BEAUTY LAB Tried and tested peel-off masks

Novelty peel-off masks circa 1990 are back, but are they any better? Contributing beauty editor BECCI VALLIS relives her teens to find out

Urban Decay Rehab Makeup Prep Pore Refining Peel, £24 An oily T-zone can ruin a base, so a peel-off you apply 10 minutes before foundation to stop shine has legs – and produces some satisfying gunk. With plant extracts that tighten pores, it makes for a good primer, too.

Soap & Glory What A Peeling! Purifying De-Clog Mask, £4.99 A gloopy Pepto-Bismol pink formula, you get two mask pots per pack with a diddy scoop to help you apply (which doesn’t stop drips, so don’t wear your best top). After the 25-minute wait, it didn’t peel off in one and wasn’t good enough for me to go make-up free. A viable deep clean, though.

Editor’s pick... Elizabeth Arden Prevage City Smart Double Action Detox

Peel Off Mask, £60 This gel promises to stick to pollution particles like glue. You can’t see pollution, but there was no smoke and mirrors when it came to skin softness after. The mask was tracing-paper thin, but very easy to peel off after 20 minutes. A little goes a long way, and I went to bed moisturiser-free.

Nügg Mermaid Marine Peel Off Mask,

£9.99 A soft powder that you add water to and stir, the resulting thick, rubbery mask made me look more sea monster than mermaid. It tingles for 15 minutes, but in a refreshing way. It came off in one go, with satisfying pore debris. It also left blackheads ripe for squeezing. Just saying.

Zero Skin Caviar Mask,

£24.99 Ignore the fish eggs, it’s the charcoal that makes this black. It also has liquorice to brighten, collagen to firm and kaolin clay for extracting impurities. It’s thin but very tacky, so works quickly – and woe betide you get any in your brows. It took a few yanks to remove, but my complexion did look clearer.