Holika Holika Wine Therapy Sleeping Mask
I take the Lisa Eldridge approach to face masks and use one nearly every day. Normally I throw on a mask while I’m washing my hair, painting my nails, or doing my laundry. Lately though, I’ve been experimenting with sleeping masks because I am lazy and sleep is one of my favorite activities. I have since fallen in love with Holika Holika’s Wine Therapy Sleeping Mask which is supposed to “hydrate, rejuvenate, and exfoliate skin gently.” I pop this puppy on whenever my skin is feeling a little dryer than usual.
Holika Holika is one of many Korean skincare brands that have a major cult following here in the US (hi /r/asianbeauty). They’re current available at Urban Outfitters and through various vendors online. They have all the hallmarks of Asian skincare: cute as fuck packaging, bizarre names, and seriously high quality products for great prices.
This sleeping mask is made with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes which, if I’m to believe my Facebook news feed, help prevent signs of aging and remedy a lack of personality. The website description that calls it “light weight” and a “cream” is basically a gigantic lie. The actual mask looks and smells like a jell-o-shot. Please avoid this mask if you have a hangover, no one wants to puke when they have red goop on their face. I normally put a thin layer on my face, about as much product as I have on the scoopula in the picture on the right. This stuff is super gross. I tried to take a picture of it on my face that did it justice but alas, I am no photographer. I recommend putting a towel over your pillow unless you’d like your pillow case to look like you transformed into a snail in your sleep.
I most recently used this mask after holiday celebrations (aka passing out with an unwashed and makeup covered face) left my skin an acne covered mess. My usual nuclear war approach to fighting acne (seriously I am 24 years old my skin should have moved on from this) left my skin in the need of some serious TLC. I put the mask on about an hour after my usual nightly routine (minus chemical exfoliation) and woke up the next morning with some seriously improved skin. Just a warning, the mask feels super gross in the morning before you wash it off (I suggest a gentle cleanser like Fresh’s Soy Face Wash). Once the remainder of goop was washed off my face super smooth and happy skin was revealed. My formerly flaky PIH was smooth slightly less red PIH and one stubborn spot came to a head and was swiftly dealt with (I know this is a skincare blog but I refuse to talk about the mechanics of draining a zit. It is disgusting. There are other places on the Internet for that).
While I love this mask, it is gross. I do not recommend using it all the time–I personally can only handle getting snailed up once a month but it is highly effective and highly recommended. Wine therapy for all!