Mardi Gras Masques: How to Brighten and Beautify Your Fat Tuesday Celebration

Bring on the parades and parties--it's Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras, as it's more commonly called, takes place in the French Quarter of New Orleans on the day before Ash Wednesday. Raucous revelers forego polite society in favor of fun, frivolity, fancy floats, face painting, bead tossing and wild costume creations.

People also like to adorn their faces with a variety of masks--the more outrageous the better. It's believed that the custom dates back to the 18th century, where the wealthy wore them to hide their identities while the working-class used them as their admission ticket into the prestigious parties of the time.

Today, these guises serve as a way for revelers to help release their inhibitions. But before you rock your favorite Mardi Gras mask, make sure you give your skin a party of its own with a refreshing facial masque. This nourishing treatment addresses common concerns such as acne, aging and dull skin by providing moisturizing, calming, detoxifying or deep-cleansing benefits.  

So jump start your Fat Tuesday festivities with the following cream, gel and lifting masques. They're designed to brighten and beautify all types of complexions, as well as any Mardi Gras celebration. 

SHINE: Ecco Bella Dark Chocolate Mask. BEAUTY: Soften and smooth skin as you clear away dead skin cells with aloe vera, organic cocoa powder, and vitamins C and E. BEACON: No animal testing and vegan. Free of gluten, talc, synthetic oils and fragrances, alcohol and FD&C dyes. Supports Friends of Animals.

SHINE: Nature Pure Labs Strawberry Kiwi Gel Masque. BEAUTY: Aloe gel, ginkgo biloba extract, vitamins A, C and E, and hyaluronic acid cool, calm and nourish the skin. BEACON: No animal testing. Contains no parabens, or artificial colors or fragrances. 

SHINE: Naturopathica White Tea Antioxidant Mask. BEAUTY: Firm and fortify skin for glow on the go with aloe vera leaf juice, white tea leaf extract and sunflower seed oil. BEACON: Free of sulfate detergents, PEGs, DEA, TEA, parabens, glycols and urea. Supports the American Botanical Council and The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

SHINE: Sjal Skincare Kashmir Saphir Perfecting Mask. BEAUTY: Sapphire powder, silk proteins, tamanu seed oil, and ginseng and ginger root extracts help minimize pores and maximize cell regeneration. BEACON: Free of parabens.

SHINE: Somme Institute Boost. BEAUTY: Purify, plump and protect skin with peptides, vitamin E and pumpkin fruit extract. BEACON: Contains no parabens.

SHINE: Systeme 41 Rejuvenating Masque. BEAUTY: White clay, sunflower seed oil, pomegranate and papaya fruit extracts, and hyaluronic acid help to decongest pores and restore radiance. BEACON: No animal testing. Free of parabens, artificial colors and fragrances, surfactants, detergents, mineral oils and glutens.

SHINE: Tatcha Luminous Deep Hydration Lifting Mask. BEAUTY: Replenish the skin and lock in luminosity with green tea leaf extract, hyaluronic acid and red algae extract. BEACON: Contains no parabens, mineral oil, synthetic colors or fragrances, sulfate detergents, urea, DEA, TEA or phthalates.

Face and Body Spring Cleaning

The devoted pursuit of personal cleanliness can be traced as far back as ancient civilization. In fact, the Romans elevated it to a fine art. Their rituals included disrobing, bathing, sweating, receiving a massage and resting--procedures most American spas follow today. 

Fast forward several hundred centuries, and our faces and bodies now contend with an assortment of undesirable factors. Dirt and debris from our environment, hair, clothing, bedding and even oils from our own skin wreak havoc. Plus, makeup, moisturizers and sunscreens produce added contaminants.


The latest facial and body cleansers purify and protect. They provide multiple benefits to minimize premature aging, clogged pores, inflammation, sagging skin and pigmentation issues.

BEAUTY: 100% Pure Pink Grapefruit Hydrating Body Wash nourishes with vitamins and antioxidants, and brightens with pink grapefruit, pomegranate and goji berry. BEACON: Vegan, and gluten and cruelty free.

BEAUTY: Eminence Organic Skin Care Lime Cleansing Masque repairs with antioxidant-rich green, white and rooibos teas, and revitalizes with lime juice. BEACON: The company's ingredient farm in Hungary is powered by solar and wind energy. 

BEAUTY: Goldfaden Daily Cleanser increases radiance and antiaging protection with red tea, and moisturizes with hyaluronic acid and seaweed extract. BEACON: Vegan, no animal testing, and free of parabens, colorants, alcohol, mineral oils, petrochemicals and silicones. 

BEAUTY: iS CLINICAL Cream Cleanser softens skin with safflower seed and coconut oils, and doesn't need to be rinsed with water. BEACON: An active duty female soldier inspired the company to create this product, so she and other military personnel could use it in the field where water isn't readily available.

BEAUTY: Luzern Laboratories Pure Cleansing Créme purifies and hydrates with lemon peel and cucumber fruit extracts. BEACON: Free of parabens, fragrance, glycols, colorants, mineral oil, petrolatum, alcohol, nitrates, dyes and formaldehyde releasers.

BEAUTY: MAYAWATER Facial Mist revitalizes and cleanses dry, tired skin with Norwegian thermal spa water. BEACON: For every bottle purchased, the company donates 1% to charitable organizations that support clean water projects.

BEAUTY: One Love Organics Foaming Cleanser softens skin with glycerin, organic quillaja bark extract and apple seed oil. BEACON: Cruelty free, and supports Care and Children’s Scholarship Fund.

BEAUTY: Saian Perle Replenishing Cleanser hydrates and calms with aloe vera, chamomile and azulene. BEACON: Vegan and cruelty free, and contains no parabens, artificial fragrance, colorants or propylene glycol.