First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Oatmeal Mask

Been using this 56.7g/2oz. tube of First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Oatmeal Mask for a few months now, since I finished the jar of Symbiosis Eight Hour Mask. This Oatmeal Mask came from the same generous Mystery GWP where I got Ultra Repair Cream Sugar Plum. 

Estee Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Creme Cleanser Moisture Mask

Finally got around to try this tiny 7mL/0.24fl. oz. sample tube of Estee Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Creme Cleanser Moisture Mask. I had it in my vanity drawer for months, maybe even years ^.^"

 

This was a very nice cream cleanser! It had a fresh and clean scent and rinsed decently clean--most cream cleansers leave an oily residue and don't rinse well at all! Even better, it left my skin soft and supple. It can be used as a quick moisture mask, but I never had time to do that in the shower. Over all, I liked this enough to want to purchase a full size with good promotion.

Estee Lauder Nutritious Radiant Vitality 2-in-1 Foam Cleanser

After staying away for a few years, this Estee Lauder GWP finally tempted me to try their products again, because I'm dopey like that. I have nothing against the brand, just that I didn't care for either the makeup or the skincare. Having tried enough of both, I thought the makeup is meh and the skincare too expensive for doing sweet nothing.

Well guess what, this 30mL/1fl. oz. freebie tube of Nutritious Radiant Vitality 2-in-1 Foam Cleanser did "something".

Boscia Intensifying Moisture Pack

I started using this 80g/2.8oz tube of Boscia Intensifying Moisture Pack a few weeks ago since it's gotten really chilly and dry. Yes, in conjunction with Nuxe Masque Creme Fraiche de Beaute and a couple other peeling masks. This is a full size I received as part of the Boscia Surprise Beauty Bag promotion in July.

Boscia Surprise Beauty Bag promotion.

Nuxe Masque Creme Fraiche de Beaute

Along with Boscia Luminizing Black Mask and Exuviance Rejuvenating Treatment Masque, I'm also using this 15mL/0.52oz. deluxe sample tube of Nuxe Masque Creme Fraiche de Beaute. I got this tube from the spring 2013 GWP promotion via Beauty.com.

Now that it's gotten colder and drier, this supposedly moisturizing wash-off mask fits the bill, and so I've been reaching for it and the likes much more often than the peel-off variety. This mask comes out of the tube a pinky ecru cream and is to be massaged onto clean skin, leave to absorb for about 10 minutes, then either massage in or remove with toner. I actually massage it in first, then wipe off excess with a warm and damp facial muslin cloth.

Jurlique Herbal Recovery Antioxidant Gel Mask

Got a nice 5mL/0.16fl oz. sample tube of Jurlique Herbal Recovery Antioxidant Gel Mask and have been using it for the past month every third night, up to twice a week as per instructions.

This is a translucent gel mask with the same herbal rosy scent as the Herbal Recovery range. The gel is viscous and slimy, and a thin layer is to be applied evenly on the face, avoiding the eyes, wait for 10 minutes, then wipe off with a warm towel or damp cotton pad. It has antioxidant beads that's supposed to release vitamin E and naturally derived salicylic acid from willow bark extract. It's not a moisture mask per se, but is supposed to provide hydration.

Missha Fresh Aloe Mask

This Missha Fresh Aloe Mask was such a burden to carry because it's in a glass jar and super heavy, but I guess I'm glad I brought it with me. It's very decent and quite refreshing for use when it was still super hot here.

It contains 80mL, which is a pretty generous amount, and comes in a very heavy glass jar with metal lid. I bought this from Ebay and paid an arm and a leg for it, only to later found it on the official Missha USA website for only $20! Of course, I searched again on Ebay and found it from a couple other sellers for much much cheaper too! Hmph. Now I feel cheated :(

Anyway, this wash off mask is supposedly for moisture care, and you apply it after cleansing, leave it on for about 10-15 minutes and then wash it off. I don't usually use wash off masks because they are a pain, you know, having to rinse my face off again even with just water after I had just washed it. But I made an exception for this mask.

The texture is of a thick gel, and it smells heavenly, like a combination of green tea, aloe, cucumber, with a touch of flower. Very fresh! The only concern I have is that it stings a little around my upper lips area as well as around the apple of my cheeks, where the skin is very dry and can be sensitive. Also, looks like this mask contains alcohol (see list of ingredients below). After rinsing my skin feels refreshed, though not so much moisturized but more hydrated. Over all, I wish I had done more research before paying so much for it on Ebay, and if the jar itself wasn't so heavy I'd buy it again.

Missha Fresh Aloe Mask:

Water, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Butylene Glycol, Betaine, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, VP/VA Copolymer, Alcohol Denat., Cyclopentasiloxane, Polysilicone-11, Rubus Coreanus Fruit Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Xanthan Gum, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Carbomer, Methylparaben, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Extract, Triethanolamine, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, PPG-26-Buteth-26, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Poloxamer 188, Polyperfluoromethylisopropyl Ether, Propylene Glycol, Benzophenone-9, Disodium EDTA, Laureth-7, Polyacrylamide, Fragrance, Yellow 5, Blue 1

***List of ingredients from Missha USA.

Etude House Moistfull 3-in-1 Massage Mask

One or two summers ago, Etude House came out with a Moistfull skincare line that is supposed to be super light and non-greasy but super hydrating/moisturizing. I said "hydrating/moisturizing" because I'm not sure whether the Moistfull products are moisturizers or hydrators or both(!). They seem to do both, as least as far as I can tell, but since I can't locate a list of ingredients for any of the products anywhere, I can't really say for sure what they are. Help, anyone?

Whether they are moisturizers or hydrators, I lurrrrv them :D I rarely like more than 2 items from the same skincare line but I have tried several Moistfull items so far and absolutely love them all. The Moistfull toner, lotion, creams (for the face and for the eye area), and serum all seem to have very light, almost gel-like texture. The ones I've tried are absolutely hydrating/moisturizing but at the same time not greasy at all and absorb very easily and completely upon application. When I apply too much, my skin just feels saturated - think how your skin feels when you just step out of the shower and the bathroom is super humid. This leads me to think the line leans more towards being hydrators, because when I overload a moisturizer, usually it will turn me into an oil slick and these Moistfull stuff didn't. But that's just my theory, of course, because without a list ingredients, I can't really jump to any conclusions here. Color wise, the ones I've seen all have this pretty translucent pink color and the ones I have are all scented, although I actually like the scent as it is soft but fresh.

This particular Moistfull 3-in-1 Massage Mask I'm reviewing today came out sometimes last summer or spring or even before then, I don't quite remember. I just remember buying it shortly after it came out and have been using it on and off since, just that it totally slipped my mind to review it after all this time. Oh well, better late than never, right?



The 3-in-1 Massage Mask comes in a giant tub with a whopping 180 mL of products! While that sounds great, I really hate the idea of digging my fingers in that thing every time (eww!) so I scoop some out into a much smaller jar and store the rest away in my cool cabinet to preserve its freshness. Then I store the smaller jar in my fridge - and let me tell you, it feels soooooooo good going on cold! Especially in the heat of the summer, it's like getting a cool wrap on your face that warms up to your body temperature after a few minutes. Ahh...



Of the 3 uses for this Massage Mask, I only use it as a wash-off mask. It's too wasteful to be used as a massage mask, because I'd have to goop on a whole lot, only to wash it off shortly after. I would never use it as a sleeping pack either because, like many other sleeping packs I have trouble using, it becomes quite sticky after drying down and I have a funny habit of smashing my face into my pillow during sleep. Even then, I wouldn't even say I use this Massage Mask as a wash-off mask. It's more like a day/evening pack (as oppose to a sleeping pack) for me, where I would put it on when lounging around and read or watch my favorite J-K-C-T-HK-dramas. I would keep it on for hours before washing it off and go to bed.



The result usually depends on how long I left the Massage Mask on. The longer I keep it on, the more hydrated and comfortable my skin feels. If I were to use it as a true wash-off mask and rinse it off after 30 minutes, I will need a tiny dab of help from a moisturizer afterwards. But if I were to leave it on for 1-2 hours or even longer, I wouldn't need any additional moisturizer.

So really, I would recommend this Massage Mask if you're a regular sleeping pack user and don't mind the tackiness that comes with sleeping packs. But if you can't stand sleeping packs like me, or don't really want to spend the time using this product as a day/evening pack, then you really only have 2 choices left with it: either only use this product as a massage mask, or just skip it altogether.

OBS Milk Face Pack

I felt like trying something random today, so I grabbed OBS Milk Face Pack from my fridge :D OBS is a Korean brand and that's about all I know, unfortunately. Perhaps somebody will drop me a clue or two? Please?

The Milk Face Pack is a wash off mask type that's supposed to be moisturizing and soothing. And it delivered these claims decently, much better than expected. I was thinking since it's called a milk pack, it would be white and opaque, you know, like milk. Nope, it was translucent and more like coconut juice. It smelled like coconut too, actually!



The Milk Face Pack dried clear and upon contact with water, it puffed up and got somewhat slimy in the same manner as the Avon Hydrofirming Drench Recovery Mask, only it washed off much easier than the Avon mask. And man, I totally underestimated how moisturizing this mask would be, that was, until I put on the usual amount of my lovely Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream. My skin just felt so over saturated with moisture I had to wipe off some of Cetaphil cream to lighten things up a bit. Too bad Sasa.com isn't carrying anything from OBS at the moment, because I actually went back wanting to get some more, at least to see what other masks they have. And the Milk Face Pack was cheap too, something like $0.50 a piece!

SkinLite Strawberry Yogurt Masque

Let's just say the SkinLite Strawberry Yogurt Masque singlehandedly restored my confidence in brand's wash-off masks. After repeatedly disappointing experiences with both the Hydrating Cucumber Masque and Green Tea Re-Energizing Masque, I didn't expect much at all. In fact, my thoughts were, urgh, it's going to be another pulpy mask. But thankfully I was utterly completely wrong.



The Strawberry Yogurt Masque was actually more, okay, a whole lot more, delicious than disgusting. Upon opening the package, I was wondering why I am going to put this yummy smelling goodness on my face and not in my mouth instead. It's texture was impressively creamy, unlike the light gel-cream Suki Strawberry Yogurt Pack, another decent wash-off mask I'm near finishing. And here's the part that seriously confused the foodie-wannabe in me - it smelled exactly, and I mean exactly, like the Strawberry Yoplait!

It was instant relief the moment I smoothed the mask on, very soothing and comfortable. It dried to a translucent film, and upon contact with water it puffed up in the same manner Avon Hydrofirming Drench Recovery Mask, only it was not gooey and was rather easy to rinse off. After rinsing, my face felt like I had just put on moisturizer and I didn't need anything else other than my eye cream. The mask was overall very pleasant, the texture, the scent, the moisturization, it was everything I wanted it to be!

Last but not least, it goes for only $1 each on Sasa.com! You bet I'm stocking up. Just did :D

SkinFood Black Sugar Mask

SkinFood Black Sugar Mask was another product I took with me on my weeks long trip. I knew was going to be in a humid place, so I thought bringing a scrub along would be a good idea. After a long of heat and sweat, having something to scrub the grime off of my face would be refreshing.



I was really glad I'd brought this along actually! It worked well. The scrub was a thick dark brown sugar paste, and although the sugar grains were large, they were not overly scratchy. If anything, they melt away gradually in the moisture of the shower. Still, I was careful not to over exfoliate, so I only used this scrub every other 3rd night. Thank goodness it wasn't harsh for my skin either. My face felt super duper clean afterward, and my skin was nice and soft too.



The only surprise about this scrub, I would say, was the smell. I was expecting a sweet sugary scent (it was brown sugar, after all!), but instead I got a soapy scent. Totally completely unexpected, and kind of off-putting. I love brown sugar, so using it as a facial scrub sounded like a great idea to me. But a soapy scrub on my face? Umm...not so much.


***Pictures from SkinFood Korea.

Still, the scent was not enough to deter me from the scrub. So I would say this scrub is worth trying if you have the chance!

Avon Hydrofirming Drench Recovery Mask

I was super excited to try this Avon Hydrofirming Drench Recovery Mask when I first spotted it from the Avon catalogue. After all, I still use the Hydrofirming Eye Cream every morning, and although this may sound sarcastic, but who could resist that lovely splash of clear blue water on the white packaging? Seriously, I would totally put that on my face. I'm not joking!



Opening the package didn't disappoint me either. The clear pale blue gel inside had a citrusy soapy scent - it smelled really fresh! Applying the gel mask was easy too, because the gel was just thick enough to not slide around or drip. After 15 minutes or so, it dries down to a sticky clear layer as expected.

Going to rinse it off though, I got a bit of a surprise: the nice layer of gel puffs up into a thick layer of goo that just takes for freakin' ever to rinse off. It wasn't disgusting or anything, it just felt like I had dunk my head into goo. The results afterwards was meh too. Better the SkinLite wash-off masks, but not moisturizing enough. Come on, it's supposed to be hydrofirming drench recovery? May be drench in goo was more like it!

Good thing this was cheap. $.99 for a pack of 2, so about $.50 each. It wasn't a horrible wash-off mask, but it was nothing impressive either. I probably won't buy it again.

SkinLite Re-Energizing Green Tea Masque

SkinLite Re-Energizing Green Tea Masque is another pulpy mask, much like the Hydrating Cucumber Masque of the same brand. Perhaps they all are made that way? This doesn't bother me much though. What bothered me was the fact that this mask was only just a tad different than the cucumber one - its scent. It was supposed to smell like green tea, but it turned out to be more like the Bath & Body Works Citrus Lime & Verbena. It didn't smell bad, just that it didn't smell like green tea at all!



But yeah, there's no difference at all between this green tea and the cucumber mask - they both did nothing for me, unfortunately. This one felt just a touch, a touch, moisturizing than the cucumber, but that was hardly worth mentioning. Another waste of money...sigh...

SkinLite Hydrating Cucumber Masque

Whenever I have time to put on a mask, I prefer sheet masks over wash-off masks. I just think the sheet masks are a bit more convenient in that I don't have to rinse my face afterwards :D What? You didn't know I'm a lazy bum? Still, I do give wash-off masks a chance every once in a while. There are good ones out there, I'm sure!

That said, I have 3 words for this SkinLite Hydrating Cucumber Masque - what a waste! Honestly, it was a waste of my money, time, and energy massaging it on and washing it off. It did absolutely nothing! And I'm not looking for improvement, I'm looking for mere change! There was no change whatsoever before and after. If my face was tight and dry before, it was still tight a dry after. What's the point of this mask again? There isn't one!

The Hydrating Cucumber Masque has a rather interesting texture. It's really very...pulpy. I suppose they are trying to give you the idea that you are wearing a mask of cucumber puree. At least it sure smells like cucumber, listing cucumber extract as an ingredient. It's just too bad I find it neither hydrating nor worth a try. Blah.

Next.

Suki Strawberry Yogurt Pack

My next attempt to rehydrate my skin is with the Suki Strawberry Yogurt Pack. Suki is a Japanese cosmetics and skincare brand for young teens, not to be confused with the UK organic brand Suki, named after its founder Suki Kramer.

Suki makeup items are cheap but with decent quality, and skincare items are priced just a tad higher but are still very affordable. Suki products are available in Japan, Korea, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, but I'm not sure if they're available else where. Anyways, that's all I know about the brand. Not much, right? :D If you have more information, please do tell.


The strawberry yogurt mask looks and smells like strawberry yogurt. I must admit it was very tempting the first time I opened the jar, but then the box says, "Please do not ever eat," so...damn! Anyways, the texture is closer to Fat-free Yoplait than to a creamy yogurt. It is very light, almost gel-like, and is supposed to "nourish and removes dead skin cell," according to Sasa.com.

The ingredients, according to paper slip that comes with the box: Fragaria Vesca (strawberry) fruit extract 10%, yogurt powder 0.05%, vitis vinifera (grape) seed oil, tocopheryl acetate. Made in Korea.


I really doubt that's all the ingredients though as there aren't any laws in Japan that requires a cosmetic company to list all the contents of a product.

The instructions from Sasa.com says:
- After facial cleansing, apply Suki Strawberry Yogurt Pack on face. Avoid the skin area near eyes and lips
- Massage gently until the facial pack is fully absorbed
- Wait 5-10minutes, rinse off with water


I like this Suki Strawberry Yogurt Pack much better than the DHC Moisture Pack. It is much more hydrating, to the point I didn't need to apply moisturizers afterwards, and that's saying something given how dry my skin is. Also, I keep this in the fridge, so putting it on feels really nice and refreshing. I use the provided plastic spoon to scoop some onto the back of my hand, then I use an un-used small blush applicator to spread it over my face. Then I massage it around until all the red beads disappear.


When hubby and I tried this together, he asked, "How come it doesn't turn green?" O.O I told him he's thinking of a mud mask, but that I'll looking into getting something that'll turn green for him LOL

Anyways, like the vast majority of Japanese product, Suki Strawberry Yogurt Pack has its retail price of 2,300 yen printed on the back of the box. Now, the kick is, I got it from Sasa.com for a mere $6.30. At first I thought they must have sold me an expired item or something, but then the original price on Sasa.com was only $16.50, so I guess it's available in Asia for a lot less than what it retails for in Japan!

DHC Moisture Pack

Okay, tell me I'm delusional, but in the heat and humidity of the Jersey summer, instead of melting away like everything else my skin is drying out like the Sahara!!! I guess my regular usage (every 2 nights) of retinoid treatment (Differin) and high alcohol content sunscreen (Sofina Perfect UV) has finally caught up with my poor dry skin. Damn, I really thought Sofina marked the end of my search high and low for a decent sunscreen! And it was working really well in the beginning too...garr!!! Oh well, what's why they say it takes up to several months to see if a product is a good fit. So on to the next less drying sunscreen I go...

The good news is that I have already ordered my Allie Comfortable Screen EX Perfect SPF 50+ PA+++ :D It is said to be less drying than Sofina, so we'll see how it goes. I'll do a review after a couple of months but will update again after several months for a progress report (sounds like we're still in grade school or something...).

***Picture form Adam Beauty.