The Face Shop Essential Pearl Mask Sheet Review

The Face Shop has a mini line of Essential Mask Sheets that use more scientific ingredients such as collagen, coenzyme and hyaluronic acid. Here I'll review the Essential Pearl Mask Sheet, the least scientific-sounding from this line.

Information about this product online, as well as on the backside, says that it's for all skin types and uses pearl extract that penetrates into the skin smoothly and lightly. Honestly this doesn't actually tell me what the benefits are...The backside also has directions and a warning. The instructions state to leave the mask sheet on for 15 to 20 minutes, and then let the remaining essence absorb into your skin. The caution warns you not to use this sheet on broken or abraded skin.

The mask sheet is thicker than others and almost circular with deep slits that allow the sheet to fit my face more accurately.

The Pros

• The fit may be big, but this mask sheet surprisingly covers the top half of my face well and my entire face is decently covered, except for my eyelids.
• The mask also stays on my face well, even if I'm facing the floor.
• The thickness of this mask sheet seems high quality.
• I could still feel the essence on my face the following morning.

The Cons

• This mask had an initially too-strong flower-hand sanitizer-hotel soap scent that I could still smell a few minutes after putting on the mask.
• Compared to other masks, this one didn't leave much essence on my face. Even taking the mask sheet out of its pouch, it felt like it didn't absorb as much essence. Usually I'd have to tap the excess on my face, but it wasn't necessary with this one.
• There was barely any essence left inside the pouch, and I could just barely have enough to use on my neck and limbs; compared to others, I usually have lots of excess essence, but not this time.

Overall, I wasn't too impressed with this mask sheet. While it did leave essence on my face, it didn't seem as effective as any other mask sheet I've tried before.

Skin79 Essential Mask Reviews

Skin79 is a Korean beauty brand that has an easy-to-use website for foreigners, but with only-Korean product descriptions; their US website is www.skin79.us.com. Today I'll review the Bright Pearl Essential Mask and Moisture Ceramide Essential Mask sheets, both of which were purchased in Vietnam, hence the Vietnamese stickers.

Bright Pearl Essential Mask

The front and backside have the same description, stating that this mask uses pearl extract, lily flower extract and lotus flower extract to clean and brighten skin, as well as sooth dull and tired skin. Here is the link to the product's webpage, with facts listed in English and descriptions in Korean.

Moisture Ceramide Essential Mask

The front and back both state that this mask uses ceramide to restore and maintain moisture to dry and rough skin while oatmeal and Shea butter is used to protect sensitive skin. Information about this product in Korean can be found here.

The backside has a description, directions and ingredients listed in English and Korean (and on the Vietnamese stickers). The directions state to rinse your face, then put the mask sheet on for about 10 to 15 minutes before removing, and finally pat the excess essence on your face to absorb.

Here is the Moisture mask sheet, which is the same size as the Bright mask sheet. The shape of this sheet is oddly rhombus-shaped horizontally, with deep slits at the jawline.

The Pros

• The mask stays on really well, even when my face is facing the ground for awhile.
• Though the sheet dimensions are a bit odd, the deep slits allows me to cover more surface area and stay on well.
• The mask is cool and refreshing on the face.
• After removing the mask, there is a good amount of essence left on my face which gets absorbed quickly once I tapped it into my face (though it may feel sticky).
• Directly after using this mask, I went to sleep and the next morning, my face is noticeably smoother, which I'm surprised by the good results!
• The mask absorbs a lot of essence and there is still some remaining in the bag, so there's a good amount left to use on your neck and limbs.

The Cons

• As always with mask sheets, the holes are too big so I can't cover my entire face.
• The Moisture scent is off-putting; it's like that of an old lady's hand cream, a mix of potpourri and melted plastic. But you'd get used to the scent soon enough.  The Bright scent has a similar scent, but more diluted and with a hint of a floral burst.

Overall, despite the smell of the Moisture mask, I do like these sheets. I like that my face is smoother the next day.

Etude House I Need You, Green Tea! Mask Sheet Review

Etude House has an extensive collection of mask sheets labeled "I Need You, ...!" that are appealing in packaging and creative in marketing, with 26 different flavors from A to Z that have different benefits, from dandelion, to elder flower, to hyaluronic acid (...acid on my face...), to xylitol, to many more very interesting flavors. Here, I'll review the "I Need You, Green Tea!" mask sheet, which I bought from an Etude location in Hong Kong last summer, which is why the packaging is an older design.

The backside has information written in Korean and English. The description states that this mask uses green tea extract to relieve stressed and tired skin and that this mask is designed for a more comfortable and adhesive fit. The description from the product's webpage (which is from Etude's Malaysian sector, since there is no Western sector) adds that this sheet is compostable, which is definitely a plus! The directions state to clean you face, then leave the mask on your face for 15 to 20 minutes. Afterwards, remove the mask and massage the excess essence into your skin. It also recommends to use masks every two to three days for maximum effect.

Oddly enough, this mask sheet is oval shaped, but in the horizontal direction, so it really didn't fit my face. Also the holes weren't thought out thoroughly, as the nose flap couldn't cover my entire nose.

The Pros

• It has a subtly sweet, refreshing and fragrant scent.
• The coolness and moistness of the sheet was very refreshing on the face, perfect for hot and humid nights.
• After removing the sheet, it left my face with a soft (but sticky, but that just takes time to seep in) layer and moist skin.
• There was just enough essence left in the pouch to use on my neck and limbs.

The Cons

• The odd oval shape (hot dog ways) definitely didn't fit on my face well. It was poorly shaped in every area of my face, and there were so many creases at the chin and jaw area that it couldn't stay on well.

Overall, compared to other mask sheets, I didn't think this mask sheet was anything special, rather kind of the opposite. While it felt refreshing, the fit was just so unsatisfying that I wouldn't want to use this mask again.

Tony Moly Floria Nutra-Energy Mask Sheet with Argan Oil Review

As Super Junior-M are the current endorsers for Tony Moly, they're on the cover of Tony Moly's Floria Nutra-Energy Mask Sheet with Argan Oil. The Floria line offers many skincare products, many of which are meant to provide either energy or whitening to the face. While this mask sheet isn't listed on Tony Moly's website, the other Floria Nutra-Energy products are meant to provide moisture, target wrinkles and create elasticity. This product is actually listed as "Not for sale," so I think these are only given as samples with purchases.

The backside provides illustrations and information in Korean and English. In English, it states that this mask is nutritious and energetic to give off a healthy face. The directions say to place and leave the mask on your face for 15 to 20 minutes, then remove.

This face mask sheet, like many others, is a large circle sheet with slits around the border. The holes are also large in proportion. After removing the sheet, there is still a lot of essence on my face. I use my fingers to tap in this excess essence for my skin to absorb it more quickly, and my face is fully dried after about three minutes.

The Pros

• The sheet comes very concentrated in its essence, with remaining essence still in the packaging.
• This mask sheet stays on my face very well.
• After tapping the essence on my face, it was quickly absorbed.
• My face has a healthy matte sheen afterwards and is subtly hydrated.
• This mask and its bag have a LOT of essence left, so I can refresh myself by wiping my neck and limbs and still have essence left over. There's a lot more left than other mask sheets I've tried.

The Cons

• This essence smells a bit like raw sourdough bread, which isn't really to my liking. It's a mild scent though, so it's quick to get used to it.
• The one-size-fits-all isn't very accommodating to most face sizes. The holes are very large and the overall circle shape is just too big.

Overall, I view this face mask sheet like all the other ones I've tried. While the scent could have been more pleasant, I did like how efficiently this essence absorbed into my skin. This mask sheet is decent, but I won't go out of my way to find one.

The Face Shop Real Nature Mask Mung Bean and Pomegranate Review

The Face Shop has a wide variety of face mask sheets with different price ranges. One of the lower lines is the Real Nature Mask line, which has masks with the essences of Raspberry (which I reviewed here), Lemon, Rice, Olive, Cucumber, Kelp, Red Ginseng and more. Here I'll review the Real Nature Mask Mung Bean sheet and the Real Nature Mask Pomegranate sheet.

I bought the Real Nature Mask Mung Bean sheet from The Face Shop's Markham, Canada branch just over a year ago, and the packaging has been updated since then. The front shows fresh mung beans on top of grounded up ones, giving an idea of the flavor to expect inside.

The back has full information in both Korean and English, along with illustrations of the steps. The bottom also has the expiration date (20151019) imprinted, meaning that these mask sheets have a shelf life of at least two and a half years.

This information can also be found on The Face Shop's international webpage for this product. The English states that this mask sheet has 1000 mg of grounded quality mung bean extract. This extract is meant to purify pours and result in clean and smooth skin. It also mentions the typical warning, along with to not use if you have "broken or abraded skin," meaning if your skin has been chafed off (ie. rope or rug burn). If that were the case, you would probably be putting ointment on rather than a dinky face mask sheet (no offense).

The directions state to use this product after washing your face and using toner. Then unfold and line the sheet onto your face according to the designated eye, nose and mouth holes and leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes. Afterwards, remove the sheet and pat the excess on your face for deeper absorption.

Once taking the mask out of its bag, I could smell a refreshing and subtle scent, like the scent of trees or a meadow. It's really hard to explain, but it doesn't smell sweet like flowers or "clean" like soap like other products I've tested. The mask itself is very moist and damp, and inside the bag there is still a lot of excess liquid. This liquid was very smooth, with a runny gel consistency.

It was a bit difficult to unfold the mask. Be careful not to rip it! But my pomegranate sheet easily unfolded. This is a circular mask sheet with slits around the border to fit over your face and huge, larger-than-life size holes for the eyes, nose and mouth. But the mask is so large anyways, that you can bunch up and fold over the mask at the temples to cover the eye holes. This is obvious, but make sure to line the mask perfectly and tap it so it lies directly on your face, with no air bubbles, for maximum absorption.

The Real Nature Mask Pomegranate sheet, which I have no idea when or from where I got it, has the same layout, information on the back, mask sheet dimensions, basically everything, as the mung bean mask sheet. The only difference is the pomegranate flavor, with its description as this mask containing 1000 mg of freshly grounded pomegranate extract, which has vitamins and minerals to lift, moisturize and make the skin radiant. This product's webpage also states that pomegranate extract provides elasticity and gives a glossy finish. This pomegranate mask has a sweet scent, like ripe cherries.

The Pros

• Both scents are refreshing, subtle, not too overpowering and linger for the full 20 minutes.
• On the face, the sheet is cooling and refreshing; perfect for those hot, summer months.
• The sheet stays on my face really well; I can be very mobile and move my face in all angles without worrying about it budging.
• There is so much excess liquid afterwards, it's nice to re-soak the sheet and use it as a cleansing towelette on my body.

The Cons

• The mask sheet is a very generic, one-size-fits-all sheet. The eye and mouth holes are especially big, so much of my face isn't covered by the sheet. Also the mung bean mask sheet is meant to clean pores, but the fit was so poor around my nose, that none of my blackheads were covered by the sheet (and I had to realize this after I had finished using the sheet -.-).
• After removing the mask sheet off my face, the excess quickly dries up, but leaves a sticky residue over my face.

Overall, both mask sheets felt very refreshing and using them was a good way to wind down and relax before bed, like a mini spa treatment. I liked that my skin absorbed a lot of liquid and felt clean and fresh afterwards. The one downfall, as always with mask sheets, is that the sheet and holes are way too big, so it doesn't rest on my entire face. Someday, I'll hope to find a perfect-sized mask sheet!

Holika Holika Honey Essence Mask Sheet Review

I bought this mask at the Holika Holika store in Markham, Canada. I chose the cheapest mask sheet in the store, which was $2 Canadian, yet this is more pricy than other Korean brands' mask sheets.

Holika Holika, as well as many other Korean beauty brands, tend to have adorable packaging.  But when it comes to face mask sheets, packaging always lacks.  This Honey Essence Mask Sheet illustrates a low definition honeycomb against a plain white background.  But of course I didn't buy this product for the packaging, I bought it for what's inside!

The backside has lots of information, including step-by-step illustrations, instructions in Korean, information in English and I believe the expiration date at the bottom (September 2014).

Here is a close up of the English description at the bottom of the backside.  It says that this mask is made up of honey essence, which consists of sugar, minerals and vitamins for a moisturized and healthy face.  The directions say to wash your face, then apply the mask sheet for 15 to 20 minutes and lastly pat the excess essence for your skin to fully absorb it.

This mask fits very well! Unlike other mask sheets, the holes line up fairly well on my features and the placement is perfect.  The only parts of my face that is exposed are my eyelids (but my eyebrows get covered).  The mask fits just at the perimeter of my face, so none gets in my hair.  The nose flap also fits ergonomically.  Also there is barely any overlap of the mask, showing that Holika really knows how to make a 2D sheet fit a 3D face.  I think it's because of that extra flap section at the sides/cheek area.

Pros

• The honey scent is so fragrant!  I usually don't like putting products with fragrance associated with stickiness on my face, such as honey scented goods, but this mask is an exception.  Throughout the 20 minutes of using this mask, I had the occasional and pleasant waft of honey.
• The mask is cool, moist and slick to the touch, which is very refreshing.
• The mask sheet fits perfectly on my face!  This is definitely my most favorite mask sheet shape out of the three I've tried.
• The mask stays on my face very well; it doesn't budge even when I walk around or face downward.
• Afterwards my face was very moist and slightly sticky, but after patting the excess liquid in my face felt clean and refreshed.
  

Cons

• Honestly I have no complaints about this mask sheet!  I would have looked down on the price, but because I love this mask so much, mostly because of its perfect fit, I'd be willing to pay the extra few cents.
  

Despite having disappointing results of reusing a mask sheet last time, I decided to reuse this mask sheet and came out with mixed results.  The next day, the mask was still just as moist.  The mask stayed on my face well at first, but later the mouth hole stretched, exposing most of my chin.  From my nose downward, the mask was a mess!  And plenty of essence remained to wipe my limbs, but this time the essence left my skin feeling very sticky in a gross way.  Bottom line, I think I should just stop reusing my face mask sheets.

Overall, this Holika mask sheet is my favorite compared to the Tony Moly and The Face Shop mask sheets I had tried because of the perfect fit. My face also feels moisturized and healthy directly afterwards, showing positive results. Despite the slightly higher cost, I'd definitely purchase more Holika mask sheets!

The Face Shop Real Nature Mask Raspberry Review

On my visit to The Face Shop in Markham, I really wanted to buy something but had no interest in any specific product.  So I decided to buy the cheapest thing: face masks!  I bought three, and today I'll be testing the Real Nature Mask in Raspberry.  What drew me to this particular mask was my love for raspberries and the very appetizing picture on the front. There are various other flavors, including Mung Bean and Pomegranate, which I reviewed here.

The back has information in both Korean and English.

There are unappealing images of how to wear the mask sheet.  The bottom states the date 10/24/2015, which I'm assuming is the expiration date.  The center states that this mask contains extract that was grounded from 1,000mg of fresh raspberries (in bad English).  Underneath it states that this mask is for maintaining healthy and dense skin.

Here is a close up of the bottom half of the backside, which is where the English section is.  The directions say to first clean your face, then place the mask sheet onto your face and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes.  There is a warning for if you have an allergy to adhesive tape or have broken (dry, cracked?) skin, to not use this mask sheet.

Here is the mask sheet after my first use.  You can see the tiny slits around the edges and holes for a more 3D fit.  You can also see the nose flap and the huge mouth hole.

Pros

•  The subtle raspberry aroma is very pleasing and lasts throughout and well after the 20 minutes.
• Surprisingly the fit of this mask was very tight and perfect, from the nose upward.  The eye hole was just big enough to expose my eyebrows, but on the downside my eyelids weren't covered in the mask.
• The liquid is very moist, and the mask feels like a gelled up sanitizer wipe.
•  The mask was very cool and chilling, giving a refreshing and relaxing experience.
• Afterwards my face was very moist.  I decided to tap the excess for my face to better absorb the liquid.  After this tapping, my face was a bit sticky but not in a gross way.
•  Because the mask was still so moist after the first usage, I stored it back in the packet to reuse the following evening.  The packet wasn't as cool, more room temperature, but the sheet was still moist and fragrant.  Unfortunately the mask was very loose and fell right off when I sat up, but I was still able to wipe my neck and limbs with the excess liquid.

Cons

•  When I first put the sheet on, there was so much liquid absorbed into the sheet that it was very suffocating around my nose.
• Like many mask sheets, this one is a bit loose from the nose downward.  The mouth hole is twice as big as my mouth, so half of my chin was exposed.

Overall, I loved this mask.  It feels so refreshing, relaxing and destressing for my face.  My most favorite part is the light raspberry fragrance, which adds an extra pleasing touch to the mask's freshness.  I also love how much liquid is compacted and absorbed into the packet, so I'm able to reuse this mask and then wipe my neck and limbs for extra freshness all over my body.

Tony Moly Vitamin Essence Mask Review

I'm so excited to use my Tony Moly Vitamin Essence Mask, which I got as one of the samples included in my A-Poly package.  This is a face sheet mask that is full of vitamins, which are labeled on the front of the package.  It also says that this mask is for all skin types and for all seasons, which I like that Tony Moly states because it's informative.  This package contains one face sheet that is soaked in its vitamin essence.

This is my first time using a face mask!  I can't wait to experience this.  According to the Tony Moly website for their face masks in general,  after washing your face you should place this on your face for 15-20 minutes, and then gently remove the mask and tap the excess product with your hand for your face to fully absorb the product.  This tapping method reminds me a lot like the Tony Moly Honey Appletox Cream, with which you also have to tap the product into your skin.  While tapping, these two products also have a gel-like consistency that feels sticky.

Here is the mask, after I had finished using it. I could not stop laughing at how silly I looked with this mask!  You can see the holes for the eyes, nose and mouth, as well as slits around the perimeter to fit onto your face more accurately.  This mask also has a strong artificial orange scent, similar to that of the powder drink flavor enhancer, Tang.

You can see the ill-fit right here.  There are so many folds because my nose and mouth must fit in the designated holes, so there is a lot of excess mask room.  There is so much bunching going on from my nose downward.  My face is pretty normal-sized, so I guess the mask is just too big.

The Pros

• I really enjoy the fun orange scent!
• This sheet absorbs the formula really well, so it is packed with lots of liquid yet doesn't drip any excess liquid
• It easily stays on my face, so I don't have to be lying down like I had originally thought
• This mask is also easy to rearrange once placed on my face
• This sheet feels very slick and smooth and addicting to constantly touch
• The slits at the nose and sides are convenient, helping to more accurately fit on a 3D surface
• My face looks and feels moisturized and refreshed afterwards
• After using the sheet, the mask is still very moist and can be used as a towelette to moisturize and refresh your body, or you could maybe even reuse the mask in the future

The Cons

• The mask is too big

Overall, I really like this sheet mask! Since this is my first sheet mask, I can't compare it to others. But I do love how easy this mask is to use, especially since I'm so lazy and just want to refresh my face while relaxing with My Flower Boy Neighbor. The only downside with this product is that it's too big, meaning they give you more for your dollar anyways! In a sense, since the sheet is big, you are getting more fabric that you can use to wipe your neck and arms. I would definitely use this product again!

My A-Poly Package!

A-Poly is an online retailer through Amazon.com that carries a wide range of Korean beauty brands and products. This company is located in Seoul and ship internationally. All packages are packaged and shipped with care (and lots of bubble wrap), and some packages are cutely touched with felt hearts and other decorations. They say packages should arrive in about 17 days, but on the invoice they say one month to one month and a half.  My package came in 18 days.  All of A-Poly's items are very reasonable and the shipping cost is an additional $4.40 per item.

Here are the stickers that adorned my package. Aww, my first package from Korea! The postage is so adorable.

These are the products I ordered!  Tony Moly's products are always cutely packaged, and I just had to have my hands on their popular egg pore series.  I only bought their first two eggs, Blackhead Out Oil Gel and Tightening Pack, and hopefully I'll get the Silky Smooth Balm in the future.  I also bought Etude House's Missing U Hand Cream in Harp Seal Story because of its equally cute packaging.

My purchase also came with five samples: Tony Moly Tomatox, Vitamin Essence Mask, Dr. Tony AC Control Acne Cleansing Foam and Floria Foam Cleanser, as well as Etude House Know Your Body Soft Cream Scrub.  I'm surprised and delighted at these generous samples and can't wait to test them all out!

Once I try out all of these products, I'll be sure to post up a review!

The Great Wall Mall: Various Korean Stores

Just the other day I traveled to The Great Wall Mall, a small Asian mall with several clothing boutiques, antique shops, 99 Ranch Market and restaurants of different Asian cuisines.  Here is the address: 18230 East Valley Highway  Kent, WA 98032.

Joo Joo Cosmetics
This little kiosk is a gem of a find, because there is no indication that such a places exists via the Internet. The store hours are very limited, only opening a few hours from Thursday to Saturday.

Joo Joo offers a limited selection of Korean beauty products, but many of these items are unreachable in the greater Seattle area. This kiosk has one Holika Holika mask, Etude House masks, several SkinFood products and Holika Holika's Pig-Nose product. The masks are $3 each, which includes tax. I came here only to by one product:

Holika Holika Cherry Blossom Essence Mask.  This is my first Holika Holika product, and I was entranced by this mask because of the brand's endorsers, CNBlue. When I use this mask, I'll be sure to write a review.

Morning Glory

This shop is part of the global Morning Glory chain that sells Asian trinkets and stationary.

This particular store also carries a few Kpop items.  There are PSY tee shirts out front. Covering the exterior are posters of beauty advertisements, including Han Ga In for Isa Knox. This store also offers large and small calendars, as well as posters, of kpop bands 2NE1, 2PM, Beast, Big Bang, Infinite, MBLAQ, SNSD and Super Junior.

Jang Soo Tofu Korean Tofu and B.B.Q. Restaurant
This restaurant is amazing in every way. The warm Korean food smell, along with tasty food and a TV is an excellent combination.

I sat at a table that faced the TV, which was showing the currently airing drama The King of Dramas on SBS with English subtitles. Seeing Choi Si Won while enjoying my delicious meal made me so happy.

Every meal comes with side dishes, and this restaurant offers high quality, unique ones. There are the usual brussel sprouts, but every other dish was much more fascinating. The kimchi had lots of flavor and was chopped up perfectly, so there were no chewy, tough pieces. The zucchini was slightly crunchy and had a mild spice.  The small red ball in the top right is a slightly chewy squid/fish/radish (I'm not sure)...all I know is that this side dish is my favorite. The mashed potatoes were sweet and consistently soft and pureed.  Each meal also comes with a small fried fish that you debone yourself. The fish is so soft and tender and flavorful; definitely a side dish that Korean restaurants don't often offer. Best of all, the friendly waitresses kept asking if we wanted more of each side dish (except for the fish).

If you're looking for a few hours of Asian shopping, come by The Great Wall Mall to do your grocery, cosmetic and merchandise shopping, as well as tasty dining.