Happy National Day!

I hope everyone had a great day off and spent some great time with family and friends.

In my case I would say it could have been a whole lot more productive. had a mind to get stuff settled and ironed out but when the day came, I spent a good part of it slacking and enjoyed doing... nothing! Well, as they say, "time you enjoy wasting isn't wasted".

But back to this!

I haven't done a Masking Up entry in ages and I know it is not something that interests many but I still document my masking experiences as much as I can, hoping it may help someone out there! It also works as a little reference library for myself to check back on.

This time around, I wanted to try out these Nature Girl Face Masks I had sitting around for awhile.

I received these from Arglyduckling.com and to my knowledge they would be the easiest way (locally) to get your hands on select Nature Girl products such as lotions, shampoos and these masks!

I don't want to run too indepth in a Masking Up entry mention but Nature Girl is known for being au natural with their product ingredients and au natural aside, their greens are free of pesticide, fertilisers and all other forms of chemical additives.

So with Nature Girl you are getting some true "Organic Flower Power' – as they call it.

The price-range for Nature Girl sits in the higher range but as we know, organic stuff don't come cheap and it's calming to know (especially for sensitive skin folks) that everything within is natural.

❧

Of the two, I decided to go with I Am Plant, an exfoliating mask targeted for Normal to Dry skin. My skin has been feeling a little more 'sapped-out' of late but its not to say that Oily skin peeps can't reach for this either.

Description:
A nutrient-rich, exfoliating face mask for normal to dry skin made with oat kernel, organic aloe vera juice, apricot kernel oil, sesame seed oil, organic ginseng extract, organic wheat germ oil and organic rose water to hydrate, protect and regenerate the skin.
(from Arglyduckling)

(screencap from Arglyduckling)

Okay, I'll admit the Rose Water did it in for me...

The mask dispensed like a normal cream but hidden within this thick cream are exfoliating particles that don't feel abrasive on but gives your skin a good scrub.

This amount was enough for my entire face though you could use more for a liberal coat.

The instructions say to massage this on the skin for 30 seconds and leave it on for 10-15 minutes after.

I am no ingredient expert but while massaging this on to my skin, the mask actually felt warming on. I haven't encountered something like this purely from flower and other oils but it was a pleasant and soothing feeling, like the usual warming masks except paired with an aromatic oil scent for a very spa-like effect.

I left this on for 10-15 minutes and rinsed it off with tap water though instructions recommend warm water (which I believe will help with the whole relaxation aspect).

Here are some post-mask findings and remarks:

• The mask rinsed off easily without leaving any film on

• Exfoliating masks typically strip the skin but strange enough, after rinsing this off, my skin felt very nourished. This is probably due to the various natural oils included within the mask
• While there are natural oils, it doesn't feel clogging or 'heavy' on the skin such that it would be uncomfortable

• The skin felt smoother after thanks to the scrub
• Complexion seemed relatively brightened though I'm guessing it's one of those post-mask things.
• The scent was extremely calming and lingers on the skin

I think this would be great mask to use at night after a long and tiring day. It's perfect to scrub away the fatigue yet also calm yourself and your skin before bedtime.

Priced at S$62 for 120ml on Arglyduckling.com it may seem pricey for a small little bottle but it's a nice indulgence if you want something for a nourishing, exfoliating and calming masking session.

Thanks for reading and after using this I feel I'm all ready for bed though it's only 10pm.

p.s. All shots here were taken with the S3. I wanted to test the camera out and I'd say it's not bad!

Disclosure:
Product mentioned had been provided to me for consideration.

While spring cleaning my room, I dug up and found some face masks which were lost in the chaos. While it sounds like they have been buried away for eternity, no, it's really not that bad. It is just the pace things accumulate here gets quite scary...

Regardless, I took advantage of the weekends to have a masking session since this would be the only possible period. I cannot imagine spending 20 minutes lying on the bed doing nothing during the weekdays where time is so precious.

I reached for this Bidanpo Balhyo Jinjeong Mediental Healing Mask because 1) I just dug it up and 2) those herbal 'bag's look so cool...

There isn't a whole lot of English on this and I had to decipher the 'type' (Balhyo Jinjeong) by reading the hangul (korean scribblings).

Description
It is a functional de-wrinkling mask pack repairing functions of your damaged skin and relieving your stimulated and sensitive skin comfortably with best doctor's secrete method 'Hwayeol-Jinjeongdan' fermenting and maturing 12 precious medicinal herbs in a bamboo bucket to help relieve skin trouble.

(From the back of the pack)

The Mediental Healing Mask comes in a couple of variations for different skin concerns and this one here is for fighting wrinkles, relieving damaged, stimulated and sensitive skin with a concoction of 12 precious medicinal herbs.

The odd thing is that there isn't an ingredients listing and even if there is one on the pack, it's in Korean and way beyond my league. Thus I would have to take their word for it when it comes to those 12 precious herbs!

The sheet mask is very thin and has a almost gel-cellulose-like texture, similar to the likes of Leaders Clinic. T I am not mistaken, material-wise there is probably some bamboo mixed into the sheet to account for that darkened tone of it.

It fits very comfortably on the skin, since it is thin, and isn't too big (or small) on.

Now, to share post-mask findings:

• This did a very good job of hydrating my skin as parts of my face seem to be going through dry moments right now.
• Even after rinsing off (because I don't like leaving the essence on), the skin still feels like it has a layer of light moisturizer over
• There was no detectable scent with this mask, despite the 'medical' point of it.
• smooths out pores quite a fair bit (temporary for about a day?)
• brightens complexion and skin appears radiant after (temporary for a day)

In all, this mask would be one of those that would reap rewards and be beneficial in the long run given it's whole 12 precious herbs idea so one use wouldn't say very much. Though I like how comfortable and hydrating it feels on and wrinkles aren't quite my concern as of now so I will use this here and there but not reach for it all that often.

Though for those who are looking to fight wrinkles or soothe any damaged (sunburnt maybe) skin, this could be something to look into.

Thanks for reading and hope everyone had a great weekend!

Mine flew by... sadly.

Well, apologies for directing attention to Hello Kitty once more for those who aren't fans but I thought I would share my thoughts after having tried this mask out.

One thing is for sure, it really doesn't make you a sparkly pretty kitty after but it's still good in other ways.

Description:
Strawberry Essence to help tighten large and visible pores; Collagen and Royal Jelly Essence help keep skin hydrated for that soft and glowing complexion.
(information from the box)

So while the description provided is pretty short and sweet, it promises to tighten visible pores, hydrate the skin and give a glowing complexion! That sounds pretty good to me yet at the same time seems to be the general promise of most face masks.

Except? This has Hello Kitty printed all over it.

Here's the ingredients listing again for those who are interested. I'm not quite sure which is the Strawberry Essence, Collagen or Royal Jelly Essence with all the code names involved so I can't decipher the percentage that is within the mask.

(click to enlarge)

Sadly the mask itself doesn't come with an adorable Hello Kitty print within nor is it shaped like the Kitty but if it helps, it is Strawberry scented.

It's a sweet and gummy sort of Strawberry scent, yet not too sweet that it is sickening. Though I must admit that at the start I did think 'whoa, gummy...' since I am used to the pleasant, soft and hard-to-classify scents from other facial masks.

The mask itself comes entirely soaked with essence and when I say soaked, I really mean soaked!

It's not soaked to the point that it would cause a mess to remove with the plastic insert but I was conscious about not pressing on the mask too hard so I don't squeeze the essence out.

Fabric-wise, it is of a comfortable thin-ness such that it clings and contours well to the face.

I wouldn't say this mask is fragile but cloth being cloth, once soaked it has a tendency to tear if you are as careless as I am. The mask has a slightly smaller eye hole than I am used to so while shifting it around to get comfortable I made a tiny little tear on the right side (farther back in the image above).

Ignore the scary eye veins but you know how normal masks can fit one and a half of an eye with their holes, this fits one eye perfectly.

The following were some post-mask effects I noticed:

• The face felt nicely hydrated and smooth
• Because the mask is so soaked, there was a lot of essence on the skin after, I definitely cannot imagine someone just rubbing and leaving that amount on!
• Skin felt refreshed, partly due to the uplifting scent too
• pores feel temporarily smoothened out (a post-mask thing)
• Skin looked brightened (post-mask thing)

In conclusion, this was actually a pretty nice mask to use and I grew to like that gummy strawberry scent. It was cooling and refreshing on because the mask was so well soaked and it certainly hydrated my skin well.

I liked the pore smoothening and skin brightening effect after though it probably wore off the next day but I certainly have good thoughts about this mask, enough to use it again!

You can find Sexylook's Hello Kitty Strawberry Perfect Glowing Silk Mask at Watsons outlets!

Thanks for reading, do you have a nice refreshing mask that you turn to?

Okay, I cheated... in a few aspects but firstly here is the proper name of the mask: Bidanpo Hwa-Chim TCA Mediental Clinic Mask and the one I have here is the deep emarald one that has Soothing and 'pore caring' qualites.

Though it has a funky long name, this mask is a product of Leaders Clinic, a leading and renown clinical brand that hails from South Korea.

The next thing that I 'cheated' about is that I did not manage to mask last week, no quick 5-minute mask or sleeping pack.... nothing at all!

The reason being, I wanted to indulge in the masking session. Think: whipping out a hydrating sheet mask and just lay there but apparently I couldn't find time and that didn't happen. Again, I don't know why I find it so hard to draw 15-30 minutes out just for a masking session but... that happened.

This week around, perhaps to make up for it instead of settling for a typical hydrating sheet mask, I thought to try this 2-Step Mask I had lying around.

Description:
Formulated with 'Jeong-hwa Fermentation Solution' acquired from matured bamboo, this product applies the principal of oriental medicinal aesthetics. The 2 step process by including an ampoule is to boost absorption of the mask and provide better results
(Paraphrased from the back of the mask sheet)

The first step is slathering on the ampoule solution. The purpose of this is to, as mentioned in the description, help boost the mask's effectiveness and also allow for better absorption of the product.

The ampoule comes out a slightly thick but clear substance with a yellow tinge. It's runny and the consistency reminds me slightly of cleansing oils though it's not oily in any sense.

With the satchet emptied, this is about the amount of product that is inside. While it doesn't look like much, it is definitely enough to slather on a generous coat over the face.

What I like to do is also to massage this in before I proceed to layering the sheet mask over it. I don't believe it was recommended or mentioned but I have a habit of massaging my face a little whenever laying anything enriching over.

After the ampoule comes step 2 which is the one that is common to us, laying the sheet mask on!

The mask is soaked in a gel-like solution which seems pretty close to the ampoule's consistency. I want to think that the ampoule is somewhat the pure form, perhaps a tinsey bit more concentrated, of the substance the mask is coated in but I can't be sure!

The mask's sheet material is extremely thin, you can see the vague outlines of my fingers even though the mask is still folded up. Due to that, it feels light on the skin and is not as if you have this sheet plastered on your face.

Scent-wise, despite it's whole oriental approach and the brown-ish herbal medicine insinuating vibe, this mask do not smell herby or medicinal at all. It has a very light and pleasant fragrance that is hardly evident when you have it on.

As always, here's me sharing my post-mask experiences which, again, are not anything to go by long-term:

• Ampoule felt very thick and present on after removing the sheet mask. Instructions say to pat it out but that will be nearly impossible. I rinsed it off after.
• Skin felt extremely supple and hydrated.
• The skin had this whole "QQ" thing going on, think Hada Labo's Lotion advert where skin is smooth YET not powder smooth. It feels like the ampoules/serums have really been absorbed.
• Pores seem a little subdued (for a while....)

So... that would be my sharing on this whole 2-Step Mask thing. If you ask me, I don't personally notice anything different with an additional step but it could be something you have to dedicate commitment to to see results (e.g. masking this twice a week, every week)

Nonetheless it is a very hydrating one to use, great to perk up the skin!

These are available at Sephora ION and MBS.

Have you tried these 2-Step Masks? What do you think of them?

Disclosure:
Product mentioned had been provided to me for consideration.

Note; Masking Up is generally a brief and initial mention of how the featured mask applies and feels on. This is in no way a representation of how the mask benefits long-term.

So... I started up this Masking Up series and skipped out on posting an entry last week. Oops!

From my end while, I didn't use anything very notable, I still did my once-a-week-masking promise by throwing on the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack EX. I think that will be something I can fall back upon when the weekends get too crazy to find some 'mask time'. I normally do my masking sessions over the weekends as I feel there's hardly enough hours in a weekday for me to go through everything, much less to include masking.

Does anyone else feel that way?

❧

That aside, with the busy Chinese New Year (or Lunar New Year) preparations, I managed to squeeze in a little time for masking. Afterall, it's crucial to get the skin all prepped up for the visiting period!

Initially I wanted to go for a whitening/brightening mask but in the end I pulled out this Leaders Insolution Mask in Tea Tree.

I was provided this product and to my knowledge (or what I was informed of), Leaders Insolution is part of the LEADER Group that consists of specialists who are graduates of the prestigious Seoul National University or also known as Seoul-dae (서울대) to the Koreans, which you might have heard mentioned if you are a K-variety/drama fanatic.

There is a little more knowledge behind the brand but I'll save that for next time if and when I am doing a proper write-up about them. As mentioned, Masking Up is aimed at being a more initial/brief entry.

Description
The Tea Tree mask is to help with relaxing your skin and in the process reduce the symptoms of troubled skin over prolonged usage. The use of Tea Tree oil helps target and calm down acne-prone areas.

The masks have a rough chart representation to give you an idea of what the mask aids with.

I am no skincare ingredient expert but I find it a little funny how the mask is fairly Tea Tree-centric yet Tea Trea Oil happens to be the last ingredient in the list...

I know it's a little strange to get started on using this since it is meant to be a 'results over a long term period' usage and right now my skin isn't all too troubled but I got suckered in by the 'Relaxing' quality of it.

The mask itself is a very thin cellulose material soaked in the gel-like serum.

The mask is of a see-through/translucent quality so you can see your skin right through it.

Application
I applied the mask for 20 minutes before removing. As per usual, I massage and pat the remaining serum till it reaches a tacky state before rinsing it off. The instructions recommend you to leave it on but I cannot imagine that. The serum is fairly thick and will not pat out to a decently tacky feeling (like night cream), so I recommend rinsing off.

However if you think see-through-ish mask equals a lesser scare factor when it comes to the boyfriend/family, that's not all true. It's scary in it's own way but when has a mask ever looked sexy on, right?

Here's my post-mask find which is very very typical of most masks, after all this is a result-after-prolonged-usage one:

• I did not detect any strong Tea Tree scent while masking (for those who might hate it)
• No irritation on my skin during or post-masking
• Skin felt supple and smooth after (but don't expect this to be for long)
• It did not feel like there was a need to follow up with a moisturizer after rinsing, skin felt hydrated enough
• In terms of after-mask radiance, this one didnt quite have that

So this wraps up another masking addition! I'm thinking to try this mask out for a long-term period (about a month) and see how good it's acne healing powers are but I'll do that when my skin starts acting up.

Did you do any pre-Chinese New Year skin pampering? Do share!

Thanks for reading!

I haven't done a 'Your Say' or 'Poll' entry in such a long time! I thought I should revive that sort of posts by asking you all your opinions about face masks!

I am not very routinal when it comes to face masks. I don't use one as often as I should (I think you're recommended to use it once a week or something)... I usually put it off and end up only using face masks once a month, sometimes even longer! Due to that I haven't tried out a whole lot of masks and would love to hear some of your recommendations!

From my experience with a small range of face masks, my favorite so far is definitely the Za True White Essence Mask. I love it so much I stocked up during the Watson store discounts.

A little mini review of it: Since I don't use it so often I'm not sure about the whitening benefits this has. At the time of purchase (I was rather active on Cozycot), I had heard some Cotters (cozycot forum members) mention that this helped give them a 'lighter' complexion, I don't seem to notice it on myself though. What I love about this is how it makes my face feel fresh, hydrated and soft after. There are some masks that make you feel that way after using but the next day the effect is almost gone. WIth this I find that I still feel fresh and hydrated for the next couple of days. I think this retails for S$31.90 per pack and there are 5 mask pieces in each pack.

Since this is with regards to masks as well I thought I might throw in my brother's favorite face masks to use, the Nivea ones.

He doesn't have a favorite 'type', he just uses whichever. I had bought these awhile ago, tried using them and I personally didn't like them though my brother thinks otherwise. I find they didn't do anything for me (I tried the Refreshing Moisture Mask).

So, after this rambly entry, tell me.....

• How often do you use a face mask?
• What's your favorite brand/type of face mask?
• Any special benefits you look for (whitening, tightening etc)?
• Recommendations or Honorable mentions!

Of course you don't have to answer all the questions, those are just some random titbits I am interested to know (: