Masks #13 - Expired Masks

Oh boy.. I am REALLY sorry.. I keep on doing this.. I do up posts halfway and then I forget about it and it takes me months to remember. Then I finish the post and is too lazy to edit the photos until now.. My apologies!!! Anyways... Back on topic. ..

So... I hoard masks, and then I forget to use them, because I am super forgetful.. Which leads to masks expiring on me before I decided to look at my humongous stash. So what's a girl to do? Chuck them? Use it as a body mask? Or just risk it and use it on my face?

Well, being the cheapskate I am, I chose to use it on my face.

The decision wasn't made lightly though. Part of the reason why I decided to risk it was due to the Leaders coconut gel masks. Now, there was a bit of an upset over these masks and their expiry dates back in late 2015 and early 2016. Leaders USA had their popular coconut gel masks for 50% off for the Thanksgiving sale and people bought TONS of it. Then they discovered the expiry dates were January 26, 2016, only giving them just over two months to use it all. I bought tons of coconut gel masks from Leaders Canada in December and the expiry dates were also January 2016. I meant to use it all by then but school got the best of me and I totally forgot to use them. 

I can't remember if it is on Instagram or Reddit, but someone reached out to Leaders regarding the expiry date. Their response, and I am paraphrasing based on my recollection, is that the masks are still okay to use. The expiry date listed is the best use date, but the masks are still usable after the expiry date. It's something along those line. People didn't buy it, but hey, if the company says the masks are okay to use after the expiry date listed, I will use them. So I tried the coconut gel masks that I have already tried before the expiry date and it didn't cause my skin to be upset. So I thought, then why not try it with all the other expired masks. 

Now, I am not advocating the usage of expired skin products or anything. Especially if your skin is super sensitive and reactive!!!! Please don't use expired masks and skincare if your skin is super uber sensitive! I only use expired masks because I know my skin is quite non-reactive.

Let's get going with my expired masks~!

Whamisa Organic Fruits & Tomato Fermented Hydrogel Facial Mask with lactobacillus

This was a splurge item that I bought because everyone was raving about it. I just didn't want to use it up!! They cost around $5.30 each + shipping from TesterKorea. It's a lot more in CAD due to the currency exchange, but I think it was at par when I purchased. Anyways, I held on to it and held on it.. Then I realized it's been a couple of weeks after expiration... Oops.... Anyways, I decided to use it up anyways.. It's an expensive mask!

The mask itself has a very strong gingery fermented smell to it. Which makes sense since it's supposed to be fermented.

The mask came in two pieces, the bottom half was half stuck to the packaging so the white backing came off easily. It is all gel material, so there is no lining in the center to hold it all together. But fortunately, the material is thick enough that it doesn't tear easily.

They fit my face well, but unfortunately, I think my face is too big for it. The top barely hit the top of my forehead, and the sides does not reach my ears.. T__T My face is too round! The eye hole is just a bit high up for me as well. I had to drag the upper piece down to cover my nose and the eye hole sits just under my eyes... Overall, I think this mask is just not fit for my round chubby face. 

Before: Urg I was breaking out BAD back then.. 

After

I had it on for 45 minutes. I took it primarily because the upper lip area was dried up, but the rest of the mask was still moist. Oddly enough, the left side of my face felt sticky while the right side isn't. So I guess the side of my face was more thirsty than the left side?
My face felt moisturized, it was especially evident when I was applying my moisturizer that night. It went on so much smoother... I can see why this mask is so expensive... Other than that, I didn't see any other results, but then again, the mask is expired so I am not expecting much besides moisturizing properties.

Kao Megurhythm Steam Eye Mask 

This isn't actually an expired mask. I just wanted to include it as I used it on the same night as the Whamisa mask. My sweet friend Mogi saw it on sale at Superstore and got me a box because she knew I would want to try it. She got me the lavender scent, not knowing that I actually dislike lavender scented things. They just remind me of bathrooms.. Hahaha... But thankfully, is lavender sage, so it doesn't smell purely of lavender/bathroom. I did end up being nose blind to it after a few minutes.

Now I don't know what's wrong with me, but it was a HOT night that I decided to use this.. Why would a sane person use a steaming eye mask on a hot night? I have no idea...

The mask felt warm to the touch as soon as I took it out of the package. It felt very nice against my eyes, I can feel my eyes starting to relax a bit. But it didn't last very long. The mask cools down within minutes. I ended up pressing the mask against my eyes to ensure I get every bit of that nice warmth. The box did say it only last about 10 minutes, and I did waste some time taking pictures so that sounds about right.. Yes.. I don't get why I decided to take pictures before I used the mask instead of after.. It still looks the same.. ^__^;;

I really liked this mask! I love that I can get it at my local Superstore and T&T. I am going to see if I can track down the rose and yuzu flavour locally. ^_^

Shara Shara Pink Piggy Collagen Hydrogel Mask

I got a pack of 5 of these masks for free from Shara Shara when I purchased the All In One ampoules from them. I only ended up getting 4 due to the weight limit, but that's okay. :)

The mask has no discernible smell and is actually slightly pink. It comes between a semi hard plastic backing and a softer backing. Obviously you are supposed to take off the hard backing and smooth it over your face. Then you take off the softer backing. But I ended up flipping it around since I can feel the mesh on one side. I just prefer to have the fleshier side against my skin.

The mask fits relatively okay, it barely reach the hairline and my jawline. The nose piece is super big so I had to flip it up or else I couldn't breathe.

Before

After

I took it off after the bottom edges started to dry off. There is a little extra essence on the side of my face so I just pat it in and my skin felt moisturized. I don't mind using it whenever I need to add a bit more moisture to my skin but given how hard it is to find it online, I wouldn't buy it again.

The YEON Snail Time Treatment Hydrogel Mask

This mask was purchased when representative from The YEON went on r/AsianBeauty and had a promotion where each of the masks was only $1 + shipping. I of course snagged some up and then forgotten about it.

The mask has no discernible smell, and is packed between a thin and thicker layer of backing. Like I said above, I like to just peel off both layers and just slap on the fleshier side against my face.

The mask fits okay. It's not reaching to the side of my face, nor is it reaching the top of my hairline. But a lot of the masks don't so I just give up.

Before

After

 I took it off after 30 minutes. The mask was still moist but I was tired and just wanted to sleep. There were extra essence left on the skin so I just patted it in and went to bed. I woke up and my skin was still feeling a bit sticky. Guess my skin just couldn't take all of that snail slime.

The YEON Clean Sea Abalone Nutritive Hydrogel Mask 

This is also from The YEON, such that the fit and smell is similar as above.

I had it on for 20 minutes while I was blow drying my hair. I was impressed that it didn't move an inch. However, when I took it off, I had weird folds on the center of my forehead. It's just from the folds of the mask, but I was surprised how it got transferred to my skin. There was still extra essence on my face so I pat it in and my skin feels okay.

The YEON Korea Red Ginseng Vital Hydrogel Mask  

Do you love ginseng, especially the smell of it? If you do, this is the mask for you!! This mask is SO STRONG with the ginseng smell. However, I grew nose blind to it relatively soon. The mask is light brown due to the ginseng and the fit is similar to the others.

I didn't find much effect besides moisturizing properties to this mask. I just wanted to take it off and throw it away as far as I can.. Can you tell I am not a fan of ginseng?

The YEON Caviar Age Care Hydrogel Mask
**I thought I took pictures of the mask but apparently I didn't. I ended up using all of them before I realized this so no pictures of the package.. Sorry!**

This mask is actually black! Which was quite neat. It is the most fragrant mask after the ginseng mask. However, I cannot pinpoint exactly what the smell is. Everything else is the same as the other The YEON hydrogels. And similar to the other masks, I only found it to be moisturizing as it is expired.

I wouldn't buy these masks again as it seems really hard to find these online.

Honourable Mentions
As I mentioned at the beginning, the whole reason why I started using the expired masks was due to the Leaders coconut gel masks. I actually still have a whole bunch of them and have been using them. I actually REALLY love them. Every time after I finish using it, my face feels super soft and I can feel my moisturizer going on 10 times smoother.

Recent purchases

I have been neglecting on posting about my purchases, and boy did I miss so much. Bought quite a few things over the last few months, namely MASKS!! I haven't counted my mask collection but I have a feeling it is probably close to 500. I have it sitting in two long containers and I still have another box full of masks.. Yikes.. 

Anyways, I am just consolidating all the recent hauls into one post to make life easier.. Oh the joy of being lazy. 

Update

Hi everyone~ I am not sure if anyone is still reading here, and it sure seems like I have abandoned it. But I haven't! I have been busy with adjusting to living on my own and trying out different fitness classes. I been keeping a log of things I have tried and hoping to have it posted in the upcoming weeks. I also changed my phone and lost some of the notes I have kept on there so some reviews may be a little vague because of it.

I am just going to do a little update as to what changed with my routine and some mini reviews.

Current Routine

I have been using the Su:m 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick (a gift from a friend) along with the Foreo Luna Mini to cleanse every day. If I remember, I will use the Banila Co Clean It Zero samples to do a double cleanse.

For toner, I am still using The Yeon Jeju Hallabong Ade Energy Peeling toner I got from Memebox. I have been applying it with my hands instead of a cotton pad, and I have noticed it foams up a little bit. I thought it may have been me not washing off the cleanser properly so I have diligently washed off every bit of cleanser and it still foams up. So I guess it's just something the toner does.

After the toner, I use COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid and wait a full 20 minutes before going into the next step. I heard good reviews about the brand and will do a full review on it after I finish trying it for a few months. But so far so good.

After waiting the 20 minutes or so, I apply the Pisteo Bright & Pure C Serum and wait another 20 minutes. These adds so much time my normally short routine so I tend to do it at night. I received the serum in previous Memeboxes and it is no longer available on TesterKorea. The serum has a gauge on the side to show you how much you need to apply each day as it is intended as a 7 day treatment. But I have been using half of the recommended daily dosage as it is enough to cover my face.

Now, after another 20 minutes, I can apply my Elizavecca Hyaluronic Acid Serum 100%. I have been constantly using it and I really feel like it has contributed in making my skin feel softer and moisturized. I have been pouring out at least a loonie sized serum each time so I have a thick layer on my face and my neck, and I am still only a third way through the bottle. I don't think I need a serum for a long time.

Depending if I am feeling like it or not, I will slap on a mask to try and review. In the morning, I have made sure I put on sun screen as it is recommended you do so when using the blackhead solution and the vitamin C.

Right now my skin is happy with what it is dealing with. I don't have any breakouts unless it's hormonal ones. I don't have flakes on my skin anymore and it's warmer out so I no longer need as much moisture as I do in the winter. My primary concern is now reducing the look of blackheads and sebaceous filaments on my nose as well as the freckles and sunspots I inherited from my parents.

Mini Reviews: 
Corbeaux:

Birthday cake time for @mugoomogoo @turtlegonepurple ! ! #cake #corbeaux #yyc

A photo posted by @pothepanda16 on Mar 30, 2015 at 6:12pm PDT

We went to Corbeaux for dessert for my friend's birthday. This is where I lost all the notes. The atmosphere was good but the price was about average for 17th Ave restaurants. The pastries looked wonderful but taste wise it could improve.

The lemon tart had a wonderful lemon curd. It was tart with a bit of a sweetness, such that it is not very sour.

The red velvet cupcake was a disappointment, it was basically a plain sponge cake with food colouring. I did not get a hint of chocolate at all. Add the sweet icing on top, it was just overwhelmingly sweet.

The macarons were okay. The shells were not too crunchy and really sweet but the raspberry filling cut through a little bit with its tartness. But the sweetness level has always been a problem with macarons due to icing sugar or sugar syrup being one of the main ingredients in the recipe.

The real star was the chestnut pastry, where we forgot to take down the name. It was recommended by the person behind the till for something soft. The pasty was forgettable, but the filling was wonderful. I can still remember the sweet chestnut flavour hits the tongue at first then a hint of a dark rich flavour that I can only guess to be espresso or coffee. I really think the coffee cut through the sweetness a lot and added a different flavour profile into the filling. This was my favourite dish and I would probably grab it again if I were to ever go back.

I don't think I'll ever go back on my own, perhaps if friends want to go then I'll tag along. Their pastries are just too sweet for me, and I am known to have a sweet tooth. I still remember drinking my tea constantly to cut through the sweetness, only to find the sweetness crawl back within a minute.

Fit Republic:

My friend found a Groupon for Fit Republic and wanted to try. So the three of us went for the anti-gravity class. The downside is if you were to do anti-gravity, you need to purchase the 3 class anti-gravity prerequisite pass for $60 first.

We have attended two classes so far, would have continued but they had a flood and is still in the process of renovating for the re-opening. I found that I really enjoyed the classes! The studio appears to be small from the outside but is more than enough room for about 10 people. The instructor, Alison, is really nice and quite instructive. She made me felt at ease and relaxed. I really liked all the inversion parts of the class and found myself to be so relaxed afterwards. I highly recommend this place if you wan to try anti-gravity. It is just a Ctrain ride from City Hall and across the street from the train station.

Fierce Girl Fitness:

As mentioned above, Fit Republic got flooded in May so my friends and I were looking for another studio to occupy our time. We walked by Fierce Girl Fitness during one of our walks and decided to give it a shot since they have Pole. I called ahead to see which pole class is better suited for beginners and managed to get hold of someone with my second call. I then tried to call them again to see if we can register in person instead of online. But after 4 or 5 calls that went to voicemail, I gave up. I should've known by then that this was not a good place if they have nobody to answer the call at any time of the day.

My friends still wanted to try so we registered online and opted for pay in person. So we went to the studio, which is really nice. They had a huge reception area, including a couch and projector on the side. But again, no one is at reception, so we waited at the couch thinking they must have stepped away. 20 minutes later, still no one at reception. A class has changed classroom and the people just walked by us and still no one to help us. It wasn't until our instructor came in and noticed us that she signed us in, showed us where to go and took our money. Which is also funny because she doesn't know how to work the register or machine so we had to give her cash and let her give us the change out of her pocket. **Big security issue. Their change room just has slots for you to put your valuables in, with the door wide open, with no reception to watch the people coming and going.... That is just bad practice. **

The class... Wow... The instructor is really good at pole but man she sucks as an instructor. She spent 20 minutes trying to figure out the projector, then she split the class into two, beginner and intermediate, then she ended class 5 minutes early because she had to get somewhere. So we paid $19 for 35 minutes of class time instead of 60 minutes. Heck, that 35 minutes was more like 10 minutes. There was also no warm ups or conditioning, she just went straight into doing moves, which is not great for your muscles.

Because she split us into beginner and intermediate, she jumps between the two groups. I have taken pole for a few months before so I know some of the basics, but my friends have never taken them before. The first thing the instructor did was to teach them do a spin, and I pointed out to her, that she need to explain the basics since they never did it before. She goes and just taught them the spin with little explanation. She then proceeds to go to the intermediate area, so I ended up teaching my friends instead of her. She kept on coming over, showing us moves before going back to the intermediate side so I ended up teaching them all the moves. I asked her how to turn, and she just taught me how to do the spin instead. I clarified my question to how to turn in the middle of a spin and she's like yah okay and went to the other side.

Our overall thoughts was we are never coming to this studio again due to the lack of reception and how erratic the instructor was. I think we are going to go to my old studio or a new pole studio.

So that's some of the things I been up to and aiming to do my posts on various masks I have tried in the near future!