Triple Threat Facials: Stage One (the exfoliators)

Multi-purpose facials that consist of the application of three different masks to perform a set of specific functions have become extremely popular lately, and as I love to find a way to make full use of my extremely large cupboard of masks, (I can’t help it, I just love a good mask) the Triple Threat Facial is my favourite way to do a facial.  After a cleanse (maybe a nice oil or balm followed by a similarly gentle follow-on cleanser; you don’t want anything too harsh) you need to have three masks that perform the three functions: an exfoliating mask, a purifying mask and a moisture-boosting mask.  The exfoliator gets rid of dead skin and preps it for the purifying mask, which pulls out all impurities and gives skin a thorough cleansing, then after all that graft you treat skin to a replacement of moisture with a decent moisture-booster.  Rather than write one long post, I thought I’d break it down into the three different mask categories to give you some ideas on masks to use.  First up we have the exfoliators:

REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask 

Everyone’s favourite chemical exfoliator comes in the form of REN’s Glycolactic, which is a cult mask for very good reason as it’s gentle yet extremely effective.  I won’t go into lots of detail as you can read my review here, but this is a really good starter for the tripe-threat as it’ll exfoliate just enough to prep your skin rather than overdoing it; you need skin to be able to handle the purifying mask which will almost certainly be clay based, so you don’t want to upset it with anything too heavy-handed which is why I’d recommend only using a chemical exfoliating mask rather than a manual one.  It’s £30 here – link.

Merumaya Skin Brightening Exfoliating Peel 

Don’t let the ‘peel’ name scare you as it refers only to the inclusion of Glycolic Acid in the ingredients.  This is the perfect choice for those in a hurry as you only need 10 minutes (and if you’re really stuck for time you can get away with using it for just a few minutes – it’s that effective) and it really does work; skin feels softer, smoother and the right side of polished making it perfect for inclusion in the TT facial.  This is the best for most skin types as it’s the “Goldilocks” of the three (not too gentle, not too harsh) with the REN one being more gentle and the Elemis one below being best for tougher skin.  It’s also the cheapest of the three featured at just £19.50; chemical exfoliators with decent ingredients like this one are rarely cheap, so this is a seriously good price.  Find out more here – link.

Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Gel Mask

I mentioned in my skincare post here that the Tri-Enzyme is my favourite of the Elemis ranges, and this mask is a particularly good example of the range.  It’s the most powerful of the three in this post, so if you have sensitive skin then tread carefully as you’ll likely get more than a tingle! This mask takes a bit of getting used to as once applied it goes really, really cold; its likely like what I’d expect a toothpaste mask to feel like…It’s a gem of a mask though as it smooths and refines and I personally don’t find it uncomfortable to use, however I do get why others would as the cold tingle is a bit alarming.  It’s the best for tough and/or very oily/spotty skins, although it’s the most expensive of the bunch at £49 here – link.

All three of these masks are on my regular use list so I can confidently recommend them as part of the Triple Threat facial.  I’ll be posting three more masks next week that work well as the second stage, the purifying step.

*PR Samples