There’s nothing more relaxing than making yourself a hot cup of tea, loading up your favourite Netflix series, applying a sheet mask and watching the show through the pre-cut holes – extra points if your feet are up.
Most people would describe the above scene as peak self-care. But apparently all these sheet masks that we’ve been investing in are a complete waste of time if we’re hoping to improve our skin.
65-year-old beauty mogul Paula Begoun, who founded her skincare company Paula’s Choice in 1995, has been doing some myth-busting in an interview with The Cut.
She says, in short, that sheet masks aren’t helping our skin at all. Sheet mask lovers, look away now.
‘A lot of people do things that are a waste of time,’ she says.
‘Sheet masks don’t deliver ingredients to the skin any better than well-formulated skin-care products.’
‘I’d rather you use a great leave-on product and get to bed, or get your makeup on and have a healthy breakfast, than sit with a sheet mask on your face.’
So all that careful mask flap unfolding has been a waste of time? Yep. And it gets worse…
‘It’s just unnecessary and some of them are just badly formulated. They run, they drip, they’re sticky, they contain hairspray ingredients so it sticks to your face… I mean some of them are just a hot mess. I tell Paula’s Choice, “If you come out with a sheet mask while I’m alive, I’ll quit.”'
Yikes.
READ MORE: The Best Beauty Looks At The 2018 Met Gala
Met Gala 2018 Best Beauty - Grazia
1 of 9Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington took the 'heavenly' in this year's exhibition title and ran with it, in terms of both her liquid-gold gown and her beauty look: brushed out curls, eye-catching hair jewellery, subtly sculpted brows and rose pink lips.
2 of 9Sasha Lane
For her first Met Gala, American Honey star Sasha added extra drama to her up-do with a silver chain embellishment, while keeping her eye make-up classic in burnished bronze and gold.
3 of 9Blake Lively
What's a Met beauty round-up without a hymn to Blake Lively's latest red carpet look, which is definitive proof that warm, reddish tones needn't be kept to the lips: done subtly, they can look just as good on the lids.
4 of 9Emma Stone
Did we mention we're glad that Emma Stone has reverted to her redhead ways? We're going to reiterate that sentiment all the same, while noting that a super-loose, super-low pony tail is a novel way to style mid-length hair for the red carpet.
5 of 9Bella Hadid
There's a lot to take in when it comes to Bella Hadid's latest Met look, but don't let the latex and leather of the main event overshadow the beauty details: the gold clips crowning an intricate up-do, the touch of gold on the lids and the Glossier campaign-worthy skin.
6 of 9Priyanka Chopra
Yes, the beaded coif automatically draws the eye, but so do the '20-style finger waves, the dramatic brows and the berry shade on the lips. A look that's coming to a royal wedding near you? We can only hope...
7 of 9Jasmine Sanders
Jasmine's long floral braid is the Met style we're most likely to try this summer: a 2018 spin on the flower garland, perhaps?
8 of 9Amal Clooney
This year's co-host stuck to her preferred red carpet formula when it came to her Met make-up - powerful brows, subtle bronzes on the eyes and an orange-red lip - while wearing her hair in a laidback updo that we'd love to see her wearing more often.
9 of 9Gigi Hadid
Once again, Gigi proves that outré doesn't always equal effective on the steps of the Met: a more polished version of her go-to California girl beauty look can prove just as head-turning as graphic liner or gothic lips.
Want to know which other skincare practices are a waste of time?
Being obsessed with products made from natural ingredients - ‘They [natural skin-care companies] will tell you that willow bark works like salicylic acid. That’s not true. You wouldn’t give up your aspirin and chew on willow bark to get rid of your headache or menstrual cramps.’
Waiting a few minutes between steps of your skincare routine - 'You don’t have to wait. That’s like saying you have to wait between eating foods. It takes a lot to shift a pH. Your skin’s pH doesn’t shift unless you’re combining it with something alkaline [having a pH higher than 7].’
And, finally, avoiding parabens like the plague - ‘Parabens were actually the best broad spectrum, gentle, naturally derived preservatives, and the misguided fear-mongering around them is just absurd.’
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