Product: Etude House – Vitamin A & Vitamin C Essence Masks
Price: ~USD 1.49 each @ soompi (kimnvy)
Review:

These are two out of the three Etude House Essence masks that I purchased a while back. I used both the Vitamin A one and the Vitamin C one in the two nights before I went to get my wisdom teeth removed. I figured that I’d be in too much pain and too loopy to really take good care of my skin afterward, so I might as well treat it well before to prep for it. Personally, I really liked both of the masks and I couldn’t really tell the difference between the two – they both just as well, in my opinion.

They have a light fragrance to them but its nothing too strong or noticeable. Since these are essence masks, I’m supposed to pat the remaining essence into my face after waiting the 15-20 minutes. I actually waited a full 30 minutes before peeling off the mask. My skin definitely felt extremely hydrated and it left a sight glow to my skin. I felt that the masks made my skin look a lot healthier. Also, compared to the Skinfood Herb Salad Essence mask, I had no problem with patting in the remaining essence to dry – it didn’t make my skin feel sticky or anything

I only get one or two occasional active pimples now that I’m on Tazorac (usually around that time of the month) and I feel that the mask really helped with decreasing the dark spots that active pimples leave. I really wish I knew where to buy these masks in bulk, that would be awesome. Personally, I like the Vitamin A mask more because I feel that Vitamin A is a great anti-aging and healing agent. If you’re looking for hydrating though, the Vitamin C mask would be better.

Rating: 5/5

Product: Catena Cell Repairing & Mark Removing Mask
Price: ~USD 7.70 @ Sasa
Review:

When I bought these masks, I thought that it was kind of expensive for just the 5 pieces. This mask had great reviews on Sasa’s website so I decided that I would give it a try. As stated in the name, the mask is geared towards those with marks and scars, such as from acne. After using a pack of the masks, I thought that the masks worked pretty well but still wouldn’t add up to how nourishing the Aegissi masks were.

The website states that the mask contains silicon meant to “diffuse scar skin tone”. Knowing this, the mask probably works by depositing silica to fill in pores to give the impression of a smoother skin tone. It is also supposed to promote the healing of damaged tissue and increase skin elasticity. After using this mask, I did feel that the texture of my skin was improving and that recent inflammations caused by acne was healing quicker. I liked this mask but not enough to keep purchasing it.

Rating: 4/5

Product: Aegissi Carrot Essence Mask
Price: ~USD 0.80 @ Sasa
Review:

I bought six of these masks last year and I absolutely fell in love. I’m extremely sad that they went out of stock so quickly on Sasa and never came back! Extremely peeved because these were amazing sheet masks that were well worth the price! I wish the product was still listed on Sasa’s website so I can show you guys the description because I can quite remember the exact ingredients that were in the mask.

Carrots are good for the skin, since they contain carotene (provitamin A) and antioxidants that are great for the skin. Carrot masks are extremely good for people with oily/acne-prone skin. The mask has a really nice fragrance to it and is very hydrating. I felt that while using this mask, my acne subsided and it took great care of my skin during midterms and stressful times. You have to leave it on for 20-30 minutes; I left it on for the full 30 minutes. It leaves my skin baby soft after use and helped in clearing up my acne.

This is my number 1 go-to mask, I really wish that Sasa would restock.

Rating: 5/5

Product: SKINFOOD Herb Salad Mask Sheet
Price: ~USD 2.49 @ soompi (kimnvy)
Review:

I bought this mask because I love mask sheets and I am in love with a lot of Skinfood’s products. I chose to try out the Herb Salad Mask Sheet just because of my acne-prone, oily skin. The Herb Salad mask is designed for sensitive skin and is meant to soothe redness and irritation. Since its cold, my skin has started to get extremely dry and sometimes it even hurts when I apply my moisturizer because of how cracked it is. I’ve also started to get some breakouts here and there on my upper-lip and cheeks, so I thought that the mask could help soothe my skin.

According to the directions, I placed the sheet on my face for about 15 minutes before removing. I was supposed to tap the remaining liquid on my face in and let the rest dry/absorb – but I found that it left my skin feeling extremely sticky and gunky, even after the residue had dried. So I went and splashed with water just to get rid of the gunky feeling that it left on my skin. Perhaps I’m just not used to the feeling since I don’t have much experience with these types of sheet masks.

Overall, I feel that this mask did a pretty good job. It was seriously hydrating and it made my skin feel very soft after using it. I felt that the redness in my skin caused by the recent cold, dry weather has decreased. In the couple of days after using the mask, even the flakiness on my cheeks has decreased. I think that if you have sensitive skin, I would give this mask a try because it really does a good job with redness and helping your skin heal faster. My only qualm is that it was almost $3 for each, and $3 for one use is kind of ridiculous in my opinion – I mean, I like the mask but I’m not in love with it.

Rating: 4/5

Product: B&C Tsururi Pore Peeling
Price: USD 8.90 @ Sasa
Review:

I have been looking into other options for getting rid of my blackheads, simply because I know that pulling them out using the pore strips is only a short-term solution. I’ve also heard the pore strips will actually make blackheads worse because of how damaging and abrasive on the skin they can be. I decided that I would give this blackhead peel a try, but a major problem that I had with this product was the fact that there was no directions in English and I unfortunately, cannot read Japanese.

The directions on Sasa’s website tells me to apply the gel and wait for it to dry, but the first time that I tried the gel, I literally waited like an hour and the gel didn’t much “dry” or harden. You’re also supposed to massage the gel on your skin as to break up the dead skin cells, so I just end up rubbing it on my nose and massaging for about a minute or so and then washing it off.

It contains german clay, activated carbon and black pepper to soften and remove dead skin cells, dirt and pore-clogging impurities. I usually use it every other day after cleansing my face with warm water to open up pores. I feel that it does help pull out some impurities and helps to clean out pores, but there is not immediate obvious effect that using a pore strip would provide. Overall, I don’t think that the gel showed any significant results and wasn’t worth the $9 that I spent on it. Especially since the product is verrry small, only about 45 grams – the tube is no bigger than about the palm of your hand.

Rating: 3/5

Product: SKINLITE Hydrating Cucumber Masque
Price: USD 1.00 @ Sasa
Review:

I ordered these because I was simply scrolling through the mask selection on Sasa’s website and it was one of the awesome cheap masks that was given a 5/5 review. I’ve tried the SKINLITE Dual Wellbeing Masque before and it was absolutely amazing. The mask contains olive oil and cucumber extract that is supposed to soothe and soften the skin. It also contains phyto collagen and Vitamin E, and Vitamin E is the essential nutrient to keep hair, nails and skin healthy.

The product is a wash-off type mask and comes out like a grainy, green gel. Something we may not be used to is that even after 15-20 minutes, the mask doesn’t exactly harden when you go to wash it off. I only bought three of these masks but I haven’t broken out or anything each time I used it. It leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth after washing it off, a very nice stress reliever after a crazy round of stressing for exams.

I took off a point for the inconvenient packaging because it is kind of messy to squeeze out of the packaging. If they sold it in a larger tube with easier dispense, it would be great!

Rating: 4/5

Product: COSLINE NATURAL MATERIALS PACK TOMATO moisturizing & Whitening mask
Price: USD 1.00 @ Sasa

I’m going to keep this one a little short, meaning less pictures, because it is essentially almost the same as the COSLINE Aloe pack in terms of consistency. It is very gel-like but spreadable and won’t drip off your face. It is a translucent red/pink color and smells kind of like strawberries. I know its supposed to be tomato but…hey, my nose smells what it smells. Thankfully it doesn’t smell like tomatoes! I absolutely despise tomatoes.

Anyway, I didn’t expect much from this mask because of how the Aloe pack had turned out, but it was actually a lot better! My skin feels hydrated and soft after use of this pack, which is a super plus when acne medication is going around drying out my skin. I’m not quite sure that it “whitens” but I’ve only used 3 packs so it might take longer for results to show.

No new pimples after usage of the mask either, so it doesn’t exacerbate my break-outs. This mask works pretty well for its price – I wouldn’t say its a miracle or anything, but its always nice to have around for those days you need a pick-me-up.

Rating:4/5

Product: COSLINE NATURAL MATERIALS PACK ALOE Moisturizing & Anti-sensitive Mask
Price: USD 1.00 @ Sasa

Product Description:
Contains rich Aloe essence, moisturizing skin and strength skin health. Gently spread on cleaned face. Wait for 20-30 minutes. Wash your face and rinse with cold water or lukewarm water thoroughly. all skin type / sensitive skin

First off, I would like to say that I’m kind of glad I only spent 6$ to buy six packs of this mask. Although I still don’t think it was very worth the investment, at least it wasn’t a big waste of my money and this mask isn’t completely useless. I bought this after seeing that it had gotten good ratings on Sasa, and I assumed that it would be fantastic. Previously, I had bought sheet masks from Aegessi off Sasa that had also received good reviews and was really pleased. I thought I could trust the ratings and that I would be on the safe side because this was formulated for sensitive skin.

That’s the nastier side, which looks a whole lot worse. Below is the better half of my face – and mind you, this is probably the best my skin has looked in a decade. Sad isn’t it? I know, I cry myself a river every night.

First off, the mask comes in small packets that you squeeze out. It gets pretty messy, unless you are a complete master at opening and squeezing out those McDonald’s condiment packages. It comes out as a translucent green gel that doesn’t drip off or slide off your face. The first time I used it, my skin felt very itchy but I thought that it was just because I had popped a couple of pimples beforehand. I’ve used this mask about three or four times already, and other than the first time, it doesn’t sting or itch.

When I wash the mask off, my skin basically feels no different. It doesn’t feel softer or smoother, or even that refreshingly extra-clean feeling people usually get from using masks. I think I might have actually broken out more the morning after using this mask, but I can’t exactly tell because I’ve been breaking out more in general no matter what.

All in all, I had really high expectations for this mask. However, the mask didn’t do anything for me and any results basically went unnoticed. Sorry for anyone out there that this has worked for! It was definitely a miss for me.

Rating: 3/5

Product: Zamian G.O.L.D. Cacao Pack (150 ml)
Price: USD 12 at Sasa

Product Description: (as stated on Sasa)
Zamian Gold Cacao Chocolate Pack contains 999.9 Gold, Cacao, collagen,Q10, which could speedup cellular regeneration and healing process, minimizing pore. 1-3 times per week, smooth a thin layer over clean, dry face. Leave on for 10-20 minutes to partially dry. Then, rise thoroughly with sufficient water to reveal newly radiant skin.

Since I bought this product, I’ve been using it once every other week or so, simply because it scares my roommates when I walk out of the shower with “black crap” all over my face. The scent is absolutely delicious — if you like chocolate of course. But be careful not to eat it! I would list ingredients but everything on the bottle is listed in Korean and unfortunately, I’m not Korean nor can I read it. Supposedly, there is supposed to be gold in it but this part of it is questionable to most people, and I don’t exactly blame them. I do notice small, granular golden sparkles in the mask when it comes out of the tube. The texture is a bit runny compared to most masks, like the Olay Daily Facials Intensives Deep Cleansing Clay Mask and the Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque. It is easy to spread but doesn’t slide or drip off your face, so you can do like me and just walk around and do other stuff while you’re waiting for it to dry.

This is a Korean beauty product that has received a lot of hype on many Asian forums that discuss Asian beauty products. It supposedly shrinks pores and gets rid of blackheads. Although in my case, I have had blackheads for the past decade and in no way did I believe that this mask would suddenly be my miracle answer. I think it would do the average person good in terms of shrinking pores. The mask dries pretty quickly and is easy to wash off. However, I do recommend using a soft face towel to help you wash it off.

After using the mask, my skin feels tight and clean. I do think that it does help to shrink my pores a little, but this is temporary in my case. I have a lot of pitted scars (as you may or may not see in the picture) that seem like they’ve shrunken slightly after use of this mask. While this mask is no miracle worker, I do give it plenty of props for not breaking me out and even helping me to draw out some of my stubborn white heads. I generally try to use this mask during times I break out the most, just to help dry out my acne and to help it heal faster. Usually my skin gets super oily within an hour of washing my face, but after I use this mask, my skin doesn’t get oily as quickly.

For $12, I think this mask is well worth the money!

Rating: 4/5