A new way to mask

I find nearly all masks to be some degree of annoying. In sheet form, they are ridiculously wasteful. In a pot, they inevitably make a mess, which entirely nullifies the stress-reducing benefits.

But recently, a savvy little stick came into my life and caused me to reconsider my aversion.

Its practical packaging and finger-free application vowed to make the whole process clean and simple.

The concept was actually developed in response to a survey that showed many women found traditional masks too messy. (I’m not alone!) OK, I’ll give you a try, I thought, and promptly flung the tube into my suitcase before jetting off to New York Fashion Week.

Unlike its creamy counterparts, this stuff was solid. And after full days of criss-crossing the city from show to show, squeezing my way into the hair and makeup mayhem and subsisting on protein bars and coconut water (the free snacks on offer backstage), there was nothing more delightful than slicking on this skin-saver and sinking into a piping hot bath. The charcoal formula glided effortlessly across my T-zone and over the blemishes that pop up every time I step off a plane. After I washed it off (full disclosure: a mere rinse was not enough to remove the grey tinge from my face, but a quick pass of micellar water did the trick), my skin looked plastic-smooth with no feeling of tightness. Pimples seemed to shrink overnight. Even after a superstorm caused all the flights to be cancelled and I had no choice but to hop on a 13-hour train ride home, there were no stress breakouts to be found, just clear, glowing skin.

So whether I’m boarding a plane, train or automobile, you can trust I’ll henceforth be keeping this mask handy. I guess you could say I’m a full-fledged millennial now. #blessed