I'm finally back! After coming back from my 6 weeks vacation, I didn't feel any motivation to update even though I have tons of things to review and test. But I finally got off my ass, and here we are.

This is Skinfood's Steam Milk Mask Cream. It comes in the same standard jar packaging as their usual wash-off masks, but with the addition of the most adorable milk carton packaging.

Skinfood's description:

A steamed milk-infused cream that immediately melts into skin, transforming dry skin into a soft, firm, smooth texture, like a facial mask does.

I forgot how much this costs in stores, but it retails for about $11USD on Amazon.

I got mines in Hong Kong, so the ingredient list is in both English and Korean. As a general note, my skin rarely reacts to products, so I usually don't care for the ingredient list, but I provided for those who may have allergies or sensitive skin.

The product itself is a thick white cream. Skinfood says to put the cream on after your night routine, so I went and did that. I was surprised by its thickness as it is a "mask cream", so I assumed that it would be as thick as my night moisturizer. It's much much thicker. It doesn't immediately set into your face, so you go to bed with a face full of white cream. The thickness of this mask cream made it difficult to get an even layer, so I just kinda spread it onto the spots where I felt like I needed more moisture (skipped my forehead because of my bangs). I would definitely recommend using a spatula to spread out this mask cream to achieve a more even layer.

Waking up in the morning, I was surprised to find that it had all sunken into my face and that none of the white cream was left (I slept from about ~2am-9am). I went to wash my face and my face felt very moisturized. There wasn't a lot of excess cream left on my face that I could feel from washing my face.

The smell of this mask cream reminds me of... cream. Generic hand/face cream scent from Aveeno or the other basic/drugstore products that claim they're "unscented". I'm not sure what milk is supposed to smell like, as there as so many different milk brands out there and I'm not actually a fan of milk.

I recommend this products to those of you who are looking for an instant moisturizer (ideal for nights before big events or are suffering from the harsh effects of the winter weather, for example) or cannot be bothered with a moisturizer that's specifically for night time.

None of the links provided are referral. I bought this product with my own money in Hong Kong.

This retails at Sephora for $29CAD but the one I am showing is the travel sized version. I own both the full size and trial/travel sized and there are no differences in product performance.

I originally saw one of Claire Marshall's monthly fave videos where she had featured this product and raved about it. She said that it smelled like mangoes, and I love mango scented products, so I just had to get this. I bought this in one of those value sets Sephora had a while back (the charcoal and 10 minute mask for troubled skin were part of the set), figuring it couldn't hurt to try.

The mask itself is a very thick cream. You have to squeeze it out of the container and it spreads evenly over your face.

This is what it looks like spread into my skin. The shiny area is where the mask is.

As this mask is more like a heavy duty night cream, it sits on top of your skin at first but slowly absorbs into your face as you sleep. It has a creamy texture, meaning it will not smear all over your pillowcase or sheets if you turn in your sleep.

I love this product. It has a nice scent to it, and I wake up feeling very moisturized. When I go to wash my face, I am not washing off excess product, which is a generally what I'd want from a sleeping pack/mask. The trial/travel sized is also very convenient for weekend/night trips, where I don't want to be bringing my entire night routine around in a duffel bag. This one will also be coming with me in my carry-on when I fly to HK*, as airplane air is very dry and bad for my skin. Imagine suffering through 16 hours on a dry plane. My skin cries.

Would I repurchase again? Definitely. Although I wish I could just buy the travel sized version. As usual, it'll take me forever to use up the full sized and the travel sized is more convenient for the amount of travel/night/weekend trips I take.

*At time of writing (April 21), I am still in Toronto; I leave for HK in 10 days. I have queued posts to be published while I am disconnected from the internet.

I believe this was a 100 points perk from Sephora. As Fresh products are relatively pricey, I figure I could drop some points on trying this. This retails for $72CAD at Sephora and comes in 3.4oz

Fresh claims that this is "a hydrating and toning mask with a cooling gel formula infused with pure rosewater and real rose petals". 

What it is formulated to do:
Historically romantic and classically fragrant, the rose flower yields a precious oil brimming with nutrients that naturally soothe the skin and stimulate the senses. Infused with 50 percent pure rosewater and an average of two-and-a-half roses per jar, this unique mask restores radiance and suppleness to all skin types. The addition of cucumber extract and aloe vera reduce inflammation and calm the skin, while green tea helps brighten and protect. 

It looks like this:

It's very liquidy - to the point where I had to take this photo straight down instead of tilting the jar slightly. Trying to focus the camera with this mask threatening to spill out was not what I wanted. There are also little rose petals(?) bits in the mask as well. They're very soft upon the skin.

It has a watery consistency on my hand but did not slip as much as it did in the jar. 

This is what it looks like when smoothed out over my hand.

What I like about this mask is that it absorbs very quickly. Just by spreading it on my hand, and in the time it took for me to spread it, take photos, turn the camera off, and head to the washroom, it had already started absorbing itself into my hand. Fresh says you're supposed to leave it on your skin for 15-20 minutes, but I think you could just leave it on for longer and just have it all absorbed into your skin. It has a very strong rose scent. Not your typical floral perfume scent. It's a strong rose scent.

It's also very moisturizing, but in a way that's only instant and superficial. This is something you'd have to use long term to see permanent or long lasting results. If you are looking for a quick moisture boost though, this works perfectly. I'm just not sure you could justify spending $72CAD when there are cheaper moisture wash off masks/mask sheets everywhere else.  

Would I purchase a full size of this? No. 

My RSS haul finally came in a few weeks ago, after being shipped out to the wrong province and chasing down Canada Post. Now I have new things to test and play with, yay! So onto the first review of the haul.

This is 3W Clinic's Placenta Sleeping Pack. I was very intrigued by this when I first saw it, as I've read a few articles about women who use placentas for beauty effects and whatnot. I also got it just so I could say I have placenta on my face... #priorities.

This mask supposedly does this:
"Placenta protein makes the loosen skin smooth and firm. Also, the pomegranate extract and royal Jelly extract in this sleeping pack nourish the rough skin to make shiny and vibrant skin."

The ingredient list is as follows:

It doesn't seem like placenta itself, in its raw form, is on the ingredient list, but if I'm wrong please let me know! I don't understand scientific words very well... 

edit: The placental protrin on the ingredient list is probably the placenta. 3W Clinic misspelled protein... #awks.

The mask itself looks like this:

Very brown in the jar. It's kinda springy to the touch as well and not liquidy to the point where it would start spilling out if I turned it on an angle. It didn't move much when I was taking the photo and I was holding the jar slightly on its side. 

On my hand it looks like this. It's has a gel-like consistency and feels cool to the touch. 

This is what it looks like spread out on my hand. The brown colour disappears into a light colour. It's very sticky once spread out. 

As this is a sleeping mask, I put this on after I shower and skip my usual night routine. Because it has a gel-like consistency and it's so sticky, I sleep on my back, military position, in order not to stain my pillow case or sheets. Wake up and wash it off.

I noticed that this sleeping mask doesn't absorb fully into my skin by the time I wake up. I usually go to sleep around 1am and wake up around 10:30-11am. The first time I had applied a moderate layer and noticed that there was still a very thin layer on my face when I woke up. The second time I applied a thinner layer and it had mostly disappeared into my skin but not completely. It was still sticky where I had applied it and I could feel it washing off my skin as I washed my face. 

But this placenta sleeping mask works. I have this red pimple thing(?) on my cheek (tbh I'm not 100% sure it's a pimple as there's nothing to pop. It's just a small red bump). I used a charcoal mask and it made it smaller but it was still there and noticeable. This placenta sleeping mask has diminished its size so much. Before the bump was noticeable and raised; now it is very small and not as raised as before. My skin also feels firmer than before. 

I wish it came in a smaller size, as it'll take me forever to finish this jar. Other than that, I would definitely repurchase this. 

Also, ladies and gents with long hair. Tie up your hair and pin back all stray hairs before sleeping. I woke up and all my stray hairs were stuck to my face. 

Don't be afraid of the placenta! It's strange and sounds weird but it works!

I'm back with another review! My friend picked this up for me in Hong Kong during our summer break, and I've been using it ever since Sept. 

So here is the ingredient list, along with its purpose and how to use it. Pretty swell.

I mainly use it when my skin is having problems or when I feel like my skin's in need of a deep cleanse. It works pretty well, as it is easier to extract white heads/pimples afterwards. The mask feels hot, the instant I put it on my face. It's a weird feeling, as none of my other masks do that, but it feels nice. It also smells immensely like black sesame when I have it on, but my skin does not smell like black sesame afterwards, which is good.

This mask feels thick, and that made it difficult to slather on an even layer on my face. I usually just go for the trouble spots and layer it on there, and just put some on everywhere else.

As you can kinda tell, my cheeks have been giving me problems lately, along with my forehead/t-zone area. The thickness of this mask makes it difficult to get an even layer like my other masks, but I like the aftereffects. Would I buy this again? The answer is no. I like skinfood products, but this mask is kind of annoying to use, alongside the huge granules of black sesame inside, which I'm scared will do something to the overall ecosystem, as they seem kind of hard to break down.

Skinfood's Black Sesame Hot Mask is a cool product, and it's relatively cheap so it wasn't too bad. It works well enough, but there are better products on the market. I feel like it's more of a quick fix instead of a long term solution for my troubled skin.