Indulgent Red Wine and Yogurt Facial
I have sensitive skin. It often gets angry and irritated with me, and I have occasionally been offered rosacea treatments by well-meaning salespeople at Sephora, even though it’s really just red, hyper-reactive skin. I started making this mask several years ago, but as the wedding approached and a patch of skin on my cheek seemed to stay permanently pinker than the rest of my face, I started doing this three or four times a week. It ALWAYS soothes my skin, evens out my skin tone, and makes my skin look plump and hydrated.
Here’s how to do it, and why it works.
The mask itself is very simple. When I made this batch I used a bottle of wine that had been sitting open for a few days, and no one in the house was willing to drink it, and a tub of almost expired natural Greek yogurt (good intentions….).
Why let it go to waste?
Poor yogurt. It’s not the yogurt’s fault there’s usually better stuff to eat.
Save the yogurt! I made this mask Feb 20. Expiration date on yogurt — Feb 21. Date of initial photography for post — Feb 28 — and the mask was still good.
Add about a tablespoon of wine for every 3/4 cup of yogurt. The measurements don’t need to be precise, but you want the resulting mixture to be thick enough to stay on your face. In the end, the color should be a light purple, kind of like a blueberry yoplait. I know with all the hype around revesteral it’s tempting to add more wine, but you’ll see as the mask dries, there’s plenty of grape in there for your thirsty face.
Spread the mixture thickly and evenly on your face. I do recommend pulling your hair back, because the little whispy hairs will get in it, dry there, and make a mess when you wash it off, and I suggest wearing an old T-shirt or sweatshirt in case of drips. If you’ve mixed it right, there shouldn’t be drips, but I wouldn’t take chances.
Let the mask dry until it begins to harden. It will look like this.
See how the edges of the mask have dried and turned purple? You might also see the surface of the yogurt crack and experience itching around the edges of your face where the yogurt is drying the fastest.
Remove the mask gently with warm water and a washcloth. Be patient and don’t scrub. Just keep wiping gently until it’s all gone. I always follow with my favorite moisturizer.
Every time I do this, my skin looks smoother and better hydrated, and my skin tone looks clear and uniform — like a china doll. Here’s why:
Yogurt
Lactic Acid: The lactic acid in the yogurt (an alpha hydroxy acid) supposedly dissolves dead skin cells, and tightens pores, making the skin look younger and smoother. It also soothes irritated skin, so if you have red, sensitive skin like mine, it’s worth a shot.
Probiotics — The live cultures in yogurt may help clean the skin, and fight bacterial-related skin problems like acne.
Red Wine
I recently saw a booth in the mall advertising a revolutionary red wine facial. Because I’ve been doing this facial for years, loving the results but not knowing exactly what the wine added, I checked it out.
Red wine is reported to give the skin a “glow” by cleansing skin and tightening pores. The anti-oxidents in the wine are supposedly beneficial for aging skin, but I couldn’t figure out exactly what the anti-oxidents were supposed to do for aging skin.
It also contains something called “polyphenol resveratrol,”
which is known to reduce inflammation — a big boon to an acne-prone or sensitive and irritated face.
One thing I love about the mask is that it addresses the problems of “youth” and “age” — acne and inflammation as well as wrinkles and fine lines — which seem to have converged in my skin around the age of thirty. (I don’t think I’m the only one fighting on both fronts here, but if I am, I completely deny having any issues with acne OR lines and wrinkles. My skin is baby smooth.)
Whatever the reason, this works for me, and I used this consistently throughout wedding preparation to get my skin looking best for the big day. Try it out and let me know if you like it, or if you have your own easy recipes to recommend.
