For most of us ladies, we normally engage in self-care at least once a week. Typically on a weekend night (ahem, self-care Sunday, anyone?) with a glass of red, we’ll soak our bods in a bubble bath, put on a face mask and binge-watch our latest guilty pleasure to attempt to erase the tension from the past week.
While self-care in and of itself has become a phenomenon, where we aim to take control of our stressful days through rigorous skin-care routines, these rituals usually succumb within the confines of our homes. But, if you’ve been following us, you’re probably aware that we like to do weird things when it comes to self-care and skin-care routines—however, this time around, we took things to a whole new level.
PDFM (public display of face masking) as you may or may not know, is our way of making sure to take care of ourselves during those in-between mundane moments. Have to walk your dog? Put a mask on. Going to work? Put a mask on. Taking out the trash? Put a damn mask on. For us, downtime is your time, and how you choose to do that is completely up to you. So when one of our favorite new skincare brands, ELEMIS, contacted us to do PDFM with their new ELEMIS Peptide⁴ Thousand Flower Mask, we recruited our Community Manager, Sara Sylvester, and Digital Marketing Assistant, Eryn Ammons to test it the only way we know how… on the streets of NYC.
See below to read their point of view on how it all went down during their errand run, what they thought of the new ELEMIS mask, and if they would do this again.
Sara Sylvester, Community Manager
When it comes to my personal self-care routine, I always go all out. I’m guilty of being excessive and justifying it as self-love. I normally channel my inner Beyoncé behind closed doors but when our editorial team asked my girl Eryn and I to run errands while we wear a face mask, I thought, why not try the mask we’ve been dying to use AND get shit done all at once!? There are only so many hours in a day and after all, who cares what people think about how we decide to approach our daily routines.
As self-proclaimed skin-care reviewers, Eryn and I just had to know everything about the ingredients in the ELEMIS products we were using. We’re already big fans of the fact that all of their products are free from artificial colors, parabens, SLS or SLES, No SEA or mineral oils and vegan-friendly! To our delight the New Peptide 24/7 range is powered by exclusive floral extracts and skin-synchronizing science that works around the clock to help keep skin in sync, ensuring each vital process is carried out to optimum effect. The result? Skin that looks well-rested, radiant and beautiful, 24/7, yeah we’re sold.
Photo: Bridget Badore for The Chill Times | @bridgetbadore
Once we started applying the ELEMIS Peptide⁴ Thousand Flower Mask and Peptide⁴ Eye Recovery Cream and noticed how luxe it felt, there was NO turning back. I initially put on a Snowe Home robe to apply my mask so it wouldn’t get it all over my shirt (yes, I’m five) but I felt so zen and cozy when I was done that I refused to take it off. Now I’m not a huge fan of attention, so doing a public display of face masking (#PDFM) while out and about was initially terrifying; I’m the type of gal who feels most comfortable in baggy clothes and sneakers. I try to avoid bodycon-esque outfits these days because New Yorkers can be aggressive and I can definitely go the rest of my life without being catcalled ever again. Sadly, this mindset has left multiple cute outfits with tags hanging in my closet for years.
After walking around the Lower East Side running errands with Eryn by my side in a face mask, I started to think about the bigger picture. Sure, people were staring, but does that matter? Will I see these people ever again? Even if I do, who cares? Having a friend with you does make everything better but it also reminded me that when we come together to pursue the things we really want to, no one can stop us. We had a blast living our best lives, not caring about the stares and catcalls. We also definitely made it into at least five family vacation photos and future Christmas cards (you’re welcome).
Photo: Bridget Badore for The Chill Times | @bridgetbadore
The consensus: DO. YOU. BOO. Always and in all ways, feel how you would feel and let it be known. Be fearless in sharing what’s inside on the outside by wearing your heart on your sleeve and a beauty mask on your face. People will always stare because they can and it’s natural for us to be intrigued by what we see. And for anyone who judged us, jokes on you because our skin was GLOWING the next day. Thanks to the ELEMIS Peptide 24/7 range, I felt hashtag flawless and fearless—all while I was running errands.
Eryn Ammons Digital Marketing Assistant
When our editorial team asked me to participate in our PDFM (aka Public Display of Face Mask) experiment in collaboration with ELEMIS skincare while we did some errands around our office, I was instantly relieved to be able to take a few hours off from work and enjoy a nice, hot summer’s day with Sara. I felt like a luxe beauty queen the entire day, decked out in glam hair and makeup, while also rocking ELEMIS’ Peptide⁴ Thousand Flower Mask on half of my face. This product is a nice, creamy, dark gray mask that glides on incredibly smooth. We completed the look with Snowe’s plush, white robes, and TBH, it was the most chill I’ve ever felt during work hours. Once Sara and I were completely glammed out, we headed to the streets of Chinatown.
Photo: Bridget Badore for The Chill Times | @bridgetbadore
We decided to turn this experiment into an opportunity to run some much-needed errands in the middle of our hectic workweek. Chinatown is filled with decadent plant shops, so naturally, our first stop on our epic PDFM journey was to our local plant shop. Initially, no one paid much attention to us. New Yorkers are notorious for 1. Minding their own business and 2. Not giving a shit. So, Sara and I had a few moments to ourselves before some very excited tourists asked to take selfies with us and pretty much had a field day with our overtop, yet endearing outfits. Some less-enthused individuals looked at us with skepticism and slight annoyance, so it’s safe to say that not everyone is a fan of PDFM. But like Sara wrote earlier, who really cares?
My favorite stop of the day was to our local fruit vendor. I have a MAJOR sweet tooth, so any excuse to pick up some aesthetically pleasing fruits (i.e. dragonfruits, starfruits, and lychees) with one my fave people (aka Sara) is a good day for me. After that, we hit up Di Palo’s Fine Foods on Grand St. for some burrata and prosciutto because how else are you supposed to end an entire day of PDFM-ing?! With some Italian food, obviously.
Photo: Bridget Badore for The Chill Times | @bridgetbadore
By the time we made it back to our office, we were exhausted, yes, but simultaneously refreshed and nursing some major food babies (thanks to all that burrata). When I washed ELEMIS’ Peptide⁴ Thousand Flower Mask off my face, I instantly noticed that the side of my face that had the mask on it was glowing, baby smooth, and revitalized. A few hours later, I went home and applied the mask to the other half of my face and I came to work GLOWING the next day. What I loved most was that the mask was easy to wash off and didn’t require tons of harsh scrubbing to get off. One of my biggest pet peeves with face masks is the removal process. When a mask washes off as easily as it’s applied, I’m pretty much sold.
New Yorkers are busy, and when skincare can fit seamlessly into your routine, it encourages all of us to take better care of our skin and to take those moments for self-care more seriously. So if you’re on the fence about PDFM-ing, I’d say give ELEMIS’ Peptide⁴ Thousand Flower Mask a shot, because not only will it leave your complexion refreshed and clear, it will, for sure, turn some heads and make you feel like the beauty queen you are.
Photo: Bridget Badore for The Chill Times | @bridgetbadore
Need a little bit of ELEMIS in your life and want to try their new mask, or, really, any of her new Peptide 24/7 line? Enjoy 15% off your first ELEMIS.com purchase, only at ELEMIS.COM Use Code: CHILLHOUSE Valid only at elemis.com and not valid on retailer websites or in-store/spa locations. Offer not valid on travel size products, gift sets, or eGift Cards. See elemis.com for full terms and conditions. One per customer. EXPIRES 12/31/2018
Or, if you live in NYC, make sure to stop by Chillhouse from 8/28-9/3 to get a limited-edition ELEMIS nail design. Plus, customers who purchase one of ELEMIS manicures will receive a complimentary ELEMIS Peptide⁴ Eye Recovery Cream and one Hibiscus Milkshake.
This post was sponsored by ELEMIS. However, we believe in providing authentic opinions and thoughts about all products or services.
CREDITS:
Photography: Bridget Badore
Models: Eryn Ammons and Sara Sylvester
Production Assistants: Victoria Morris and Susie Benitez
Creative Director: Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton
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