[A'PIEU] - Cocorico x A'Pieu Silk Blanket Mask Silver

 

I don't know how to introduce this mask! I honestly bought the A'Pieu x Cocorico Silk Blanket Mask Silver to make up for the weight. I didn't have much high hopes for it, just thought it's gimmicky. I finally decided to try it and here's what I thought of it. 

A'Pieu Sweet Melon Sheet Mask

I have been feeling meh about reviewing masks lately so I have been grabbing ones that I have reviewed before. However, last night, I decided I wanted to try something different instead of the same old mask. I decided to grab the A'pieu Sweet Melon Sheet Mask. I have tried this mask before and I remember liking it. But I figure, it's been a while, it is technically a new mask right?

Colour Correcting Concealers: NYX vs A'PIEU

Story time, I purchased the A'Pieu Four-fect Cover Concealer (YoonCharMi collection) back in November 2016. But thanks to CBSA and Canada Post, I didn't receive it till well into 2017. I needed a colour correcting palette in the mean time so I picked up a NYX colour correcting concealer palette. I have played with both palette and think this would make a great comparison post!

The A'Pieu palette was roughly US$8.10 + shipping, which I think is around C$12+shipping, for about 6g of product and only four colours. Whereas the NYX palette is about C$17 including GST, for 9g of products and six colours. I should note that the A'Pieu palette is a special edition and is no longer on sale. However, I think the normal version, which is called Multi Correcting Concealer, is still available.

Moving onto the actual products. The two products are of different textures/consistency. The NYX is more waxy, so it requires body heat to warm it up before application. It doesn't really work with a brush and can't be spread very easily. When I have it on, I feel like I can see exactly where I applied it despite blending it as much as I can.

Whereas the A'Pieu palette is very creamy and blends easily. However, just looking at the two palettes, A'Pieu is lighter in colour in comparison to NYX.

I only use two of the colours for both palette, the salmon orange for the dark circles, and the green for redness. So I will only discuss these two colours.

I think the above picture really illustrate how much creamier A'Pieu is compared to NYX, but NYX is more pigmented. Both blends in well on my hand. But let's be real, it needs to blend in well on my dark circles, not the back of my hand. 😅

Urg my dark circles are so bad!  But can you see how the NYX is way better at covering up the dark circle than the A'Pieu? I was surprised when I saw the photos because I quite liked the texture of A'Pieu. I really thought it was doing a much better job than the NYX but I guess I was wrong.

 Here's a closeup of the NYX, can you see the colour difference between my skin and the concealer? It bothers me a little bit because it feels like it's not blending in correctly.

 The A'Pieu is blending in a little bit better on the close up but you can still see the colour difference.

This is two layers of the A'Pieu, and the colour difference is much more noticeable. It looks like it's just sitting on top of my skin instead of blending in. It kind of reminds me of the NYX concealer, but even the second layer, A'Pieu is still not providing as much coverage as one layer of NYX. -__-

Comparing the two together, and the A'Pieu looks so yellow compared to NYX.

Excuse the flaky nose!! I didn't realize there was so much flakes on there -___- Anyways, did you notice the NYX is pretty green even though I blended it out. This is an issue I have with the green concealer. No matter I blend it out, the green keeps on showing up.

Overall, I think both palettes has their pros and cons. The NYX palette is better pigmented and provides better coverage. But its texture makes it difficult to blend out. Whereas the A'Pieu has a creamier texture and easier to blend out. However, its coverage is really meh compared to NYX.
There's no clear winner in this battle, it just depends on your preferences.

I would definitely use the NYX salmon orange for my dark circles and the A'Pieu for redness as I don't need much coverage on those.

Masks #14... Masks I find sticky.

I hoard masks, that's not a secret. But I am making progress in reducing my stash of close to expiration/expired masks. As I am making progress through my stash, I will be adding more mask reviews ^_^

Purederm Pearl Essence Mask

The sticker says $3, but I purchased this from Daiso at 2 for $3 CAD. So it's only $1.50 each. I think I gave the other mask to my friend when we did a masking night that night. That being said, this is a brand that is slowly emerging in western stores, because I think I have seen a large variety of it at Walmart.

 Ingredients: As per the package. 

Water (Aqua), Glycerin, PEG/PPG-17/6 Copolymer, Pearl Extract, natto Gum, PEG-14M, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Panthenol, Illcium Verum (Anise) Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, Disodium ETA, Allantoin, Erythritol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Fragrance (Parfum)

Back to the mask, it's got a tangy smell, kind of reminds me of artificial lychee smells with a hint of tang added. I quite like it! *thumbs up!*

This has the eye flaps that allows your eyes to get some love too. However, my nose piece broke off when I took it out of the package and I just didn't want to bother with the mess that is now my mask.

I used it for about 25 minutes, when the upper lip area started to dry out. However, there was still a lot of essence leftover on my skin. It didn't feel tacky to the touch and was absorbed by my skin fast. However, it also made my skin feel a bit tight/itchy. 😔😒

The mask is supposed to help tone and rejuvenate complexion. While I did find my complexion has cleared up a little bit after the mask, the fact that it made my skin feel tight and itchy is a big no. So this mask will be a no repurchase for me.

A'Pieu Tangle Jelly Mask in Mango 

 I got this in mango flavour which is whitening. But honestly, I got this because it's mango not for its supposedly whitening effect. I was very intrigued by what this mask was. What do you mean tangle jelly mask?? What is it?! I had to get it to see it for myself. I got it from RoseRoseShop's eBay storefront for the cheaper shipping rate and utilizing the flash coupon from eBay.

Turns out, this is a this cellulose mask that is soaked in this thick jelly like essence.

 Ingredients: In Korean, not gonna translate, sorry. 

 The mask comes in two pieces, the mask itself, and a mesh like backing an aqua seal sheet. The mask itself is a thin cellulose mask that adheres to my face very well, even over my little nose. However, it doesn't reach near the ears but that's like all of the masks.

 The aqua seal sheet, which is stated on the package itself and I mistook as a backing, is supposed to be on top of the mask to prevent the essence from evaporating as fast. I will have to try it together next time. 

It comes with a thick gel/jelly like essence, which is where the jelly comes in. At first, it didn't appear to be gel but once I squeezed the extra essence out of the package, it is indeed gel. The essence itself smells like artificial peach but without the tang, so I guess that's what the artificial mango supposed to smell like.

I had the mask on for only 20 minutes despite having a thicker essence on the mask. This was due to the fact that the upper lip are was dry and the edges were starting to dry out as well. This probably would have been prevented by using my Daiso silicone mask cover the aqua seal sheet like it's intended 😅😅.

Anyways, there was still a lot of essence left on my face and on the mask itself. I rubbed the extra essence on the mask onto the rest of my body and tried to rub in the essence on my face, but it still took a while to sink in.

I feel like it did okay for a mask that I had on for 20 minutes. I didn't notice any visible brightening effect and I didn't quite like how it took so long to sink in. I will give it another try with the aqua seal sheet on top and revise my opinion should it change. However, I don't find this worth the $2 price tag. Don't get me wrong, it is an interesting mask and I liked it. But the stickiness and time it took to fully sink into my skin made it a no repurchase for me.

Nature Republic Real Nature Mask Sheet in Shea Butter

I got this from Skin18 a few years back as part of their free masks program where I get to pick and choose the masks and only pay for shipping. I think I was supposed to do a review on it, and I obviously took my sweet time. 😅😅 I thought these has been repackaged but don't quote me on it as sites such as Jolse still has the same packaging listed. So maybe I am imagining things. 😕

 Ingredients: As per the package. 

Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate. Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Citrus Paradis (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Dimethicone, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Hydroxide, Sophora Angustifolia Root Extrat, Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Prunus Persica (Peach) Leaf Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance. 

The mask is a thick cotton mask that is soaked in a thick lotion type of essence such that it was not dripping when I took it out of the package. The essence itself has a very powdery smell to it, which is what I like to refer to as the "old lady smell". Yah, I am not a big fan of that smell.=__= It kept on wafting in and out of my nose as I had it on, but it wasn't intolerable. On the plus side, the mask itself is quite big! It actually almost touches my ears and reaches far down my chin. 👍

I had the mask on for only 20 minutes. The mask was still moist but I just didn't have the patience to have it on any longer. There was still lots of essence on my skin, which took its sweet time sinking in and left my skin feeling tacky.

Due to the fact that it has a powdery smell that I dislike and it made my skin feel tacky, it's a no for me for future repurchases. I am glad I did get to try it out though!

Mirum Fresh Fruit Honey Real Nature Mask Pack

I also got this from Skin18 and yup, I waited forever to try it. Oops...

 Ingredients: In Korean, not gonna translate, sorry. Skin18 has it on their website though! 

This is a moist mask that is soaked in a thick clear gel like essence. The essence itself has a very sweet smell to it, almost like honey but a little off. As for the mask itself, it fits my face well. A perfect fit for my nose, and almost reaches my ears. Yay for big masks!

However, despite being soaked in a thick gel, it felt quite dry upon putting it on my face. It actually felt like it was going to suck all of the moisture off of my face and fall off immediately. Due to this fact, I only had it on for 10 minutes before taking it off. It is meant to be 15 to 20 minutes, but honestly, it really felt like it was going to fall off. Oddly enough, there was lots of essence on my face and the mask was still moist. I guess it must been my imagination. I tried to pat in the extra essence into my skin but my skin still felt tacky to the touch. However, it does look and feel more hydrated.

Once again, this is a mask I probably wouldn't repurchase because it made my skin feel sticky and it's not an easy to find brand.

BONUS:

Mamonde 7 Days Project- Moisturizing 

This is a pack of masks that you are supposed to be using for 7 days straight. I obviously had it for a long time as it is now discontinued. This expired in mid December and I tried to use it right after it expired. However... This was definitely a lesson for me.

The mask is rolled up and soaked in a lotion type essence. The essence has a slight tangy smell which is what I assume to be the strawberry. I thought it was going to be a serum type of essence as rose and strawberry kind of screams serum to me. But considering it is supposed to be moisturizing masks, I guess a lotion type makes more sense.

The mask is so big that I can put it on without using the mirror. It is also big enough that it almost reached my ears. (I just found another common theme for these masks! Masks that are so big they almost reach my ears!)

Downside to the mask is that due to the way the mask was packed, I feel that the essence was not distributed equally on the mask. Some parts felt drier than other parts. The mask dried out rather quickly, with the upper area feeling dry and uncomfortable within 5 minutes. The cheeks and jawline started to dry out and ready to fall off after 5 minutes as well. The forehead remained moist but it wasn't too far off. I ended up taking it off after 10 minutes because the whole mask felt dry and ready to come off by itself. Despite the feeling of a dry mask, I still had plenty of essence on my face, which was absorbed quickly.

Now the lesson. I kept using this mask for 3 days straight, but I started to get these small painful breakouts all over my face. I don't usually get those kind of breakouts so I immediately thought it may have caused by these masks. I stopped using them and surely enough the breakouts went away after a few days. After it was gone, I thought I would give it another try. But nope, the breakouts came back after one use. I had to throw the remaining 3 masks.

So the lesson I learned is that, USE YOUR MASKS IN TIME! Because these masks were expired, I can't pinpoint whether it was certain ingredients that my skin did not like or the fact that these ingredients were expired. Experience with these masks has made me re-evaluate if it was worth it to continue using expired masks or throw them out. I ultimately decided to throw out my expired masks as my skin is worth more than a few dollars worth of masks.

Isa Knox Cell Renew Cover Cushion Ex

A photo posted by @addictedtocrafts12 on May 6, 2016 at 6:14pm PDT

I got this Isa Knox cushion earlier in the year, because it's got this super cute flower pattern in Pantone colours. I bought it as soon as I saw it on TesterKorea, even though I know I was fine with just the A'pieu x Doraemon Air Fit cushion. Then I saw it on Instagram, and how someone bought the same cushion via a Korean buying service received an additional case and three refills. So in total, that was two cases, and four refills for the price of one cushion + refill. I was annoyed as I would have preferred to received that instead. So mark my surprise when my package came, and IT WAS THE SAME PACKAGE!! OMG!! I was so happy!!! Okay, now you are wondering why I am blabbering on. Well, the cushion I am reviewing today is the extra cushion I got from Isa Knox. The one I wasn't expecting at all.

 The cases, which I will refer to as the Flower case and the Pantone case. As you can see, it is not as intricate as the Pantone version. It is just a sticker on top of the cushion case, with nothing to prevent the colours from rubbing off. Whereas the Pantone version has glass on top with some additional etchings on top.

The Pantone case is also quite a big thicker than the Flower cushion.

You can't really tell from the pictures, but the two cushions are also of different formulas. The Pantone cushion is the "Micro Foam Cushion Silk Cover" and the Flower cushion is of "Cell Renew Cover Cushion Ex". I had to get the cushion from the refill for the Flower cushion, as I couldn't tell at all.

I chose to go with the Flower cushion as I didn't want to open up the super pretty Pantone case and scratch it up.

  Both types of cushions are in No.21, which is the lightest choice they had. (I had no idea what my shades are, I just figured I got light skin, the lighter shades should work.. ^o^;;)

 The cushion is like any other cushions, a shelter for the ruby cell pad and housing for the cushion + product itself. Please excuse the dirty pad as I am very clumsy and  tend to get some product on my fingers which then transfer to the back of the pad. ^__^;;

Natural Lighting 

Flash

 This shade looks quite dark in the cushion, but it actually fits my skin colour well. At least I think so.

Flash 

Natural Lighting 

 I don't know about you, but I kind of have a little hard time seeing the swatch under natural lighting. It is definitely a bit more orange than my skin colour but it isn't too far off? Again, I don't use make up often so I don't have a very good eye with it.. ^__^;

With flash

I feel like with flash, the colour is even a bit harder to tell. Especially around the edges? If these are a little bit darker against the inside of my arm, where it is quite pale, it should be okay on my face.. Right???

Okay, time for real life testing~~

 As you can see, my face is full of breakouts.. Urg, I can't believe how bad my skin was a few months ago. I was NOT taking good care of my self. My skin is also quite red and splotchy.

This is after I put on one layer of the cushion on. Most of the redness are covered and it seems to be a good shade for me. Yes? At least I can't really tell I got make up on unless you look at the nostril and the chin area. Those areas are a bit dry so it makes sense the cushion isn't sitting as well as other areas. But I like this cushion. It lasted for most of the day with minimum touch up.

The product has a very faint floral smell that does last as it sits on my face. It kind of reminds me of roses? The smell doesn't bother me so that's a plus!

I think this cushion is good enough for my demand for a cushion. It is being carried around on a daily basis for that odd occasion I feel like putting on make up.

I also compared it against the A'pieu x Doraemon Air-Fit cushion as I don't think I'll do a full write up on the cushion itself. I bought the cushion set as I grew up watching Doraemon, and the cushion was so adorable as it is his face! It was my first cushion, and I liked it enough to keep using it off and on. The only downside is that I found it clung to the dry spots on my skin. Sometimes I feel like you can see all the dry spots on my face. My friend said it may be due to the shade being too light for me.

I should add that both of these sets are no longer being sold, so I didn't provide any links. You may be able to find it on sale on eBay if you really like either of these cushions.

 The two cushions are of similar sizes and of the same components. Though you can see the A'pieu sponge looks a bit darker than the Isa Knox sponge. Oh, I didn't take a closer picture, but the A'pieu sponge is a lot more porous than Isa Knox.

Natural lighting 

Flash 

 The left swatches are Isa Knox, and the right swatches are A'Pieu. As I have said above, my friend said the A'pieu cushion may be too light for me. Which is kind of true when you look at the swatches here. The A'pieu swatches are all quite light for the inside of my arm, which is already quite pale compared to my face.

I blended the A'pieu swatch out a bit and let it oxidized. Now it looks more suitable for my skin whilst the Isa Knox swatch is now too dark. So I guess my friend is right, the A'pieu was too light for my skin and hence why I felt like it accentuates a lot of dry spots. If it's just good match for the inside of my arm, then it's too light for my face.

In addition, I found the A'pieu cushion to have a much stronger smell to it. It's a strong sweet powdery smell to it. No, it's not as bad as the Etude House's cushion, so I am able to tolerate it. But the smell often wafts into my nose at random times throughout the day and annoys me for a moment.

The other thing I found with the A'pieu cushion is that I had to flip the sponge quite often. I left it at my office for most of the time, and I found that I already had to flip it twice even though I used it for only around 10 times. Whenever I flip it, I can see there is still products in the bottom. So I am not too happy with that.

Overall, I like the Isa Knox cushion more for its smell, and how much smoother the application feels against my skin.

Oh, one last thing, the refills are not interchangeable despite similar sizes. The Isa Knox cushion is lightly too big for A'pieu's casing, such that it wouldn't even go in at all.

Okay.. One more thing.. I still got Holika Holika x Gudetama and Missha x Line Friends cushions to use.. Omg.. For someone who doesn't use make up often, I sure has a lot of cushions.. ^.^;;