It’s rare for me to use a moisturising mask; I’m usually far more focused on deep cleansing, clarifying and exfoliating to think about hydrating treatments. Yesterday, however, I woke up with particularly parched skin (and a banging hangover, but that’s another story) and in my little travel beauty kit I happened to have a sachet of Apivita’s Express Beauty with Aloe mask. Through the horrendous fug that was clouding my brain and forcing me to walk with my upper body bent at a ninety-degree angle, I managed to messily apply the mask to my face (there was probably enough for two sessions in the sachet but I used the excess on my neck and chest) and clamber into a bath that was so accidentally hot I almost vaporised my feet off.

Good things about this mask: it was instantly cooling and soothing in a way that deep cleansing or exfoliating masks tend not to be. No drying, no tightening, no tingling or burning sensations: just creamy, satisfying coolness. A bit like the skincare equivalent of eating a spoonful of natural yoghurt after a particularly spicy curry. This moisturizing mask with aloe would be brilliant as a post-beach skin treatment; it has all the calming properties of one of those soothing aloe gel formulas, but with the additional bonus that it’s incredibly moisturising. No “lightweight” feel here, this is proper plumpy hydration. I’m pretty sure that – had my eyes not been seeing six of everything – I would have been able to witness a real-time transformation of my skin. Like adding water to dried porcini mushrooms. Creases filling out, little fine lines smoothing over, redness near my nose fading away…  Bad things about this mask: none that I can think of. It was a nice, no-frills mask that did what it said on the packet.

Definitely one to try, especially if you are a regular traveller. This is an excellent option for a quickish in-flight facial and the single portion sachets make them convenient to pack. You can get the mask in a larger tube but, weirdly, it’s loads more expensive “per-ml” than buying it in the trial sizes. Two 8ml sachets cost £3, a tube with 40ml costs £32.50**. Go figure. Note to oily-prone skins; this is gorgeously moisturising but it isn’t one of those rich, heavy masks – it doesn’t leave your skin greasy. If you’re on the hunt for a mask that feels comforting rather than all-out action-packed, then this is a lovely (and inexpensive) one to leave on as you lie back and read Grazia in the bath. (Haven’t read a magazine in so long: it’s amazing how many celebrities I am totally clueless about!)

The Apivita Express Beauty with Aloe masks cost £3 for two, here at Marks and Spencer Beauty. Have you tried any Apivita products? Are there any that I should definitely have on my ever-growing shopping list?

**UPDATE: damn you, hangover. As very helpfully pointed out by a lovely reader in the comments below, the tube of mask is actually £13 for 40ml, not £32. Still, the price-per-ml for the sachets is still almost half that of the tube, weirdly, so…sachets remain the best option.