Tosowoong Refresh Sea Cucumber Essence Mask

I am taking on the Soko Glam 7-day sheet mask challenge and today's mask is one that was purchased on MemeBox.   What drew me to this mask was the colorful packaging (it reminds me of the sea) and since I do enjoy eating sea cucumber, I thought why not enjoy its beauty content too?  Boy was I happy that I tried it!

The mask is silky and transparent in texture.  Because it doesn't have a mask protector, the mask was so full of essence that I had to take extra care to unfold.  Once I put it on my face, the silkiness melt right into my skin.  The mask fits perfectly, especially around the nose area, which is a tricky place for most mask.  The forehead area could be bigger but it may be due to my large forehead.  There were plenty of extra essence for neck and upper chest.  The mask lasted more than 40 minutes.  I'm already thinking of getting more! 

Directions:  after double cleanse and toning, apply mask for more than 20 minutes.

Where to Buy: purchased on MemeBox  

Heliocare 360 Gel Oil-free Sunscreen

One of the benefits of traveling for work is that I get to explore the pharmacies of new location.  I traveled to Venice in early June and had some down time to explore the city (and get some good eats).  The pharmacies in Venice were small and boutique like.  I was able to find a few products I haven't seen before.  The selection was less than expected though, probably because I was in the tourisy part of town.

Although I've been happy with my sunscreens, I am always in need for better ones, especially ones that are oil-free.  This Heliocare 360 brand is one I haven't seen before or am familiar with.  Since it's gel like and oil-free, I decided to give it a try.  I've been using this product for approximately 2 weeks and really like it!  It smells faintly of orange and has a yellowish/orange tint.  The sunscreen applies smoothly with no residue.  It's very matte like and indeed was oil-free.  I like the fact that it's not thick so I barely feel the product.  So much so that I thin I can go without the Skin Food Silky Finishing Powder.  Now I need another trip to Italy to get more sunscreen!

Directions:  apply sunscreen as last step of beauty routine.

Where to Buy:  purchased in pharmacy in Venice, Italy

Trouble Skin Night Routine

Treating trouble skin requires a new night routine.   Here's the new line-up:

DHC deep cleansing oil

Banila clean it zero

Pure Body Naturals Dead Sea mud mask

innisfree rice it's a squeeze mask

Asahi hyaluronic acid lotion

SK-II clear lotion

SK-II essence

Cosrx skin returning a-sol

Skinmiso pore corset serum

Mizon snail repair eye cream

Got it down to only 10-steps!  

Banila Clean It Zero

Trying out a new cleanser highly recommended by my hair stylish because she has gorgeous skin and she's Korean who knows major beauty products.  I've been suffering from hormonal acne lately and not sure if it's due to stress, travels or new products (maybe all the above).  

This cleanser is beautifully packaged with a scooper that stays put in the inner lid (great packaging!). You need to scoop out just a quarter size to spread the sherbet texture like cleanser onto face.  It's easy to use and doesn't seem to be as oily as the oil cleanser (duh!!).  It cleans off easily without drying or harsh residue.  I love this product so far as it leaves my face super clean and seem to be helping with the acne.

Directions: use scooper to put quarter size portion into back of hand.  Spread across face and massage.  Wash off with water.

Where to Buy: purchased on MemeBox

Benton Snail Bee High Content Mask Pack

My face was in desperate need for some pore and acne care lately.  I've seen some hormonal acne appear on the side of my forehead and right cheek.  After going through my stash, I realize I don't have any product that truly addresses this problem.  This mask from Benton was the closest since it can be used by all skin type.  

I have the essence so know the product well.  The mask is very similar to the essence, in smell (a bit of iron) and texture.  Can't say that I'm disappointed by the mask but I'm not in love either.    I would prefer to use the essence (which I use only in the morning routine) than the sheet mask.

Directions: after cleansing and toning, apply mask for 15-20 minutes.

Where to Buy: purchased on MemeBox as part of Benton starter kit. 

Guest Blogger

I'm happy to announce that my dear friend, Betty, has been added as a guest blogger!!  She utilizes a lot of Taiwanese and other Asian skincare products.  I am excited to add her experience and the product reviews on this blog.

Welcome BETTY!!

The Face Shop Rice Water Bright

I received the The Face Shop Rice Water Bright trial size samples as part of anther purchase.  I've been meaning to try the samples and with my recent travel, it was a perfect time.

The Face Shop Rice Water Bright rice cleansing water and lip & eye remover are both not effective. The cleansing water is quite light and I had thought it was a toner instead of a cleanser.  The directions states that a cotton pad should be used to wipe across face and then wash off with water.  Not only is it confusing to use cotton pad for a cleanser but the product was ineffective in cleaning the face.  There was no squeaky feeling and seem to have left an oily film.

The lip & eye remover was even more disappointing because I was hoping to find an alternative to the Neutrogena eye remover.  The remover did not work on waterproof mascara and eyeliner.  Even after usage, I had to supplement with a Neutrogena cleanser wipe.

Both products were ineffective and disappointing.

Directions:  Put product on cotton pad and wipe across face.  Rinse with water.  

Where to Buy: The Face Shop

Sulwhasoo Clarifying Mask

I've heard a lot about Sulwhasoo from friends and fellow bloggers and have been waiting for some time to try their product.  I got the chance by purchasing some travel size products on Testerkorea.com.  It didn't take as long as I thought to get products shipped, about 2 weeks or so when I had thought it would take a month or longer.

The Sulwhasoo Clarifying mask is a gel like mask.  It has a strong ginseng smell,.  After just 10 minutes, my face started to tightened and the mask started to be clearer.  I left the mask on for 30 minutes at which point my face was beyond tight.  The mask was easy to rinse off with tepid water.  My pores did seem to appear smaller and face a bit tighter.  Def worth a try again for longer term effects.

Directions: after double cleanse, apply mask to face and leave on for 15-20 minutes.  Rinse with warm water.

Where to Buy: purchased travel size packets on Testerkorea.com

Product Empties

After traveling quite a bit both within the US and internationally, it's quite satisfying to use up travel size beauty products.  I believe I have written reviews for the empties but if I haven't it will be in future posts.  Empties include:

Botanic Farm Grain Ferment Sherbet cleanser

Benton Aloe BHA skin toner

Benton High Content Essence

Shiseido Ultimune Concentrate

Innisfree Green Tea Balancing Skin

Innisfree Green Tea Balancing Lotion

Amore Pacific Eye Concentrate Complex 

Can't wait to try the next batch of beauty products!

ettang Peeling Soothing Mask

I don't see a lot of peeling gel with mask so when I saw this on MemeBox, I thought it was worth a try.  The ettang Peeling Soothing mask contains two parts - peeling gel and a soothing sheet mask.  

The peeling gel was easy to use and was quite effective in scrubbing away all the dead skins.  It was quite satisfying to see all the dead skins appear as films and easily washed away with water.  

The soothing sheet mask was a bit disappointing because the mask felt rough and did not have a lot of essence.  It still provided moisture and since the dead skin cells were sloughed off, the face felt very soft.  The mask did leave the face very sticky so putting any night cream was a challenge.  I end up only applying some essence and called it a day.

Directions: spread the peeling gel on face and massage until dead skin are sloughed off.  Apply the soothing sheet mask afterward.

Where to Buy: purchased on MemeBox

Amore Pacific Intensive Vitalizing Eye Complex

Through a friend's recommendation (thanks Luisa!), I came to know about the Amore Pacific skincare brand.  Since I was in need of a travel size eye cream, I purchased the Amore Pacific Moisture Bound Intensive Vitalizing Eye Complex cream from Amazon.   

I've been using the eye cream for 3 trips now, for a total of 5 weeks, and finally used up the bottle.  The cream is soft, gel-like and apply beautifully without feeling heavy.  I apply morning and night and it works well under concealer.  My undereye area feels moisturized and brightened.  The cost of the trial size was $11 which is quite a lot for travel size but it was worth the price of eye hydration.  I would be tempted to purchase full size but want to try out more options before settling on one.

Directions: apply to eye area morning and night.

Where to Buy: purchased on Amazon.

Tosowoong Pore 3D Mask in Bird's Nest

Still on my business trip so time to try out another mask in my collection.   I wasn't sure what a 3D mask was so thought I'll try it out as an experiment.

Upon opening the Tosowoong 3D mask, I was weary of the brown coloring.  I've never seen a sheet mask in non white or clear color before so wasn't sure what to expect.  The mask is layered in two past - upper and lower face. The directions were clear to separate the mask from the clear side and affix to face.  Perhaps that's the side hat had all the essence, although both side look the same.  The good thing was the mask was protected on both side.   Due to the lower and upper half of the mask, it affix to the face nicely except the upper half was a bit small and did not cover the entire forehead.   I had the mask on for 30 minutes plus as the mask was to dry out completely.  After the period, the mask wa still not dry below the eyes and around the cheeks.  I had to peel off the mask.  I was expecting my face to be a bit discolored from the brown coloring but all I saw was clarity, smaller pores and tightness.  It was a nice canvas for the night skin creams and essence.  The day after the skin felt refreshed, hydrated and plump.  I would try the mask again or perhaps other 3D mask.

Directions: after double cleansing, apply mask on face for 30 minutes or more or until mask is completely dry.

Where to Buy: purchased on MemeBox.

Skinfood Black Sugar Mask Washoff

With the time change and excessive drinking, my skin was in need of therapy. I tried the Skinfood Black Sugar Wash off to energize and clear my pores.

The mask is scrub like with crystallized black sugar.  I was afraid that the scrub would scratch my face but after massaging on my face, skin felt hydrated,  super clean and refreshed.  I couldn't detect any scarring of the face.

Directions: after double cleanse, apply  wash off and clean off with water.

Where to Purchase: part of Kbeauty trial box from MemeBox.

Botanic Farm Grain Ferment Cleansing Sherbet

Trying out a new cleanser for my two step cleansing routine.  The botanic farm grain ferment cleansing sherbet texture feels waxy, similar to my hair product oil from Japan.  Once it's on the face, it takes some effort to spread across the face.  Although not oily, it feels like it should be.  The cleanser has a hint of fruity smell but not strong.  The face does not feel as clean as mud or foam cleanser.  Perhaps it's meant for normal skin and not for oily or combination skin usage.

Directions: after cleansing with oil cleanser, apply and spread sherbet all over face.

Where to Buy: part of the Kbeauty trial kit from MemeBox.

My Beauty Diary Sheet Mask - Apple

My Beauty Diary is my favorite sheet mask now and my go to for weekly mask challenge.   My recent purchase is the Apple Polyphenol for oil and pore control.   

Upon opening the package, there is a hint of Apple scent but it's not overwhelming.  The mask is over abundant with essence, so much so that the essence drips on the clothing.  There is also enough in the package for neck and chest area.   The mask is refreshing and although I've only used the mask once, my pore seem to have gotten smaller and there is less shine in my face.  I will have to rotate this mask with others during the week.

Directions: after cleansing and toning, apply mask for 15-20 minutes.

Where to Buy: purchased in NYC pharmacy.  Available on Amazon.

Bonvivant Mint + Tea Tree Sheet Mask

I ordered the Bonvivant Botanical Mask Pack in Mint + Tea Tree from MemeBox a while ago and kept it for the Peru trip.  After a grueling 4 day hike and another week in the Amazon heat, I pampered myself with this mask in Lima the day before our flight back to SFO.   

The mask had a nice half sheet separator so that the sheet mask would not tear.  The mask was heavy with essence and the texture was so so.  After taking off the mask, my face felt sticky instead of plump as with other masks.  I'm a bit disappointed as I really wanted to like this brand.  The tea tree and mint combo was calming and did not have a scent.

Directions: after cleansing and toning, apply mask for 15-20 minutes.

Where to Buy: purchased on MemeBox

Slowganic Cleanser - Green Tea

Traveling for work for the next 2 weeks which means time to try out new travel products!  😁

First one on the list is the slowganic cleanser in Green Tea.  At first glance, the product looks sticky and putty with a hint of green/gray coloring.  Although it doesn't look very nice, it cleans very well!  It reminds me of the mud cleanser I have.  The texture is clay like with no microbeads.  The face needs to be wet in order for the clay like material to spread.   It washes off well and the face feels squeaky clean!  However, I am put off by the texture and most likely will not re-purchase. 

Directions:  after cleansing with oil cleanser, apply cleanser into face and massage face.  Rinse with water.

Where to Buy: purchased on MemeBox as part of Korean skincare box.