Remember in middle school when you used to get those green mud masks in the squeeze tubes and make your entire bedroom smell like mint while you and your friends watched romantic comedies all night? So do I. I can still taste Dunkaroos washed down with Coca-Cola, which maybe isn’t the fondest memory, but nostalgia, you know?
Turns out that girls’ nights have taken a turn for the better — even though those nights were pretty great. With Mother’s Day right around the corner, it’s definitely time to remember that your mom is your forever best friend, so why not have a girls’ night in, just the two of you?
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Just like those green mud masks of yesteryear, what’s a girls’ night without face masks? The goopy stuff you put on your face as a kid has come a long way, and now that you’re older and wiser, it’s time to talk about why face masks are useful (since we all already know they’re fun). Most masks, no matter the kind, are filled with high-potency ingredients that give you major benefits in a flash. Take sheet masks, for example. The oozy stuff that some people hate in them? It’s legitimately just a serum, but a highly concentrated one that is being pushed into the skin thanks to the gel or paper mask that contains it.
Basically, masks are a major treatment in a tiny package, and you (and your mom) should be using them.
Grab your cutest PJs, some snacks, a rom-com or four, and invest in these five masks for Mother’s Day, because your mom definitely deserves a girls’ night.
Peach Slices Peel-Off Masks
Peach Slices isn’t just an adorable name for a brand (but it is pretty dang cute, right?). The affordable drugstore masks are actually from Alicia Yoon, the creator of acclaimed Korean beauty-inspired skin-care line Peach & Lily. Thanks to her expertise, Peach Slices’ peel-off masks are a serious bang for your Mother’s Day moolah, and you should 100 percent snag all three of them at just $9.99 each.
The three masks all come in a peel-off form, and yes, I tested all three, and yes, it’s a little weird at first, but who better to try something new (and low-key weird) with than your mom, right? The masks come with three different purposes — brightening, hydrating and clarifying — and each comes in different metallic colors — purple, blue and black, respectively. Basically, you can turn yourself and your mom into multicolored metallic aliens with these funky masks, but they still totally work.
With the brand’s Lilac Brightening masks, the redness I typically have on my cheeks was markedly diminished, and my skin definitely looked more glowing. The best part? It’s definitely good for all skin types and not irritating at all. As for the hydrating mask, I have dry skin (seriously, it’s like the Sahara on my face sometimes), and for me, that means a peel-off mask just doesn’t cut it. I need something that’s going to really soak into my skin à la Charlize Theron coming out of that milk pool in Snow White. However, if you have normal to oily skin, this mask could totally do the trick for you without feeling all goopy and gross after. Finally, there’s the clarifying mask. If you’ve got sensitive skin, this may not be for you, but if you’re looking for a mask that will help cut down on little breakouts, unclog your pores and exfoliate your skin, this one is it. Plus, it looks like a galaxy on your face.
GlamGlow FlashMud Brightening Treatment
If you’re familiar with GlamGlow, you’re probably wondering why it’s on this list. It’s a peel-off mask just like Peach Slices, right? Well, kind of. Remember when those peel-off chrome-colored face masks went ultra-viral? Like Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next” music video level of viral? Yeah, those were GlamGlow, but the brand has so much more to offer, and one of them is a universal brightening mask that is going to give you and your mom a glow like JLo. OK, so maybe only JLo has that glow because life isn’t fair, but this mask could get you both close.
GlamGlow’s FlashMud is, well, what it sounds like. You’ll get a brightening treatment in a flash, and not only that, but when I tested this beauty, it smelled incredible. If you want to take your mom on a faux tropical vacation where you’re both surrounded by fruity cocktails with those cute little umbrellas, this mask’s smell will do it. However, the mask has more than just a great smell. It comes with fine granules inside that help to exfoliate the skin during the application process to reveal smooth suppleness once rinsed away.
While you’re wearing it, the mask begins to dry down until its thick, creamy texture won’t rub off if you touch it. Don’t worry, though, it never feels like your face is going to go all Medusa and turn into stone. Once dry, simply wash it off, and you’ll feel those beads continue to exfoliate your face, and boom! Your skin is glowing — seriously, near JLo levels of glow.
While you may not be ready for the $59 level of splurge that the full-size mask costs, don’t worry. There’s a mini sold on the Sephora website that’s perfect for two people and will only cost you $25. Yes, it’s a Mother’s Day miracle.
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask
Want to smell like a watermelon Jolly Rancher and wake up with skin smoother than a baby’s, well, you know? Brace yourself for the watermelon mask from K-beauty brand Glow Recipe.
If you aren’t familiar with the brand, get ready to fall in love. Founded by Christine Chang and Sarah Lee, this Korean-inspired skin-care line actually got its start on Shark Tank. You can just hear someone saying, “Hello, Sharks,” right? Now, though, their own range of skin-care is sold in Sephora, and the very Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask I’m telling you to slap on your face and your mom’s face even had a 5,000 waitlist before it ever launched.
Why put a gelatinous mask that smells like watermelon candy on your face? Because it works. When testing this mask, I used it two different ways — as an overnight treatment and as a wash-off mask, and it’s perfect for both. If your mom isn’t spending the night, the mask is great for softening the skin and giving it a luminous glow. All you have to do is apply, let it set for 10 minutes (and absorb all those good watermelon smells), and soft, wrinkle-smoothed skin is yours.
If, however, you’re having a real sleepover with Mom, the mask can be worn overnight during which time it will gently exfoliate the skin, thanks to the inclusion of alpha hydroxy acids, and work to plump skin with the antioxidants found in watermelon and the addition of hyaluronic acid. Basically, it’s perfect, and the fact that it smells like candy? Well, that’s even better.
Farmacy Beauty Bright On Massage-Activated Vitamin C Mask
Are you ready for this? Are you sure? This mask changes color. No, I’m not lying. The Farmacy Beauty mask slowly changes as you massage it into your face, and not only that, but it’ll help you recapture the magic of those middle school sleepovers, because this clay mask changes from lavender to, you guessed it, green. While the product isn’t the bright green of those drugstore products, the pale, mint hue is just as exciting because, hello, it’s color-changing.
Why should you and your mom use it other than the fact that it’s super fun to watch it switch colors? The vitamin C-infused mask is, first of all, good for all skin types. As I mentioned earlier, my face is basically crocodile skin unless I coat it in moisturizer, and while clay masks can typically be a bit drying, I was just fine using this baby. Then, there’s the effects. The Bright On mask (get it, Bright On, like right on?) is all about detoxing your skin, softening any texture you may have and minimizing pores. Let me tell you, when Mean Girls’ Karen tells the other girls that her pores are huge, she spoke to my soul, but after using this mask, my pores were, well, not huge at all. Plus, thanks to the fact that it helps to even skin tone and texture, it’s great for more mature skin as well (just maybe don’t tell your mom her skin is mature).
Pixi by Petra Plump Collagen Boost Sheet Masks
Welcome to the reigning queen of face masks: the sheet mask. Why are sheet masks everywhere? Well, it’s partially thanks to the boom in Korean skin-care that’s happened in the United States over the last several years. Korean beauty is packed full of innovative ingredients and includes interesting applications, and one of those applications was the sheet mask. Now, the masks have gained widespread popularity, not just because of those ingredient lists, but also because they’re almost always universally good for an affordable price, and that’s the case with Pixi’s new sheet masks.
You may hear the word “collagen” and think you’re about to have to stick a needle in your face or your mom’s face. No. Never do that. (Unless you want to get it done professionally, and there’s no shame in that game.) Pixi’s sheet masks rely on a milkier, thicker serum than what you may be used to in typical sheet masks. The consistency was definitely an adjustment for me when I tested this out, but because my skin loves some good hydration, the mask quickly became a favorite, thanks to its ultra-hydrating properties and fine line-plumping collagen. Again, maybe just don’t mention to your mom that she’s got fine lines when using this.
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Plus, let me honest: Is there anything funnier than trying to get someone to talk through a mask? Why not bond with your mom over your low-key Jason from Friday the 13th look?
If you want to spend some extra time with your mom this Mother’s Day, why not take the words of Parks and Recreation’s Donna Meagle and Tom Haverford to heart and “treat yo’ self,” or selves in this case. As for which one you should choose? Good news, it’s an affordable one. The Pixi by Petra sheet masks are great for all skin types, no matter the age. Whether you want some extra hydration, to plump fine lines, or to scare your other family members into next week by wearing it around the house with your mom, this is it. Plus, it’s proof that sometimes a high price tag doesn’t always make something the best, and that’s one thing we can all celebrate.