Face masks to cleansers to masks

Iam by no means an impulsive risk taker.

CHENNAI : Iam by no means an impulsive risk taker. I’ve never been someone you’d call a daredevil, risk-taker, or even the life of a party (unless it’s a nachos party). I refuse to sky dive, go abseiling, and am deathly afraid of roller coasters — because honestly, the catastrophic possibilities far outweigh my mortal pride.
But what about the adrenaline? Zest of life? The YOLO!

You see, there are far more non-life-threatening risks I’m willing to take, that some of the sky-divers would probably shake their head no at. For example, I very recently, without much preparation (aside from an Alexa Chung photo), had my hair cut. Daredevil status! Call it whatever you want, but I have long-disposed off things like “reading directions” and “heeding precautions” in my life. I’ve used cleansers before, and am pretty sure the way to use one is pretty basic - slap it on, rinse it off. See? Simple.

But then suddenly, skincare threw a curveball at me and presented a cleanser that is also a mask. The mask is also a deep cleanser. (Say whaaa) As far as weird hybrids go, this sits comfortably in the middle of the Cronut to crossushi scale. The cleanser turns into a face mask if you let it marinate for a bit, and I tried out a few to make your life easier.   

First up on my list was Neutrogena’s 2-in-1 Rapid Clear mask, which is clearly a mask that wishes it was a cleanser, the same way I wish I was as cool as Audrey Tatou in Amelie (oh my god-have you even watched this film? It’s brilliant!). It’s slightly gloopier than a regular mask, but left my skin feeling rather clean, so well done, mask...or something!

ESPA’s gel cleanser will surprise you because you can, actually mask with it. It’s full of pumpkin enzymes and jojoba, which makes for a good everyday cleanser and also works as a conditioning mask. My skin was soft and smooth like a baby’s bottom when I was done, which pleases my instant gratification tendencies, given the super steep price tag. 

I wrapped up my little experiment with Body Shop’s Tea Tree wash/mask/scrub, which was a rather confusing task. You’re directed to leave it on for 5-10 minutes, but it’s a wash. So is it a... slow cleanser? Or did I just read the label wrong, you know, since I had clearly long-disposed these things from my life? I did, however, accidentally get some of it in my eye. I strongly recommend you avoid doing this.

The wonders of multi-masking never truly ceases to amaze me, and while I am good with combining different regimens and products, I am not sure how I feel about two-in-one things. Cleanse if you’re a cleanser. If you’re a mask… do whatever it is that you’re supposed to do. Are these dual products defying the rules of physics? Will they make your face explode? The jury is out!

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