Review: Etude House I Need You, Aloe! Mask Sheet

Hi guys!

I'm reviewing the Etude House I Need You, Aloe! Mask Sheet. Gosh, what a long name. So this is the  mask that made me fall in love with korean masks again after my not-so-good experience with the 'Made In Korea' Watsons house brand masks.

But this Etude House mask totally made me fall in love with korea masks! I just couldn't resist buying them even though I still have around 140 taiwan masks at home. Korea and taiwan masks are quite different. The essence in taiwan masks tend to be more sticky and slightly thicker but korea masks are watery and more runny. I feel that the essence in korea masks absorbs into the skin faster and does not feel as sticky after removing the mask.

My face tends to get red patches easily due to my sensitive skin. So one day my skin was acting up again where my cheek area were reddish. So I took this mask out from my refrigerator and used it. To my surprise, when I removed the mask, the redness was nearly gone and it really soothes my skin.

I use this mask occasionally now, only when my skin feels exceptionally sensitive. Otherwise, I continue with the My Beauty Diary masks.

There are several flavours in this line but I personally favour the aloe one because aloe is more suitable for sensitive skin. I did purchase the green tea, pomegranate and pearl ones which I will review after I tried them.


RATING: 5/5
Will I Repurchase? Definitely!

Review: My Beauty Diary Natto Mask

Hi guys!

I'm reviewing My Beauty Diary Natto Mask today. My Beauty Diary is inevitably one of the most famous mask brand from Taiwan. The prices are really affordable and tourists usually stock up boxes of them as gifts or for own use. My Beauty Diary has evolved and ventured into other lines such as cleanser, moisturiser, makeup remover etc. Below are some pictures of the range of products they carry.

Natural Key Line: Basic masks with the cheapest price

Luxury Line: Fragrance free, Alcohol free - Priciest masks in the line

Flora Expo Limited Edition

Lift Stretch Mask: With ear hooks to provide lifting effect

Facial Mist and Sleeping Pack

Afternoon Tea Time Range: Masks, Cleanser, Face Scrub, Makeup Remover

2 Step Mask Pack: Mask + Moisturiser

Photos Source: http://www.beautydiary.com.tw/main.htm

Alright, now back to the main lead, Natto Mask. This mask isnt the most raved one like the black pearl mask or red wine mask. It doesn't have a distinctive aroma like the apple mask or chocolate mask but yet it is one of my favourite mask because of it's hydrating properties. 

Some of the main ingredients (info from http://www.beautydiary.com.tw/en/allmask.htm)

isoflavones- postpones ageing, restores skin's firmness and resilience

natto extract- stimulates and activates cells for hydration

extract of seeweed from deep ocean- offers skin adequate moisture content

The mask sheet is really thin and tears easily so be careful when you handle it. It adheres very well to the skin but is not wide enough at the nose area. I usually put on the mask for about 20-25mins. The mask is still soak with essence when I remove it and I will use it to wipe my legs and arms. The essence on the face requires time and some patting before it can be absorbed into the skin. Remember to apply moisturiser to lock the moisture in!

After using this, my skin feels smooth the next day and the pores on my cheeks are not as visible.

RATING: 4.5/5

Will I Repurchase? Yes, I had purchased 2 more boxes on my recent Taiwan trip.

PS: My bro is in Taiwan now and I ordered some items from the Naruko Taiwan website. Can't wait for him to bring back my haul! Love how user-friendly are Taiwan websites for foreigners! Besides my usual payeasy buys, I tried online shopping on naruko and kingstone taiwan websites this time round!

Review: Laneige Water Sleeping Pack_Ex

Hi guys!
I'm reviewing the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack_Ex, which I am into the second tub. This is possibly the most famous product from this korea brand. It won the ELLE Beauty It List 2011 and Women's Weekly Best Beauty Buys 2011 awards.

This tub is quite pretty, blue-ish in colour. There is a spatula provided which is more hygenic compared to dipping your fingers in.

The texture is a little but watery, so it is actually very to spread it out. After spreading out, there is a thin glossy layer on the skin and feels a little bit sticky. You actually need to pair it with some massaging and give it some time to absorb into the skin. There is a light scent which I am fine with but can really do without it.

This sleeping pack acts a supplement in the last step of your skincare routine and I don't encourage replacing it as a moisturizer because it isn't moisturizing enough for my dry sensitive skin. I just put on a very thin layer to lock all the moisture in as too thick a layer makes my skin feel overwhelmed and suffocated.

RATING: 4/5
Will I Repurchase? Yes if I can get in at a lower price because Singapore prices are marked up a lot.
My first tub was purchased in Singapore and it cost S$45 and my second tub was bought from Korea with the help of my aunt and it cost around S$27.

My Masks Collection! ~

Hi guys! Sorry for not posting for such a loooong time! been busy with school and made a trip to taiwan as well. Of course I bought many things haha! Will do a taiwan haul post soon :)

So yes, I'm going to make a confession: I LOVE MASKS!
I first tried using masks when i was in secondary 3 or 4 and considering my tight budget, I bought a box of watsons brand bird nest masks. It indicated Made in Korea and I hasn't touched anymore Korean masks from then on.
The mask was too thick and I felt that my skin couldn't breathe. Big no no.
P.S I did tried a mask from ETUDE HOUSE recently and totally fell in love with it!

I started watching Taiwanese TV programmes and there was this highly raved 'My Beauty Diary' masks from Taiwan. At that time, MBD wasn't available in watsons/guardian yet so I asked my aunt who was going to taiwan to help me bring back a  box of MBD Lavender masks. Love it for its soothing effects! The masks wasn't thick and there were a lot of essence. However, this flavour is discontinued now.

My collection for MBD started and I stocked up on them whenever I went Taiwan (thrice in less than 2 years! :x ).
There were still a lot of flavours/range that were not/ has not been released in Singapore which were quite good. They have a range of masks which are of higher quality as well.

Here are the list of My Beauty Diary Masks that I have used before:

Aloe Vera
Apple Polyphenol
Bird's Nest
Black Pearl
Bulgarian White Rose
Chocolate
Chocolate Truffle
Earl Grey Tea and Macaron
Hello Kitty Strawberry Milk
Japanese Cherry Blossom
Lavender
Mixed Berries
Natto
Red Wine
Peony Tea

There is this range of limited edition flower masks that were released during the Taipei Flora Expo last year.
Bought it in Mar 2011 but have yet to use in yet. Oops! x)

The bottom most right hand corner box is a platinum lifting mask where there are hooks for your ears and the mask extends down to the neck. Bought it last year as well but have yet to try it. Well this picture was taken after my Mar 2011 Taiwan trip but it isn't a comprehensive picture of all my masks as I still did buy 2 boxes from my Hong Kong trip in July.

Despite having 50 over MBD in stock, I still bought a lot of them in my recent trip. I just couldn't resist trying the new flavours! Blame it on their cute packaging!
I will pick some of my favourite flavours and do a review of them sometime. I have just too many product reviews I want to do! My introductory posts are mostly hual items and stuffs so if u see any products that you like to know more about, do stay tuned as reviews will be coming up soon! :)
Thanks for viewing!