Wheee....more My Beauty Diary~ This was a very scrumptious smelling mask. This and the MBD Yogurt mask (though I didn't like it that much) are two of the yummiest smelling MBD masks. Though I must admit the yummiEST smelling mask to me is still the Silk Whitia Soy Milk Whitening mask...it smells like delectable cake ^_^;;
My Beauty Diary Southern France Apricot Mask softens, smooths and highly moisturizes the skin. Apricot extract from southern France provides excellent moisturizing effect. It quenches the thirst of skin, leaving dry skin keenly comfortable. The skin surface will be inscrutably velvety to the touch. Added with extracts of highly moisturizing grain, such as oat, job's tears and hydrolyzed rice protein, it gives more in-depth nourishing and nursing effect to dry skin. The stratum corneum is fully soaked in moisturizing ingredients. It maintains skin’s suppleness, elasticity, fairnessand clearness.
Suitable for: It is suitable for normal skin. It is especially recommended for dry skin and combination skin that tends towards dryness.
I had to increase the saturation to make the silvery text show :P
As cute as MBD packages are, the shiny packaging is a pain to photograph ><
Experience: The scent was lovely from the moment I opened the package. A very sweet, apricot scent. There was a mild cooling effect and the experience was very nice. I think the soothing, pleasing scent had a lot to do with that. After removing the mask my face felt refreshed, looked brighter, and was more hydrated. Redness was generally down and I have never experienced any irritation. Downside is that the effects of this mask aren't as obvious compared to the MBD Apple Polyphenol mask. I dunno what it is but the Apple Polyphenol always gives my face this incandescent glow (I reckon from the mildly exfoliating effect of the mask).
The envelope packaging is a little blah - I think it's the pre-2010 packaging.
Overall Fit: After a bit of research, word has it MBD updated the material and cut of their masks (though the ingredients/formula are unchanged) in 2010. For me personally, post-2010 masks, which are thinner and cut with a lot of forehead space ^^ are the ideal fit for me. I believe the Yogurt mask I tried was manufactured pre-2010 and was an awful fit.
Scent: Exactly as you'd expect. Like a sweetly spiced apricot. Very pleasing and mild.
Mask texture: Thin and silky. Sticks well to your face a holds a lot of serum.
Excess serum: A dime sized amount as does most masks from the MBD Natural Key line have.
Claims: Soften, smooth, moisturize/suppleness, elasticity, fairness and clearness. <-- I would say this mask does everything it claims. My face always feels softer, plumped (smooth), and more moisturized afterward.
Overall Results: Definitely solidly in the category of masks that are good but not fantastic. I'm not positive if I'd buy it again but it's something I would definitely recommend others try if they are interested in trying a couple MBD masks. It's very gentle, smells excellent, feels good, and there was no irritation. There was a slight cooling effect as well. I would give this a solid 7/10. If it were more of a unique mask and the results were startlingly good, I'd rate it higher. However, it does everything it promises so I can't complain too much :)
I'm quite excited to review this mask because it is so cheap and I have become quite fond of it. It's from a relatively unpopular brand, I suspect because of the un-cute packaging, so I went out on a limb trying it and I'm pretty glad I did :)
Description: COSLINE Yogurt Strawberry Yogurt Pack is a wash off mask which contains strawberry extract (850g), yogurt (170mg) and Vitamin C and E. COSLINE Yogurt Strawberry Yogurt Pack promotes metabolism rate of skin, smooths skin and increases skin brightness. The nourishing COSLINE Yogurt Strawberry Yogurt Pack also helps to keep skin elastic and moisturized.
Directions: Apply an appropriate amount on clean face, spread evenly and gently massage on the whole face beside eyes and lips. Wait for 15-20 minutes to absorb nutrient. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.
Packaging: Plain and foogly. It's not hideous but come on - how cute would a strawberry shaped jar have been ;)? What really irks me though is having to dip my fingers (or spoon) into the jar to get out the product. AHHH I hate unhygienic setups like that!
Scent: Amazinggggg~ Probably one of the best characteristics of this mask is the delicious, vanilla strawberry scent. I could sniff this baby all day seriously....this is the best smelling mask I've had the pleasure of smelling ^^ It's good enough to eat - sorta ;) - and doesn't taste half bad (don't ask me how I know that).
Texture: Exactly like Dannon or Activia yogurt, I kid you not. Some reviews on Sasa have said if you goop on too much it drips - but personally, I've never had a problem with that and I'm pretty generous with the blobbing on of this mask. It's like a slightly runny yogurt but it doesn't drip. It also has little red beads in it (it's not strawberry seeds) that dissolve as you massage your face. The beads dissolve very easily so it is not harsh on your skin. It's pretty satisfying "crushing" all the beads ^^
Experience: Initially, I was put out with the jar set up :P....but yeah, I started blobbing this on my face. Then I massaged my face (always up and out, never down!), taking my time to crush all the little red beads ;) The scent was lovely and the creamy texture felt cool on my face (also you can refrigerate this baby to make it even cooler). It felt very nice but it was annoying to have to wash my hands after the massage. When you first put it on your face the yogurt is pinkish. After 20 or so minutes it becomes clear - I assume it means it soaked into your skin. Rinsing off is easy, it comes off like a charm and your face feels immediately much smoother. The next morning my face was brighter but I had an oily sheen (hydration methinks) on my forehead. No breakouts, itchiness, or irritation.
Effectiveness: For me this was an effective product. My skin was soft and a tad smoother. I've used this pack about 5-6x and I haven't had any allergic reactions or irritation in general. I also feel like there was a mild exfoliation since my face was brighter - a very gentle exfoliation like the MBD Apple Polyphenol sheet mask. There were no flakes but somehow I feel like there was some sloughing of the skin. Yogurt has long been vaunted as a great acne deterrent and although I doubt this thing has real dairy yogurt in it (otherwise, it would go bad really fast), the idea does seem to play out well here. I had a zit on my jawline and it seemed to help it go down. At least it didn't irritate it ^_^
Overall Don't expect miracles but to me this was a remarkably effective product for the price. I'm sure there are more effective products out there in much more hygienic non-jar forms but for $5 this is a good buy. It feels good, smells great, works at least a bit, and you get a lot of bang for your buck. I don't necessarily think it's a must-have but I do recommend people try it if you're looking for a face pack or a dupe of Laneige's famous Strawberry Yogurt Pack ($22+ retail). Note: Laneige's may work a bit better but I'm not the sort to invest much in wash-off masks :P No matter how good a wash-off mask is, it's only on your face for 20 some minutes.
FYI the word 'pack' can be used interchangeably with 'wash-off mask' - these are usually in jars or tubes. Just the word 'mask' = sheet/gel masks. Of course there are exceptions to the rule but that's usually how it is. Nonetheless, Skinfood has made it their business to be confusing with their latest line of "masks" (most of which are actually scrubs), which should be named PACKS since they are wash-off masks and scrubs :\ These are the new Ginseng, Acai Berry, Olive, Honey Red Orange, Acorn and Chocolate masks for the curious (scroll down if you want to look at them here).
I actually first tried this mask in a swap I did with Elisa and I'm so glad that she sent me this one to try because I really liked it! I got another box of 10 because I liked it so much and it's absolutely perfect for summer.
Description: My Beauty Diary Cooling Mask is enriched with cooling ingredient to wake up fatigued skin and restore skin radiance by boosting metabolism. Marigold Extract is an ideal soothing treatment for skin damaged by UV rays. Skin is comforted and refreshed. Perfect blend of green tea extract and ginkgo extract works to leave skin watery and translucent, while Hyaluronic Acid and elder extract intensively pour moisture into skin.
Suitable for: For all skin types, particularly for fatigued skin or skin damaged by UV rays.
Experience: Scent was a little stronger than usual (not that strong though) and had the sharp edge of witch hazel and calendula (both are pretty pungent in their natural form). Even though this mask does have menthol and peppermint in it, it smells more like witch hazel and calendula. When I first put it on my face, it wasn't that cool but after 1-2 minutes it got suddenly much cooler. I haven't had such an extreme cooling effect since the Skinfood Vita-A Gel Mask (still one of my fav masks). It lasted for over 10 minutes and felt really, really good. When I removed the mask my face was brighter, smoother, and refreshed. It also made me feel more awake ^_^ I wouldn't say it was the most hydrating mask ever but my skin was still decently moisturized. I have no complaints and my face felt very plumper, smoother, and awake. Fyi calendula and witch hazel are great for acne-prone skin (though witch hazel can be a bit drying).
Overall Fit: Quite good, like all post-2010 MBD masks :) Perfect for me.
Scent: Witch hazel-calendula-ish with a hint of peppermint. Very fresh and clean smelling.
Mask texture: Silky, thin, and smooth.
Excess serum: A little nickel-sized scoop.
Claims:
Soothes skin <-- Yep. Especially if you have slight sunburn. Fyi, if you get a BAD sunburn (ei your skin is peeling) this might sting a bit - I don't know for sure but witch hazel can sting if your skin sometimes. In any case, for mild sunburns, blotchy skin, and skin irritations will be soothed beautifully.
Lowers skin temperature <-- YES. Works like a charm.
Softens skin <-- Face feels plumper.
Nourishes and moisturizes skin <-- It's not the most moisturizing mask ever but then this is a cooling mask not a moisturizing one necessarily. It's not drying and that's the important thing.
Overall Results: With summer right around the corner, this mask is going to be perfect. I really like this mask because it's so refreshing. The scent isn't absolutely amazing but it's tolerable and not bad at all. I highly recommend this mask especially with summer coming up and I've already repurchased a whole box so you know where I stand :)
ARGHHHH wtf blogger. It "unblogged" this review (I had it posted a few days ago), wiped all the comments, and I had to retype the whole review because it was re-saved as the draft I wrote a month ago. *&$*(@ Blogger has been such a pain lately with the buggy image uploader, posting limitation, and now "unblogging" of posts. Oh for chrissake. Not to mention, I was browsing and commenting on blogs for the last 2-3 days and I noticed NONE of my comments ever got posted - then I heard from blogger that comments from the last few days were being lost *sigh* So yeah, if my wording in this review is very short and impatient sounding it's because this is my 2nd time writing it -_-
Control oil and repair skin: Yogurt extracts deeply nourish skin and keeps skin watery and shine-free.
Tannins extracted from Witch Hazel, Birchwood and walnut soothes and moisturizes skin.
Hydrate skin: Hyaluronic acid extracted by biological technology prevents water loss and provides deep hydration.
Amazing Nanospheres Technology: Structured with plenty of tiny holes, it enhances absorption of nourishment, leaving skin moisturized.
Price: $2.00/for a pack of 2 masks = $1.00/each (cheapest price I've paid for 1 mask yet :D)!
It was kind of cool getting a mini-box of masks. It's a really nice way to try a mask out more than once yet without getting stuck with a box of 10 if you end up not liking the mask.
Packaging: MBD Natural Key line packaging isn't very ornate to begin with but this Yogurt mask was simple to the point of being...boring :\ Not hugely important but surely they could have embossed something more than just silver lines :P
Suitable for: Oily and acne skin / combination skin.
Directions: Put the mask on cleansed and toned face. Leave it for 20-30 minutes and peel off. If some serum is left, gently massage for better absorption. No rinsing is necessary. Followed by usual skin care products.
Overall
Left: MBD Yogurt mask Right: MBD Mixed Berry mask
Fit: VERY STRANGE. This mask had six slits, the eye holes were larger, and the nose hole was shorter. All the previous MBD masks I have tried have been like the one on the right, with two slits around the chin with large forehead space. This MBD Yogurt mask did not fit my face shape very well at all :(
I actually wondered if this mask was a fake but I bought it from Sasa which is pretty legit (right?) and the packaging seemed pretty good...it had none of the fake giveaways like printed expiration dates, crooked slits on the envelope etc.
It seems to be the real thing though... If anyone knows what's up with these MBD masks let me know.
Scent: Vanilla yogurt. Very delicious scent.
Left: MBD Yogurt mask Right: MBD Mixed Berry mask
Mask texture: This mask was exceptionally thick and cloth-y compared to previous MBD I've used. I did NOT like it because it refused to stick to my face very well. The flaps kept coming off :( I much prefer the thinner MBD masks.
Excess serum: A quarter-sized amount. Typical for the MBD Natural Key line.
Claims:
Control oil and repair skin: Yogurt extracts deeply nourish skin and keeps skin watery and shine-free. <-- I will never get used to the Asian love of describing nice skin as "watery" aka hydrated -__-
Tannins extracted from Witch Hazel, Birchwood and walnut soothes and moisturizes skin. <-- even though I experienced itching, in the end my face did look brighter and soothed. I don't feel like this was very moisturizing though. It wasn't drying per se but it was not as hydrating as other masks I've tried.
Hydrate skin: Hyaluronic acid extracted by biological technology prevents water loss and provides deep hydration. <-- Definitely no on the "deep hydration"
Amazing Nanospheres Technology: Structured with plenty of tiny holes, it enhances absorption of nourishment, leaving skin moisturized. <-- "nanospehere technology" aka paper that has tiny holes in it to hold the serum -_-;;
Experience: Loved the scent when I opened the packet - sweet vanilla yogurt. My face itched at first and there was no cooling effect. After 5 minutes the itching went away and once I removed mask my face felt extreamly "clean" and refreshed somehow. A con: the mask left about 1-2 inches of my forehead bare (big forehead heehe). After using the mask, the remaining essence was quickly absorbed into the skin with just a few seconds of massaging your face, and it’s not sticky at all. My face was startlingly brighter - almost to paleness and redness was way down and I experienced no irritation despite the initial itching. The first time I forgot to moisturize and my skin was a tad dry in the morning so it was not very hydrating. You definitely need to moistuize afterwards. Nonetheless, even though my face was a tad dry, redness was way down and my skintone was remarkably even. The effect is enough that I noticed it (which is saying something as use a lot of sheet masks). Only con is that it's a little drying and I get a mild itching the first 10-15 minutes I put it on.
Unfortunately, the second time I used the mask (I itched again), the next day I noticed that 2 pimples had popped up on my face. I am not sure if the mask caused the pimples or they were just under my skin already :P I guess this means that this mask doesn't "prevent" pimples though ^_^ My skin did look brighter, however, and my skin felt quite smooth.
Overall results: This mask smells faintly of sweet milk, nothing too intrusive. I liked the scent a lot. I hated the odd thickness of the mask though. Even though it was well absorbed with essence (so none of that gooey essence dripping down your neck) it did not fit my face well. I used this mask consecutively for 2 nights, and each morning I woke up to fresh skin, no oil slick in my T-zone; dry peeps will definitely need to moisturize though. Blemishes and blotchiness are also reduced. The reason I will NOT re-purchase, despite the good results, is that I got two pimples on the 3rd day and the fit of the mask. Given I am not sure if the pimples were already "ready to come up" and if this box of masks was a fluke in terms of shape, but those two things ruined the overall experience for me. Yogurt is supposed to be good for people with acne-prone skin but I think you would be safer using "real" yogurt, not this mask. I can't really recommend this mask overall :( There are definitely better masks out there.
I was poking around Sasa for something interesting to try and this caught my eye, primarily because they're selling this brand at Forever21 now of all places O_O Given, F21 is owned by Koreans, but I was still surprised to see them selling Skinlite and Cosline (if I remember correctly) sheet masks! I tweeted about this a few days ago and I guess it was only a matter of time since 1.) sheet masks will definitely be making waves in America within the next five years and 2.) F21 is trying to expand into a makeup/skincare (surprise, surprise). The marketing of their makeup and skincare leaves much to be desired (they have everything jumbled in a big bin -_-) and if they just displayed it better I bet more people would buy it. The way they have it now makes sheet masks look so....cheap. But on the upside, they weren't expensive either :D! Though I wouldn't say they were cheap. I think they were $1.50/each (F21 actually has better prices than Sasa). Anyway, I thought I'd pop this review up and let you guys know about this intriguing sheet mask development. Speaking of, if anyone sees these masks at F21 - try the COSLINE brand (I'll review their Strawberry Pack soon) because dude, they are so cheap but sell some damn fine~ products :D
Skinlite Green Tea Essence Mask is useful for lifting and ultra-hydrating results. Enriched with Vitamin E, Phyto Collagen & Green Tea Extract helps lift and hydrate in 15-20 minutes.
* Skin recovery sheet type essence mask. * 23ml/sheet * Green Tea Extract helps to keep skin much moisturized. * Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate prevents skin trouble and making skin healthy. * Vitamin E & Collagen : increasing skin elasticity & brightening. - Official site description.
Suitable for: All skin types.
Experience: The mask comes all folded up like the Silk Whitia masks. It smelled rather strongly of fresh cut herbs (basil?) rather than the gentle, mild scent of green tea that I was expecting. It was nicely drenched with about a quarter sized amount left over for your neck etc. I thought I'd love the many slits (aka more adjustable) but there were so many slits that the mask was floppy and annoying to place on my face. The thick cloth texture did not stick to my face around the edges very well either. So far, not great. My face starting itching a bit, which made me nervous but I left the mask on 20-30 minutes anyway. The itching went away after 10-15 minutes and after I took off the mask there was no redness so I'm not sure where the itching came from. Although the mask experience itself wasn't all that great, my face did look plumper, brighter, and was more hydrated - so I guess it did a good job. I also noticed a pimple I had on my forehead healed the next day. I'm not sure if the mask had anything to do with it healing quickly, but obviously the mask didn't hurt.
Overall
You have to click to see the # of slits. There's 8 slits around and slits between the eyes and at the corner of the lips.
Fit: Sadly, not so good. Even though it had a ton of little slits to adjust, the mask was too thick and did not stick to my face well. After a few minutes, all the flaps were pretty much flopping around :\ I think they tried to make this super-adjustable but the inability of the mask to stick your face really well kind of killed it. Also the mask itself just did not fit my general face shape well. The nose placement was odd and barely covered my nose and I dunno, it was just not a fun experience putting it on. People who like the shape of the MBD or FaceQ masks will not like this mask.
Scent: Clean, sharp scent of basil or fresh cut herbs more than green tea imho. It smells very natural and organic but it's rather strong. People that are sensitive to strong scents may not like it although the fragrance itself is not bad.
Mask texture: Quite thick (see pic) and did not stick to my face well. It's a cloth mask, as opposed to a paper/pulp mask, so it did have a bit of a fabric feel to it, which was nice. However, overall I did not like this mask texture because it was just so damn thick so the flaps (around the slits) started flopping as the mask dried :P This is a problem I've never had with other paper masks (MBD, Silk Whitia, FaceQ) so I wasn't too happy about that.
Excess serum: Mask was very wet and there was about a small quarter-sized amount of excess serum.
Claims: Lift, hydrate, increase skin elasticity, brightening. Not sure about "lifting" or skin elasticity, but indeed my face felt more hydrated and looked brighter.
Results: Pretty good regardless of the faint itching and terrible mask fit.
Overall I don't really recommend this mask because:
Pros: - Lots of slits and thus very adjustable. - Clean, organic scent. - Face did look brighter and was more hydrated.
Cons: - Mask did not stick to face well. - Strong basil scent. - Faint itching sensation. - Expensive. Even the MBD Blooming of Beauty masks are only ~$1.52/mask.
One thing that popped out at me was the remarkably good English on the packaging albeit with a few odd capitalizations and dropped prepositions. I was so curious about this phenomenon (because let's face it, grammatically correct English on any Asian beauty products pretty much is a phenomenon), that I did a bit of research: Skinlite is owned by Adwin Korea Corp (Est 1999), who also owns Purederm, Carederm, Aqualette, and Prreti (minus a point for the suspicious and slightly nonsensical spelling of what I think is 'pretty' :P). These are new brands to me so I am quite interested in trying them out someday. I can tell they are weak on packaging style (probably why they aren't so popular) and they seem to be going for a more scientific skincare angle, so who knows what gems they may have ;)?
Although I don't recommend this particular mask, if anyone knows more about other Skinlite products, let me know :D
I've been using this every night for a little over a month now. I got this because while I'm not 'terrified' of wrinkles, I feel like I'd rather be safe than sorry. Plus I was curious about the idea of 'sleeping masks', which was why I picked this up. The Laniege Sleeping Pack EX is a more popular (and expensive) sleeping mask that tends to go for $20+ online; this was my alternative and I'm quite pleased I tried this overall ^_^
Cost: $14.70 @ Sasa. Quite a reasonable price considering it retails for 14000won (~$12.50 USD) in Korea according to Cosmeddicted :)
Description:
Skin Food Fermented Soy Milk Wrinkle Care Sleeping Mask is an anti-wrinkle sleeping mask that contains adenosine and soy milk ferment extract. It forms a protective layer onto skin and provides continuous moisturization overnight, making skin smooth, resilient, and moist by morning. - From Sasa
Leave on facial mask steeps skin in potent anti-wrinkle ingredients, soothing and healing skin while you sleep, to deliver a fresh and youthful complexion, with improved resilience and texture, in the morning. Recommended for aging and wrinkle-prone skin types. Gently massage sleeping pack on skin as the last step of your nighttime skin routine. - From YesStyle
Directions: After emulsion or essence, apply desired amount evenly onto face and gently massage to absorb.
Packaging: Love the hygienic pump! No real complaints, everything is sturdy and pumps smoothly. Honestly, this is definitely one of the best pumps on a beauty product I've tried - it never catches, splatters or leaks ^_^! The cap fits tightly too so this is quite portable. If I had to be super nitpicky though, I'd say that one full pump gives enough for almost two uses so you need to do half a pump if you don't want to use it up too fast. Overall, the packaging is simple yet excellent.
Top: one pump
Bottom: totally absorbed (~15-30s)
Texture: A lovely, milky white watery gel. It soaks in pretty fast but if you put on too much you'll have a slightly oily looking sheen in the morning. No biggie though, this is a sleeping MASK, not a lotion anyway. Super light and I'm quite fond of the gel texture, which is a refreshing change from how gels are usually drying/not moisturizing.
Scent: I wouldn't say it smells like soy milk (the best soy milk product: Silk Whitia Soy Milk mask = LOVE), but it's a fine scent nonetheless. It has a vaguely artificial, fresh, clean scent. I can't quite put my finger on it but it's inoffensive and mild.
Experience: Really nice. I put this on as a last step at night. I usually use about 3/4 of a pump and liberally massage it into my face and neck. It feels a little "wet" when you put it on at first but it soaks in quickly and feels refreshing. Like my face is "drinking" it in :D I don't believe this leaves a residue even though when I wake up in the morning sometimes I'll have a little sheen of oil? on my forehead. I think it's just a sign of hydration ^^ and in any case, it's easily remedied with a swipe of toner or a splash of water. I have never experienced any irritation or breakouts.
Results: I find this to be a very hydrating (but not overly so) mask. As far as I'm concerned, sleeping mask is basically a synonym for lotion/moisturizer, but whatever the name, the results are good. I am a very oily skinned person and strictly in the "It's Impossible to Over-Moisturize" Camp. I find that generously moisturizing at night actually keeps my face fairly oil-free during the day. This neatly ties into the fact that oil secretion increases when your skin is too dry. Thus oily people should actually moisturize more. This philosophy works for me quite well and I have seen a remarkable decrease in oiliness after incorporating sheet masks and a reliable moisturizer into my skincare routine. I would say that this sleeping mask helps too. My skin is always nice and plump in the morning and the fact that it has anti-wrinkle prevention in the ingredients is just a bonus.
Overall I find that this works well for me and will probably re-purchase it in the future. I like the light gel-like texture, the quick absorption, and low maintenance quality of not having to wash it off. It's simply a very convenient boost of hydration + wrinkle care in one. The hygienic pump and fair price seals the deal for me. One caveat: I admit I have no idea if this is actually preventing wrinkles. I suppose it's one of those things where only the absence of something proves your point ^^ For now I am content to just believe I am preventing future wrinkles while hydrating my skin :}
I recommend that everybody try this. Also it seems fairly gentle so even sensitive skinned peeps can use it. For people on the fence about whether chicks in their 20s should use anti-aging products, this mask is a good compromise by rolling a gentle anti-wrinkle and moisturization all-in-one for a good price. It's not an intensive anti-wrinkle cream by any means but still provides a small measure of prevention :)
Fyi SkinFood has a Fermented Pomegranate version of this mask (review from Cosmeddicted). However, the Pomegranate version is a whitening mask, not a wrinkle care one. Also Cosmeddicted says the mask doesn't actually whiten though and we all know how I feel about beauty products that don't do what is promises ;)
Whee~ here's the last Blooming of Beauty mask I've tried. It's probably my second favorite of the three, but in terms of uniqueness...it's my #1 :) And to respond to Joyce, yessss I got the maximum of 7 Zoya polishes (aka I got 14) from the Zoya BOGO promo! I spent so much I even qualified for free shipping -_- but ultimately, 14 polishes for $56 = $4/polish w00t! I plead temporary insanity but lord knows I AM EXCITED. I've heard a lot of complaints about the Sunshine collection's formula but I don't care, I love sparkles so I think I got all the colors except for Rica ^_^v Overall, though I would say I've seen better collections - all three Zoya collections for Spring were so...dupable in some ways. I dunno. For people who missed out, no worries. Zoya does a lot of excellent promos, some are BOGO free on the entire website so this promo, in the big picture, was not actually all that great. Lastly, I've been wrapped up in a lot of stuff lately, hence the ever-so-slow updates and lack of blog-hopping/commenting :(
Experience: I was so excited about this whole "ice cream in a mask" idea. When I opened the packet I got a whiff of a very sweet rose...if that makes any sense. It was a pretty mild scent so even as a not-crazy-about-rose-scented-things person, I liked it. Whilst I had on this mask, the experience was quite nice. Nice fragrance, mask stuck on well, no irritation. Afterward my face looked brighter and more radiant. My face felt moisturized and all in all, it was a good spa-like experience. Downside, I expected some kind of massive cooling effect (ice cream anyone?) and this mask was just cool when I initially put it on and that's it :\ In other words, it was only cool on my face for 5-10 minutes because ....it's just wet. Given, redness did go down but regardless, I was looking for a cooling effect a la Skin Food Vita-A Gel mask. Speaking of, I have yet to encounter a face mask as wonderfully cooling as those SF gel masks (they're a close contender for my #1 mask of all time actually ^_~).
Overall Fit: Cut and size are identical to the MBD Natural Key line masks. 2 slits around the chin and as I've said 100x before, MBD masks happen to fit me perfectly so the fit was excellent.
Scent: A sugary sweet rose. There's really no other way to describe it. Very mild and pleasant; tolerable to even those not nuts about rose scented things :)
Mask texture: Smooth, silky, very absorbent, a hair thinner than the regular MBD Natural Key line.
Excess serum: Mask itself is well drenched but there is only about dime sized amount of excess serum for your neck.
Claims: Brightening, moisturizing, improve skin radiance. I would say this mask does all these things. It mostly temporarily brightens and improves radiance. This mask is moisturizing, yes but it's not SO moisturizing I'd recommend this for dry skinned peeps. As an oily skinned person though, this was just enough hydration. In any case, if you're looking for moisturization in the Blooming of Beauty line, apparently the Sunflower mask is the way to go. Overall, I'd say this mask does what it claims to do.
Overall Results: Quite good, it does everything it promises and the experience of using it is always nice. I have no significant complaints about it other than I wish it had an more tangible cooling effect to play into the ice cream theme. That's just a nitpick though. However, even though this mask is a good 8/10 at least, I probably would not repurchase this. I say this because personally I have enjoyed other masks more and the price tag is too much for results I can get from (ever so slightly) cheaper masks. I literally use sheet masks at least every other day (minimum 3-4x a week) because they have made a huge difference for me. I know this sounds like a nutty investment to others but it's what works for me. Hence I need quite a large hoard of sheet masks to get me through the months and those few cents add up for me fast. While the results of this mask were nice, I just happen to like other masks more (which I will discuss in my Uber-Ranking of Sheet Masks post... which I will finish soon, God willing). This mask didn't blow me away by any means but I don't regret buying a box to try at all :)
Overall, I do recommend people try this mask for themselves. It's a fun, sweetly scented, gentle, effective mask. Price isn't too bad at all either, very reasonable on BonjourHK. Don't expect miracles, but it does the job~
Part of the limited collection in celebration of the Taipei International Floral Expo, the Japanese Hydrangea mask soothes and comforts skin while providing remarkable oil control to keep skin matte and shine-free.
Suitable for: Best for combination and oily skin types.
Experience: First impression when I opened the packet - not good >_> I got a strong wave of something that reminded of black tea, a scent I'm not nuts about. The mask texture and fit was good, as all the My Beauty Diary masks are. Unfortunately, as many of you know, one thing I always look for in a mask is that "cooling factor." This is important to me as "cooling" masks are vital to reducing redness and puffiness on my face, something I'm very prone too. In general, all sheet masks have at least a little bit of a cooling effect simply because you're putting something wet on your face. However, some masks have an extra cooling sensation and I don't think it's just in my head because certain masks feel exceptionally cool on my face (w/o refrigeration) and redness goes way down. Sadly, this mask is not one of those. Initially, it was cool but I don't know if my face was reacting to one of the ingredients or what, but my face started getting rather warm after 10-15 minutes. It didn't break me out or anything, but redness did not go down at all. Usually face masks at least temporarily take the redness on my face down at least 90% but this one....my face just looked the same :\ I've tried this mask 3x so far on 3 consecutive days and I haven't been impressed by either the immediate or (slightly) long term results in terms of oil control.
Overall Fit: As all MBD masks, the mask fits me well and has 2 slits around the chin.
Scent: I admit that I don't know what Japanese Hydrangeas actually smell like :P but this mask smells - to me - of black tea. Really strongly. I don't like the smell and this is one of the reasons behind why I wouldn't repurchase this mask.
Texture: Mask texture is nice, smooth and almost silky. Quite nice.
Excess serum: Mask is well-soaked but there is minimal excess serum in the packet for your neck etc. You can usually squeeze out a tiny handful, just enough for your neck but that's it.
Claims: Oil control, soothing. I personally have not noticed much oil control improvement. I used this mask three days in a row and there was no "oil reduction" on those three days or afterwards. So...yeah. As for soothing, not particularly. It didn't irritate my skin per se but I didn't see any redness reduction at all :\
Overall Results: I'm a little surprised how ineffective this mask was on me since the MBD French White Lily and Damask Rose (coming up next!) masks were wonderful. Besides the fit and texture of the mask itself, there is nothing I really like about this mask. It didn't soothe my face nor did I see any oil reduction. And one thing I particularly despise when it comes to beauty products is when something doesn't do what it promises. I don't expect something to fix every problem on my face but if a mask promises oil control, I should see some oil control. Everybody's skin is different so it may just be me so don't let this review prevent you from trying it out if you like, but don't expect great things. On the upside, the packaging is just lovely isn't it ^0^? I have to say I just adore the Blooming of Beauty packaging, it's so floral, feminine, yet not overdone. Overall, I did not like the smell and this mask didn't do what it promised, so I would not repurchase or personally recommend it.
I'm slowly slogging through my face mask reviews but I have a lot on my mind these days so I just felt doing something more *lighthearted* :)
Speaking of face masks, I made a mistake on my MBD Blooming of Beauty Overview post, so I've updated that. Basically, there are actually 9 masks in the series, not 6 >_> The three masks I forgot to list are awfully expensive online because they're "rarer" for some reason - ugh... So I doubt I'll get to ever try them but I did want to let you guys know the proper information. MBD has also just released ANOTHER (arghhhh!!) mask series called Tea Time this month, which Elisa posted about. They sound effing delicious and now I want to try those too -_- However, I'm on a strict mask ban for the next 2-3 months though while I use the ones I have. Also if I keep buying more sheet masks I'll never finish my sheet mask compilation video -_-
Nonetheless, I did find some places that are selling these rare MBD masks. They're awfully expensive but these are literally the only 2 places that ship to the US that I've found so far. So yeah...for people who can't resist:
Buying in Taiwan Ebay Store: Selling the three Blooming of Beauty masks that aren't on BonjourHK website for $13/box. Despite the fact this is literally 2x more expensive than what BonjourHK sells the Blooming of Beuty masks for ($7.60/box), this is the cheapest place I've found that ships to the US where you can try the Moroccan Rose, Pink Rockrose, and Mediterranean Orange Blossom masks.
Zizizaza Ebay Store: Selling not just the Tea Time series ($17.25) but also the adorable MBD Hello Kitty Honey Milk and Strawberry Milk masks ($17.25). The HK masks are 10/box so that's not as bad as the Tea Time series, which come 5/box.
Get a piece of paper and write the answers to the following questions:
1. What's your name/your blogger name? 2. What's your blog's name/URL? 3. Write "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." 4. Favorite quote? 5. Your Favorite song?
6. Your favorite band/singers? 7. Anything else you want to say? 8. Tag three to five other people.
Usually I write in a crash of cursive and print that is barely legible. This is my neat, tidy, "I'm gonna fool people into thinking I have nice handwriting" handwriting ;)
And some new bloggers I've started following :D Faye Lu of Faye Lu Review Yelena Kim of Korea Through My Eyes <-- a Korean Russian living in Korea, among the few expat blogs I like reading Choiii of Hooligan Choi Magdalena of I Like Makeup Lena of Mad, Bad, & Dangerous to Know <-- I've been following her for awhile so she's not a "new" blogger to me ^^ aki! of 7% Solution And last but not least, one girl I keep forgetting to tag (I swear it's because we're both "Elle")...Elle of Bitter & Sweet.
Also I did a video tag over the weekend!
Here are the 15 Questions: 1. What do you think you can do but can't? 2. What's a difficult word for you to pronounce? 3. What is a favorite TV show from your childhood? 4. What are your virtues and vices? 5. What's more important: love, fame, power, or money? 6. If you could live in any era/time period, when would it be and why? 7. If you had to redo your entire wardrobe with 2 stores, what would they be and why? 8. Can you recall what you were doing a year ago on this day? 9. Do you have reoccurring dreams? If so, explain? 10. What's your horoscope? 11. What does your dream bedroom look like? 12. What position do you sleep in? 13. Who is your favorite vampire of all time? 14. What are you currently wearing on your feet? 15. Do you have neat handwriting? Show us!
I don't have the energy to tag more people but anyone willing to do this tag (especially via video!) be my guest :D yuuuup also Elisa tagged me for a pretty cool Childhood Pictures tag, which I'm looking forward to doing. I love digging up old pictures but I am the epitome of someone who went through an ugly duckling phase so hmm...retinal scarring anyone ;)? Now onto the second half of this post...
...I wanted to post some intriguing movie trailers that have caught my eyes in the past few weeks. I'm one of those lazy bums who'd rather read recaps than watch a movie in a theater ^^ but I do love watching trailers. Does that even qualify as a hobby xD?
Award-winning director Joe Wright creates a boldly original suspense thriller with HANNA, starring Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones, Atonement) in the title role. Raised by her father (Eric Bana of Star Trek), an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Finland, Hanna's upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one; sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe while eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own (Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett). As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity.
Hanna - I love movies about emo-bad-ass-chicks! The fact that this girl a young 'un with a traumatic past sounds somewhat stereotypical but the trailer reminds me a lot of the Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, which is good in my book. That girl's cute as a button too, killer instinct and all. I can totally see her being the next big Hollywood starlet, she has the intense look about her~ I have a feeling she's going to find out her target (Cate Blanchett) is her mom or something and there is some genetic "defect" that gives her amazing speed/intelligence, something like that. Anyway, Eric Bana is smoking up the screen too *sigh* he's so fine ^^ so this is a movie I'm considering actually seeing on movie screen instead of reading the synopsis ehehe~
WHEN HARRY TRIES TO MARRY is a cross-cultural romantic comedy about a young Indian-born bachelor who lives in New York City. Harry's handsome and charming, but he's cynical about love. He's never really gotten over his parents' divorce -- they were a modern Indian couple who married for love and it didn't last. So to improve his odds of living "happily ever after," Harry decides to have an arranged marriage, and asks his uncle back home in India to assist him in arranging the introduction to an appropriate Indian woman. To the dismay of his parents and friends, Harry finds the perfect girl and embarks on a long-distance courtship. But unexpectedly, Harry's friendship with Theresa, a fun and sexy American student, becomes confusing, appealing -- and maybe a little bit romantic. Once Harry, his friends and the entire wedding party converge in India, Harry's plan to avoid romantic risk becomes a recipe for chaos. Can anyone protect themselves from a broken heart by leaving the passion out of marriage? And, when all is said and done, does Harry really want to?
When Harry Tries to Marry - The title reminds of "When Harry Met Sally" (I thought it was a sequel at first). In any case, the recent influx of Bollywood trailers on Apple is very intriguing! This movie caught my eye because it has a k-drama flair with that unmistakable Bollywood signature to it. Don't get me wrong - it's pretty obvious this won't be winning any Oscars xD but come on, who doesn't love BANGHRA ^^!? This trailer really drives home the reason why the Hallyu Wave reportedly even reached India - I see a lot of "East Asian" sensibilities in this trailer that I think K-poppers can relate to. What I particularly like about this trailer/storyline is that it has that uniquely Indian twist of arranged marriages. We don't get that set-up in K-flicks/dramas (at least not quite so bluntly though Koreans do have a love of "dating contract" sort of things :P). Also the premise of the dude "going traditional" in a modern world instead of "breaking free from tradition" is rather fresh if you think about it. This approach is very relevant to not just Indians of this generation, but also all Asians. Personally, I see so many second generation Asians "looking for their culture" after years of happily being a "Twinkie." I also like how this movie shows modern Indian culture as it exists today (aka the parents are divorced, they live in America, they're happily integrated in American society) and come on, the scenes in India look gorgeous.
Plus that dude (Rahul Rai) is kinda cute ;) He doesn't seem to be a "good" actor per se (I say this as someone who judged only from the trailer) but there is something quite quirky and charming about him. Bollywood is still rough around the edges when it comes to producing slick, mass-audience films that Hollywood has down to a fine art, but I already know Bollywood is going to invading Hollywood in the next decade or so and this promises to be a taste of how they might do modern rom-coms. Let's face it, we all know how the movie is going to end and the acting already looks a little awkward but it looks like an entertaining chick flick to me :D!
Inspired by the bestselling novel SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN by Lisa See, the film is a timeless portrait of female friendship. In 19th-century China, seven-year-old girls Snow Flower and Lily are matched as laotong - or "old sames" - bound together for eternity. Isolated by their families, they furtively communicate by taking turns writing in a secret language, nu shu, between the folds of a white silk fan. In a parallel story in present day Shanghai, the laotong's descendants, Nina and Sophia, struggle to maintain the intimacy of their own childhood friendship in the face of demanding careers, complicated love lives, and a relentlessly evolving Shanghai. Drawing on the lessons of the past, the two modern women must understand the story of their ancestral connection, hidden from them in the folds of the antique white silk fan, or risk losing one another forever. What unfolds are two stories, generations apart, but everlasting in their universal notion of love, hope and friendship.
Snow Flower & the Secret Fan - I read the book a couple years ago and I remember thinking of it as a quieter, rawer version of The Joy Luck Club, but I re-read the book again recently and it has a complexity to it I don't remember the first time around. I definitely recommend the book, especially for people who've enjoyed "The Joy Luck Club" and "Memoirs of a Geisha." Coincidentally, the director of this movie also directed "The Joy Luck Club" film version. Interestingly, I get a distinct "Memoirs of a Geisha" film vibe from this movie instead, it has that shiny, expensive look to it. I'm not sure how I feel about that but I will say I am very excited to see how the book plays out as a film.
Even more interestingly, Jun Ji Hyun (Gianna Jun, she of "My Sassy Girl" fame), will be playing the role of Lily, a very tragic figure in the book. JJH is one of the few A-list K-actresses who actually seems serious about making it in Hollywood. Her first Hollywood attempt was not good; Blood: The Last Vampire bombed and was critically derided. Oddly enough, her acting was praised and she came out of the mess pretty much unscathed since most of the blame was laid on the director. In any case, "Snow Flower" promises to be a much better vehicle for her - it has that Asian exotica that America is so fond of and she's in the hands of a much better director. I'm curious to see how she'll do speaking both English and Chinese though, she doesn't speak either if I'm not mistaken. "Lily" is a pretty dynamic character so if she does well in this film I can totally see her breaking into Hollywood. As for first impressions, I am pleased to see that she is looking very raw and "into the role." She certainly hasn't lost her round cheeks and while they make her seem a tad chubby, she looks very charming and somehow suited to the role of the emotional, stubborn Lily.
Li BingBing plays Snow Flower and she looks gorgeous! So polished and sophisticated, a great contrast to fierce Lily, who was born poor. Again, I am curious to see how her character plays out on screen. There are so many intense, tragic scenes in the book that would test even seasoned actresses - but I have very high hopes! Maybe we're looking at two new Hollywood stars ^_^ Hugh Jackman is in this movie too so I am seeing at least a decent audience draw :) Fingers crossed!
A special collection in celebration of the Taipei International Flora Expo, this limited-edition face mask harnesses the skin soothing and whitening qualities of the lily for a noticeably radiant and fairer complexion.
Welcome to my new My Beauty Diary source! It's significantly cheaper than Sasa and carries more products. They even have some Holika Holika items :)!! If you want to try HH items, their Bulgarian Rose line is their newest release. I personally find their Strawberry line the most tempting though ^_^ I'm toying around with purchasing some HH items. There seems to be a dearth of HH reviews and I'd like to be one of the first to get on that (eheh that's what she said ;) sorry I can never resist a naughty joke ^^). Anyway, if anyone wants me to reviews some more Holika Holika (some HH reviews I did before), let me know so I can include one or two in my next batch.
Their shipping was quite fast all things considered. It took ~2-3 weeks and everything came neatly bundled. The downside is that their minimum for free shipping is $99 USD and otherwise has $10 S&H no matter how little you buy. Keep in mind everything is not cheaper across the board - just generally. You still need to do some price comparisons and they have no re-stock product alerts (GAHHH), which is really annoying. Also their website navigation is uber clunky, they have no product descriptions (a real hassle when trying to pick new products to try -_-), and you are strictly limited to 2 of each item :P I would say overall, BonjourHK has a slightly wider brand selection and good prices but terrible site design, which really does ruin the overall experience. Nonetheless, I recommend you check out this site out! Their Laniege items are the cheapest I've seen so far and they have a couple Korean brands unavailable elsewhere.
Price: $7.60/5 pieces = $1.52/each + S&H. So yes, these are more expensive than the Natural Key line, which run about .20 less per mask.
Description: Whitening, soothing.
Suitable for: All skin types.
Experience: Lovely scent when I open the packet. I get the cooling sensation that I love with sheet masks (probably b/c of the serum not because white lily is cooling or anything xD). The experience is very nice and what I especially like about this mask is that it does exactly what it promises and does it well. As soon as I take off a mask my face soothed, brightened, and (temporarily at least) whitened (since the redness is down). And just to clarify, by "whitened" I mean "even skintone." My face definitely looks more luminous and it's nice to get such a good result from what seems to be gentle mask.
Overall Fit: The BoB masks I have are the same shape as the MBD Natural Key line masks. It has 2 slits around the chin and while there has been confusion over the number of slits (if anyone knows why let me know), the mask fits well on me. Rinny has said the MBD masks she's tried has 4 slits and I do know that MBD has been changing the mask cut so don't assume your mask is fake or something if it has 2 or 4 slits.
Scent: A very delicate, light lily scent. I'm not crazy about floral scents but it's such a mild, delicate scent I don't mind it at all. It has a very clean undertone.
Mask texture: Soft and silky. It's a hair thinner than the MBD Natural Key line, much like FaceQ masks actually. But these BoB masks seem more absorbent than the FaceQ masks somehow. Anyway, it's nice and sticks to your face well.
Excess serum: *sigh* I know I'm unique in my preference but I like my masks with a lot of excess serum (aka drenched) a la Silk Whitia masks. In that sense, the BoB series has even less extra serum than the MBD Natural Key line. This is keeping in mind that overall, MBD has the least excess serum compared to Silk Whitia and FaceQ. BUT on the upside, all MBD masks are still very wet so don't worry about that :) the BoB series is no exception, it has plenty on the serum on the mask itself and since the masks holds the serum well, all the serum ends up on your face :) As I've said many times before, it's a personal preference thing.
Claims: Like I said, this mask does everything it promises well. Very soothing and gentle. Redness goes way down, no irritation, and the very light floral scent is just...so soothing xD I don't know about long-term whitening but it definitely temporarily whitens/evens my skintone. My skin feel very smooth, plumped, and refreshed afterwards.
Overall Results: I really like this mask. I'm going to say right out that it's one of my favorites and in my top 5 sheet masks overall. Not bad considering I've tried over 15 different sheet masks so far (I know I am insaneee ><). I am surprisingly fond of the French White Lily mask scent; floral usually comes across as heavy and musty to me but this has a very pleasing, clean scent. Overall, I highly recommend this mask. Of the three Blooming of Beauty series masks I've tried this is my favorite.
Hello peeps~ before I start review the MBD Blooming Beauty sheet masks I thought I would do an overview of the latest series the ever-popular Taiwanese brand, My Beauty Diary released in 2010: the Blooming of Beautyseries. This is a Limited Edition series and consequently, there are packaging differences and apparently there were changes in the mask material and formula too. The BoB has 9 varieties (all are shown above).
From Make Me Blushhh. Check out Mona's post because it's pretty helpful.
# 1- 17 : My Beauty Diary Natural Key Line: the regular line that currently has 17 scents.
I think they've added more since though. I don't see the Cherry Chocolate, Bird's Nest, or Southern Apricot masks, for example.
#18 -20 : My Beauty Diary Luxury Line: the premium line that currently has 3 scents.
The Blooming of Beauty line is separate from the more known line aka the Natural Key line. Hence they differ in packaging, formula, and price. Per mask, the BoB series masks are slightly more expensive by a few cents (~.10-20 cents depending where you get yours).
Packaging Changes The Blooming of Beauty series comes in boxes of 5 each whereas the regular MBD masks come in boxes of 10 each. Both mask types also come with identical shiny plastic slips. The packaging designs for BoB is quite classy (as you can see above), flower-y, and quite pretty. I adore the new individual mask packets (scroll to bottom). They are so pretty compared to the Natural Key's boring rectangles.
Everything from the ruffled top and narrower design just seems a lot more luxe - although, since they're more expensive, they should be.
Mask Material Changes The BoB masks are slightly thinner than the regular line. Supposedly, this helps with absorption but either way, both kinds of masks are fine. Also the shape of the masks have stayed the same, both have just two slits around the chin.
The MBD mask shown here is from the original/regular line, NOT the BoB series.
Speaking of, one thing I don't understand is why the packaging picture on all the MBD masks show a mask with 4 slits:
...when the actual masks themselves only have 2 slits. I'm pretty sure the masks I get are legit (the date stamps are embedded, cuts align, I buy from Sasa etc) but it confuses me why they'd advertise it like that. I heard from Winnie that MBD recently added more slits to their masks but :\ but I dunno, I must have tried over 10+ varieties of MBD all from Sasa/legitimate sellers and they've all been the same 2-slitted version, even these very new BoB series.
Formula Changes I've heard that there have been some formula changes and personally, I find the Blooming of Beauty series more effective overall than the Natural Key line ^_^ I may be slightly biased by the gorgeous packaging but the White Lily mask really just clicked with my skin :D But I'll get into that later during individual reviews. Overall, the formula's texture and appearance are similar to the original masks - both serums are clear, light, dry without residue, and on the whole quite effective.
These are the masks I've tried so far :) I'll refrain from reviewing these individual masks in this post but the Lily and Damask Rose masks were lovely! I was so excited about the Damask Rose especially because come on - Coldstone Ice Cream!! In actuality, the mask smells like a very sweet rose ^^ As for the Hydrangea mask, I wasn't crazy about it. I've never actually smelled a hydrangea >< but it smelled strongly of black tea to me - REALLY strongly. Hence why I wasn't crazy about it. Anyway, I'll be reviewing the Blooming of Beauty masks I have during the next few days along with a nice bunch of Cosline and VOV masks. I'm so glad my Sasa package finally came in that I will probably flooding you guys with sheet mask reviews xD don't say I didn't warn you ;)
Also I am sure everyone has heard about the traumas Japan has been facing in the past several days so I wanted include a list of links where people can donate. These are all reputable places where you can be sure your money is going where it needs to go. Here is a small list of US/English language places you can donate:
In particular, you guys all know Habitat for Humanity International is very close to my heart and they too are collecting donations here. Everything donated to Habitat through that page goes to Japan Relief.
ManWomanFilms (above) also has a massive list of donation links in her YT info box so poke around there too.
