Masks #11- I may have a problem with hoarding masks...

I really do.. I am so afraid to count my mask count right now. I had it in two large containers and that has already exploded into stacking boxes upon boxes on top of the containers..    ｡ﾟ(*´□`)ﾟ｡

But I have to say. There are a couple of masks in this post that I really like!!! Like enough that I am considering breaking my no-buy to get some more while it's still on free shipping.. I am so weak.. (╯︵╰,)

Leaders Aqua Ringer Skin Clinic Mask 

A photo posted by @addictedtocrafts12 on Oct 21, 2015 at 10:26pm PDT

This mask.. *swoons* I am SO tempted to buy more.. ヽ(*≧ω≦)ﾉ Maybe.. Just ONE more box??? It usually is around $30 per box but Interpark has it for sale at $14 including shipping. Due to our crappy Canadian dollar, it works out to be closer to $20/box. Still a saving of $10!!!! I should buy another box.. Shouldn't I????

Okay, backing away from the craziness for now and back to the mask itself.

Ingredients: Sorry it's all in Korean. No translation right now. 

The mask is soaked in a clear, runny syrup like essence that has a very strong fragrance. It's floral, sweet, and kind of shampoo like. I would say it smells similar to The Body Shop's Moringa line. The smell does occasionally waft into my nose, but it isn't strong enough to give me a headache. Those who are sensitive to smell, you may want to avoid it or try one mask before investing in a whole box.

There was a bit of an optical illusion with the essence. It looked like there was quite a bit of essence left in the package so I tipped it over to pour it out. I got.. Nothing.. So I stuck my entire hand in there and managed to scoop some out. Guess all that syrupy essence just grabbed onto the mask.

My biggest surprise for this mask was the fit.. This was my note to self while putting on the mask "fit is AMAZING". I kid you not, I actually put down all caps in my notes as my first impression. It fits my face like a glove. Like the much adored LoveMore (not by me but many others) and My Scheming silk masks. It hugs my skin so closely that even with flash, I had trouble telling I had a mask on. The only way I can tell is the little folds around the jaw line. This mask goes all the way up to my hair line and the nose flap covers my little piggy nose perfectly. Down side is that it's similar to most masks, where it doesn't reach all the way to my ears on my chubby face. T__T You can see clearly there's quite a bit of space between where the mask ends and where my ears are.

I had the mask on, without a cover, for 30 minutes before the semi-translucent mask started to turn opaque. The leftover essence made my skin feel sticky to the touch. For some reason that night, I decided that was the end of my routine. I don't need anything else. So I basically had toner, Cosrx Blackhead Power liquid and mask and went to bed. NOTHING ELSE. Yup, I was so smart that night. But then again, it was still pretty warm out so it wasn't pertinent to use too much products.

The next morning, I woke up with non-sticky face. So either the essence has been fully absorbed by my skin or it's been wiped off on my pillow case. Either way, my skin felt really smooth and hydrated. I can't believe how hydrated my skin felt despite using only 3 products in late October. The warm weather plays a factor, but the fact that I can get away with it is still a big surprise. I am absolutely loving this mask and I REALLY want to buy another box or two to stock up. σ(≧ε≦ｏ)

My Scheming 7-in-1 Brightening Essence Silk Facial Mask 

This was one of the masks in the Brightening and Clarifying Mask book I purchased from Beautius. They suggested using the brightening masks in the mask book for three days in a row before trying the Donkey Milk mask. Sadly I kind of stopped after the second brightening mask. No reason other than I got too tired on the third night and just went straight to bed instead.

 Ingredients: As per the package. 

Water, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Paraffinum Liquidum/Sodium Polyacrylate, Sasa Veitchi Leaf Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Propylene Glycol, Tranexamic Acid, Glycerin, Arbutin, Acetyl Tyrosine, Saxifraga Sarmentosa Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Aminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Glutathione, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, PEG-120 Jojoba Speciosa Flower Extract, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Urea, Polyoxyethylenated Alkyphenol/Methylisothiazolinone, Fragrance

CosDNA

Nothing triggering with this mask! Yay! Glad to see Sodium Hyaluronate is third on the ingredient list. ^__^

The mask sits in clear essence that has a very faint smell, but I can't pinpoint exactly what it smells like besides it's a little plant like. This mask, typical of a Taiwanese mask, was DRIPPING in essence. I squeezed some out prior to taking it out and it was still dripping everywhere. （￣□￣；）

It comes with only one pearl paper. The instruction said to use the pearl paper to place the mask on to your face before removing it and adjust the mask. But as you can see from the picture above, the pearl paper is kind of stiff , causing it to not sit properly on my face. I ended up taking the pearl paper off and used a mirror to put on the mask. I prefer it this way but often end up being the mask rolled up on my face and I have to remove it completely and reapply. (*´ω｀*)

These are silk masks, just like the LoveMore masks. I mentioned it before and will mention it again. They cost half the price of the LoveMore masks. If you look on BGO, the Taiwanese price for the My Scheming Mask and LoveMore is both $299 NTD/~$12 CAD per box. Except My Scheming offers 10 per box instead of 5 per box. They are more readily available through e-tailers than LoveMore, though LoveMore has gained more traction online. For Canadians who has a T&T in their city, My Scheming is more accessible as I believe T&T is still carrying them and often have sales. The price per box is usually around $13.99 CAD, which works out to be cheaper than online as our Canadian Dollar is doing so bad right now. So I recommend checking out your local T&T before placing an order online.

Okay, little rant about pricing over, back to the mask.

 (｡・//ε//・｡) 

True to a silk mask, it hugs my skin very well. There are some folds, as you can see above, but they are primarily due to the fact that there was no slit along the jawline. I am loving the fact that it's a little bit oval and longer on the sides, just so it can reach my ears!!! I always appreciate that little extra bit of mask.

I had the mask on uncovered for 30 minutes before taking it off. My little problem with this mask is that it dries inconsistently. The upper lip area dries out the fastest, which I kind of understand as it's the smallest piece. But my left eyebrow dried out faster than the rest of my face... So weird, just the left eye brow area.

Anyways, results wise, I noticed my cheeks are less red and my skin tone is evened out. My skin looks brighter to me, but I am not too sure.. ԅ[ •́ ﹏ •̀ ]و Using brightening products on a pale skin makes it hard to tell the results.

My Scheming Mandelic Acid Brightening Mask 

Another silk mask from the Mask Book. As you can tell from the packaging, Mandelic acid is derived from almonds. According to Wikipedia, it is often used as a component of a chemical exfoliants. 

 Ingredients: As per the package. 

Water, Polyoxyethylenated Alkylphenol/Polyoxyethylenated Sorbitan Monolaurate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Glycerin, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Urea, PEG-120 Jojoba ESters, Tranexamic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Xanthan Gum, Propylene Glycol, Paraffinum Liquidum/Sodium Polyacrylate, Prunus Speciosa Flower Extract, Mandelic Acid, Prunus Domestic Fruit Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Sasa Veitchii Leaf Extract, Liluk Candidum Bulb Extract, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Methylisothisazolinone, Fragrance

CosDNA

This is after being squeezed while in the package, it's still dripping on me. 

The mask is very similar to the 7-in-1 Brightening Mask above. The mask was dripping wet despite being squeezed before taken out. It has a very sweet note to it, but also a chemical base note. I am assuming it is partially due to the fact that they are from almonds? Artificial almond flavouring often has a sweet almond flavour that leaves a chemical aftertaste. 

Similar to the 7-in-1 Brightening mask, it hugs my skin so well that it looks like I am wearing nothing at all on my face. I did end up taking it off after 35 minutes due to the same reason. It started to get really dry in certain areas of my face. 

My face appeared to be brighter, though like I said above, sometimes it's hard to tell due to my pale skin. (Yes I am bragging ✧٩(ˊωˋ*)و✧) But I know it calmed down the flush on my cheeks. My only complaint is that it's not moisturizing enough despite having Sodium Hyaluronate. But I am just picky, this is a brightening mask, not a moisturizing mask. 

LoveMore Black Pearls True White Mask Sheet

I decided to give LoveMore silk masks another try before I write it off completely. Considering how I already tried out two brightening masks for this post, I thought why not try the whitening one frrom LoveMore.

 Ingredients: As per the package. 

Hydrolyzed Pearl, Ganoderma Lucidum (Mushroom) Extract, Royal Jelly, Polygonum Multiflorum Extract, Locinera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Ubiquinone, Chlorphenesin,Methylparaben, Xanthan Gu, Hydroxylethyl  Urea, Glycerin, Hyaluronic Acid Oligomer,Tranexamic Acid, Fragrance, Water

I am so happy to see pearl as first ingredient on the list! Though I do wonder if Taiwan have the same ingredients listing rules as Canada. So for now, I will assume they use a similar listing rule as us. Even if it's just to fool my self for a bit.  I do like the ingredients list. Pearl, honeysuckle, ganoderma, royal jelly, polygonum multiflorum, and hyaluronic acid. A couple of those ingredients are probably foreign to those who aren't Asian. But Ganoderma and Polygonum multiflorum are viewed as having anti-aging properties in Chinese culture. So in addition to brightening, the ingredients is supposed to provide anti-aging properties. 

The mask was sitting in clear essence that have no prominent smell to it. If I sniff really hard, it has a kind of a chemical note to it. 

As with the other LoveMore masks, there was a bit extra mask on my forehead, little small around the mouth area (as you can see with the curled upper lip area above), and a little long on the nose (hence the flipped nose piece). Other than that, it hugged my face very well, and it does extend pretty close to my ears. 

I wore the mask with the Daiso silicone mask cover for 25 minutes before taking it off. Afterwards, I left the mask on for another 20 minutes. There was some extra essence on my face that sunk in quickly and does not feel sticky to the touch. With this mask, I did find my face to be noticeably brighter but it was not as moisturized as I would have liked. I think this "flavour" of LoveMore silk masks is on the "to keep" list. (*^▽^*)

When comparing the result of the brightening masks between My Scheming and LoveMore, I find that LoveMore produce a better result. But economically, I would choose My Scheming simply because it is cheaper and its result is not that bad compared to the price.  Though if I am honest, I have no idea why I buy brightening products when I can barely tell any difference. [ •́ ‸ •̀ ]

LJH Vital Firming Hydrogel 

**Cannot link to HKC Plaza as their website is currently down**

I was introduced to this mask by Fanserviced. She had a review of it on her Instagram and I just had to get it!!! I ordered it from HKC Plaza for $4/mask including shipping. Unfortunately due to stupid Canada Post, I didn't receive it until a month and a half later. So after all that waiting, I just HAD to try it on rightaway!!! 

Ingredients: Sorry it's all in Korean. No translation right now. 

The hydrogel has a very sweet smell to it, kind of like lychee. Unfortunately, it did turn into a chemical/stale cigarette smell right afterwards. Thankfully it's faint enough that I can disregard it after a few minutes.

Typical of hydrogel masks, this mask comes in two pieces. It is one of the thinnest hydrogels I tried so far. It doesn't have mesh to hold it together. It's similar to the Foodaholic Pearl Shining Hydrogel mask where it's just two pieces of gelatinous essence, but much less delicate.

The pieces comes all folded together. The upper and lower pieces are separated by a single piece of translucent "pearl paper"**.  Each piece is also backed with a texturized pearl paper. I don't think I took it off correctly. ∑(O_O；) 
**I refer to all the backings as "pearl paper" regardless of their translucency or thickness**

I separated the two pieces first by removing them from the smooth of pearl paper, and then I removed the texturized pearl paper. I think the proper way is to remove the texturized pearl paper first, then remove the mask from the smooth piece of pearl paper. 

Why would I say I removed it wrong? Well, there's a reason why there is a smooth and a texturized pearl paper. The mask has two different sides. The texturized side goes against the texturized pearl paper and smooth side goes with the smooth pearl paper. If you read Fanserviced's review, you'll know that the texturized side goes against your skin. It's quite an ingenious idea. Those little pattern creates grip so it sits on your skin regardless of your movements. I love hydrogels but hate when they are so slippery I have to lay down to prevent them from falling off my face. So this "put it on and forget it's on" kind of hydrogel is great!!! Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ

Sorry for using texturized SO freaking much but I don't know what to call that pattern. Waffle cone? Honeycomb?

The hydrogel felt thin and delicate to the touch but I find that I can easily adjust it without causing any tears. It fits my face quite well. There was a bit of tenting around the jawline so I feel like a slit there would be beneficial. Though because it's a hydrogel, it is bound to be less flexible than a regular sheet mask. My other complaint would be that the mouth hole is too big. It extended well past the corner of my mouth. So I kind of feel like I got the outline of a clown's mouth on my face.

Even though it stayed on my face very well, I chose to use the Daiso silicone mask cover. Not for the movements but for any evaporation of the precious essence. This is a $4 mask (close to $5 in CAD), so I want to make sure all that darn essence goes into my face and not into the air.

I accidentally left it on with the mask cover for 70 minutes as I must have been busy playing some kind of game. The exposed area, aka the upper lip and nose area, was dried up by then. So I simply shifted those areas so they no longer touch my skin and continued with my masking for another 15 minutes. After which, the mask started to feel thinner so I removed it. There was no extra essence left on my skin to be patted in. Though my face felt very smooth and soft to the touch.

I was ready to love this and cry for my poor wallet. But alas, a day later, my skin started to show signs of rebellion. ｡ﾟ(*´□`)ﾟ｡I started to break out, and I haven't introduced anything new since I tried the mask. So unfortunately, the mask was just too much for my skin. I need to spend time translating the ingredients and see what is causing my skin to react from it.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, I definitely will try to stock up on the Leaders Aquaringer mask if I can.. I just can't right now due to being on a no-buy. I would restock on My Scheming silk masks, but probably not the brightening ones as I don't think I need it. As for LoveMore, I will keep trying all the flavours I got but most likely won't pick it up again. The LJH I had high hopes for, I really enjoyed it but won't pick it up since it is pretty expensive and caused a reaction with my skin.