I Tried Linda Evangelista’s Skin Care Secret, and It Saved My Face
By Patricia Alfonso Tortolani. Photos: Getty Images, Courtesy of Patricia Alfonso Tortolani.
If Linda Evangelista told me that cement would take away under eye circles, I’d be cruising aisle 6B of Home Depot stat. If she told me that drinking peanut butter and beets makes your hair stronger, I’d get the Vitamix going (and probably pick up a bottle of Pepcid). Lucky for me, the OG supermodel and creative director of Erasa skin care doles out beauty advice that is incredibly practical and very easy to act on: “I have this silicone mask that I bought on Amazon. I’ll layer on my favorite skin-care products, and then I’ll put it on top to keep them from drying out. It’s this thin, reusable silicone mask; you just rinse it after you use it,” she told us.
So, naturally, I open Amazon Prime on my phone. Search, scroll, fingerprint ID, and a Reusable Silicone Moisturizing Mask by SMM is on the way. Supermodel skin for $5.18 with free 2-day shipping? F Yes. While I wait on my package, a quick look at the current state of my skin. One: It’s dry. I just made a quick trip to New York where it was 20 degrees with a wind chill of miserable. Two: It’s confused. Current temperature where I live is 80 degrees, the air is thick, I’m sweating more than I’d like to admit. Three: It’s a little bit stressed out. Work is busier than usual. My 3-year-old recently decided that the only way he can sleep at night is with his feet kicking my face. A hallmark high-school reunion looms. I don’t look bad per se, but I’ve looked better.
Package is here! My plan of action is to do a proper exfoliation, drench my skin with moisture, and lock it down with Linda’s mask. (Yes we are now on a first-name basis.) I start with an all-time great Dr. Brandt PoreDermabrasion Pore Perfecting Exfoliator. If you haven’t tried it yet, this stuff is legit. Or as Allure’s editor in chief Michelle Lee puts it, "Instant gratification in a tube.” If you’re dying to get your hands on some (you should be) you can score a sample by signing up for the April Allure Beauty Box.
Next comes the moisture part of this exercise. First up is a cotton pad soaked in SK-II Facial Treatment Essence, which is like water but better because it’s spiked with glycerin and Pitera (a yeast extract that speeds up cell turnover). Next: the most insanely hydrating serum I can get my hands on. And that, my friends, are the Elizabeth Arden Advanced Ceramide Capsules, which contain more glycerin and also barrier-repairing ceramides. They are also just supremely fun to use. I finish with a few drops of SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic because I could use a little brightening.
Typically, at this stage in my evening routine, I would debate whether I want to seal it all in with a heavy night cream. Or if I’m going to go light with a lotion because I have that constant fear of heavy night creams clogging my pores. Instead, I reach for the mask my friend Linda recommended. (See what I did there?) As with most silicone sheet masks, the Silicone Moisturizing Mask by SMM is slippery as hell and a little slimy. Undeterred, I stretch it over my face. And then I go scare the sh*it out of my kids.
The ear loops keep it from sliding around, which is a nice perk considering I’ve lost many sheet masks to the floor because I am incapable of sitting still while I do a treatment. And the silicone is sturdy but not so thick that it made my face feel sweaty—or worse, claustrophobic. The washing and rinsing part is a pain, but doable.
Five days into this routine, my skin has chilled out, it’s not the slightest bit dry. You might even call it supple. My mask is starting to tear a little at the edges so I order a new one and promise to be more gentle with the rinsing and drying of it. And little Felipe is still sleeping with his feet up my nose, but you know, who needs an uninterrupted eight hours when you have that supermodel glow.
This story originally appeared on Allure.
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