quickly that he figures he’s getting some bang for his buck. Thankfully, neither the bottle nor cream are peachy pink, so with the words turned towards the wall, the tube can live on his bathroom shelf.

It doesn’t apply thick and white and masky. It goes on invisibly in a thin layer and translucent in a thicker layer, but it’s not white like sunscreen can be. There is absolutely no color residue. It feels much more soft and velvety than any other cream or mask I know, including Paula’s other creams. The texture really is quite unique, more like whipped cream rather than oil. You can put makeup over it within 5 minutes if you want to and there would be no trace of color. I never ever rinse it off, though you could, like any mask.

I believe this is one of the superstars of Paula’s lineup, I really do.

Do you know that cleansers and toners are 25% off in March AND shipping is $3 on all orders? So, that’s Canadian money at par and free shipping from a US site. The next step is obvious. Lay in your summer supplies and pick up a tube of this mask. You will not regret it.

Posted by Christine Scaman | Filed Under Paula's Choice, Skin Care

Comments

6 Responses to “The Best Skin Softening Treatment”

Gail on March 28th, 2009 7:03 pm

I am getting some immediately based on your post, especially the part about your children’s skin, and the products you tried! I have patches of the scaly, itchy skin on my hands and have tried everything I can think of, including most that you listed.

Thanks for reviewing this product.

Gail
Christine Scaman on March 29th, 2009 3:16 pm

And, Gail, I’d consider it a personal favor if you tell me what you think of it – not just where you agree, but also if you disagree. For me, I’m surprised by its pleasant excellence every time I use it.
Rosalie Weiss on March 29th, 2009 3:39 pm

Hi Christine

Just bought the Hydrating Treatment Mask and the carbon Mask. Will let you know what I think. I had samples of the oily products most of which I did not find useful for me—-but i had a sample of the carbon Mask which I liked so I ordered both masks for different purposes.
Christine Scaman on March 30th, 2009 5:01 pm

Hi, Rosalie,

Yes, please do let me know what you think. I find the Carbon mask extremely effective but I couldn’t go more than once weekly. The Hydrating mask, there’s no limit.

Hope you’re well.
Nathalie Moffet on June 10th, 2009 12:07 pm

Thanks for your suggestion about the hydrating mask. I have never tried it as I was afraid it would be too greasy. I have been using Paula’s products for years including both her BHA and AHA. I have a question about the BHA gel : can you use it under makeup and/or sunscreen or does it ball up ? Gels are often difficult that way. I use the 2% BHA liquid, which I love but find drying, so I would use the gel instead if it can be used under other products without problems.
Thanks for the smart website
Nathalie
Christine Scaman on June 12th, 2009 9:30 am

Hi, Nathalie,

I wish I could answer that question but I only wear the BHA products at night, and then only 3 days a week. They’re too drying for me otherwise. I also like to alternate them with other products, like SkinMedica’s Retinol Complex. In the daytime, I use the PC Antioxidant Serum for Normal/Oily skin (called Skin Balancing, I believe), then sunscreen, then foundation. The folks at Paula’s Choice know their products inside out and would probably be able to help. If you find the 2% formulation drying, have you tried the 1%? I like the 2% on my T-zone but use the 1% on the rest of my face, neck, and upper chest area.

Next time you order, get a couple of samples of the Hydrating Mask. I really don’t think you’d call it greasy or oily. You could write, wind a wristwatch, or turn a doorknob easily within 10 seconds of applying it.