16 In Beauty

Trick or Treat, Skin Masks for Transitional Weather

Ren glycolic renewal mask reviewREN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask

When the shadows get longer and the weather gets cooler, my sensitive and highly-reactive skin goes from oily to dry.  All summer I fight oil and breakouts.  All winter, I fight dehydration and patches of eczema.  In October, I fight both oil and dryness!  My favourite trick which works on both the dryness my current small rash-like spots is the REN Glycolic Radiance Renewal Mask, which I discovered this summer.  I also rely on my trusty Ren Flash Rinse One Minute facial, which I’ve written about several times before.  I even put it in my Christmas gift recommendations post last year; it is that good.  As I’ve mentioned before, when I travel, the first thing that goes in my bag is the Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial.  With my current breakout plus dryness issues, I’ve added the Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask in as well (see my Travel size above on the right, and my (large limited edition) At Home one on the left).

I did a little digging to find out what exactly is in the Glycolactic Mask that makes it work so well on my tricky combination skin.  The two main bio actives in this mask are Glycolic Acid (from pineapple) and Lactic Acid (from passion fruit), as the name makes clear.  It also contains Citric Acid (from lemon) and Tartaric Acid (from grapes), so you get four potent acids to clear away skin flakes and exfoliate that top layer of dull skin.  The other bio actives are Omega 3 and Omega 7 (both from arctic blackcurrant seed) and Papain (from papaya).  These last three ingredients act as ‘buffers’ to protect the skin from the acids doing all the heavy duty work.  Papain is known to reduce inflammation, and the Omega oils regenerate, calm, and repair.  I use this mask on my face and décolleté, but not on my neck, since that is where my eczema has decided to take up residence this year (If you have eczema, you’ll know it often relocates yearly).

The instructions say to apply the Glycolic Radiance Renewal Mask to clean skin, leave for 10 minutes, wipe off with a damp cloth, and rinse with warm water.  I do all of that, except I assume if 10 minutes is good, then 20 is better.  Although I leave it on for longer than recommended, my skin isn’t irritated by the extra time (your mileage may vary, of course).  Having such drastic combination skin, I like leaving the product longer to give the acids more opportunity to work on spots and hoover out blocked pores, especially those on my nose and chin.   I’m left with deep-cleaned skin which is perfectly prepped for whatever I need to do next, which is to put on a good serum, moisturiser, spot treatment, or sometimes nothing at all just to give my skin a break.

REN doesn’t test on animals, and isn’t sold in China (where animal testing is mandatory), so not only do I love several of their products (including the Moroccan Rose Otto bath oil which is heavenly), but I love supporting the brand and have done for many years.  The only thing that gives me pause is that last year they were acquired by Unilever, which does not have cruelty-free status, but I am at least supporting a line of their business which agrees with my ethical standards.

To celebrate Halloween, REN has an offer running the 26th-31st of October for a whopping 30% off of any of their masks, using the code MASK30 at checkout for UK customers.  Apologies to my US readers that I don’t have any good Halloween goodies for you, but if they give me a code to cover non-UK customers, I’ll let you know ASAP!

You can browse all of the REN masks on their website.  Obviously, my MUST-HAVES are the Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial and the Glycolic Radiance Renewal Mask, but I’m going to try the Flash Hydro-Boost Instant Plumping Emulsion while this offer is on.  As usual, I’ll also stock up on a few of the 1 Minute Facial Masks to have on hand for Christmas and birthday presents.  I’ve given these to many of my friends and everyone has loved them and repurchased when they ran out.

Let me know if you’ve tried any of these masks.  I’ll update you on the Flash Hydro-Boost one that I haven’t tried yet.  It gets amazing reviews online, so I’m very keen to try it!

Ren Glycolic radiance renewal mask

This review was not paid for, but I was gifted with a product which I already owned (and swear by!)  🙂  Linking to: honestmum

 

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16 Comments

  • Reply
    Tracey
    October 26, 2016 at 3:27 PM

    I have this in a 15ml sample size and I agree it’s a goodie. I use it when I think I could do with some glow as my skin looks lovely after I’ve removed it.
    Fab pictures… love anything that’s remotely connected to Halloween , Tracey xx

    • Reply
      Lisa
      October 26, 2016 at 3:50 PM

      My skin is such a disaster that I use it weekly, at least 🙂 Thank you, lovely Tracey xx

  • Reply
    Abby
    October 26, 2016 at 5:21 PM

    You say glycolactic and radiance in one sentence Lisa, and I’m in! I love everything glycolic acid because it so nicely cleans away old layers of menopausal debris and exfoliates with a nice fresh scent. Plus, I didn’t know that REN doesn’t test on animals so that’s another reason for me to go for it. I’ll definitely give it a try soon. Happy Halloween to you and your family! xx Abby

    • Reply
      Lisa
      October 26, 2016 at 6:57 PM

      Ha! I know, Abby me too! These exfoliation acids are just amazing for the skin; I’m a total convert now. Happy Halloween to you too, gorgeous! xx

  • Reply
    Mithra Ballesteros
    October 27, 2016 at 12:05 AM

    Okay another product endorsed by you gets my $$. Thank you for detailing your regimen. And could I put in a plug for a future post on eczema? And how to combat it?

    • Reply
      Lisa
      October 27, 2016 at 6:14 AM

      You’re so welcome, Mithra! I’ll happily do a future post on eczema; I’ve had it forever. xx

  • Reply
    Michelle
    October 27, 2016 at 6:52 PM

    I’m also a fan of REN for their cruelty free ethos but isn’t it great that their products actually work too! Funnily enough since I’ve been on HRT my skin has become a tad juvenile, breaking out in the T section. This is a timely post for me Lisa, thanks for the info – I’m right on it!

    • Reply
      Lisa
      October 27, 2016 at 9:35 PM

      Great, I’m so glad I could help, Michelle! I live with breakouts all the time, so I couldn’t live without a few good acids in my life! xx

  • Reply
    Michelle
    October 29, 2016 at 2:55 PM

    My skin is wrecked at the moment (I think due to the stress of moving house and a change of water). So a very timely recommend. Thanks Lisa xxx

    • Reply
      Lisa
      October 31, 2016 at 7:42 PM

      You need a facial, a massage, and a bottle of champagne, my friend! xx

  • Reply
    Anastasia Nicole
    October 30, 2016 at 5:10 PM

    If only you had a code for the US! I get those flaky patches in winter and this seems like the perfect solution. I used to use an exfoliator from Cosmedix but it was a bit too harsh for some areas of my skin.

    • Reply
      Lisa
      October 31, 2016 at 7:41 PM

      I keep asking for a US code! I love this line… I just wish they hadn’t been bought by Unilever. I like my independent brands! xx

  • Reply
    Stella Asteria
    October 31, 2016 at 5:26 PM

    I have never tried them but they sound like a must-try from what I read from your post and the comments! Thank you for the information my dear Lisa, hope to find a sample to try! Have a great week! xoxo
    Stella
    http://www.stellaasteria.com

    • Reply
      Lisa
      October 31, 2016 at 7:39 PM

      Thanks darling, definitely see if you can find a sample. They’re SUPERB! xx

  • Reply
    Gail
    November 5, 2016 at 4:22 PM

    Always looking for recommendations re glycolic acid – have found some of the products too drying, they seem to make wrinkles worse – so will give REN a try.

    • Reply
      Lisa
      November 5, 2016 at 4:32 PM

      The Ren products are excellent Gail. If you need moisture, I’ve just been using for 4 days their new product Flash Hydro Boost. I use it every night under a night cream/lotion/serum, and every day under my makeup and day cream. It really adds a lot of plumping moisture without causing any breakouts. I can’t recommend it enough! I’m going to do a blog post on it soon. You could use the Hydro Boost right after you wash the Glycolic Acid mask off. xx

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