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Welcome to Skincarma.

These are the musings of Carmine Montalto, NYC-based writer, skincare junkie and brand guru. The former copywriter at Kiehl’s, Carmine has more than 25 years of experience in beauty. Through the Skincarma Blog, he puts all of his product wisdom to work demystifying the ever-evolving world of skin care. 

You can change your skin’s destiny.™

PRODUCT REVIEW: PAULA’S CHOICE SUPER HYDRATE OVERNIGHT MASK – ONE OF THE BEST SLEEPING MASKS FOR DRY SKIN AND SENSITIVE SKIN

PRODUCT REVIEW: PAULA’S CHOICE SUPER HYDRATE OVERNIGHT MASK – ONE OF THE BEST SLEEPING MASKS FOR DRY SKIN AND SENSITIVE SKIN

PAULA’S CHOICE | SUPER HYDRATE OVERNIGHT MASK

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I love using a sleeping mask in the fall when the air starts to dry out a bit. It’s not quite the harsh cold of winter, but my skin needs a bit more occlusivity to prevent it from drying out while I’m asleep.

There’s nothing worse than waking up looking half dead!

I’ve had my eyes on the Paula’s Choice Super Hydrate Overnight Mask for months now and finally got a chance to try it.

If you’re not a fan of the more common thick, heavier sleeping masks, this one is for you. It’s super light with more of a gooey gel texture.

Like most effective sleeping masks, Super Hydrate Overnight Mask contains glycerin and dimethicone for the occlusive effect on skin that prevents moisture loss. But high up in the INCI as the fifth ingredient is Chondrus Crispus Extract. If that doesn’t sound familiar to you, perhaps “red algae” does!

Yes, Chondrus Crispus is one type of seaweed and a great source of skin-loving nutrients and protective antioxidants.

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What are antioxidants and what do antioxidants do for skin?

Antioxidants possess numerous benefits for the skin, including preventing skin damage and multiple signs of aging. There’s an excellent article from the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team titled, How Antioxidants Fight the Signs of Aging that you can catch here. This is what I found most insightful:

Antioxidants for Skin Benefits

Antioxidants play a unique role when it comes to diminishing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Years of environmental damage (including unprotected sun exposure—one more reason to apply that broad-spectrum sunscreen!) slowly chip away at skin’s natural ability to look and feel healthy. As this damage builds up, skin gradually loses its ability to recover and bounce back as it once did. It’s not an exaggeration to say that after years of damage, skin becomes overwhelmed, and its “look young systems” begin to slow down.

Antioxidants in skin care step in to help shield skin’s surface from further deterioration by calming stressed skin and defending against the visible effects of pollution —something all of us encounter on a daily basis.

What happens as a result of applying antioxidants to your face is truly impressive: Skin’s appearance begins to turn around! It regains a firmer feel and more even skin tone—and those wrinkles you’re probably not fond of will visibly soften.


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According to the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team, two of the antioxidants in the extract are zeaxanthin and lutein, “which help protect skin from the visible effects of blue light exposure.”

But there’s even more to red algae: “the natural polysaccharides, peptides, and amino acids in red algae also help skin to stay hydrated; meanwhile, the numerous antioxidants in this and other types of algae can help shield skin from damaging airborne pollutants.”

There are, in fact, a multitude of reparative antioxidants in the Super Hydrate mask as well as proven skin soothers Cloudberry Fruit Extract and Reishi Mushroom Extract to calm irritated skin and soothe redness.

Don’t wake up looking half dead. With the Paula’s Choice Super Hydrate Overnight Mask, you’ll wake up refreshed and hydrated!

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Paula’s Choice Super Hydrate Overnight Mask for $32.00 here.



The Ingredient List of the Paula’s Choice Super Hydrate Overnight Mask:

Aqua solv, Butylene Glycol (Hydration) h|solv|vc 0 1, Dimethicone (Hydration) emo 0 1, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer (Thickener/Emulsifier) vc, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) Extract (Algae/Hydration) h|vc, Rubus Chamaemorus (Cloudberry) Fruit Extract (Skin-Soothing/Antioxidant) aox, Ganoderma Lucidum (Mushroom) Extract (Antioxidant), Glycerin (Skin-Replenishing) sii|h 0 0, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter (Emollient/Antioxidant) emo|vc, Hydrogenated Lecithin (Skin-Replenishing) emo|emu, Pentapeptide-59 (Skin-Restoring/Skin-Soothing), Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract (Antioxidant), Terminalia Chebula Fruit Extract (Antioxidant), Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccharide (Hydration), Vaccinium Vitis-Idaea (Lingonberry) Fruit Extract (Antioxidant) aox, Sambucus Nigra (Elderberry) Fruit Extract (Antioxidant), Schisandra Chinensis (Magnolia Berry) Fruit Extract (Antioxidant), Rhodiola Rosea Root Extract (Antioxidant) emo, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract (Skin-Soothing) so|sb, Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Seed Oil (Skin-Replenishing) emo|perf, Pelvetia Canaliculata (Algae) Extract (Hydration), Agastache Mexicana (Hyssop) Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract (Antioxidant), Betula Alba (Birch) Juice (Hydration), Echium Plantagineum Seed Oil (Non-Fragrant Antioxidant Plant Oil) solv, Xanthan Gum (Thickener) vc|emu|surf, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite (Texture Enhancer) vc, Myristamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate (Emulsifier), Lauroyl Lysine (Skin-Softening) vc, Propanediol (Hydration) solv|h, Phenoxyethanol (Preservative) pres, Ethylhexylglycerin (Skin-Softening) pres, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative) pres
Hover the mouse over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.






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