Masks #16 - More masks I tried

I am still working on how I want to do my mask reviews. I tend to post it on Instagram but I would like to keep up content on the blog too. Would it better to post the reviews as I am posting it on IG or should I do a collection like I am doing now? Let me know in the comments, please and thank you!

 Beautymate - Prunus Yedoensis Moisturizing and Soft Skin Mask 

The first mask to be reviewed is the Beautymate Prunus Yedoensis Moisturizing and Soft Skin mask, which I ordered from BGO as a bundle pack that came also came with a cute headband.

This is my favourite from the three different Beautymate masks I have tried.

The mask is made from a fibrous material that is designed to trap the essence and help your skin drink it up while allowing it to breathe at the same time. The mask is drenched in a clear essence that is slightly thicker than serum but is not thick enough to be called a gel. It has a faint woodsy smell to it, which reminds me of this sakura wood charm I own.

I had it on for about 15 minutes as per the instructions and at this point, the mask was starting to feel like it is drying out. I left the extra essence to sink in instead of wiping it off because I am a rebel like that. 😎 It sunk in quickly, within a few minutes, and my skin already looked plump. I love this mask as it made my skin feel soft and plump.

I would definitely repurchase this mask if I can figure out how to reorder it since I don't want to place a gigantic order through BGO.

Banila Co -  Miss Flower & Mr.Honey Moisturizing & Nourishing Mask Sheet

I love the Miss Flower & Mr. Honey cream so I was looking forward to using this mask. It is a gold hydrogel mask that is drenched in a clear serum like essence that smells like roses. It's quite lovely scent actually, more like rosewater. However, I didn't like the material for the mask as it is quite thin and flimsy so I wasn't able to make it sit properly on my face. I ended up with lots of bunched up spots or tenting on my face. Not what I look for in a mask.

I lost track of time and had the mask on for 45 minutes, but it was only 5 minutes more than the recommended time so it's okay. The mask was still moist but starting to dry at the upper lip area, which is usually the first place to dry up. The extra essence sunk in quickly and was not sticky.

I think the mask is more a cooler weather kind of mask as it was more than enough to make up for the rest of my routine. However, I probably won't repurchase the mask as I am not a fan of mask that won't sit properly on my face that cost me around US$4 when I can get a super fitting mask like Leaders coconut get masks for around C$2 each.

My Scheming - Skin Clarifying Astringent Mask

 I got this in a variety pack from My Scheming a while back and finally decided to give it a try after my skin got clogged up from the excess sweating thanks to heatwaves.

This is a thin silk mask that is drenched, and I do mean drenched, in a light saline solution scented essence. I absolutely loved the fit of the mask as it looks like I have nothing on my face.

I had the mask on for 25 minutes, at which point it was only starting to dry out. This was surprising to me as this is such a thin mask! The essence sunk in quickly and was only ever slightly tacky to the touch. It made my skin feel tight and was not moisturizing. But it did calm down my skin as I woke up the next morning and all the bumps I felt has gone down. I would repurchase this mask if it gets on sale and I happen to see it.

Leaders Insolution - Aquaringer Skin Clinic Mask 

The Leaders mask is always one of my favourites. They tend to work well for me so I am always looking to stock up on them.

This is a thin mask sheet that is almost as thin as the My Scheming silk masks as it also looks invisible on me. The mask is drenched in gel like essence and has what I call the typical leaders scent. if you tried a Leaders mask before, you will know what that smell is.

I had this on for about 20 minutes and the upper lip area was starting to dry up. I forgot how sticky the essence is and had to use my essences to cover it up as it wouldn't go away with time. It did make my skin very well moisturized and it made applying makeup so much easier in the morning!

I am definitely going to repurchase this once I cut down my mask count.

The Qure Mask Pack - Red Ginseng Collagen Essence Mask 

I received this mask from a variety pack I ordered from Mask Genie (no longer in business) and I put off using it since I am not a fan of the ginseng scent. But I thought my skin needed a pick me up so I decided to use it.

Like I thought, this mask has a strong ginseng scent to it. But luckily, it fades a little once it is on my face. The mask itself is on the thick side that is embossed with a double helix pattern. The mask wasn't drenched in essence. In fact, there wasn't much essence in the package at all. So I was surprised it actually lasted 25 minutes.

The extra essence sunk in quickly and left my skin a little sticky. I am happy the ginseng scent goes away with the mask. It made my skin look noticeably brighter, which is surprising as I always have trouble identifying changes in skin complexion. So for me to notice it, it is a drastic difference.

I wouldn't repurchase this as I am not sure where to find it and I am still not a fan of the ginseng scent.

Esfolio - Snail Essence Mask Sheet

I didn't like the Esfolio mask, I will tell you this right now. It smelled funky, kind of "tangy" like it's drenched in alcohol. But there are no alcohol in the ingredients list. The mask looks dry and there was no extra essence. As per my Google search, the mask should be drenched in essence. So that's not a good indicator.

I tried to put the mask on my face but that strong scent was too overwhelming and I had to throw it away. I am chalking this up to maybe the mask being close to expiration.

The Saem - Natural-Tox Banana Mask Sheet 

I can't resist buying any of the banana flavoured masks so I was looking forward to using this mask from The Saem.

It is a textured cotton sheet that is drenched in a serum like essence that smells like banana pudding or one of those Korean banana milks. I do want to offer a word of caution that you should be careful when adjusting the mask as it tore easily when I tried to test how easy to pull it part.

I had it on for 20 minutes and the mask stayed moist for the entire time, which was surprising since it started off being moist. I really thought it would have dried out by the 15 minutes mark at the latest.

The extra essence sunk in quickly but was ever so slightly tacky. But it made my skin feel plump and happy which I was excited to see. Especially when the mask is supposed to nourish the skin, which it has done!

I would repurchase it if The Saem is still producing this mask.

FarmStay - Visible Difference Mask Sheet Pack in Greentea Seed 

I got this from MaskGenie and decided to give it a go. It is a normal sheet mask that is covered in serum like essence. It does contain alcohol, and I can clearly smell that distinct tangy scent. So my hopes were not high for a mask that has alcohol as the 4th ingredients.

I had it on for 20 minutes as it was starting to feel dry to the touch. There was plenty of essence left on the skin and it sunk in quickly and does not feel sticky at all. It actually made my skin feel super soft and the pores appear to be smaller. I was surprised by the result given how high alcohol is on the ingredients list.

I will not repurchase this, despite the great results, as it was pointed out to me that it has methyparaben which may react with UVB rays and increase the aging process. So yah.. I don't want to age faster than necessary so this isn't going to be repurchased.

Etude House - Petite Face Mask in Vita Hydrating Shot 

I bought this as it is one of those two step masks that you mix right before usage. I haven't tried one of those masks before so I thought I give a shot. It is a two step mask, where step 1 has the ampoule and powder that needs to be mixed and then insert into the step 2 sheet mask.

I would have loved for this to work, but the step 1 failed on me miserably. It popped from the side seam instead of forward into the powder. So I had to insert the remaining ampoule into the sheet mask while the powder remained in its lonely container.

The mask itself was pliable and hugged my skin and I am thankful it was already soaked with some essence. Otherwise it wouldn't even sit on my face. The mask had weird slits, where it made me kind of look like Miss Swan. I mean seriously, head on over my IG and see for yourself!

I had it on for 35 minutes and it was still very moist. The extra essence sunk in very slowly and it made my skin feel a bit tacky for a while. My skin did end up feeling more moisturized but I really wish I could have seen what the full effect of the mask would be.

I obviously would not repurchase as this failed on me miserably and I am not willing to spend another $4+ to try it again.

Etude House - I Need You, Silk Cocoon Mask 

This mask series has been discontinued but I thought I give it a try anyways. It is a regular sheet mask that is soaked in a milk essence that has a light non-discernible scent.

 I had it on for 25 minutes and the mask was only starting to lose contact with the skin. The extra essence sunk in quickly and not sticky. My skin feel softer afterwards but it felt like I had a layer of "oil" on top of my skin. It kind of creates a barrier for the skin, which is kind of what it advertised to do. But I am not too happy with this barrier as it prevented the rest of my routine from sinking in. It made my skin feel soft and dewy but I don't like the fact that it feels like all my products are sitting on top of the skin instead of sinking in.

For that reason, and the fact that it has been discontinued, I will not be repurchasing this mask.,

Masks#13: more expired masks!!

Yay!! I seem to be on a roll with expired items.. hahahaha.. 😅😅 But I just want to raise the point that I am only doing expired items as my skin is very non-reactive. You know what is best for your skin, so use your own judgement when it comes to using expired products.

Now, shall we continue?

Foodaholic Gold Energy Hydrogel mask

 I got this from Skin18 when they first started their free mask program last year. I had a pretty bad first experience with the Foodaholic hydrogels so I was very hesitant to try it. This mask has been sitting on the back burner until now, and I am only using it because my hydrogel stash is almost depleted. 😃

 Ingredients: As per the package. 

D.I Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Disodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Locust Bean Gum, Carrageenan, Guargum, Agar, Potassium Chloride, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Caster oil, Ubiquinone, Ceramide-3, Lecithin, Adenosin, Panthenol, Accharomyces, Ferment Filtrate, rh-Oligopeptide-1, Propolis Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Titanium Dioxide,Titanium Dioxide, Fragrance.

Hmm.. this ingredients list is pretty much the same as the Pearl Shining hydrogel mask.... Just three variations... 😑

In addition to the ingredients, this mask also have a STRONG perfume smell. However, this smell is much tolerable. It reminds me of something familiar but I can't pinpoint what it is exactly. I don't like it but I don't mind it... So I am not sure how I feel about it.

Similarly, it is a mask that is made with no lining to prevent it from breaking apart. However, this one didn't break on me. Yay! ^o^

Sadly the fit was a bad one. It's like they want me to be a mouth breather, with the super long nose flap. There is also a super large upper lip piece, while having huge cut outs for the mouth and eyes area.

The mask was quite dry so there was no dripping while I had it on. Because it is dry, there was also no excess essence on my skin when I took it off. But I think it must have gotten absorbed as the mask felt much thinner after I took it off.

Overall, I like how the mask is dry and it did make my skin plump up a bit. However, the poor shape of the mask and the strong fragrance makes it a big no for me. 👎😟

Foodaholic Collagen Lift Up Hydrogel Mask

 This one was a no go as it somehow fell out of the backing while inside the package and dried out. It was hard to even pull it out of the package so I noped out of that real fast. 😞 It kind of sucks because it had non-offensive smell so it had a chance to be my favourite out of all four Foodaholic hydrogel masks.

Foodaholic Vita Light On Hydrogel Mask

I opened this right after the failure of the previous mask. Thankfully it was still moist and dripping. However, it has this super strong sweet smell that immediately reached the back of my nose. So... I noped out of this real fast as well. Not going to abuse my poor nose to strong scented items that are expired. 👎😠

The SAEM Gel Science Mask Sheet in  Yam-Mucin

I was quite intrigued by the SAEM as I haven't tried any of their skincare yet and yam mucin is such an unusual "flavour".

 Ingredients: As per the package. 

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glyerin, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Certonia ..., ...., Crispus (Carrageenan), PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, Cellulose gum, Allantoin, Phenyl Trimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract, Ethylhexyglycerin, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Pottasium Hydroxide, Fragrance

The mask had no discernible smell. Yay! It was DRIPPING with essence. It was dripping as it was coming out of the package, and I still have a ton of essence left inside the package.

This is a two piece mask, with a white and a clear backing. Both pieces are pretty stiff so I am not sure which one I am supposed to remove first. I just removed the white one off first since I can see where the mask is sitting on me with the clear backing.

The fit of the mask wasn't that bad. The nose flap was too long so I had to flip it, but that happens so often I don't mind. The biggest problem I had with it was the upper lip piece keep on drooping and starts to scratch the top of my lips.

I had it on for 30 minutes, while it was still wet, the upper lip piece is all dried up and irritating my upper lip. I just had to take if off before it does any real damage. The result was meh? 😐My skin felt kind of moisturized, but it wasn't super smooth feeling or anything. Just kind of like "I can get the same result by slapping on some moisturizer".

I think this is discontinued, and I can kind of see why. Definitely not a repurchase item. 😑

Etude House Collagen Moistfull essential massage pack

 This is a sample pack I received somewhere along the way. I decided to use it and it's in here as it is a mask and it does lead to the next mask. Though I do have to point out this is definitely expired as it is now discontinued.

This is a super thick gloopy gel that smells like orange rinds.. 😍😍 I actually really like the smell of this mask. I couldn't find instructions on this mask so I assumed you are just supposed to massage it in. So I massaged and massaged and it just wouldn't sink in. It's a super thick sticky layer on my skin, and I am really not sure if I am supposed to wash it off or not. I decided not to because I already put on my essence and didn't want to waste it.

Etude House Collagen Moistfull mask sheet

This mask is a strange one, I think this is discontinued as well, and I think that is a good choice.

 Ingredients: As per the package. 

Water, Cyclomethicone, Alcohol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethiconol, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Disodium EDTA, Squalane, Adansonia Digitata Fruit Extract, Behenyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyeride, Cetearyl Glucoside, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Polyglyceryl-10 Pentastearate, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glyceryl Caprylate, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Methylparaben, Phenoxy Ethanol, Fragrance. 

This mask comes in one piece with the strangest mesh backing, it was very scratchy and stiff. The mask is drippy, and feels kind of oily? It's not serum like, but it's not lotion like either. It kind of actually feels like it's separated. The mask also feels super weird. It is stiff, and kind of paper like. It definitely made me feel like I was suffocating my skin with parchment paper. I had to take it off after 10 minutes as it just felt super strange against my skin. 

The combined result between the two Moistfull masks was wonderful. My face felt sooooo smooth and bouncy. I couldn't stop playing with my skin. 😅 Luckily I didn't break out from this! I was very happy. Sad these two products are discontinued because I want to recreate this result again. But I am not a big fan of the mask sheet.

Tester Korea Haul #3

After trying a few masks, I decided I wanted to do a mask haul. I added so many masks into my cart and then kept on checking how much the shipping would be.. I was very shocked when I got $20 something for shipping because the order was so huge. I kept on playing with it and then made a boo boo. I accidentally confirmed to buy the cart thinking it was going to confirm after I go to Paypal. So imagine my surprise after coming back to the website and see my cart completely empty. I decided to just complete the order and "patiently" waited for my masks to come to me.. This was placed in early February and I received it by February 20th. So it wasn't a LONG wait.