Beauty is the Beast

Moving from the left to right:

COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch I gave a packet away to my sister as part of a beauty care package; this one is for me! I rarely get serious pimples nowadays but this type of product doesn't expire and is reassuring to have around.

Mizon Good Night White Sleeping Mask I haven't written a standalone post for this sleeping mask but it is currently a must in my nightly regimen. The cream is a little sticky but oh so hydrating. I used to wake up in the morning with recessed dark circles under my eyes but this cream keeps that area firm and bright.

Mizon Snail Repair Intensive Ampoule I go through bottles of these relatively quickly. It gets absorbed fast and feels great!

ETUDE HOUSE Play 101 Blending Pencil #1 This is a replacement for Play 101 Pencil #5, which I lost a few weeks back. It's a pencil with a pearly-pinkish hue for lining the lower lashline. I am hoping this one will apply more smoothly than the original.

COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid I received dozens of COSRX samples with my last order from Jolse and was fairly pleased. And that's saying a lot when who knows how long the samples had been sitting around. When I ran out of Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant, I decided to switch to another Korean product.

LANEIGE Water Sleeping Mask I've used many samples of the firming version, but it was nothing special. This is a highly-lauded product and deeply discounted as part of RRS's "Best of 2016" sale. When I finish my current tube of Good Night White, I figure I can give Laneige a try. (And then probably switch back, haha.)

SKINFOOD Egg White Pore Mask I am still self-conscious about my large pores. Here's hoping this product will work as advertised.

SKINFOOD Pomegranate Collagen Eye Mask I know, I know, fresh cucumber slices are better for the wallet and for the environment. This was my impulse buy of the haul (and I bought ten at wholesale price).

Mizon Enjoy Vital UP Time Mask I am always ready to try new sheet masks. I know there are subscription beauty boxes/bags for sheet masks but I am not ready to go down that rabbit hole yet.

Pharrell Williams x Commes de Garçons Girl EDT Notes: Neroli, lavender, white pepper, iris, styrax, violet, patchouli, vetiver, sandalwood, cedar My impressions: Cypress, crushed pepper, flipping through a new magazine

Derek Lam 10 Crosby Hi-Fi EDT Notes: Pink peony, French narcisse My impressions: Girly, fresh, daisy chains

Gucci Rush EDT Notes: Gardenia, freesia, jasmine, vanilla, patchouli My impressions: Heady, '00s Christina Aguilera,

Fendi Fan di Fendi EDP Notes: Tangerine, pink peppercorn, pear, blackcurrant, jasmine, rose, tuberose, leather, patchouli My impressions: Spice, plush carpet, French kissing

Dior Aqua Fahrenheit EDT Notes: Grapefruit violet, spearmint, vetiver My impressions: Green, laundry detergent, lush herb garden on the side of a highway

Hermès Bel Ami EDT Notes: Citrus, leather, vetiver My impressions: Frankencense, old leather jacket, Mad Men

Chanel Bois des Iles Parfum Notes: Aldehydes, bergamot, neroli, peach, jasmine, rose, lily of the valley, woody iris, ylang-ylang, vetiver, sandalwood, benzoin, musk My impressions: talc powder, dryer sheets, sharp old women

Comme des Garçons Kyoto EDT Notes: Incense, cypress oil, coffee, teak wood, vetiver, patchouli, amber, everlasting flower, Virginian cedar My impressions: Brisk winter mornings, deep woods, stereotypical aftershave

Comme des Garçons Avignon EDT Notes: Roman chamomile, cistus oil, elemi, incense, vanilla, patchouli, palisander, ambrette seeds My impressions: Frankencense, amber, old books

Yves Saint Laurent L’Homme EDT Notes: Lemon cedrat, bergamot, white ginger, violet leaves, basil flowers, white pepper, sandalwood, Virginian cedar, Haitian vetiver, tonka bean My impressions: Musk, a warm hug, intense vanilla

Excerpt from their English-langage webstore: “This vitamin C gel mask revives skin’s natural radiance and tonus. Enriched with blood orange extract, it gives you a feeling of freshness and hydration in a couple of minutes.”

What attracted me to this mask in particular were the active ingredients: allantoin (skin protectant; anti-irritant), sodium hyaluronate (prevents moisture loss), arginine (amino acid), and ascorbylglucoside (AA2G, a weak Vitamin C derivative). The 3rd ingredient, Chondrus Crispus, is a red algae that belongs to the Carrageenan flora family. Carrageenan extract is often used as a vegan alternative to gelatin, and gives this mask its shape along with algin and agar.

The mask comes in two overlapping pieces. My initial impression was it wasn’t as moist as I expected it to be.

And here are the two pieces assembled on my face. Perhaps my face is too long overall, but I could not decide whether to raise the upper piece (to cover more of my forehead and undereye area) or leave it as so that both pieces would overlap. As I pondered this, the pieces started to unpeel themsleves as the mask continued to dry.

Overall, this mask felt quite cool and soothing, but was less hydrating than I am used to. I removed the mask before 30 minutes, and followed up with my HG sleeping pack—Mizon Good Night White. (The mesh pattern did not leave an imprint on my face, if anyone was wondering.) THE FACE SHOP VITA C Hydro Gel Mask definitely lives up to its claim of endowing “freshness” but I can’t give it any credit for hydration. Perhaps the water-to-glycerin ratio was particularly high because it felt like the mask began to dry out as soon as I removed it from the plastic. I would give hydrogel masks another try—just not this one in particular!

It’s difficult to top Skin and Tonics' great coverage of the ingredients, so I would recommend that you read her spiel! For reference, the ingredients list is as follows:

Snail Secretion Filtrate (92%), Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Dimethicone, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Butylene Glycol, PEG/PPG-17/6 Coploymer, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Polyacrylate, Caprylyl Glyocol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tropolone, Adenosine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Artemesia Absinthium Extract, Achillea Millefolium Extract, Gentiana Lutea Root Extract, Alcohol, Camellia Sinesis Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Copper Tripeptide-1, Human Ogliopeptide-1, Propylene Glycol, Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract, Beta-glucan, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Disodium EDTA

The cream spreads sheer and is somewhat viscous; it has the same weight as your average daytime moisturizer. It absorbs very easily and anyone who is used to wearing heavier creams may feel unsatisfied without slathering on a thick layer. Mizon recommends for this product to be used first after cleansing as a skin booster. (Steps 8 and 9 in the infographic below are to be used as part of a nighttime routine.)

I finished this 35 mL tube in exactly 75 days, which means I used an average of less than 0.5 mL each day. Due to the rumors of snail slime’s curative properties, I started out applying the Mizon All in One Repair Cream like a spot treatment. But I quickly discovered that it layered very well under my sunscreen and BB creams—there was no pilling or flaking or embarassing caking.

Unfortunately that seemed to be the only true selling point of this cream for me. It is an “okay’ moisturizer that would work best for someone with normal to slightly oily/combination skin. Snail secretion filtrate, like yeast filtrates and caviar extract, is no longer just a passing fad in East Asian skincare. Fragrance-free products are strangely less common (often relegated to special lines for sensitive skin), but are by no means unobtainable. Would I repurchase? Maybe. At publishing time, it’s being sold for a great price on RoseRoseShop ($5.48 + $2.50 shipping, USD). Right now I’ve moved onto another snail-based cream in my stash—if the new one is a dud, then I will return to this one.

There are notable changes to the ingredients list: lactic acid, asorbic acid, and citric acid were added; and Innisfree bumped up alcohol to the 4th spot. Visually, there are a few noticable differences between the It's Real and It's Real Squeeze masks: the eyeflaps have been removed in the new line, the masks are slightly narrower in width, and the serum is more watery. The serum in the new masks sink in quickly and isn't sticky at all. While normally I would view those as positive traits, the new formulation also doesn't feel as moisturizing and doesn't make my face "glow".

Rating Ingredients: 4/5 Effectiveness: 3/5 Design/Packaging: 5/5 - It's a perfect fit for my face. Price: 5/5 Overall: 17/20 = 85% = B+

The Jeju Bija line is meant for people with "troubled skin", or pimples and acne. I am always nervous to try new products to when breakouts are clearing up, but I decided to try the It's Real Squeeze Bija Mask after my latest outbreak of hormonal acne for an "authentic" experience.

The ingredients list is full of fillers—my fault for not reading it closely before buying a few masks. Aloe vera juice makes an appearance, as does Torreya nucifera (bija) seed oil. I have never had a reaction to aloe vera, but this mask feels very cool and tingly on my face. When I used this mask for the first time, I kept checking for signs of irritation and ultimately had to take it off after 10 minutes. Needless to say it was not relaxing. Now I assume the tingling is part of the experience.

The Bija sheet mask is less moisturizing than Green Tea and doesn't seem to offer any other benefits. It also has a strong generic feminine, powdery fragrance. I have two more of these masks left and have mixed feelings about using them. I'm just a bit disappointed.

Here is the CosDNA ingredients list. I’ve taken a photo of the label too. You can also spot the product code, the manufacturing and lot code, the inner foil under the lid, and some of the leftover serum/acid concoction. This is a handy guide to determining your PTR product’s manufacturing date and batch number.

I was drawn to this product because of the number of active ingredients: Glycolic Acid (AHA), Sodium Lactate (lactic acid derivative, AHA), Salicylic Acid (BHA), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A/retionol derivative), and Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C derivative). “Gamma” is presumably [Gamma-] Aminobutyric Acid, also known as GABA, a neurotransmitter. Again, what the hell. Other ingredients include witch hazel, rosewater, chamomille, green tea, and many more of my other favorite botanical extracts. The ingredients list alone was enough for me to gloss over the price tag and happily check out.

Following another reviewer’s suggestion, I sterilized a pair of scissors with 91% rubbing alcohol and cut the pads in half. Voilà, 40 uses for the price of 20! Half a pad is just enough for my whole face. Every other night, I lightly wiped a pad across my freshly cleaned face and did not rinse it off. I did not experience dryness or irritation with this method. Conversely, my skin became softer and less flaky over time! My nighttime routine was as follows:

Wash face with washcloth and Cerave Hydrating Cleanser.

Pat face with Mizon AHA/BHA Daily Clean Toner and clean hands.

Use 1/2 of a PTR Un-Wrinkle Peel Pad every other night.

Wait 15 minutes.

Apply Mizon All-in-One Snail Repair Cream to the driest parts of my face.

Apply a generous amount of Loreal Collagen Moisture Filler Day/Night Cream to entire face.

After purchasing the Un-Wrinkle Peel Pads, I realized that I had neglected to check the product’s pH. Chemical exfoliants such as AHAs and BHAs are most effective at certain concentrations and pH levels. This very thorough article on Paula’s Choice explains it better than I can, although it neglects to provide links to sources. The pads have a pH of 6, which is far too high for both the AHA or BHA ingredients in this product. The Mizon toner I used in a prior step has a pH of 4.5, which is also too high. So did these pads really work or was I experiencing the placebo effect? Could it have been just the pad’s texture that buffed away my flaky skin? Hmm.

A translated list of ingredients can be found in this blog post by D4zzling Me. According to this Kollection K listing, star ingredients include asiatic pennywort, aloes, lavendar, lemon verbana, marshmallow root, and chamomille—all certified organic by OTCO. Niacinamide (vitamin B3) also appears in the ingredients list. Topical niacinamide is known for lightening hyperpigmentation, preventing moisture loss, and has mild anti-inflammatory effects.

I'm a fan of shea butter body creams, so the fact that it was one of the first ingredients in the Etude House Don't Worry Hand Cream cemented my decision to purchase this. As it turns out, this hand cream does not moisturize my hands at all! On the other hand (heh), it is lightweight, easily absorbed, and is not sticky. The fragrance is strong and this particular citrus floral combination reminds me of cheap room spray. It also makes one of my coworkers sneeze. The scent seems to fade within half an hour... or maybe that's how long it takes for my nose to become desensitized to it. Either way, I have found myself using this less like a hand cream and more like an adorable paperweight.

Rating Ingredients: 3/5 Effectiveness: 1/5 Design/Packaging: 5/5 Price: 5/5 Overall: 14/20 = 70% = B (but barely)

I purchased this product for approximately $5 (excluding shipping) from TesterKorea.

You can click on the image to enlarge it. Water, glycerin, dipropylene glycol, butylene glycol...your eyes are not deceiving you—where is the syn-ake?? If I had seen an ingredients list for this mask, I certainly would not have bought it. You have been warned! (On the plus side, you have also been informed that A'pieu is "against animal testing", although this hasn't been confirmed by the Korea Animal Rights Advocates' list of cruelty-free companies.)

I don't patch test sheet masks, so I ripped open the packet and stuck it on my face.

To add insult to injury, this mask doesn't fit. At all. It is on the dry side compared to the other ones that I've reviewed. Lack of moisture + gratuitous slits = a mask that does not stay in place for long. With any other mask, I would have pinched the excess "fabric" at the seams and let the serum keep everything together. Oh well. I left the mask on my face for 15 minutes, then took it off as it became dry. To its credit, my face easily absorbed the serum and it was an otherwise relaxing experience. However it really does not hold a candle to my current favorite sheet mask.