Right! So if you follow me on social media you’ll know I’m currently in rehab thanks to my moronic parents who are far too concerned for my wellbeing. I’m not really sure where I am right now ‘cos I was blindfolded Birdbox-style and thrown into the back of a padded van. Apparently, this extremely kidnappy intake method makes it harder for me to run away.

But ja. Life at the WWAWTIH (Women Who Are Waaaay Too Into Highlighter) facility is pretty shitty. The intake nurse went through my makeup bag and tossed anything with even the vaguest of gleams – including all my palest eye shadows in case I ‘attempted to use them to highlight’. The people here are sooo dull and non-shiny – borderline matte, even. And there is NO Nespresso machine! Thank God I have a huge vagina so I was able to smuggle in my laptop. (Electronics are banned to stop you from cruising Insta for #gleamspo or losing your shit and shopping for highlighters online.)

Anyway, my addiction started with an innocent nose tip highlight*. I knew deep down that I looked like a demented glow bug, but I just couldn’t stop myself. The next thing you know I’d slathered my entire face in T-Zone’s Rose Gold Peel-off mask (R90, Dis-Chem) and attempted to hit up a Pilates class. It was at that point that my folks stepped in.

I love a good peel-off mask every now and again. It’s very satisfying when you can remove it in a few large chunks as opposed to lots of little bits. Afterward, my skin feels a lot smoother, mostly due to lifting away dead skin cells and essentially ‘waxing’ your face, provided your mask is ‘rippy’ enough. T-Zone’s mask is definitely rippy if apply it properly (tip coming up) so any baby hairs will be history.

Formulated with softening urea, soothing allantoin and the teensiest smidge of vitamin C, these are all nice-to-haves but if you really want to benefit from any of those ingredients it would be best to use them in a moisturiser. The mask is really just about mild exfoliation in a way that’s fun and looks cool on the ‘gram’, especially since it’s metallic. (Never underestimate a woman’s love of shiny things. The crazily overpriced, glitzy bullshit that is Glam Glow has made a killing from it!)

Having experimented with T-Zone’s mask a few times, I can say you’ll get maximum ‘peel for pull’ if you apply it in a medium layer (not too thin or too thick) and wait a full 30 minutes so that it’s bone try before you remove it. Also, a bit about the rose gold… I initially thought I’d gotten a dud mask when it initially came out clear but soon realised the rose gold pigment (it looks like crushed rose gold eye shadow) had separated. This meant I had to squeeze out a fair amount of ‘clear’ to get a rose gold ‘cluster’. I could then use my finger to break it up and mix it through the mask to create one that was super shiny. So ja. Don’t despair if your mask isn’t initially rose gold. Just keep squeezing and hope that your gold clusters are lurking near the entrance of the tube and not the top.

Love, love

Leigh

*Ok, this is a lie. I’ve never worn a nose tip highlight ‘cos I’m not an idiot. Ladies, please stop highlighting your nose. You look dof.