by Leah Dwyer
Being home has been a struggle for everyone. We all deserve to have a little spa night. Purchase’s Alternative Center held a Zoom spa night, where they tried a few do it yourself face masks with the attendees.
The Alternative Center is a student-run club that focuses on body positivity, safe sex and gender development. They are also currently supplying hygiene products such as menstrual pads, condoms and deodorant to those on campus in need. People can order these products through a link found on the Instagram page @altcenterpurch.
I tried both face mask recipes as well as one other from the suggested Marie Claire article. I tried all three on different parts of my body before using it on my face, something I always suggest when trying new products to prevent a potential reaction.
It is refreshing to be able to put on a different type of mask for a bit amid the pandemic. The Alternative Center’s zoom was a nice way to have a little human contact, and learn of ways to occupy yourself while stuck inside.
Ejay Battles, one of the students in charge of the spa night, tried Marie Claire’s honey citrus mask. The mask is intended to brighten and rejuvenate skin.
When I tried the mask, I found it to be very messy. As Battles said, “It Is drippier than I had expected.” I found myself standing over the sink for the 15 minutes while it slowly dripped off. It was easy to wash off and left my skin tacky, but moisturized.
After applying moisturizer my skin was a little red and irritated. The tacky feeling stuck around. 10 minutes later my skin, although still tacky, was soft and moisturized.
Ella Goldin, another student in charge of the spa night, made a coffee mask. She combined honey and coffee grounds until the consistency is thick enough to put on the face, but not clumpy. She also suggested mixing in avocado, banana, or oats.
This mask, for my dry autumn skin, was not my favorite. It was a much smoother application than I had anticipated, but still a bit abrasive for sensitive skin. After about 10 minutes I rinsed it off, with a
little difficulty getting off every piece of coffee ground.
After applying lotion my skin was still very dry, but much smoother, and after 10 minutes my skin was still dry but appeared much brighter. I could see that leaving it on for a shorter amount of time in my oilier summer months, would work much better.
I choose the breakfast mask from Marie Claire’s website. The mask composed of one egg yolk, a tablespoon of honey, a tablespoon of olive oil, and half a cup of oatmeal, is meant to help calm the skin. This one was definitely the messiest out of the three, and my least favorite. The oatmeal immediately flaked off and left my skin super dry.
After moisturizing and another 10 minutes, nothing new was noticeable only the dryness left behind. Personally, my sensitive skin never takes well to many face masks, but of all three, I preferred Battles’ honey citrus mask.
A zoom spa night, I found, was a fun break from all the craziness of the year, and being able to try new things with new people was a unique bonding experience. A do-it-yourself face mask is an easy way to add to a spa night, but make sure to do research on products to find what works best for you before diving in face first!