The Body Shop Cruelty Free Face Masks

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So last year and this year so far I've hardly blogged, which is why I bought these face masks in DECEMBER 2018 (Christ) and have been meaning to write a little something about them ever since then. Lockdown is doing wonders for me attempting to do all these things I haven't got around to yet, apart from any kind of long-standing cleaning projects I'm avoiding. Cleaning my oven is just too much of a commitment, okay?
Anyway, I've been doing a LOT of face masking with my sister over Facetime in the last few weeks, and have finally finished a few of the pots. We bought these together in a bargain deal of the century. Picture late-December sales and these five face masks, which cost £18 individually, in a set for £30. After realising I had a £5 points voucher we got all five for £25 and honestly my life peaked at that point.
Anyway, now that I've had quite some time to use them all, I'm going to do a run down of what my favourites are, and how they work on my combination skin.

Usually I'm a big fan of anything that really feels like it's sucked out practically every skin cell from your face and leaves you feeling clean and tight. HOWEVER, I've developed a real love for the British Rose mask. It's the most hydrating out of all of them and smells amazing. I'm very much a 'why do I still have so many spots in my mid-twenties' kind of person and this seems to take my spots down and reduce redness a lot quicker than any of the other masks. This is the only one I've repurchased in its full size because its soothing and feels like a full on pamper when I put it on.
Next on my list is at completely the other end of the spectrum: the Himalayan charcoal mask. When I mentioned the whole stripping of skin cells thing, this is what I was thinking of. It really gets in deep and makes my sensitive skin a little red and tingly BUT a few days after I use it my skin really sorts itself out. This is one of those clay masks that draws everything to the surface, so you do often end up with a few new spots the morning after using it, but your skin is so soft and it seems to balance my combination skin out well. It is something that can be a little drying, so I do try to make sure I moisturise after this one.

I live in quite a rural area now, so a pollution clearing mask isn't at the top of my list of things that I really need, but I would have loved to have this Japanese matcha tea mask whilst I was working in London. This is one that really sinks into your skin and doesn't leave masses of residue behind. It's a bit hard to describe - it's not super hydrating and doesn't strip your skin bare, but I feel very clean after using it and it's one of my favourites to go for.
My least two faves are the Amazonian acai mask and the Chinese ginseng and rice one. The acai mask isn't on The Body Shop's site at the moment, but they have pared down their products whilst they have fewer workers and lots of orders coming in due to the coronavirus. I find the texture of this one a little odd - it feels like smearing sticky jam on your face. It's got little seeds in that exfoliate your face, but if I'm honest it just doesn't do much for my combination skin. 
The Chinese ginseng and rice mask is a little better. I'm REALLY not a fan of the smell at all (I can't think of anything to compare it to, but there's no hint of niceness about it). It's the roughest out of the bunch on exfoliation so I try to use it sparingly to keep my skin from being too red and sensitive. This is one that really feels like it scrapes everything off the surface, but isn't the best for my sensitive skin.

Face masks have been a real small light over the last few weeks. I treasure the time I spend doing face masks over Facetime with my sister, and it's something I really look forward to.
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