‘I don’t often splash the cash on products, so I was interested to see if any of these face masks made a noticeable difference,’ says Dewi Rees, our All Ages model

My job means that I have to look after my skin, but I don’t often splash the cash on products, so I was interested to see if any of these face masks would make a noticeable difference.

I could feel and smell the tea tree oil in the Body Shop’s Tea Tree Skin Clearing Clay Mask (£11, bodyshop.com). It’s a bright green paste that immediately felt hot, tingly and deep-cleaning. It was refreshing, and my skin looked clean and smooth, though it got a bit dry and tight after I’d washed it off.

Boots’ Refinery Face Mask (£31, boots.com) had a lovely smell (subtle, but complex and natural) and gave a strong tingle and heat, though less extreme than the Body Shop mask, so I wondered if the cleanse would be as deep. As it turned out, my skin felt clean and soft afterwards, and had a bit of a glow.

Tried and tested: curl creams Read more

Anthony Deep Pore Cleansing Clay (£23, mankind.co.uk), on the other hand, had a serious tea tree burn, so much so that I was concerned my skin might fall off: I could actually see all my pores through the reddish clay. The after-effects were excellent, though – very soft, clean and refreshing – but overall a bit of a scary experience.

The LA Bruket Clay Mask (£23, beast.com) was by far the gentlest product I tried. You could leave it on for 15 minutes and it felt like a cream until it hardened. It felt so natural (as if it had come from the bottom of a lake), but had no aroma. After rinsing, my skin felt super-soft, but without the deep-clean refreshment feel the others provided.

• Next week: Sylviane Degunst on fig fragrances

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