MISSY IN THE MIRROR: The Notes - Sunday morning skincare routine

Thought I'd scare you all with my 'mask face'. Yep that's my face slathered in a mask. So now that I have you full attention, lets proceed to the very important matter of masks and why we should pay more attention to what we put on our skin.

Sunday mornings are nice and relaxed in our house, we like to not make any plans or not start any chores until after noon on Sunday. So it's the time I use to attend to my skin. This is my current routine, but I am not totally happy with it, you will see why in a bit.

Me with the Avene soothing mask on.

Step 1:
So I start of with a large glass of lukewarm water (add a bit of lemon if you like). I LOVE water and I drink it any chance I get.

Step 2:
Then I steam my face, don't be scared, it's easy to do and does not hurt. You just boil some water in a kettle, pour it while its hot in a wide rimmed bowl (try and use a ceramic or plastic bowl instead of metal, so that it doesn't get too hot). If you fancy, you can also add a sprig of rosemary or lavender to it. I sometimes add a few cloves. Stand/sit near the bowl and place your face over it so that you can feel the steam. I like to use a towel over my head so that the steam does not escape round the sides and it's more efficient. If you feel that the steam is too hot, allow the water to cool or lift your head higher. I only spend about 2 minutes steaming my face, but you can pick a length of time that feels comfortable for you. The whole point of this exercise is to open up your pores and allow for a deep clean. Once you are done, don't rub your face with the towel, just pat it dry.

Step 3:
Apply a deep cleansing mask. I use the clariSEA Perfecting Clay Mask and I loooooove it. It's an amazing mask if you want a deep clean without the tight face feeling. It is not too thick so you can actually smooth it on without dragging your skin. The instructions say that you only need a thin layer, so the 118 ml tube will last ages, and it smells nice (not flowery or fruity, just very herbaly). It dries in about 10 mins and it dries clear. You just wash it off with warm water or you can use a hot cloth or muslin cloth to get the product off your face. An added bonus is that if you are prone to spots, you can even use this as a spot treatment!

It retails at $25 + tax, which is really affordable as masks go and you get way more than the usual mask. I am a huge fan. You can find out more at the clariSEA website here. You can also purchase this product on Amazon, in various beauty stores and online at Beautysage.com and Beautybridge.com.

Step 4:
So 'they' say you should follow a deep cleansing mask with a soothing moisturising one. So when I saw the Avene one for $16 (50 ml) I bought it. I now regret it. It's a terrible mask. It's basically my Night Of Olay night cream in a tube and I paid 3 times the price of Olay for it. The instructions are to put a thick layer on and leave it for 10 -15 mins. However, I can only leave it on for 10 as I don't like the feel of this on my skin. So why am I still using it? Well I feel like it's a lesson I am teaching myself for buying something without reading the reviews. The reviews on makeupalley are damning, as this product contains mineral oil and a lot of people break out because of it. I am only thankful for my tough skin for not suffering the same fate. To be honest, I have only used this thrice and I think I am going to swap it or sell it or give it away at the first chance that I get.