Asian Beauty Haul

My mom recently went to Macau, China where she spent three days to celebrate her mom's birthday. While there they, along with my mom's two siblings, shopped around and stumbled into a Korean beauty shop. The Koreans are famous in the beauty world for their innovative skincare products and Korea is the home of the original BB cream. One product type they are famous for are their sheet masks, and that is what my mom brought home for us to have a play around with. 

She brought home 6 types of sheet masks, and I will take you guys through each one of them (going in a clockwise direction). Some of them I have tried, others I have not yet had the chance to do so. 

Dewytree Deep Detox Black Mask

They call this a 'black mask' because it really is black. My dad hates seeing my mom in a white sheet mask, and I told her she should use this one to really scare him! It contains volcanic ash and charcoal extracts, which are meant to "clean up skin wastes" and detoxify, as well as walnut shell extract and Centella Asiatica extract (also known as Asian/Indian pennywort) to smooth and tighten the skin. Recommended time is 15-20 minutes. 

I tried this mask on last night and first thing I noticed was that this mask was dripping with the serum, so just be wary of that.  As soon as I applied the mask, I could feel a tingling sensation all over my face. It wasn't overly uncomfortable, but I could see how someone with very sensitive skin would hate it. I left this on for about 18 minutes, basically when the tingling subsided. When I removed the mask, my face was not red at all, which is surprising for a mask which caused tingling! You're meant to let your skin absorb the serum, but it was just way too much so I wiped the excess off. When my face was relatively dry, I noticed that it was slightly clearer and definitely smoother. 

Holika Holika Pig-Nose Clear Blackhead 3-Step Kit

This was an interesting one and I wasn't sure what to expect. Step 1 was a little sheet mask for your nose meant to open up your pores; it had a very citrusy scent and I definitely noticed some tingling. Step 2 was more like a traditional pore strip and is claimed to remove even the deepest blackheads. Finally, Step 3 is meant to close up the pores and soothe the skin, so again this is a goopy sheet mask. To be honest, I'm sure this is a great system but I just did not find it as effective as I thought it could be. I will try this again when my pores are in need of a good cleaning out (gross, right?). Recommended time is 15-20 minutes, 10-20 minutes, 15 minutes respectively for each step. 

The Face Shop Hyaluronic Acid Essential Sheet Mask 

This is one of the masks that I have not tried. It is described as "an extra moisturising sheet mask for smooth and light absorption and intensive efficacy of hyaluronic acid". Hyaluronic acid is in everything these days, because of it's powerful hydration abilities. It is a key carbohydrate in our bodies; it is a major component of connective tissue, it lubricates our joints and holds the retina in place. 

Color Combos Body Care Argan Oil Hand Mask

I was very disappointed in this mask. Basically it is a plastic glove with serum inside that you are meant to leave on for 5-10 minutes and it is marketed as a "restorative glove". It contains Argan oil, collagen, and vitamin E to "improve elasticity with protection against environmental damage and premature signs of ageing". After the 10 minutes I really feel like this did nothing for my hands aside from coat it in serum. I allowed the remaining serum to absorb, but it feels very pointless. I would rather use a hand cream and wear cotton gloves, if I'm being completely honest. 

The Face Shop Real Nature Mask Lemon 

This sheet mask is meant to brighten dull skin with the use of fresh lemon extract, while providing moisture and nourishment. This is another mask I have not tried. Surprisingly, the fresh lemon extract comes in third in the ingredients list after water and glycerin, which means that it's not just something they add in and claim that it is a lemon mask; the extract really is a key component in the serum. 

Sasa Tinnie Foot Boots Pomegranate

This sock-like foot mask contains pomegranate, green tea, and ginseng extracts: pomegranate to rejuvenate and provide anti-ageing properties, green tea as a source of anti-oxidants, and ginseng to tighten and smooth the skin. I'm quite interested to see how this one performs, and hopefully it isn't as disappointing as the hand mask. Recommended time is 15-20 minutes. 

My mom also brought back a clay mask from the brand Caolion. It is the Blackhead Steam Pore Pack. This best-selling mask is probably one of the hottest thermal masks I have ever tried, but I have to say it is also one of the most effective. I applied this mask on my T-zone and let it sit for about 10 minutes (because I could only take the heat for that long). The heat did not dissipate over the 10 minutes, which I was very surprised and impressed about. I rinsed the mask off and my pores were quite enlarged but very cleaned out. 

The last product is the Rainbow S-Curl Volume Brush and was a gift from my aunt. The strange (and colourful) bristle design is meant to ease scalp irritation, promote scalp stimulation, and prevent detangling. The S-shaped bristles are meant to "follow the curvature of the hair" and thus reduce friction (which causes frizziness too). I've been using this brush over my Tangle Teezer and I must say, I quite love it. It's definitely gentle on the scalp and I find that it doesn't pull out as much hair as my Tangle Teezer. It's too early to say, but it could be my new favourite brush! 

That's it for this haul. Have you tried any Korean (or Asian) beauty products? What do you recommend? Let me know down below!