So, as I was saying a while back, I used to love making up my own skincare creams and unguents. But nowadays I just don't seem to have the time, energy or, let's be very honest, the inclination to faff around sourcing stuff, mixing and murgling.
Then Juls of The Body Retreat said (on Twitter, as you do), 'I reckon you'd really like MIMI kits.' And one thing led to another (the way it does on Twitter) and Jess, the founder of MIMI, offered to pop a kit in the post for me to try.
The weather was gorgeous this Bank Holiday weekend here on Exmoor so, having powered through house cleaning and a mega dose of clutter clearing, I figured I'd relax in the garden with the mask.
MIMI kits are all 100 percent natural - absolutely no parabens or petrochemicals. I like that. I also like that absolutely everything you need is provided in the kit. It is deeply irksome to start out doing something and then realise that, really, you needed to go shopping for essential bits and bobs first. All you need to add to this is water.
The packaging is neat - all wrapped up like a letter, clasped in green (of course) tissue paper. Everything is neatly named, so you can't go wrong.
Open it up and there's enough here for four treatments. Here's what you do:
1. First up you pop a green jasmine pearl (detoxifying and skin-protecting) in a mug and add hot water. The pearl (which looks like a gnarly old seed) unfurls in the heat and you sip the fragrant tea, remembering to leave just a bit for the next stage.
2. Next up is the Green Goddess Powder, a mix of Fine Green French clay (that absorbs excess oil and impurities from the skin, then tones and revitalises); Rhassoul mud (a mineral clay from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco) that helps to cleanse and soften the skin; and Spirulina that gives a mega boost of vitamins, minerals and amino acids to the skin. You shake one measure out into the mixing pot and add enough jasmine water to make a smooth paste.
3. Add a few drops of oat oil (soothing and calming to the skin) and mix with the spatula provided.
4. Cleanse your skin thoroughly (I used Celgenics Deep Cleansing Lotion - a new discovery of mine) and then use the hairband provided to keep hair off your face.
5. Apply mask (I started off with the spatula and then used my fingers) and relax for up to ten minutes.
It dries out quite quickly, which is why this pic has a rather unpleasant two-tone effect - as if I've got slugs wandering over my face. It tightens swiftly and, really, you wouldn't want it on for more than the ten minutes (I left it a bit longer and then rather enjoyed gurning so it cracked and bits dropped off.) btw, ignore the odd bits on my neck - I had this idea that it might look graphically interesting. I was wrong.
Then you simply remove the mask (warm water and cotton pads do the trick) and gently rinse your face. If you've remembered to keep some cooled Green Jasmine infusion, you can tone with that (I drank it all, so didn't). Then you pop on some moisturiser (I stuck with Celgenics - this time using their Moisturiser Plus) and - ta-da! - you're done.
I looked a bit 'glowing' (aka pretty pink with slightly red splodges) but my skin felt really good - toned yet soft.
The Green Goddess mask kit I tried costs £22. MIMI also do a night face oil kit (£35) and a body rub (£25). They would make really nice presents and I could also imagine they'd be great for teenage daughters having friends over for sleepovers.
Good call, Juls, good call.
Check out MIMI here.
