Tag: skin

As spring is finally upon us, one of the major skin concerns most of us seem to have is the fact that our skin looks tired & grey, lacking vitality & a healthy glow. While chirpy bird song & sunshine will help our mood & skin gradually to regain some colour, the latest launch from Spanish natural beauty brand Dafna’s Personal Skincare, a bio-active face mask called ‘Revival’ is certain to speed up that process along nicely.

Dafna formulated the mask with city dwellers in mind, who lead a hectic, stressful lifestyle and whose skin is affected by lack of sleep, working in air-conditioned buildings and travelling through the city, where air-pollution is often high. With regular use you can expect your skin to look more nurtured, better hydrated & with an added benefit of a natural glow.

Hydration, Nurture, Fighting free-radical damage

Revival mask works in two phases. The first one provides skin with intense hydration via molecules of Hyaluronic Acid, combined with energising & regenerating skin cells with Ginseng & Reishi. Pick up a dollop of the mask with a little scooper provided (this will make sure you don’t introduce germs or bacteria into the product) and tap on cleansed, dry skin. Then leave it to ‘work’ for five to seven minutes, making sure mask remains white in colour with black granules immersed into it.

The second phase activates the capsulated Charcoal (the black grains you see within the white, creamy mask), originated from Coco, which ‘attracts’ free radicals on the surface of the skin, inhibiting skin’s oxidation, while promoting a balanced, even look of the complexion. With damp fingers, massage the mask all over your face for about a minute, until all Charcoal grains ‘disappear’ into the mask, leaving behind a unified looking creamy veil on your skin. Leave on for another couple of minutes, wash the mask off, tap the skin gently dry and examine your complexion in the mirror. Every time I use the mask, which is twice a week for the last month, my skin ends up looking plumper & more nurtured, with the effect of the mask enhanced by gentle, but firm facial massage.

Dafna chose to ‘capsulate’ the Charcoal in order to maximise its efficacy, so its full power comes into force as you start to massage the mask vigorously into your skin & neck (make sure you avoid the eye area). Activated charcoal also manages to ‘capture’ free-radicals amassed on our skin, which can lead to its premature ageing.

Ginseng, another key ingredient in this mask, is a nutritious herb that has been used for generations in China & other Asian countries. It is rich in vitamins, antioxidants & phytonutrients, which help enhance collagen production, that is naturally slowed down as we age. Another benefit that it offers, is balancing skin’s texture & helping combat the effect of environmental aggressors in the air on our skin.

Hyaluronic Acid Salt (Sodium Hyaluronate), with its low molecular weight, penetrates our skin with ease & helps improve overall hydration of our skin (nothing beats the effect of drinking plenty of water throughout the day on a regular basis though & the energising effect it has not only on the way our skin looks, but on how we feel & the vigour in our physical & mental activity!).

Medicinal mushrooms seem to be having their ‘moment’ in the spotlight not only in the supplements, like Finnish Four Sigmatic & British Wunderworkshop, which recently launched ‘Golden Shrooms’ containing Cordyceps & Reishi, but in skincare too. Last December I tried Lumene’s ‘Nutri-recharging’ skincare range, including a face Balm, Purifying Mask & Peat-to-Foam Cleanser, all of which contain Nordic Chaga. Dafna chose Reishi, known as the ‘mushroom of immortality’ in China, as one of the key ingredients in her face mask.  Reishi are rich in beta-glucans, which help promote healthy cell growth & turnover & are also known as adaptogens, which helps to balance hormones.

List of ingredients: Aqua, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice*, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Potassium Palmitoyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Mannitol, Kaolin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract , Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Water*, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Ganoderma Lucidum Fruiting Body Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Charcoal Powder, Glycine Soja Oil*, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Caprylate*, Propanediol*, Cellulose, Beta-Sitosterol*, Potassium Sorbate, Ethyl Lauroyl Arginate HCL*, Squalane*, Tocopherol*, CI 77499, Linalool, Geraniol, Citronellol, Limonene. * Organic active ingredient with Bio certification

Since I first tried this mask, I have become addicted to the lovely, nurturing layer that it adds to my evening skincare ritual. Using it when it was cold, helped my skin deal better with radiator heat & external cold, that zaps moisture from the air. Using it now, allows me to feel less conscious of the fact that my skin appears naturally paler & more pleased about the fact that it doesn’t feel or look dry. It also reinforces a good practise of regular facial massage and the boosting circulatory effect it has on the skin. By bringing blood to the ‘surface’ of the skin, it makes skin look more ‘alive’ & naturally flushed with a healthy glow, while speeding up the process of expelling toxins from my body naturally.

Dafna’s Personal Skincare ‘Revival’ Mask, 50ml, £84 It is also available to purchase in individual, read more