Unboxing Beauty

I am not a huge fan of hydrogels but I purchased these for two reasons ~ I received a lovely little sample of the DearPacker Black Ginseng Gold Sleeping Pack from @gracefulfaceblog  ~ and I loved it.  Also, the second reason ~ the packaging… Serious major beauty going on here.   I have purchased the sleeping pack as well and will review that as well, but I had to devote a full blog post to this face mask

Look at this ~ isn’t this one of the more beautiful designs you have seen?  And so rich looking too, with the gold and copper foil.  I cannot really capture the beauty of this packaging as the foil doesn’t show up that well, but it is so gorgeous in real life. I recognize some of the ingredients on the package ~ ginseng and camellia flowers, but am not sure on the other leaves and buds there.  And then there are the buildings, showing the old and the new.

The tall pointy building is the N Seoul Tower (N 서울타워) also known as Namsan Tower or Seoul Tower and is the highest point in Seoul, measuring in at 236 meters. This is a communications and observation building. The skyscraper is Seoul 63 Square (서울 63 스퀘어) and it is called that because it is 63 floors  ~ at 264 meters in height,  it is Korea’s tallest building.   The beautiful palace is Changdeokgung Palace (창덕궁) which means the Prospering Virtue Palace and is located in Seoul. It was built during the Joseon Dynasty and it is one of the Five Grand Palaces in Korea.  It is considered to be an exceptional and outstanding example of Far Eastern architecture and garden design, according to UNESCO World Heritage.  

image source

Ingredients

This mask contains 100ppm of Panax Ginseng root extract, which is a common ingredient in anti-aging skin care products.  Its herbal properties and usage dates back over 5,000 years and it helps 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. Applied topically, it helps stimulate collagen production to promote cellular renewal. 

It also contains 1ppm of gold and this ingredient in skincare has a lack of scientific research behind it , but according to fans of gold in skincare, it has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Houttuynia Cordata is an herb with powerful detox properties, an astringent and anti-inflammatory.  Camellia sinensis (green tea) is an antioxidant to help combat free radicals and reverse skin damage as well as an anti-inflammatory. Scutellaria baicalens (skullcap)  has been used for centuries in traditional herbal medicine to help with blemishes and other skin issues ~ it helps reduce inflammation and it has antioxidant properties to help suppress hyper-pigmentation.  Lactobacillus ferment is an ingredient I truly love, as fermented ingredients in skin care products are highly moisturizing and also have antibacterial properties, which is why my blemish-prone skin loves it so much.

Betula alba (birch tree) has soothing, anti-inflammatory properties and promotes healing and purifying of your skin.  It also is an astringent. There are a lot of oils in this mask, which cosDNA marks as “fragrance”, but actually essential oils have beneficial skincare functions as well: bergamot is an anti inflammatory, lime has antibiotic properties to help heal wounds , sandalwood helps soften and brighten your skin, cedarwood is an antiseptic and astringent, coriander is fantastic for dealing with blackheads, clogged pores and is an anti-inflammatory, rosemary is an astringent and removes excess oil, along with its antimicrobial and antiseptic to heal and prevent blemishes and Siberian fir has anti inflammatory, antiseptic, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal benefits. 

This mask also some hydrating and moisturizing ingredients: glycerin, honey and castor seed oil along with the brightening skin tone ingredient of niacinamide.  All in all, this mask looks to be one that will deeply moisturize but is also good for blemish prone skin with all of its anti-septic, anti-inflammatory and astringent ingredients. 

Ingredients: water, glycerin, butylene glycol, niacinamide, ceratonia siliqua gum, chondrus crispus (carrageenan) extract, 1,2-hexandiol, panax ginseng root extract (100ppm), scutellaria baicalensis root extract, camellia sinensis leaf extract, artemisia princeps leaf extract, houttuynia cordata extract, caprylyl glycol, citrus junos fruit extract, lactobacillus ferment, ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, phenoxyethanol, CI 77499, PEG-60 hydrogenated castor oil, allantoin, pinus densiflora leaf extract, betula alba juice, honey extract, tricholoma matsutake extract, ethylhexylglyxerin, adenosine, disodium EDTA, synthetic flourphlogopie, titanium dioxide, CI 77491, dipotassium glycyrrhizate, citrus aurantium bergamia (bergamot) fruit oil, citrus aurantifolia (lime) oil, santalum album (sandalwood) oil, juniperus virginiana (cedarwood)  oil, coriandrum sativum (coriander) fruit oil, rosemarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf oil, abies sibirica (Siberian fir) oil, gold (1ppm), potassium hydroxide cosDNA analysis

 

The Mask

This is a two piece hydrogel, the kind I like the least.  It comes protected between a white plastic sheet and a clear plastic sheet.  There isn’t a lot of excess essence and I didn’t detect any scent ~ if there was one, it was so faint that I couldn’t smell it.  I peeled off the clear sheet first and then applied the mask to my face… but not without taking close-ups of the mask itself!  Look at all the gold flecks in this dark black jelly mask.

One side of the mask is smooth ~ you can see that in the first photo below.  The other side shows the fine mesh, which based on my rough translation on DearPacker’s website, it is made with a 20-denier year which allows it to adhere more closely to your face.  What the heck is a denier?  Well, it is the measure used in textiles and the lower the number, the finer the material.  Twenty is pretty fine ~ sheer pantyhose is between 10 and 30 denier, so that just tells you how fine this yarn is.   Make sure that the mesh is facing outwards so that the gel side will be absorbed by your skin.  This mask also works on a thermo-sensitive patented technology ~ so your skin own heat will activate the gel and make it stick to your skin like glue, for a lack of another term.

I did a mistake when I put on the mask ~ the upper half is fine as the mesh is facing outwards, but the lower half looks smooth because I placed the mesh towards my face.  Oh well!   The fit is not that great ~ I struggled to get the sides of my face covered and you can tell that there are huge gaps around the nose and mouth area.  And the mask fit around my chin.. OMG.

Wha’ happened to my chin?  I guess this mask is not made for big ol’ fleshy chins!!  ahaha.  It looks like a cat ~ with two pointy ears and the body sitting up.  I should put some eyes and whisker on my cat chin 😀

The mask doesn’t move at all ~ I normally have issues with hydrogels cause they slip and slide, but I guess that therm0-sensitive heat activated technology worked really well!  This stuck on my face and would not move until I peeled it off 50 minutes later.  I could tell that the gel had been absorbed into my skin, as the mask was a lot thinner and not as jelly as it was when I first put it on.   I could feel that my skin was really moisturized and there was a film of the essence on my face.  I took a chance and went to sleep with that film on my skin…and the next morning, my face was smooth and still moisturized ~ I did not experience any breakouts overnight and my skin looked refreshed. 

image source

 

Final Thoughts

So, I have mixed feelings about this mask. I think this mask is made for people like me ~ oily, blemish prone, aging skin.  It is a horrible combination, as I need more hydration and moisture to combat fine lines and wrinkles, but I have to be really careful that I don’t choose products that will make me break out.  This mask really moisturized my skin, left it looking radiant and no breakouts.  However, the fit sucks.  Not going to mince words here ~ I know I have a big face, but COME ON!  My chin wasn’t even covered properly ~ lol.  I don’t know if this is typical of DearPacker masks or just with their hydrogels ~ I have their cotton sheet masks in the Jeju Flower series and I will be trying those soon, so I will find out then.  I really love the results of this mask, but I wish the fit was better.  I am really looking forward to using the sleep pack now, as if it is anything like the mask, I will really enjoy that

Have you tried the Black Ginseng Gold mask from DearPacker? What did you think of it?  Or did you try any of the Jeju Flower series from DearPacker?  Let me know in the comments below!

Where to Purchase

I purchased my DearPacker products from BB Cosmetic (and I have to get more ~ as I love the packaging on their items..) The Black Ginseng Gold Hydrogels come in sets

• 4 piece DearPacker Black Ginseng Gold Hydrogel  $14.49
• 2 piece DearPacker Black Ginseng Gold Hydrogel $7.52

BB Cosmetic gives out lots of samples and ships internationally with free shipping ~ both USA and Worldwide!  If you live in the USA, shipping is even faster, as they have a USA warehouse too.   Use my promo code of YW36SVN21HU to get  8% off your purchases.