I don’t really wear much makeup in the way of foundation or concealer when I go out. I touch my own face and smoosh my face against other people’s faces with far too much frequency to wear a full-face of foundation, inducing the anxiety of staining someone clothes, or the aforementioned faces.
As a result of this full-coverage anxiety, I really like my skin to feel (and look) nice before I go out. Both for my own benefit and for those faces with which my face will be smooshed against. My pre-going out routine, therefore, is focused on making sure that my sleep-deprived, stressed-out, 5 PM Friday-skin looks like I woke up on a Sunday well rested and sans hangover… HA!
That means that there are masks. Masks that work wonders on fooling everyone into thinking that I didn’t stay up half the night before finishing an essay and eating cold pizza. As well as serving the purpose of scaring my boyfriend when I walk out of the bathroom after applying them. An exercise which honestly is occasionally my only motivation for doing them. The reaction is priceless.
My go-to going out mask is currently the Tatcha Violet-C Radiance Mask. It is a vibrant purple colour when applied to the skin (refer to the previous paragraph and scaring boyfriend), and it has two different kinds of Vitamin C, which make for added radiance. It is an aptly named mask.
I put it on and crack a bottle of wine because skin prep/pre-drinking, potato/potato. After 20-minutes I remove and my skin is calm and really glowy. The mask comes off easily, so there’s no scrubbing that may induce redness, so I can immediately see the difference. And I am a fan of the difference. Less redness which means less need to cover redness and brighter looking skin, meaning well-rested heist success.
Next, I do an eye mask, which is like giving a shot of espresso to each of my under eyes. I’m kind of a fan of under eye darkness, I think they have mysteriously ‘cool-girl, what were you up to last night?’ kind of appeal. I am not, however, a fan of fine lines, or dry-eye skin.
I use the Peter Thomas Roth 24K Gold Pure Luxury Lift & Firm Hydra-Gel Eye Patches because they look fancy and they make me feel fancy. They have caffeine in them, so they really are like espresso for eyeballs, and they have gold in them, which makes them look cool, and is also apparently good for eyeballs.
Note:. Do not put them on your eyeballs, put them on surrounding eyeball skin. Refer to images.
Et Voilà!
I look rested and I’m a bit buzzed (this could also be the wine, but disregard).
I feel like there is something a bit magical about a going out skin routine; it feels luxurious and a bit opulent, and always makes me feel more excited about whatever I will be doing that night. It also means that I feel like I need less makeup and can sweat and face-smoosh with less anxiety. I apply half a tube of mascara, a little cover-up, lip balm and I’m done and ready for my glowy, freshly-masked skin to outshine the disco ball I will inevitably encounter.
Words: Matilda Dods
Photography: Ella Jane