Review : I'm From Vitamin Tree Mask

I bought the I'm From Vitamin Tree Mask from Wishtrend a few months back. The ingredients seemed interesting, and I'm a sucker for TRYINGALLTHETHINGS.

What is it? 
A wash off mask packed with the farm fresh nutritions of fresh vitamin leaves that promises a vitamin-detox for your skin to leave it looking bright and radiant.

Ingredients 
산자나무추출물 (50.46%) - Hippophae Rhamnoides (Sea Buckhorn) Extract
글리세린 - Glycerin
Hippophae Rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn) Leaf Extract (11.5%)
카프릴릭/카프릭트리글리세라이드 - Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
세틸알코올 - Cetyl Alcohol
글리세릴스테아레이트 - Glyceryl Stearate
피이지-100스테아레이트 - PEG-100 Stearate
글리세릴스테아레이트에스이 - Glyceryl Stearate SE
비즈왁스 - Beeswax
소듐폴리아크릴로일디메칠타우레이트 - Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
폴리소르베이트 - Polysorbate 60
Sorbitan Sesquioleate
스테아릴알코올 - Stearyl Alcohol
눈 연꽃추출물 - Saussurea Involucrata (Snow Lotus) Extract
Selaginella Lepidophylla (Rose of Jericho) Extract
Rubus Chamaemorus (Cloudberry) Fruit Extract
Hippophae Rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn) Fruit Extract
소듐하이알루로네이트 - Sodium Hyaluronate
호호바씨오일 - Jojoba Seed Oil
마그네슘알루미늄실리케이트 - Magnesium Aluminium Silicate
잔탄검 - Xanthan Gum
미리스틸알코올 - Myristyl Alcohol
알란토인 - Allantoin
토코페릴아세테이트 - Tocopheryl Acetate
부틸렌글라이콜 - Butylene Glycol
1,2-헥산디올 - 1,2-Hexanediol
카프릴릴글라이콜 - Caprylyl Glycol
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
인도 유향수지 추출물 - Boswellia Serrata Resin Extract (Indian Frankincense)
디포타슘글리시리제이트 - Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate (Licorice Root Extract)
디소듐이디티에이 - Disodium EDTA
판테놀 - Panthenol
에칠헥실글리세린 - Ethylhexylglycerin
에칠아스코빌에텔 - Ethyl Ascorbyl Ether

I did my best to type and translate the ingredients from Hangul printed on the packaging and I'm pretty sure it corresponds to the list published on Wishtrend.

Key Ingredients: 

The main ingredient is Vitamin Tree, the Tree of Miracles otherwise known as the Mana Tree sea buckthorn. It makes up over 60% of the product, with 50.46% sea buckthorn extract ("Vitamin Leaf Tea"), 11.5% sea buckthorn leaf extract ("Fresh Vitamin Leaves") & sea buckthorn fruit extract thrown in for good measure.

Sea buckthorn is anti-inflammatory, has an anti-oxidant benefit and is high in Vitamin C.

I'm not terribly interested in the ingredients listed after sea buckthorn leaf extract, which make up less than 11.5% of the product. There are 31 of them and are probably in too small amounts to be of benefit. The ad focuses on snow lotus, cloudberry and jericho rose but I couldn't find much on their benefits! Theres also licorice root extract, a brightening ingredient, but at the bottom of the list it's nothing to get excited over.

Ingredients Analysis: 
The product page on Wishtrend includes an evaluation of the safety level of the ingredients based on the EWG database, proudly stating "no hazardous ingredients" - apparently missing the three flagged as moderate hazard (troll lol lol).

Heres one based on cosdna comedogenicity/irritancy values, which seems to be more popular. 
Edit: the ingredients like glycerin with blank values score 0/0 values.  

Translating the ingredients exhausted most of the effort I'm willing to put into blog posts, so this will have to do! -.- (did I mention that I don't read or write Hangul?) There are a few ingredients flagged as acne triggers and irritants - PEGs, fatty alcohol, stearates and butylene glycol.
 
Packaging
The jar is packaged in a heavy, expensive-feeling glass jar and comes with a spatula.

Texture and Smell
SWEET MAKGEOLLI AND JOJOBA. THE SMELL. OHMYGAWD. Some reviewers describe the smell as 'organic' or herby. They lie. It looks and smells like a freshly laid shit.

The texture is soft and squashy like a turd on the sole of your shoe.

Results
I first used the mask when my skin was in a rough state - sensitive, irritated, spots abrewing.. (Sigh) I left it on for about 20 minutes, letting it dry while I cleaned the bathroom (bless you, stash of industrial grade cleaners and your overpowering smells) and then hopped into the shower to rinse it off. (I recommend the shower unless you want your sink stained by what looks like spots of explosive diarrhoea.) My skin felt so soft afterwards, refreshed and much calmer.

So happy as I am with the results, this mask isn't something I'd repurchase because of the disgusting smell. Definitely not something I'd recommend, unless you're really, really adventurous...?

Where to buy
Chongmal?
$35.00 on Wishtrend
₩35,000 on imfrom.co.kr

Next up for review: Laneige Multiberry Yoghurt Sleeping Pack. I hope it smells nice...

Review : Bio-Essence Hydra Tri-Action Aqua Droplet Sleeping Beauty Mask

Have you got your 10/million step Asian skincare routine down to a T? Great - get ready to make room for sleeping packs next. Sleeping packs or sleeping masks AKA overnight masks to us Westerners are designed to deliver an extra boost of anti-oxidants, hydrate, brighten etc. and are applied as the last step in your skincare routine. 

The Bio-Essence Hydra Tri-Action Aqua Droplet Sleeping Beauty Mask (50g) aims to hydrate, protect and nourish. It contains:
Water, Butylene Glycol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Glyceryl, Polyacrylate, Sodium Chloride, 1,2-Hexanediol, Betaine, Methylpropanediol, Allantoin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hyaluronic Acid, Vaccinium macrocarpon (Cranberry) Seed Oil, Fragrance, Sodium Oxide, Calcium Oxide, Magnesium Oxide, Methylisothiazolinone

Key Ingredients 

Butylene Glycol 
A humectant: attracts water to the top layer of the skin to improve hydration.

Silicones 
An occlusive moisturiser: creates a barrier over the skin and helps prevent moisture loss. The number of silicones listed is sliiiightly off-putting and I wondered whether this mask would feel like a layer of cling film over my face. (It doesn’t help that one of them cones has VINYL in its name.) Short answer is that it does not.

Hyaluronic Acid & Cranberry Extract 
Ads focus on three key ingredients: Power Nano Hyaluronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid and Cranberry Extract. I don’t think the stuff listed after silicones are in amounts significant enough to really benefit the skin - but that’s just my opinion~ Beginning with the first one … wth is “Power” Nano Hyaluronic Acid? Sounds like something Heisenberg might cook up but anyways... I can’t read the labelling (all in Mandarin) so I took the following description from Cultbeauty: ‘Power Nano’ hyaluronic acid has a small molecular size (15-25nm), for instant absorption and immediate skin plumping benefit, and hyaluronic acid - which creates a large, subcutaneous water ‘reservoir’, retaining up to 1000 times its molecular weight, for prolonged skin dewiness and softness. For my review on Hydraluron last year, I did a bit of research on hyaluronic acid and it seems the molecules are too big to penetrate the skin’s deeper layers and this business of it holding x1000 times its weight is irrelevant when it comes to topical application. What it does do (and do very well) is provide surface hydration and support the skin’s protective barrier.

Cranberry Seed Extract is an anti-oxidant.

Packaging 
The box is shrink wrapped and inside is a protective seal over the product. This is reassuring since one of the reasons I don’t order products online is a fear of contamination/hygiene issues. It doesn’t come with a spatula but eh. I prefer to use little coffee spoons to scoop it up.

How to Use 
1. Massage gently until aqua droplets form

2. Gently pat in until fully absorbed

3. Apply a thin layer as daily moisturiser or a thick layer as sleeping mask for a more intensive treatment

The mask starts off as a light, watery gel and melts on contact with skin forming little droplets. It has a lovely fresh scent which isn’t overpowering and doesn’t linger. As an overnight mask, I like to smooth it on and leave it be. It’s a bit weird to walk around the house with a wet face but no one cares what I look like at that time. It takes ~30 minutes to sink in. When applied as a thicker layer, it takes hours to sink in - I’m fast asleep by whatever time that is. The reason why I don’t pat the product in as per the instructions is because some of it will be absorbed by your hands = waste.

Obviously, this is completely impractical if you want to use it as a moisturiser - unless you have loads of time to spare in the morning. I don’t, so I apply it in small amounts and pat it in. It seems tedious but doesn’t take long. You could also smooth on a layer, wait ~10 minutes and then pat it in. I’ve made the mistake of not allowing enough time for it to fully absorb and my suncream turned to soup when I applied it TT.TT

Results 
I put the mask through a pretty tough test. In the week before my order arrived, I was using Benzoyl Peroxide to treat a pesky bout of spots which turned my skin dry, flaky and EW. I didn't want to try any of my new products in case they caused another breakout or made the buggers resurface. I tried a scrub and hydrating serums without any noticeable success so I gave the mask a shot (praying that it wouldn’t suffocate my skin with silicones) and couldn’t be happier with the results! I applied a thinnish layer as an overnight mask and by the next morning the flakiness had almost completely gone. My skin felt soft, supple, more radiant (though I don’t fully trust my judgment on that haha) and hydrated - seriously impressive! As a stand-in for moisturiser, it worked well to seal in other products and didn’t leave my skin feeling dry at the end of the day. My skin went back to normal in about three days ;)

Overall, I'm super happy with this purchase. I'd recommend it to anyone with dry/flaky skin and spot issues. The ingredients list makes the product look as though it’s chock full of silicones, but it’s really very water-heavy. About three quarters of the products I try cause breakouts; I've used this mask twice daily for about two weeks and haven’t had any issues.

Prices & Where to Buy 
Bio-Essence doesn't have an online shop and isn't sold in the UK. I ordered mine from Sasa.com for USD 17.50 (30% off, usually $25) equivalent to GBP 11.80 
For some odd reason Sasa sells a 50g size but all other shops sell an 80g jar o.O I didn't notice this when ordering >.<

It's also available on Cultbeauty.com for GBP 29.00/80g

In Singapore, it costs SGD 33.90 (Guardians) which is equivalent to USD 24.38 / GBP 16.63 You can also stock up and buy two for SG$49

And finally, in Watsons Malaysia, it's RM 55.92 = just over £10! Found this via Paris B's IG and dayum.

I’d definitely repurchase this mask BUT I'd also like to try Laneige’s Water Sleeping Pack, which is apparently the best. Boom Ratatata.

Review : The Body Shop Seaweed Clay Mask

I wanted to hate this product. I really did. After opening the tub and smoothing the clay over my face, I was struck by the overwhelming smell of … sewage. Foul.

I left it on for around 10 minutes during which the mask hardens - to the point where your face might crack with the slightest facial expression. The mask's colour slowly changes from dark green to a lighter and trendier minty green, which is quite cool but doesn't change the fact that you look and smell like you've been wading through a smelly canal.

I washed it off using a face cloth, which was stained brown in the process ... (Could the clay be some form of recycled poo) Needless to say, it wasn’t a pleasant experience. I love using masks, but this - no. It stinks and I needed two flannels rinse it off.

And with that said, I'm almost disinclined to admit that I was quite impressed with the results. I had a sore, red bump (one of those spots that doesn’t quite know when/how it wants to maim your face) on my forehead and after applying the mask, it had completely gone down! O.O I've never had a such an obvious immediate result  after just one application!

It’s not all raptures and spangles though. The downside is that my skin felt a little dry and tight afterwards. Nothing that a nice hydrating mask and moisturiser can't sort out, but enough to limit use to once per week.

If you're quite chillax about what goes on your face, embracing mineral oil, parabens, home made lemon peels and the like then you go ahead and use it.  It costs £12/100ml and £6 for members of the Shop's loyalty scheme (here). But we should really care a bit more about what goes on our face. I have to be honest and admit (*inhale*) that I didn't read the label before purchasing. (*shriek*) (But only because the shop staff cast me an evil glare when I tried to peel the label off!)

Here is the full ingredients list (which is published online!! woopwoop!!)
Kaolin, Aqua, Heilmoor Clay, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Bentonite, Talc, Lithothamnium calcarum, Maris Limus Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Fucus Vesiculosus Extract, Polysorbate 20, Myristamidopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Xanthan Gum, Bisabolol, Parfum, Butylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Zinc PCA, Linalool, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Salicylate, Laminaria Saccharina Extract, Denatonium Benzoate, Tocopherol, CI 77289, CI 42090.

When I read labels, I'm on the lookout for two things: mineral oil and alcohol.

Mineral oil is cheap crap that sits on your skin doing nottin. Alcohol can dry and irritate the skin, but is sometimes necessary, e.g. in suncreams to stabilise the product, and as a preservative - but only as one of the last ingredients. Where is alcohol on this list? TOP FIVE INGREDIENT FML. Why are so many products marketed towards acne/blemish prone skin or "clarifying" and "oil-minimising" solutions packed FULL of alcohol?! Like I'm really helping my skin by striping the mantle away and opening the gateway for yet more bacteria to breed there. No thank you.
Basically, while you might feel an immediate short-term improvement, you're exacerbating the problem in the long-term and damaging your skin's protective layers. The 'improvement' was probably the effect of alcohol burning skin alive and sending all bacteria to oblivion.

Will I use it again? Unlikely. Would I recommend it? No. You'll have dryness and premature ageing to deal with on top of spots and acne. And it smells rank.