Forget sheet masks; the latest trendy treatment is far more high-tech. It promises softer, oxygenated skin with more muscle tone and elasticity. There’s one catch, it involves hooking yourself up to your phone and supercharging your complexion with microcurrents controlled by an app. At the dawn of the millennium when mobile phones were still in their infancy, there was widespread fear that they caused radiation. Now, 17 years later, we’re literally attaching wires from our phones to our faces all in the name of skincare. Bonkers, quite probably. But, the question is, did it work?
Tell Me About The Sexy Science
Using an app on your smartphone, low-intensity microcurrents are pulsed through a disposable sheet mask, which is enriched with Camellia Sinensis, Hyaluronic Acid and Coenzyme Q10.
What Happens After I Open The Box?
To start you off Play Skin provides five throw-away masks, ten electrode cables, one phone connector wire, an aftercare cream, which is fuelled by Glycolic Acid and Teprenone, and a comprehensive 15-step guide. After detangling the wires and worrying I hooked everything up wrong, I slipped the mask on my face and draped the electrodes over my ears. At first, I was hit by how cold and slimy the mask is, but this sensation was soon displaced when I hit start on the app and the minty tingle of waves oscillator over my face. Admittedly, this could have all been a placebo effect, but I swear my skin was zinging with microcurrents. After ten minutes of clock-watching and questioning whether or not it was safe to sip water, the treatment was over. I dutifully followed up with their after-use cream, which smelt like PVA glue.
Will I Look Like An Idiot?
Indubitably, yes. I sent a selfie to my boyfriend and he said I looked like a character out of a French horror film called Eyes Without a Face. While not the kindest compliment I’ve ever received, his assessment was accurate. With wires springing out of my slippery white mask, I looked like a cast off from The Twilight Zone.
Was It Worth It?
As a beauty editor, I’m always interested in the latest face mask fad. I’ve tried Bliss’ Smurf-coloured peel, charcoal masks, honey and sugar exfoliators and pretty much every other trendy treatment out there. I want a glow-y, radiant complexion, whatever the cost. But, as a millennial with an Instagram addiction and an inability to be away from my phone for more than five minutes at a time, the idea of sitting back and relaxing is more stressful than not. Hence, I loved this treatment. It married my two great loves (sorry Nick): smartphones and skincare. While the price of the mask is dramatically more than most at-home treatments, it is still less than the price of a decent facial. The effects were quite instant, and the sensation was remarkably pleasurable, but I still can’t get out of my mind that a single-use mask costs nearly 20 quid.
Like this? You might also be interested in…
We Tried The Best Affordable Gym Gear On The High Street So You Don't Have To
Follow Lucy on Instagram @lucyalicemorris
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.