Masks #2!

Now it's time for the second round of masks!! I just randomly pick the masks whenever I feel like I need to add an oomph to my routine. Though with the combination of the Hyaluronic Acid and the abalone cream, my face has been pretty nice so I haven't gotten around to using masks lately. 

Now let's begin.. 

Pure Smile Strawberry Milk Essence Mask

This is a mask I got from one of my Memeboxes. I really like their snail hand cream and kept on buying backups of it. Plus I heard good reviews on these masks so I decided to give it a go.

It's supposed to be Strawberry Milk Essence so I thought it would be a milky lotion type of essence. But it's actually a clear essence. It doesn't smell anything like a strawberry. It's a very light floral fruity smell. I can't quite identify it and it goes away after a few minutes. There was a fair amount of essence that the mask was able to last on my face for 30 minutes but there was not much left in the package. 

This is my first sheet mask that comes with flaps for your eyes. I liked that function as it allows me to relax. I tried it and liked it. But since I always do a mask after I shower, I couldn't lay down to relax so I flipped the flaps back down. I found the mask to fit my face well. 

Result wise, I think it does what all the masks does. Which is just add some extra moisture to your routine. But it's nothing amazing. You can find Pure Smile masks on Ebay but I wouldn't go out of my way and seek out these masks. 

Tosowoong Pure Deep Sea Water Mask 

While I was shopping on TesterKorea for my mask haul, I stumbled upon Tosowoong's pure masks. I  found the deep sea water mask to be interesting as it is unusual. What does it do? I have absolutely no idea. Tosowoong made a chart for the line of masks but  for function, they just put in "deep sea water mask sheet". So I have no idea, but I am assuming brightening as Skinfood's Deep Sea Water masks are also for brightening. It was cheaper to buy from Tosowoong directly so I ordered from their eBay store.  These masks came in about two weeks and I was excited to try them. 

The deep sea water mask has a clear essence. I expected as much. It wouldn't have made sense for it to show up in a milky essence when it's supposed to be water. As soon as I opened the package I was hesitant to put it on my face. The smell is so off putting I took a few minutes contemplating before deciding to put it on my face for the sake of trying it. The smell reminds me of those mosquito repellent incense coils we used to burn when I was a kid. You know, those green curls that you light up at night and it makes your entire room smell but in the morning you won't have any mosquito bites.. Which is apparently bad for you according to Wikipedia.. Yikes.. Well, this smells exactly like it. Urg.. I was hoping the smell would dissipate after I put it on. But no. the smell continued and was quite strong. I couldn't keep it on and had to take it off after 10 minutes. Sadly, the smell lingered and bothered me through out the night. So you can imagine that I have no desire whatsoever to put any of the leftover essence on my body. 

The sheet mask itself was decent. I found that it sat on my face quite well, except for the jaw area where I had to fold them a little bit so they are not flapping everywhere. I like that they have cuts on the eye slot in case you need more room. 

Result wise, I find that these are quite moisturizing. After I took off the mask, I found the mask left a kind of sticky essence on my face but that was absorbed after a while. My face felt a little firmer and much more moisturized. However, due to its smell, I am never putting this mask near my face again. I am wondering what I should do with my remaining 9 masks. Sigh..

The Face Shop Real Nature Mask in Avocado

My friend Mogie, she's the one who is always giving me masks and stuff, got some of the Face Shop masks and decided to give me some to try. The Face Shop is the only Korean skincare brand that has a physical store in Cow Town right now. Their masks are always in the $2+ range so I never really bothered to try them. My thinking was well I can get them much cheaper online.. But then I don't want to wait for the 2 weeks when I can have the instant gratification. So that kind of thinking stopped me from buying one to try. I was so excited to try it after Mogie offered some to me!

This is a lotion type of mask and it does not have much of a smell. It was so "juicy" it was ridiculous. When I tore it open, some essence actually flew out of package and onto my laptop nearby. So be careful opening these masks from the Face Shop. I actually gave my mask a light squeeze before pulling it out of the package as I feared it would drip everywhere. Even after the squeeze it was still full of essence. Even after putting it on my face for 30 minutes, there was still a bit left on the mask. 

The mask a nice round shape with huge holes for the eye area. I found it a little bit on the thin side and didn't quite like how I had to keep on patting them along my jaw line so they don't peel off. 

The avocado mask is supposed to provide nutrition and revitalize your skin. I wasn't having too much hope for it but I was surprised how happy my skin was after the mask. It was slightly brighter and softer and I was happy to see it was still soft in the morning. I think the avocado mask has won me over to the Face Shop masks.. But to order online and wait 2 weeks or instant gratification but pay twice as much.. Hmmmm...  

Sally's Box Loverecipe Apple Mask

I got this in the Thanksgiving Memebox along with the gel masks. I thought it was quite cute and since I received the entire Loverecipe collection, I could finally use it up. I think there is a story between the pictures in the entire series, but I haven't gotten around to figuring out the sequence yet.

This is in a clear solution, which smells nothing like apples. Instead, it smells very much like those decorative erasers that has a super sweet smells. It brought back childhood memories. Though the scent dissipates after I put the mask on my face. 

I like the mask, it suited my face very well. There was no excess flaps around my jawline and the eye sockets are larger than the Etude House masks. As for results, I can't say it is wonderful. I find my skin felt moisturized like any other masks but not much more. The mask is supposed to make your skin smooth and even. I didn't notice much of that happening. If you are into apple masks, I think the Beauty Diary or Youthful Wonder makes better ones with greater masks. 

Overall Thoughts: This bunch of masks was slightly disappointed. The only mask I liked was the Face Shop mask in avocado as it was super juicy and does keep my skin super moisturized. Tosowoong's Deep Sea Water mask does its job but the smell is so strong and irritating that I would not recommend any one to use it. Sally's Box & Pure Smile's masks smells nice but they are nothing spectacular that I wouldn't go out of my way to find them.