Unboxing Beauty

disclaimer: this product was sent to me for review purposes. all opinions are my own and are unbiased

I’ve been wanting to try this mask from cosRX for a while now, but never got around to purchasing it myself ~ I really have so many masks!!  However, Jolse, a premier Korean online store, sent me these for review purposes and I was thrilled to get them ~ Jolse is so generous!

I’ve loved the majority of cosRX products I have tried, with a few exceptions ~ those products were not hate but more of a meh.  cosRX has been doing pretty good lately, with their new Oil-Free Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion with Birch Sap (review here) and I do enjoy the simplicity of their ingredients.  This is also the very first cosRX facial sheet mask, which is very strange, as Ciracle, their sister brand, has facial sheet masks ~ some of which are REALLY nice.  Let’s get sheet-faced!

image credit from jolse

 

The design on the sheet mask is a departure from their potions and lotions, as those bottles are very clean and modern looking.  The art work is okay, but it isn’t anything I would remember long term ~ if it wasn’t for the brand recognition, I wouldn’t be attracted to this mask, as it is a bit uninspiring.

image credit from jolse

Ingredients

There aren’t that many ingredients in this mask, which is typical cosRX.  Their formulas are designed to provide maximum benefits with the least amount of different ingredients ~ this makes their products very attractive to those who may have sensitive skin or wish to limit what they are putting on their skin.

Ingredients: Red Ginseng Water, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Methylpropanediol, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Allantoin, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sodium Polyacrylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Carbomer, Arginine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol  cosDNA analysis

Red Ginseng Water  ~  Ginseng’s herbal properties and usage dates back over 5,000 years.  Ginseng is used quite a bit in anti-aging skin care products, as it is can stimulate the skin and activate the blood flow, which will increase toning and production of new skin cells. It also has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, due to natural carbohydrate called saponin, and will help reverse damage caused by free radicals, such as hyper-pigmentation and also combat free radicals to prevent new skin damage of fine lines and wrinkles. Ginseng detoxes your skin and leaves it radiant and glowing.  This ingredient is in place of purified water and plant waters are the by-product from steam distilling plant extracts while making essential oils.  I am very familiar with this water plant-by-product (read an unboxing from earlier this year where I mention hydrosols) as I love eco-friendly, organic skincare products too and it is used quite a bit in the organic skincare world ~ if you use rose water toners, you are using a hydrosol ~ I personally cannot use rose, but I have found an orange hydrosol that I love.  Mountain Rose Herbs has a fantastic info page on hydrosols if you want to read more about what it is and why it is used.

Snail Secretion Filtrate will increase skin elasticity and increase firmness,while helping repair skin from blemishes, reducing acne and working to lighten hyper-pigmentation scarring. I have found that unless there is an allergic reaction to this ingredient, it works on all skin types and for all ages. I find this sticky stuff to be a miracle worker on my skin.

There are also some great ingredients to attract moisture and lock it in your skin, as well as softening and smoothing your skin’s texture

image credit from jolse

Now, there is the mask to deal with as well.  Normally, a sheet mask is just a sheet mask, right?  Not in this case!  The mask is made from 100% rayon, which in itself is not unusual.  What is unusual is the color of this mask ~ it has been infused with Camellia oil, which not only gives it its pale salmon-color shade, but camellia is an anti-inflammatory, helping reduce swelling and redness and speeds up wound healing (aka blemishes). BTW, Ciracle has a From Jeju Camellia Facial Sheet Mask, that is also this same pretty shade, due to the natural pink Camellia coloring

As you can see, the mask is a pale salmon shade and it is very wet with essence.  The rayon mask is not that thin, but not thick either ~ it actually is a nice weight where it will not tear but it will also drape nicely on my face.  I do not detect a scent with it ~ if there is one, it is so light, I cannot smell it.  The essence is watery, not sticky or slimy like some snail masks I have used in the past.  There is a little bit left over in the mask pouch, which I will pat onto my skin after I apply the mask.

You can see that it is looking more translucent here once I unfolded the mask.  The fit is fairly decent ~ I did find that it covered the space above my upper lip VERY nicely ~ no thin strip there. The nose was a bit short in coverage and normally masks overlap onto my hair line or get right up to it ~ this mask leaves some gaps around the perimeter of my face.  It is quite comfortable and the material is very soft.

I left the mask on for 30 minutes as it was beginning to dry out ~ cosRX states to leave it on for 15 minutes, so it did overstay its welcome ~ and the results when I removed it… Instant brightening of my skin’s complexion.  That was the first thing I noticed.  I was a bit surprised by that, as I didn’t think that was a selling point for this mask.  However, that is how it performed on my face.  I also felt it hydrated my skin without any sticky or tacky residue.  

Final Thoughts

This is a pretty good mask from cosRX ~ I really enjoyed their use of hydrosol instead of purified water and infusing the sheet mask with oil ~ I found that to be very unique in the facial sheet mask world.  I would love it if they did a series of masks like this one, using different hydrosols (ginger, green tea, tea tree, lavender) and oils (green tea, sea buckthorn, ginseng, argan) to make a complete  line of hydrosol/oil-infused sheet masks.  It is a bit pricey for a sheet mask and they do need to bring that price point down a bit, but all in all, I was very happy with the immediate brightening and hydrating results.   I am very interested in seeing what they come out next with a sheet mask formula!  Have you tried cosRX Holy Moly Snail mask yet?  What did you think of it?

You can purchase cosRX Holy Moly Snail Mask at Jolse ~ they sell it as a single for $3.98, 5 pack for $13.98 and 10 pack for $25.98 USD.   Jolse also has free shipping and gives lots of samples too when you place an order with them.

 

 

 

 

disclaimer: this product was sent to me for review purposes. all opinions are my own and are unbiased