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A sheet mask is a sheet mask is a sheet mask, right? Meaning, you use one, you’ve used them all. Until one bright shining star makes you reconsider all those cotton sheets soaked in mysterious goo that came before. As is the case with the latest, very Instagram-friendly sheet mask I just discovered. Not only is its beauty literally skin deep, it goes deeper (in big benefits and results).
I’m chatting about my MAGICSTRIPES Magnetic Youth Mask ($22), which is—get this—a German brand that was inspired by epic Japanese masks. How global is that? A little background on this “magical” (get it?) brand: created by celebrity makeup artist and Berlin cool girl Natalie Franz after a trip to Tokyo where she discovered high-concentration, high-quality face masks, and especially eyelid masks. This little adventure sparked her own brand, MAGICSTRIPES, where Franz customized further the results and desires in a mask she wasn’t finding on the market. Over the five years since conception, the brand has grown now to include not only a variety of face masks for different skin types, but also hand glove masks and chin masks for uplifting, too.
But to me, the hero product in the seven-line range is that Magnetic Youth Mask. If looking reminiscent to a Lichtenstein painting with the Ben-Day dots wasn’t enough of a selfie pull, please allow the magical skincare ingredients in this soon-to-be-buzzy mask sway you. Those dots you see aren’t just for a fun print, they’re actually magnets. The force of those magnets accelerates the circulation of blood and fluids, which basically detoxifies and de-puffs through the removal of toxins, impurities, and excess water out of the body. Beyond that, the magnets can also generate red blood cells and stimulate healthy new cells for healthier, fresh-looking skin.
Magnets?! In skincare!? Yep, turns out it’s actually super legit. “Magnets have been known for ages to help with wound healing and decreasing inflammation,” says Dr. Lily Talakoub of McLean Dermatology in McLean, Virginia. “The magnetic field imposed by magnets increases angiogenesis of the development of new blood vessels, which increases blood flow and brings growth factors to wounds, and has anti-aging benefits.” Magnets are also thought to increase the pull of toxins and impurities, cleaning out the pores and leaving skin fresher and cleaner, Dr. Talakoub says.
In the name of skincare, I pulled the dotted mask out of its packaging and put it on. All was par for course, until I could slightly feel my skin ‘working’, like the blood was flowing more than it usually does. I upped the ante by softly massaging my face with a facial roller (I’ve been using this Joanna Czech one, and I love it!) for 10 minutes to increase even more blood circulation. After 20 minutes sitting on my face, I pulled off the mask and noticed a visible flush and glow. While a glow is pretty standard after a 20 minute ‘goo soak’, the after effects did seem to last much longer (days) than my normal sheet masks. Did it seem like it had also pulled out impurities from my skin? It’s possible, although I didn’t notice much of a visible increase in clarity. But it did make for some really great photos while masking though.
So, major skin goals in a mere 20 minutes, while also looking like a painting worthy of an epic selfie? We may have just found the new cult-status face mask then, folks.
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