The Mask that Smells like Fall (and a Note on Exfoliating)

Autumn is the season where golden leaves fall from trees; it’s the season where the warm aroma of cinnamon and pumpkin and spices hit you; it’s a season that Indonesia doesn’t have. Sometimes, I feel like I’m missing out on hearing the crunch of stepping on crisp leaves, or the cool ting in the air... 

The reason why I brought this up is because the product I will be talking about really, really reminds me of Autumn. It’s an exfoliating mask by the brand Summer Fridays. 

The Brand

Summer Fridays is a skincare brand founded by two Instagram influencers that specialises in face masks. They are vegan, cruelty free, and are known for their cool, unique packaging. So far, they have come out with 3 masks: a hydrating, an exfoliating, and a nourishing mask. I picked up the exfoliating one, called Overtime, just because I found it the most interesting. 

About Exfoliating

Before jumping into the review, a quick look at exfoliating: Our skin naturally renews itself every 28 days, or so. But sometimes, our dead skin gets trapped with the oil, or other nasties that is on the surface of our skin, disturbing the “renewing-process”. That’s how pimples form! Dun dun dunnn! For this reason, we can give our skin a little boost we call “exfoliating”. Exfoliating helps remove the dead skin that builds up on the very surface of our skin to reveal a new, fresh layer! When exfoliating, it is super, super important to make sure you’re not overdoing it, otherwise, it will do more harm than good to your delicate skin. Always make sure that the exfoliants that you choose are gentle enough. As a teen, I like to exfoliate once, or maybe twice, a week. It’s not very much of a routine, as I only exfoliate if I feel the need to. I recommend not going over 3 times per week.

The Product

The Overtime Mask comes in a pretty golden-orange tube. It’s great because I can easily squeeze out the product without needing to dip my fingers inside. (Plus, it looks cool.) The star ingredients are pumpkin, to exfoliate and hydrate for a brighter, more balanced complexion, oat, to leave your skin feeling super soft and smooth, and apricot seed powder, a mild exfoliant that sweeps away dead skin cells. 

Now, the experience: Firstly, I squeeze a dime-sized amount of the golden product onto my fingertips, then, gently mix it around my face for about 30 to 60 seconds. I have to say, that the exfoliants are a bit larger and a little more jagged than I would’ve liked, so I need to make sure that I’m using the lightest pressure while I’m scrubbing. Letting the mask sit on my skin, I could smell the warm scent of cinnamon and nutmeg. The smell instantly transports me and brings me a rush of memories from Autumn. 10 minutes have gone by. I wash off the mask with lukewarm water and am left with skin so soft, so smooth, with a hint of glow. 

Overall, awesome product! I do realise that it scrubs away most of the texture and blackheads on my skin. My complexion looks, and feels, more even, bright, soothed, and smooth afterwards!

I would recommend this product for most skin types, but maybe not sensitive.