WE WILL ALL BE LIKELY TO BE WEARING A FACE MASK…

For the foreseeable future with COVID-19 still remaining a risk for all of us.  There have been mixed messages from health experts on the wearing of these, however there is no doubt for me that wearing a mask makes me more aware of my own contact with others and when I see somebody wearing one, it reminds me of the social distancing.  I sometimes find myself day dreaming as I am walking along with my dog Boris, and seeing somebody approaching wearing a mask does remind me to step aside. 

I am lucky to have a friend in Portugal who has had a factory for many years making cork handbags and purses, and he has diversified recently into using the cork to make face masks.  Cork is a sustainable, natural, biodegradable product so when he contacted me to ask if we wanted to distribute them, I jumped at the chance to put them on our website for our customers.  I have been testing one out for a few days now to help answer a few common questions:-

• Are they hot? No, I am finding the cork mask lightweight, comfortable and not too hot.  There is a soft lining inside the mask and I am not finding this too warm or irritating at all.
• Are they comfortable? The mask is held on with 2 straps over the ears and this is not bothering me at all.
• Does it have a filter? Yes, there is one gauze filter supplied with the mask, I cut mine in half as it seemed quite thick.  There are air holes at the front and the gauze covers all of these holes. 
• What is the size like? I have quite a small face and as you can see it does cover most of my face, which I do not mind at all as cork is naturally waterproof so any fluid which it comes into contact with will not penetrate.  My glasses rest nicely on top of the mask as you can see and the design means that it doesn’t press on my nose which I would have found irritating.
• Can you clean them? Yes, cork is able to be cleaned including with products containing alcohol, so you can wipe the mask over every time you use it.

I wore mine recently on a trip to Stratford upon Avon to get some more stock for shoes sold online, Boris was confused as to where all the customers and staff had gone….  

So, if you are thinking of purchasing a face mask for your personal use, I would say this is a very good option and a much more natural product.  The only thing I miss is seeing everyone’s smiles – hopefully we can get through this soon – stay safe and healthy everyone,

Best wishes,

Lisa