This has been a particularly rough winter on my skin. While December and parts of January were so mild, when the weather turned really cold my skin became so raw and dry and I have had trouble getting it back to normal.

I was sent Valentia’s Ultra Plumping Hydration Mask for review and I really like it. The scent is lovely: light and fresh, with a hint of refreshing citrus green tea. The texture is fantastic, not sticky at all and in fact has a silky feel to it, perhaps due to the Silk Protein Amino Acids. It contains one of my favorite ingredients, Botanical Hyaluronic Acid, which soothes and plumps skin. It also contains green tea, Aloe Vera, and Organic Rosehip Seed Oil for soothing and nourishing the skin. It washes off cleanly and leaves skin ready for a good occlusive moisturizer to seal in all of the soothing and plumping ingredients the skin just soaked in.

The results were impressive. My raw skin was soothed and looked plump and radiant. When I smiled I had that youthful glow on my cheeks that everyone past the age of 23 is looking for, likely due to the high quality hyaluronic acid. It smoothed out the redness and dryness of some post-acne spots enough for me to cover them easily.

I also tried it on my hands, and that is the part that really blew me away: after going out without gloves on a particularly cold day, my hands still stayed moisturized and hydrated for a good 36 hours after using the mask on them for only about 15 minutes. I have started using facial masks regularly on my hands as well, as I try to take time as a relaxing 15-30 break, but something always pops into my head and I’m reaching for my iPad to write it down or check on something. If I put a mask on my hands as well, then not only am I forced to sit and relax, but my always dry hands look (and feel) better!

The mask reminds me of the type one gets as the hydration part of high-end spa facials, but instead of heading out for a pricey treatment you can relax and optimize your skin at home! This mask has become a relaxing part of my Sunday Night Beauty regime as a way to relax before the hectic week starts.