Mask Compilation #9 - Etude House 0.2 Therapy Air Mask Part 2

Hey peeps~~ Welcome back to the Etude House 0.2 Therapy Air Mask part 2~~ Here is part 1 if you are interested.

I won't redo the introductions so please go read it in part 1. Moving on to the reviews itself.

0.2 Therapy Air Mask - Lemon

Ah lemons. I love you in my water but unsure about having you in my skincare... The reason why I am unsure is because I am not sure the effect of essential oils on the skin. Also, the usual effect of lemon is brightening. As I am the queen of not being able to tell the brightening effects, brightening masks are lost on me. 

Like I said above, this mask is for brightening up the skin. It also supposedly moisturizes the skin, and that's probably why niaciamide is high on its ingredients list. Unfortunately, there's essential oils like lavender, orange and eucalyptus along with the 2,500 ppm of lemon extract. So if you have sensitive skin, this may potentially cause some irritations. 

The other thing I dislike about having lemon in my skincare is the scent. It's really hard not to have a lemon product without reminding me of cleaning products, specifically the lemon Pledge cleaners. Unfortunately, this reminds me of said cleaner, and lavender. Which makes it really hard for me to resist the urge of throwing it out. But I persist and it wasn't too bad once the mask is on. Phew!

I left the mask on within the recommended 20 minutes and the result was meh. It left my skin feeling tight and like it has a layer of product sitting on top. It makes me think that it is not very hydrating as it couldn't counteract the drying effect of alcohol in the ingredients list (IL). I didn't find it very moisturizing at all, so it's just meh. 

0.2 Therapy Air Mask - Pearl

Ahh another brightening mask, I can already see how I will not like it... 😅 My expectations dropped even more upon seeing the IL, as it is similar to the lemon 👆 except the lemon extract is replaced with pearl.. So... yah.. Not that excited with the mask at all. 

This is an ampoule type essence mask, which I have deducted from part 1 that it contains a lot of alcohol to help with the fast absorption and evaporation of the product. Which is not bad when using it in a humid environment or on oily skin. But it's potentially harsh for someone with dehydrated skin or live in a dry environment, like me. So I wasn't too surprised to have strong whiffs of alcohol upon opening the package. I personally don't like it as it feels like the back of my throat was burning. 

I also think the strong alcohol presence was why the mask dried up on me within 15 minutes. It is within the recommended time of 10 to 20 minutes, but it just seems like it's too quick to get to the point of "feeling like the mask is sucking up all the moisture from my skin". I paid for taking off the mask too late because my face felt tight as heck. It felt soft upon touch but also sooo tight. This tells me that the mask drew a lot of moisture from my skin and I need to replenish it ASAP. 

Needless to say, this was a bad mask for me. It was just a very unpleasant experience with the strong alcohol scent and how quickly it sucked up the moisture from my skin. 

0.2 Therapy Air Mask - Collagen 

Ahh, collagen. It is in a lot of my favourite foods and we need it to keep up our youthful looks~ So it makes sense that the collagen mask is to moisturize and firm up the skin. It has collagen, arginine and adenosine for the firming and moisturizing. It also has essential oils like grapefruit and lemon, but doesn't have lavender (great for me!). So it may not be great for those with sensitive skin. 

This is the emulsion type essence, but I found it to be more of a milky serum than an emulsion. It has a faint tea tree scent which I don't know how it came to be. But I don't love the scent. 

The mask lasted longer than the recommended 20 minutes, so it's good signs so far! The extra essence sunk in quickly without making my skin feel tight or uncomfortable, so it's promising!!!

It does feel like there's a layer of product sitting on top of my skin but man does my skin feel plump and moisturized! I didn't notice firming effect but I really like how plump my skin is. I think the firming effect will be more noticeable if I used it on a continuous basis. Definitely a potential repurchase! 

0.2 Therapy Air Mask - Hyaluronic Acid 

Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is the ingredient that I always gravitate towards to. It is the one I am most looking forward to in the whole series. But I am a little hesitant about it based on my previous experiences with the rest of the line. Since this is an ampoule type essence, experience tells me that alcohol is high up on the IL. Since they are drying, it kind of seems to be counteracting the effect of HA. 

I was kind of sad that I was right about the presence of alcohol, and how much higher it is on the IL. Just.. WHY!?!?!?! The whole mask reeked of alcohol. Just why.... Why ruin a potentially good HA mask with so much alcohol!!!???

Needless to say, the mask dried out on me within 15 minutes and left the back of my throat feeling irritated. It surprised me that it didn't leave my skin feeling tight. Instead, my skin felt plump and hydrated. Which is what I look for in a HA mask. But I just don't like this mask. It has a too much alcohol for my liking and I don't like how it irritated the back of my throat. I feel disappointed. 

0.2 Therapy Air Mask - Rose

Ah rose, how much I love roses~~ Especially Damask roses, which smells sooo sweet and beautiful to me. Based on my experience so far, I am a bit worried it's going to disappoint me. 😖😖

It is a moist water type mask that is supposed to provide fresh moisture. Does anyone know what the heck is fresh moisture?? It has niacinamide high on the IL, but unfortunately, it also has quite a bit of alcohol and essential oils. 

For a rose mask, it surprisingly smells like lemon and rosemary. Just .. why and how?? Just bahhhhhhhh. 

It feels drying as the mask dried up on me within 15 minutes. Sigh.. I really don't have much hopes for this mask at this point. 

The mask left my skin feeling hydrated, like I used something that was light and provided just the right amount of hydration to the skin. It doesn't feel very heavy at all, or moisturized. I guess that's what they mean by fresh moisture. I honestly think it's meant for someone who lives in a humid environment or have oily skin and doesn't need the extra bouts of moisture. 

I am unsure how I feel about this mask. I feel let down by the promise of the fragrant Damask roses and the fact that alcohol is so high up on the IL. I liked that it made my skin feel hydrated but it just doesn't provide enough for my skin. 

0.2 Therapy Air Mask - Pomegranate 

Ah pomegranate, it is such a weird but delicious fruit~ It is high in anti-oxidant and this pomegranate mask is supposed to revitalize the skin by firming it up and improve the elasticity. I am not at the age where I need anti-aging products but I guess prevention is key in skincare. (I am just lying to myself.. I have to start on anti-aging 😭😭)

I can't help but be disappointed by this since it's got high content of alcohol and essential oils like juniper and fennel. Maybe that's why this smells bitter and alcohol. I know that the masks are probably not designed for my environment, but it's just very disappointing that majority of the 0.2 Therapy Air mask line is full of alcohol. 😒😒

As it is with the other alcohol "infused" masks, it only takes about 15 minutes for the mask to dry up and feel like it's sucking all the moisture from my skin. Sigh. It didn't make my skin feel dry and tight but it's not firming either. It really just feels meh.... Just MEH. 

I really am having trouble finding some nice masks from this series. They are cheap but I was hoping some are decent for $1 masks, because A'Pieu makes some good ones. So I was hoping Etude would too, but honestly, most of the series has been meh.. I am hoping the last two will change my mind. Let's see!

0.2 Therapy Air Mask - Camellia

Okay, don't fail me now Etude. Camellia is a great moisturizing mask and I LOVE the version from Illi/Illiyoon, which is at the same price point. So I really hope Etude doesn't fail me on this! 

This is a jelly oil type essence, with camellia oil being the star oil in here. It is designed to provide radiant skin and improve elasticity. I am a bit annoyed that there's alcohol in here too but it comes at no surprise at this point. In fact, it also have essential oils so I am just repeating myself with the disclaimer with the potential of essential oil causing irritations on sensitive skin. 

This mask feels a bit different than the rest of the series, as the mask material feels a bit thicker. I am unsure of whether it's because it was newly added to the series, or because it's a sample. But it wasn't too bad. It has a light yellow jelly essence, which feels quite thick and nice. 

Alas, the mask disappointed me. It was feeling a bit suffocating at 10 minutes mark but I stuck it out until 20 minutes. And boy was it a bad decision. My face felt like it was burning!!! That weird feeling that you get when your face is really hot and you put a layer of gel on top to cool it down, then expose the gel + face to cold air. The air provides a cooling sensation but that's only because the skin is burning. It's just like WHAT THE HECK?!?!?! HOW?!?!?! WHY?!?!?!? I didn't appreciate having my skin feeling like it's burning. It's not an expired mask so I guess something in the IL doesn't agree with my skin. 

Needless to say, I threw out the rest as I don't want to put my poor skin through it again. 

0.2 Therapy Air Mask - Snail 

Ah snail gods of skincare, please don't let me down with snails! Snails has been pretty good for me, even though they tend to leave a layer of shine on my skin, they do wonders for my skin. So I really.. REALLY hope that Etude doesn't fail this. 

This is supposed to strengthen the skin's barrier and to smooth and firm up the skin. It is an emulsion type essence, so it does not have alcohol. It does have essential oils like lavender, gah... So it could be potentially irritating for those with sensitive skin. And because it has lavender oil, it smells faintly of lavender.. Sigh. .. Well, not a lot of people dislike lavender like me so I guess it's a me problem. 

The mask lasted longer than 20 minutes and that surprised me. Especially with how the rest of the masks usually sucks up moisture on my skin by the 15 minutes mark. 

It dried down semi matte and left my skin looking and feeling plump. It didn't leave a film residue on my skin at all. Instead, my skin is hydrated and moisturized. I am quite happy that snail performed well! I am so happy~~~ 

There are a few more masks in the series, such as cherry blossom, white flowers, artemisia and madecassoside. But I won't be reviewing them as I have been quite disappointed by the 0.2 Therapy Air line and don't want to continue to try it. Majority of the line has been filled with alcohol and disappointing, I don't hold high hopes for the ones I haven't tried. Maybe I'm wrong, let me know if you have tried those masks and liked it!

Overall Thoughts

Well, the majority of this list has been disappointing. But here's my ranking of the masks

1) Snail - hydrates and moisturizes the skin. It doesn't leave a film. It's good enough! 

2) Collagen - skin is plump and moisturized, there could be firming effect but it would take continuous use to see 

3) Rose - Unsure about how I feel about it. Don't hate but don't love it either. It is hydrating but not enough. 

4) Lemon, Pearl, Hyaluronic Acid, Pomegranate  - Dries out my skin and leaves it feeling tight. Just nope. 

5) Camellia - Yeah, making my skin feel like it's burning is a big no no. Just nope nope nope.