Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Nose Pack Review

 

It was in the early 2000s when nose pore strips were introduced. I remember watching friends torture themselves pulling out hardened pore strips off their nose, enduring that pain of getting bits of skin and fine hair pulled along with some blackheads - all for a (temporarily) pore-less nose. It was satisfying.

In my early years, beauty was all about pain. Losing weight involved pain. Bleaching skin involved pain. Straightening hair involved pain. Getting rid of blackheads involved pain. Beauty came with a price. And who knew the price wasn't only pain, but larger pores?

It took years, perhaps even an entire decade before the truth came out that nose pore strips were actually bad. How bad? Well, because these tools of torture involved stretching pores and forcefully removing their contents, the pores eventually lose elasticity and so they grow wider and wider. They remain "open" over time, making them look more noticeable. By then, an entire generation of skincare junkies have gotten addicted to nose pore strips that it was part of their daily routine. Imagine worrying about blackheads that only you see, and replacing that problem with GIGANTIC pores that everyone from a meter away sees? 

After finding out the truth from the Internet, my generation turned our backs completely on nose pore strips. It was feared, and then largely ignored.

It was 2017 I think when nose pore strips from China started seeping into the common street person's consciousness.

Pilaten was everywhere - on social media, on video platforms, you can get them online and on the streets for cheap. I was never a fan of Chinese products so I never gave it a chance. I just knew that whatever it was in those must be of poor quality because how else do you explain the price? A pack of 10 for P10?! I've seen DIY videos of blackhead removing techniques that involved white glue. Whatever is in this Pilaten product must be cheaper than white glue. Scares me to think people put these things on their faces, on their noses, inhaling unknown stuff and letting unknown stuff seep into their skin.

So why exactly am I reviewing Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Nose Pack? One, because I saw a pack in my makeup kit and I thought why the buck not, it's been 4 years at least since I last used a nose pack. Two, because it's a trustworthy Korean brand with a reputation at risk if they bucked up their products. Three, because I'm currently hating the pandemic and need a distraction of sorts so I chose my nose to obsess on. I'm trying to create a minor problem here so I can forget about the bigger problem that the world is currently facing. 

I love this nose pack. It's not like the usual nose pack that involves a rather messy application, spreading glue-like stuff all over your nose. Innisfree's nose pack is a sheet of nose-shaped paper with adhesive on one side. You wet your nose, yes your nose, and then apply the paper sheet, adhesive-side, on your wet nose. Wait til it's dry. The package says wait for 15 minutes, I think I kept mine on a bit longer just to, you know, distract my mind for a longer period of time. 

And then you peel it off. 

Unlike glue-like nose packs, this paper-like adhesive does not hurt so much. It still hurts a bit because it also pulls out fine hair and bits of skin. But it's not as painful. I remember using iWhite and crying tears of pain just trying to pull out that last millimeter of glue off the tip of my nose. Innisfree's nose pack does not elicit crying.

What I rather dislike is the color. Glue-like nose packs come in either white or black, and so once you take it off, you enjoy the lovely sight of the gross, yellow/brown gunk from your pores. Innisfree's paper nose pack comes in beige/skintone and so once you take it off, you don't really see the contents of your pores, you have to like really look close. I even thought it didn't pull out any because I couldn't see anything. I had to use a flashlight for the stuff to cast shadows.

It was a grossly satisfying sight. 

What I dislike also is that by design, this thing failed because it leaves so much adhesive on the skin. You need to use a toner or a wet cotton ball to clean your face after. (A derma told me not to wash the face after using these things because getting the newly forced pores wet would freeze them or something and keep them from bouncing back to its "closed" form.) I still have bits of adhesive around my nose as I type. I look like I have dried mucus all over my nose. I don't want to wet my face yet. I don't wanna stretch my already stretched pores. I already have enough problems.

This thing costs P15 to P30 a piece on Shopee. Which is extremely cheap considering you only really need one every 4 years.

Recommend? 

Obviously not. I mean, yes, but use sparingly. The trouble with good bad products is that they can get addictive. This is a good blackhead remover, but removing blackheads using physical means is just a bad idea. There are chemical means and dietary means. But if you need a quick fix and an effective 20 minute distraction from the pandemic, this is a good choice. 5 stars out of 5