Welcome to the Friday face mask.  Let me tell you, I was more than ready for this break today.  I think this might be the first time I’ve sat down since this morning’s post. I’m in the middle of editing a novel and so this week I let all sorts of other little things slide as I focused and they sort of piled up. So I tried to tackle them all today.

But then came the time of the mask and a moment of Zen in the day’s chaos.

I have to say I have really grown addicted to my Friday afternoon mask breaks. I actually find myself tackling tasks just so I can have them off my plate before my break which keeps me from procrastinating.  Well any more than leaving them until Friday that is.

This week was the first week of my trial featuring Annmarie Skin Care products.  They kindly send over several trial sized products for me to test out and I have been using them as my entire skin care regime for the trial.  In the products they sent me there were two face masks so I will be using one this week and one next week so that I can stick with the same skin care line throughout.

Skin care made with wildcrafted and organic ingredients that nourish your skin to give you a healthy glow. Shop Annmarie Skin Care.

That being said today’s face mask is the Illuminating Pearl Mask.  It sounded like a very lovely option for a very gloomy day. It is a hydrating and brightening treatment which sounded just about perfect.

According to the product page…

This luxurious mask restores balance and harmony while creating the perfect beautifying ritual. Honey delivers complex nutrients and hydrating properties to visibly improve tone and radiance. Turmeric’s bioactive compounds leave your skin feeling calm, making this mask ideal for sensitivities. Skin brightening pearl powder enhanced with uva ursi and licorice transforms your complexion to have an everlasting glow.

Illuminating Pearl Mask – Hydrating & …

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Now I grew up with a family that believed in the power of honey.  Scratchy throat?  Have a spoonful of honey.  Allergies acting up?  Have a spoon full of honey. Have a cut and no antibacterial ointment in the cupboard?  Smear some honey on that sucker and you’ll be fine. Seriously, I read a lot of Fantasy novels as a child and anytime anyone mentioned ‘magic elixir’ I pictured honey.

I also have a lot of friends who adore the benefits of turmeric and I distinctly remember a late night infomercial for a product called Pearl Cream, the ancient secret of Asian women everywhere. I can still close my eyes and hear the narrator’s voice. I also think I watched too much late night television as a child.

I will say that the Uva Ursi was a new one on me. According to the Penn State Hershey Medical Center it is an herb that helps to shrink and tighten the mucus membranes and reduce inflammation. So I can see why it is in the face mask given its intent.

So now that I have learned about a new herb, on to the face it goes!

As expected from something containing pearls, it has a slight iridescent sheen to it.  The scent is an herbal-ly citrusy one and really very pleasant.  I have no idea if that is the Uva Ursi but if it is I really want a couple of sachets to put into my linen closet.  I could really get used to sheets and blankets with that sort of scent to them. 

But that is something to look into later. For now, the mask.

 It has a light creamy texture and smooths over the skin well.  There was no tingling of any sort but there was an itchy moment around my nose as the mask dried down over the fifteen minute window I was wearing it.  It wasn’t an allergic reaction more of just an itch from the drying down.  When I went to wash off the mask at first I thought it was completely absorbed.  It left just a sort of shiny film on my skin.  I washed it off and the scent of the mask, which faded as I wore it, roared back to life as I rinsed and rehydrated it. 

Apparently my skin took all of the mask’s hydration.

Which is probably why my skin now feels super smooth and hydrated.  I have to say, I really liked this mask.  It’s a bit like a really good night cream that does its job in only fifteen minutes and it smells really good. I really didn’t need that much of the mask and I think that I on my next skin care splurge I would pick up a jar.  At $59 it is on the higher end of face mask prices, but definitely worth it if you are looking for an extra special treat and a spa-like experience at home.

And like all of Annmarie’s skin care it is a clean beauty product made with sustainably ‘wild sourced’ ingredients. I suspect that means I won’t find a seed packet for Uva Ursi in my local garden center then.  I am definitely putting it on my plant watch though. I’m always looking for new herbs to try out whether culinary or just for scent packets in the linen. I just have to figure out if it can grow here.  Until then I will just enjoy it in the face mask.

And with that my quiet time is over and my next slate of things to check off my to do list before I call it a weekend has arrived.  I hope everyone out there has a fantastic run to the end of the work week and an excellent weekend.

And as a reminder, if you are looking for something good to read this weekend, March First kicks off the Smashwords Anual Read an E-book Book Sale. All of my books are 50% off and some are even free. You can download them in any format including plain text. The sale runs March 1-7. And if my books aren’t to your taste, no worries, there are many fantastic authors participating in the sale and you are sure to find something to suit your tastes. Happy reading.