Remember When Mask Time Was Fun?

Sometimes self-care, in the beauty sense, can feel a little rote—you light your candles, apply your mask, then you’re on your way to sweet dreams before it’s back to the grind. Every now and then, though, there’s a product that switches it up and makes the routine a little more fun. For me, that’s Otzi’s Dough Therapy Mask.

The pore-tightening, gently exfoliating mask was part of the vegan and cruelty-free brand’s debut collection at Sephora and it immediately caught my attention thanks to its bright packaging and playful consistency. As someone who spent their childhood building humans globs out of Play-doh, I’m a sucker for anything that’s bouncy and jiggly. Even better if it’s a mask promising to deliver results akin to a face lift in under 10 minutes. 

For my sensitive, dehydrated, combination skin (proud delicate flower over here!), I tread lightly when it comes to applying any products that identify as a physical exfoliant because the acids can lead to some unsightly irritation. After much trial and error, I learned that less is more when it comes to consistent and effective results which is why I now exfoliate about once a week, maybe twice if my skin feels really clogged. 

Otzi’s Dough Therapy mask was billed to deeply clean and brighten thanks to a mix of kaolin clay, rice ceramides, and oat extract in just five minutes, so I was very eager to test it out.