Product Spotlight: Boots Botanic Intensive Moisture Mask

Being a lady with expensive taste is hard in a recession. Already this year, Sarah and I have had to resort to throwing ‘bows to get into warehouse sales, gathering up random stuff from around the house to sell willy-nilly on eBay, and I even agreed to relinquish my status as a chemically-enhanced auburn-redhead to save some dough.

There came a point for me however when I just went too far – that point came when I was no longer able to squeeze, pump, or scrap any more out of my favorite (higher-end) beauty products and I decided that just replacing them with drug store/bargain equivalents would be okay. For the most part, they were (I am now a devotee of this hairspray and Ulta brand eyeshadow), but not when it came to skin care. I made the poor, poor choice of trying to substitute my perfect (expensive) cleanser and lotion with lesser versions and my skin flat out REVLOTED. Breakouts, dry patches, redness, the WORKS. It was miserable.

Just when I was ready to break out the credit card and charge a hydrating facial from a high-priced spa, I decided to go the drug store route one last time. (“What! Did you not learn your lesson Crazy Lady?”)

I bought the Boots Botanic Intensive Moisture Mask ($7.99) at Target.

Shoptalkers… let me tell you. It was amazing.

It goes on feeling like a cross between lotion and a creamy face wash, soaks in and turns clearish in 5-10 minutes, and then you just use a damp washcloth to wipe away the residue. (Bonus! It’s British! Gawd how I love anything British.)

The result is incredibly soft skin and, in my case, a near immediate cure for my angry, dry, “Why would you do that to us!” skin.

Two weeks later (using the mask three times a week), my skin is back to normal. While I’ll probably have to splurge and start buying my expensive facial wash again in order to avoid a similar disaster, this eight-buck wonder mask is going to stay in my beauty arsenal from now on.