Spray-skincare; genius or a gimmick? There’s only one way to find out…
The primer market has officially gone rogue. There are primers for your hair, primers for your lips and primers for your eyelids. Everything these days requires a good priming before it can be paraded in public it seems, and to really get the most out of your average beauty product, best schedule in primetime; everything from your foundation to your nail polish will perform all the better for it. But is all this prep worth it? Let’s put a new primer category under the microscope; a pre face mask treatment that promises to make your skin optimally receptive to all of the delicious benefits offered by your chosen mask.
The fact that Origins Maskimizer™ is the invention of the UK’s top face mask retailer bodes well for its priming potential; if anyone knows how to make your skin reap maximum rewards from a mask or deep treatment, it’s these guys. The idea behind the spray on primer is to get skin in pretty top condition before you even go there with your mask (your face mask can take on almost any guise, except peel-off which doesn’t deal well with being ‘maskimized’). Hydration comes courtesy of ‘osmoregulating’ marine algae extract, which is bringing me RIGHT back to those osmosis experiments we did on potatoes at school (anyone?). The little marine guys are meant to make skin more permeable while boosting its ability to retain moisture, thus your face mask not only gets to work quicker, but it also becomes all the more effective at repairing and revitalising your skin. Side effects are plumper, smoother, softer skin before you’ve even applied your preferred face goo.
So does it work? It’s hard to say from a deeply scientific point of view, but demonstrations on a cotton pad do show greater product absorption when Maskimizer is present. Tiny experiments aside, misting this over your mug after a hot shower or long day feels indulgent (because it is a bit), refreshing and thoroughly ‘cleansing’, and I did find that various masks, whether creamy or clay based, applied very easily afterwards (in general you’ll use less of your chosen face mask). If you have gone for a more ‘detoxifying’ mask, chances are you’ll experience a bit of cracking, but spritzing Maskimizer over the top of it will reduce any flaking or uncomfortable tightness, which is a bonus.
The real proof is in the post-mask pudding, and I can honestly report bouncier, more refined and clearer skin when I layered my skincare with Maskimizer. A very experienced makeup artist couldn’t quite believe my ‘new skin’ canvas after I’d been dousing my face in it before applying an overnight mask for a few days straight, and despite not living the healthiest of lifestyles of late (espresso martinis are my downfall), my skin didn’t show my sins in the slightest. Tempting fate there I know, but Maskimizer is seemingly doing it’s job for now. You don’t *need* this, and yes it’s an extra step to an already crowded skincare regime, but boy does it make a difference.
Origins Maskimizer, £18.50, buy online
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