New Obsession: Mask Mania

I think I might be an impulsive buyer. I mean seriously, it might just be a condition of mine or maybe I've just been so deprived of the simple joys in life because all the hectic studying that I'm finally giving myself a break.

Yehp. That's it. I'm rewarding myself. It's a gift! I present! A trophy of some sort.

Otherwise, I wouldn't exactly be able to justify the sheer number of facial mask sheets I purchased from Etude House and Watsons on a whim. Seriously Ada, WTH?

I initially bought some EH masks out of pure curiosity but after having tried one, I thought I'd go ahead and try everything else they had to offer haha. I'm such a hoarder. In all honesty, some masks are pretty pricey - ranging from 100-300 PHP a piece, so I never actually gave them the time of day. So really, when I saw these babies for only 58 PHP I basically just jumped on the opportunity to try them. *Impulsive buyer alert*

Etude House's range of I Need You Facial Mask Sheets, as well as their Essence Mask line only cost 58PHP a piece at local boutiques. And if you buy enough to equal a 500 PHP purchase, you might even score yourself a free sample. So you can see why I went all crazy.

All in all, I bought their entire line of I Need You (Aloe, Green Tea, Lemon, Pomegranate, Honey, Ginseng and Pearl Extract) and Essence Mask (Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin E and Collagen) sheets.

And then after my purchase, a small stop at Watsons got me to purchase some of their masks on Buy 1 Take 1 with prices ranging from 29-60 PHP.

Control yourself Ada. 

Apparently, they're also made in Korea, and is it wrong to say that I'm inclined to trust the quality of cosmetics made in Korea? Ahahaha. I guess I'm just biased.

Either way, I was actually quite tempted to use one mask a day, but not being sure how my skin would react, as well as wanting to savor the experience, I settled for thrice a week ahahaha.

So the first three I tried were Etude House's Essence Mask Vitamin C, I Need You Pomegranate Mask Sheet and I Need You Pearl Extract Mask Sheet.

I Need You Pomegranate Mask Sheet

I tried this one first because in all honesty, I love pomegranates. This break I've been snacking on dried fruit mixes and I always end up picking up the pomegranate pellets first haha. In terms of the quality of the mask however, there are some very interesting things about this mask.

I actually had the opportunity to try out some of the masks from Watsons first (I'll reserve my review for a later post). But on of the key differences I observed was that this mask from Etude House did not have a scent *le gasp*. I was rather disappointed because I happen to love the scent of pomegranates, but on the other hand, I took comfort in the fact that the chances that artificial perfume or scents were added were close to nil because of this fact.

Another thing I noticed that unlike the mask sheets from Watsons which had plastic film to make unfolding and application of the mask easier on the face, the Etude House was just literally a sheet of cloth cut out into a face. Not to mention the mask was a bit oddly shaped and much too large for my face (whereas the ones from Watsons fit perfectly). I took that as a compliment - apparently I have a small face hahaha.

Regardless of those weak points, the essence of the mask itself was pretty legit. After just 15 minutes, it left my skin feeling utterly happy, smooth, tight and supple. And there was even a bit of the gel left to massage onto the skin of my neck haha.

 Essence Mask Vitamin C

The Vitamin C Essence Mask was not much different. No scent, oddly cut mask, etc. But the formula of the gel seemed to be a bit on the runnier side, so I was rather disappointed at first. But after using it, it seemed to be the mask that my face responded to the best - it felt thoroughly moisturized and my skin bore a subtle glow after I used it. The effects were even apparent 'til the next morning when I had to scold myself for touching my face too much because it was just so smooth haha.

I Need You Pearl Extract Mask Sheet

And by far my favorite out of the three Etude House Masks that I've tried, the I Need You Pearl Extract Mask left my skin just a tad bit lighter. I think this one had a bit of residual shimmer? Well, you couldn't actually call it shimmer. It just left my skin with a subtle glow and this was by far the lightest of the bunch to apply. I especially felt the effects on my nose, which is a major dry area for me.

All in all, for my first Etude House Facial Mask Sheet Experience, it wasn't so bad.

Pros:
No scent
Generous amount of product
Cute Packaging
Moisturizing
Did not break me out
Cleared up my skin significantly
Cheap

Cons:
Bad Mask Cut
Ingredients are all in Korean
Not entirely recommended for people with overly Oily Skin

I'm really really really tempted to go ahead and try some of Etude House's more expensive masks (some of them cost 100+-200+), seeing how good their cheaper ones are -- but some other day, some other time, when I have more self control and more money to spend haha.

Stay tuned for my next review, this time on some cheap masks from Watsons, and feel free to request reviews on my other purchases as well.

Stay cool,
Ada
xoxo