Mask Digest: Skin18.com Website & Mask Review!

disclaimer: items were provided for review purposes. all opinions are my own& are honest & unbiased. contains affiliate & referral links

Skin18 is another Asian Beauty e-tailer with a twist ~ they offer a variety of free products to their customers, even if you aren’t purchasing anything. You just pay shipping and handling. Now, I haven’t seen that offer before on a K-Beauty site ~ at least one that ships internationally!

Skin18 believes that skincare, not makeup, is the key to beauty ~ by nourishing it with ingredients that will keep your skin youthful and beautiful. Makeup is just icing on the cake ~ coverage ~ but coverage can only go so far if you have bad skin. They believe (and I totally agree) that you should start with a good skincare routine as early as possible, but it is never too late to pick up good skincare habits. Skin18 operates out of Hong Kong and has warehouses in China and in the United States, so you might get your items faster if you are a USA resident. They ship internationally ~ check here to see if your country is on the list ~ and if you live in Hong Kong, S. Korea, Singapore, USA or Vietnam, shipping is free if your order is $40.00+ USD. If you live elsewhere, free shipping is available on orders that are $60.00+ USD. I will post links and referrals at the end of this blog post.

Skin18 also works with Beauty Bloggers and I received an initial Reviewers Package from them consisting of four masks. I originally reviewed all of these items at my IG account.

SOC Rice Wine Mask I decided to go with a nice rice fermented (sake!) mask this morning. This is a 3D mask, so that means there is a seam running down the middle of the mask, so it will contour and form to your face better. This mask contains active ingredients from 3 different types of rice (even thought there is only one rice ingredient listed) and will help moisturize, nourish and firm your skin. The mask fits surprisingly well ~ the nose end is a bit too long, but other than that I have no complaints about the fit. The scent is very light, a bit herbal, but goes away quickly. It is a very wet mask, but there isn’t a lot of left over essence in the bag. This mask not only contains fermented rice, but also fermented ginseng, which is an anti-aging ingredient, folic acid, peptides, and collagen, making this mask excellent for those us with aging skin concerns. It also has aloe vera, sodium hyaluronate and glycerin, so it is a very hydrating mask as well. I was able to leave this mask on for about 40 minutes and when I removed it, I was pleasantly surprised at how nice this inexpensive mask worked on my skin. It has collagen, but unlike many collagen masks, it did not enlarge my pores nor leave a slick film on my skin. There was a residue on my skin from this essence, and it lasted about 10 minutes, so use this mask at night time, or when you aren’t in a hurry. After it was absorbed, my face feels smooth, very soft and “plumped up” with moisture. Pretty good mask! Skin18 has this mask at their site selling for $1.25, but if you can also get it free here (just pay for s/h).

Description: What does it mean of three dimensional? 3D mask means a mask sheet that is not flat like a sheet but it was well cut and sewed onto a 3D face shape which can fit the shape of your face better. SOC RICE WINE MASK Sheet with active ingredients from three different types of ancient rice that moisturizes, nourishes and firms skin from within the intensive mask process.

Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lactobacillus/Panax Ginseng Root Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Rice Ferment Filtrate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Folic acid, Human Oligopeptide-1, Lecithin, PEG/PPG-18/4 Copolymer, Polysorbate 20, Propylene Glycol, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Carbomer, PVM/MA Copolymer, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Triethanolamine, Allantoin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Methylparaben, Fragrance cosDNA analysis

Luke Hydrogel Eye Patch for Wrinkles (Red) The Luke brand makes four different types of eye, targeting specific needs ~ eye puffiness, collagen (super firming), vitamin and this one, wrinkles. This one is supposed to help with those who have obvious lines under eyes (me!!!) I thought maybe these would be reddish-clear hydrogel’s, but these are more of a fabric kind ~ there is a light powder blue type of material on one side ~ that faces outwards ~ and then some sticky gel product on the other side ~ that is what you stick to your under eye area. These do have GREAT coverage, you can see that it really covers from one end to the other, and even going beyond, to get to those crows-feet.

Luke hydrogels use a transdermal delivery system (TDS), which means that this is an adhesive patch that that is placed on your skin and will deliver the benefits of the product thru your skin, deep into your dermal layer and bloodstream. I couldn’t find an ingredient list for these, as they weren’t on the package. However, doing a little research, I discovered some of their key ingredients:

Laminaria Japonica (Kelp) Extracts : Rich in minerals, iodine and calcium
Chamomile Extract : Soothes skin by combating free radicals which damage your skin
Coenzyme Q10 Extracts : You lose Coenzyme Q10 as you age, and it is regarded as one of the most accurate biomarkers of aging.

It also contains aloe vera, marine collagen, Vitamins A and E to help hydrate and also bring in some anti-aging antioxidants. They are comfortable and cooling and I left them on for 50 minutes (well over their 20 to 30 minutes) as I wanted to see if the gel would absorb into my skin. It didn’t really ~ there still was a lot of the sticky gel product left on the pad. When I removed these gels, I didn’t really feel like they did much other than maybe hydrate. I did not see a softening of my under eye wrinkles, but my skin was soft to touch. I wasn’t that impressed by these hydrogels ~ maybe my eyes are too far gone for this type of treatment ~ I can recommend The Face Shop Raspberry Lines & Lift Collagen Eye Patches, which I hope that Skin18 will carry. Now those really work. Maybe I should try Luke Collagen Super Firming, as that is what I think I really need. RV $1.40

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L’Affair Animal Aqua Blue Sheep Mask I am not a huge fan of character masks ~ it is rare that they have good ingredients and I hate taking selfies with them, especially animal masks as I look completely unhappy when wearing them, even when I smile. Maybe that is the point? haha. This mask is a hydrating and moisturizing mask for dry skin ~ which I don’t have. However, dry doesn’t just mean it is for dry skin, but can also mean dehydrated skin, which oily skin types can have. This has two of my favorite ingredients ~ hyaluronic acid and beta-glucan for deep hydration. And one of my least favorite ingredients ~ collagen, which 9 times out of 10, just sits on my face with a filmy layer and is gross. Let’s see which ingredient wins!

This mask is quite vibrant in its different shades of blue and it is dripping with a watery essence. The fit is wow ~ HUGE. I have so much of this mask extending over my forehead and into my hair and the mask wraps itself under my chin. Ironically, the sides of the mask come up short!! The fit takes away from the design, as there is supposed to be blue “wool” framing your face and the lower half is now under my chin. This mask smells wonderful ~ It reminds me of the 1990’s discontinued scent from Bath & Body Works ~ Wildflower ~ with a bit of sweet fruit ~ maybe peach?

After 40 minutes, as this mask is a very wet mask, I removed it. And recoiled. Collagen won in this mask and my pores were enlarged ~ but my skin was moist. Why does collagen do this to my pores? I am not alone in this either ~ I think collagen works for those with very dry skin and no pores. Overall, I found this to be a baaaaaaddddd mask (yuck yuck har-de-har-har with the sheep jokes!) in terms of fit, and performance, but it gets good marks in the print design and scent. RV $2.50

Ingredients: Water, Dipropylene Glycol, PEG/PPG-17/6 Copolymer, Panthenol, Betaine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Beta-Glucan, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium PCA, propanediol, Illicium Verum (Anise) Fruit Extract, Capryly Glycol, Ethyhexylglycerin, Dimethicone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil cosDNA analysis

Mirum Fresh Fruit Avocado Real Natural Mask Well, I am happy to say that my masks review will end on a happy note! I normally shy away from avocado masks, as I think they are a bit too moisturizing for my oily skin ~ but I decided to give this a try after reading that the essence was light, not thick. This mask has a light scent, not at all like avocado, but it is fresh. The essence is thin, but not watery and the mask sheet is made from 100% natural cotton ~ it is a medium weight sheet mask, but due to the open weave in the sheet, it isn’t thick that it doesn’t adhere to my face properly. The fit is pretty good except around my nose (I really should just assume that the nose area on masks won’t fit properly!) I was able to leave this mask on for about 35 minutes and really could have left it on longer, as it was still damp. The results? Well, my skin was very moisturized ~ I could feel how moist on my skin, even several hours later. But unlike a collagen mask, it didn’t feel like a filmy substance was sitting on my skin. My skin didn’t break out and I felt this is a soothing mask, as I have been getting some redness around my nose lately (thanks to BHA products!) and this helped calm down that irritation. This is described as highly moisturizing and nourishing to your skin and I will agree. I think that even though I have oily skin, this mask would be great as a “right before bed” mask, as it really did soften my skin and leave it quite moisturized. This is a really inexpensive mask, but like the SOC mask, I felt that it really delivered and worked for my skin. You can purchase this for under $1.00 or request it as a freebie ~ either alone or with another order!

Description: Avocado is rich in various vitamin and minerals which can make your skin full of glowing and elastin. The vitamins contained in Avocado can solve the hydration loss problem from dry and sensitive skin, and prevents the premature aging of your skin. High moisture, high nutrition Avocado extract can release the youth and radiance of your skin. Relieves your skin from external stimulus. Mirum fresh fruit series provides your skin with marvelous hydration and nutrition. The dense and compact cotton mask sheet can be attached perfect to your skin, make the essence in this mask absorbed completely.

Ingreidents: Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Allantoin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, PEG-60, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Avocado Extract (500ppm), Sodium Hyaluronate, Methylparaben, Ceteth 20, Steareth-20, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprate, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Phenoxyethanol, Triethanolamine, Fragrance cosDNA analysis

Final Thoughts

I really love the idea of a freebie mask section so you can try out a variety of masks ~ they add new masks all the time, so you can always go back and try more. I am seriously impressed by the 2 inexpensive (and can be freebie) masks from SOC and Mirum ~ and they have a lot of different flavors in these two brands, so I will be trying those out! Have you ordered from Skin18 yet? What do you think of their service?

Go Crazy

Skin18 also has a rewards program, so by reviewing, liking and sharing, you earn points and those points turn into cash at their store!

Freebies ~ Free facial masks for the taking! Just pay shipping/handling (click here)
Huge Sales ~ Discounted category where you can save 30% to 100% off (!!) products (click here)
One Dollar Store ~ Products for around $1.00 USD (click here)
Save 25% off your first purchase at Skin18 by using my referral code (click here)
Summer 20% Sale ~ Good until the end of July! 2016SUM20OFF