CHARCOAL SKIN DETOX FACE MASK WITH NUGG

I do love a good face mask on a Sunday! I used to apply one religiously every week, but since having the baby it’s fallen off my radar somewhat. However, I have managed to continue this part of my skincare routine, albeit at a slightly reduced frequency – it’s now around once a month.

Since my masking has become less of a priority, I decided to I take some time to fully enjoy a mask while I was away at Cameron House last week. I was supposed to have an express facial at the famous Carrick Spa but, due to a miscommunication error (I’ll explain more later), I missed out. So instead, I went back to our room, wrapped myself up in the terry toweling robe, and settled in with a Nugg mask, which I’d been waiting weeks for the perfect moment to use.

Before receiving my gift package of Nugg beauty face masks, I’d never heard of the brand. I still haven’t seen much of them around on social or online, but they’re a new company (founded in 2014 by former CEO and President of Tweezerman International, Conny Wittke) and seem to be primarily US based. However, they are stocked at ASOS and Selfridges in the UK – a very good sign.

Each face mask is over 93% natural or naturally derived, and formulated without parabens, mineral oils, synthetic fragrances or colours. Nugg is a cruelty free brand and has given back 2.5% of web sales to causes they believe in – being socially responsible is an important part of Nugg’s core mission. It’s also a women-run company which I love. As much as I enjoy major beauty brands, I also like finding smaller companies with an interesting and inspiring story.

The other important part of the Nugg mission is to ‘provide top quality skin treatments at affordable prices in innovative and cute packaging for outstanding and honest value for money.’

Basically, this means their face masks are really, really good and don’t have all the crap in them, and they come in these cute and easy to use pods. You simply tear off the cardboard packaging to free your little pod and peel the lid back to reveal a surprisingly ample amount of product for such a small pot. They’re really quite genius; you stock up your beauty drawer and just quickly apply one when you want to, and they’re easily thrown in your suitcase or carry-on for holidays or work trips (especially good for long journeys, flights or full-on schedules).

The inspiration for Nugg? Conny had been travelling a lot with her work at Tweezerman and, after a long flight from Shanghai to New York, her skin was exhausted. She noticed a gap in the market for high quality face masks that travelled well. And so Nugg was born.

So far, I’ve used three different masks by Nugg. This one, the Charcoal Skin Detox, felt truly amazing on my skin and was actually really fun to apply! The mask was a really dark and wet jelly, but I just scooped it out and applied it with my fingers. It really was that simple. After fifteen minutes, I washed it off (slightly more messy – I’d recommend removing most of the mask with a cotton pad – or five – and then washing the rest off with a warm flannel or face loofah) and though my skin didn’t look too different, it felt incredible. Much cleaner and fresher and the skin felt tighter, but not dry in any way. This mask is recommended for removing excess oil and shine (black charcoal and kaolin clay), soothing acne prone skin (tea tree oil) and hydrating the skin (shea butter and chamomile). Towards the end of that week I wondered why my skin looked brighter, clearer and slightly less drained. Then I remembered about the mask… needless to say, I’ve placed my order of a five-pack on ASOS (£18).

Most masks by Nugg are around £4 each, while the Mermaid Marine Peel Off Face Mask is around £10 (but you get two applications). I highly recommend the Peel Off Mask as a more intensive, dedicated mask but if you’re short of time or the inclination, stick to the Charcoal Detox. Or try one of the other masks which include Hydrating, Revitalizing, Deep Cleansing, Anti Ageing, among many other treatment products. I’d really suggest you check out the (award winning) Nugg range for quick, easy, friendly, and convenient skincare.

Images: Kris Miller

Location: Cameron House, Loch Lomond