The Masked Avengers

One of my biggest problem areas is my skin. It hates me. I swear my face holds some long standing vendetta against me for using St Ives Apricot Scrub everyday from the ages of 15-18. HEY SKIN! I DIDN'T KNOW ANY BETTER! LEAVE IT OUT NOW WOULD YOU PLEASE!?!!!

Seriously though. After about 2 years of suffering with what can only be described as adult acne and £££££'s worth of cosmetics later, its still being what can quite frankly only be described as 'a little bitch'. I have a dermatologist appointment booked for a few weeks time (finally!) and I'm hoping we may start to get somewhere. Cross your fingers for me boys and girls!

Anyway, as well as expensive skin care products and multiple rounds of antibiotics, one of the treatments I've undergone has been topical creams. These usually contain ingredients such as benzoyl peroxide which have really dried out my skin, sometimes to the point of flakiness and peeling. Not pretty.

The thing with treating acne is that you have to persevere as it can take weeks to see results. Which is horrible and distressing and to any and all out there who are suffering also, I HEAR YOU! This meant that I needed something that was going to combat the sever drying effect that those topical creams were having on my face, and after reading many a review and blog posting I thought I'd give the Origins Drink Up - Intensive Overnight Mask a go.

Origins Drink Up - Intensive Overnight Mask:

My first thought was ' Holy mother of all that is good in the world this stuff smells incredible! ' The scent is just gorgeous. I could not wait to slap this over my freshly cleansed face. The texture is lovely too, light, slightly gel like and easily worked over the face, even in delicate areas. Furthermore, I'm awarding a bonus for only needing a pea sized amount. At £22 (Boots) for 100ml Origins are definitely providing value for money here, and having to use so little for each application is bloody marvellous.


The morning after I treated my misbehaving mug to an intensive drink I noticed that it was definitely smoother, softer and I'd say a little plumper than normal. After a couple of uses (every other night) my dry areas had cleared up (no more flaking!) and my face felt less tight throughout the day and even after cleansing. However I did start to notice tiny little white heads, those little one clogged pore type buggers rather than a big ol' spot/zit. They appeared around my chin and near my nose. I left the mask alone for a few nights, let them clear up and then started again, moving to just twice a week, and lo and behold the same thing happened. So upsetting!


I still use the mask just around the less sensitive areas of my face, the temple, cheeks, jawline and forehead and only a very small amount for each application. This seems to be working for me and my bastard skin, and I still relish applying the stuff because it smells just so darn good!


My conclusion is this: If you have dry, dehydrated skin, say yes. A big fat whopper of a yes! Its brilliant value for money and it really works. Does exactly what it says on the tin.

If you're more combination / oily  / sensitive I'd be a little more cautious. Get a sample first, apply a couple of times and see what the outcome is.


It's a brilliant mask. You just need a face that's more inclined to cooperate than mine seems to be!






Origins Out of Trouble 10 Minute Mask:

I stumbled across this mask while looking for information on Drink Up - Intensive. Again its £20 for 100ml (Boots) and as someone who doesn't shy away from spending half her pay check on products that might just resolve her skin issues, I figured I'd give it ago. I did google first, looked for any warning signs that people had suffered reactions or breakouts, and as far as I could see the cost was pretty clear so into the cart it went!

My immediate reaction to this mask was basically confusion. I squeezed a little out and immediately was hit by the strong smell and similarity in texture to really thick shaving cream. You know the kind they use with a wet shaving with a brush? That! It smells and feels like the stuff my dad used to keep in a big round pot at the side of the sink. Blurgh!

I went for it though. I popped that thick gunk all over my clean face left it for the required ten minutes and rinsed. The result? Nothing to shout about. I felt cleansed, and while my skin wasn't tight or red, there was nothing really different about it. Now I know this is more likely to be beneficial as and ongoing thing so I kept at it, every few days for a couple of weeks. Result? Nada. No improvement on my skin and actually it caused a similar trouble to the Drink Up - Intensive with tiny little white pimples cropping up. Maybe I'm sensitive to common ingredient?

Conclusion: On more robust skin I'm sure it would be absolutely fine, but you're entering love hate Marmite type territory with that smell! Again... samples first maybe?

Now like I said, my skin hates me. It seems to react to a lot of things, hasn't been clear in over two years and responds positively to very little. However I still thought I'd put my two cents out there about this duo.

I'd love to know how you guys are fairing with either of these products! Am I just doing it wrong?!