Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask

Whenever I hear or read about the Summer Fridays skincare brand, the Jet Lag Mask usually pops up pretty quickly as it has such a cult presence in the world of skincare – everyone raves about it and says it’s one of those quickly transforming products that everyone needs in their kit.  So, during my last Cult Beauty Haul (check out my post here) I decided to pick this up.

The Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask is marketed as a nourishing and lightly exfoliating mix of ceramides, vitamins and exfoliating extracts that’s designed to calm stressed skin, provide hydration, gently exfoliate and just improve the overall texture and appearance of skin.  It’s called “Jet Lag” since it promises to address the multiple short-term issues you can often get with flying (dehydration, breakouts, sallowness) in a quick fix mask.

You use this by applying a thin layer all over and leaving it for…well, as long as you like! Apparently it can be left on overnight, but the suggestion is that you leave it for a minimum of 10 minutes.  You can apply right up to the eye (just tread carefully not to actually get it in the eye) and both times I’ve used it I was in the bath so I left it on for probably around an hour.

So…both times I’ve used this, I’ve applied it, then after about 10 minutes I’ve become aware of a bit of a stinging.  This is not a deal-breaker for me as I’ve used potent acid masks before (although this is not marketed as such) that give skin a bit of a tingle, but I was caught off-guard by this as I was expecting more of a nourishing, calming product without any sting.

When I removed the mask, I was pretty shocked to find that my face was extremely red! As in, post-peel/post-laser red, definitely not something I’m used to after using a mask.  I have hardy skin that can tolerate very strong acids, retinols and doesn’t usually colour unless really aggressively treated, so to go this colour from a mask that isn’t sold as an acid mask was a bit of a shock.

Having said all that, once my skin calmed down, it definitely looked smoother and had a bit of a glow, so I’m unsure whether to use it again.  I can’t find any mention of acids other than Citric Acid in the ingredients – CA is pretty strong, but my skin has got on well with it when featured in other products – so there is a chance that there’s something in this that upset my particular skin, although having had a quick search, I’ve noticed others who have had a similar experience.

The jury is still very much out for me.  I like the fact that skin looked so good after it had settled, but I can achieve that with other products without the signs of inflammation, so I’m not sure if this is a product I will continue to use.  I will, however, try out some other bits from Summer Fridays as so many people swear by the brand and I need to know more!

Find the Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask at Cult Beauty here – link – where prices start at £22 for £28.

Disclosure: purchased by me.