[ANNIE'S WAY] - Calendula + Chamomile Softening Jelly Mask

I first heard of the Annie's Way jelly masks from my friend, whom introduced me to AB, years ago. We were looking at Hyaluronic Acid mask and how it had received rave reviews online. However, it was a pain to get it from online as the only source available for shipping to Canada was YesStyles and they were well marked up. 

So fast forward to November 2017, where Skinvestment held their Beauty Date x MTL event and they had Annie's Way products to try! I was excited for the Bubble Tea mask (review here) and I was excited for the jelly mask! I finally get to try it after so long!! 

The mask provided by Annie's Way is the Calendula + Chamomile Softening Jelly Mask, which is aimed to moisturize, soften and reduce skin discomfort. As well as purifying the pores. It is suitable for all skin types, including sensitive and dry skin.

Once again, I just have to make the disclaimer that even though I received the products for free, all opinions are mine. 

Notable ingredient to me were Sodium Hyaluronate, I get happy when I see it as that's my go to ingredients for hydration! Yes! Hydration! There is also calendula and chamomile extracts, which is obvious, since it's in the name. I was a little concerned to see Silver Oxide, but CosDNA has indicated that it is an antimicrobial ingredient.

Does anyone know what they mean by "flavor" for the last ingredient?

Anyways, moving onto the mask itself.

It is called a jelly mask, but I think it's more of a thick gel. You can see the air bubbles in the package. Let me tell ya, that makes it very difficult to photograph within its clear packaging. -_- But I digress.

The sample came with the signature Annie's Way spoon, which is to be used to spread the jelly mask, as well as scrapping it off. I found the jelly mask to be very easy to spread. And it does not move once it's placed on the skin, which is great, as I can move around instead of laying down.

The clear gel has a light yellow tinge to it, and has a little bit of an herbal scent to it. I didn't mind the scent and becomes nose blind to it relatively quickly.

The instructions said to apply it evenly on the skin, at approximately 0.3 to 0.5cm thickness. Then removing it with the spoon after 15 to 30 minutes. However, if it's your first time using the mask, it is recommended that the mask to be removed after 5 minutes. I just find it funny that it's asking for the mask to be applied at 0.3 to 0.5cm thickness, because we all know how thick that is once the mask is on the face. XD

Anyways, I tried to apply it as evenly as I can, and still had a bit of the mask left over. Though I don't think I applied as evenly as I thought, as I had areas where the mask is gone after 15 minutes.

The mask had a cooling effect on the skin, which I imagine will be a very pleasant sensation on a hot summer night.

I noticed that the upper lip area started to feel tight after 15 minutes and scraped it off after 25 minute. At this point, I noticed there was a few areas where the skin is exposed. Initially I thought it was because I put any masks on top. But then I realized it's probably due to an uneven application. The exposed area probably have a much thinner layer than the surrounding area.

The mask remained soft the whole time, so it was really easy to scrape it off with the provided spoon. It actually felt like I was doing some massaging with the spoon as I am scraping off the mask. 😍 I found the whole removal procedure to be very soothing.

After the removal, my skin felt cool to the touch. But it was a tad tight in areas where there was still thin layers of mask left. Instructions said to remove it with water, so that's what I did. I don't really know if I like that though. Because as I was washing off the excess mask with water, it kind of feel like a layer of product was being washed off. Considering it is recommended I apply toner before applying the mask (to aid absorption), I felt like I was washing off both the mask and the toner. Thus wasting my products. But that's just me. Because it is very likely that most of those products are absorbed into the skin and I am just washing off the excess that cannot be absorbed. 😕😕

As for results, my skin felt moisturized and soft. It looks less red, and the angry breakout on the hairline is a lot calmer. So it does moisturize, soften and reduce skin discomforts.

Overall, I liked the mask, but I would probably get the rose or the Hyaluronic Acid mask to try instead of this flavour. And most likely the sample sizes, as the big tubs are too much of a commitment and it has a short shelf life after opening. Seeing how lazy I am, and this is essentially a wash off mask. I would rather do the sample size where I can do it once and be done. I don't need to chase the shelf life with the amount of masks I hoard😅.

Thanks again to Skinvestment and Annie's Way for allowing me to FINALLY try the jelly masks!