Beauty that’ll make your skin feel TOASTY

WITH the Beast from the east freezing us all, we’re looking to generate heat any way we can. But did you know your beauty regimen could warm you up?

Self-heating skincare is a hot (sorry) new trend, promising to help ingredients penetrate deeper into your skin, making products more effective. But do they work? We put some to the test... WARMING CLEANSER Resurfizz Two-Step Carbonated Face Peel, £49 for four, theheroproject.co.uk WHAT IT IS: A self-heating cleanser followed by an enzyme-based mask. The cleanser contains a volcanic mineral called zeolite; adding water breaks the bonds within it to release heat. WHAT IT’S LIKE: Lukewarm. I applied the cleanser to wet skin but there was very little heat produced. Next, I applied the mask which contains pomegranate enzymes to slough off dead skin. It has a gel texture that slowly changes to a foam. My skin felt clean enough but that was all. HEAT RATING: COSY EYE MASK Self-Heating Eye Mask, £15 for five, spacemasks.com WHAT IT IS: A fabric mask that uses the same technology as single-use hand warmers. Iron powder in the mask reacts with oxygen in the air to produce iron oxide, and a by-product is heat. They start heating up the minute you open the packet and stay warm for at least 15 minutes. They can’t overheat and don’t go beyond 40c — pleasantly toasty. WHAT IT’S LIKE: This was the only product I tried that got genuinely hot. It’s also simple to use, though I couldn’t really smell jasmine in it. The company says it can relieve eye strain and tiredness. HEAT RATING:

SPOT BUSTER Clinique Blackhead Solutions Self-Heating Blackhead Extractor, £22, clinique.co.uk

WHAT IT IS: A scrub containing bamboo powder and pumice to exfoliate skin, and magnesium sulphate, which on contact with water produces heat.

WHAT IT’S LIKE: It comes with a round, dimpled rubber tip. You apply it from the tube, then add water and massage with the tip. They say it ‘gently yet effectively extracts blackheads without pain’. While the product did warm up a little, I’m as sceptical as online reviewers that it can extract blackheads in the way the company claims.

HEAT RATING: TOASTY TOES Susanne Kaufmann Warming Foot Cream, £38, net-a-porter.com WHAT IT IS: A thick cream that contains camphor, rosemary, thyme, sage and menthol, the last of which increases blood flow when applied to the skin. WHAT IT’S LIKE: A luxurious cream with a medicinal smell. I massaged it in liberally but felt no warming — but as a foot cream it’s great. HEAT RATING: GLOW-BOOST MASK Purederm Self-Heating Deep Cleansing Moisture Mask, £3.50 for three, fragrancedirect.co.uk WHAT IT IS: A creamy face mask that contains zeolite. WHAT IT’S LIKE: After wetting your face, you use dry hands to smooth the mask over your skin and massage it in, then rinse off. It definitely generated heat and contains good ingredients such as the antioxidant retinyl palmitate and vitamin e.

I’m not sure it deep cleans and unclogs pores any better than a hot flannel, but it’s fun to use and leaves skin moisturised.

HEAT RATING: DETOXING OIL Sanctuary Spa Warming Detox Charcoal Wash, £9, sanctuary.com WHAT IT IS: A gel cleanser that transforms into an oil when water is added, apparently producing a small amount of warmth. WHAT IT’S LIKE: The warming effect was negligible but it left my skin soft — though I doubt there’s enough heat or charcoal in it to unclog and detox.

HEAT RATING: