This will be a quick review of face masks in general. Not the covid 19 pandemic masks we use to go see the outside world, but skincare face masks. I made a thorough review of masks in 2016. But I took them down because I realized I didn't want photos of myself on this blog lol.
Skincare face masks have been around for over a decade already. Maybe even for longer. I remember going to Marie France when I was 13 (?) and using masks for the first time and thinking what a luxury it was. It took a while before supermarket brands like Ponds came out with their own affordable masks. I was probably 19 when they came out and they cost P200 for a pack of 2, I think.
Face masks weren't exactly cheap so they remained a luxurious home spa experience for a few years. I only used them probably once to a few times a year back then, mostly for relaxation and not for skincare.
Fast forward to the Korean skincare boom of the mid 2010's. Face masks were everywhere. Not only were they of good quality, they were available at supermarkets for cheap. The cheapest I've seen (that aren't of dubious quality and suspiciously from China) costs around P25. Pond's still sell masks at P200, I think, for a pack of 3-4? But generally, you can get good ones for P50 each at Korean stores.
My trusted Shopee seller sells masks for less than P30. I'm guessing these are the freebies that Korean stores give away for every minimum purchase. I see fakes everywhere though, so beware.
What I have on my face right now, as I write lol, is from Etude House. I love Etude. I haven't tried a product from them that I didn't like, and I've tried a lot from skincare to makeup to beauty tools. My sister gave a stash of face masks she got for free from an Etude shop in Korea and I made time today for relaxation and skincare.
It says it's 'smoothening and firming'. It's the snail variant with the currently popular snail secretion filtrate. This slime promises to 'make skin texture look smooth, radiant, and elastic by strengthening skin barrier.' I chose this variant because this looked the least harsh, the others had acids and actives that might irritate my skin.
What intrigued me is the 0.2 mm air sheet. Other masks tend to be thick and uncomfortable but this is light and airy.
There's a generous serving of serum. What I like to do is carefully squeeze the packaging before putting the mask on my face, so I can get all the extra serum which I then put all over my body. Other brands offer just enough serum for the face, but with Etude I was able to squeeze enough for my neck, arms and legs.
I'm just about done with my 20 minute timer. No itching or irritation so far.
Obviously, a one time use won't make so much of a difference on skin texture, vibrance, nor health. But there are skincare enthusiasts out there who have the time to do this everyday and swear that daily masking is their secret to healthy, youthful skin.
I tried daily masking for a week in 2016 and I saw results. Unfortunately, time is not something I have so much of. In fact, it's four years later now that I managed to start masking again. I have 4 more masks in the fridge (another tip: keep masks in the fridge for a more luxurious spa feel). I plan to mask everyday to may be fade some spots and rebuild my skin barrier.
Updating this post in a week.
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