Masks #3 - Firming

Ok, so first of all, I lied, I am sorry! I meant to get back into blogging but then I got distracted. But here it is now. A collection of masks I have tried in the past few months. Be warned, it is quite long.

Baviphat Peach Juicy Sheet Mask

I bought this from TesterKorea a while back but it seemed to be removed from their website. I can't seem to find it anywhere that sells it now but I can still find it listed of Baviphat's website so it must still be in production. Hm.. Weird.

Ingredients: I used Google Translate on the page and luckily they did not post it under an image. So there may be some errors due to translation. 
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, peach extract, Carbomer, shea butter, jojoba oil, triethanolamine, methyl paraben, location can Hazel, Allantoin, Sodium PCA Avon, sorbitan stearate 60, polysorbate 60, disodium Edie tieyi, propyl paraben, natto gum, sodium chondroitin sulfate, di-potassium series Glee Jay agent, hit hydroxy cellulose, tocopheryl acetate, sodium carbonate hyaluronidase, spices


I honestly chose this because I have a weird attraction to Peach related items, even though I don't particularly like fake peach scents unless it's got that tart smell added in. This mask is supposed to restore some elasticity and vitality to tired sagging skin while providing some moisture. It contains 1% peach extract.

The mask is soaked in a clear essence and I did find the mask to have a very light sweet smell, kind of like a peach. Not a real fresh peach but one of those artificially peach scent.

The mask fit okay. It's a horizontal oval shape so I did find there is excess mask material along my jaw line and just a little wide around my hair line.

Please excuse my yucky keyboard. It was the only black thing I got that I could use for a dark background. 

I had it on for more than the recommended 15 to 20 minutes and when I took it off, I still had some extra essence so I just let it sink in and my skin didn't feel sticky afterwards.  I did find it did its job in moisturizing my skin. It also took away some of the redness I had on my cheeks. But I didn't find my skin to be lifted or revitalized. It looked relatively the same as before. Probably would not repurchase seeing how I can't seem to find an online store that carries it and the result is not worth tracking it down.


Holika Holika Juicy Mask Sheet in Tomato

This was given to me by Mogie. *she spoils me so much* She brought it back from Hong Kong but you can order it easily from a number of online retailers, like RoseRoseShop, or even Holika Holika Canada.

Ingredients: As per the package. 

Water, Glycerin, Alcohol, Sodium Hyaluronate, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato) Fruit Extract, Actinidia Chinensis (Kiwi) Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Fruit Extract, Fragaria Chilonesis (Strawberry) Fruit Extract, Allantoin, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance.

This mask contains tomato extracts and is supposed to help your skin firm up and remain youthful. A quick look at the ingredient list, it looks like there are also kiwi, lime and strawberry extracts to provide some extra boosts. Unfortunately, there is also alcohol, so if your skin do not react well to alcohol, please avoid this mask. The smell of alcohol is actually the only smell I could pick up from this mask. Otherwise, it does not have a very distinctive smell at all.

The mask pack is quite juicy, like the Face Shop masks. I failed to take picture of the mask as I thought I already posted the Mango version. But I did not.. Oops... I'll remember to do it for the mango one.

Anyways, the mask itself fit my round face well. It is a bit big around the eyes so that's great for those with bigger eyes. The material of the mask felt flimsy but to my surprise, it doesn't tear easily.

After 5 minutes or so, I can feel the sides starting to dry and detach a little bit. The same goes to the chin area. So after 25 minutes, it felt like it was starting to fall off completely so I took it off. There was a little bit of essence left on my face and it left my skin sticky until it fully sunk in. Once it is fully sunk in, my face felt moisturized and tighter, it also appeared a little whiter/

I would recommend this mask as it did feel like it firmed up my skin, even if it's only temporary.


Tonymoly Changing U Magic Mask in Red Wine

This was part of the Tonymoly Changing U Magic Mask Sheet box that I bought from TesterKorea. It looks like if you live in the States, you can purchase it from SokoGlam and Amazon.

Ingredients: As per CosDNA. 

Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Citrate, Disodium EDTA, Wine Extract, Grapefruit Extract, Solanum Lycopersicum Fruit Extract, Dauscus Carota Sativa Root Extract, Allantoin, Panthenol, Dipostassium Glycyrrhizate, Rosa Canina Flower Oil, Althea Rosea, Aloe Barbadensis Leafe Juice, Onsen-sui, Glyceryl Caprylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Methylparabin, Phenoxyethnaol, Fragrance

Okay, first of all, the drawing on the package is hilarious. Turn a wrinkly woman into a gorgeous princess with a glass of red wine. I know the wine is there to show the "flavour" of the mask, but it also kind of suggests to me that all you need is a glass of wine to change your perception of someone.. Kind of like a beer google. Haha.

Alright, back on topic. The mask has a weird sick synthetic smell to it. I can't quite put my finger on it but I don't like it. Good thing is, it kind of dissipates after you put it on your face. Just need to get over it initially.

I expected the mask itself to be of a thin material due to its price. But was quite surprised that it was made with thick fiber that doesn't tear easily. The mask is a round one, so it fits my round face quite well. The nose area fits my little pig nose area perfectly, whereas I always have a flap over my nose with other masks. So if you got a medium or large nose, be warned!

I took off the mask after 20 minutes as I wanted to go to bed. The mask still felt moist to the touch and the leftover essence on my face absorbed in quickly. My face felt tighter and moisturized, also looks smoother.

I liked the result of this mask but due to its chemical smell, and it is only sold in a box of 7 different masks, I probably won't get it again.


Innisfree It's Real Squeeze Mask in Pomegranate

Few months back Innisfree World has a 10+10 sale on the Real Squeeze masks. I was impressed by the rose one I tried so I jumped at a chance to buy all the "flavours" at a cheap price.


Ingredients: As per the package. 

Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Alcohol, Betaine, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit Fruit Extract, Punica Granatum Fruit Juice, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Orchid Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Camellia Japonica Leaf Extract, Opuntia Coccinellifera Fruit Extract, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance

Hmm.. It's got alcohol pretty high up on the list. But I am excited to see the camellia extracts, since those are pretty moisturizing ingredients. I think the alcohol contributed to the weird smell I got from the mask though. I thought the clear essence had a very chemical smell, faintly of those dreaded mosquito coils, similar to the Tosowoong Deep Sea masks. But thankfully it's very faint and I can only smell it occasionally. Typical of the series, there is not much essence leftover.

I am a little perplexed on the quality of the mask. I remembered the Rose one being a nice thick mask that almost borders a hydrogel. But the pomegranate one felt much thinner. In fact, I accidentally torn the nose area just by taking it out.  The mask adhered very well to my skin, but the fit is terrible. I had about a finger's width flap on my forehead but it was about 2 fingers width too short around my jaw area.

Result-wise, I didn't see much of a difference. My skin felt moisturized, that was basically it. Bit disappointed with this.

I probably wouldn't buy this "flavour" again, even if it's a 10+10 deal with free shipping. Not impressed with the smell, terrible fit, and the lack of result.





Etude House  - I Need You, Pomegranate! Mask Sheet

This was from my haul from Etude House last year.. Yes I am still working through the pile. I been consistently going to the Hyaluronic Acid, Snail, Collagen while ignoring others. So now I am slowly working through them. You can buy this from pretty much all of the usual online retailers, as well as Amazon.

Ingredients: As per the package. 

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Citrus Paradis (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Alcohol, Panthenol, Carbomer, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Xanthan Gum, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract (20mg), Potassium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, Allantoin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Sophora Angustifolia Root Extract, Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Prunus Persica (Peach) Leaf Extract, Paeonia Albiflora Root Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Disodium Eota, Phenoxyethnaol, Fragrance

The essence is that of a clear essence, and there was not much extra in the package. It has a light but slightly chemical smell to it, a generic, non distinguishable floral smell to it, kind of like Herbal Essence.

The biggest problem I had with the masks from the I Need You line is the fit, especially around the eyes and lips. This "flavour" was no exception. So if you need a bigger eye hole, just cut slits in the mask before you put it on.

I didn't find any spectacular results with this, but my skin does feel slightly tighter after all the extra essences has been absorbed.  I wouldn't mind buying this mask again but I probably won't go out of my way to get it.

Overall Thoughts:

So 4/5 of the masks contains alcohol in their ingredients. Alcohol in skincare isn't bad, as it helps everything absorb into your skin. However, if your skin reacts with alcohol, then I would avoid all but the Baviphat Peach mask.

I am disappointed in the results from these masks, though I have chubby cheeks so it may be harder for me to see results .This is how I would rank the masks, with #1 being best of the bunch and #5 being the worse.

1) Holika Holika - Skin felt firmer and it fit my face very well.
2) Etude House - Some result, non offending smell, fits relatively well.
3) Tonymoly - Skin felt tighter and it fits well, but it has chemical smell, only sold in variety box.
4) Baviphat - no alcohol, no firming, only moisturized, hard to find.
5) Innisfree - no firming, only moisturized, gross mosquito coil smell, tears too easily, terrible fit.