Review: Silk Whitia Anti-Oxidation Whitening Mask

Purchased at: Sasa

Price: Normally, it's $16.60 for 5 masks but till 1/31/2011, you get 1 box FREE ^_^ (so now is the time to buy Silk Whitia masks yo). Thus I paid $16.60/10masks = $1.66/mask.  Fyi, I always spend $75+ on Sasa to get free shipping.

Description:

Silk Whitia Anti-Oxidation Whitening Mask contains a rich content of Vitamin C and highly effective anti-oxidant ginseng extracted that turn dull skin bright. The whitening essence works effectively on the skin, lightening dark spots and producing a radiant appearance.

Suitable for: All skin types.

Experience: The mask is dripping with serum, you need to be over sink or you'll get droplets everywhere.  I've used about 10 Silk Whitia masks and they all come dripping with handfuls of excess serum.  This mask smelled strongly of dishwashing soap -_- It was immediately off-putting, but I got used to it quickly.  As with all Silk Whitia masks, this one leaves about 1/2 inch of my forehead bare eheh but this doesn't bother me since I do not have scars/acne on my forehead.  Since the mask is very thick it takes awhile to dry ^_^

Despite the dishwasher scent, this mask is very effective imho.  While this is on my face, my face seems to "cool down" a lot - I suspect this is mainly from the fact the mask is simply drenched in serum but whatever, it really does temporarily bring down the redness of scars.  My face feels very refreshed and my face is truly luminous and hydrated after I take it off.  Downside is, once again, the serum leaves a crust so my face must be rinsed or wiped down with toner afterward. However, I cannot say this is a flaw with the formula since the directions explicitly states to "rinse face with water."  *lazy*

Overall:
Fit: May not cover those with big foreheads (like me ^_~) very well.  Otherwise fits decently on me, though it is the least adjustable mask compared to MBD and FaceQ because there are no slits on the sides.

Scent: Legit smells like dish-washing soap.   The scent surprised me because I expected it to be more citrus-y...like Vitamin C-ish.

Mask Texture: Soft mask, very thick, holds lots of serum.

Excess serum: I always have a ton of excess serum with Silk Whitia masks, usually 1-2 handfuls I kid you not).  Downside is, like the Silk Whitia Soy Milk Whitening Mask, the serum of this one leaves a crust anywhere that wasn't covered with the mask and must be rinsed after mask removal.  But like I said, it's not "flaw" in Silk Whitia's formula since it's stated in the directions that it needs to be rinsed.

Claims:

Brighten dull skin <-- Yes, but almost every mask does this, at least temporarily.
Lighten dark spots <-- It lightens scars temporarily but as for long term lightening? I dunno. So far, I don't think so.
Produce a radiant appearance <-- Yes, my face seems very luminous afterward, very full and smooth.

Overall Results: I picked this up after fuzkittie's rave reviews ^_^  I believe she stated that this was her favorite Silk Whitia mask, along with the Silk Whitia Soy Milk.   On both counts I will agree that both of these masks are highly effective, though I prefer the Soy Milk mask (it smells a lot better and seems oddly gentler).   The plentiful excess serum is also a nice bonus since Silk Whitia masks are quite expensive compared to FaceQ and My Beauty Diary masks.   This mask did make my face seem more luminous and feel very clean/refreshed, but I think the Soy Milk is more hydrating and seems to make my face a wee bit more luminous (tho I admit that could just be in my head).  However, I will not be re-purchasing this fairly expensive mask because I do not like the scent and the mask isn't so effective I am willing to both put up with the scent, price, and rinse my face afterward.  I feel that there are plenty of other masks out there that suit my laziness and have a much more pleasant aroma.

That said, I will be continuing to try more Silk Whitia masks and will probably re-purchase the Silk Whitia Soy Milk mask, which I adore in every way (except the rinsing part), so I am willing to put up with the crust residue and price.  Overall, Silk Whitia masks seem quite effective and are well-made.  But I will say at this point, after trying a number of FaceQ, Silk Whitia, and MBD masks, so far MBD masks are my overall favorite.

Review: Silk Whitia Soy Milk Whitening Mask

I was super excited to finally receive my Sasa haul ^_^! I got a nice bunch of Silk Whitia, My Beauty Diary, and FaceQ masks so I'm excited to see which one I like the most ;) I first heard about the Silk Whitia brand from fuzkittie - she raved about the Silk Whitia Soy Milk and Silk Whitia Anti-Oxidation mask so those are the two I got ^^  I've been really dry this winter, partly I'm sure, because my skin is still naturally sloughing off after the hives I had for two weeks.  Also it's been really cold in NoVa, very windy. Anyway, the point is that I used up all the masks I bought in Korea and they really helped me hydrate and heal my face so I thought it'd be a good opportunity to try some of the most raved-about masks on the net :)

Purchased At: Sasa

Cost: $17.90 for 5 (1 box) but Sasa is doing a Special BOGO Promotion :D Aka $17.90 for 10 = $1.79/mask. Silk Whitia masks are on the pricey side so this is a good time to try them if you're curious.  Ends Jan 3, 2011.

Description:  

Silk Whitia Soy Milk Whitening Mask is fermented from soy bean. It contains a rich amount of hydrolyzed vegetable protein, vitamins B1 and B2 to leave skin fair and brightened. The MSH highly effective whitening essence makes the skin white and elastic. Use daily for best results.

Suitable for: All skin types

Experience: The mask came folded and drenched in essence :) I noticed the mask was really thick, soft, and fibrous. The mask pics are after it's dried, but they show how fibrous the mask was and that's why it's able to hold so much essence.  The mask is not "delicate" so I don't see it tearing easily.

The eye, nose, and mouth hole are smaller than the Hisamitsu Lifecella Essence Sheet Mask Hyaluronic Acid mask, which is good since I feel like it covers even my under eyes and underneath my lower lip ^^ You can see in the pic the mouth and eye holes are long and narrow, not just an oval.  I had some trouble squeezing my fat lips through the hole tho :( The downside is that the top of my forehead had about of inch of space uncovered, but then I have a big forehead >_< but I don't have scars/dryness there anyway.  Overall, I liked the fit of this mask because every bit of my face was covered (except a bit of my forehead) even my eye bags.

I fell asleep with this one so it was on my face for maybe 30-40 minutes, I kinda had to peel off the dry mask :P  While my face had no residue on it, my neck, where I'd smeared some of the extra essence, had dried crust/essence on it :P  I had to wipe it off my neck, however, I can't blame Silk Whitia for this since they do say in the directions that you should rinse your face afterward.

Overall:
Fit: Not fantastic. Fits me pretty well but it's just not a very adjustable mask for many face shapes.

Scent: Milk Cookie :)! Delicious, I wanted to eat it! Smells like Vanilla Soymilk in other words~

Texture: Very thick and retains a lot of serum.

Excess serum:  The excess serum is slightly sticky and leaves a dry crust on your neck that needs to be washed off. While I feel the serum is effective, I was very annoyed that I had to wash off the crust, directions or no directions.

Claims:

Leave skin fair and brightened <-- Yes, my face was a lot brighter and luminous.

Leaves skin white and elastic <-- Yes, skin felt very plumped and hydrated.

Overall Results: Redness was way down and my face was super luminous...I was like...glowing! I was so moisturized I looked a little oily ^^  My face felt plumped, hydrated, and clean.  My face also seemed 1-2 shades lighter O_o but I think it's because my face is usually pink-ish from acne scars.  I finished off with a bit of Skinfood Red Ginseng Toner :)  This mask claims to whiten, increase elasticity, and brighten - and yes, I think it does all these things. What I noticed most about this mask is that it really brought down redness and plumped my face.

This is the first mask I've used from my collection so I can't do comparisons or make any long-term comments yet but this was a great experience. I like the simplicity of the ingredients and the yummy scent!  The only con was that the extra essence dried in crusts on my neck and had to be washed off :(  Nonetheless, based on this experience, I would highly recommend this mask, especially since it's for all skin types, the ingredients are quite gentle, and it smells amazing :)